Living with Michael Jackson Part 4 of 9
(Opening scene Michael is with Mr. Bashir in the stretch limo and Mr. Bashir has just asked Michael how much he is worth - financially.)
♫ “The Way You Make Me Feel” from Bad 1987 is playing in the background
MICHAEL: “I’ve done really well…”
BASHIR (off camera): “A billion dollars?”
MICHAEL: “Yeah, it’s over there…”
BASHIR (off camera): “It’s over a billion dollars?”
MICHAEL: “Yes.”
(00:00:05. Cuts to Michael & Mr. Bashir exiting the limo having arrived at their destination. Nanny Grace Rwaramba can also be seen coming out of the limo but we don’t see the children. As Michael & Mr. Bashir make their way into the mall, we see they are accompanied by several uniformed police/security guard escorts.)
BASHIR: “Okay, let’s go!”
BASHIR COMMENTARY: “We headed straight for Jackson’s favorite shopping mall. He told me he wanted to spend some serious money – and he wasn’t joking.”
MICHAEL: “This is the Venetian…”
BASHIR COMMENTARY: “And when Michael Jackson goes out, every step of the way, there’s a fan waiting to greet him.”
MALE FAN (off camera): “I loved your song, ‘Ben’!”
MICHAEL: “Thank you…”
(00:00:26. Cut to a view of the mall in front of Michael, so you see the corridor of ornate arch ways that stretches before him. The camera then pans back to Michael who has stopped walking and is looking at the middle aged male fan who has moved into the frame.)
MALE FAN (some inaudible): “…I learnt to play it on the guitar and I played it all the time!”
MICHAEL: “Yeah?”
MALE FAN: “My name is Steve from Houston…”
(00:00:31. Michael Jackson shakes hands with Steve from Houston)
MICHAEL: “How long ago?”
FEMALE FAN (off camera): “You’re wonderful!”
STEVE FROM HOUSTON: “Oh…well…”
MICHAEL: “I love ‘Ben’.”
STEVE FROM HOUSTON: “When it first came out…”
MICHAEL: “Thank you. God bless you.”
STEVE FROM HOUSTON: “That’s my favorite song…”
MICHAEL: “I was 12 when I first sang that...”
STEVE FROM HOUSTON: “Give me a hug!”
FEMALE FAN (off camera): “Oh, My Gosh!”
(00:00:40. Michael Jackson warmly embraces Steve from Houston)
MICHAEL: “Where are you from?”
STEVE FROM HOUSTON: “Houston, Texas…”
MICHAEL: “Oh, cool!”
STEVE FROM HOUSTON: “And my sister’s your biggest fan.”
MICHAEL: “Awwwwh! Thank you.”
STEVE FROM HOUSTON: “If she was here, she’d be crying like a baby.”
MICHAEL: “Awwwwh! Awwwwh.”
STEVE FROM HOUSTON: “Bye-bye!” (Steve from Houston pats Michael’s arm)
FEMALE FAN (off camera): “Get one for Sissy!”
MICHAEL: “Okay. Bye!” (00:00:52 Michael resumes walking further inside the mall)
BASHIR: “You must get that all the time, don’t you?”
MICHAEL: “Yeah…”
(00:00:55. Cuts to the crowd below, some of whom are waving excitedly to Michael. As the camera pans back to him you can see that he waved back to the fans as the escalator takes him and Mr. Bashir to the upper level.)
BASHIR (off camera): “People coming up to you…Is that lovely for somebody to say…they loved your music…they learnt to play it on the guitar”
MICHAEL: “Yeah, its sweet…These ceilings…are amazing!”
(Camera pans to show the gloriously ornate ceilings)
BASHIR (off camera): “Yeah…its extraordinary isn’t it?”
MICHAEL (off camera): “Yeah, it’s incredible…”
BASHIR (off camera): “Do you think it’s a bit tacky?”
(Cut to Michael & Mr. Bashir walking again now that they are off the escalator. Camera pans in for close up of Michael’s answer.)
