Michael...

Michael, Michael everywhere! I was at a gate at LaGuardia Airport when CNN announced his death. There was a collective gasp from the travelers waiting to board the flight. No one could believe it. I started to think back to all the time I spent listening to Thriller, and watching the video with my friends. I had his posters all over my room. I thought I was in love at the tender age of 10!!

This evening, I was sitting at a cafe on Division Street in Wicker Park. A Walgreen's Wellness Center on Wheels cruises by blasting 'Bad' by Michael Jackson. All the patrons stopped eating, and starting clapping. It was a little bizarre to me. A whole weekend has passed, and this is still the top story in the media.

I think Bob Schieffer put it best in his closing remarks of his newscast today, "Americans are confusing heroes with icons. Take a look at the memorials in Washington, D.C. and consider all the people that built this country and preserved peace around the world. Those are the real heroes. Was Michael Jackson a great entertainer? Absolutley. But, is he really a hero? No, he is an icon of an era."