Michael Jackson_ The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story, 1958-2009 Part 38

On Friday 10 October, Michael performed before 47,000 people at Johannesburg Stadium. Afterward, Lisa spent hours backstage with Michael. During that time together, she attempted to raise the topic of Michael's new friend. The appearance of impropriety was something that she felt had to be addressed. Yet, Michael made it clear to her that the issue would not be discussed. It seemed he no longer required, or at least welcomed, her counsel.

It had been the self-doubting, vulnerable part of Michael Jackson that had always been the bridge between him and Lisa Marie Presley. Now, without that part intact, and with the bridge of their s.e.xual compatibility also broken down, Lisa felt not just powerless, she also felt like an outsider.

The next day, Lisa and her children were on hand for the formal ceremony when Michael was made an honorary member of an African tribe, Bafokeng Ka Bakwena (People of the Crocodile). The 300,000-strong Bafokeng is regarded as one of the richest in the country due to its owners.h.i.+p of the world's second-largest platinum reserve. Katherine and Joseph, who met the tribe a few days before, were also given 'citizens.h.i.+p' certificates.

Dressed in a military-style jacket adorned with gold badges on the chest and arms, Michael walked slowly through a crowd of native women and children in the town of Phokeng, ninety miles northwest of Johannesburg, after the ceremony. With Lisa clutching his arm proudly, Michael smiling benevolently and touched the hands of his admirers as if he was visiting royalty. At all times an aide carried a blue-and-yellow umbrella to provide shade for him and Lisa.

That afternoon, Michael and Lisa went water-skiing at South Africa's Sun City resort. Then, that night they had dinner with Katherine at the resort. During the meal, they applauded as youngsters dressed in leopard skin tribal garb performed for them.

The next day, Michael rehea.r.s.ed for his concert at Johannesburg Stadium. Lisa, with her plans to depart already made, watched from backstage, waiting for Michael to finish so she could say her 'goodbyes'.

A small coterie of people watched Michael as he and the dancers rehea.r.s.ed 'Thriller'. In the middle of the song, he halted the performance. 'Hold it, guys,' he said. 'That's all wrong. It goes like this. Watch.' He then glided across the stage effortlessly, as if on air, thereby demonstrating the correct moves for his troupe. Katherine, who was standing with Lisa, beamed.

'When I think of how bad it got with those d.a.m.n lies, and how far he has come since then, I have to cry,' Katherine said, not taking her eyes off her son. 'He was almost destroyed. Now, just watch him, he's so darn good.' She then put her arm around Lisa and gave her a warm look. 'And it's because of you that he got through it. Do you know that? Do you know how much we appreciate what you did for him?'

Lisa smiled dimly and shrugged her shoulders. 'I don't know if I helped, or not,' she told Katherine, modestly. 'I did love him. That I know. But, face it, Katherine, your son is one big mystery.'

Katherine tilted her head back and laughed. 'Girl, tell me about it,' she exclaimed.

Michael came off the stage just as the two women were sharing their conspiratorial moment. 'Now, what are you two gossiping about?' he asked, good-naturedly.

'You!' they both said, in unison.

He executed a quick, soft shoe routine, made a funny face at them, and went back to work.

Lost Love.

In November 1997, Debbie Rowe announced that she was pregnant with a girl, her second 'gift' to Michael. This was the child they said had been conceived in Paris. Michael was elated. At this time, he bought her a new house in Los Angeles. She moved in with her two pet dogs, and seemed happy with her life.

Michael anxiously prepared himself for the birth of another baby, excited to see his family grow. Though he and Debbie still did not live together and never would they got along well. She was his friend the one who had his children. The other woman in his life, Lisa Marie Presley, was still the one who had his heart, and Debbie knew it. 'She told me that Michael had Lisa's picture in his bedroom, on his nightstand,' said Tanya Boyd. 'Debbie never had any misguided notion that Michael was in love with her, and she's never been in love with him either, I don't think. "What he has with Lisa, now that's true love," Debbie told me. "I have always known it," she said. "I've never fought it. I've only encouraged it." She never wanted to come between Lisa and Michael. "If Lisa would have had his children," she told me, "I never would have done it for him. There would have been no reason for it."'

On Sat.u.r.day, 7 February 1998, Michael got together with Lisa for dinner at the Ivy in Los Angeles. He had telephoned her and said he wanted to take her out for her thirtieth birthday, which had been about a week earlier.

They arrived at the restaurant holding hands. Michael wore a black hat and matching surgical mask, Lisa a dark blue dress with a gold choker. Because they didn't have a reservation, the manager took them into his office and served them drinks while they waited for a table in a quiet, romantic corner. Once seated, Lisa enjoyed a plate of steamed vegetables. Michael ate crab cakes and fried chicken. However, he slipped the food underneath his mask, rather than take it off. One wonders what it might be like to sit across the table from a person who is eating while wearing a surgical mask. 'Once you get past the preposterousness of it,' Lisa explained, privately, 'and decide in your head, okay, now, look, the guy is not not going to take the mask off...' going to take the mask off...'

For dessert, they shared a piece of cake, decorated with a single candle which Lisa happily blew out. 'How's it going with Debbie?' Lisa wanted to know, according to what she later recalled to a friend.

Half-heartedly, Michael said it was 'okay' with his wife. He had another gla.s.s of red wine, his fourth. He told her that as much as he cared for Debbie, when he was with her, 'I focus on what I don't have, instead of what I do have. I just want to be in love. Like what you and I had. I was so afraid,' he told her, according to her memory. 'I know now that I closed you out. What can I do now?'

