Living with Michael Jackson Part 6 of 9 - Transcript and Analysis

 (Opening scene – Michael with Prince, Paris, Nanny Grace and Mr. Bashir are leaving the Las Vegas shopping mall and getting back into their vehicle.) 

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “…recently been joined by a new baby brother and he was back at the hotel with his nanny.”

April 24th 2002 - Proud papa Michael introduces 2 month old Blanket to President Clinton

 BASHIR: “…so we’re not going to Virgin?”

MICHAEL: “No, no we can’t…”

BASHIR: “It’s crazy out here…”

BASHIR (off camera): “You’ve recently had your third child.”

MICHAEL (off camera):  “Yes.”

BASHIR (off camera):  Were you present for his birth?”

MICHAEL (off camera):  “Yes.” (Cut to Michael sitting in his suite at the Four Seasons Hotel as Mr. Bashir asks the next question)

BASHIR (off camera): “And what’s he like…and what’s his name?” 

MICHAEL: “Prince Michael…uh…the second - but we call him Blanket.”

BASHIR (off camera): “You call him Blanket?”

MICHAEL: “Yeah.”

BASHIR (off camera): “Why do you call him Blanket?”

MICHAEL: “Cause…um…it’s an expression I use with my family and…my employees…I say: ‘You should blanket me…I mean, you should blanket…her with something, meaning…like a…A blanket is a blessing… (00:00:40. Cut to a shot of a baby’s crib then a close of up of the blanket lining that crib where the words “Best friends” is visible) …it’s a way of showing love and caring.”

BASHIR (off camera): “Who is Blanket’s mother?”

(00:00:47. Cut back to Michael) MICHAEL: “Blanket’s mother? I can’t say…because she will be bombarded with…uh…you know…we have an agreement that we can’t uh…a contractual agreement…talk about…who she is and everything…that’s how we worked that out.”

BASHIR (off camera): “And…was she someone that you had a relationship with?”

MICHAEL: “Yes.”

BASHIR (off camera): “But you’ve kept it secret?”

MICHAEL: “Yes.”

BASHIR (off camera): “And…that’s because she doesn’t want anybody…to know?”

MICHAEL: “Yes and I don’t want anybody to know. I don’t think…She doesn’t want to be like…in papers and tabloids...and she doesn’t want it and I don’t blame her. Cause she knows how scum… (Michael pauses and grimaces apologetically) bag their comments can be, you know?”

BASHIR (off camera): “Does…do any of the mothers live with you now?”

MICHAEL: “Live with me now?”

BASHIR (off camera): “Yeah.”

MICHAEL: “No.”

BASHIR (off camera): “And… is that difficult…for you and the children?”

MICHAEL: “No. No, why would it be difficult?”

BASHIR (off camera): “Are the children not looking for their mother?”

MICHAEL: “No, they’re fine. How many babies live with their mothers and they don’t have a father around? Nobody say nothing, you know…No, they’re having a good time…”

BASHIR (off camera): “So with you, it’s the other way round?”

MICHAEL: “Yeah”

BASHIR (off camera): “They live with their Dad?”

MICHAEL: “They’re having a great time…they have enough women in their lives…they’re everywhere. (Off camera Bashir laughs) Women are everywhere in my house. I mean they…they’re with them all day long.

BASHIR (off camera): “What would you say to somebody who says that’s a bit strange…that none of your children have their mother?”

MICHAEL: “People can always have a judgment about anything you do so it doesn’t bother me. Everything can be strange to someone. This interview is strange to some people out there so who cares, right?”

♫ Introduction to “Smooth Criminal” from the 1987 album Bad starts to play

(00:02:28. Cut to a night scene depicting a taxi driving through the streets of Berlin. Inside the cab is Mr. Bashir. The streets are lined with cheering fans and the sound editor has captured the noise of the crowd.)

 BASHIR COMMENTARY: “But thousands of miles away Jackson’s behavior as a father was about to come under serious scrutiny. A few weeks later, I went to meet him in Berlin and just as I was arriving this happened:”

(00:02:45. Cuts to interior shot and a close up of a television screen that has footage of Michael Jackson briefly walking out onto his hotel balcony to show his veiled baby to the fans waiting below him. The title credit comes up – for an in built commercial break – then the balcony scene is repeated again)

♫ Introduction to “Smooth Criminal” from the 1987 album Bad starts to play again

 BASHIR COMMENTARY: (00:03:07. Cut to a shot taken from Michael’s hotel suite looking down to the excited fans below). “Michael Jackson had just dangled his new baby out of the window of a Berlin hotel. (00:03:12. Cut to Michael drawing back a curtain, before opening the door and stepping out onto the balcony to greet his fans) His fans outside were going crazy.” (00:03:19. Cut to footage taken from street level looking up to see Michael waving to his fans)

♪ “Came up to the window Sound of a crescendo”

“When I got up to his room I was worried – there was a manic quality (00:03:22. Cut back to interior shot. A delighted Michael is pointing out something below to the camera man) about him that I had never seen before - and he was loving the attention (00:03:29. Cut back to street level again where one of the fans is holding an ‘Invincible’ poster. The camera pans up to show Michael on the balcony) of the screaming fans outside the hotel.”

