My Publicist Note Book

1. At 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon—a time which was already  30 minutes past  the very optimistic target  ending time  on the agenda for Aretha Franklin’s homegoing—my wife and I left the house during Rev. Jesse Jackson’s speech to buy a mattress for a bed delivered to us the day before. When we returned  two whole-ass hours  later after buying a whole-ass mattress, I  joked  about turning the TV back on to see if the funeral was still airing. “ Of course not ” I thought to myself, as I clutched the remote, assuming perhaps that  Baby Boy —which I think BET is contractually obligated to air once every seven hours—would be on instead. Ha! Nope. It was Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. (much, much, much, much, much, much more on him later) delivering the eulogy, and he’d apparently just gotten started. Which meant they still needed to get through him, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Holliday.  Wow. When the story...

Full list of speakers, performers slated to appear... Franklin, who was the undisputed Queen of Soul, died Thursday morning at the age of 76. She had pancreatic cancer. Aretha Franklin funeral in Detroit on Aug. 31: What you need to know  Four days of events to honor Aretha Franklin will conclude on Friday, Aug. 31 with a private funeral service and celebration in Detroit.  Franklin died Aug. 16 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. At the time of her death, she was at home in Detroit surrounded by friends and family. The events include three days of public visitation, a tribute concert and a funeral service that is sure to draw a huge crowd. Thursday, Aug. 30: Additional visitation, a tribute concert Third visitation day:  The funeral home announced there will be an additional day of viewing Aug. 30 from noon to 4 p.m. at New Bethel Baptist Church.  Where:  8430 Linwood ...

Madonna says she meant no d-i-s-r-e-s-p-e-c-t when she shared a story about her connection to the late Aretha Franklin during the MTV's Video Music Awards on Monday night. Madonna said she was asked to present the award for video of the year at the VMAs and told to "share any anecdotes I had in my career connected to Aretha Franklin." But she did "not intend to do a tribute to her," according to a post the singer shared on Instagram. "I shared a part of my journey and thanked Aretha for inspiring me along the way. I did not intend to do a tribute to her!" Madonna wrote. "That would be impossible in 2 minutes with all the noise and tinsel of an award show. I could never do her justice in this context or environment." Play Video Franklin died last week after a battle with pancreatic cancer. When Madonna walked on stage to present, an image of Franklin loomed over her, leading...

Jasper Williams Jr., pastor emeritus of Salem Bible Church in Atlanta, who is regarded as a pastor among pastors and embodies the flaming tradition of the black church, will deliver the eulogy at the funeral of Aretha Franklin on Aug. 31 at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit. The charismatic minister known for his masterful weaving of the teachings of the Bible with social issues was also the eulogist at the funeral of Franklin’s father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, when he died in 1984. His eulogy of Franklin, titled “A Good Soldier,” documented his many contributions to the civil rights movement. “Rev. Jasper Williams is absolutely the right man at the right time. It is Marvelous that he is giving the eulogy at Aretha’s funeral,” said former Detroit City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, who has been a longtime friend of Aretha Franklin. He was an ally and a close friend of Rev. Franklin. It is prophetic and profound that he is giving the eulogy at her funeral,” Watson...