Lisa says that she didn't respond. She no longer had the answers to his problems not that she ever did or the solution to his life. There wasn't much she could propose, except perhaps the most basic of offerings between two people with a history who still care about each other. 'I want you to know,' she told him, 'that if you ever need a friend, I'm here for you. You have such a good heart, Michael,' she added. 'But, dude, tell me this: why do you have to be so f.u.c.king strange? f.u.c.king strange?'

The two dissolved into laughter, probably realizing that there was no simple answer to that question.

After dinner, they strolled down Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills, window shopping under the watchful eye of paparazzi. At one point, Michael kissed the top of her head and put two fingers under her chin, lifting it so her eyes would meet his. His arms closed around her, enveloping her. They kissed through his silk mask, as if he was some kind of comic book super hero and it made all the sense in the world. She then snuggled against him. A paparazzo memorialized the tender moment, the photographs appearing five days later in a tabloid.

Later, they were driven to Santa Monica for a long walk on the beach, talking late into the night.

'I love her,' Michael told one of his a.s.sociates the next day, 'more than anything, more than anyone, I still love Lisa. We have such a strong connection.' His eyes filled with tears. 'That was my one shot, man,' he said. 'I did a lot of foolish things. I may never get another shot, you know?'

'In another world, we would be together,' Lisa would say, 'just not in his world, I'm afraid.'

Two months later, Michael was the father of a new daughter.

Paris Katherine Michael Jackson was born on 3 April 1998 (named after the city in which her parents say the baby was conceived, and also after her grandmother and her father). Michael's a.s.sociates contacted the Pope at the Vatican in Rome about the possibility of his christening the baby. However, a Vatican official sent a letter to Michael through his representation in Los Angeles explaining that The Pontiff would not want to be involved in 'what may be perceived by some as a publicity stunt'. (The Vatican had already been down this same road with Madonna a few years earlier when she attempted to have the Pope baptize her first child, Lourdes, but was also turned away.) When their 'arrangement' no longer felt right to Debbie, she asked for a divorce, and he gave her one on 8 October 1999, no questions asked. He gave her about ten million dollars in a settlement, beginning with a first payment of $1.5 million in October.

Michael continued with his life and career in 2000 and 2001 as noted later in this text. Then, another baby was born to him in 2002, a boy he named Prince Michael II. He has told confidants that he hopes to have more children in the future, and that all of the boys will be named Prince Michael (III, IV, etc...).

Prince Michael II has the nickname 'Blanket'. Michael has explained, 'It's an expression I use with my family and my employees. I say, "You should blanket me or you should blanket her," meaning like a blanket is a blessing. It's a way of showing love and caring.' It was this particular child, nine months at the time, whom Michael dangled off a balcony in Germany in November 2002, causing a flood of editorials speculating about his emotional stability and suitability for fatherhood. Michael was bewildered by his own actions and distraught by the media coverage. He was also embarra.s.sed; what would his friends and family think? He publicly apologized for his behaviour, saying that he became caught up 'in the moment'.

Afterwards, Michael received a letter from Elizabeth Taylor, dated 19 December 2002, which lifted his spirits. 'Don't ever let them [the public] get you down, Michael. You're loved by too many, especially this kid. I love you just as much as I always have and understand you just as much as I always have. Don't hide. You haven't done anything to be ashamed of. Be proud of how you are bringing up your children. G.o.d knows I am. I love you with all my heart, and because I know you so well. I will always understand where others may not. But, you know something: screw the others. All my love, Elizabeth.'

Michael has not revealed the ident.i.ty of the mother of his third child. He would explain that the two older children were 'a natural conception' meaning, he said, that he and Debbie had s.e.x and that the new baby was the result of artificial insemination. 'I used a surrogate mother and my own sperm cells,' he explained. 'She doesn't know me and I don't know her. I didn't care what race she was as long as she was healthy and her vision was good. And her intellect I wanted to know how intelligent she is.' He first noted that the mother was a black woman, then later changed the story and said he didn't know her ident.i.ty. Prince Michael II is very blond. Debbie had confirmed that the child is not hers. If he knows who the mother is, he has decided not to reveal her name.

The Martin Bas.h.i.+r Doc.u.mentary.

In February 2003, another strange chapter in Michael's life opened with the highly controversial doc.u.mentary, Living with Michael Jackson Living with Michael Jackson, which first attracted fifteen million viewers in the United Kingdom and more than double that in the United States. The programme made excitable headlines on both sides of the Atlantic for its subject, Michael, and interviewer/presenter, Martin Bas.h.i.+r.

Prior to the Michael Jackson interview, Martin Bas.h.i.+r was most famous for his 1995 television dissection of Diana, Princess of Wales. Almost twenty-three million people watched her confess royal unhappiness about her difficult marriage to Prince Charles, his relations.h.i.+p to Camilla Parker Bowles and the complex, personal embarra.s.sment Diana called 'three in a marriage'. Soon after, the Queen urged Charles and Diana to divorce. Because Diana had won global sympathy with her interview, Michael believed Martin when he presented himself as 'the man who turned Diana's life around'. Actually, if he had examined the history of the Diana doc.u.mentary, he would have found that it didn't help her. As she revealed details of her tragic recent life in a halting, hypnotic voice, it was as if she had decided to self-destruct, and do it on television. During her interviews, she seemed distant, aloof and damaged. To her advantage, though, she was the victim of certain challenges, such as eating disorders and marital discord, which could, at least, be understandable to the viewer. There was no way she would be viewed as a freak of nature. Instead, she appeared to be a sad woman whose life had spun out of control and was still spinning, in fact and who had decided to just come clean with it. However, Michael Jackson with his plastic surgeries, babies with no maternal presence and intense fascination with youngsters took a greater risk when he decided to allow Martin Bas.h.i.+r into the environment his first wife called his 'world of wonder'.

