Michael Jackson_ The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story, 1958-2009 Part 28

The Still-Struggling Jacksons.

By 1990, Janet Jackson had come into her own with the biggest success of her career, the A&M alb.u.m Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, a string of hit records 'Miss You Much', 'Escapade', 'Rhythm Nation', among others and her first national tour. Charming and timid, talented and driven, Janet has turned out to be one of the better-adjusted Jackson siblings. With the exception of a relations.h.i.+p she maintains with her mother, she keeps her distance from the rest of the family. Though she is no longer managed by Joseph the break was predictably volatile he does profit from Rhythm Nation Rhythm Nation.

'I've studied the best Michael Jackson,' Janet said in April 1990. 'I'm not saying that just because he's my brother. I really feel he's the best. I saw how hard he works, his ambition. It's so strange to read things about him, because people just don't understand Michael much.'

Janet also noted, 'Michael has said that, out of everyone in the family, we're the two that think the most alike.' Janet is the only family member who makes it a point to show up at the taping of Michael's videos, just so that she can sit and watch him work. Still, she has to admit that a rivalry does exist between them. 'He's very compet.i.tive,' she said in November 1990. 'And so am I.'

Surprisingly, Michael is not as compet.i.tive with Janet as people might think. Mostly, he supports her efforts and offers advice whenever she asks for it. He thought Rhythm Nation Rhythm Nation was the work of a genius, and his biggest concern was not that it had sold so many copies, but that it hadn't sold enough. 'Why did it only sell five or six million copies?' he asked a former a.s.sociate. 'And what does this mean for was the work of a genius, and his biggest concern was not that it had sold so many copies, but that it hadn't sold enough. 'Why did it only sell five or six million copies?' he asked a former a.s.sociate. 'And what does this mean for me me and my next alb.u.m?' and my next alb.u.m?'

Like Michael, Janet has not been resistant to the plastic surgeon's knife. She has had at least two nose jobs, and some have speculated that she has had surgery on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. But she knows how to make plastic surgery work to her advantage. She looks stunning, especially after shedding, on a nine-hundred-calorie-a-day diet, the weight she'd been trying to lose for years.

The rest of the Jacksons have not fared as well in their recordings without Michael. Solo alb.u.ms by Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy all had disappointing sales. So too did an excellent group alb.u.m (recorded by Jackie, Jermaine, t.i.to and Randy) called 2300 Jackson Street 2300 Jackson Street, after the street on which the family lived in Gary.

Michael was bothered that 2300 Jackson Street 2300 Jackson Street had not been a commercial success, especially since he had telephoned Walter Yetnikoff and specifically asked him to take a special interest in the alb.u.m. But CBS Records could not successfully promote the Jacksons without Michael. It's not that the brothers have no talent; they do. After decades of experience, most of the Jacksons are first-rate vocalists, and they are all champion entertainers. However, trying to pursue their own careers while Michael Jackson's shadow looms is not easy. The public doesn't seem to want Michael's brothers; it just wants Michael. had not been a commercial success, especially since he had telephoned Walter Yetnikoff and specifically asked him to take a special interest in the alb.u.m. But CBS Records could not successfully promote the Jacksons without Michael. It's not that the brothers have no talent; they do. After decades of experience, most of the Jacksons are first-rate vocalists, and they are all champion entertainers. However, trying to pursue their own careers while Michael Jackson's shadow looms is not easy. The public doesn't seem to want Michael's brothers; it just wants Michael.

CBS did not renew its relations.h.i.+p with the Jacksons after 2300 Jackson Street 2300 Jackson Street. There was no fanfare, as when the Jacksons left Motown for CBS. Rather, the label just did not pick up the brothers' contracts. The Jacksons simply fizzled out.

Without Michael in the lead, his brothers have not been able to secure a new record deal.

Rebbie, by far the most resourceful singer of the three daughters, no longer records.

LaToya's memoirs, 'LaToya Growing Up in the Jackson Family,' was published in September 1991. In it, she was extremely critical of her family, but generous to Michael (and did not suggest that he had been molested). While she did not claim to have been molested by Joseph in the book the publisher did not want to risk legal liability on such a volatile issue she did so in her promotional tour. On talk show after talk show, she spoke of Joseph having forced her into s.e.xual relations with him, and Katherine having told him, 'Not tonight, Joseph. She's had enough.'

