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Doogie Howser, Emmy
Michael Ausiello at ew.com is reporting that Neil Patrick Harris has been tapped to host this year’s Emmy awards Sept. 20 on CBS. In his childhood, Harris starred as “Doogie Howser, MD” and he currently plays Barney on “How I Met Your Mother.” He recently garnered rave reviews for his hosting turn at the Tony Awards. Check out his closing number from that broadcast:
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TV fireworks: channels schedule 4th weekend marathons
Our friend Charlie over at Interesting Pile has posted a list of TV show marathons airing over the July 4th weekend. It’s missing some pay cable offerings such as the “Nurse Jackie” marathon on Showtime on Saturday from 7-9pm CT but, for basic cable listings, it’s mighty comprehensive.
There’s something on this list — covering Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5 — for just about everybody, from “Twilight Zone” and “Hannah Montana” to “Ice Road Truckers.”
Thanks Charlie!
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FX sets Fall schedule; ‘nip/tuck’ back in October
FX, has announced its fall season schedule. Returning in September are “Sons of Anarchy” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The drama “nip/tuck” won’t be back until October.
The most interesting news to me is the announcement that Austin film maker Robert Rodriguez’ one-time squeeze, Rose McGowan, will be guesting on “nip/tuck.” I wonder if the actress will be portraying a client? She has admitted to having plastic surgery following an auto accident, but it sure looks like she’s had a lot more work done since then.
Check out FX’s press release after the jump.
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TV Guide Network cobbles together two more Michael Jackson tributes
Is this much MJ coverage “Bad?” Chris Pizzello photo/Associated Press
Haven’t had enough Michael Jackson coverage? I’ve had enough to last a lifetime (maybe the only network that hasn’t aired one!) but as long as y’all keep watching, it’s never going to stop.
TV Guide Network will shamelessly grab for ratings — er, pay homage to Jackson — in two more television specials airing this week: “Stars Reflect on the Man in the Mirror,” premiering tonight at 7:00 p.m. CT includes performance highlights and celebrity interviews from Sunday night’s “BET Awards,” which became a hastily-planned tribute to Jackson; “Michael Jackson: His Music Legacy,” premiering Wednesday, July 1 at 7:00 p.m. CT, features Jackson’s music videos.
“Stars Reflect on the Man in the Mirror” features interviews with Joe Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Ne-Yo, Alicia Keys, New Edition, Ciara, Sherri Shepherd, Arsenio Hall and Wyclef Jean, as they discuss Michael Jackson’s legendary career, his pop culture influence and how he paved the way for so many artists today. (Arsenio Hall? There’s a blast from the past. I wonder how many weeks of coverage we’ll have when he passes away?) The special will also include some of the most memorable tribute highlights from the “BET Awards,” including Janet Jackson’s remarks, Jamie Foxx’s Moonwalk and New Edition’s medley rendition of Jackson 5 hits.
“Michael Jackson: His Music Legacy” will feature music videos from the artist’s solo career, including “Human Nature,” “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” among others.
In other words, there’s little here we haven’t seen a thousand times on dozens of channels in the 5 days since Jackson died.
I don’t mean to sound callous; Jackson was a phenomenal entertainer — 25 years ago. He did influence a lot of artists and he left a brilliant musical legacy; a few days of coverage was well-deserved. But I feel there’s some revisionist — or at least, selective — history taking place here: MJ did not create MTV and, although he certainly had a gloved hand in shaping and changing the music video art form, the last time I checked nobody really shows those anymore.
I guess I’m just Thriller’d out. Do you agree? Is the continuing MJ coverage overblown or am I out of line? Post your thoughts below.
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Univision beats ESPN in soccer ratings
KAKW graphic
KAKW Univision 62, a Spanish-language TV station serving the Austin market, delivered the highest local ratings during Sunday’s USA vs. Brazil soccer match, regardless of language, based on average household ratings. Univision beat ESPN, which also aired the live match.
KAKW’s coverage reached approximately 18,000 Austin market households, while ESPN reached 12,000.
In addition, KAKW reached more viewers during the USA/Brazil time period (Sunday, 1:30p-3:30p) and the Wimbledon Early Round match on KXAN, according to the recent Nielsen overnight ratings for Sunday, June 28, 2009.
Do you prefer Univision or ESPN for this type of programming? Why?
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Friday Night Lights: Who made the squad?
AccessHollywood.com has the inside scoop on who’s on and off the team at “Friday Night Lights.” The site reports that stars Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler, who play principal Tami Taylor and coach Eric Taylor, will return for the show’s presumed final two seasons. Aimee Teegarden, who plays the couple’s daughter, Julie, will also return.
Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins) and Jesse Plemons (Landry Clarke) will also be back.
Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity) and Adrienne Palicki (Tyra Collette) should show up for a couple of episodes next season, AccessHollywood.com’s sources say.
“And in total touchdown casting news for die hard “Lights” fans,” the site reports, “Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen) will return for five to seven episodes of the new season, where the guy who is best known for taking care of everyone else in his life is said to have a major new storyline that involves him taking charge and taking care of himself.”
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Discovery Channel plans marathon Mays tribute
Discovery Channel will air a marathon of “Pitchmen,” their show starring famed gadget-hawker Billy Mays, on Wednesday, July 1 from 10am-10pm CT. The show follows Mays and co-host Anthony Sullivan as they scour inventors’ products in search of good ideas that need both financial and promotional help.
Mays, 50, died unexpectedly in his sleep Sunday morning in his Tampa, Florida home.
Discovery Channel’s statement on Mays can be found by clicking here.
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Would ye like some TV picks?
Colin Morgan as Merlin. Nick Briggs photo/NBC
Who’s your TV buddy? Uh-huh. Once again I’ve scoured through hundreds of hours of upcoming television programming so you don’t have to. Here’s some interesting stuff coming up this week:
Monday, June 29
‘Secrets of the Founding Fathers’ 7pm, History Channel: The founding fathers’ connection with Freemasonry is explored. I’m hoping we might also finally learn what Thomas Jefferson was doing in the conservatory with the lead pipe.
Tuesday, June 30
‘America’s Got Talent’ 8pm, NBC: Nationwide auditions continue. After watching this show last week, I’m confused … is the title supposed to be ironic?
Wednesday, July 1
‘I Survived a Japanese Game Show’ 8pm, ABC: No specific program information was available for this episode. That’s probably just as well, because my Japanese is not good and the translation would probably be pretty messed up.
Thursday, July 2
‘Moments of Impact’ 8pm, Discovery Channel: In this reality series debut, a teenager’s pet lion attacks his friend. It’s okay, you can go back and read that again. Alright, are you back? Good. In related news, I am totally going to stop complaining about these little ants that keep crawling across my desk.
Friday, July 3
‘Don’t Tell the Bride’ 8pm, BBC America: A man hopes his bride-to-be will love the medieval-themed ceremony he planned. I hope he ditches the idea to replace the wedding rings with thumbscrews. Also, those custom vows that read, ‘Do you take this wench?’ might not go over so well.
Saturday, July 4
‘48 Hours Mystery’ 9pm, TLC: The 2001 murder of Kent Heitholt in Columbia, Missouri is investigated. There are lots of fireworks stands in Missouri, so there’s your 4th of July tie-in. Happy Independence Day!
‘Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular’ 9pm, CBS: Would I leave you hanging without a real 4th of July-related pick? No. Craig Ferguson hosts and Neil Diamond performs. I picture Diamond throwing his sequin-studded, jump suited arm around naturalized citizen Ferguson and singing, “he’s commmming to America,” but, oddly, I picture that fairly often.
Sunday, July 5
‘Merlin’ 7pm, NBC: Lancelot saves Merlin from a magical, winged creature, so Merlin talks him up to Arthur. I’m not sure if I’ll be sitting on my throne, munching on a turkey leg and watching this program, but I’ll bet that guy from ‘Don’t Tell the Bride’ never misses it.
‘Storm Stories’ 7pm, The Weather Channel: I keep checking, week after week, but they’re still not covering how my wife corrals us all into the bathtub and throws a mattress on top of us every time the wind gets strong enough that we can hear the chimes.
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Texas casting call for ‘The Biggest Loser’
Everything’s bigger in Texas, and NBC is counting on it. “The Biggest Loser,” the network’s hit weight-loss reality series, is including San Antonio on a contestant-seeking tour this summer. Producers will be in San Antonio July 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Nix downtown, 414 Navarro St.
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Cronkite children address news legend’s health status: ‘Not likely to recuperate’
Walter Cronkite presents UT president William Powers, Jr., with a Lunar Sample for the university’s Center for American History on Tuesday, February 28, 2006. Deborah Cannon photo/2006 AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Linda Stasi, New York Post television critic, reports receiving an e-mail message from Walter Cronkite’s three children, Nancy, Kathy Cronkite and Walter (Chip) Cronkite III, addressing the recent news coverage of the legendary newsman’s condition.
