Michael Jackson: Loneliness, a lifetime. Michael Jackson accused an English journalist he gave a TV interview of fraud Manipulation in journalism

Jan Runov, New York: British Martin Bashir's documentary about Michael Jackson, based on an interview with him, was a resounding success. TV company ABC, which paid Bashir $5 million for the right to show it, received the highest rating that evening: the film was watched by more than 27 million viewers. The emphasis placed by the author of the film was unexpected for Michael Jackson himself, who said: "Everyone who knows me knows the truth: my children come first for me, I will never endanger or harm any child." And further: "I believed Martin Bashir and let him into my life and into the life of my family, because I wanted him to tell the truth, and he betrayed me. His program is terrible and unfair."

After watching the film, many child care professionals said that Michael Jackson should not be allowed around boys. A psychiatrist, director of a psychiatric hospital in Brewster, New York, Michael Nukitelli said that Jackson is mentally ill, that he often loses touch with reality. Doctor of Psychology Patricia Farrell from New Jersey believes that Michael Jackson cannot be a father, because he perceives the world not as it is. He lives in infantile fantasies. In the film, Michael Jackson admits that he still likes to sleep in the same bed with the children of his friends. In an interview, he denied that he had undergone plastic surgery, called the changes in his face natural under the influence of time.

British journalist Martin Bashir spent 8 months seeking Michael Jackson's consent for an interview, promising to help the singer breathe new life into his artistic career, which had clearly begun to decline. But the result was the opposite: millions of viewers around the world witnessed terrible state, which was reached by the once most popular singer. Psychologist Patricia Farrell was shocked by the footage in which Michael Jackson holds his little son named Prince Michael II behind the balcony. The doctor is outraged that the singer's children do not know that they have a mother.

10 years ago, Michael Jackson was accused of pedophilia. In order not to bring the case to court, the singer paid the plaintiff about $20 million. But now he has admitted that he continues to share a bed with boys (although he denied that it was sexual in nature). According to prominent New York lawyer Raul Felder, Jackson's confessions should judicial investigation.

Michael Jackson prepared a counter-film from those fragments of his interview that were thrown out by Martin Bashir. At first, none of the major American television companies seemed to want to show it. Then everyone wanted to, but the singer preferred Fox, which announced on Wednesday February 12 that it would show a counter-film on February 20. The movie is called "Michael Jackson Part Two: The Interview They Didn't Show You".

Martin Bashir to Michael Jackson:
Martin: You don't want to grow up?
Michael: No. I am Peter Pan
Martin: But you are Michael Jackson.
Michael: Yes, but at heart I'm Peter Pan.

Actor Michael Madsen (who co-starred in Michael Jackson's You rock my world video) once told me, "Michael Jackson was very open and kind person, but he seemed to me the most lonely and unhappy on the planet. It’s hard to be sincerely friends with someone and trust people if you live in a world of lies called “show business” from the cradle.”

Six years have passed since the moment when on June 25, 2009 the heart of the King of Pop stopped, and with it the whole world. I remember that on that day, almost all the news channels of the world spoke only about this, the planet froze. The magic seemed to be gone forever.

I would like to call this article my tribute, a kind of collection of sketch facts and personal thoughts about my hero Michael Jackson, who united and inspired a billion hearts and instilled in me a love for music since childhood.

I am deeply convinced that the mass media played a big role in Jackson's ailments. They tormented him for many years, shrouding him in cynicism, hypertrophying speculations and pseudo-facts that have never been proven. The press, like countless faceless termites, undermined him until it turned the great artist into a paranoid, hermit and recluse who lost confidence in almost everyone. Michael became a hostage own glory, in the fetters of which he lived all his life. People killed him with rejection, they also resurrected him after death. A kind of Judas weather vane. Madonna was at her most honest at the 2009 MTV Awards ahead of her tribute performance to Michael. She boldly said, as befits a queen, looking straight into the hall:

"We all pulled away from him when he was having a hard time. All of you and me. We were too busy making biased judgments instead of supporting a man who has never been and never will be in the history of music. There will never be another Michael Jackson." "I can't say that we were close friends, but there was a period when we talked. I once offered him a ride, and then we went home to watch a movie. While watching, he suddenly took my hand. There was so much innocence in it. "

Michael Jackson and Madonna

Few people know that Michael Jackson had an "inspiration tree" at his Neverland Ranch. He deftly climbed it and could sit for hours and look into the distance, writing songs. Some of his greatest hits, such as Will You Be There, were written on this very tree. In an interview with Martin Bashir, who later played with him bad joke, Jackson said:

“Some people like to play football, some like basketball, and I like to climb trees. Don't you climb trees in your free time?" he asked Bashir. He shook his head negatively. "O! You're missing out on a lot," Michael summed up. At that time, the King of Pop was 44 years old.

All his life he tried to return childhood, which was irretrievably stolen. And few people understood this, calling such attempts at least strange. As part of their myopia and conservatism, the crowd was unaware that this man did not initially know love and received many psychological traumas in childhood. They did not think that for the first time Michael celebrated Christmas in adulthood, and then thanks to the efforts of Elizabeth Taylor. Few people thought that the problems of Jackson's relationship with the opposite sex were that it didn’t fit in his head how you could cheat on a woman if you became her husband. He believed in the sanctity of marriage and the cult family values, but constantly saw opposite examples even in his own family. According to the memoirs of one of the singer's biographers, Randy Taraborrelli, when Michael found out that his native brother Jackie cheats on his wife Enid with singer Paula Abdul - he suffered it so hard, as if he had been betrayed. He has always lived in a world where male infidelity was considered commonplace, and this was reflected in his perception. One day famous photographer Francesco Scavullo said: "Michael asked me:" How do you behave when you fall in love? Are you not afraid that she is with you, because you can do something for her? "I said, 'Mike, you can't live your whole life in distrust like that. You have to try to believe.' To which he told me, "I'm afraid. I'm afraid because of what I've seen. The men in my family don't know how to handle women. I don't want to become like my brothers."