After his Diana extravaganza, Martin Bas.h.i.+r won an award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and was named the Royal Television Society's Journalist of the Year for 1996. He subsequently landed other high-profile interviews, including one with anguished gay British actor-comedian Michael Barrymore, in the news after the drowning of a young man during a party at his house.

Martin courted Michael Jackson for five years, trying to convince him to partic.i.p.ate in the doc.u.mentary. Finally, after being recommended by Michael's friend, the paranormalist Uri Geller, Martin was given an audience with Michael, during which he was able to convince him to cooperate. Michael then allowed him total access to his life for eight months, despite the fact that his advisers felt that such cooperation would not bode well for him. Martin Bas.h.i.+r spent time at Neverland in California, and travelled across the United States and Europe with Michael. (Uri would later regret having ever introduced Michael to Martin.) The most interesting aspect of the doc.u.mentary is not what it revealed, though much of it was astounding. What fascinates about Living with Michael Jackson Living with Michael Jackson is that its subject ever allowed it to be filmed, which suggests that Michael either still does not understand how he is perceived by much of the public or that he doesn't care. He truly believed, according to those who know him best, that it was a savvy public relations manoeuvre, to allow a stranger to doc.u.ment his world from an outside view point and in a way that would prevent Michael from having control over the final content. He wasn't thinking clearly about it. He thought it was a cool thing to do because Diana had done it, and he felt sure that the public would be interested in his life. He never imagined anyone would be shocked by it because he simply does not think he or his life is shocking. is that its subject ever allowed it to be filmed, which suggests that Michael either still does not understand how he is perceived by much of the public or that he doesn't care. He truly believed, according to those who know him best, that it was a savvy public relations manoeuvre, to allow a stranger to doc.u.ment his world from an outside view point and in a way that would prevent Michael from having control over the final content. He wasn't thinking clearly about it. He thought it was a cool thing to do because Diana had done it, and he felt sure that the public would be interested in his life. He never imagined anyone would be shocked by it because he simply does not think he or his life is shocking.

Some in Michael's camp like John Branca, it was said never believed the project would be completed. Like many entertainers, Michael involves himself in many projects that never get past the developmental stage, and it was hoped that this one would be another on that list. Such a project would surely never have been released in days-long-gone when others had influence over him.

Some supporters of Michael's have tried to spin the Martin Bas.h.i.+r doc.u.mentary as a positive in the star's life, saying that he presented a sympathetic image of himself in it. Of course, while watching him discuss the beatings he endured by his father, one's heart went out to him. Michael recalled that Joseph sat in a chair as the boys rehea.r.s.ed, 'and he had this belt in his hand. If you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you. It was bad. Real bad.' He is still traumatized by his childhood and it doesn't appear that he has come to terms with much of it. However, that said, most of the rest of the 110 minutes made Michael appear to be about as eccentric a character as pop culture has ever produced.

For instance, his description of Paris's birth: 'I was so anxious to get her home after cutting the cord I hate to say this I s.n.a.t.c.hed her and just went home with all the placenta and everything all over her. I just got her in a towel and ran.'

Privately, Debbie Rowe takes the absurdity to a new level by confirming that Michael had the placenta frozen! (Of course he did, one might observe. How else could he keep it?) Michael's constant complaining about sensational tabloid coverage of his life seems irrelevant when his actions are jaw-dropping enough to provide true true material to such publications. 'Wacko-Jacko Kidnaps His Own baby Just Hours After Birth', screamed the front-page headline in material to such publications. 'Wacko-Jacko Kidnaps His Own baby Just Hours After Birth', screamed the front-page headline in Star Star in April 1998. ('He just s.n.a.t.c.hed the kid away from her.') 'Jacko s.n.a.t.c.hes Baby Minutes After Birth' blared the headline in in April 1998. ('He just s.n.a.t.c.hed the kid away from her.') 'Jacko s.n.a.t.c.hes Baby Minutes After Birth' blared the headline in National Enquirer National Enquirer that same week. ('Michael gave Debbie a peck on the check, took Paris in his arms and whisked her off.') Who would have believed these stories? However, even the writers of those articles may have thought it a leap to report that Michael had the placenta that same week. ('Michael gave Debbie a peck on the check, took Paris in his arms and whisked her off.') Who would have believed these stories? However, even the writers of those articles may have thought it a leap to report that Michael had the placenta frozen frozen; that would have been too much of a stretch even for them!

Another scene showed him feeding Prince Michael II with a bottle. As he fed the infant, concealed by a green chiffon scarf, Michael vigorously bounced him on his knee. 'I love you, Blanket,' he cooed, 'I love you, Blanket.' Then, seeming somewhat wild-eyed and jittery, he recalled his actions on the balcony in Germany, explaining that he had the infant firmly in hand when he briefly dangled him off the side, and that it was the media that was responsible for the ensuing fracas, not him. 'Why would I put a scarf over the baby's face if I was trying to throw him off a balcony?' Michael asked, angrily. 'We were waving to thousands of fans below and they were chanting to see my child, and I was kind enough to let them see.'

Of his love for children, he noted, 'I'll say it a million times. I'm not afraid to say it. If there were no children on this earth, if somebody announced that all kids are dead, I would jump off the balcony immediately. I'm done. I'm done.'

Most maddening, perhaps, was Michael's insistence that 'I've had no plastic surgery on my face, just my nose. It helped me breathe better, so I can hit the higher notes.' He claimed that he's only had two surgeries, both on his nose. I'm telling you the honest truth. I don't do anything to my face,' he said. After all of these years, one would think he would have a better way to deal with the issue of plastic surgery. How about: 'Obviously, I have had plastic surgery. Next question, please.' Who could argue with that?