MICHAEL: “Tacky! Are you…are you silly?”
(Cut to a different angle – wider, so we can see the line of people observing Michael as he walks past.)
BASHIR: “Do you like to buy jewelry?”
MICHAEL: “No…For my mother…Elizabeth Taylor, yes! Because Elizabeth loves jewelry, my mother loves jewelry and…uh…”
BASHIR: “Cause did you hear that Elizabeth Taylor was…”
MICHAEL: “If there’s a girl I like at the moment I’ll buy her jewelry.”
BASHIR: “Oh yeah? Who’s that?”
MICHAEL: “If there is one I like at the moment…”
BASHIR: (Laughs) “Is there?”
MICHAEL: “At the moment, no…Not right now. I haven’t found one yet.”
BASHIR: “Well, who knows? There’s time…You’re still a young boy…”
♪ “The way you make me feel (the way you make me feel). You really turn me on (you really turn me on). You knock me off my feet now baby…”
(00:01:49. Cut back to Michael and Mr. Bashir arriving at the shop.)
BASHIR: “….hideously expensive as well…”
MICHAEL: “See, this is the shop I like…”
BASHIR: “This is the shop.”
MICHAEL: “I bought so much stuff here… Wait until you see the stuff I bought…”
BASHIR: “Show me.”
MICHAEL: “I want to show you…”
BASHIR COMMENTARY: “This is Michael Jackson’s favorite shop in Las Vegas, with the luckiest manager in the world.”
MICHAEL: “I bought that…” (Michael points to an item which is off screen)
BASHIR: “You bought that…the globe?” (Camera pans over to a large silver globe)
MICHAEL: “Yeah.”
BASHIR: “Right…”
MICHAEL: “Wait till you go upstairs…we’re taking you upstairs…”
(00:02:11. Cut to Michael climbing the stairs. He is facing the camera, waving when a female voice calls out “Hi Michael!” and he can be seen and heard saying “Hi!” back. 00:02:17. Cut to the area he was waving at – and it’s the outside of the shop. There is a large crowd outside the window, wall to wall people, many with cameras poised to capture the moment. You hear cheering and applause.00:02:23. Cut to Michael indicating which items he had purchased followed by Mr. Bashir.)
MICHAEL: “I bought these…” (Michael first points to an emerald green and golden urn set) “I bought these…”
BODYGUARD (talking on cell phone): “Uh-huh.”
MICHAEL: “I bought this one…this one…”
BODYGUARD (talking on cell phone): “About midnight.”
 |
| From www.juliensauctions.com |
MICHAEL: “This one…I bought this table… (Michael lightly touches the table top) this chess set… (Michael points to a chess set) Isn’t it beautiful this set?”
BASHIR: “Your chess set in your library is…”
MICHAEL: “No, this one is bigger, it is bigger…” (Michael holds one of the chess pieces by the tip)
 |
| Perhaps this is the chess set Mr. Bashir is referring to? |
BASHIR: “Wow! No, it’s sold, look!”
MICHAEL: “I bought this one, right?”(Michael is addressing the store manager as he points out another item)
STORE MANAGER: “Uh-huh.”
BASHIR: “Is this yours?”
(Michael turns back to answer Mr. Bashir.)
MICHAEL: “Yeah, that’s the sold sign means it’s for me.”
BASHIR: “Okay, how much is that one?”
MICHAEL (addressing the store manager again): “Did we ever get this one…these ones?
BASHIR: “It’s only $89,000.”
STORE MANAGER (answering Michael): “No.”
MICHAEL: “Can you put that on the list?”
STORE MANAGER: “Of Course.” (Rubs hands together)
MICHAEL: “Get you pen… (Michael motions to write it down) just so you can mark and not forget cause I…”
STORE MANAGER: “I’m getting…uh…the list now.”
MICHAEL: “Okay…Did we get those?” (Michael points up at an item off screen)
STORE MANAGER: “I don’t believe so…”
MICHAEL: “I like those.”
