Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough debuted at #17 this week in the UK chart.
Number Ones rises 7 places in the UK Album Chart to #52.

Source: MJ.INF

We all knew it would happen, Michael Jackson’s attempt at UK chart success appears to be dwindling as new sales figures for Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough drops.

With Saturday sales figures to be counted there is still a chance the single will stay top 20.

Good luck Sony!

APTN Library has acquired exclusive footage which formed a central part of
the case against Michael Jackson, and was a key factor in his acquittal.

The hour-long video shows the Arvizo family at the centre of the
accusations, including the alleged victim Gavin. It was taken to help
Jackson deny the allegations against him. Janet Arvizo later claimed that
they were forced to record the video and it became part of the conspiracy
charge against Jackson.

The video was never publicly released and has only been seen in court.

Janet Arvizo’s appearance in the video where they enthusiastically praise
Jackson, laughing and appearing relaxed, strongly contrasted with her
attitude and testimony in the trial. Her credibility was cited as a major
issue in the acquittal.

The footage is a key part of the story about the Jackson trial and offers a
unique opportunity to analyse the accusations and the people making them.

As the footage has never been seen publicly APTN Library is considering
offers for exclusive territorial licences for a limited period. APTN Library
is the exclusive distributor of the video outside the US, on behalf of the
copyright owner.

Arvizo Family Interview

GEN0629

N.B. This is a summary, not a verbatim transcript of the interview.

W/S Janet (mother - front left) Gavin (accuser - front right) - Devlin
(sister -back left) and David aka Star (brother and witness - back right)

4-shot
Gavin talking about first diagnosis of cancer saying that’s when he first
met Michael Jackson

4-shot
Janet: “We met Michael Jackson out of something tragic when Gavin was
diagnosed with cancer

2-shot Janet/Gavin
Gavin: “It was a family friend that Gavin told he wanted to meet Michael
Jackson”

Single
Gavin: “One day I was in my bed and the phone rang, I picked up the phone
and it was Michael. We talked for a while about cancer and he told me that
he wanted me to get better and come to Neverland (Janet laughing in the
background) I got all ready, I was excited, I got packed, got stuff to take
and a limousine pulled up and I thought cool. When I got to Neverland it was
so beautiful, there was music playing and I went into the house. Michael was
eating, he said hi, gave us all a hug then we started talking, we had dinner
and hung out together and I think it was that night I asked if I could stay
in his room. He said if its ok with your parents, its ok with me, my mom
said yes so he laid out all these blankets then he told me to sleep on the
bed and I said no, you sleep on the bed. Michael said if you love me, you
sleep on the bed. So he slept on the floor (Janet laughs), the bed was so
soft and my brother slept on the bed with me.

4-shot and zoom to 2-shot
Gavin: He was a loving kind, humble man and all he wanted was to do good and
give happiness, the man is so nice - talking to him for a while, you feel
like you’ve known him for a long time, he asks questions about you, I took
to him really quick.

2-shot Janet and Gavin
Janet: My first impression of Michael was an answer to my prayer for him
(Gavin) and me, to be told that your son will die (talks about cancer) and
then by God’s grace he elected to breathe life into Gavin. Michael said
there is hope, when the Doctors said there was no chance, Michael said bring
him to me. We may be broken, but Michael fixed us.

4-shot and zoom to 2-shot Janet and Gavin
Gavin: Michael told me to come to Neverland when the chemotherapy was
finished and that was all I could think of (talks about chemotherapy)

2-shot and zoom to single/Gavin
Gavin: I was 95 pounds, a little bit chunky and I went down to 72 pounds
because of the chemotherapy.

Single
Janet: I remember a fatherly act, Michael took it on himself to do this -
Gavin has O Negative blood which is very rare, Michael took the fatherly
duty to make sure Gavin has as much blood as he could ever need, like a
father, he took him under his wing.

