Michael Jackson is up for a whopping five American Music Awards nominations this year. The pop megastar, who died this past June at the age 50, is even nominated for the coveted Artist of the Year award. Amazing.
And all he had to do was die.
The AMAs — and the music business in general — had all but ignored Michael Jackson in the last five years of his life. When he was accused of child molestation in 2005, there was no outpouring of protests and character defenses from notable celebrity A-listers like there was for director — and convicted rapist — Roman Polanski.
The AMAs last acknowledged the giant shadow MJ cast over popular music back in 2002, when they bestowed him with the honorary “Artist of the Century” award. But he was an industry outcast in his final years, the awards he had accumulated over decades of performing and creating were mere reminders of how hollow industry praise is and how quickly the masses can turn their backs on a beloved superstar.
But now that the Gloved One no longer dances among the living, now that he has suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, the AMAs have decided to nominate him for apparently no real reason. His Number Ones compilation is being nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock album — never mind the fact that it was released in 2003 or that most of the songs on it were recorded in the 1980s and 1990s or that it’s a greatest hits compilation not an actual album.
At least when the Grammys pass over younger, cutting-edge artists for older, revered favorites, the nomination is for work that the elder artists did that year. This is just a ridiculous and exploitative way to milk the death of Michael Jackson by belatedly acknowledging his commercial and artistic legacy.
The American Music Awards would’ve done better to just have a tribute during the show; this entire debacle stinks of overcompensation. Here’s hoping the fans don’t buy it.
–todd williams