Stasi reports Nancy Cronkite confirming that her 92-year-old father has been suffering from cerebrovascular disease for years.
“In order to dispel false rumors,” the e-mail reads, “Walter Cronkite’s family want it known that, sadly, he is very ill and is not expected to recuperate; he is resting at home surrounded by family, friends and a wonderful medical team. We thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes.”
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I’ll be all ‘Idol’ in Dallas on Friday
What will you be doing tomorrow at 4 a.m.?
I’ll be up in Arlington, hitting my snooze alarm “one more time” and dragging myself into the shower before heading over to Cowboys New Stadium for ‘American Idol’ tryouts.
No, I’m not auditioning (unless my singing in the shower sounds particularly good!) but I will be pounding the pavement in 100 degree temps to talk with several Austinites who are. I’ll also blog here about the scene and send out frequent updates — including photos — via Twitter.
Is there anything you’d like to ask Austin’s “Idol” hopefuls? Post your questions below and I’ll pass ‘em along.
You can follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
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Your TV site pics … Proposal: Life on the Street
Statesman staffer Raeanne Martinez saw the recent photo we published of reader Stuart Leibowitz posing with the Mary Tyler Moore statue in Minneapolis and sent us this vintage snapshot:
Raeanne writes: “Here is my hubby Gilbert outside the ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ set in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood. The photo was taken in 1997,
when the show was in its heyday. It still is my favorite TV show of all time. Another reason that is a kinda’ cool photo… we got engaged on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore the night before. Aw!”
Have you got a picture of yourself doing “nothing” in the ‘Seinfeld’ diner? Maybe your buddies took a snapshot while you hoisted a few at the ‘Cheers’ bar? Send it our way with a brief description; we’d love to share your TV site memories with your fellow readers.
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“Friday Night Lights” fan catches Kitsch on SoCo
Kristin at E! Online has a blog item from a “Friday Night Lights” fan who caught up with Taylor Kitsch in Austin. The actor claims his character, Tim Riggins, is “fully in” for FNL season 4 and has an “awesome storyline.”
In the posting, which includes a great photo of Kitsch near Jo’s Coffee on South Congress, the fan says that “FNL’s” casting director told her that filming will start Sept. 1.
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TV’s Ed McMahon dead at 86
Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.” CBS photo
Legendary sidekick Ed McMahon, who sat beside Johnny Carson for 30 years and acted as the viewers’ stand-in — prodding Carson and laughing boisterously at his jokes — died this morning. He was 86.
The television personality had been hospitalized recently, reportedly suffering from bone cancer and pneumonia.
Although he hadn’t regularly appeared on TV since Carson retired 17 years ago, McMahon remained a pop culture touchstone. In addition to his “Tonight Show” career with Carson (who died in 2005) McMahon hosted “Star Search,” a nationally-televised talent show and forerunner to “American Idol.” More recently, he rapped in commercials for Free Credit Report and appeared in Cash 4 Gold Superbowl ads with MC Hammer.
McMahon and Carson took over “The Tonight Show” in 1962, the year I was born, and continued until well after I was finished with school and into my journalism career. While I can’t point to a specific moment, the memories of McMahon’s booming chortles and gentle needling are an indelible part of the soundtrack of my life.
Do you have favorite memories of Ed McMahon? Please share them with us, below. In the meantime, enjoy a couple of Ed McMahon video clips after the jump.
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Friday Night Lights: Let’s play two?
Connie Britton as Tami Taylor, Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor. Bill Records photo, NBC
We’ve known for several months that “Friday Night Lights” has been picked up for another two seasons, with episodes to air first on DirecTV and then later on NBC. But Connie Britton, who plays Principal Tami Taylor in the television series filmed largely around Austin, told Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello that might be as far as it goes.
“I think the intention is to do two more seasons and then that will be it,” Britton reveals in the EW.com interview. In the video, Britton also discusses the show’s Emmy chances and her thoughts about filming without some familiar friends (including Adrienne Palicki, who is appearing in the remake of “Red Dawn”). “It’s gonna be different to be in Austin without our little core group,” Britton admits.
Meanwhile, executive producer Jason Katims is going to have twice as much work on his hands, juggling show-running duties of both “FNL” and new NBC drama “Parenthood.” Katims insisted his heavy workload won’t result in a quality decline for “Friday Night Lights.”
“’ll figure out a way to work it out,” he told TV Guide’s William Keck in March, prior to “Parenthood” landing a fall-season slot. “It might mean staggering some schedules. We have such an incredible team in Texas. It’s a very smooth running operation, so I have every confidence the show will continue to be everything it was in the past.”