4-shot
Star/David: My first impression of Michael was that he was like a father,
more so than a biological father. That was my impression

4-shot
Devlin: My first impression was that Michael was a very loving, caring man,
he took us under his wing and gave my brother that extra spark (starts
crying) he gave my little brother so much and for people to say those mean
things about my brother hurts so much, seeing your baby brother cry hurts a
lot more.

Gavin: To see everyone say I didn’t have cancer, didn’t suffer for very
long, to say I never had cancer, that it never happened, it’s like, what the
heck.

4-shot and zoom to single on Janet
Janet: My children and me know what being neglected is, spit on, talked
about, to be made an outsider, because of our status. Michael said come to
him, all of us and called us his family. Gavin said can I call you daddy,
and he said yes, and the others did too. It was a beautiful relationship,
all we wanted was a family. We were rejected solely because we weren’t in
the right zip code. Michael said all my doors are open, my home is your
home, I am like their father.

4-shot
Gavin: Michael treats me like he’s my father

Janet: He gives Gavin advice, helps him with female friends, teaches him to
be a gentleman. As a father Michael gives them direction, teaches them
things. I have very few friends and those that are are like family, they
show trust, compassion and mercy and that is why we’re very thankful to
Michael and he gives them direction.

4-shot
Gavin: He (Michael Jackson) tells me I can call him anytime for help or
advice.

4-shot
Star/David: He makes me feel like I’m his son, we call him father, he calls
me son, he helps me with anything I ask about.

4-shot
Devlin: When I was crying one day he hugged me and said everything is fine,
everything is going to be alright and the fact that he stood up and defended
us, that’s a father

Cutaway: Janet and Gavin holding hands

4-shot
Janet touches Gavin’s nose affectionately…
Gavin: when we get to Neverland, we usually go inside, find Michael, hug
him, he tells us where he’ll be and says go have fun, we watch videos and
play on the rides, he goes to do stuff, when he has free time, we just hang
out in his room, we do so much stuff.

2-shot Janet and Gavin, and zoom to single
Janet: In observance, it’s a wish come true to see my son interact with a
perfect role model, he plays, laughs, shows them the basic foundation of
what it is having a loving family, all he wants them to be is grow up to be
a lady and two gentlemen, it breaks my heart into a million pieces. Their
biological father is credited for who they are, but he’s on probation for
crimes and harms, domestic violence, there’s a restraining order against him
right now to keep him away from us. He’s on probation. I am the most
vigilant, the most sensitive to making sure my kids are in no harm. I had to
endure that for 17 years and it’s my responsibility as a mother to make sure
they’re in a safe environment. When my kids are with Michael he makes sure
they are in a safe, happy environment. He took us all in as a family unit
and I appreciate him with all my heart.

4-shot
Gavin: Honestly, when I read all the stuff about him, when I was little, I
was 3 years old in 1993 and I was hearing stuff about MJ, but I wouldn’t
really listen, I would just listen to his music.

2-shot Janet and Gavin
Gavin: When I was little I would pray that I would meet MJ and I always
thought he was a good person, charitable, I knew he was a loving man.

2-shot Janet and Gavin/zoom to single
Janet: Yes, it confirmed it, my quality that people know me for is that I
can tell when people have a good heart, and he has a great heart. Michael
called us, and claimed these three little munchkins as his kids.

4-shot (each of them describing Michael Jackson)

A father, caring funny, unselfish, honest, humble, trustworthy, very
attentive

Gavin: my father

4-shot and zoom to single
Janet: What is happening now, it breaks my heart because they’re missing out
on something very beautiful, that they tainted and it stems from jealousy,
lack of happiness in their life, it disturbs me because I am there, it’s
just a father sons and father daughter, loving, kind, trustworthy,
relationship and the most important thing to Michael is being a father to
them.

Single:
Gavin: Michael wants me to be happy, he says to me, smile, so there’s no
stress, because stress can make me sick, and he makes me smile.

