Michael Jackson speaks to and for the monstrous child in us all.”

So goes the summation by Pulitzer Prize winner Margo Jefferson in her new,
relatively short but effective treatise about the pop star. This slim volume
titled On Michael Jackson comes from Pantheon and runs 138 pages.

Jefferson, in quick, cut-to-the-bone strokes, examines Michael’s bizarre,
brutal working childhood and adolescence, and how that formed and deformed
his own and the public’s image of him. Nobody comes off well, certainly not
Michael’s parents, Joe the brutal taskmaster and Katharine the religious
“pacifier.”

Jefferson, an African-American and an admirer of Jackson’s work - certainly
the first 10 years - pinpoints many essential career moments, the fabulous
original style, his slow, then warp-speed transformations, his hubris,
childishness, arrogance and bewilderment - all of which led to his child
molestation trial this year. He was acquitted but the cost was everything
that meant anything: his career and his reputation.

Jefferson also bravely writes of the reality of some children - that at ages
12, 13, 14, 15 they are not necessarily “innocent.” They are curious. She
writes: “They have sexual desires, impulses and they want to act on them. I
am not trying to turn Michael’s accuser, Gavin Arvizo, into a youthful
seducer. I am simply trying to say there was almost no public acknowledgment
of these everyday facts, known to anyone who has had a child, spent time
with children, or remembers being a child.”

This book is a serious work. And Michael Jackson’s rise and fall deserves
examination. His trial was the most significant “celebrity happening” of
2005.

There are usually second acts in American public life. That the curtain
seems to have fallen with such finality for Michael - for whom fame and
“love” was everything - this is the grandest of show biz Grand Guignol. (He
now lives in self-imposed exile in the Middle East, among wealthy sheiks.)
Not to dismiss the pain of his alleged victims, but I find Michael, his
story, its outcome, all desperately tragic and unhappy. There’s not a winner
to be found.

Source: Baltimore Sun

By Roger Friedman

Michael Jackson can wipe one legal worry from his mind.

The California state attorney general isn’t likely to investigate him for a
charity function thrown at Neverland in August 2003, or for a concert and
single from the fall of 2001.

Yesterday, published reports got a little frantic that Jackson had broken a
law somehow or that his associate, Marc Schaffel, had somehow
misappropriated funds.

But our checking into the facts turned up no malfeasance, for once, on
Jackson’s part. It looks like everything was done right for a change.

The Neverland event in question took place Aug. 20, 2003. Miami-based
commercial artist Romero Britto convinced Jackson to invite people to the
ranch for $5,000 a ticket. A portion - $1,000 - would go to charities. At
the time, everyone, including this columnist, was dubious.

According to Faith Holmes, head of the Oneness Project, a California
foundation that raises awareness about racism and other social issues, her
group received about $40,000 of the total $87,000 collected that day.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., got a check for $17,000.
The remainder was divided between the Southern California branch of
Make-A-Wish and a Brazilian charity for the homeless patronized by Britto.

Holmes says it was all done by the book. She told me Schaffel, who’s now
suing Jackson for $4 million, was “unbelievably generous” in organizing and
helping to produce the event.

The stories yesterday mentioned that Jackson was responsible for a Sept. 11
charity concert in Washington, D.C., which took place in October 2001, as
well as a charity single called “What More Can I Give?” The impression was
that somehow Jackson and Schaffel had profited from the occasion.

For a journalist, this story would be lovely if true; however, Clear Channel
Communications produced said concert, and tickets were sold through
Ticketmaster and normal channels. Jackson merely appeared, sang his song,
and left.

Clear Channel picked up his expenses, which were no doubt high. As for the
single, Jackson never paid for it. Schaffel did and was not reimbursed for
his expenses by Jackson. That’s why he’s suing.

Holmes, by the way, says a CD album of original music will be available for
sale shortly on the Oneness.org Web site. The songs are all by established,
veteran songwriters and recorded by up-and-coming stars.

Source: FOX News

Michael Jackson was a no-show at the family’s Christmas Eve gathering, but cameras captured the fest as the musical clan stockpiled footage for the reality TV show they’ve been shopping around Hollywood.