Throughout the ages, the one safe haven to which a celebrity can always retreat from an aggressive media is the 'No Comment' zone. It works. Jackie Kennedy, for instance, rarely had an interesting public comment to make about anything, and no one held it against her. It's often better, in fact, if celebrities have nothing to say, especially if they are unconventional people who behave in a way that, no matter how much they try, they simply will not be able to explain to anyone's satisfaction.

For anyone who knew Michael, watching the Martin Bas.h.i.+r doc.u.mentary was painful. Lisa Marie Presley telephoned Neverland the next morning, telling his a.s.sistant that she wanted to speak to Michael as soon as possible. She was in another state, on a radio tour for her alb.u.m. Still, she took the time to call to see how her ex-husband was handling the highly publicized controversy.

When Michael heard that Lisa was trying to reach him, his heart began to race. He still hasn't got over what he shared with her and, according to what he has said, believes that one day, somehow, they will be together again. When Lisa married actor Nicolas Cage in Hawaii in November 2002, Michael had been troubled. When they separated after less than four months, he called her to check in on her. 'Oh, don't worry about me,' she told him. 'It's just another s.h.i.+t storm in my life. I'm getting through it, just shovelling through the bulls.h.i.+t.' He laughed.

He called her at the number she left for him. 'Dude!' Lisa said as soon as she got on the line. 'That doc.u.mentary f.u.c.king sucked sucked, man. What were you thinking? thinking?'

They couldn't stop laughing. Leave it to her to lift his spirits. 'Oh, screw Martin Bas.h.i.+r,' she said. 'That guy's never gonna work again, Michael. Who would ever trust him? He's over. You f.u.c.king killed his career.'

'I think maybe he tried to kill mine, Lisa,' Michael said.

'Oh, please,' she told him, 'it's gonna take more than that s.h.i.+t head of a reporter to kill your career, believe me.'

It could be argued that Martin had exploited Michael with all of his leading questions, his presumptions, expressed fascination and bemus.e.m.e.nt. For instance, he encouraged Michael to climb the tree atop which he writes many of his songs while at one with the beauty of Neverland, his so-called 'Magic Tree'. One doubts he did so because he was trying to show Michael's playful side. What he got was the image of Michael sitting alone, on top of a tree. It worked; it was touching and even somewhat disturbing. When Martin later followed Michael on a Las Vegas shopping spree and observed him spending thousands of dollars on the worst, most gaudy furnis.h.i.+ngs, was he doing it for any other reason than to make Michael look like a spectacle? But why, by the same token, did Michael allow himself to be seen this way? There were also a number of sanctimonious voiceovers from Martin as he stood in judgement of Michael and his life.

Michael was at home, in Neverland, with a few friends and advisers when he viewed an advance copy of Living with Michael Jackson Living with Michael Jackson, just before it aired in the UK. He expected to be pleased with it. 'However, he knew within five minutes that he was going to be very unhappy,' said an a.s.sociate. 'He watched quietly. You could hear a pin drop in the room, no one wanted to say a word. When it was over, he was quiet. He kept saying, "I can't believe he would do this to me." There was a lot of discussion about blocking the programme's broadcast, but not much hope held out for it. Mike drank a lot of wine, that night, trying to dull the misery. It wasn't until the next day that he became angry. Then, he was adamant that he didn't want it released. His attorneys said there was no way to block it. "Don't tell me that, now. Find a way," he said, angrily. However, they were never able to do that.'

In the final a.n.a.lysis, though, Michael did say what he said and was the way he was tricky editing had nothing to do with him, at the age of forty-four, holding hands and giggling with a cancer-survivor, age twelve, and admitting that he sometimes sleeps in the same room with him. Recalled the youngster, his head nuzzling against Michael's shoulder, 'I was, like, "Michael, you you can sleep in the bed," and he was, like, "No, no, can sleep in the bed," and he was, like, "No, no, you you sleep in the bed," and I was, like, "No, no, no, sleep in the bed," and I was, like, "No, no, no, you you sleep in the bed," and then he said, "Look, if you love me, then sleep in the bed," and then he said, "Look, if you love me, then you'll you'll sleep in the bed." I was, like, "Oh, sleep in the bed." I was, like, "Oh, man! man!"' said the youngster. 'So, I finally slept in the bed.' (Michael slept on the floor.) As the boy spoke, Michael gazed upon him steadily, clearly wanting to convey his affection and devotion. Once again, by his own doing, he had presented himself to the world in a way that would cause the raising of eyebrows and the wagging of tongues. Michael told Martin, 'I have slept in a bed with many children. Why can't you share your bed? The most loving thing to do is to share your bed with someone. When you say "bed", you're thinking s.e.xual. They make that s.e.xual; it's not s.e.xual. We're going to sleep, I tuck them in and I put a little music on, and when it's story time, I read a book. We go to sleep with the fireplace on. I give them hot milk, you know, we have cookies. It's very charming, it's very sweet; it's what the whole world should do.'

Of course, talent and excess go hand in hand in the entertainment world, and in some ways Michael Jackson may be no more eccentric than certain other stars in pop history. Imagine what Living With Elvis Living With Elvis might have looked like in his declining years, secluded at Graceland, paranoid and on drugs? The problem for Michael is that he has been publicly wigging out for more than fifteen years, since the hyperbaric chamber scam of 1986. 'No, I might have looked like in his declining years, secluded at Graceland, paranoid and on drugs? The problem for Michael is that he has been publicly wigging out for more than fifteen years, since the hyperbaric chamber scam of 1986. 'No, I am am Peter Pan,' he told Martin Bas.h.i.+r. 'I'm Peter Pan in my Peter Pan,' he told Martin Bas.h.i.+r. 'I'm Peter Pan in my heart heart.' Such PR has never served him well in the court of public opinion; his wacky image only serves to diminish his important, hard-earned legacy in the entertainment field.

