“Hell 2 Da Naw Naw Award”: Joseph Fiennes As Michael Jackson

The rage of social media over the last week was the news of actor Joseph Fiennes being cast to play Michael Jackson in a British half-hour comedy special called "Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon". Now before I get into the silliness of the casting itself, let's look at the PREMISE of this show:

Allegedly, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, [Elizabeth] Taylor, [Marlon] Brando and Jackson were stuck in New York and wanted to go home but all flights were grounded. So the trio hopped in a car and took to the road, getting as far as Ohio after frequent stops so that Brando could feast on fast food. - USA TODAY

Let that marinate for a moment........ Okay. Now I'll give you the fact that this is a "comedy" and that considering Michael's actual skin color at that time, it wouldn't be THAT much of a stretch to have Fiennes play the role. But consider this for a moment: In his famous interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993 from his Neverland home, Jackson told a story of how Pepsi wanted to cast a white actor to play Jackson as a child in a commercial. At the 23:48 mark, listen carefully to what Michael says about that....

Respect this man's wishes. He's not here to defend himself so let the late great legend rest in peace. Besides, can Joseph Fiennes moonwalk? Get them Bishop...