In January, the Discovery Channel is planning to have a show about a re-enactment of Michael Jackson’s autopsy.
Of course it is not well received by Jackson’s estate, which is demanding a cancellation, calling the show ‘in shockingly bad taste and insensitive to the feelings of Jackson’s family’. They also accuse Discovery to exploit Jackson’s death while pretending to give a serious medical value to the show.
This is part of what John Branca and John McClain, the executors of Michael Jackson’s Trust Fund, wrote to the Discovery Channel yesterday:
‘We were especially outraged when a sickening print advertisement for the program appeared making light of Michael’s death by depicting a corpse sprawled on a steel gurney covered by a sheet with a hand sticking out wearing Michael’s signature sequined glove. Discovery obviously views this as clever advertising and creative “branding” for its program. But in fact, the ad is debased, sick and insensitive. No doubt this fictitious, morbid image is being spread worldwide even now on the Internet, viewed by Michael’s loved ones, and even accepted as authentic by those who may be unaware that Discovery made it up.’
Of course, fans are outraged and they have prepared a petition to prevent the show to be broadcasted, calling it ‘an affront to human dignity’ and a ‘type of sensational and unscrupulous reporting’, which ‘can only cause harm.’
The documentary is supposed to air on January 13th in the UK, so will they be able to stop it?