JacksonFamily (partial)

Despite the inimitable energy, the confidence with which Jackson performed, forcing crowds of people to lose consciousness from just one dance step, in life he was extremely shy and had a fragile mental structure. So Bill Bray, Michael's security guard, who worked with him for thirty years, said: “When I met Jackson, I realized that he really lost his childhood and cannot come to terms with it. Despite his talent in business, he has a strange vulnerability. You want to go up and hug him, telling him to take care of himself. I wouldn't call myself a sentimental person."

Too busy digging in the "dirty linen" press little covered the other side of the life of the great artist and philanthropist. little known fact: Michael Jackson was the initiator of the creation of the "Universal Bill of Rights for Children", the content of the points of which he determined himself. These points clearly demonstrated how accurately Michael understood the problems of children. Among them were such important topics as: "The right to be loved without having to earn this love", "The right to consider yourself worthy of adoration (even if you have such a look that only your mother can love you)" or "The right to know what you represent a unique value, even if you have not done anything in this world yet.”

Michael Jackson with childrenNeverland

“Michael's smile heals the soul,” wrote Uri Geller, “he had a unique energy. He had a great talent for choosing words that could move the one to whom they were intended.

However, Jackson was an impulsive person, and, perhaps, if it were not for his colleagues at the peak of their careers, for example, John Branca, we would never have seen the brilliant Thriller. The fact is that Michael had been a Jehovah's Witness for many years, and the elders insisted that whatever the King of Pop created, went through their personal artistic council. In the late 70s and 80s, Michael Jackson unquestioningly believed in the ideology of the Witnesses and showed the elders a video of the newly filmed Thriller. The latter were indignant and said that they would excommunicate Michael if this short film was released. Jackson called John Branca, who at that time was in charge of his affairs, mostly legal, and literally "ordered" to destroy all copies of Thriller. “This should never, you hear, never be aired,” Michael shouted nervously into the phone. Branca did not sleep all night. “How could such a masterpiece, in which a huge amount of money was also invested, turn into ashes because of this whim?” John recalled. Branca found a way out. He suggested that Michael write before the start of Thriller a phrase stating that its content does not reflect Michael's personal and religious views. Jackson agreed, the elders were satisfied. Michael will later say, “God bless John Branca. Without him, Thriller would never have seen the light of day." If Thriller changed the world of music videos by making Jackson an innovator in the creation of short films, allowing him to erase racial and stylistic boundaries in music, canonizing MTV, then Billie Jean changed music forever. This song remains one of the most successful singles of all time to this day. The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award is presented annually at the MTV Awards, which is one of prestigious awards in the world of video clips. During the creation of the Thriller record, together with the brilliant producer Quincy Jones, with whom they recorded two more masterpieces Off the wall and Bad, different situations. For example, at the very beginning of the work on the album, few people believed that it would sell more than 3,000,000 copies.

“Records don't sell very well right now, Mike,” his colleagues told him, as well as the head of the record company and Jones. This statement infuriated Jackson. He said sharply, "This is going to be the greatest CD ever, and if you don't believe it, there's no point in wasting a second of your time." Silence hung in the room, which was firmly broken by Jones: "OK" - he said - "To work!". It is known that during this period between Quincy and Michael there were very tense relations. Jones criticized Billie Jean's song as not being good enough for this album, but Jackson categorically insisted that the song be given Special attention and turned out to be right. It was Billie Jean who lifted the Thriller album to the top of Billboard, where the disc lasted 37 weeks at number one. To this day, Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, a cult and true classic of modern music that inspired hundreds of millions of people, as well as most of today's superstars. Thriller also erased once and for all all racial barriers in music.

Michael Jackson: EpochThriller

The tandem of Michael and Quincy performed miracles, the largest in terms of effect in the world of music. Jones said: “Mike, listen to the music, let it tell you what you need. Let God into the room." And MJ listened. Working to the point of exhaustion, always 100% dissatisfied with the result. Then he continued to work again and again until he achieved perfection. At the same time, Quincy was not a supporter of the dictatorship in producing. He did not impose his views, rather, he revealed to the full extent the hidden potential that was inherent in you from the very beginning. The merit of Michael and Quincy is that they turned the standard idea of ​​​​pop music and allowed people to see the limitlessness of the possibilities of truly great creativity. Despite the fact that after the Bad album, for a number of reasons, the couple never worked together, the warm relationship between Jones and Jackson remained until the very end. Moreover, after the death of the singer, Quincy repeatedly criticized the idea of ​​releasing posthumous albums. He said that it was blasphemy, you can’t think only about money, and many colleagues agreed with him, emphasizing that if Michael were alive, he would never allow albums such as Michael and Xscape (the latter was produced by Timbaland, Darkchild, L.A. Reid and many other great people) saw the light. Michael was a perfectionist and would hardly have been happy with such "raw" releases. However, the numbers speak for themselves. When Xscape's latest album came out last year, it immediately topped the UK charts and hit #2 on Billboard.

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones

For many years, Michael's sound engineer was Bruce Swedien - a sound genius, master and magician who always achieved a unique sound. This is a unique person. No one in the world knows the geometry of sound better than Bruce. Proof of this is at least his work on Michael's Invincible record, recorded in 2001, which is objectively considered the best sounding in the history of pop music. Still. After 14 years.

