Madonna pays tribute to Michael Jackson at MTV VMAs: 'Most of us had turned our backs on him'

September 14, 1:35 AMPop Media ExaminerKatrina-Kasey Wheeler

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Madonna was rumored to be making an appearance tonight at the 2009 MTV VMAs, and it turned out to be a reality. Madonna took the stage to pay homage to her friend Michael Jackson - of whom she said, 'most of us had turned our backs on him.'

Madonna detailed how she felt on the day that MJ passed away: 'In a desperate attempt to hold onto his memory, I went on the Internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and onstage and I thought, 'My God, he was so unique, so original, so rare. And there will never be anyone like him again.' He was a king. But he was also a human being and alas, we are all human beings and sometimes we have to lose things before we can truly appreciate them. I want to end this on a positive note and say that my sons, age 9 and 4, are obsessed with Michael Jackson. There's a whole lot of crotch-grabbing and moonwalking going on in my house, and it seems like a whole new generation of kids has discovered his genius and are bringing him to life again. I hope that wherever Michael is now, he is smiling about this.'

Watch the video:

Were you surprised to see Madonna at the VMAs?

For a full transcript of what Madonna said, visit here.

More on the MTV VMAs:

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Attention Michael Jackson supporters: There is a wonderful new project in the form of a portrait that millions of fans worldwide can take part in. A Portrait of Michael Jackson created from millions of hand-drawn dots will invite millions of fans worldwide to become part of Jackson's legacy by getting a free dot in the portrait in their name. A dot is not drawn on the canvas until someone signs up for it; at least one million fans (dots) are needed to complete the image of the King of Pop, with room in the portrait for many more millions to participate. The organizers of this tribute have the support of Ken Kragen, who was responsible for "We Are the World," The Robson Family (Joy, Wade and Chantal), and Don Wilson, the creator / director / producer of the "Man in the Mirror" video. Proceeds will be donated to several charities that were dear to Michael, including The Make A Wish Foundation. Every single hand-drawn dot David places on his canvas represents a real person. People have joined David's projects from over 150 countries. Every Michael Jackson fan will be able to get a free hand-drawn dot added to the portrait in their name. Thus far people representing over 100 countries have signed up to take part in this project. The Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait is a partner of The Michael Jackson Fan Club (http://www.MJfanclub.net), the largest Michael Jackson fan club in the world, which was supported by Jackson himself.

You can now sign up at SupportJacksonPortrait.com for your dot. The portrait starts on August 28th.  A dedicated website will be created so people can sign up for their free dot. People will be able to attach a message to their dot if they choose. Every time someone signs up, a dot will be hand drawn in the work of art in their name. People will be able to go online to see the portrait as it evolves toward completion and read some of the messages.

Please sign up at SupportJacksonPortrait.com and be a part of this tribute to the King of Pop.

Read the interview with artist David Ilan here.

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