Michael Jackson’s Memorial “Broadcast Live Around The World”

@Pope John Peeps II: I have formed my opinions after my own research of publicly available legal documents and credible investigative journalism. I do not attribute any credibility to comments by celebrity friends, sources close to the family or tabloid reports.

Despite spending millions of dollars and travelling all over the world, the PROSECUTION was unable to find any credible evidence or witnesses. What they did present was easily challenged and revealed to be without merit. There were no credible witnesses to support their case. Those they produced were revealed to be disgruntled former employees who had been fired and had attempted to sell stories to tabloids. The details of the stories changed to fit the price they asked. For $100,000 the maid saw Mr Jackson's hand on the child's leg. For $500,000 she saw Mr Jackson's hand down the front of the child's trousers. There was another witness produced who hadn't actually seen anything, but he had heard other witnesses talking about the case and had read about it in the papers. These employees later sued MJ for unfair dismissal and LOST. He was awarded over a million in costs. I wonder if they violated their confidentiality agreements? I'll have to look that one up and get back to you.

Two other witnesses stated they saw MJ drinking wine from coke cans, when he was on a plane. They didn't see him giving wine to children, let alone drugs. There has never been any mention of drugs. Evidence was presented that one PI was seen filming the 15 yo outside school. This was following the kid's statement, to a child psychologist who specialised in child sexual abuse, that Jordan Chandler had got 20 million. This is the psychologist who testified, for the prosecution, that MJ didn't qualify as a pedophile, he was just a regressed 10 year old.

If the people who worked for him removed evidence, why didn't they remove his porn stash? Not that there was anything depraved about it. It was kept in a briefcase in a cupboard and the boy who was the primary witness had, with his brother, taken it out. MJ removed it from them when he found out. The kids also broke into his wine cellar, got drunk on really expensive wine and cognac, and took off with a golf cart. The eldest had to be restrained by a security guard. MJ was absent from the property at the time.

They also called several witnesses who had been close to MJ as children and were adults at the time of the trial. They testified that no molestation had occurred, they had just hung out and played games. Macaulay Culkin was one of those witnesses and he was the child who was apparently seen by the maid with MJs hand down his pants, or on his leg, depending on how much she would be paid. About 6 tabloids turned her story down. Eventually she sold it for $5000. Even the tabloids thought she was full of shit! Those witnesses had nothing to gain by their testimony. They were successful and wealthy due to their own talents.

Both families that made accusations were highly dysfunctional and both were motivated to gain financial benefit.

You say this situation has never happened, could never happen, it is inconceivable that he was framed. This is just not a thing that happens. Maybe not in our reality, but MJ had a different reality, where he could do whatever he wanted with limitless money and he had never learned about social norms. He didn't go to school, got whatever he wanted, whenever and nobody ever said that he couldn't do what he wanted. That is a fundamental clue to what has happened in his life. What MJ learned was that he was treated as a star from the age of about 8. He was indulged by hangers on and worshipped by fans. The flip side of the adulation was the abuse and exploitation by his father. So, he did not have what we would call a stable personality.

Yeah, I think he spoiled those kids because he could. He had tons of cash and it was all about pursuing fun. Wouldn't that be every teenage boys dream? Having limitless money and shouting your mates to crazy fun. Sorry, "shouting your mates" is Australian for "paying for your friends expenses."

I am defending him because I believe that he was innocent of the charges. I based my belief on my own examination of the evidence presented to the court, not on the fact that I like his music. Actually there are only about half a dozen or so of his songs that I really find moving. The rest I am quite ambivalent about. I never saw his concerts, had a MJ t-shirt or any other related merchandise, or had any records or CDs of his. I prefer "Fat" to "Bad", and "Eat It" to "Beat It". From the perspective of the study of human behaviour I do find his life story fascinating. So I don't agree that it is fucked up that I am defending him.

All together: Who's faaaaat?

bluemoonday

to that guy who said something about flying children around the world and paying for hotel rooms etc.

nobody knows anything about what happened except MJ and the kids, so nothing can ever be proved, certainly not now.
and i don't believe he did it.
i think its a shame that people cant be nice in this day and age without everyone being suspicious.
i think he did just want to help, he liked being around children because he was a child himself in many ways, maybe he identified with them.
and because of the sick and sad way people are so paranoud, they couldn't see his honesty and genorosity.

at least without taking advantage of it.

marfin

@bluemoonday: Do you seriously, honestly believe that all of the evidence unearthed by Jackson's high priced and probably seriously unethical team of lawyers is accurate? You believe this, you believe that Jackson simply had innocent sleepovers with drugs and wine, and yet the poor sad families are just lying parasites who are out to use Jackson.