Initially, Jackson wanted to record his hit Bad in a duet with Prince, who at that moment was at the peak of his career, but communication between the artists did not work out from the very beginning. They met and discussed the project. Michael and his management came up with an excellent plan: launch a rumor campaign in the press, saying that he and Prince are the worst enemies who hate each other, and then, when the whole world will savor it and divide into two camps, they will make an official statement that these are just rumors, and they will present a video for Bad, where, according to the original plot, they will compete with each other, finding out who's bad. Prince was not enthusiastic about this idea, and after he heard the demo of the song, he finally refused , referring to the fact that the guys will succeed without him.When Frank Dileo (Michael's manager in those years) asked what he thought about it, Jackson shrugged indifferently and replied: "Numbers."

Between them there was always some kind of struggle and rejection of each other. Prince sent Michael a box of amulets and feathers as a gift. It was later revealed that she had been charmed by voodoo masters, which horrified Jackson. Prince considered Michael a bore, and he said that Prince, although he writes good music, is in itself a sinister person and treats women terribly. “Besides, he is no actor. It doesn't represent anything." Not too upset, the king of pop performed the song Bad himself, and the great Martin Scorsese shot a musical short film on it. By the way, in it for the first time on the screen you can see Wesley Snipes. The song became another revolution in the world of music and attracted a huge number of street audiences.

Michael Jackson: eraBad

The Bad album sold dizzyingly, but it never managed to repeat the sales success of Thriller. Moreover, at the Grammy Awards in 1988, in the most anticipated for Michael nomination "Album of the Year", he lost to one of the most outstanding U2 discs - The Joshua Tree. Having released the most hits of the year and sold the most copies, Jackson left without this award, which undoubtedly plunged him into discouragement, but not for long. The next super hit called Dangerous went on sale in 1991 and became Michael's most successful record since Thriller. Among other things, Dangerous has had the most iconic influence on all modern R "n" B music, greatly changing it. There was a lot of controversy about the cover of the album, many tabloids looked for hidden meaning in it, even the message of Jackson's involvement in the illuminati was traced. Cover artist Mark Ryden said that he was very inspired by Michael's Leave me alone video, which was the impetus for creating just such an image. “This is the largest format for a cover. The original was about 90 square centimeters,” Mark recalls. “If you look at it very carefully, you will see that the names, themes and messages of the songs are displayed on it thoroughly. Its creation took me several months. It was a long, painstaking and very important job for me.”

Michael Jackson album coverDangerous

One of the album's most personal songs is Who is it, the video for which was directed by the iconic David Fincher. Who is it is saturated with throwing, internal questions of the singer. In the depths of magnificent harmony, innovative music, captivating hypnotic melody and performance, the deepest drama of loneliness in a crowd of many-sided people is imprisoned, behind whose masks it is impossible to discern sincerity. Especially in women. Line of distrust female love in this work is so clearly expressed that it is impossible not to feel all this emptiness of brokenness as a result of the deepest disappointment. In the life of Michael Jackson, perhaps, there were four women whom he idolized: mother Katherine, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross and Lisa Marie Presley. And if Taylor was his closest soulmate and support, and Ross was his mother in show business, then he definitely had feelings for Lisa of a different nature. They were similar. The childhood of both passed under the spotlight, both did not know a normal life, she genuinely understood and idolized him, and he heeded her advice. It was she who once told him: “Michael, a peaceful sleep is more valuable than public opinion,” it was she who held his hand on the edge of the abyss. This puzzle had to come together. And he got along. True, not for long, but, nevertheless, gave Jackson and Presley a few happy years. After Michael's death, Lisa said that Jackson repeatedly repeated the phrase: "I think I'll end up like your father." The song became the anthem of their relationship, super hit from the album History - You are not alone, written for him by R. Kelly. You are not alone is one of the best pop ballads in contemporary music.

Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor

Michael Jackson and Lisa Presley

Michael always wanted to reach out to people, to tell them, “Don't judge me, I'm just human. Just like you, I just want to love and be loved just like you,” and he sent these subtle messages through his sensual songs. How else could he do it? But how many of us can read between the lines? A huge bird descends onto the stage, hugging him with wings in Will you be there, “before you judge me try hard to love me”, begging, he sings in a soulful Childhood, “when you "re alone and you" re cold inside "on the doomed in anguish, he explains in Stranger in Moscow, more aggressively tries to convey his pain to people's understanding through Why you wanna trip on me, Scream and They don't care about us and sums up this desire through global themes about the problems of the Earth in the brilliant Earth song, as well as hymns to goodness We are the world, Heal the world and Man in the mirror. If we dwell on the composition Stranger in Moscow in more detail, then, of course, it will turn out to be the most personal song ever created by Jackson. Randy Taraborelli said that the idea of ​​the song and video was originally conceived as a reflection of the intimacy of the singer's inner world. He began to write it after the first tour in Moscow. This metropolis seemed to Jackson a complete identification own life. In his perception, Moscow remained a gray city, seething with races, people running somewhere, where you feel the loneliest in this crowd. Randy said that even at the peak of his career, Michael sometimes took walks in order to make new friends. But unsuccessfully.

“Even at home I feel loneliness,” Jackson said, “sometimes it gnaws at me so much that I cannot cope with my emotions, lock myself in a room and cry. You have no idea how hard it is to find true friends. Sometimes I walk around the neighborhood at night, hoping to meet someone, just to talk about something abstract, but every time these walks end in nothing.

