ABSTRACT
This chapter centers on the made-for-TV biopic man in the mirror: the Michael Jackson story. However, as many of the artifacts made by or about Jackson exhibit, this highly un-theorized film proves to be much more than simple entertainment. Moving beyond the film itself and into discussions of consumption of celebrity, the chapter presents the vivid details of "ambivalent fandom," a process by which we both desire benefit for and destruction of those we deem stars. In Jackson's case, the presentation of the celebrity as more than and less than is consistent across both his own work and cultural productions about him. In addition to a close analysis of the VH1 film, the chapter analyzes how Jackson's own work contributes to his split presentation and reception. The presentation of a split subject, such as Jackson, both threatens and appeals to the spectator due to unconscious identification.