Perhaps Lisa Marie said it best to Playboy Playboy writer, Rob Tannenbaum: 'For a while, Michael was like the Wizard of Oz, the man behind the curtain. At one time, he was really good at manipulating a Howard Hughes type of image. He became this bigger-than-life figure. But at some point, it turned on him and he became this freak [in some of the public's view]. And now he can't get out from under it. When you're the king of your own palace, there are no morals or ethics or integrity. Everyone will kiss your a.s.s and then give you the push that knocks you over.' writer, Rob Tannenbaum: 'For a while, Michael was like the Wizard of Oz, the man behind the curtain. At one time, he was really good at manipulating a Howard Hughes type of image. He became this bigger-than-life figure. But at some point, it turned on him and he became this freak [in some of the public's view]. And now he can't get out from under it. When you're the king of your own palace, there are no morals or ethics or integrity. Everyone will kiss your a.s.s and then give you the push that knocks you over.'

After Living with Michael Jackson Living with Michael Jackson aired in the United States, an unhappy Michael issued a statement saying that he felt 'devastated' and 'utterly betrayed' by the doc.u.mentary, that he viewed it as 'a gross distortion of the truth' and a 'tawdry attempt to misrepresent' his life and his abilities as a father. Michael clearly felt that the journalist had let him down. Blaming the sensational tone of the doc.u.mentary on its editing and on what he saw as Bas.h.i.+r's bad-faith intentions, Michael then launched a turn-about-is-fair-play offensive by releasing a sixteen-second extract of unreleased film that would, it was hoped, make Bas.h.i.+r look like a complete a.s.s. aired in the United States, an unhappy Michael issued a statement saying that he felt 'devastated' and 'utterly betrayed' by the doc.u.mentary, that he viewed it as 'a gross distortion of the truth' and a 'tawdry attempt to misrepresent' his life and his abilities as a father. Michael clearly felt that the journalist had let him down. Blaming the sensational tone of the doc.u.mentary on its editing and on what he saw as Bas.h.i.+r's bad-faith intentions, Michael then launched a turn-about-is-fair-play offensive by releasing a sixteen-second extract of unreleased film that would, it was hoped, make Bas.h.i.+r look like a complete a.s.s.

In Living with Michael Jackson Living with Michael Jackson, Martin accused Michael of having little time for his own youngsters: Prince Michael I, then five; Paris Katherine Michael, four; and baby Prince Michael II. Of the Jackson offspring, Martin noted, 'The children are restricted. They are over protected.' He branded Michael 'broken, childish and self-obsessed'. He said, 'I came away quite saddened and deeply disturbed by what I saw.'

However, on Michael's footage, Bas.h.i.+r gushes, 'Your relations.h.i.+p with your kids is fantastic. In fact, it almost makes me weep when I see you with them because your interaction is so natural, so loving and so caring. Everyone that comes into contact with you knows that.' Michael Jackson replies: 'Thank you.'

Did this film make Martin Bas.h.i.+r appear to be a liar, and Michael an exemplary parent? Perhaps, to some, it did. To others, it came as little surprise that an interviewer would attempt to ingratiate himself to the person that he's talking to in order to encourage him to be more candid.

It was then decided that Michael would release an entire two-hour doc.u.mentary about his life, as seen by him and some of his inner-circle. Fox-TV, in America, paid him two million dollars for the rights to The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See, and then the programme was sold around the world. Because his interpretation of Martin Bas.h.i.+r's un-released footage would not have been enough to sustain an entire doc.u.mentary, Katherine and Joseph were brought in to defend him, as were others such as his brother, Jermaine, his makeup artist, Karen Faye, and Debbie Rowe.

Debbie's attempts to explain her relations.h.i.+p to Michael, and to their children, may have done him more harm than good. 'My kids don't call me Mom because I don't want them to,' she said. 'They're Michael's children. It's not that they are not my children, but I had them because I wanted him to be a father. People make remarks, "I can't believe she left her children." Left them? I left my children? I did not not leave my children. My children are with their father, where they are supposed to be. I didn't do it to be a mother... If he called me tonight and said let's have five more [children], I'd do it in a heartbeat.' leave my children. My children are with their father, where they are supposed to be. I didn't do it to be a mother... If he called me tonight and said let's have five more [children], I'd do it in a heartbeat.'

She seems well-meaning; her heart in the right place. However, Debbie's unconventional relations.h.i.+p with Michael, and especially with her children, is perplexing, no matter how much logic she tries to ascribe to it. It's probably better left unpublicized, unexploited.

After the duelling doc.u.mentaries were broadcast Martin's and Michael's Michael once again dismissed his longtime attorney, John Branca, this time, by fax. John was said to be sorry to go, but also a bit relieved. His had been an exhausting job, on and off for twenty-five years, made even more frustrating when Michael stopped taking his good advice. As a friend as well as his attorney for so many years, it was difficult for him to see Michael make some of his choices. Also, the woman managing Michael at this time, Trudy Green, quit her position she, too, did not know Michael had finalized a deal with Bas.h.i.+r until it was too late to do anything about it. Then, Michael fired his accountant, Barry Siegel, as if completely cleaning out the shop.

At this same time, a website published previously unseen doc.u.ments filed by authorities a decade before when Jordie Chandler detailed his alleged s.e.xual abuse at Michael's hands. It had to happen; more reminders of the past misery with Jordie and Evan, and all as a result of the appearance of impropriety that resulted from footage of Michael holding hands with a twelve-year-old on the Martin Bas.h.i.+r doc.u.mentary. After the release of the lurid five-page doc.u.ment, Michael issued a statement saying he 'has respected the obligation of confidentiality' and that Jordie's declaration was just being used to 'further sully' his [Michael's] character. 'It will never go away, will it?' he then asked one adviser, seeming miserable. Just when he was able to forget about Jordie Chandler for a time, he had to once again be reminded of him. 'It's not fair. Why won't the media leave me alone?' he asked. 'Why?'