2-shot Janet and Gavin
Gavin: Michael would give me faith, help me to look to the future, he would
say, come to Neverland, be happy. I remember one time he said I need you to
get better, listen to me I need you to get better, eat up those cancer cells
like Pacman, I never forgot that, every time I would go to therapy I would
remember that.

2-shot Janet and Gavin
Janet: Gavin being in remission is a celebration to Michael, me and the
children, and he never let’s us forget that we’re a family. We wanted a
family and that’s what we have with MJ. They want to be in movies (the kids)
and Michael said ok, you’ll be in the movies (gets upset) but with all this
turmoil, we know what it is to be poor, and with MJ we don’t know that
anymore.

4-shot and zoom to Janet
Janet: You know how Bashir zoomed in on Michael holding hands with Gavin, do
that with us, they tried to make it look dirty, that’s a father/son and
mother/son thing.

4-shot
Gavin: I didn’t like Martin Bashir.
Janet: Because MJ has taken on the natural father role, as if these kids are
his own. When I saw it on camera it was natural, like I’m holding his hand
now, it disturbed me that he made it look like something dirty and wrong. I
have full access to the whole house (Neverland) all the time.

Gavin: They’re the ones that stirred this up.

Janet: They took a beautiful relationship and spun it out of control, don’t
people see that these children had a hard life. The whole world needs to see
what fathers and sons do, tell me fathers out there didn’t you want your
father to hold your hand, that’s how we feel we’ve united as a family. He
shows affection to my kids. My kids have full access to him 24 hours a day.
MJ works hard for his family, he’s an ideal family man and I appreciate him
with all my heart.

4-shot
Devlin: Gavin couldn’t walk during chemotherapy, we had to wheel him around,
and to see him get up, have fun, walk, smile, have fun, having joy, gave me
joy, gave my mum joy.

4-shot
Star/David: Before he went to the ranch, Gavin was always sad and crying, he
was down all the time. But at the ranch he was happy again, cheerful, it
gave him something to look forward to.

4-shot
Devlin: It took his mind off the cancer.

4-shot
Janet: The Doctor said to me plan for a funeral, and MJ would say, I will
not have that, he’ll live. He was instrumental in Gavin’s recovery.

4-shot and zoom to single
Janet: Gavin said at 10 years old, I don’t want to live anymore…. they’re
crediting his biological father for his recovery, everything he says is
lies, he couldn’t be a father, he doesn’t even pay child support.

Single
Janet: Where were social services when we had no food, no bus fare to go to
the clinic for treatment, we had to walk three miles to get there, now they
say they care and are concerned just because Michael Jackson is involved,
where were those people when I needed them (gets upset)
Michael is there for them, all three of them.

Close-up cutaway of Janet and Gavin holding hands

Close-up cutaway of Gavin

Midshot cutaway of Gavin

2-shot Gavin and Janet
Janet: Why my little boy, what did he ever do wrong, there’s something very
special about Gavin, all three kids have seen harm on me from their
biological father. Gavin was the one that huddled over me and when I wept at
night would say mum don’t worry, and so out of all three kids, he’s the most
affectionate and after seeing him with MJ, he told us, all you need is
faith, he prays with them, God comes first with Michael and I appreciate
that about Michael.

4-shot and zoom to 2-shot Janet and Gavin
Janet: When he (Gavin) first met MJ, his kidney, spleen, pancreas, a tumour
and his lymph nodes had been extracted. He was in desperate need of O
Negative blood, that’s how he met Michael Jackson.

2-shot Janet and Gavin
Janet: the doctors said plan for a funeral, but because MJ believed, we all
believed and it made us closer, and for someone to taint it and spin it out
of control I could only say reach inside your heart and pull out the love,
that’s what all three of these kids have with MJ.

2-shot Janet and Gavin and zoom to single
Janet: I realise that a lot of people are motivated by greed, envy and
jealousy, and I know that Michael interacting with my kids is innocent,
little by little the relationship grew, it started with a seed and they can
see an honest man, a good man, a trustworthy man, people are judging by
gossip fuelled by anger and jealousy. we know what violence and rejection is
(gets emotional) we know that the most important thing is to have a family
and that’s what MJ gave us, a family filled with love and innocence.