STORE MANAGER: “OK.”
MICHAEL: “Why don’t we order those?”
STORE MANAGER: “Right” (inaudible)
MICHAEL: “Yeah I like those.”
BASHIR: “Have you got enough space for all this Michael?”
MICHAEL: “Yeah I do” (Michael turns his back on camera and walks off to different section of the store. Mr. Bashir and the store manager follow him.)
BASHIR: “You’ve got space?”
MICHAEL: “Yeah. And these…”
BASHIR: “In the house at Neverland or…?”
(Michael turns to answer him but after doing so Michael immediately resumes shopping.) MICHAEL: “No. This will be for another house.”
BASHIR: “Oh, for another one, okay.”
MICHAEL: “We…we bought these, right?”
STORE MANAGER: “Uh huh.”
MICHAEL: “And these…and these…”
BASHIR: “You like your urns don’t you?”
MICHAEL: “Yeah…and these we bought…”
STORE MANAGER: “Yes.”
MICHAEL: “and these…”
STORE MANAGER: “Yes.”
MICHAEL: “This table…”
STORE MANAGER: “Yes.”
MICHAEL: “These…these…right?” (Michael points out various items.)
STORE MANAGER: “Yes.”
MICHAEL: “Look at these big blue ones! Look how beautiful these are. These, right?”
BASHIR: “My goodness!”
MICHAEL: “These?”
STORE MANAGER: “Yes.”
BASHIR: “Okay. Let’s have at look at these ones…”
(Mr. Bashir moves over to the blue urns to check out the price tag)
MICHAEL: “They’re beautiful!”
BASHIR: “Oh, that’s only $275,000 each…so that’s half a million dollars…for those two. I suppose it’s not…”
MICHAEL: “Well he’s…He’s going to give us a good deal…”
BASHIR: “…that doesn’t matter to you. He’s going to give you a good deal? He needs to give you a good deal!”
MICHAEL: “He loves…He loves to bargain.”
(Camera pans over to store manager)
STORE MANAGER: “That’s what we are here for.”
MICHAEL: “Celebrities like bargains too. Let me show you…”
(Camera moves in for a close up of the store managers hands which he is still rubbing together. The camera cuts to a close up of a statue of a cougar.)
STORE MANAGER: “And we’re…happy to give them to you.”
BASHIR: “How much…how much has Mr. Jackson spent, do you think?”
STORE MANAGER: “Uh…..”
BASHIR: “Out of interest, just a round figure?”
MICHAEL: “He hasn’t put the bargain together yet.”
STORE MANAGER: “I haven’t put everything together yet.”
BASHIR: “But I mean, based on the price of things…a couple of million or…?”
STORE MANAGER: “Uh… I’m not liberty…I’m not at liberty to say…” (Laughter. The store manager goes to walk away. The camera goes in for another close up of him rubbing his hands together.)
MICHAEL: “These things are mine, right?”
BASHIR: “It’s like you surround yourself…”
MICHAEL: Yoo-hoo? (Cut to Michael trying to get the store manager’s attention.)
BASHIR: “…with stuff that’s, like, an emperor’s house isn’t it? It’s like Louis XIV…”
MICHAEL: “Uh…It’s my taste…Yoo-hoo?”
(Cut to Mr. Bashir addressing the Store Manager with Michael in the foreground)
BASHIR): “You could probably retire, couldn’t you, after having just one client?”
(We don’t hear the Store Manager’s answer but he is shown in the background nodding his head and smiling happily. Michael is in the foreground with his back to the two men.)
BASHIR: “We’re going to go down and out?”
MICHAEL: “Well…yeah…We’re going to go down.”
(Cut to stairwell. Michael has reached the lower floor and Mr. Bashir is close behind him on the last couple of steps.)
BASHIR: “What about pictures Michael? You love your furniture…”
MICHAEL: “Did we do these?” (Michael indicates two large black urns on the landing.)