If Michael truly wants to redeem himself, perhaps he should do the one thing he has never done: join us, the general public, in acknowledging the strange, disturbing aspects of some of his behaviour and attribute them to something something, rather than continue to act as if they don't exist. Instead, he issues statements such as one after the Martin Bas.h.i.+r interview, in which he said, 'I am bewildered at the length to which people will go to portray me so negatively.' Then, he allows his enablers to come forth with their own proclamations: 'He's not crazy. It's the public public that's crazy. He's not nuts. It's the that's crazy. He's not nuts. It's the public public that's nuts. Why don't you understand? that's nuts. Why don't you understand? Why don 't you get it? Why don 't you get it?' Rather, one wishes Michael Jackson would be the one to finally 'get it', apologize for any perceived impropriety and say, 'To tell you the truth, I don't know what what I was thinking.' I was thinking.'

HIStory, Blood on the Dance Floor & Invincible.

Michael Jackson survived the devastating child molestation allegations of a decade ago, but it could be argued not without considerable damage to his recording career. In fact, his record sales have dipped dramatically since 1993.

In 1995, a double CD was issued, HIStory Past, Present & Future, Book 1 HIStory Past, Present & Future, Book 1. The package boasted fifteen of his greatest hits ('Beat It', 'Billie Jean', and the rest) and fifteen new songs, such as the thoughtful 'Stranger in Moscow', the elegant 'Earth Song' and 'Scream' (with Janet, the first single release from the package).

'You Are Not Alone', also included, remains among Michael's best songs; it made chart history in America by becoming the first song ever to go straight to number one on the Billboard Billboard charts in its first week. It also topped the chart in Britain, after debuting there at number three. On listening to 'You Are Not Alone', one wonders how many times Michael tried to tell himself, during his most desperate and anguished times, that he charts in its first week. It also topped the chart in Britain, after debuting there at number three. On listening to 'You Are Not Alone', one wonders how many times Michael tried to tell himself, during his most desperate and anguished times, that he did did have support in his life, from a higher power, or even friends and family, whether he actually believed it or not. have support in his life, from a higher power, or even friends and family, whether he actually believed it or not.

The only problem with 'You Are Not Alone' was the bizarre video for it, in which Michael and Lisa Marie frolic about semi-nude against an ethereal backdrop. 'I don't know why I did it,' Lisa says. 'I was sucked up in the moment. It was kind of cool being in a Michael Jackson video. Come on!' Actually, the semi-nudity made no sense and was a bit disconcerting; one wished they would put their clothes back on.

Another stand-out is Michael's version of Charlie Chaplain's 'Smile'. What a vocal performance and delivery he gives to this song! Never has he sounded more sincere, more gorgeous. The song was scheduled for release as a single, but cancelled at the last minute when it was decided it was probably not commercial. However, some promotional CDs now collectors' items did slip out, with pictures of Michael nattily dressed as Charlie Chaplain.

Huge statues of Michael were constructed and unveiled in a number of European cities to coincide with the record's release. (Leave it to Michael to have a huge statue of himself towed down the Thames as a publicity stunt!) Also, a controversy over the lyrics of 'They Don't Care About Us' broke out, with Michael accused of anti-Semitism because of his lyrics 'kike me' and 'jew me'. He replaced them with 'strike me' and 'do me' as a result.

However, any publicity for Michael is usually good publicity when he's promoting a record. HIStory HIStory went on to sell about fifteen million copies worldwide, a slip down from went on to sell about fifteen million copies worldwide, a slip down from Dangerous Dangerous, which had managed twenty-seven million (Bad sold twenty-five million; sold twenty-five million; Thriller Thriller went on to fifty-two million, and went on to fifty-two million, and Off the Wall Off the Wall, fifteen million). Still, HIStory HIStory was a major success artistically as well as commercially though one largely ignored by a media still distracted by his turbulent and vastly entertaining personal life. was a major success artistically as well as commercially though one largely ignored by a media still distracted by his turbulent and vastly entertaining personal life.

Blood on the Dance Dloor History in the Mix, Michael's 1997 alb.u.m, contained five new songs and eight previously unreleased, kick-a.s.s dance remixes of songs such as 'Scream', 'You Are Not Alone' and 'Stranger in Moscow' from HIStory HIStory. Several of the other songs on Blood Blood are also memorable. 'Ghosts' stands out, perhaps because it's so evocative of Michael's spell-binding 'Ghosts' long-styled video in which he is transformed into an old, white man with no rhythm. (It's cla.s.sic, must-see Michael Jackson.) are also memorable. 'Ghosts' stands out, perhaps because it's so evocative of Michael's spell-binding 'Ghosts' long-styled video in which he is transformed into an old, white man with no rhythm. (It's cla.s.sic, must-see Michael Jackson.) The bad news for Michael was that the collection was not a success in America; it was dismissed by critics and much of his audience, who seemed confused as to whether it was a new release or some kind of hybrid combination of songs. Michael's British fans, however, did not disappoint: Blood Blood was a major hit in the United Kingdom, kicking off with the single release of 'Blood on the Dance Floor' debuting at number one, then the alb.u.m. In truth, there may be nothing in his entire catalogue better than 'Blood on the Dance Floor', a song that many of Michael's American fans don't even know exists, it was so overlooked. He wrote and produced it himself. was a major hit in the United Kingdom, kicking off with the single release of 'Blood on the Dance Floor' debuting at number one, then the alb.u.m. In truth, there may be nothing in his entire catalogue better than 'Blood on the Dance Floor', a song that many of Michael's American fans don't even know exists, it was so overlooked. He wrote and produced it himself.