He envied people who could safely walk the streets, shop in the supermarket (once his friends closed one of them especially for Michael so that he could imitate shopping), meet, fall in love, walk in the park. Greatest Artist dreaming of simple things. A hermit with hundreds of millions of crazy fans, a lone dreamer, riding a "ferris wheel" in his Neverland for hours on the tenth circle, looking at one point, lost among hundreds of evening lights. A grown man with the soul of a nine-year-old boy, stuck in time, who so wanted to be understood. A person who longs for sincerity and a genuine miracle in the world of people who always wanted to take something from him, touch him, be involved in fame and money, but never thought about giving this person at least a little true love instead. Unconditional. open. Hence the purchase of human-sized dolls, which he kept at home, giving them names and talking to them, in the same parallel, a wonderland park, a favorite pastime - shootouts with water pistols and friendship with Macaulay Culkin. Children are supposedly the audience he was comfortable with, because they are genuinely sincere. “If I wake up and find out that there is not a single child left on Earth, I will jump out of the balcony immediately,” Michael said. The desire for this sincerity and the childish environment in which he received it played a cruel joke with him in the world of selfish, unscrupulous and greedy adults who were so eager to grab at least something from this “pie”, to destroy and trample Jackson’s empire, as it says "by any means necessary". In the end, they succeeded. But it is unlikely that one day it will be possible to shroud in oblivion the great musical legacy that the King of Pop left in his songs, videos, performances. Incredible, ingenious creativity, settled in millions of hearts forever. This extraordinary man changed the world and gave us magic. And magic never dies.

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Jury selection for Michael Jackson's trial began last week. The trial promises to be long and scandalous. "Power" brings to the attention of readers summary the first act of a soap opera that, for the next six months, will surely compete with any other entertainment offered by television and the press.
The first phenomenon. boy and singer
In 2000, Gavin Arviso was ten years old, but he had already experienced a lot. He was diagnosed with cancer. Have had several major surgeries. Almost most he spent time in the hospital, which, by the way, was even good for him: at home, the boy was always expected by parents who were always quarreling and fighting with each other and intimidated, downtrodden sisters.
Forgetting at least for a while about the disease helped him television. From one TV program, he learned about the international charity campaign "Make a Wish", engaged in the fulfillment of the cherished desires of terminally ill or dying children. He spoke about the transfer of his mother and said that he would like one of his idols to write to him - actors Jim Carrey, Chris Tucker, Adam Sandler. In the first place, he put, of course, Michael Jackson, but he was absolutely sure that the main idol would not find time to write to him. Nevertheless, Gavin wrote a letter to Michael Jackson with the help of his mother.
A few weeks later, the hospital where Gavin was in received a call. Michael Jackson, after reading the boy's letter, wanted to talk to him on the phone. The first conversation lasted only a few minutes. Michael promised to call again. And he kept his word. world celebrity and a ten-year-old teenager from Los Angeles became "friends on the phone." They talked almost every day. Soon the hospital began to bring gifts from Michael Jackson. Gavin was happy. And soon Janet informed her son that as soon as he recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital, they would all go to Michael Jackson in Neverland.
The first trip to the estate of the famous singer took place in August 2000. For Janet, Gavin and his sisters, Michael Jackson sent his own limousine. Since then, the boy very often came to the singer's estate, either accompanied by his mother, or one of his relatives.

The second phenomenon. Same director
In 2002, another guest appeared at the Neverland estate - TV journalist and director Martin Bashir. Bashir became world famous for a documentary film about Princess Diana, in which she spoke candidly about life in royal family. Bashir has repeatedly expressed a desire to meet Michael Jackson and interview him. Michael agreed.
The TV journalist spent several months with Michael Jackson, filming his life in Neverland and talking with his friends, including Gavin. Actually, it was thanks to Bashir that Gavin became a celebrity. Bashir's camera repeatedly captured moments of extraordinary friendship. Here is Michael hugging the boy, here they are walking hand in hand through Neverland. Here Gavin says that Michael cured him of cancer.
The release in 2003 of the film "Life with Michael Jackson" made a real sensation. Not only was the great singer filmed walking and playing with teenage boys, he also frankly admitted in front of the camera that he shares his bed with them and does not see anything reprehensible in this. Martin Bashir certainly didn't call Michael Jackson a pedophile. There was no need for this. The footage from the film spoke for itself. Martin Bashir gave interviews in which he spoke of "deep concern" about how Michael Jackson affects teenagers.
The singer tried to protest. He issued several statements accusing Bashir of betrayal. appeared on the screens New film"Michael Jackson, take two. The interview you'll never see." It included footage from Jackson's own cinematographer, who happened to be filming Martin Bashir making a film about Michael Jackson. In "Double" Bashir did not seem at all concerned about the morals and health of Jackson's young friends. “I have tears in my eyes when I see you with these children. Your relationship is so natural, so caring, so kind,” Bashir said enthusiastically to Jackson.
The resonance caused by the films was enormous. Showbiz stars and fans of Jackson stood up to protect Michael Jackson from a traitor reporter. Janet Arviso also said her word. She was outraged by Bashir's insinuations, as well as the fact that her son was being interviewed without parental consent. In all the interviews that she gave at that time, a mandatory part of the program was a promise to sue the journalist. However, the lawsuit never came to fruition. The Arviso family suddenly disappeared from the field of view of journalists.

The third phenomenon. The same prosecutor
It's entirely possible that the "movie war" would eventually have been forgotten if Santa Barbara County Attorney Thomas Sneddon hadn't intervened. With Michael Jackson, he had a long and by no means friendly relationship.
Ten years before the events described, Michael Jackson had already been accused of seducing a minor. The parents of teenager Jordan Chandler have appealed to District Attorney Thomas Sneddon to protect their son from harassment by the pop star. Sneddon set to work with extraordinary zeal. Someone explained this zeal with the strong moral principles of the prosecutor (Sneddon is a deeply religious Christian, the father of nine children, his wife is a writer who has devoted herself to writing books on how to raise children in a Christian spirit). Others attributed Sneddon's zeal to a desire for fame (by then he had been the district attorney of Santa Barbara for ten years with no hope of further development career).
However, whatever the activity of the prosecutor who opened the case on the seduction of minors, it did not bring him anything good. Jordan Chandler refused to testify, his parents withdrew their statement, entering into an out-of-court settlement with Jackson. It was rumored that the rock singer paid $ 30 million for the boy's silence, but this did not make Sneddon feel better. Moreover, by agreement with Jackson's lawyers, the Chandlers promised never to bring any charges against the singer and never testify against him in court.
Added insult to Sneddon's insult. Jackson's 1995 album HIStory contained the song "DS" about a certain Don Sheldon who unleashed a dirty war against the hero of the song. That by Don Sheldon should be understood as Tom Sneddon, neither the public nor the district attorney himself doubted.
The experience of ten years ago clearly went to the benefit of Tom Sneddon. In the fall of 2003, just as the Bashir film controversy seemed to be dying down, the district attorney's office conducted a surprise search of Michael Jackson's estate. According to the department, hard drives of computers with pornographic images, many cassettes with pornographic films and magazines of similar content were seized. Everything collected testified to Michael Jackson's unhealthy passion for teenage boys. A few days later, prosecutor Sneddon issued a warrant for the arrest of Michael Jackson, whom he accused of seducing minors. The main prosecution witness, as the journalists found out, was Janet Arviso and her son Gavin.

