Sad news today as we learn that Michael Jackson, King of Pop, has passed away. Succumbing to a cardiac episode at his home paramedics were unable to revive the music star. While Jackson’s celebrity status was based more on controversy then musical accolades in the last few years his fan base was huge. So big in fact that the spreading news of his passing was enough to cripple the Internet as the surge of traffic brought down numerous sites (specifically Twitter).
One thing I’d like to rant about a little is all the hate that spewed from Twitter regarding entertainment/gossip site TMZ. TMZ has had its share of controversy but when it comes to celebrity news it knows how to get it. They were the first to break the news of Jackson’s death while other news agencies, like CNN, sat in a perpetual state of “…has been hospitalized” status. Worse yet, when CNN finally beginning commenting on Jackson’s death they didn’t cite TMZ anywhere. What the hell? First Iran and now this. Two weeks; two complete fails.
Similarly, to all those who slammed TMZ for being unreliable as a source on Twitter consider yourself pwned.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to family and friends.
Bob Starr, code named Starbuck, is a geek with a passion for film journalism and technology. You can follow Bob on Twitter (