Again, who can truly know, considering the personalities involved in such madness, if the awful charges LaToya made against her father were true, or not?

Losing Count of the Plastic Surgeries.

There has always been a great deal of speculation about Michael's nose; it's the first of his features referenced when discussing, or even joking about, the extent of his plastic surgery. By the end of 1990, most people had lost count of how many surgeries Michael had undergone on his nose, but some in his camp have figured that it had to be at least ten. For years, plastic surgeons not related to his case have speculated as to whether the nose which has an elfin quality to it is made of bone, cartilage or latex. It's part of the public discourse when speaking of Michael: what is the truth about his nose?

The truth is that the structure of Michael's nose collapsed years ago, a consequence of extensive trauma from previous surgeries on it. One subsequent operation was to add cartilage into the tip, to support and reshape it. However, that procedure was not completely successful. Therefore, when appearing in public, and often in private, Michael wears a latex appliance, a prosthetic nose-tip, which he camouflages with stage makeup.

Interestingly, when Michael is seen wearing the surgical mask that is so much a part of his image, it's not always because he is attempting to hide his ident.i.ty or even avoid germs. Sometimes, it's simply because he was not inclined to wear the prosthesis. Putting on the appliance is an annoying and frustrating process. It's his cross to bear on a daily basis, and there are days when he simply can't bear it... thus, the mask.

In March 2003, Vanity Fair Vanity Fair reported that, without the prosthesis, Michaels 'resembles a mummy with two nostril holes.' This is not true. Without the device, his nose appears flatter, more blunt not pointed and he doesn't really look like... Michael Jackson. Self-conscious about his face, he refuses to be seen without it. If nothing else, the prosthesis must be a painful and daily reminder to Michael of his past choices where plastic surgery is concerned, and the impact they have had on his life. reported that, without the prosthesis, Michaels 'resembles a mummy with two nostril holes.' This is not true. Without the device, his nose appears flatter, more blunt not pointed and he doesn't really look like... Michael Jackson. Self-conscious about his face, he refuses to be seen without it. If nothing else, the prosthesis must be a painful and daily reminder to Michael of his past choices where plastic surgery is concerned, and the impact they have had on his life.

It has been suggested that Michael is somehow addicted to plastic surgery. 'People can easily get addicted to plastic surgery, as they can to alcohol, drugs, or food,' according to Dr Alfred Coodley, a.s.sociate clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA.

'Actually, it's more of an obsession than an addiction,' Dr Robert Kotler, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who has not treated Michael, observed. 'I think you have to know when to quit. That's the greatest message a cosmetic surgeon can bring to his patient. A conscientious surgeon will say to a patient, "Enough is enough."'

There are several reasons for Michael's extremely pale skin, especially on his face. First, he used to bleach his skin with different chemicals. Is it possible for a black person to make his skin lighter? 'Yes,' said Robert Kotler. 'You can't make it white, but you can make it lighter. There are cla.s.sic bleaching compounds that are commonly found in over-the-counter bleaching creams like Porcelana. Also, there are known bleaching agents, a cla.s.s of compounds called Hydroquinones, that will make a black person's skin lighter.'

One employee of Michael's recalled, 'He used to rub a cream on his face and neck in the morning and, again, at night. He had all of these little tubes in his makeup kit. I asked him what it was, thinking it was some kind of skin nutrient. He told me it was 'medicine'. I left it at that. I then noticed that whenever Michael would go out into the sun, he would cover his face with his hand or wear a big hat. He seemed petrified of sunlight, as if he was afraid he would burn.'

According to The Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs The Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs, 'As the sun's ability to darken skin is much greater than that of Hydroquinone to lighten it, strict avoidance of sunlight is imperative. Although sunscreens may help, even visible light will cause some darkening. The preferable packaging of Hydroquinone is in small squeeze tubes. The dosage is a thin application of 2 per cent concentration rubbed into affected areas twice daily. Once the desired benefit is achieved, Hydroquinone can be applied as often as needed to maintain de-pigmentation.' Some have noted that Michael's fingernails seemed brown and discolored on Martin Bas.h.i.+r's 2003 doc.u.mentary about him. One possible reason for this is that Hydroquinone stimulates pigment-producing cells in the nail plate, making them darker rather than lighter.