The fourth phenomenon. Same lawyer
On the recommendation of his lawyers, in late 2003, Michael Jackson gave himself up to justice, spent several hours in prison, and then appeared in court, where he was formally charged with nine counts of sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of drinking a minor, and one count of kidnapping. minor. The defendant pleaded not guilty and was released on bail.
Jackson's chief defense attorney was Thomas Mesereau, Jr., one of the most famous criminal defense lawyers in the United States. His achievement list includes a brief stint as legal counsel for Mike Tyson, whom he successfully defended against rape allegations, and a dozen litigation in which the defendants faced the death penalty.
Mesereau's favorite defense tactic is offense. Jackson's lawyers did not justify their client. They began to accuse the accusers. Almost in all public speaking Mesereau and his assistants are talking about what the defense calls "the prosecutor's personal vendetta." It is impossible, they say, to expect a person who has a burning hatred of Michael Jackson to obey the law. Therefore, you should not pay attention to the evidence collected by Sneddon. They are either fabricated or presented to the public and the court in an unfavorable form for the singer.
There is also no trust in the main witnesses for the prosecution. For several years, Janet Arviso admired her son's friendship with Michael Jackson. After the release of Martin Bashir's film, she was one of the first to call it slanderous. Gavin Arviso himself was also an active defender of Jackson and has repeatedly spoken about affection for the singer. Now he is the main witness for the prosecution. "What caused this strange metamorphosis?" Jackson's lawyers ask and answer themselves: the sudden change in the attitude of the Arviso family towards Michael Jackson occurred immediately after Janet and Gavin were called in for questioning by the district attorney's office. It was then that Janet Arviso, who had previously said that Michael Jackson was helping her and her children hide from the ubiquitous journalists, suddenly announced that she and the children were forcibly kept in Neverland.
Lawyers cannot yet say what drives Gavin and Janet. Whether they are victims of intimidation by the district attorney or banal hunters for Michael Jackson's millions. But, the lawyers say, they intend to find out all this in court, in the honesty and impartiality of which there is no doubt.

The fifth phenomenon. Same judge
Judge Rodney S. Melville, who presides over the trial, is one of the most controversial figures in California. He gained notoriety in the state in the mid-90s, becoming the first high-ranking judge to publicly admit to being an alcoholic. In his own words, he became addicted to alcohol in boy scout camps when he was 12 years old. Through his efforts, special courts for alcoholics and drug addicts were opened in California, which sentence the accused not to imprisonment, but send them for rehabilitation to the appropriate state clinics.
They say it's because of this special treatment Judge Melville to alcohol and alcoholism, the district attorney decided to add to the list of Jackson's charges with cases of drinking minors, setting the judge against the accused in advance. So far, however, the judge seems to have done everything so that no one can accuse him of bias. According to many experts, Judge Melville gave the most extensive opportunities to both the prosecution and the defense. For example, the District Attorney's request to have the jury screen Martin Bashir's controversial film was widely seen as a huge victory for the prosecution. On the other hand, the judge's decision that 15-year-old Gavin Arviso will personally testify in court, as insisted on by the defense, is called a victory for the lawyers: they will be given the opportunity to cross-examine the witness.
However, the task facing the judge - to ensure a fair and impartial trial - seems to many almost impossible. In mid-January, just before the start of jury selection, the text of the testimony appeared in the newspapers, which Gavin Arviso gave during the preliminary investigation in the absence of Michael Jackson's lawyers. The testimony is so frank and shocking that not a single decent newspaper dared to publish it in full. The most decent was the story of how Michael Jackson almost forcibly tried to get Gavin drunk with wine. The testimony was confirmed by the words of one of the sisters of the witness, who, however, admitted that she herself was not present at the time, but learned about everything from her brother. Where the newspapers got the text, banned by the judge for publication, remained unknown.

End of the first act
Formally, the trial on Michael Jackson's charge of seducing a minor began last Monday, when the jury selection process began. Out of 700 applicants, 12 main jurors and seven alternates must be selected. Taking into account the obvious desire of the prosecution and the defense to get as many people convenient as possible on the jury, this process will last at least a month.
About two billion people witnessed the beginning of this second act of the documentary soap opera. Leading US television networks, as well as many television channels in Europe and Asia, broadcast live from the courtroom in Santa Maria.
As for the third, main act, which will begin when the jury is sworn in, the number of its spectators is completely impossible to calculate. AT daily mode with regular live broadcasts from the courthouse, more than 50 TV channels will cover the trial. Given that almost every channel has its own website, where you can also find news from the trial, the number of daily viewers will significantly exceed the two billion that watched Michael Jackson enter the courtroom on January 31.
The results of the process are more or less boldly ready to be predicted only by astrologers who promise condemnation of Michael Jackson. Legal experts are preparing the public for a lengthy process and a completely unpredictable outcome. "We have: a multimillionaire - the idol of millions of people around the world, a district attorney opposed to him, ready for anything, and several witnesses who, obviously, changed their testimony throughout this story," says one of the California lawyers. All this makes the process completely unpredictable."