What about all the family testimonies that Jackson had a stable of P.Is following them and occasionally harassing them. That the people who worked for him covered events up, and tried to arrange having evidence disappear?

This about this: In the ENTIRE HISTORY OF ALL HUMAN CRIMES AND SINS, has it ever happened, except in episodes of Law and Order, that something that looks exactly like a crime turns out not to be a crime, that poor sad old Michael was ACTUALLY framed? That somehow these sad old poor families of handsome young boys all got together and framed poor, downtrodden Michael Jackson with the aid of police and prosecutors and all white people everywhere?

It has NEVER happened. This is just not a thing that happens. Clearly the prosecution wasn't good, and clearly the family of the original accuser was all fucked up and retarded. But it's also pretty clear that regardless of conviction, Jackson had a SERIOUS PROBLEM. He flew these children on a private jet all around the world. He arranged hotel rooms for them and slept in the same bed with them. The whole thing is seriously fucked up, and you're only defending him because you like his music. How fucked up is that?

@Pope John Peeps II: When did he admit he got them drunk? That charge was dismissed along with the rest of them due to lack of evidence. The lack of evidence included scientific evidence, not just witness testimony by individuals who admitted they had committed perjury before. During the search of his house, they sliced off the top and bottom of his mattress, removed it and tested it for the kid's DNA. None found. On the bed he had apparently been molested on.

I read a very interesting profile of pedophiles written by an expert psychiatrist. He stated that, as they get older, they become more insatiable and depraved. Nobody could cover that up. Eventually it comes out. Just like it did for Gary Glitter when he decided to get his computer repaired.

I hope you have read the court testimony. If not, check out www.thesmokinggun.com.

You are correct that it was the insurance company that chose to settle the Chandler case. The reason was that the civil trial would have preceded the criminal trial. The prosecution could not run the criminal trial due to lack of evidence, so they were prepared to keep it open until the statute of limitations expired and hoped to find evidence before then. MJ and his legal team wanted to go to court and did not want to settle. The insurance company did because of the perceived harm to his career from the prolonged litigation = limit earnings. The settlement document stated it was not an admission of guilt and did not prevent future criminal prosecution. The litigants chose to withdraw. I know this has been said several times, but wouldn't you want to see your child's attacker in prison and prevent harm to other children? Remember Ron Goldman? He wanted to see OJ fry.

Make sure you read all about how Jordy Chandler's dad gave him sodium amytal in the dentist chair to elicit a confession by asking leading questions, then tried to state it was used for anaesthesia. No, it is not. It is a psychiatric drug which induces a hypnotic state and has been associated with elicitation of false repressed memories. Nice thing to do to your 12 year old son, huh?

I wonder how that would have come across in court?

Don't forget the psychiatrist who gave Evan Chandler a letter stating he believed molestation had occurred after having heard only a hypothetical series of events from Chandler over the phone. He had not met the child, let alone conducted a clinical assessment. There's your expert witness, Your Honour.

Chandler then requested a meeting with MJ, gave him a hug when they met and then presented this letter to MJ to outline his case for compensation. Because I would hug a man who I thought had sodomised my child, wouldn't you?

This is all documented, witnessed by lawyers and was going to be presented as evidence for the defence. No wonder they ran with the money.

I'll break the fucking sarcasm detector.

bluemoonday

@MadamButterfloozy: Oh come ON. That whole thing was absolute crap and you know it. You're blatantly being an apologist for his whole life just why... because you liked his music? Quit being so full of it.

Michael Jackson had no more problems than millions of other abused children. Case closed. Whether he was able to move on from that was the rest of that story. To say that he was nothing but a victim of his circumstances is basically to demean all those other victims.

And if there were no molested children, why did Jackson's handlers settle out of court with so many, for so much money. IF there was no molestation then why? Because of the appearance of molestation? Well why did it appear that way? Because JAckson arranged to spend nights sleeping next to young boys that he had admittedly gotten drunk on wine?

WELL THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. GOL DARNIT.

@Pope John Peeps II: "...there are lots of people in this world have exactly the same problems".