(00:03:34. Cut to a shot of a fan wearing an orange beanie blowing a bazooka and being twirled around by a fellow fan.)

♪ “Annie, are you okay, are you okay, are you okay Annie?”

(00:03:38. Cuts to a close up of a pillow Michael is autographing.)

BASHIR (off camera): “What does it say? (Bashir reads aloud :) ‘I love you with all my heart ~ Michael Jackson’ …that’s the hotel pillow?”

(Meanwhile his fans can be heard chanting in the background. 00:03:47. Cut to fans outside who become even more excited when Michael reappears on the balcony)

MICHAEL (off camera): “Yep!”

 (00:03:50. Michael throws the autographed pillow down to the fans who all clamor to catch it)

♪ “Annie, are you okay, are you okay, are you okay Annie?

    Annie, are you okay, will you tell us you’re okay

   Your apartment…the blood stays on the carpet…”

(00:04:04. Cut to inside the hotel suite. Michael is coming in from the balcony and closes the door behind him)

BASHIR (off camera): “What were they singing earlier?”

MICHAEL: “F the Press – Michael you’re the best!”

BASHIR (off camera): “Say that again?”

MICHAEL: “F…that’s F.U.C.K.”

BASHIR (off camera): “F the Press…?”

MICHAEL: “F.U.C.K the Press – Michael you’re the best – but I’m not going to say the word…”

(00:04:18. Cut to a shot of the hotel corridor where a number of Michael’s security team are visible. Meanwhile, ‘Smooth Criminal’ is still playing…)

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “He’d arrived in Berlin after a week of appearances in a Los Angeles courtroom. (00:04:25. Cut to a shot of Michael [talking on a cell phone] walking down the hotel corridor with Mr. Bashir.) Media coverage of the court case said his face was disintegrating.” (Michael ends his call saying “Bye-bye!” and pulls a funny face at the camera before stepping into an elevator.)

♪ “outrage it was Sunday what a black day…”

MICHAEL: “Wasn’t that silly?

BASHIR: “Gonna be a tight fit!”

MICHAEL: “Wasn’t that silly? I make the worst faces!”

♪ “Annie, are you okay, are you okay, are you okay Annie?”

BASHIR: “What do you think of Berlin?”

MICHAEL: “I love Berlin!”

(00:04:44. Cut to a shot of a group of fans outside the hotel chanting “Michael, Michael, Michael”.)

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “As fans waited for another glimpse of their idol at the hotel, his motorcade sped off. I wanted to know if the articles about his face had hurt him.”

(00:04:52. Cut to a shot of Michael laughing inside his limousine.)

BASHIR (off camera): “What did you think of the press coverage of the court case?”

MICHAEL: “I haven’t seen any of that.”

BASHIR (off camera): “Because they were…”

MICHAEL: “I don’t talk about…I don’t watch TV…”

BASHIR (off camera): “No…”

MICHAEL: “I don’t look at tabloids. I hate tabloids. I think we should have a tabloid burning, just make mountains out of them…just burn it all! People should be more aware that it’s…completely not the truth. Its sensationalism…it’s uh…its ignorance, it really is.”

(00:05:22. Cut to a shot of the people/fans running alongside the moving vehicle with sirens blaring in the background. A female voice can be heard calling out “Michael!”)

MICHAEL (off camera): “Ignorance! Like what they did to poor Lady Diana. You know it was like…sick. She was being hunted by those people.”

BASHIR (off camera): “What did you think of the way they seemed to make such a fuss about your appearance in court - that seemed to be the big story?”

MICHAEL (off camera):  “Awh…don’t pay attention to that.”

UNIDENTIFIED BRITISH MALE VOICE: “Film this guy man, film this guy!

(00:05:40. Cut to Michael who is pointing to something happening in front of the vehicle.)

MICHAEL: “Look, look, look, look!”

(The camera pans abruptly from Michael to what Michael is looking at. A man wearing white jeans and a black top is in front of the car and is pushed off the road by another person. The camera pans back to Michael who is laughing uproariously.)

UNIDENTIFIED BRITISH MALE VOICE: “The police pulled him out of here!”

BASHIR (off camera): “What was he doing?”

MICHAEL: “He was doing…”

BASHIR (off camera): “He was doing a Jackson dance!”

MICHAEL: “He was doing all my…Every time he starts the police pull him out…Every time! He can never get on a roll…Poor guy! (Michael laughs) Oh, he does the leg kick, the spin…he grabs his crotch…after that they take him out!”