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Idol finalists on musical Journey
The “American Idol” Top 10 (well, Top 9 and a wax dummy … see Adam Lambert photo, left) seem to be full of “Glee.” Rehearsing in Burbank for their nationwide summer tour, the performers worked on a version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” a song which enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after a catchy madrigal version was featured in the pilot of the FOX fall series, “Glee,” according to the Associated Press. I smell some cross-promotion here. Just sayin’.
The tour kicks off July 5 in Oregon.
In this June 7, 2009 file photo, singer Adam Lambert arrives at the Hollywood Life 11th Annual Young Hollywood Awards in Santa Monica, Calif. Dan Steinberg photo, Associated Press
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Sharp dressed men and BFFs: here’s what I’m watching this week
Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez star in “Princess Protection Program” on Disney Channel. Roman Francisco photo/Disney Channel
Hey, watch it! No, I mean it — there’s lots of stuff to watch this week. Look, you’ve got hundreds of channels and limited free time, right? Why waste precious hours clicking though channels, flipping through TV Guide (the Statesman’s ShowWorld is a good resource, though) or DVRing stuff you’ll never watch when I can do the heavy lifting for you? These may not be the best shows you’ll see all week, but you’ve got to start somewhere:
Monday, June 22
‘Iran and the West’ 8pm, National Geographic Channel: There’s something going on over there, right? I’ve been seeing this country’s name in a lot of headlines lately. Former U.S. and Iranian dignitaries tell us how we got to this point.
Tuesday, June 23
‘The Superstars’ 7pm, ABC: This show is like ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ except with running, jumping, kayaking and biking instead of dancing. It features some decent athletes paired with a bunch of stars that weren’t famous enough to take Speidi’s place on ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!’
Wednesday, June 24
‘I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!’ 7pm, NBC: Deja vu! The winner is announced on the season one finale. Of course, ‘winner’ is a relative term here.
Thursday, June 25
‘Penn & Teller: BS!’ 9pm, Showtime: The comic magicians kick off season 7 with a rousing examination of orgasms. Hopefully this description did not just make dozens of readers disappear.
Friday, June 26
‘Virtuality’ 7pm, FOX: The guys behind ‘Battlestar Galactica’ deliver a trippy new sci-fi thriller about astronauts leaving Earth on a 10-year mission. The crew interacts with the vessel’s virtual reality program, designed to help them deal with their confinement and lack of privacy. The premise serves as an allegory of sorts for our own media- and Internet-obsessed lives. Internet obsession? Me? Let’s just see what Google has to say about that! Peter Berg directs this show —a pilot, of sorts — and it stars Clea DuVall (Carnivale) who I would watch a still photo of for two hours.
‘Princess Protection Program’ 7pm, Disney Channel: Tween stars (and real-life BFFs!) Demi Lovato (‘Camp Rock’) and Selena Gomez (‘Wizards of Waverly Place’) star in Disney’s newest ‘this-will-be-your-kids’-obsession,’ a fish out of water tale destined to score royal ratings and a king’s ransom in merchandising. It debuts tonight, but you’ll see it 50 times this summer, after which you’ll probably want to assume an alias and go into hiding yourself.
Saturday, June 27
‘Storytellers: ZZ Top’ 9pm, VH1: The Texas trio perform their hits, including ‘Tush,’ ‘La Grange’ and ‘Sharp Dressed Man,’ so give them all your lovin’. C’mon, Penn & Teller just told you how.
Sunday, June 28
‘Hostile Makeover’ 7pm, Lifetime: A fashion reporter uses her style savvy to solve a crime involving a supermodel and death threats. Good alternate titles for this show would be ‘Murder, She Curled’ or ‘MattedLocks.’ Hmmm … I wonder if the Statesman’s own Marques Harper could utilize a blow dryer and some elegant cufflinks to help me find my missing pen?
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Austin viewers have trouble tuning in Fox 7
KTBC graphic
Since the digital conversion Friday, June 12 some Austin television viewers who previously had no problems viewing Fox 7, KTBC, have found themselves unable to attain the station’s signal. These viewers primarily use antennas and converter boxes to receive the new, federally-mandated digital transmissions.
KTBC’s Web site has a graphic explaining the problem: prior to June 12, the station’s analog antenna was 1,040 feet tall. Since beginning its digital broadcast, Fox 7 has been broadcasting on a temporary digital antenna at 400 feet and 37 kw. In a few weeks (no firm date has been provided) a new antenna will reach 1,070 feet, outputting 72 kw of signal strength.