Janet kisses Gavin on the cheek

2-shot wide, Gavin and Janet
Gavin: (the biggest misconception about MJ is) they don’t understand MJ,
because they just don’t understand, they could, but they don’t know MJ, they
say things, the biggest misconception is because they could take a word and
change it up and stuff like that, they make it a misconception and some
people believe it and some don’t

Single:
Janet: Everybody is being fuelled by gossip and what MJ is, is a hard
working family man who labours for his family, that’s what he is.

Single:
Gavin: Don’t believe what they say, if you hear something bad it’s probably
not true.

2-shot
Janet: He’s an honest man, he’s approachable, if you have a question, ask
him, he’ll tell you that truth, that’s one of the things I admire about him,
that’s an attribute, a virtue that a family man has.

2-shot Gavin and Janet
Gavin: I was healed by God, I was healed.

Janet: By God’s grace, Gavin is healed, he’s in remission and MJ was
instrumental in this because he gave them what they desire, he was a real
father, their hearts desire was to have a real father.

2-shot:
Janet: His cancer went from no hope to hope for tomorrow, by God’s grace
pulling us together via Michael, as a tight knit family, filled with love,
kindness and trust, and most of all compassion, even when these kids
misbehave, he gives them another chance, it’s a miracle.

Gavin: You know how doctors always want a scientific explanation, they said
to me, usually we can’t say, this is a miracle, but it is, I’m not supposed
to be talking.

2-shot Janet and Gavin
Janet: Michael Jackson is so joyful to us, he’s very proud of Gavin, and he
was a little warrior. Yes, we believe in miracles, and so does MJ.

Single:
Janet: I have a very close relationship with my kids. One thing I know about
MJ is that he’s a special parent, these three kids are not a part of him but
he cares about them, loves them every second, it’s such an unselfish act, he
has so much responsibility, but he gives time to these three rascals, and
I’m very grateful, because I need help.

Single:
Gavin: My relationship with my mum is that I love her to death, she brought
me into this world and I love her to death. Of course I think MJ is a great
father, the way he treats his own kids, spends as much time with them and
with me, always trying his best to be a good father, he made perfect kids,
they come and ask him for stuff, he’s so loving to his kids, he hates to see
them cry. When he tells them its time to go to bed they cry so he lets tem
stay up 10 minutes longer because he loves them and doesn’t want them to
cry.

2-shot Janet and Gavin
Janet: a father gives their kids room to grow, when they do something wrong
he gives them room to grow, freedom to love that’s what he gives them.

2-shot Janet and Gavin
Janet: Every father wants to give the best of himself, it’s not spoiling the
kids, it’s giving what he can. With his own kids and mine, Michael gives the
best he can, he give them things according to his income, as any father
would.

2-shot Janet and Gavin
Janet: MJ gives them direction, teaches them what’s right and what’s wrong,
how to be gentlemen and ladies, and boy they need instruction.

C/U hands

W/S of Janet sitting in chair and Gavin getting up and leaving at end of
interview.

Source: APTN Library

Attorney Thomas A. Mesereau, Jr., issues the following statement regarding Mr. Michael Jackson:

“I am very disturbed by the false, erroneous, and self-serving reports about the relationship between Michael Jackson, my law partner, Susan Yu, and me.

“At the conclusion of the criminal trial in Santa Maria, CA., Michael Jackson was acquitted 14 times. The jury acquitted him of 10 felonies and 4 lesser- included misdemeanors. Michael Jackson was completely vindicated and exonerated by these verdicts.

“Shortly thereafter, Michael Jackson, and his beautiful children, moved to the Middle East. Attorney Susan Yu and I were asked to help him during this difficult period of transition. Michael and his children were exhausted by the terrible, unjust prosecution, and needed to start a new chapter in their lives.