♪ “the blood stays on the carpet…ADD LYRICS”

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “We were headed for a restaurant but Jackson’s army of devotees had got there first. They included his number one fan, who finally got to perform his dance.”

♪ “Annie, are you okay, are you okay, are you okay Annie?

    Annie, are you okay, so Annie, are you okay…you’ve been hit by…

   You’ve been hit by a Smooth Criminal”

(A man wearing white jeans, a black top and a black leather coat is filmed doing his impersonation dance.)

BASHIR (off camera addressing the No.1 fan): “How long you been doing that for?”

No. 1 FAN: “Uh….Since I was little.”

(00:06:36. Cut to a shot of Michael leaving the restaurant and being funneled into the vehicle by his security. Camera flashes are going off and the crowd is all vying for Michael’s attention.)

 BASHIR COMMENTARY: “By the time we left, the atmosphere was becoming frenzied.”

(In the limo, there is Michael’s manager Dieter Weisner, Michael and Mr. Bashir)

MICHAEL: “No! I want some more posters. C’mon! More posters…”

DIETER: “Okay, okay, okay…”

MICHAEL: “Give me that one please…I want that one. C’mon! The babies…I want more!”

BASHIR (Off camera): “You want more? What is this?”

(Michael holds up one of the posters he has collected: it is a photo of a small boy, a toddler, with two yellow roses)

MALE MJ FAN (at the limo window): “Michael, can I come to your hotel maybe? I come all the way from Israel.”

(00:07:12. Cut to the crowd outside the limo. A male voice says “I’ll take care of it, okay? Relax” and a female responds “Thank you so much”)

BASHIR: “…jump in the car. Be careful!”

FEMALE MJ FAN (at the limo window): “Michael, can I get a hug?”

MICHAEL: “Let her. Let her. Let her…”

FEMALE MJ FAN (to security guard): “Let me in please.”

MICHAEL: “Let her. Let her. Let her…She won’t hurt me.”

 (00:07:25.She is let in with her large poster. She then asks Michael :) I want to give you a hug, can I?”

MICHAEL: “Of course…I’ll give you more than a hug!”


(Michael hugs the fan. We hear someone say: “Sorry?”)

FEMALE MJ FAN: “Oh God, I love you!”
MICHAEL: “I love you more.”

(The camera pans in for a close up of Michael holding the fan’s hand. Then they cut briefly to the scene outside the limo. When they cut back to the interior of the limo we hear someone say: “Careful…careful. Okay, close…close” as the fan is helped out of the limo.)

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “As Jackson headed back to the hotel a storm was brewing about the Blanket incident. (00:08:05. Switch from night time to day time – a shot of the media gathered outside Michael’s hotel.)  The next morning he was keen to show me how he cared for his children.”

(00:08:11. Cut to hotel room. Michael is about to feed baby Blanket as Mr. Bashir watches.)

MICHAEL (to Blanket): “I love you.”
BASHIR: “Here he is.”

MICHAEL (to Blanket): “I have to give you the bottle...”

(Michael laughs nervously as he tries to place the bottle in Blanket’s mouth. To do so he has to lift the sheer scarf covering Blanket’s face – a smiling Mr. Bashir lifts the scarf. Michael utters a frightened “Wait, wait…Ah!” and “Here’s the bottle!” Blanket begins to cry at 00:08:18. )

BASHIR: “It’s okay. Just give yourself….”

MICHAEL (to Blanket): “Oh, please don’t cry, Blanket...okay…here we go…Abu!  Abu! (Blanket stops crying at 00:08:28.) Yes….Abu! Blankets…Blankets…Blanket…Blanket…Blanket. I love you, Blanket! Yes…yes…yes… (The camera goes in for a close up of Blanket’s face. You can see Blanket look up at Michael as Michael says “I love you Blanket” Blanket then seems to be looking directly at the camera at 00:08:35. Michael switches the hand that is holding the bottle so he can move his hair off his face. He directs the next comment to Mr. Bashir :) I love my children…very much! (The camera pans to a head shot of Michael.)  Yes…I don’t want him to cry.”

BASHIR (off camera): “Does he like his feed?”

MICHAEL: “Yes!”

(00:08:46.The editor has repeated the sequence where Blanket appears to be looking at the camera and Michael switches the hand holding the bottle. 00:08:50. Camera cuts to Michael’s lower legs which are twitching as he bounces Blanket on his lap before panning up to a full length shot.)

BASHIR (off camera): “Have you been hearing about what people have been saying?”

MICHAEL: “That’s totally ignorant. I would never do that to my children…or any child. Trying to kill them? C’mon, that’s stupid! And why would I put a scarf over the baby’s face if I was trying to throw (Michael growls the word ‘throw’) him off the balcony? (Michael looks directly at the camera as he says the next bit.)