On January 31, the Michael Jackson trial begins in a California court. The famous singer has been charged with ten counts, including sexual harassment of minors, child soldering and conspiracy to kidnap, wrongful imprisonment and extortion.

This process promises to be very loud: more than a hundred television and radio companies from all over the world have already deployed their mobile stations in the city of Santa Maria, where the court is located, and special correspondents of newspapers and magazines have stormed local hotels. In addition, fans of Jackson flock to the city, who intend to support their idol, chanting slogans about his innocence in front of the courthouse. The process will be open, but Judge Rodney Melville has imposed a ban on communication with the press for its participants. In addition, there will be no cameras in the courthouse.

How life with Jackson turned into a trial with Jackson

In February 2003, Living with Michael Jackson, a documentary film about the life of the singer, was shown on television in the UK and the USA, filmed by British journalist Martin Bashir. Bashir accompanied Jackson everywhere for several months and, as the journalist himself said, was convinced that the singer was simply obsessed with children.

In particular, the film contains an interview with one of the young residents of the Neverland Ranch, where Jackson spends most of his time. The 12-year-old boy reported that he sometimes sleeps in the singer's bed. Jackson himself innocently confirmed that he sometimes shares his bed with children, and sometimes spends the night in a sleeping bag on the floor next to the bed on which his guests sleep. In particular, Jackson reported that he regularly slept in bed with this boy, who had cancer, but as a result of Jackson's actions, allegedly recovered without medication. Insisting that his love for children is completely innocent and has nothing to do with sex, Michael Jackson called his behavior "beautiful and charming."

The authorities of the Californian city of Santa Barbara, next to which the Jackson ranch is located, immediately after the unusual revelations of the star emphasized that they take them seriously. Indeed, the representatives law enforcement in Jackson's words, they did not find a precedent for initiating a criminal case, but noted that an investigation could be launched in the event of claims. The prosecutor's office even set up a hotline specifically for those who believe they have facts that could serve as evidence in a possible trial against Jackson.

And such evidence appeared. Nine months after the film was shown, a 13-year-old boy complained to his therapist that Jackson allegedly molested him. The psychotherapist contacted the police, who searched the singer's ranch and found hundreds of videos of children who visited Jackson (however, it must be admitted that the footage was not of a sexual nature), as well as love letters and poems written by Jackson and dedicated to the children who visited his ranch. .

I see the Lord in the faces of these children. I just love being around them. Yes, there are enough guest rooms in the house, but the children want to be with me. They often ask me if they can stay the night. And if their parents don't mind, I let them. What could be more natural than sharing your bed with someone? When you say the word bed, you mean sex. All wrong. We are just sleeping.

Michael Jackson

However, California authorities issued an arrest warrant for Jackson on charges of sexual harassment to minors. Jackson voluntarily turned himself in to authorities and was released on $3 million bail pending an investigation.

Incendiary "Rubba" in Neverland

The trial will begin with a selection of 12 jurors out of 750 candidates who wish to participate in the consideration of the Jackson case. This process is expected to take about a month. The court itself, according to lawyers, will last at least six months.

The main witness for the prosecution will now be a 15-year-old teenager, whose name has not been disclosed. According to some reports, it was he who appeared in the documentary film by Martin Bashir, who was also summoned to court as a witness. The teen's testimony was partly made public on an ABC News talk show in mid-January. At the same time, by decision of the judge, all materials of the case are closed. How the testimony of one of the key witnesses for the prosecution got to the employees of the TV channel is currently being established by the investigation.

The leaked testimony is described by some experts as "the most detailed evidence describing the physical relationship between Jackson and one of his alleged victims." So, according to the teenager, the most popular game among the boys on the ranch was called "Rubba" - supposedly according to its rules, the singer, exciting himself, rubbed himself against the bodies of children.

In addition, representatives of the prosecution, which is headed by prosecutor Tom Sneddon (Tom Sneddon), intend to provide the court with some "erotic materials" seized at the singer's ranch in 2003. According to experts, these materials confirm that Jackson had a motive for the crime.

Protects former king pop music lawyer Thomas Mesereau Jr. He has represented the singer since April 2004, when he unexpectedly parted ways with his former lawyers Mark Geragos and Benjamin Brafman. The defense intends to present to the court the testimonies of other children who stayed with Jackson at the ranch. In particular, one of the defense witnesses, 17-year-old Ahmed Elatab, claims the following: "Michael never molested either the children or me personally. I never saw him behave in a strange way with any of the boys." Regarding the plaintiff's claims, Elatab said: "I'm sure his parents just want money, and this is a chance for them to get rich."

Jackson himself maintains his innocence. On the eve of the opening of the trial, he posted a video message on his website in which he called for a fair trial of himself, adding that he believes in American justice. If proven guilty, Jackson faces 3 to 8 years in prison for each of the ten counts.

One time is not a pedophile

It's not the first time Jackson has been accused of pedophilia. In 1993, the father of 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, who was allegedly molested by Jackson, filed a lawsuit against the singer. However, the case did not reach the court: the proceedings lasted more than a year and ended with a settlement agreement, which cost Jackson, according to some reports, $ 20 million. The child refused to testify against the singer, and all charges were dropped from the latter.

In addition, as it became known during the investigation, in 1990, Jackson paid another $ 2 million "compensation" to the son of a former ranch worker to prevent charges of harassment. The 12-year-old teenager did not testify against the singer, fearing that his friends would accuse him of homosexuality. The agreement between him and Jackson included a "non-disclosure" clause.