So far, no network has announced plans to buy the series, but project frontman Jermaine Jackson has told family and friends he’s landed a $7 million deal for a 13-episode reality series, a source close to the family told the Daily News yesterday.

Music exec Cory Rooney, who has produced hit records for Jennifer Lopez, Destiny’s Child and Marc Anthony, is said to be producing the unscripted series.

The most shocking footage banked so far, and a key selling point for the potential series, shows Michael Jackson riding to the Santa Maria, Calif., courthouse with family members on his way to hear the verdict in his child molestation trial last June.

“Michael is rocking back and forth pretty fast with a Bible open in his lap. He’s saying: ‘They tried to do this to Job, now they are trying to do it to me. Why me?’” the source said.

“His family members keep reassuring him: ‘It’s gonna be okay. We know they’re just trying to get your money and the catalogue (Sony/Beatles music rights). We understand…’”

One thing viewers won’t see in the reality show is the King of Pop celebrating with his family after the verdict - because it never happened.

“When they got back to Neverland, Michael sent his family away. He went into a guesthouse and told them he needed to be alone. He stayed in there until they left. That was the last time they laid eyes on him,” said the family source.

The reality show will loosely focus on Michael Jackson’s nephews Taj, Taryll and TJ - the sons of Tito Jackson who formed the early ’90s R&B band 3T - as they try to revive their musical careers.

The family has old home-video footage of uncle Michael interacting with the nephews.

But Jermaine has promised that the King of Pop, who spent Christmas in Bahrain, will make five “new” appearances in the first season’s episodes - even though the family has been unable to reach him by phone and fears he is zonked out on prescription pills.

“I don’t know how Jermaine plans to get Michael’s participation. Michael hasn’t even taken his mother’s calls,” said the source. “It makes no sense.”

Neither Rooney nor Jermaine Jackson could be reached for comment yesterday, but if the $7 million reality-TV deal is for real, it may help the family save their beloved Hayvenhurst mansion from possible foreclosure.

The family feared getting the boot in January because Michael has failed to make payments on the $2.2 million second mortgage he took out on the property during his trial.

Pop diva Janet Jackson and brother Randy are the only siblings who have said they don’t want to participate in the reality show, but both attended Christmas Eve dinner at Hayvenhurst in Encino, the source said.

Source: NY Daily

Singer Janet Jackson has been named the most popular search on Google for
2005 joining other celebrities in the top 10 including her brother Michael
Jackson and movie stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

The 39-year-old continued to pique the interests of people around the world
in 2005, with rumours she had secretly given birth to a daughter 18 years
ago and paparazzi video of her sunbathing nude. Back in 2004, Jackson was
also a popular search subject mainly because of her “wardrobe malfunction”
while performing a half-time show with Justin Timberlake during the
SuperBowl.

Jackson topped the list, with Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in southeast
Asia, Xbox and actor Brad Pitt rounding out the top five.

Other top searches include the talent show American Idol and
wizard-in-training Harry Potter.

Search results for Canada, with only the first half of the year available,
indicate a skewing towards teenagers. Young entertainers such as Hilary
Duff, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Chad Michael Murray were perennial
top 10 favourites, as was rapper 50 Cent.

Japanese anime cartoon Inuyasha was consistently in the top five between
January and June, 2005. Inuyasha is a half-human, half-demon character
searching for a gem that would give him great powers.

Canadian actress Rachel McAdams is listed as no. 9 on the search list for
Canada. She’s appeared in The Wedding Crashers, The Notebook, Red Eye and
most recently, The Family Stone.

Source: CBC Arts

NEW YORK: Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe has filed a suit against him
alleging that their two kids have been unlawfully abducted, but doesn’t seem
to have a good chance of winning the case.

According to pagesix.com, a lawyer said even if she gets Jackson back to
court, “it could be opening a can of worms that will get them both in
trouble. Maybe the law will do what it should have done in the first place
and take custody away from both of these two”.

Rowe had surrendered her parental rights in 2001 but had them restored
shortly before Jackson fled the country following his acquittal. Jackson has
made it legally difficult for Rowe to get her sons Prince and Paris by
shuttling between Bahrain and Dubai. A US court order would be unenforceable
in each of these countries since custody decisions are based on Islamic
laws. Even if a US court gained jurisdiction it would be difficult for Rowe
to prove her case.

