Michael Jackson, Sarah Palin and infamous fame

During the nonstop coverage surrounding the entertainer's memorial service at Staples Center on Tuesday, it was striking to hear his most serious personal scandals -- one set of allegations involving child molestation that was settled privately for more than $20 million and another that ended in acquittal after a criminal trial -- dismissed as the sort of "messy" personal life characteristic of "great artists."

Look, the fact of the matter is that whatever the attractions of this guy's music or the generosity of his philanthropy -- which may have amounted to as much as half a billion dollars -- no responsible parent would have left their child alone with him.

In some part, Jackson's international celebrity coincided with the atomization of popular culture through the advent of personal media. His storied videos -- so key to his popularity -- came along just as music televised via cable and satellite began to supplant concerts and radio with their mass audience. Jackson's music would provide the personal soundtracks for a world dominated by the personal choice represented by the Walkman and iPod. His career, in some sense, made him the bard of disconnection -- of personal self-absorption.

Absolution comes easily in such a culture.

Watching the memorial service, it was impossible not to be struck by the faux-Pharaonic implications of the singer's gilded coffin. How long will it be, though, before the inevitable conspiratorial speculation begins, the sentiment that constitutes the real afterlife in our now ubiquitous culture of celebrity?

It's probably only a matter of time until whole websites and message groups -- not to mention the Twitter network -- are devoted to theorizing about whether or not "Michael" was really in that coffin. The muttering will begin before the will clears probate. You know what comes next: joint Jackson-Elvis sightings.

If Palin is lucky, maybe one will be in Wasilla. Knee deep in fish guts, moose entrails and unforeseen grandchildren though she may be by then, it could be her ticket back.

"Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on what Michael and Elvis told her on their walk in the woods -- next, on Larry King Live."

Stay tuned.

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timothy.rutten@latimes.com