BET Awards Tribute to King of Pop Michael Jackson Fell Mostly Flat, Too Much Profanity

I must admit, I rarely watch BET, but last night I decided to watch the awards show because it was a tribute to the late King of Pop Michael Jackson. Even before the show started, I was turned off by family patriarch Joe Jackson, who just proved once and for all that his primary motivation in much of this is money. He brought his attorney and a record company executive with him on the red carpet. He made a passing reference, when asked about Michael Jackson's legacy by CNN Don Lemon, to some type of recording deal. I was taken aback, but not surprised by his comments. Jamie Foxx opened the show with a parody of "Beat It," but his constant use of profanity and sexually tinged comments were too much. I'll grade the show along the appearances of some of the performers:

Keri Hilson: "Knock You Down." A hot mess, in my opinion. I was confused as to which song she was singing. It was a tangled mess of off-key notes. C

Jamie Foxx & T-Pain & Travis Barker: "Blame It." Another hot mess, which marked by its artless Auto-Tune vocals, became even more cluttered with Blink-182's Travis Barker arrival to hammer away in the song's final few moments. D

Soulja Boy Tell'em: "Turn My Swag On." Well, I thought this show was retooled to honor Michael Jackson? I thought his pants were going to fall off any second. He was off-key and just a disgrace to real rappers. All I can say is, ain't America great? D

Beyoncé: “Ave Maria” and “Angel.” Looking classy in a thin white dress, but wait? She was basically wearing a slip with a see-through robe to sing a religious song. Isn't that a bit disrespectful? Where was Chaka Khan? Then I thought I was about the see the commercial for abandoned pets flash up on the screen when she switched midway to Sarah McLachlan's "Angel.” Sorry, Beyoncé is overrated and her rendition was not the best. C

Mary Mary: “God in Me.” Foxx introduced Mary Mary as “the new Queens of Gospel,” but I beg to differ. If this is all gospel music has to offer, then that's a major disappointment and a blow to record sales. A midpoint appearance from Queen Latifah picks things up, but even the queen couldn't salvage that hot mess. C

Ne-Yo with Jamie Foxx and Fabulous: “She Got Her Own.” It's quite obvious that Jamie Foxx couldn't handle this song. Again, why couldn't BET have asked Chaka Khan to sing? Or even Queen Latifah? Why did we have to see Ne-Yo and Jamie Foxx perform ad nauseaum? That performance was a major disappointment. D+

BET flashback moment: Keith Sweat’s “I Want Her,” Guy’s “I Like” and Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison.” Nice to see Keith Sweat again, but the profanity from Bell Biv DeVoe was just uncalled for. They didn't seem to serve a purpose in the show. It seemed as though they were thrown in as an afterthought. D

Tevin Campbell, Trey Songz, Tyrese and Johnny Gill: A tribute to the O’Jays with “Forever Mine,” “Back Stabbers,” “Stairway to Heaven.” Introduced by “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius, who credited the O’Jays as “the soundtrack of the black experience.” Their performance was mostly good, except for Trey Songz. The guy's vocals were weak. B

Drake, Lil Wayne and Cash Money: “Best I Ever Had” and "Every Girl." Drake was good, but Lil Wayne is a rapper I just cannot like. Much of the “Every Girl” performance was inaudible to the home viewing audiences, with BET censors protecting the world from Lil Wayne’s explicit anti-commitment rap. All that profanity just wasn't called for and was in poor taste. Again, if this was a tribute to Michael Jackson, why the vulgarities? C-

The O’Jays: “Let Me Make Love To You,” “For the Love of Money” and “Used Ta Be My Girl.” Thank God they salvaged the show. The O’Jays were all suave and class. A

Maxwell: “Pretty Wings.” I was happy to see him on the stage again. The silky smooth R&B veteran performed his new single, the elegant, late-night, slow groove of “Pretty Wings.” Feathers draped the crowd, and a sax helped the song reach its swoon. Maxwell surely calmed the nerves of anyone who was getting impatient. A

So, the BET Awards ended on a positive note, but the show was mostly flat and the profanities didn't help and cheapened the show's mission of honoring a musical genius. Sorry, Michael Jackson never used profanity in his act and I am sure those performers who did last night could have gone one night without being so crass. BET had a chance to prove once and for all that they are a viable entertainment outlet, but they blew it. If many of these performers are now the voices and the faces of BET, then they won't be elevated any higher in terms of being taken serious by many. Personally, the show was a hot mess and did very little to honor the legacy of Michael Jackson. Overall, I give the telecast a D.