An Open Letter to BET

I'm sure everyone is aware that on Sunday, June 28, 2009, BET (Buffoon Entertainment Television) ATTEMPTED to pay homage to THE GREATEST entertainer of all time......Michael Jackson. Due to my disappointment in the show, I decided to let my voice be heard and notify BET (Bamboozled Entertainment Television) of my thoughts of their "MJ Tribute" show.


(Disclaimer - this letter was originally developed by Ms. Tracy J with permission to alter, send and post as I deemed appropriate. A huge thank you to Soror for allowing us to use your format.)



Dear BET,

Please accept this email correspondence as my views on this year's award show.

While I hate to admit this, Black Americans know EXACTLY what to expect from BET in terms of awards shows, and I'm afraid that's exactly what we got on Sunday, June 28, 2009. I'm sure it's no secret that many Black Americans take issue with the programming featured on BET, as it fails to stimulate us intellectually. The 2009 BET Awards were no different. My expectations for this show were very high, considering that we lost THE GREATEST star in music history--Michael Joseph Jackson--this past week. Instead, I was met with an award show that fell short of giving honor or paying tribute to his memory.

Had this merely been the BET Awards, I would NOT be as disgusted. As stated, we already know what to expect. However, it was repeatedly stated over the course of the past three days that BET was working hard to rearrange the show in order to pay tribute to Michael Jackson. I commend BET for ATTEMPTING to pay tribute to Michael Jackson during certain segments of the show. However, in total, the show failed to show any reverence to him AT ALL! Considering Michael Jackson's impact on entertainment at large and Black entertainment specifically, I wish that there would have been a better showing in honor of his memory. While I commend all those that tirelessly worked behind the scenes to put the show together, it fell horribly short in terms of being a "tribute."

There were several moments in the show that made me cringe and gasp, most notably the performance by Lil Wayne and the "skit" performed by Ving Rhames and Tyrese. To request the audience repeat after him that "Guns is (sic) Michael Jackson" was the lowest moment in the show. For a man that fought against injustice and violence, it was a direct slap in the face to his memory. As for Lil Wayne, the overwhelming majority of his performance was beeped out and otherwise laced with inappropriate content. Along with this, the appearance (of what seemed to be) young girls on stage while this atrocity was going on. Where there no "PG" versions of the song that could have been performed for the national audience? I find it hard to believe that BET would approve this performance to be televised.

Thank God for New Edition, Jamie Foxx, Ne-Yo, Maxwell, Alicia Keys, Wyclef Jean, and Eddie Levert for their performances and individual tributes to Michael Jackson. They were appreciated and brought smiles to my face. Even Arsenio Hall, in the pre show, had heartfilled words to say (that educated as well) about our beloved Michael Jackson. However, it seemed as though his spirit was forgotten throughout the remaining portions of the show. There were barely any mentions of his name by the number of artists that crossed the stage over the course of the evening. In fact, I saw more promos for foolishness like "Toya & Tiny" and "Frankie & Neffie" than I saw people paying respect to Michael Jackson!!

I was lost throughout most of the show and actually felt duped. I waited with bated breath, hoping that each subsequent segment of the show would be the one that featured the tribute. Alas, it wasn't until the last 5-10 minutes of the show when we FINALLY got anything that resembled a tribute to Michael Jackson when Janet Jackson bravely took the stage, followed by a lovely duet by Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo. The song was beautiful and fitting as a tribute to Michael. Too bad we had to sit through almost three hours of "What in the world...?" moments in order to witness it.

Perhaps a lot of us got our hopes up by anticipating a more fitting tribute to Michael Jackson from BET. That is our fault. As an award show, I will not overlook the hard work that the BET staff may have put into it. However, in terms of it being a "tribute" to Michael, I will forever be disappointed with the 2009 BET Awards. I do hope that BET is preparing a more fitting tribute to Michael Jackson to be aired in the very near future. If not, it will be another missed opportunity by BET to bring back the essence of what Black Entertainment Television USED to be....


(smh in disgust) the orAKAle has spoken........