The King of Pop Subway Stop?

Michael Jackson was not a New Yorker, but that doesn't mean this city isn't trying to make him an honorary one posthumously. Block parties, amusement park rides, and now a tribute underground? City Councilwoman Letitia James wants a plaque in tribute to the performer placed at Brooklyn's Hoyt-Schermerhorn station... and has even suggested "Jackson" be added to station name. Okay, well, he did film his Martin Scorsese-directed "Bad" video there, so maybe it makes sense to put up a dedication, but it seems unlikely that anyone will ever call it the Hoyt-Schermerhorn-Jackson stop. In fact, MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said a tribute of any kind is unlikely. Sounds harsh, but he added that they prohibit station plaques of any kind. Still, James says she's going to start a petition, "Having Michael Jackson visit and moonwalk at this station was a huge deal not only for Brooklyn, but all of New York in the '80s. And renaming this station in his honor would put it on the map and help ensure that people don't forget." If that doesn't happen, maybe we can just all think of the JMZ line (sans Z) as the MJ line from now on.

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By Jen Carlson in Arts and Events on August 24, 2009 12:43 PM

Comments [rss]

dreamking

Thank god the MTA told Tish it ain't happening. A plaque about the video? I could ignore that, so I wouldn't really care. Changing the name of a station is unwarranted and overreaching. I suspect Tish knew it wasn't going to happen, but wanted the free credit of publicly asking for it. People who wanted it to happen would remember, and people who didn't want it to happen wouldn't care to make it a make-or-break issue for her (especially since it didn't happen).

valeriob

http://twurl.cc/1hyp

zodak

he's dead, get over it.

jaycjay

From the Post:

Earlier this year, agency honchos agreed to the MTA's first-ever naming rights deal. Developer Bruce Ratner is set to pay the MTA $200,000 a year over 20 years to add the name of his planned Barclays Center NBA arena to the Atlantic Avenue transit hub in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

"I guess they'll listen for the right price," said James.

Not even close to the same thing. Adding the name of a venue that's likely to be a major reason will taking the subway to that station can't be compared to adding the name of a dead pop star.

felixthecat2

Leave one of the best named stations alone!

Steven

They could change it but let Michael Jackson family pay the MTA some nice chuck change for it.

TrippinJoJo

agreed. but I dont think his name has a place on a subway stop....

leave it alone already...people are just retarded.

The Colonel

I can see putting up a little informational plaque or something somewhere inside the station saying it was where "Bad" was filmed, or something like that. That might be interesting... but changing the whole name of the station? That sounds crazy overboard. Seriously, that would be slapstick, especially since there's no relevant reason.

jaycjay

"I can see putting up a little informational plaque or something somewhere inside the station saying it was where "Bad" was filmed, or something like that."

But what would be the logic in stopping there? Countless films, TV shows, and music videos have been filmed in any number of subway stations. Should we just plaster the walls with commemorative plaques?

The Colonel

I get your point... but I say if it's a place where people are regularly going to have to be sitting around killing time waiting for a train anyway (especially late at night...) then why not add something like that?

It's kind of like the little people at W 14th street, they can provide some quasi-entertainment while you wait that 20-30 minutes for the late night A train to finally come, hehe.

The Colonel

That was supposed to be in response to jayclay...

Toby von Meistersinger

No. There has been enough needless renaming of MTA facilities of late.

jerseyandy

Michael Jackson touched little boys. Enough already.

blondeinthecity

It always feels like people forget that fact! I don't get the worship at all.

MT

Both Hoyt and Schermerhorn are proud names that have are inextricably part of New York history. Why the f**k would you want to gratuitously slap on 'Michael Jackson' to that? Maybe Letitia James can put a plaque on her own house if she's so desperate to milk something out of Jackson's death.