Entertainment for the entertainer

Did you watch it? Did you watch it?
I did. In fact, I probably would have watched it even if I wasn't stuck at home all morning without a car. Be that as it may, I watched the entire Michael Jackson Memorial, except for a few moments here and there interrupted by Sydney and the phone.
It's hard for me to have a non-judgmental thought when watching the event, as Mariah Carey, Kobe Bryant and Rev. Al Sharpton bug me, and since I simply adore Jennifer Hudson, Magic Johnson, Brooke Shields, and Stevie Wonder. So because of that, I thought Carey and Sharpton were way too much voice (Bryant, thankfully, didn't seem to speak at all), but I could have listened to Hudson and Johnson all day, and just wanted to give Shields a big hug.
A couple things though: 1.) Did anyone else think that bringing the casket to the memorial was a bit inappropriate and creepy? This event was NOT a funeral. Funerals require the guest of honor. Memorials don't. If the family wanted his fans to see him in state, they should have laid him in state somewhere, not trot his body in a casket all across southern California. 2.) The event finale, with the Jackson family and his children singing along to his songs, was perfect. The bad was the group of singers from the defunct concert who had center stage for those last two songs. It just felt more like an advertisement for the concert promoter and those troupe singers than an homage to Jackson, especially when they brought out all those random kids on stage. 3.) I really hope that the Jacksons decide to share a bit in the City of Los Angeles' costs for security, police presence and all that. To see that the freeways were shut down, that all gawkers were kept at a safe distance, and that the entire event seemed to go down without a hitch is thanks in huge part to the City. It's not fair for the City's budget to have to absorb all those costs. 4.) And oh my goodness, how cute is little Paris-Michael Jackson? Adorable! I feel so bad for those kids, because it's such an awful thing to lose a father.
And, to bring up the elephant in the room, I'll say that if the will and estate divisions go through without any kind of fight, I'll be incredibly surprised. I know as well as anyone: it's all love and hugs until someone gets home and decides that maybe they should be getting more than they are lined up to receive.