Timing turned the BET awards 2009 into the first televised tribute to the life and music of Michael Jackson.

And it was officially sanctioned -- father Joe Jackson was in the audience (with, naturally, Al Sharpton) and a brief, onstage, appearance by Janet Jackson. Clad in all-white, she teared up as she reminded the audience that while MJ was an icon to them, to the Jacksons he was family.

Well, here we go again. Rapper Lil Wayne has been announced as coming to the big shed in Raleigh on Aug. 8. But you'll forgive me for being a bit skeptical. Last fall, Wayne was supposed to play Raleigh's RBC Center on Halloween night -- and the show was canceled with no explanation. He wound up playing in Greensboro and Charlotte instead.

In any event, tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

So let me get this straight. Mega-hot rapper Lil Wayne schedules a show for Raleigh, which he then cancels with no explanation. A few weeks later, it's announced that he's playing a show in North Carolina after all -- but in Greensboro, not Raleigh. And now he's playing a second North Carolina show; but this one is in Charlotte, Jan. 2 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

What are we, chopped liver?

The good news is that Lil Wayne is coming to play in North Carolina after all, after canceling his Raleigh show scheduled for Halloween night at the RBC Center. The bad news is that it's in Greensboro, not Raleigh -- Dec. 29 at Greensboro Coliseum. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

Lil Wayne's Friday night show in Raleigh is no more, but the preview lives on. Click through for more.

Well, Halloween in Raleigh just got a lot less interesting. Lil Wayne's Oct. 31 show at RBC Center has been canceled with the tersest of explanations:

Due to circumstances beyond the control of the RBC Center, the Lil Wayne concert scheduled for October 31, 2008 has ben canceled.

Refunds are available at point of purchase. I've got calls in to the venue and the promoter; if either calls back and has anything to say, I'll add it here.

Here's a pretty big show coming down the pike: Red-hot rapper Lil Wayne, who was musical guest on the "Saturday Night Live" season premiere two weeks ago, will play Raleigh's RBC Center on Oct. 31. Tickets go on sale Oct. 3 at Ticketmaster and the RBC box office.

If nothing else, sounds like a pretty interesting post-trick-or-treat option for your Halloween night.

ADDENDUM (12/31/08): Amazing essay.