BASHIR: “You want these as well…”
MICHAEL: “Yoo-hoo? Yoo-hoo? We got these, right?” (Michael looks up to the Store Manger. Once satisfied with the response, he turns around and makes his way down the remaining stairs.)
BASHIR: “Wow!” (Mr. Bashir is studying one of the black urns, and examines the top of it.)
BASHIR: “What about pictures Michael? You love your furnishings but what about pictures?” (The camera follows the two men down the stairs)
MICHAEL: “Paintings?”
BASHIR: “Yeah, paintings.”
MICHAEL: “I like this one because it’s…they’re bathing Apollo. That looks like Apollo…and the girls are bathing him. Excuse me…”
STORE MANAGER (Off camera): “Yes?”
MICHAEL: “I want that one there.”
STORE MANAGER (Off camera): “Okay.”
MICHAEL: “And this one.”
STORE MANAGER (Off camera): “Okay.”
MICHAEL: “Cause we have this…I bought this statue…the whole marble…its bigger than life size. That’s the bathing of Apollo, right?
STORE MANAGER (Off camera): “Yes...”
♪ “The way you make me feel (the way you make me feel). You really turn me on (you really turn me on). You knock me off my feet now baby…”
(Michael turns away and finishes walking down the stairs.)
STORE MANAGER (Off camera): “Michael definitely knows his art.”
BASHIR: “Obviously!”
(00:05:25. Cut to shot of the waiting crowd downstairs with the security detail in the foreground)
BASHIR (Off camera): “Well, I suppose about 80% of the shop has been bought by you.”
(Michael and Mr. Bashir move into the frame. Initially, Michael shields his eyes from the flashing cameras, but after adjusting, he then waves to the fans.)
MICHAEL: “If you want to look at it that way…”
BASHIR: “Let’s go to the next shop.”
BASHIR COMMENTARY: “As news spread, crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of Michael Jackson. It’s been the same since he was a boy and what happened then sparked a lifelong obsession with his face.”
Four Seasons Hotel) I would turn off all the lights…and…cause I had pimples really badly and… it was just difficult and… to face the public. One time we were in an airport I remember I think it was somewhere like…um….Virginia or something. And…uh…some lady recognized… my brothers and all of us and she goes:
“Oh My God, it’s the Jackson Five! Where’s Little Michael? Where’s Little Michael?” She’s looking around, looking down. “Where’s Little Michael?”
(00:06:29. Cut to a photo of a teenage Michael. You can see someone’s hand holding a pen and they place a hand on either side of the photo.)
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| Okay, so not the same photo as in the film, but it is the same era. |
And she goes: “Ugggh! What happened?” Just like that! (00:06:39. The camera cuts back to Michael briefly before switching to a panning shot of the Life magazine cover from September 1971– again the hands are present.) And, God, I could have just died right there! That’s exactly what that lady said to me.”
BASHIR (off camera): “Did your…father and your brothers tease you about your appearance as an adolescent?”
MICHAEL: “My father did…and some cousins did.”
BASHIR: “What did your father say?”
(Cut back to Michael)
MICHAEL: “Oh God! (Michael groans.) It’s pretty embarrassing. He used to tease me real bad about it.”
MICHAEL: “Oh God! (Michael groans.) It’s pretty embarrassing. He used to tease me real bad about it.”
BASHIR (off camera): “It’s cruel isn’t it?”
MICHAEL: Yeah, it used to hurt me. I don’t think he realized how much he was hurting me.”
BASHIR (off camera): “What sort of thing did he say?”
MICHAEL: (Sharp intake of breath and Michael grimaces): “He would tease me about how I looked and he would…say: ‘Well, you didn’t get it from my side of the family. Must have been on Kate’…Kate he would always say; meaning my mother. “You didn’t get that from me’ and I said…I felt like saying ‘Thanks for making me feel better’ you know…cause…I don’t think how bad…he didn’t even laugh…I don’t think...People don’t stop to think what they’re saying sometime and the effect it can have on a person, you know? And one cousin would always…you know…(makes pimple popping motion and sound effect) would do this to me when they see me…want to pop my pimples…and I would just go into the bedroom and cry, you know.”