You're wrong there. I think it's safe to say Michael had a very unique life that produced a unique set of problems, foreign to 99% of the population. No other child star has gone on to the phenomenal success that he had. He may have had endless funds available to him but what he didn't have was a grounded childhood, there was no foundation there on which to build his personality. He was basically a workhorse for his family and we can all see for ourselves the kind of father Joe would've been.

In another Michael post you, along with others here, accused him of being a child molester yet there is absolutely no proof of that. Michael hosted hundreds of thousands of children at Neverland over the years and yet only two cases have ever come to light. I ask you where are all the molested children? can you explain that?

@great_white_snark: Does self-indulgent asshole show up on videotape? Oh wait, nevermind.

RedHeadedCutie

@My_Latest_Incarnation: And so ends the Westboro Baptist church. There's a 0% chance of that ending well for them.

@great_white_snark: He looks like an old pimp.

PandoraSpocks

@PaisleyPajamas: You are not alone. Janice Dickinson also yelled "get the fuck off me" at age 12 (refer No Lifeguard On Duty ). Apologies if you are actually Janice Dickinson.

@Pope John Peeps II: TRIGGER, baaaybeee! LOL It has to be TRIGGER, Roy Rogers be damned. *winky*

@PaisleyPajamas: It's true. This has been an interesting and cordial discussion with a nice, smart person.

Now let's decide what the name of Sarah Palin's next retarded baby will be by WRASSLIN.

Two falls out of three and I win. I'm going with Tonka

Has anyone here ever actually met Joe? Does he have some quality which doesn't show up on videotape?

great_white_snark

@TedSez: Sad, but true about LA. And this is a really tasteless spectacle and promises to go on for weeks slash months.

PandoraSpocks

@Sandogg: That would suggest that Joe Jackson showed his son love, compassion, and affection before the late 80s.

Sadly, this was not the case.

drinkyrose

@pointandlaugh: I'd make a Weekend at Bernie's joke here, but that would be tasteless.

drinkyrose

@TedSez: Merchandising! Merchandising!

Where the *real* money from the funeral is made!

(In all seriousness, somebody better be going to Hell. And I don't believe in hell.)

drinkyrose

When do we get our Captain EO DVD? (and it better frickin' be in 3-D and include 3-D glasses with the DVD) That's the only MJ memorabilia I want to get my hands on. My kids will love it, and daddy and I will love it after a bottle of "Jesus juice" or 3.

quickqueenof

@Pope John Peeps II: I mean, barring massive mental illness, of course Michael has some responsibility. But he clearly wasn't right, and there was a lot of sane, smart family members and industry people around him who could have helped him help himself. Instead they chose the most lucrative path.

drinkyrose

@Pope John Peeps II: Not everyone is born with the same skill set. It seems MJ had tremendous skill in one area, and serious deficits in others.

And if the rumors are true about him being schizophrenic (and having worked with the population many years I can tell you it is definitely possible), it puts a whole new spin on things.

drinkyrose

@Pope John Peeps II: As always, I can't disagree with you.... It seems to go against everything all of us know, financial means = improved opportunities; but this is not always the case.

I think that MJ, based on the fact that there were no allegations previous to or after the $20M case (as well as the other case settled out of court at the time) speaks to the fact that he was most certainly dealing with his demons in the best way he knew how. I absolutely do not condone sexual perpetration of a child, but I also don't believe MJ is guilty of what he paid $20M in order to "go away."

I'm not a parent, but if a member of my family was victimized by a celebrity the way his accuser was alleged to have been, I wouldn't settle for $20M. I'd spend the rest of my life not only making sure justice was served, but that it never happened again.

Again, I love you PJP-II. *mwah*

@Mixiboi: Ooh, a sarcasm detector. That's real useful invention...

@Private Hangnail:

Latoya? Hell, I want Elizabeth Taylor, Liza, and Diana Ross singing "Ebony and Ivory". I want Latoya, Janet, and Rebbie doing an interpretive dance tribute. I want a live re-enactment of "We Are the World" with all the original participants. I want Magic, fireworks, and elephants.

What we'll probably get is Joe Jackson's idea of good taste, and God help us all; I'm thinking something along the lines of costumes resurrected from the Victory Tour and lots of product plugging.

