Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett Grieved in Iran, Iraq

(Wire Sources) The world, stunned Thursday night at the unexpected death of the King of Pop, was mesmerized over the weekend by the wide effect of his death on world events.

Mourning Michael Jackson in Iran

Iran's president blasted President Obama today for voicing criticism of unrest in the Islamic Republic, saying that Obama should pay more attention to America's tragic loss.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized Obama for "ignoring the American people's grief as we see it on our Twitter deep-packet monitors... three days ago it was progaganda and lies about our country, but now all we see in the Twitter stream is the anguish over Michael Jackson's death. I, too, grieve the loss of my friend MJ. He touched my soul and gave me the confidence to represent my people. As MJ himself taught me, "Say it Loud: Who's bad? I'm bad!"

Armistice in Sadr City, Memorials in Baghdad

Although official sources have not confirmed these reports, there has been no media coverage of any conflict in Iraq since Jackson's death. Pittsburgh downsizing consultant Deidre Rutherford said, "I was traveling on business, and this morning at the airport all the CNN monitors were yada-yada about 85 people killed in a martyrdom operation. But later in the day when I came back, all the networks were talking about was Michael Jackson. It's a miracle how the violence subsided, it shows how widely MJ was loved."


In Baghdad, on the pedestal in Fardus Square where the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled as the world watched, a new sculpture has risen - a tribute to Michael Jackson bearing the word NAJEEN (which means "survivor") across its base. In this statue, MJ is presented as he was depicted on his "HIStory" album.

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Family: We Should All Just Let Michael Jackson Go

Numerous media critics have spoken out about various factions trying to appropriate MJ's legacy and the mantle of his credibility. In Yorba Linda, California, at the Nixon Memorial Library, photos of Michael Jackson and a man presumed to be former President Nixon were placed in a position of prominence.

Responding to the outcry, LaToya Jackson twittered "we all just need to let go of Michael and get on with our own lives, which BTW I'll be opening at the Sands on Ju". The rest of her message was apparently lost due to a 140-character technical constraint that is now being investigated.

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Movie Cameo: Michael Jackson in The Hobbit

Tolkien fans have been rocked at the posthumous announcement that Michael Jackson had begun filming as the Smeagol / Gollum character in the upcoming two-movie series The Hobbit, scheduled to be released in December 2011 and December 2012. MJ's work as Smeagol, a vulnerable hobbit who was corrupted by his addiction to seductive dark forces, and who lost his original identity and nature to become a reshaped, despicable halfling, seemed to come to him naturally. Peter Jackson (not a relative) said, "It was Fran Walsh who pitched MJ for the role, and he stepped into it like he'd been playing it for decades. It was remarkable; you couldn't take your eyes off it." The effect of MJ's demise on the movie projects is unknown.

Hollywood Grieves Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett

The American entertainment industry was grieving multiple losses, coming to terms with the loss of icon Farrah Fawcett from anal cancer in addition to MJ's death. At one of several impromptu hybrid tribute sites dedicated to both entertainers, fans enjoyed comparing and contrasting the two performers. "It's simple", said man on the street Greg Packer, an "everyman" observing the discussion. "She was an entertainer who loved kids and died of anal cancer, and the other was an entertainer who was a sick asshole".