“Because Michael Jackson was our client, and is our friend, Attorney Susan Yu and I agreed to help him, and his family, during this time of transition. For approximately seven months, we assisted Michael Jackson in this effort.

“We never intended to assume these obligations on a permanent basis. For example, my love is Criminal defense. I will be in trial in the State of Alabama during April and June, in two Capital murder cases, in which I am representing the client free of charge. I am also assisting in the development of a free legal clinic for the poor at a prominent African American church in Los Angeles. Attorney Susan Yu has other clients that she needs to attend to as well.

“We are still in communications with Michael Jackson, and his assistants, and remain close friends. Mr. Jackson completely understands the situation and is grateful to us for helping him with the transition. The speculation that surrounds this situation is nothing but shallow tabloid reporting.

“People should leave Mr. Jackson and his family alone.”

Source: Raymone Bain

Mesereau and partner Susan Yu formally removed themselves as Jackson’s mouthpieces in separate lawsuits filed against him by his former aides Dieter Wiesner and Marc Schaffel.

Mesereau’s departure comes less than a week after Jackson lost a court ruling that handed ex-wife Debbie Rowe huge leverage in her child-custody battle with The Gloved One.

Attorney Howard King, who represents Wiesner, said Mesereau is better off without Jackson.

Jackson “doesn’t talk to his lawyers, he doesn’t cooperate with them and he doesn’t pay them,” King said. “Other than that, he’s a fantastic client.”

Source: NY Post

A year ago, Tom Mesereau was living large as Michael Jackson’s criminal defense attorney. As the prosecution offered witness after witness in the state of California’s child molestation case against Jackson, Mesereau won kudos for swatting each one away.

But the party is over. Yesterday, Mesereau and his partner Susan Yu resigned as Jackson’s attorneys. Since the end of the child molestation case last June, the pair had been representing Jackson in civil matters, including a $4 million lawsuit brought on by Jackson’s ex-business partner Marc Schaffel.

Last week neither Mesereau or Yu showed up for Schaffel’s deposition in that case—a sign that something was wrong. Yesterday, when Jackson’s longtime associate Evvy Tavasci was set to be deposed, Schaffel’s attorney Howard King received notice that the pair no longer represented Jackson.

Calls and emails to Mesereau and Yu were not returned last night, but the issue, sources say, is money. Like all of Jackson’s employees, the attorneys have not been paid. Also leaving Jackson’s legal team is Houston attorney Michael Sydow. I told you a couple of weeks ago that Sydow was out, along with Brent Asycough, associate and friend of self-appointed Jackson lawyer and spokesperson, Brian Oxman.

In fact, Oxman and Mesereau have clashed for more than a year. At one point Mesereau managed to get Oxman fired from Jackson’s criminal defense, but Oxman resurfaced after the trial and continued to make public appearances on behalf of Jackson despite Mesereau’s warnings to stop.

Jackson has now run through so many attorneys in Beverly Hills and its environs that he may have exhausted the supply. He is now represented by Thomas Mundell of Westlake Village, California. I’m told that in Schaffel’s deposition, as well as a few others in the same case, Mundell—no doubt highly qualified in most matters—was unprepared and did not have a full grasp of Jackson’s Byzantine world or the cast of characters who have come and gone in the last few years.

Interestingly, Jackson’s signature appears on the form changing attorneys, dated February 21, 2003, which is odd since he’s been abroad since a one-day appearance in the U.S. on November 23, 2005. Otherwise, Mesereau would only have seen Jackson in person at his own deposition in London last September at the Dorchester Hotel.

According to sources, Mesereau was so tired from the quick trip that he can be heard dozing on the video tape. Sydow did all of the talking, which didn’t amount to much in the way of objections. That nine-hour inquisition of Jackson is said to be devastating for the singer, enough so that Mesereau may have seen the case was a loser. Ironically, Mesereau was so high on adrenaline after winning Jackson’s criminal case last June that he and Yu left their firm and started a new one based on “saving” Jackson from all legal predators.