If this time Jackson fails to decisively justify himself, then others may follow this process. According to Robert Wegner, the star's former security guard, about 300 boys under the age of 14 have passed through the singer's ranch since the early 90s. Wegner claims to have seen the singer stroking his groin in front of the children, rubbing against them, and touching and caressing them themselves. The huge fortune of the ex-king of pop may simply not be enough to pay all legal costs and possible compensation.

The Nature of Michael Jackson's Love

Probably, the explanation for the unusual love of the singer for children should be sought in the childhood of Jackson himself, which, especially in the light of oddities adult life this person, is a fertile field of activity for psychoanalysts.

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the seventh child of nine poor family steel mill worker Joe Jackson. When Michael was five years old, Joe made a musical ensemble "The Jackson Five" from his five offspring. Moreover, he put together in the truest sense of the word - as Michael's sister, Latoya Jackson, writes in her autobiography, her father mercilessly beat them with a belt or a bamboo cane, forcing them to rehearse for 3-4 hours every evening. According to Latoya, Michael experienced constant humiliation from his father, whom he hated more and more every year.

It was in childhood that Michael began to develop a "black complex". Moreover, paradoxically, the fault was his father, who could not stand the spirit of blacks.

By the age of 14, when Michael was already a stage veteran in the Jackson Five family group, one more problem was added to his problems - acne. Michael's character has changed markedly: before, Jackson was very sociable and easily converged with people, but now he is closed in on himself. And although by the age of 16 acne completely disappeared, Jackson was never able to completely get rid of the psychological consequences of this trouble. One of them is excessive shyness, turning into timidity. Probably, it was after this that Michael began to meticulously monitor his appearance and the cleanliness of his environment, which later grew into a real mania.

Among other problems young talent the “sexual taboo” that existed in the Jackson family should be singled out. All conversations on this topic were prevented, and if one of the brothers was seen in the company of a girl, then his father gave him a grandiose scandal, which, as a rule, ended in assault. According to Joe, who was the producer of The Jackson 5, the marriage of one of the brothers could interfere with the group's career.

The already established singer explains his indifference to children by the fact that, having become an adult, he experiences the humiliation of childhood anew and tries to get rid of this feeling by communicating with children and showing them care and love. However, now the nature of Michael Jackson's love for children will be determined by the court.

I doubted whether it was worth posting the translation of these transcripts - no new information about Michael is not here, and the one that is, requires serious "filtering". But still, the history of the "relationship" between Martin Bashir and Michael Jackson would not be complete without this second series of Bashir's "documentaries".

This film can only be of interest as a kind of “document of the time”, as a clear example of how “it” was done: how the truth was mixed with half-truth and lies, how it was processed on the eve of the trial “ public opinion"- and this was done by none other than the witness of the prosecution, who at the forthcoming litigation was number one.

Foreword by David Edwards (sanemjfan) :

“In February 2005, Martin Bashir aired his second Michael Jackson film, titled The Secret World of Michael Jackson. movie, then this documentary will completely destroy that notion. And it's no coincidence that the timing of this pile of rubbish: it aired right before the selection of the jury (jury), and it was obvious that this was intended for their ears.

This documentary was essentially swept under the carpet. ABC News has stated that it is not intended for sale on their site, despite hundreds of their other 20/20 and Primetime Live content being sold on their site."

The film, in fact, is a compilation of interviews that were taken from the British documentary film, previously made for ABC News, excerpts from the film " Living With Michael Jackson”, and new footage made by Bashir especially for this film.

transcriptsmovie « MichaelJackson’ ssecretWorld»

(in translation, I made some cuts - for ethical reasons)

Disclaimer (foreword): this program contains excerpts from a documentary made by a British production company that aired in the UK three weeks ago. Some of the individuals who appeared in this film were compensated for their participation. Interviews conducted by Martin Bashir or ABC News were not paid..

Introduction: So it started with his own words. Words that the whole world, mind you, really took notice of: “ Why can't you share your bed?" (“whycan'tyoushareyourbed?”) Was it an innocent, loving friendship? Or something more sinister? As the Trial of the Century prepares, Martin Bashir returns to the secret world of Michael Jackson, exploring his unusual friendship with young boys that began over 20 years ago. You will hear his ill-wishers and his friends. You will hear the children who will say that there was never anything wrong between them, and the boys who have grown up and who now say that something happened. Plus, we'll feature a kid who befriended Jackson and a story about a boy who got a $25 million deal. So, a new take on Neverland, with the man whose documentary kicked off the storm, in a 2-hour special produced by Life With Michael Jackson author Martin Bashir, who took a closer look at the secret world of Michael Jackson."

Martin Bashir(voice over): More than 2 years ago, I started making a documentary about Michael Jackson. I saw some unusual things. We went shopping. We went karting. I saw his children... him small child. And then I returned to Neverland. What happened in the next few hours would forever change the lives of everyone who was there. . I could never have foreseen the consequences of this meeting. The boy I spoke to that day would later claim that Michael Jackson abused him. I had to ask myself, "Could his statement about what happened that day be true?" So I went back to the beginning. I'm going to re-enter the secret world of Michael Jackson. Once again, this will be a journey into a wonderful, unusual and strange world. This is a world where Michael Jackson shared his wealth, his home, and sometimes even his bedroom, with much younger boys. Were these relationships innocent, as Jackson and many boys say, or were some of these relationships criminal, as at least 2 boys claimed?

It all started when he himself was a little older than just a little boy.

La Toya Jackson: (excerpt from a British documentary): I didn't really have a (childhood) and I know everyone knows that, but in fact he didn't have a childhood either.

La Toya Jackson(excerpt from British documentary): He loved discipline, and when I say discipline, I mean if he felt you did something wrong, then of course he could whip you.

Excerpt from "Life With Michael Jackson":

Martin Bashir: How often did he hit you?

Michael Jackson: Too often.

Martin Bashir: Did he only use one belt?

