Justin Bieber didn't just say “The show must go on!”, he made it happen – May 17th and 18th in Osaka and Tokyo, respectively.
By going ahead with the long-planned shows and taking the time to visit children affected by the deadly March 11th earthquake and tsunami, the Canadian pop superstar showed a level of maturity and depth of feeling that must have surprised those who judge him only by what they read in tabloid newspapers and critical online forums.

Before I go any further, let me state that I'm not a fan of Justin Bieber's music. I'm also turned off by the cult of celebrity that seems to have surrounded him, though I understand it's something that goes with the territory when Forbes.com rates you third on their list (after Lady Gaga and Oprah) of the World's 100 Most Powerful Celebrities.

Just turned 17, Bieber earned $53 million over the past year from music sales, concerts, and “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”: a 3-D documentary film that grossed $100 million worldwide. Bieber first rose to prominence though videos posted at YouTube by his mother beginning in early 2007. Fast forward 4 years and “Baby,” his first hit song, has established a new YouTube record by virtue of being viewed an astonishing 500 million times!

But you already know that, Beliebers or not. You also can't fault Bieber for letting some of the relentless adoration go to his carefully coiffed head. Did he really need the hassle of flying to Japan to perform the final two concerts of a two-year long tour that he probably wished was over long before? Probably not, especially after a few members of his concert crew balked at going to Japan out of irrational fears over radiation leaking from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant. Fellow pop stars Avril Lavigne and Slash had already canceled concerts planned for Japan, so it wasn't as if he'd be the only one.