Blood only sold about four million copies worldwide. While it's not fair to equate the sales of an alb.u.m of mostly remixes with the sales of his other products, this was still a weak showing. It, and the 'Ghosts' video, like much of what Michael did at this time, was lost in the ongoing controversy of his world: the ongoing confusion about children, Lisa Marie, Debbie Rowe... Without that, this stellar work would no doubt have found an appreciative audience. only sold about four million copies worldwide. While it's not fair to equate the sales of an alb.u.m of mostly remixes with the sales of his other products, this was still a weak showing. It, and the 'Ghosts' video, like much of what Michael did at this time, was lost in the ongoing controversy of his world: the ongoing confusion about children, Lisa Marie, Debbie Rowe... Without that, this stellar work would no doubt have found an appreciative audience.

It should also be noted that it was because of its weak showing Sony executives no longer viewed Michael as being 'invincible'. Heads would not not roll, it was learned, if he had a flop record, or if he was unhappy with the company. After roll, it was learned, if he had a flop record, or if he was unhappy with the company. After Blood on the Dance Floor Blood on the Dance Floor disappointed in the USA, he was never a company priority again. disappointed in the USA, he was never a company priority again.

Invincible (released in October 2001), was said to be the most expensive recording ever produced. Sony advanced Michael about forty million dollars to make it. They then spent another twenty-five million to promote it (though, it's difficult to specify how such funds were allocated because the promotion was so weak). (released in October 2001), was said to be the most expensive recording ever produced. Sony advanced Michael about forty million dollars to make it. They then spent another twenty-five million to promote it (though, it's difficult to specify how such funds were allocated because the promotion was so weak).

From the beginning, Michael didn't seem excited about the project, and perhaps his lack of enthusiasm and focus became apparent to some listeners. The fact that it took about three years to compose the alb.u.m more than fifty songs were produced, mixed and remixed with writers and producers being hired and fired and hired and fired made some observers feel that Michael was, as one producer put it, 'sick to death of the whole thing.'

Also, Michael began battling with Sony early in the production of Invincible Invincible. He had thought that the licence to the masters to his biggest-selling alb.u.ms (Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, etc...) were to revert back to him in 2000, and was counting the days until that would happen. He would then be able to market the songs himself in some way or with some other label, and not have to split the proceeds with Sony. However, when his advisers checked his contract, they found that the cla.s.sics revert back to Michael only if he releases about one new CD for Sony every couple of years which was never going to happen in Michael Jackson's world, one in which he spends years years on just one project. There was even a Christmas CD specified in the deal (he's not done one of those since 1970, with The Jackson 5), which Michael said he didn't know about, as well as a couple of soundtracks. Michael was way behind in this proposed release schedule, would never be able to catch up, and wouldn't think to even attempt to do it. However, for each specified alb.u.m he did not deliver (which was most of them), Sony was able to add a few more years to the countdown of rights reversion of the others. As it stood, Michael would be just a tad older than G.o.d before the rights to his top-selling alb.u.ms would ever be reverted to him. on just one project. There was even a Christmas CD specified in the deal (he's not done one of those since 1970, with The Jackson 5), which Michael said he didn't know about, as well as a couple of soundtracks. Michael was way behind in this proposed release schedule, would never be able to catch up, and wouldn't think to even attempt to do it. However, for each specified alb.u.m he did not deliver (which was most of them), Sony was able to add a few more years to the countdown of rights reversion of the others. As it stood, Michael would be just a tad older than G.o.d before the rights to his top-selling alb.u.ms would ever be reverted to him.

After some investigation into the matter, it was learned that the same attorney who represented Michael on this deal had also represented Sony. (How, one wonders, was this this ever allowed to occur?) Thus Michael managed to extricate himself from the entire Sony deal, then, using the obvious conflict of interest in this negotiation as leverage... In the end, it was decided he would be able to leave Sony, but not until he had delivered ever allowed to occur?) Thus Michael managed to extricate himself from the entire Sony deal, then, using the obvious conflict of interest in this negotiation as leverage... In the end, it was decided he would be able to leave Sony, but not until he had delivered Invincible Invincible, then a Greatest Hits package and then then a Box Set. a Box Set.

Still, signed to the label or not, Michael would owe Sony hundreds of millions in advances, loans and other monies the company had invested into in his chaotic personal life and professional career. Michael was so chagrined by the situation with Sony that he really didn't want to produce another record for them.

If he received a telephone call while in the studio recording Invincible Invincible, it could mean the end of that day's work. 'Sorry, I've got business to take care of,' he'd announce while walking out the door. If he had to go to the bathroom, the production staff would fret because Michael would sometimes sneak out and not be seen or heard from for days. 'He's an artist,' explained one producer. 'They're usually pretty nuts.'

However, when the alb.u.m was finally released, it demonstrated something many of Michael's supporters already know: he is best when recording his own material, such as the sublime 'Speechless', which is really the only track he solely wrote (in about forty-five minutes, he says, after a water-balloon fight with his children) and produced, from beginning to end. However, he doesn't seem to have the fire in his belly he once did to write and produce his own music, therefore Invincible Invincible was largely a compilation of material from outside songwriters and producers, such as Rodney Jerkins, the hit-making mastermind behind tunes by the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Brandy and Destiny's Child. If Michael wants a huge-selling alb.u.m in his future, perhaps he should write and produce it himself was largely a compilation of material from outside songwriters and producers, such as Rodney Jerkins, the hit-making mastermind behind tunes by the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Brandy and Destiny's Child. If Michael wants a huge-selling alb.u.m in his future, perhaps he should write and produce it himself all all of it. He still has the magic touch, if not the drive, ambition and, perhaps, self-confidence. of it. He still has the magic touch, if not the drive, ambition and, perhaps, self-confidence.