BASHIR (camera pans over to Bashir as he asks this): “Is it true that your father used to say that you had a fat nose?”
MICHAEL (off camera): “Yeah.”
BASHIR: “What did he say, what did he actually say?”
MICHAEL (off camera but the camera does slowly pan over to him but doesn’t reach him until he has finished speaking): “God your nose is big! You didn’t get it from me.”
BASHIR (off camera): “What does that do to someone who’s going through adolescence?”
MICHAEL: “You want to die. (A long pause) You want to die. And on top of it you’ve got to go on stage, in the spotlight, in front of hundreds of thousands of people and just…God! It’s hard! I would have been happier wearing a mask.”
MICHAEL (off camera): “Let’s see how it looks on you. (00:08:31. Cut to a mask shop where Michael is holding a jester mask up to Mr. Bashir’s face.) Wow!”
MICHAEL: “That’s fun!”
BASHIR: “That’s a bit better I think. Yeah.”
(Cut to outside the shop window, where rows of people are pressed up to the window, watching Michael shop and taking photos of him)
BASHIR COMMENTARY: “So had these adolescent experiences in the spotlight led Michael Jackson to remake his face, to create his own mask?”
(Cut back to Michael who is still perusing through the mask selections)
MICHAEL: “Oooh, these are beautiful!”
BASHIR COMMENTARY: “I had to ask him.”
BASHIR (off camera): “What do you say to people who say: ‘Well, when Michael Jackson was a boy he was a black kid and now, (00:09:05. Cut to Michael sitting in the Four Seasons Hotel suite) as an adult he looks like a white man?”
MICHAEL: “Well…you gotta ask God that…that has nothing to do with me, Okay. And that…that is ignorance…”
MICHAEL: “Well…you gotta ask God that…that has nothing to do with me, Okay. And that…that is ignorance…”
BASHIR (off camera): “What do you…what do you mean that’s got nothing to do with you?”
MICHAEL: “I don’t control…you know…puberty. I don’t control…the fact that I have vitiligo.
I don’t control …you know…uh…Well, how many…how many white people…when they’re little kids look white now they look very… and they sit out in the sun…all day to look black. And the sun tan lotion business is a multi billion dollar business. Nobody says nothing about that. They do…you know…they’re trying to be other than what they are, but that’s okay I guess, right?”
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| Artwork found at The Tribute Portrait website. I think this is amazing! |
(00:09:51. Cut to shot of “Black Stars” magazine circa 1980 with Michael on the cover with a more recent shot alongside it.)
BASHIR (off camera): “Are you trying to be other than what you are?”
MICHAEL: “No.”
BASHIR (off camera): “So when they say things like you’ve had implants in your cheeks…”
MICHAEL: “Oh God!”
BASHIR (off camera): “You’ve had a di-”
END OF PART 4 – Now for some analysis/commentary
1. ♫ “The Way You Make Me Feel” from Bad 1987 is playing in the background
We are now one third of the way through this 90 minute film and there has still not been one Michael Jackson song that was released later than the Bad album which was 1987! So that means nothing from Dangerous, HIStory or Invincible.
Not only did this film lead to the allegations, it also encouraged the misconception amongst the public that Michael was ‘losing it’ – the magic that had made him the superstar he is.
2. MICHAEL: “I’ve done really well…”
BASHIR (off camera): “A billion dollars?”
MICHAEL: “Yeah, it’s over there…”
Michael’s money is another one of those subjects that merit their own posting or series of postings.
Before I even consider tackling it I need to do a whole lot more research. But what I will say for now is that it is yet another area that the media’s reporting on is woefully inaccurate.
Too many reporters rely on generalisations and stereotypes. For example, I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve read where Michael’s finances are being discussed, and the so-called journalists blame Michael’s ‘out of control’ spending for the debts he had accumulated.