Lawyer Raoul Felder says: “The first question would be, ‘How did she ever
allow these kids to be with Jackson in the first place’?”

Source: NewIndPress

Being a celebrity bodyguard is no mean task, more so when the celebrities
involved include the likes of Michael Jackson and Madonna. Yet, for
Commander Avi Moyal, it was an experience he cherishes till date.

Having been with the army for five years and worked as a combat official for
a few years later, Israelbased Moyal agreed to being a VIP bodyguard.

“That’s when I took up the assignment of security for Madonna and Michael
Jackson. I think they are more like children - quite impulsive in what they
want and when,” he says.

A master in the martial art form of Krav Maga - that teaches you how to stop
people who push you without hurting them - he admits that it can be as tough
as it gets.

In the city for a workshop, he recalls his experiences with Michael Jackson.
“One morning he wanted to go to a carousel park and we did.

There were about 3,000 children there and they all started following him -
one can handle a few people, but dealing with 3,000 children - that was
tough.

This was also around the time when their were allegations being made against
him. During the trip also he had two of his friends with him, an 11-year-old
and an eight-yearold. But, I think he is more of a child than a criminal,”
he says.

Another incident that he remembers is Jackson’s night out. “Jackson could
not sleep and wanted to go to a mall. Of course, all the stores were closed,
at that late hour.

And we had to rout all the storeowners and ask them to open the stores in
their pyjamas only! And he went shopping.

Though he could not read Hebrew, he went around pointing at things he wanted
and that’s how we shopped in the middle of the night,” reveals Moyal.

And was he wary about working for Madonna? “No, she’s a nice person,” is all
he says, rather politely. Elaborating on the finer nuances of celebrity
security he says, “One has to be much more smarter.

While you have to protect your client, you cannot be rough with their fans
either. And you have to always anticipate and avert the unexpected - the
fans can get quite crazy and desperate when they are around celebrities.

You end up protecting both the fans and the celebrity.”

Source: The Times Of India

In an article dated today, December 27, 2005:

*Michael Jackson has given an interview to the BBC about life following his
child molestation trial, which he described to the British media outlet as
the “hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.” The King of Pop added that he
was “feeling good” and is currently resting and relaxing in Bahrain. While
Jackson confirmed that he is still working on a benefit -single for victims
of Huricane Katrina - reportedly along with Mariah Carey, James Brown and
Snoop Dogg - he made no mention of his current financial predicament.
Link: Eurweb.com

It is being reported that Michael Jackson conducted an interview with the
BBC. He has conducted no such interview. This interview, which is being reported
on eurweb.com, which quotes him, was conducted several months ago,
with Linda Deutsch of AP, and ran several months ago.”

Source: Raymone Bain

Pop star Michael Jackson visited an amusement arcade at a mall in Bahrain
with his children and friends yesterday.Foton World in Bahrain Mall was
closed to public for an hour for Jackson and his 15-member group, sources
told the GDN. It was closed from 4.30pm to 5.30pm to allow them some privacy
as they celebrated Christmas, they said.

“He came in with his family and went on the roller-coaster and the maze,”
the sources added.

“They spent a short while here and then they left.”

Bahrain is currently the pop star’s legal home, which was revealed when he
was summoned for jury duty in the US.

His lawyers told California court officials that he would not be able to
serve because he was no longer living full time at his Neverland Valley
Ranch and that Bahrain was his new home.

Source: Gulf Daily News

To My Fans Around the World:

I would like to wish you, and your families, a wonderful Holiday Season.
Thank you for your cards, your letters, your love, and your support.
I love you all!

Sincerely,
Michael Jackson

Source: Raymone Bain

The Bahrain Tribune Daily Newspaper reports that King of Pop Michael Jackson
took a 45-minute private shopping trip to Ashraf’s (Hoora) at 10.30pm on
Thursday with security surrounding the shopping arcade.

According to their count, Michael bought seven bags full of high-quality
gifts and then graciously stood by his limo and shook hands with all the
staff.

Source: Bahrain Tribune Daily Newspaper