The Big Lie

It was the summer the Michael Jackson video retrospective History was released: 1995. We were visiting friends in Berkeley when Ben, Naneen's teenage son, turned my daughter, then six years old, onto Michael Jackson. MTV was playing every Michael Jackson video ever made and Ben and my daughter sat, danced, sang, well, they became Michael Jackson.

That's when her obsession began. It lasted not quite as long as her obsession with Star Wars.

After several hundred viewings of History, her favorite was Black or White, mine was Billie Jean, my daughter asked this question based upon the quite obvious observation that his looks had changed radically: "If Michael Jackson is a boy, how come he looks like a girl? And if he is Black, how come he looks white now?"

Sensible questions from a six year old. That's when I told the big lie: Maybe he is trying to tell us that gender and race shouldn't be that important.

As deeply disturbed as Michael Jackson might have been, one thing we know for sure: he was extraordinarily talented and gave the world a new era of pop music, changed the world of music videos, and ended the overt racism at MTV, which up to that point would not air music videos by African American performers. Michael Jackson was the break through artist.

Of course, the circus around his death is off the charts. It's been the reason why I haven't turned on a television for the week except to muse along with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. The interview NPR did with Spike Lee who worked with Jackson on the 1996 video "They Don't Care About Us," was perhaps the one I want to remember. Remember his talent, his work ethic, his enormous creativity, his gift.

The Disappearance of the Hair Dryer in Iraq

Only Stephen Colbert would incorporate a hair dryer icon into the logo for his latest exploit, his USO tour in Iraq. Last night was hysterical: Colbert mocked the secrecy of the war, walked that amazing line that he broached at the White House Correspondents Dinner between humor and disrespect with approval from the audience of service men and women, and then (spoiler alert) brought on the commander in chief himself, President Obama, to order General Odiemo to cut his hair. Watch this episode of Operation Iraqi Stephen!

On a much more serious note, the Supreme Court yesterday refused to review the failed military policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," that forces military personnel to keep their sexual orientation a secret or risk dishonorable discharge if they come out. Although there is a bill pending in the House, Ted Kennedy is waiting for a Republican co-sponsor to introduce it into the Senate. We are losing good service people, it's a waste of talent, and it forces people to be unreal. Israel, England, Ireland--there is a long list of countries that allow open service by gays and lesbians. Read the facts about openly gay service.

The White House Correspondents' Dinner--How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People

Wanda Sykes was the comedian this year at The White House Correspondents' Dinner, where the sitting president gets gently roasted and then he turns and does a little routine on the press, fellow insiders, and himself.

Remember the year when Stephen Colbert really roasted Bush II and all the talking heads on Fox were screaming that he was impudent and went way beyond the line of propriety?

There are three segments to this year's Dinner program.

Wanda started off pretty tame with jokes that were respectful and fun.

Then in the second half, she went after Rush Limbaugh in a way that he will twist and turn into weeks of continued diatribe on his radio show.

"I can break Sean Hannity by giving him a middle seat in coach."

Finally President Obama got the microphone. He first prodded Michael Steele, chair of the Republican National Party, who was in the audience, reminding him that the RNC is not eligible for a bail out and that Rush Limbaugh is not a troubled asset.

Larry Summers recently asked if he could chair the White House Council on Women & Girls.

The New York Times Blog has some more of the jokes, if you just want to read them.

OK, Michelle's arms were in site lines, Joe Biden's gaffes, and some fun was had. But nothing like what happened when Colbert did his performance. Take another look at that if you want to get sentimental for a time when the president was the laughing stock of the world, although frankly, I prefer it this way.