Here is an extract from an article, and whilst I really like this particular paragraph, I found the rest of it to be quite disappointing.
What Happened to the Fortune Michael Jackson Made?
Published: May 14, 2006(Page 5 of 5)
"Mr. Malnik, who began advising Mr. Jackson a few years ago, said in an interview that the entertainer had spent about $8 million annually on plane charters, antiques, paintings, hotel rooms, travel and other personal expenses, and that the annual upkeep for Neverland and its staff was about $4 million. A forensic accountant who testified in Mr. Jackson's criminal trial last year said that the singer's annual budget in 1999 included about $7.5 million for personal expenses and $5 million to maintain Neverland. None of this explains the scale of Mr. Jackson's borrowing, however, or the rapidity with which he burned through those funds."
The reason I found this article disappointing is that the writer concludes that it was ill fated ventures that are the root cause of Michael’s debt levels being as high as they were.
Instead, what seems more plausible to me is something I read only in a couple of blogs (naturally it is Michael Jackson fans that have brought this to my attention not anyone in the media).
So I find it more plausible that the loans advanced to Michael Jackson were to finance his half share in the newer Sony/ATV catalogue purchases, like the ones described above.
3. BASHIR COMMENTARY: “And when Michael Jackson goes out, every step of the way, there’s a fan waiting to greet him.”
Mr. Bashir is able to make this sound ominous somehow, but I am so grateful to the fans that were ever present in Michael’s life. I’m sure there may have been some who crossed the line from fan to stalker but for the most part, I love that they were there to shower him with love ‘every step of the way’.
2001 - "USA Today" Magazine Interview (from Michael Jackson For All Time posting 13 December 2010)
One of the things that surprised me most when I started to collect Michael Jackson photos after he died was when I saw, time and time again, Michael embracing fans of all ages, sexes and races.
I must confess that despite being a fan, I was obviously not immune to the media characterization of him. I had thought him to be a germaphobic recluse and yet here he was in photo after photo hugging all these people – most of whom were strangers to him. And, in typical Michael Jackson style, he doesn’t do things by halves. When he hugs, he does so whole heartedly, often tenderly and lovingly cradling the person’s head as per the below pictures.
4. MICHAEL: “Tacky! Are you…are you silly?”
Once again, Michael Jackson proves how astute he truly is. Yes, Mr. Bashir IS a silly, silly man.
5. BASHIR: “Well, who knows? There’s time…You’re still a young boy…”
Patronising, facetious and deceptive are some other adjectives we could use for Mr. Bashir. Here he is pandering to Michael, saying he is still young but in the film commentary he repeatedly makes reference to Michael being 44 years old.
On the whole though, I like this interchange a lot, especially because of the look on Michael’s face just before he says “And if there’s a girl I like…”
I feel like Michael was toying with Mr. Bashir a bit here. Given the end result of the film, I only wish he had done it more often.
6. MICHAEL: “I bought so much stuff here… Wait until you see the stuff I bought…”
Here is a prime example of the media misreporting Michael’s finances.
Instead, what seems more plausible to me is something I read only in a couple of blogs (naturally it is Michael Jackson fans that have brought this to my attention not anyone in the media).
My E-mail Address and QA Session
“Since 2005 MJ and his Estate had to pay off like $120 million of the debts, leaving like $80 million unpaid. But, in 2007 Sony/ATV bought the Famous Music catalogue for $400 million. According to sources, the original 1995 Sony-MJ agreement said that MJ has to pay half of the cost of any such purchases. This is why MJ's Sony/ATV debt might be still around $280 million.”
Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC Type Limited liability company
November 2001 - Sony/ATV Music Publishing acquires Tony Martin's Baby Mae Music catalogue of 600 songs.
July 2002 - Sony/ATV Music Publishing buy country music publisher Acuff-Rose for $157 million. The venture includes publishing rights to 55,000 songs
My day job is in the finance industry, lending - to be precise. The global financial crisis exposed many of the questionable lending practices that exist, but what you might be surprised to learn is that the criteria gets increasingly conservative the higher the loan amount.
