Paris and Prince Jackson at The Grammys: Now, Let Them Grow Up in Peace

But it may not happen.

It’s been seven months now since the news broke that Michael Jackson had died, and these children may not have been given closure. I saw the Grammys last night, and outside of Pink, Lady GaGa and Beyonce, this was one of the highlights of the show. But I felt like the children’s grief had been reawakened once more. It made me wonder, once more, about the dangers that these children face about their elders using their grief and bereftness over their famous father’s death to make money or to get the public’s attention. Understand that they were flanked by the latest generation of Jacksons to enter show business, their cousins, who also seemed to have had nose jobs and processes. Ew…

Worse yet, The Grammys were held at the same location as the memorial service for their father, the Staples Center.

I was surprised how deep Prince’s voice was–yes, it is understandable that his voice may have broken early. But both looked nervous, and the more they spoke, the more they became in touch with their emotions, although they did not burst into tears.

Prince said: “We are proud to be here to accept this award on behalf of our father, Michael Jackson.

“First of all, we would like to thank God for watching over us for these past seven months, and our grandma and grandpa for their love and support.

“We would also like to thank the fans – our father loved you so much because you were always there for him.

“Our father was always concerned about the planet and humanity. Through all his hard work and dedication he has helped many charities and donated to all of them.

“Through all his songs, his message was simple – love. We will continue to spread his message and help the world. Thank you.”

Paris’ thank you was more succinct:

Paris followed her brother to the podium and said simply: “Daddy was supposed to be here. Daddy was going to perform this year. He couldn’t perform last year.

“Thank you, we love you, Daddy.”

And that was it, but I have the strange feeling that this is not the last chapter in the trotting out of Michael Jackson’s children for some kind of memorial or tribute. I don’t normally agree with Faux Noise, but this is getting beyond the point. Hollie McKay at Fox News’ Pop Tarts blog quoted an unnamed source.

“It was sad, they were very overwhelmed and seemed confused by it all,” a source close to the Jackson family told Pop Tarts. “It took right up to the 11th hour for everyone involved to agree, but the children did really want to it. They’ve had to grow up a lot – last year at the memorial they were just little kids and now they’ve really grown up.”

According to our insider, MJ’s children are being very well taken care of by their grandmother Katherine and are coping “pretty well,” but there is some concern that the constant string of Michael Jackson tributes that have taken place since his death could be having a negative impact on their healing process.

“They’re getting tired of all these tributes, it is not letting them move on,” said our source. “It’s not healthy.”

On the note of the highly-anticipated 3-D Michael Jackson Earth tribute that brought together Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Usher and Smokey Robinson, would it have been a lot more meaningful had Michael’s brothers done the honors instead?

“Remember, there was no Michael Jackson without the Jackson Five. It was a missed opportunity not getting them (the brothers) all together for this,” added our insider. “And Berry Gordy (Motown founder) was sitting in the audience and it was disappointing that he wasn’t a part of it either.”

I don’t agree about Berry Gordy, because he did not have to be there, but I do agree about the adults–the surviving Jackson Five–being brought in as representatives, or even the Jackson cousins. And although both Prince and Paris have noticeably grown up in seven months, I don’t think that it is right to prolong the mourning for the King of Pop in their case. It is not fair or respectful of them or of Michael.

I see the sticky fingers of Joe Jackson in all this, somewhere. Old Joe is still suing the Estate of Michael Jackson for $20,000 a month in allowance, or $2.4 million per year for the rest of his life. The Grammy people said that the entire family was invited for the tribute, but the Jacksons claimed that they hadn’t been invited at all. I wouldn’t be surprised that earlier reports of the children being no shows were actually from Katherine–not Joe–trying to put the brakes on such a spectacle; and then the old lady was pestered to death by her grasping husband to where she relented and allowed the children to be used. Sound familiar? Some are even claiming that the family–or Joe–asked for money for the appearance, but I haven’t found any evidence of this.

Little Blanket was present and would have gone on stage with his older brother and sister, but the little boy became so overwhelmed and frightened at the prospect, says the Dallas Morning News, that he was allowed to stay behind backstage. If this is true, it’s very, very sad. As much as Michael tried to protect them, with bizarre results, from the media and from his life as a performer, Paris 11, Prince 12, and Blanket 7, are being brought into the bright lights time and time again. Prince and Paris had learned their rehearsed lines very well, and they seemed very well-mannered, though dressed in black outfits that mimicked how their father would dress, with a red armband. I will say it, Michael Jackson did right by his kids. He raised them well. And to me, they’re beginning to show that they are his kids, biologically.

I don’t want them to pushed into a music career like their father. If they have other talents that are now manifest, they should be allowed to develop them and become whatever they want to be. But this is getting weird, close to necrophilia, and again, it is not fair to the children that they have to be reminded that their father is dead. Let them develop lives. Let them grow up. Then they can figure out what they want to do with themselves and with their money. By that time, thankfully, their grandparents–especially Joe Jackson–will have passed on.

~ by blksista on February 1, 2010.