In the 1980s, he was diagnosed with the skin disease Vitiligo. (Some doctors have speculated that the Vitiligo is not as much hereditary as it is the consequence of damage done by bleaching chemicals over the years. Vitiligo makes the sufferer sensitive to sunlight.) In the late 1980s, Michael's dermatologist, Dr Arnold Klein, diagnosed him as having discoid lupus an auto-immune disease that causes darkening or lightening of the skin on his scalp.

There are two variations of lupus: discoid, which is skin deep, and systemic, which can be deadly. As a part of the treatment for discoid, Michael's doctor prescribed the skin lightening creams, Solaquin, Retin A and Benoquin. As a result, Michael was told that, more than ever, he had to avoid all sun exposure which is one of the reasons he is often seen s.h.i.+elding himself with an umbrellas on sunny days. Also, Michael had to endure the direct injections into his scalp of hydroxy chloroquin a steroid in painful, recurring treatments.

Presently, his lupus condition is in remission.

Michael also uses plenty of pancake makeup to even out his skin, which makes him appear even lighter.

In terms of specific plastic surgeries, he will admit to only two nose jobs and the cleft in his chin, but it does not take a cosmetic surgery expert to see that cheek and chin implants and all sorts of other work, including on his eyes and lips, are not beyond the bounds of possibility. Trying to actually detail the work Michael had had done is simply not possible; only he and his surgeons can fully doc.u.ment the extent of it and it also seems, at least to people who know him well, that he truly doesn't remember it all.

Some professionals have gone on the record saying they believe Michael suffers from body dysmorphic disorder, a psychological condition of people who are obsessed with their appearance, work on it constantly and have no concept of how they are perceived by others.

Certainly, Michael has not had it easy. In 1995, when he released his composition 'Childhood', on HIStory Past, Present and Future, Book I HIStory Past, Present and Future, Book I, many people were bored to tears by the notion of him still going on and on about his missing boyhood. However, the song is about more than just his lost youth; it's a plea for compa.s.sion and understanding. If one truly contemplates and reviews the challenges he has faced with his appearance, the fact that Michael Jackson is ever able to muster the self-confidence to make well-scrutinized, public appearances seems almost a miracle.

A Maddening Decade, An Uncertain Future.

By 1990, both family and career pressures continued to take their toll on thirty-two-year-old Michael Jackson.

In June of that year, Michael was in negotiations with Disney Studios to lend his name to a new robotic attraction at their theme parks. At the same time, David Geffen, who was affiliated with MCA (a division of Universal), wanted Michael to appear at the opening of the Universal Theme Park in Florida, as did Steven Spielberg. However, Michael Eisner, head of Disney, told Michael that if he had anything to do with MCA-Universal, he would never be able to be a.s.sociated with Disney again. This was pressure.

Michael desperately wanted Disney, and Michael Eisner, in his corner, but he also wished to maintain his friends.h.i.+p with David Geffen and Steven Spielberg. He anguished over this matter for weeks until, in his mind, the dilemma became overwhelming.

On 3 June 1990, Michael was admitted to St John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica. Accompanied by Steven Hoefflin, he was gripping his chest and looked dizzy, pale and weak. It was later reported that he had suffered chest pains while doing his Sunday dance exercises.

The hospital immediately ran a battery of diagnostic tests, including an HIV test. Michael's blood work came back from the lab negative, as expected. However, it was determined that he suffered from an enzyme deficiency and was anaemic, probably due to his strict vegetarian diet.

Michael's hospitalization made headlines for days. President Bush, Liza Minnelli and Elton John all telephoned to wish him well. Katherine and other family members visited. LaToya sent a dozen black roses, an odd gesture, but, said LaToya, 'I think they're beautiful.' Fans held all-night vigils outside of the hospital.

It was reported that Michael was diagnosed as having a condition called costochondritis, a cartilage inflammation in the front part of the ribs, an ailment most commonly found in young athletes who exercise sporadically. The condition is caused by overexertion and stress.

'What bulls.h.i.+t,' one of Michael's former close a.s.sociates noted. 'The kid had an anxiety attack.'

Indeed, Michael had exhibited the symptoms of sweating, shaking and panting often a.s.sociated with a cla.s.sic 'panic attack', a psychological problem sometimes suffered by people under great stress and anxiety.

Michael had suffered such attacks when he was a teenager; he still has them from time to time, today. After his hospital stay generated such worldwide publicity, he was apparently embarra.s.sed to say that he'd had a panic attack, had his representatives come up with a disease no one on the planet had ever heard of, and the public had to accept it.