So I find it more plausible that the loans advanced to Michael Jackson were to finance his half share in the newer Sony/ATV catalogue purchases, like the ones described above.
3. BASHIR COMMENTARY: “And when Michael Jackson goes out, every step of the way, there’s a fan waiting to greet him.”
Mr. Bashir is able to make this sound ominous somehow, but I am so grateful to the fans that were ever present in Michael’s life. I’m sure there may have been some who crossed the line from fan to stalker but for the most part, I love that they were there to shower him with love ‘every step of the way’.
2001 - "USA Today" Magazine Interview (from Michael Jackson For All Time posting 13 December 2010)
On being adulated and his purpose on earth:
“It’s always a good feeling. I never take it for granted. I’m never puffed up with pride or think I’m better than the next-door neighbor. To be loved is a wonderful thing. That is the main reason I do this. I feel compelled to do it, to give people some sense of escapism, a treat to the eye and the ear. I think it’s the reason I’m here.”
“It’s always a good feeling. I never take it for granted. I’m never puffed up with pride or think I’m better than the next-door neighbor. To be loved is a wonderful thing. That is the main reason I do this. I feel compelled to do it, to give people some sense of escapism, a treat to the eye and the ear. I think it’s the reason I’m here.”
I must confess that despite being a fan, I was obviously not immune to the media characterization of him. I had thought him to be a germaphobic recluse and yet here he was in photo after photo hugging all these people – most of whom were strangers to him. And, in typical Michael Jackson style, he doesn’t do things by halves. When he hugs, he does so whole heartedly, often tenderly and lovingly cradling the person’s head as per the below pictures.
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| There are many, many more of these photos; these are just 2 of my favorites. |
Once again, Michael Jackson proves how astute he truly is. Yes, Mr. Bashir IS a silly, silly man.
5. BASHIR: “Well, who knows? There’s time…You’re still a young boy…”
Patronising, facetious and deceptive are some other adjectives we could use for Mr. Bashir. Here he is pandering to Michael, saying he is still young but in the film commentary he repeatedly makes reference to Michael being 44 years old.
On the whole though, I like this interchange a lot, especially because of the look on Michael’s face just before he says “And if there’s a girl I like…”
I feel like Michael was toying with Mr. Bashir a bit here. Given the end result of the film, I only wish he had done it more often.
6. MICHAEL: “I bought so much stuff here… Wait until you see the stuff I bought…”
Here is a prime example of the media misreporting Michael’s finances.
The reporter states that Michael spent $6 million in one day, citing this particular shopping expedition as proof. This was probably a ‘cut and paste job’ – information taken from another article - because had they actually watched the scene in question, it is obvious that most of the purchases were made prior to that visit. And the only figure I heard mentioned was $2 million not $6 million.
7. (00:02:11. Cut to Michael climbing the stairs. He is facing the camera, waving when a female voice calls out “Hi Michael!” and he can be seen and heard saying “Hi!”)
In the interest of fairness, the cameraman does a very good job in the whole shopping trip of capturing what it is like to be Michael Jackson. Showing the security escort, the encounter with Steve from Houston, recording the reaction of the fans lining Michael’s route to the store and documenting the fans waiting outside the store window with cameras poised.
The same can not be said for Mr. Bashir however. His attempts at establishing the exact amount Michael had spent were cringe worthy in the extreme. There are times when journalists have to ask questions we, as fans, would rather they didn’t, but I don’t believe this is one of those occasions.
In the interest of fairness, the cameraman does a very good job in the whole shopping trip of capturing what it is like to be Michael Jackson. Showing the security escort, the encounter with Steve from Houston, recording the reaction of the fans lining Michael’s route to the store and documenting the fans waiting outside the store window with cameras poised.
The same can not be said for Mr. Bashir however. His attempts at establishing the exact amount Michael had spent were cringe worthy in the extreme. There are times when journalists have to ask questions we, as fans, would rather they didn’t, but I don’t believe this is one of those occasions.
