Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Celebration

i got credentials to volunteer at the red carpet arrival area at Madison Square Garden last night for the salute to the King of Pop, not that I was excited about MJ, but there were an estimated 300 celebrities arriving at the red carpet.


so heres the deal, I basically hung around the entrance area where the press hangs out, and had to list the celebrities as they were escorted in. heres who was on the list, all these people were inches away.


Usher
Naomi Campbell
Grant Hill
Busta Rhymes
Monica
Tamia
Destiny's Child
Puff the magic Diddy
Britney Spears(plus tool{timberlake})
The rest of the tools(N*Sync)
Slash
Jason Seahorn
Macauly Culkin

a whole bunch of others. I was running around talking to anyone from publicists to traffic cops to raving fans who begged me to let them in or snap a photo. it was crazy, but exciting.

then the big moment came.
the security guards come in and cleared a path for LIz Taylor and Michael Jackson. He was wearing a sparkling white suit to match
his horribly pale plastic molded face with a strip of flesh and cartilage that he calls his nose.

after the grand entrance, everyone in the room looked at each other in horror, as if to communicate,"that is so sad....."

they let us into the arena, but with press passes and no seats, we were allowed to basically roam about the Garden.

the show itself was a letdown. Whitney Houston, Maya, and Usher opened with "Wanna Be Startin Something", and then Marlon Brando comes out on to the stage, sits on a couch for about five minutes, then goes off on a manifesto about third world children getting their heads hacked off. he rambled on and on, and the crowd grew restless and started to boo.

Michael Jackson held his hands in the air to settle the crowd. it was very bizarre.

from that point on, there were long pauses in between songs, which I grew impatient and left after a number from The Wiz, with Monica, Jill Scott, and a couple others.

finally i said whatever, and left as Liza Minelli was singing. it turns out the Jackson 5 got back together and then MJ broke out the leather glove, but I really got tired of waiting with people who spent 2500 dollars for their seats.

al in all, the red carpet was much cooler than the concert itself.
your man on the NY street

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