Michael's spokesman, Bob Jones, did admit that Michael had been 'under some stress, lately.' He said that Michael was particularly saddened by the AIDS-related death of his friend, eighteen-year-old Ryan White, who won a long court battle to attend public school and overcame prejudice against himself and other AIDS victims. Bob also said Michael was still upset over the deaths of his maternal grandmother, Martha Bridges, who died in May, and Sammy Davis, Jr., who also died that month. Moreover, Michael was agitated because work on his alb.u.m was not progressing quickly. He didn't mention the real problem: whether Michael should be loyal to Universal or to Disney not to mention what he'd been through recently with his family members and business a.s.sociates.

After Michael was released from the hospital, he went about the business of reorganizing his affairs. He had said privately that when he returned from the Bad tour, he would fire everyone on his staff. 'I don't trust anybody,' he said to one a.s.sociate. 'Except Katherine.'

Frank Dileo had been dismissed after the tour was over, and Michael apparently felt no regret over the decision. He still communicated with Frank, but only through middlemen, and only when he was agitated about something. For instance, when Michael heard that someone was again spreading rumours that he was a h.o.m.os.e.xual, he had an a.s.sociate telephone Frank demanding to know if it had been he who was the source of the story. Frank was hurt. He later said he wondered how a person he once considered to be a son could be so mistrusting of him. However, he'd always known Michael was a suspicious person. Two months before Michael fired Frank, he purchased from a New York-based security firm a briefcase featuring a hidden tape recorder for himself and six Voice Safe telephone scramblers for his home. The briefcase could be used to tape meetings secretly, and the scramblers made it impossible to tape the user's conversation off a telephone line.

After the Bad tour, Marshall Gelfand, Michael's accountant of seven years, was given his walking papers by John Branca. Michael felt he was too conservative in his investment strategies and had John hire a new accountant, Richard Sherman, who also worked for David Geffen.

By the summer of 1990, Michael had also begun to have doubts about John Branca. In recent months, despite John's many professional strengths, Michael allowed his insecurities and it was said by his a.s.sociates, David Geffen's personal feelings about John colour his perception of the high-powered attorney. For instance, Michael suddenly became overly concerned about the ident.i.ties of John's other clients. Frank Dileo was not permitted by Michael to even have other clients, but John was an attorney who had been practising law before that day in early 1980 when Michael came into his office. By 1990, he had twenty-five clients in addition to Michael.

Earlier, in 1988, John Branca had represented The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels international tour. When Michael telephoned him one day about a business matter, John mentioned that he would be in Barbados for a week. Michael wanted to know the reason for the trip. When John told him it was for business purposes, Michael became suspicious. He wanted to know what kind of business John had in Barbados. Rather than lie, he told him that he was meeting with Mick. 'Mick? You mean Mick Jagger? Mick Jagger?' Michael wanted to know. He was upset.

John finally admitted that he was representing The Rolling Stones tour. 'Well, is it a big tour?' Michael asked. 'It's not going to be as big as mine, is it? It's not going to be bigger bigger than mine, is it?' than mine, is it?'

There was probably no way to calm Michael down at that point. Next, he wanted to know where the Stones would be playing. When John reluctantly told him they were thinking about the Los Angeles Coliseum, Michael became even more anxious. 'The Coliseum!' he exclaimed. 'The Coliseum! Why, that's bigger than the [Los Angeles] Sports Arena, where I played. How many dates? They're not playing as many dates as me and my brothers played at Dodger Stadium, are they?' He was frantic. The only way to end it with him was for John to beg off the line, saying he had another call.

When John Branca took on Terrence Trent D'Arby as a client, Michael was again upset. He considered D'Arby compet.i.tion, just as he did Prince. Michael asked John to drop D'Arby. John said he would do it if Michael absolutely insisted upon it. However, Michael then telephoned D'Arby, with whom he had never spoken, to let him know that he (Michael) had no control over John Branca, and that if the attorney should ever drop him as a client, it would be entirely his decision because, as Michael told D'Arby, 'I have no problem with Branca representing you.' Actually, Michael was trying to maintain friendly relations with D'Arby in case the two should ever decide to record a duet sometime in the future.

When John Branca found out what Michael had done (Terrence Trent D'Arby's manager telephoned John immediately after D'Arby had hung up with Michael), he was as disappointed in Michael as he was angry. In the end, John decided not not to drop D'Arby as a client; Michael just had to live with it. to drop D'Arby as a client; Michael just had to live with it.