The initial single release was the somewhat formulaic Rodney Jerkins song, 'You Rock My World'. It had been Sony's decision; Michael was against it and fought for the upbeat, probably more commercial 'Unbreakable' to be issued. He had already conceived of a video for the song. It's interesting that even at this stage of his career, his choices were vetoed by his label. In the end, 'You Rock My World' stalled at number ten in the United States. It debuted at number two in the United Kingdom, but dropped from there quickly. Sales in the rest of Europe were comparable; a Top Ten hit in most countries, but not a huge record.

The video for 'You Rock My World' was a miscalculation; it looked like a remake of the 'Smooth Criminal' short-film, but with Michael in a black suit instead of a white one. In most of the production, Michael seems to be camouflaging the top half of his face with his fedora, causing the viewer to wonder what he is trying to hide. Again, he didn't seem inspired by the concept, anyway even if it did have a weird cameo appearance by Marlon Brando. There had been upsetting debates between Michael and Sony over the video's budget, and by the time he was to begin production he was, as one of his intimates put it, 'completely over it, done with it.' The dancers had rehea.r.s.ed for days before Michael appeared on the set. When he finally arrived, he did pretty much the same variety of jerky, robotic steps he's been doing for years, as if trapped in his own myth and afraid to break out of it.

A stand-out on Invincible Invincible is Carole Bayer Sager's, Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds and John McClain's sparkling, 'You Are My Life'. It was recorded just five weeks before the alb.u.m was released that's how late in the schedule they were considering material. The writers first played it for Michael on a Thursday, he loved it changed the lyrics from 'You Are My World' to 'You Are My Life' (and got a songwriting credit in the process!) and then recorded it the next evening. John McClain, an executive at DreamWorks Records, has been one of Michael's most trusted and capable advisers for decades. He wrote the song based on a finger exercise he had created for his guitar practice! is Carole Bayer Sager's, Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds and John McClain's sparkling, 'You Are My Life'. It was recorded just five weeks before the alb.u.m was released that's how late in the schedule they were considering material. The writers first played it for Michael on a Thursday, he loved it changed the lyrics from 'You Are My World' to 'You Are My Life' (and got a songwriting credit in the process!) and then recorded it the next evening. John McClain, an executive at DreamWorks Records, has been one of Michael's most trusted and capable advisers for decades. He wrote the song based on a finger exercise he had created for his guitar practice!

The second release from the alb.u.m was 'Cry'. However, Michael was so angry at Sony for the budget allocated for the video, he refused to even appear in it. Then, the delightful 'b.u.t.terflies' began receiving radio, and could have been a hit record. However, again, Jackson and Sony battled over the video, and production was cancelled as was the commercial release of the song.

The battle lines were boldly drawn between Michael and Sony in a war that continued to be so bitter it would contribute to the commercial failure of Invincible Invincible. The executives at the label, all the way up to its chieftain at the time, Tommy Motolla, didn't care what Michael thought about anything, he was now that low on their priority lists. His very good song, 'What More Can I Give?' (recorded with a host of pop stars in the wake of 9-11 in an effort similar to 'We Are The World'), was shelved by the label. Of course, Michael didn't help matters when he hired a former gay p.o.r.n director to direct the video; the man is a friend of his, and Jackson didn't feel that anything was wrong with the a.s.sociation. However, he inadvertently provided Sony with more ammunition to use against him. Frustrated and angry at the label for this and other sins, Michael then went on a terrible, ill-advised campaign against Tommy Motolla, holding a press conference and other public events in the summer of 2002 to call him a 'racist', insisting he is 'very, very, very... devilish.' This was not his best moment.

In the end, Invincible Invincible sold only about ten million copies worldwide a crus.h.i.+ng blow for Michael, as well as for loyal fans who campaigned for it with more devotion and organization than Michael's own label, Sony, possibly did. Even though it entered the sold only about ten million copies worldwide a crus.h.i.+ng blow for Michael, as well as for loyal fans who campaigned for it with more devotion and organization than Michael's own label, Sony, possibly did. Even though it entered the Billboard Billboard charts at number one, it sank quickly, falling out of the Top Ten in a month. It also debuted at number one in the UK, Germany, Holland and a number of other countries, but didn't last long at the top of those charts either except in France, where it was number one for three weeks. (In Britain, it fell out of the Top Ten completely in three weeks.) The reviews were, generally, dreadful, and often unfair, focusing on the artist's unusual nature, rather than his music. Maybe the expectations had been so high for a new Michael Jackson collection, there was no way for charts at number one, it sank quickly, falling out of the Top Ten in a month. It also debuted at number one in the UK, Germany, Holland and a number of other countries, but didn't last long at the top of those charts either except in France, where it was number one for three weeks. (In Britain, it fell out of the Top Ten completely in three weeks.) The reviews were, generally, dreadful, and often unfair, focusing on the artist's unusual nature, rather than his music. Maybe the expectations had been so high for a new Michael Jackson collection, there was no way for any any recording to rise to the occasion, let alone one caught in the cross-fire of such acrimonious exchanges between artist and label. recording to rise to the occasion, let alone one caught in the cross-fire of such acrimonious exchanges between artist and label.

Justin and Britney.

Michael Jackson does try to stay current with musical trends, as evidenced by some of the hip-hop production work on Invincible Invincible. One way he attempts to do that is to keep the lines of communication open with popular young entertainers, such as pop heart-throb Justin Timberlake. Michael is a big admirer of Justin's and was determined to meet him. A couple of years ago, when Justin was about twenty, Michael asked Wade Robson (who, when he was a youngster, was brought forward by Anthony Pellicano to say that he slept innocently in bed with Michael), to arrange a meeting. Robson was a friend of Timberlake's and worked with him and 'N Sync as a ch.o.r.eographer.