American Idol contestant James Durbin offended the family of Michael Jackson during Wednesday night’s performance. Durbin made reference to Jackson’s 1984 Pepsi commercial shoot accident, in which he suffered several severe burns. Durbin joked with show host Ryan Seacrest, “I have a lot of hairspray in my hair to keep it from jumping around — so much so, the one thing I was worried about was having a ‘Pepsi moment.’†Jackson’s family was not amused. “We were shocked to see this. It’s nothing to make light of and everybody should be focusing on who was responsible for Michael’s death,†they said in a statement to TMZ. Durbin attempted to clear things up and put his comment in perspective. Over Twitter. “For anyone talkin … I said pepsi NOT MJ! I have no disrespect for Michael. I grew up singing his art. I guess youll take it how you want it … (sic) … “Talkin about MJs passing is too soon. Making a reference to an incident 25 years ago..not too soon. The stab was at pepsi people.†Who knew that a 21-year-old reality-show contestant would make more sense than a family of famous weirdos?
’Idol’ Michael Jackson joke blasted by family [Digital Spy]