Michael Jackson: (Crying). Why are you doing this to me? No, more than a belt. When he caught up with me, oh my God, it was bad".

La Toya Jackson(excerpt from documentary): He was strict. It was like, “Why do we always have to do this? Why can't we do it?" But that's part of growing up.

Martin Bashir(voice-over): According to Jackson, he didn't want to grow up. He passionately dreamed of a childhood he never had. Michael Jackson didn't want to enter the adult world. When I asked Jackson about meeting Tatum O'Neal, he told me that at the time the thought of sex scared him.

An excerpt from "Life With Michael Jackson"

"Michael Jackson: She told me to go and lay down on the bed and I did and she slowly came over and she touched the button on my shirt to unbutton it and I put my hands up like this (covers face with both hands) , and I did not let them go down, and she just left. She knew that I was too shy for that. That's what happened.

Martin Bashir: Didn't you feel sophisticated in all of this?

Michael Jackson: No.

Martin Bashir: Are you just scared?

Michael Jackson: I was scared. I was afraid".

Martin Bashir(narrator): In her recent book, Tatum O'Neil denies that she tried to seduce Jackson. Despite his experience with girls, he will soon begin friendships with boys who were much younger than himself. Jackson's sister says that all these the relationship was completely innocent.

La Toya Jackson(excerpt from a British documentary): He always had many friends, of all ages. And then, he had small children who were his friends, but you have to remember that Michaelatak was loved all over the world, and that everyone wanted to be near him.

J. Randy Taraborrelli(excerpt from a British documentary): He feels very strongly that he has missed his childhood, and one of the ways he thinks he can get his childhood back is through communication with children.

Terry George(excerpt from British documentary): When I was 13 I was a little sassy and I think I was a little naive looking back.

Martin Bashir(voice-over): Terry George says he was 13 and keen on collecting celebrity interviews, he met Michael in Leeds in the north of England. For the rest of the Jacksons, it was just another stop on their 1979 European tour. But for Michael, says Terry George, it was a chance to make a new friend.

Maureen ORT(excerpt from a British documentary): Michael will have tours all over the world, and there were little boys everywhere who came to hotels.

Terry George(excerpt from a British documentary): I didn't really interact with other people. I didn't have many friends then.

Martin Bashir(voice-over): On his way to an interview with his idol, Terry says that he found out where they were then. Then, armed with Michael's hotel room number and a tape recorder, he simply knocked on his door.

Terry George(excerpt from a British documentary): Michael said, "Who is this?" and I said, "Hi, my name is Terry George, I'm here to do an interview." He opened the door and he looked a little shocked when he saw me. He looked at this level, and I was somewhere on this.

Terry George(excerpt from a British documentary): He gives me his number and asks me for mine, and it wasn't a strange feeling, it was great, it was exciting. I was happy that I was in contact with a celebrity.

Terry George(excerpt from a British documentary): His calls came quite late in the evening, usually from 11 pm to up to 5 am in some cases.

Terry George(excerpt from British documentary): “I had Phone Sex With Jacko!” Here is what the press wrote.

Terry George(speaking directly to Bashir): He talked about m…tion, about his m…tion, and whether I did it. I never saw it coming. It wasn't what I expected. It was just obscene, really. He said, "Do you believe I'm doing this now?" And he let me hear it on the phone and I could hear it.

Martin Bashir: And what do you think he meant by that?

Terry George: I knew what he meant because he was talking about m…tion. I felt uncomfortable, I remember feeling uncomfortable. I felt awkward.

Martin Bashir: What were your thoughts when you hung up?

Terry George: I thought I didn't react the way he wanted me to react, and I thought that maybe he would never call again, or that I would never hear from him again. Looking back, looking at it now, I know the conversation was probably never meant to be, it was probably unnatural.

Martin Bashir(voice over): Terry George says there was no more sex talk. One time and it stopped. Terry George's friendship with Michael Jackson was over. A source close to the Jackson camp says “Terry George's story is not true. In the past, he sold his story to the press. These are all old, baseless allegations.”

Some people who have been investigated have said that Michael Jackson ends up rejecting many of his young friends.

Diana Dimond ( excerpt from British documentary ): Michael Jackson is changing his phone numbers, he is not available on the phone anymore.

Maureen Orth(excerpt from British documentary): As soon as they get a little older, at puberty, and they get their first facial hair............

Diana Dimond(excerpt from British documentary): .........he just moves on to the next little “special friend”.

Martin Bashir(voice over): But soon Michael wanted to take one of his friends, before America's press, on a double date with one of the most beautiful women in the world. For the superstar who calls herself "Peter Pan," the transition from childhood sensation to adult pop idol status has not been easy.

La Toya Jackson(excerpt from British documentary): He went through that phase in his life where he was extremely shy and completely changed. He completely changed his behavior. He didn't want to see people, he just became a completely different person.

(Excerpt from “Life With Michael Jackson”)

Michael Jackson: One of my brothers used to make fun of my acne. You know, I just went into the bedroom and cried.

Martin Bashir: Is it true that your father said you had a fat nose?

Michael Jackson: Yes.

Martin Bashir: What did he say? And what did he actually say?

Michael Jackson: “God, your nose is big! You couldn't get it from me!”

Martin Bashir: What does it do to a person when they go through this as a teenager?

Michael Jackson: You want to die. Do you want to die. And you are on top, you have to go on stage in the spotlight, in the presence of hundreds of thousands of people. It's hard! I'd be happier wearing a mask!

Martin Bashir(voiceover) At 21, Jackson was going to be a full-fledged superstar. But friendship with the boy struck the whole world. This video for “Don't Stop Till You Get Enough” helped start solo career Michael. He looks like a man who has broken free.

J. Randy Tarroberelli(excerpt from a British documentary): When you see Michael, you want to think he enjoys it. In fact, it was one of the darkest periods in Michael Jackson's life.