According to KTBC General Manager Mark Rodman, this was due to the station’s FCC designation as a “phased transition station.” Since Fox 7’s signal was being transferred from one digital frequency to another (the station fired up their digital signal some time ago) the FCC gave KTBC a temporary digital broadcasting authorization with lower power.
Rodman admits that Fox 7 has received many calls from upset and confused viewers, but says these viewers have largely responded with “goodwill and understanding” when learning that the problem is temporary.
“We’ll be ready for the Cowboys’ home opener,” he promised.
In the meantime, KTBC says the following 4 steps have helped some viewers recapture the station’s signal:
1. Disconnect the antenna from your converter box or digital-ready TV
2. Rescan the converter box or TV set
3. Reconnect the antenna
4. Rescan one more time
KTBC suggests viewers check in at the Fox 7 Web site for progress updates and rescan every few days until their full power signal is restored.
The station’s digital television hotline number is (512) 495-7790 and their email is news@fox7.com.
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Fuse TV delivers Bonnaroo to you
Bruce Springsteen at Bonnaroo ‘09. Photo: Star Pix/Fuse 2009
Music fans who missed this year’s 4-day Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee can check out highlights in a one-hour special on the cable and satellite Fuse network Saturday night. “Fuse Fest: Bonnaroo 2009” airs at 8 pm CT.
The special includes performances by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails and Phish, among others.
More information and free Bonnaroo downloads can be found at the Fuse Web site.
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Walter Cronkite reported to be gravely ill
Mediabistro’s blog, TVNewser, and other sources are reporting that television broadcaster and former University of Texas student Walter Cronkite is gravely ill. The blog cited a source who noted that CBS began updating his obituary more than a week ago.
Meanwhile, the New York Daily News and other outlets have Cronkite’s spokeswoman denying the reports, saying the icon is just recuperating from an illness.
“The news reports that have gone out are overstated,” the article quotes a spokeswoman for the 92-year-old saying.
“He has suffered no major health crisis. He is at home. He was recently ill, and he’s home recuperating. He’s not gravely ill.”
Cronkite attended The University of Texas at Austin in the 1930s and worked as a student reporter for The Daily Texan campus newspaper. The legendary newsman began his career as a World War II correspondent for United Press. In 1950, he joined CBS and, 12 years later, became anchor of the network’s evening newscast. Cronkite retired in 1981 and was replaced by Dan Rather.
TVNewser quotes Cronkite’s thoughts on the subject of death from a 2006 interview:
“When you get to be 89, you have to think about it a little bit. It doesn’t prey on me, and it doesn’t keep me awake nights. Occasionally, when I’m upset about something else, I think, ‘My gosh, I don’t know if I should do this or that because I’m not sure I’ll be here that long to enjoy it.’ “
Cronkite announces death of JFK
Cronkite on the Moon landing
Cronkite University of Texas commercial
The latest on Cronkite on Twitter
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Readers: send us your TV photos
About a month ago, when I wrote my debut TV column, I received a lot of nice e-mails from readers welcoming me to the beat. One of these readers, Stuart Leibowitz, responded to one of my “25 things you don’t know about me” items — “#10. I have considered planning a vacation to Minneapolis just so I can see the Mary Tyler Moore statue.”
Stu wrote: “I did a business trip to Minneapolis last month and got a photo with the Mary Tyler Moore statue (see attached). You should go! Or maybe you can just “Photoshop” your photo into my picture …
Glad to oblige! Here’s Stu’s original photo, followed by an altered shot from a wise-acre graphic artist. This is what you meant, isn’t it, Stu?
Do you have any vacation photos from TV show locations? Maybe you had coffee in the “Seinfeld” diner or a slice of cherry pie in “Twin Peaks.” Perhaps you had your picture snapped sitting on Carrie Bradshaw’s stoop from “Sex in the City.”
We want to see them! Click here to email us and be sure to attach your snapshots.
Thanks, Stu!
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Latest comments
Well, I really don't give a rat's patoot about soccer, and I don't have cable, so ESPN is not a temptation. I did enjoy KAKW until the digital conversion, though, when I lost their signal. I even watched soccer, because I'm a Spanish student. I also
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Oh good grief! I live in BIrmingham, AL and saw your article on line KNOWING that someone had started a website - "Ive had enough of Michael Jackson.com" or something. It is completely out of control. Let the man rest in peace!
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