Most observers felt that representing Michael had become more taxing and demanding than ever for John Branca. In the spring of 1990, John and Michael had a meeting during which John said he felt the time had come for him to share in the equity in Jackson's publis.h.i.+ng company. He explained that he wanted to devote as much time to developing Michael's publis.h.i.+ng holdings as possible, and in return he wanted five per cent of those profits. John must have known that it would be risky to make such a proposition because Michael is known to be thrifty when it comes to compensating his repre-sentation. He feels that the occasional Rolls-Royce or expensive watch is a fair demonstration of his appreciation to his advisers; he doesn't favour giving them extra percentages. Up until this time, John had worked for Michael on a monthly retainer. On certain extraordinary deals, a percentage would be worked into the deal for him. For instance, he did receive five per cent of the profit on the Victory and Bad tours. (In contrast, though, Mickey Rudin, Frank Sinatra's attorney for years, received ten per cent of Sinatra's tours.) At this time, Michael was feeling psychologically poor as a result of the Moonwalker Moonwalker debacle. He told John he would consider his proposal. Then, he decided to talk the matter over with David Geffen. debacle. He told John he would consider his proposal. Then, he decided to talk the matter over with David Geffen.

At this same time, David Geffen was trying to convince Michael that he should break his CBS Records deal by utilizing a contract loophole. Michael's contract with CBS had been signed in 1983, and then amended after Thriller Thriller in 1985. David felt that the seven years that had lapsed since the original agreement gave Michael an edge in renegotiating the entire deal because California state law forbids personal service contracts of a longer duration. Industry observers felt that David was trying to lure Michael away from CBS so that he could sign him to his own label. in 1985. David felt that the seven years that had lapsed since the original agreement gave Michael an edge in renegotiating the entire deal because California state law forbids personal service contracts of a longer duration. Industry observers felt that David was trying to lure Michael away from CBS so that he could sign him to his own label.

Though Michael's contract with CBS had expired, he still owed four more alb.u.ms to the label. Yes, after the seven-year duration, Michael could probably have left CBS Records. The company could not enjoin him from recording for another label. However, it could could sue him for damages, the amount of which would be based on the estimated loss of profits from the alb.u.ms he did not deliver. This dollar amount would be derived from the combined sales figures of sue him for damages, the amount of which would be based on the estimated loss of profits from the alb.u.ms he did not deliver. This dollar amount would be derived from the combined sales figures of Off the Wall, Thriller Off the Wall, Thriller and and Bad Bad. CBS Records could have mounted a huge lawsuit against Michael. David was willing to overlook the possible litigation ('It'll all work itself out,' he said), however John Branca was not willing to do so, and he he was the one representing Michael, not David. was the one representing Michael, not David.

When John and David engaged in a heated argument over the logic of trying to extricate Michael from his recording contract with CBS Records, John told him to mind his own business. David hung up on him.

David then telephoned Michael and, apparently, tried to sour him on John Branca by saying that John had been uncooperative, and that the reason Michael didn't have 'a good deal at CBS' was because of John's close relations.h.i.+p with the company president, Walter Yetnikoff. Michael allowed himself to be swayed by David, never stopping to consider that he truly did have the best deal in the record industry and that John Branca was the man who had secured it for him.

John Branca's work with Michael Jackson can only be compared to Colonel Tom Parker's representation of Elvis Presley. Even though John was not Michael's manager, he certainly had the kind of impact on his career that Colonel Tom had on Elvis's. In 1980, when John began representing him, Michael's net worth was barely a million dollars. Ten years later, in great part due to John's negotiating skills, the net worth was close to $300 million, including the publis.h.i.+ng holdings, which were valued at close to $200 million. That leap in holdings was a tribute to Michael's artistry, no doubt; but it also spoke well of John's negotiating skills. Despite all they had been through together, Michael now doubted John.

A couple of days after John's difficult conversation with David Geffen, John met with Michael. Something had changed in Michael, and it became clear as the two of them spoke; Michael barely listened to what John said and he seemed hostile towards him. The two engaged in a heated discussion about CBS and whether or not Michael was obligated to record for them. The meeting did not go well.

When it ended, John went back to his office in Century City. The next day, he received a letter by special messenger from Michael's new accountant, Richard Sherman, whom John had recently hired: John's 'services were no longer required by Michael Jackson.'