8. MICHAEL: “Get you pen… (Michael motions to write it down) just so you can mark and not forget cause I…"
How endearing is Michael here; Mr. Bashir seems determined to bait him, but Michael is letting nothing interfere with his shopping! And asking the store manager to write down his new purchases so nothing is missed…
The filmmakers have devoted quite a lot of time to the shopping trip, but I don’t think Michael comes off badly at all. Now perhaps it’s easy for me to say that, because as a fan I’m aware of how incredibly giving Michael was to the charities he supported so I don’t begrudge this spending spree.
From the general public’s point of view, those that are not aware of the extent of his generosity might find his spending excessive. And, of course, there was no mention by the filmmakers of Michael’s humanitarian acts that would have put the spending into context.
Does anyone else find this scene reminiscent of that one in ‘This Is It’ where Michael, Kenny Oretga and Travis Payne discuss flight attendants and the way they point out the aircraft exits? LOL.
10. MICHAEL: “Celebrities like bargains too. Let me show you…”
(Camera moves in for a close up of the store managers hands which he is still rubbing together. The camera cuts to a close up of a statue of a cougar.)
In a refreshing change, the filmmakers have found a new target for their ridicule – the Store Manager. It is not completely undeserved for he does appear to be continually rubbing his hands together gleefully - a fact, the cameraman is quick to hone in and feature. The predatory cougar statue shot is consistent with their methodology – at least it’s not one of Michael’s possessions!
(Please allow me to simply be fan for a moment.)
Adorable!
Ah, and now we return to our normal programming…
Mr. Bashir getting back on track to mock another aspect of Michael’s life – this time his appearance. He is setting up the following scenes where plastic surgery will be discussed.
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| Not taken from this film - This was found at www.fanpop.com. I love this and seeing as we have all the ugliness of Bashir I want to counteract it with beautiful MJ art. Please enjoy! |
This is one of those times when I’m not sure what the filmmaker’s intentions are. I open it up to you, the reader, to provide your interpretation of why the hands are in this scene.
And no-one really minds that I swapped photos, do they? Hee Hee.
14. MICHAEL: (Sharp intake of breath and Michael grimaces): “He would tease me about how I looked and he would…say: ‘Well, you didn’t get it from my side of the family. Must have been on Kate’…Kate he would always say; meaning my mother. “You didn’t get that from me’ and I said…I felt like saying ‘Thanks for making me feel better’
Michael’s relationship with his father and other family members I will save for a separate posting.
It is important to remember that Michael totally forgave his father. And for me, I can not dislike Joe Jackson, for he is 50% responsible for creating the man I admire most in the whole world.
But we can have a little fun, can’t we? Here is a creation I found at www.fanpop.com which I shall call “Michael’s Revenge”. I hope it makes you chuckle as much as it did me!
15. BASHIR: “Is it an improvement? (Laughter) Thank you.
I simply can’t resist! Yes, wearing that mask was most definitely an improvement, Mr. Bashir!
Of course, you did, Mr. Bashir! You have decided Michael is a plastic surgery addict and so will bring this subject up every chance you get.
And Oprah Winfrey has followed your lead and now brings up her version of the MJ3 (allegations, plastic surgery and drug addiction) at every chance she gets.
17. MICHAEL: “I don’t control…you know…puberty. I don’t control…the fact that I have vitiligo.
Pictures say so much more than words can when it comes to Michael’s appearance so please enjoy the following:
hello
ReplyDeletethank u dear, do u plan to do the part 5th and 6th and ... 9th? I would appreciate it sooooo much :D with l.o.v.e.
Hello Elnaz,
ReplyDeleteYes, I do. I will be working on Part 5 this week - just for Christmas I wanted to take a break - only from Bashir - not Michael.
I worked on some nicer Michael stories to fit in with the Festive Season which I intend to share as soon as they are finished...
wow wonderful. thank u
ReplyDeleteand also happy new year <3
ReplyDelete