Networks Line Up Jackson Tributes

LOS ANGELES: The major U.S. broadcast networks, as well as international outlets such as RTL and Five, quickly lined up Michael Jackson tribute specials following the legendary artist’s sudden passing yesterday.

The famed "King of Pop" was rushed to the hospital in Los Angeles yesterday. Early reports indicated cardiac arrest, but the official cause of death will not be revealed until the coroner issues an autopsy report today. Jackson was just 50 years old. News of his death yesterday afternoon caused an enormous spike in Internet activity, resulting in the following statement from AOL: "Today was a seminal moment in Internet history. We’ve never seen anything like it in terms of scope or depth. Historically, celebrity news prompts a worldwide outpouring with several key consumer behaviors—searching, sharing and reacting to the news followed by online tributes has become the modern way to mourn. Princess Diana was the first notable Internet example. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett are the latest."

ABC led off last night’s coverage on the networks at 9 p.m. with 20/20: The Life and Death of Michael Jackson, anchored by Barbara Walters and Martin Bashir—who conducted the controversial interview with the artist that aired on ITV and ABC, among other networks, back in 2003. That one-hour special was followed by Walters’ Farrah Fawcett: Her Life, Her Loves, Her Legacy, paying tribute to the Charlie’s Angel actress who lost her battle with cancer yesterday at the age of 62. 

On CBS, the CBS News special The Life and Death of Michael Jackson, broadcast at 10 p.m., was anchored live by Harry Smith. It featured interviews with music industry personalities such as J. Randy Taraborrelli, who penned Michael Jackson: The Magic & the Madness. The one-hour special chronicled the singer’s rise to fame and his tumultuous personal life. It also paid tribute to Fawcett.

NBC, meanwhile, featured a special two-hour episode of Dateline NBC exploring the lives of Jackson and Fawcett, NBC News’ Ann Curry and Meredith Vieira anchored the special. Tonight, NBC is rebroadcasting Farrah’s Story, the two-hour doc in which the actress chronicled living with cancer for the last two and a half years. 

FOX is preempting repeats of House and Lie to Me on Monday to air an encore of the Michael Jackson-themed American Idol performance show. In it, 13 contestants from the most recent season of Idol performed Jackson’s biggest hits.

In the U.K., meanwhile, Five this evening was set to broadcast the Five News production Michael Jackson: King of Pop, featuring interviews with Uri Geller, Mark Lester and music journalist Neil McCormick. There will also be clips from Jackson’s appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show and his interview with Diane Sawyer. Sky1 prepared The Michael Jackson Story: A Celebration of His Life and Work for broadcast at 8 p.m. tonight. And RTL had lined up for this evening the special The Death of Michael Jackson, featuring reactions from German fans and an exploration of his life and career.