Thousands of mourners packed AT&T Plaza at American Airlines Center on Thursday to pay tribute to radio icon David "Kidd" Kraddick, who died unexpectedly July 27 while in New Orleans.
The memorial included an appearance by the Jonas Brothers, a performance by Ben Folds and a commemoration by his daughter Caroline, who delivered a touching rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."
Stars from around the country shared their reminiscences and gratitude via video, including members of Good Charlotte, Hanson, Blue October and Forever the Sickest Kids. Phil McGraw said that Kidd taught him how to play golf and recalled the times they'd play in Las Colinas, when they'd stop to sit and talk.
The remaining crew of Kidd Kraddick in The Morning, Kellie Raspberry, J-Si, Big Al and Jenna appeared on stage, where they proclaimed to cheers from the crowd that the show would go on. "We learned from the master, after all," they said.
Folds came on stage to play a few songs including "Still Fighting." Before sitting down at the piano, he did what many in the crowd were doing: pulled out his camera and snapped a photo of the assembled audience.
Starting around 7 pm, the big screens at AT&T Plaza played a simulcast from A Concert For Kidd's Kids at the House of Blues in Dallas, featuring the Jonas Brothers and Jason Derulo, among others.
"Being from Dallas, Kidd meant so much to us," the Jonas Brothers said. "This is more a celebration of his life."
Longtime Dallas radio personality David "Kidd" Kraddick died unexpectedly at the age of 53.
khmx.radio.com
Longtime Dallas radio personality David "Kidd" Kraddick died unexpectedly at the age of 53.
Among the complicated figures in pop culture history, Michael Jackson has to be at or near the top. On one hand, he’s responsible for some of the most enduring music of all time, thrilling generations with his voice and dance moves. But his later years were marred by accusations of child sexual abuse and erratic behavior, including his premature death at the age of 50.
So the new biopic Michael is a tough one to judge from a critical standpoint, not least because director Antoine Fuqua and writer John Logan have elided - perhaps temporarily - the thornier parts of Michael’s history. Instead, this film focuses on the 20-year period in which Michael (played as an adult by Michael’s nephew Jaafar Jackson) goes from the prepubescent lead singer of the Jackson 5 to one of the biggest music superstars of all time.
That choice puts an overly sympathetic tint to Michael’s story, as he spends most of that time under the thumb of his domineering father, Joseph (Colman Domingo). Joseph has a vision for Michael and his brothers, and he pushes them hard in a quest to become rich and famous. Even when they achieve that goal, though, Joseph refuses to let up, holding onto Michael even when it’s clear he should go out on his own.
As a reminder of the enormous impact Michael Jackson had on the music industry and world at large, the film is successful. Fuqua and Logan include plenty of music, naturally, but they seem to be most interested in depicting Michael as a human being. They lay it on thick, whether it’s showing him spending time among his family members away from the stage, hanging out with bodyguard Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones), or visiting sick kids in hospitals. The message that Michael is a harmless, good person couldn’t be clearer.
The film hints at but doesn’t really explore Michael’s oddities. His obsession with kids literature and movies, especially Peter Pan, are seen as inoffensive quirks, as is his menagerie of animals, including a creepy CGI version of Bubbles the chimp. His arrested development seems to be partially blamed on his parents treating him like a child well into his adulthood, and the resulting fallout is not (yet) addressed.
Many viewers will be most interested in the music sequences, and - save for some repetitive shots of fans fainting at the mere presence of Michael - they are handled well. Whether it’s at home, in the studio, on the set of the “Thriller” video, or at live performances, the film manages to fully get across just what a phenomenon Michael was at his peak. The staging and editing of each scene is dynamic, complementing Michael’s other-worldly abilities well.
If there is one reason to see the film, it is the performance of Jaafar Jackson. Whether he’s capable of doing any other kind of role is undetermined, but his portrayal of his uncle is compelling, as he demonstrates singing, dancing, and acting skills in equal measure. He’s aided by an equally great performance by Domingo, who - with the help of facial prosthetics - overcomes the trope of the bad father. Nia Long and Larenz Tate are also good in smaller roles, but Miles Teller is an odd presence as Michael’s manager.
There are reports that legal complications prevented the filmmakers from using previously-shot scenes delving into accusations against Michael, and there are rumors that a second film will be made about the last 20 years of his life. But that speculation can’t absolve Michael of showing all the positive aspects of Michael Jackson’s life and not even touching any of the negative ones.