@PaisleyPajamas: Sorry man. But lots of people in this world have exactly the same problems. This world is full to the brim of tough fucking situations and people either have a choice - you can sink with them or you can get help and survive. And Jackson had every single thing that the universe could provide to help him get well, or help him get better. He even had a purpose - his life was BELOVED by millions and his talent was amazing. And over the course of an entire life, for an individual to use all his blessings not only to not get well but to enforce his own sickness? Sorry, but there's really no room for sympathy for Jackson in my heart. Not when there are refugees around my country who've survived the loss of whole families, who've survived genocides, repeated rapes; first nations people who have survived communities of intense abuse and alcoholism; just anything and everything.

This world is full of people who have made the choice to get better, and done it with a microscopic fraction of the resources that Jackson had. I mean, can you imagine? Jackson spent as much on a grandfather clock as would feed and clothe a small family for a year.

I mean, where in all this is the choice? Sure, maybe his childhood was hard. Maybe it was hard for him to make that choice. BUT TOUGH. YOU MAKE IT. YOU GET BETTER.

So do you think there's going to be a riot at MJ's funeral. The Westboro Baptist Church are going to show up and picket/protest it.

[joemygod.blogspot.com]

My_Latest_Incarnation

@ this hideous individual .

I, for one lonely voice, had the bitchiness and wherewithall as a child to shout "Get the fuck off me," as a 12-year-old, but MJ unfortunately had higher stakes than the rest of us.

MJ's obvious and well documented body dysmorphic syndrome underscores the pain he lived with. We should LEARN from him, not chastise him.

The image makes me think of Bony M's Night Ride to Venus.

What, no pancakes?

If LaToya doesn't feature prominently in the halftime show I will be sorely disappointed.

@onebadclam: He has been laminated for several years now.

uncivily obedient

I'll wait until his laminated remains are placed on permanent display like Lenin's.

onebadclam

This is kind of a stretch, but could it be that for Joe Jackson, the Michael he knew and loved died back in the late 80's when he could no longer recognize him?

No excuses, I still think Joe is a POS

@pointandlaugh:
I have little doubt that if Papa Joe had his way, he would make this a World Tour.

rudi_freude

If the family was smart, they could keep this macabre money-maker going as a travelling Ice Capades show.

pointandlaugh

You can get through to the site if you try for a while. (Which I had to do... heck, it's as close to a historic occasion as we ever get here in L.A.)

By the way, the tickets are free.... But as Krusty the Clown once said, "T-shirt sales -- that's the sweetest plum!"

I heard that whoever doesn't secure a ticket will have to vacate the city of Los Angeles for the duration of the funeral.

uncivily obedient

I only wish I owned stock in mylar balloon. Did you see all the crap outside of "Neverland?" What recession/depression?

TroisFilles

You broke the sarcasm detector

Mixiboi

@Josh Knowles: It's hilarious that you say he had it rough, when to be frank he had it exactly as rough as millions and millions of other people. BUT he was also blessed with great talent, got a lifetime of joy in performing, millions upon millions of dollars, world fame and had every single opportunity this world could throw at him.

So really, do you want to whine to me again about how hard knock life Michael Jackson was?

Yeah I know Josh....disgusting ain't it? I just wonder where all the profit is gonna end up....I bet the worlds ultimate bloodsucker Al Sharpton will have his greasy paws out...talk about a vampire! The folks in Bon Temps (True Blood) ain't got nuthin on ol Al!!!

paintedangel

@Josh Knowles: I believe the tickets are free.

I'm glad that after living a life of nothing but exploitation by the people around him that Michael Jackson will finally have the dignified memorial service he deserves as a human being. At the Staples Center. With tickets being sold online.

Josh Knowles

@MadamButterfloozy: I am sending you big hugs to help you through the next few sad days. Also to anyone else who feels blue at this time. Remember, you are not alone. xxx

bluemoonday

@bluemoonday: Well said matey :) If you lived nearby I'd shout you a Corona.

@Pope John Peeps II: Why are you so angry? For an intelligent person you're being totally irrational about Michael. I've always thought of Gawker commenters as smarter than the average and certainly more media savy. Normally you fall into those categories but you've morphed into a gullible, snarly, ignoramus. Read up on the trial and Michael, check out his private home videos on YouTube and it might just change your mind. Or not. Whatever.

I do love Michael's music (well most of it) BUT I would never, ever forgive someone paedophilic tendencies no matter what. I truly believe Michael will be vindicated.