But they could have asked a host of former attorneys–which include John Branca, Bert Fields, Brian Wolf, Zia Modabber, and so on–who have tried to untangle Jackson’s many messes, only to leave unappreciated, uncompensated and unfulfilled.

Mesereau leaves at a time when Jackson faces several civil suits, including a $48 million breach of contract from Darien Dash, a $90,000 suit from his veterinarian for owed fees and a recovered memory/child molestation case in New Orleans. There may be more, since today marks 9 weeks since any of Jackson’s 60 or so employees have received paychecks.

Mesereau will be missed. Despite the fact that he doesn’t return phone calls and took our admiration of him last spring for granted, I will always recall his deft cross examination of District Attorney Tom Sneddon’s many shaky witnesses. No one in the courtroom will ever forget the famous assertion Mesereau elicited from the mother of Jackson’s teen accuser, Janet Arvizo, that the singer planned to kidnap her children via a hot air balloon. It was priceless, and no doubt won Jackson his acquittal.

Source: Fox

The bidding for a diamond-studded glove allegedly worn by Michael Jackson starts at $250,000, but some die-hard Jackson fans are questioning its authenticity.

In 2002, Jackson told Webster Hall’s Baird Jones that he gave his gloves only to charities, never “to individuals, even if the person is someone very close to me.” The glove had belonged to Liza Minnelli’s ex David Gest, who produced Jackson’s 2001 Madison Square Garden concert, and is now being offered by a Parisian seller.

A rep for Gest insists that it belonged to Jackson.

Source: NY Daily

Since the early days of the Jackson Five, Michael Jackson has set himself apart from every other musical artist with his tremendous talent, but also utterly unique sense of style. From his bell-bottoms and Afro as a child star to his current military inspired suits, his fashion statements are etched permanently into our memory banks. Regardless of your particular opinion of Michael Jackson, it is undeniable that he has driven fashion and style to a whole new level. In these times of political correctness in unrecognizable styles of celebrities it is popular to bash the fashion sense of Michael Jackson. But, those that look without prejudice were excited to see his unique fashion picks on that famous trial. For those who wish to draw from the Michael Jackson’s ever-changing looks, each decade of his career provides a host of incredibly creative design elements.

Michael Jackson burst upon the pop scene in the early 1970’s wearing fringed shirts, platform heels, and wide bell-bottom pants. With a “Huggy Bear” inspired hat to top off his look, he delighted crowds with his astonishingly polished stage presence. If you are attracted to this era of Michael Jackson, try paisley shirts, and suede vests.

As Jackson reached early adulthood, the album “Off The Wall” introduced a new sleeker look. With tuxedo jackets, pegged pants, black shoes, and stark white socks, his iconoclastic style was beginning to take shape. From all of the different fashion eras in Jackson’s career, this look is probably the most sophisticated and easily emulated. For this retro look, try a simple black suit with an open collared white dress shirt. Add black loafers, and a fedora hat, and you’ll be ready to impress everyone with your “moonwalk”.

What most of us think of as the “Michael Jackson” style came to fruition when the album “Thriller” shot to the top of the billboard charts. His signature red leather jacket with its zippered details, tight fitting parachute pants, and a single white sequined glove encompassed the look of the 1980’s. His hair was styled in collar length, Jerry curls and he was frequently seen in mirrored aviator sunglasses. While most of us would probably avoid wearing all elements of this look these days, a nod to Michael Jackson’s style can be achieved by donning a cool pair of aviator specs and a custom leather jacket. Who doesn’t want to look a little like “Jacko” when they are belting out Billie Jean at the local karaoke bar?