Michael was sorry to lose John Branca, but he didn't get sentimental about the loss. The way he looked at it, John made a fortune doing what he loved to do, representing Michael in major show-business deals. When it was over, it was over. Michael swiftly replaced him with three seasoned law veterans: Bertram Fields (for litigation), Alan Grubman (for negotiations with CBS), and Lee Phillips (for music publis.h.i.+ng) all closely a.s.sociated with David Geffen.

In March 1991, Michael Jackson finally came to terms with CBS Records, now known as Sony Corp. The deal was structured on groundwork laid by John Branca including a 25 per cent royalty rate and Jackson's own label (then called Nation Records). Michael's spokespeople claimed that the contract guaranteed a return of hundreds of millions. Press reports implied that Sony actually handed over a billion billion dollars to Michael. In fact, Michael could receive $120 million per alb.u.m for the next six dollars to Michael. In fact, Michael could receive $120 million per alb.u.m for the next six if if sales matched the forty-million-plus level of sales matched the forty-million-plus level of Thriller Thriller. If they didn't, he wouldn't. With advances and financial perks, the deal was worth about fifty million dollars to Michael, nicely eclipsing Janet Jackson's thirty-two-million-dollar contract at Virgin Records.

Where Michael Jackson's career was concerned, the future seemed to rest on the commercial success or failure of his next alb.u.m. That was the case in 1991, and remains so, to this day.

PART NINE.

Michael Meets Jordie Chandler.

May 1992. Imagine Michael Jackson standing on the side of Wils.h.i.+re Boulevard in Beverly Hills, his jeep steaming at the side of the road while other cars whisk by in two busy lanes in both directions. With so little knowledge about automobiles, Michael had always wondered what he would do if he was ever alone when his car broke down. He reached for his mobile phone and called 911. He was told that a disabled automobile did not qualify as an emergency situation, and that he should call Directory a.s.sistance to locate a tow-shop. 'But I'm Michael Jackson,' he protested. 'Can't you help me?' The answer was, 'No.'

As he stood next to the car fretting about his next step, Michael was spotted by the wife of Mel Green, an employee of a nearby car-rental business, called Rent-A-Wreck. She telephoned her husband and said, 'You will not believe who I just spotted on Wils.h.i.+re Boulevard kicking the tyre of his broken-down car. Michael Jackson! You should go there and see what's up.'

Mel Green raced to the scene and, sure enough, there he was: Michael Jackson wringing his hands, pacing back and forth and kicking the tyres of his vehicle. 'I got him,' Mel said, calling Dave Schwartz, owner of Rent-A-Wreck.

'What? You gotta be kidding me?' said Dave. 'Is it really Michael Jackson? Are you sure? Maybe he's one of those wacky impersonators. It can't be the the Michael Jackson.' Michael Jackson.'

'It sure is,' Mel said. 'I'm bringing him in, now.'

'Then I gotta call June,' Dave said, now excited. Dave and his wife, June, had been having marital difficulties and, more often than not, he was not staying at their home, although they were still on friendly terms. He called June and told her to bring her son Jordie to 'the shop' for 'a big surprise'.

June and Jordie arrived on the scene before Michael. When Michael finally showed, he presented quite a sight wearing a black turban with a veil over his face and dark, over-sized sungla.s.ses. He also wore a long-sleeve black silk s.h.i.+rt, jeans and tennis shoes. The only parts of his body visible were his hands, which seemed pale.

Whenever June Chandler-Schwartz walked into a room, heads turned. A striking woman of Asian extraction, she wore her dark hair to her shoulders with bangs cut straight above her eye line. Her smile incandescent, her manner outgoing, she moved with elegance and grace. Michael was quickly taken by her as she excitedly introduced herself and then Jordie.

Actually, Jordie had seen Michael on several occasions over the years, the first time being at a restaurant in Los Angeles when he was about four. The young boy didn't approach Michael, of course, but instead gawked at him while the entertainer ate his food.

That same year, 1984, was the year Michael was burned filming the Pepsi commercial. Like thousands of fans, Jordie still just four sent a letter and picture of himself to the Brotman Memorial Hospital where Michael was recovering. He included his telephone number in the note. Two days later, much to his parents' excitement, Michael called Jordie to thank him for the note, and to also tell him that he thought he was 'a beautiful young boy'.