When thinking of Michael’s fashion in 90s, what usually come to mind are his edgy, theatrical costumes he wore on performances. Forgotten are his fine, sophisticated suits and ensembles he was wearing those years. He always strived to look neat and sophisticated. Michael was never caught by the trends and popular fads of the moment. His fashion sense was composed of classic styles, with addition of his own touches like his trademark armbands and other military inspired accessories.

In the last several years, Jackson’s cutting edge fashion has taken a backseat to his drastic plastic surgery and his controversial lifestyle. While defending himself against charges of child molestation, crowds of reporters and fans gathered at the court house to capture a glimpse of what Michael was wearing each day. And they had what to see. Michael Jackson never wore the same thing twice for his courtroom appearances and clothes were made each day, his designers have revealed. He tended to favor an unusual array of greatly tailored suits with pinned brass medals, and brightly colored vests leaving a very strong impression. Once again he declined to “fit in”. Instead he was sticking to himself - superstar he really is. He even appeared before the judge one day wearing pajamas.

After being acquitted of all charges last year, he is living in Bahrain, planning an anticipated comeback. Michael Jackson now has an opportunity to recreate his image once again. Fashion will certainly play an important role. Who knows if he will remain commercially viable after such a long hiatus? What we know for sure: he won’t fashion what everyone else does. And that’s an important style lesson to be learnt from Michael Jackson.

Source: Mens Flair.com

Midweek figures put the re-release of Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough at no.13. Unlucky for some, still - the latest regurgitated offering from Sony looks set for top 10 success.

Source: Gallup

*The following contains editorial comment*

They call him the “Self proclaimed King of Pop,” “Wacko - Jacko” and worse.
Front page fodder, hunted, humiliated, pursued and victimized by paparazzi,
police and the public, the genius child turned renowned superstar turned
oh-so-easy target remains steadfastly in the collective mind.

No matter what, you can’t take your eyes off Michael Jackson. And regardless
what you might say around the proverbial water cooler, if you ever had the
opportunity to meet the man, you’d snap it up in a New York minute and be
google eyed and speechless.

Because there’s “something” about Michael Jackson that commands our
attention. Books can and have been written on this phenomenon, this
indescribable mystique.

The world features many MJ “tribute” artists, i.e. impersonators. Although
no official count has ever been done, it’s easy to say that there are more
MJ impersonators than any other living star. And how many fans have eagerly
donned the classic black fedora, white glove and black weejuns (with white
socks, of course.)

For some reason, the audience that is the world is especially eager to
believe, to hope, to wish that this Living Legend is truly in their midst.
No matter who, no matter where, the sea of humanity parts and stands in awe
of Michael Jackson.

The recent appearance of an unconviencing imposter at a black tie charity
gala starring Gladys Knight at the Fairmont Copley Plaza stands as yet
another example.

This guy was BAD. No pun intended.

He was over 6 foot and well built. Michael is 5 foot 10 inches and of slight
build. This guy wore golf gloves, a cheap leather jacket and a hardware
store dusk mask, sunglasses and black straw hat. And he was immediatly
escorted to a private balcony. Evidently, just the mere appearance of
someone looking vaguely like Michael Jackson and claiming to be him caused
the minds of many reasonably sane, mature men and women to go temporarily
giddy and forsake common sense.

There aren’t many personalities who’s mere presence silently commands those
gilded doors glide open.

Is this the persona who’s star has fallen from the highest realms? Is this
the star so tarnished by gossip and innuendo that it will never again shine
brightly? Is this ever going to be an “ex-” anything?

No. This episode only goes to prove the case for the enduring allure,
attraction and, yes, love that the world has for Michael Jackson. First,
that a person could “pull off” such a charade, get a group of his friends to
be accomplices in the game and then that the poor troupe could pass a
gauntlet of professionals to gain access to a highly attended function is
amazing.

All because those people wanted to believe that Michael Jackson was really,
truly there.

Make no mistake. Michael Jackson will always be loved, supported and
defended to the end by his fans. But the rest of the world, also, holds it’s
breath in anticipation of a glimpse of him when it hears his name.

Source: MJFC