In 1989, when Jordie was nine, Michael's manager Frank Dileo contacted Jordie's mother to ask if she and her family would like four tickets to see Michael in concert in Los Angeles. Of course, she accepted. They enjoyed the show but, though they attempted to do so, did not meet with Michael backstage after the concert. As the years went on, Jordie continued with his adolescent fan-wors.h.i.+p of Michael Jackson.

In the spring of 1992, Jordie got the idea for a spoof of Kevin Costner's film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which he called Robin Hood: Men in Tights Robin Hood: Men in Tights. For a twelve-year-old, he was amazingly creative. Jordie and his father, Evan, wrote the script (along with Evan's friend, J. D. Shapiro) and with the help of some of Evan's show-business friends, father and son actually got their script produced into a major movie. Though the movie, produced by Mel Brooks, was not a commercial success, the youngster had two more ideas in mind and was working with his father on them. To young Jordie Chandler, it seemed as if almost anything was possible. Now, he was face to face with his idol, the so-called 'King of Pop'.

Jordie was dark-haired with big, luminescent eyes. He was on the verge of manhood, but certainly not there yet. His face was lean and angular, its raw-boned sharpness softened by its olive complexion. Anyone looking at him would say, 'That kid is going to be stunning in about ten years.' However, standing before Michael, he was just a boy with a big smile on his face.

June wrote down a telephone number and handed it to Michael. 'You should call Jordie sometime,' she suggested, as if the notion of a twelve-year-old being 'friends' with a thirty-three-year-old pop star was the most natural thing in the world.

'Mom!' Jordie protested, embarra.s.sed.

'No, Jordie,' she said, according to a later recollection from, Jordie. 'You guys can be friends.'

'For sure,' Dave Schwartz said as he walked into the room. 'Give him a call, Michael. He's your biggest fan.'

'Yeah, okay,' Michael said as he signed the final paperwork for the rental car. He took the paper from June and stuffed it in his pocket. Michael then looked over his gla.s.ses and took in the twelve-year-old. 'So, look, I'll call you, Jordie,' he said. 'Okay?'

'Sure,' the youngster answered. He flashed a dazzling smile at the singer. 'Oh, boy!'

'Yeah,' Michael exclaimed, seemed tickled by the youngster's enthusiasm. 'Oh, boy!' he repeated.

Have You Seen His Childhood?

Of course, Michael Jackson had long a.s.sociated himself with children, regularly visiting with ill children on his concert tours and inviting underprivileged youths to tour his ranch. His philanthropic activities, including those executed by his Heal the World Foundation, were well known. In the past, Michael had often been seen in the company of young celebrities, such as Emmanuel Lewis and McCauley Culkin, as well as with many youngsters who are not famous, which was why Jordie's mother and stepfather saw nothing unusual about encouraging a friends.h.i.+p between the pop star and their son.

'One of my favourite pastimes is being with children,' Michael had explained in an interview, 'talking to them and playing with them. Children know a lot of secrets and it is difficult to get them to tell. Children are incredible. They go through a brilliant phase, but then when they reach a certain age, they lose it. My most creative moments have almost always come when I am with children. When I am with them, the music comes to me as easily as breathing. When I'm tired or bored, children revive me. Two brown eyes look at me so profoundly, so innocently, and I murmur, This child is a song.'

In the early nineties Michael Jackson's interest in children was viewed by most quarters where it was known about as odd, but not necessarily inappropriate.

Michael was thought of as not only a virgin, but as.e.xual. He was viewed as 'damaged goods', a brilliant entertainer who gave his all to his work because he had no personal life in which to find satisfaction. No one believed he actually had romances with girls like Tatum O'Neal or Brooke s.h.i.+elds, no matter how much he insisted that such affairs of the heart had taken place in his life. Mostly, where Michael's personal life was concerned, one felt a sense of sadness about it. He was an oddity, a brilliant performer and legendary recording artist whose image was perplexing and eccentric, but not s.e.xual. Even when he grabbed his crotch during his performances, the action didn't have a s.e.xual connotation to it as much as it did the imprint of another clever bit of ch.o.r.eography. Then, of course, there was all of that business about his 'lost childhood'...

'He's a man who has never had a childhood,' Bert Fields, one of Michael's attorneys, explained to me as if I wasn't aware of Michael's background. 'So he's having his childhood now, you see? His friends are little kids. They have pillow fights. It's all innocent.'