“We were waving to thousands of fans down below and they were chanting they wanted to see my child…and I was kind enough to let them see. I was doing something out of innocence.”

(00:09:13. Cut to a close up of Blanket’s face. Michael, perhaps sensing this close up is being done, rearranges the scarf to better obscure Blanket’s features.)

BASHIR (off camera): “He’s hungry, isn’t he?”

(00:09:20. Cut to a head shot of Mr. Bashir smiling as he watches Michael feed Blanket.)

MICHAEL (off camera):  “He loves milk this guy…It is good!  (00:09:25. Cut to Michael who rises out of his chair, says “Thank you” and exits the room carrying Blanket.)

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “Jackson’s behaviour was beginning to alarm me. (00:09:34. Cut to footage of a black car driving along the road.) Later that day he took Prince & Paris to Berlin Zoo. (00:09:40. Cut to a shot of people running to follow Michael’s car.) It was supposed to be a family outing, but the press were out in force. (00:09:44. Cut to a shot of the car park. Prince wearing a sheer red scarf is standing outside the car; Michael’s arm is the only part of him that is visible and he seems to be exiting the car. Mr. Bashir is standing in front of Michael.) Somebody had helpfully tipped them off. (00:09:48. Cut to footage of security guards trying to fend off the paparazzi.) Michael was here to see the gorillas (00:09:52. Cut to Michael walking through the zoo. His security team is in front of him and the children and Security are using large open black umbrellas to shield the Jackson family from view.) but he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the trip had descended...”

 END OF PART 6 – NOW FOR SOME ANALYSIS/COMMENTARY of my own.

1. BASHIR COMMENTARY: “…recently been joined by a new baby brother and he was back at the hotel with his nanny.”

From the mjjtimeline.blogspot.com the Las Vegas shopping trip occurred sometime in September 2002, which would have made Blanket at least 6 months old at the time. Michael was able to keep the news of Blanket’s arrival a secret – his existence only became known to the public in early August after Michael visited with Siegfrid & Roy at The Mirage in Las Vegas. 

Interestingly enough the film makers don’t show Blanket until Berlin, which was November 20. From his commentary, Mr Bashir implies he meets Blanket in Las Vegas, and perhaps he did. They may have chosen to not show any earlier footage because they want to maximise the impact of introducing him via the controversial Berlin visit. But given the disregard they have shown for Michael’s wishes in regards to filming his children, I suspect the footage they do show is the only film of Blanket they were able to obtain.

2. MICHAEL: “People can always have a judgment about anything you do so it doesn’t bother me. Everything can be strange to someone. This interview is strange to some people out there so who cares, right?”

I’ve deliberately not going to delve too much into the question of who Blanket’s mother is. I know Raven from Allforloveblog has her theories about this, and I look forward to reading them when she shares them with us. For me, I plan to discuss my thoughts on the matter of the children’s mothers in Part 8 and 9 of this series.

‘This interview is strange’ – oh, how right you are Michael! With the benefit of hindsight we can all see that Michael should never have agreed to do this interview with Mr. Bashir. As a fellow admirer of Princess Diana though, I can see how the 1995 interview with her would have lent credence to Mr. Bashir that he didn’t necessarily deserve. Anyone who got to interview a member of the royal family would seem to have passed the tests as to whether they were a professional journalist or not. 'Not' being the operative word in Mr. Bashir's case judging by his conduct.

3. (00:02:28. Cut to a night scene depicting a taxi driving through the streets of Berlin. Inside the cab is Mr. Bashir. The streets are lined with cheering fans and the sound editor has captured the noise of the crowd.)

To me, this is another ego boost, I think Mr. Bashir likes to imagine the adoring crowds are for him!

4. (00:02:45. Cuts to interior shot and a close up of a television screen that has footage of Michael Jackson briefly walking out onto his hotel balcony to show his veiled baby to the fans waiting below him. The title credit comes up – for an in built commercial break – then the balcony scene is repeated again)

Milking this incident for all it was worth...

5. ♫ Introduction to “Smooth Criminal” from the 1987 album Bad starts to play again

Unlike all the preceding Parts, only one song is featured in this 10 minute segment – Smooth Criminal. The fan in me says, so what – it’s a great song with a superb short film. But I doubt the film makers have chosen to feature this song on its merits. Rather, they intend to instil a negative frenetic atmosphere.

(Sorry I will have to come back and finish this later!)

Living with Michael Jackson Part 5 of 9 - Transcript and Analysis

Living with Michael Jackson Part 5 of 9

(Opening scene - Michael is sitting in his hotel suite at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas and Mr. Bashir is mid sentence listing the various cosmetic surgeries Michael is rumored to have had.)

BASHIR (off camera): “…made in your chin?”

MICHAEL: “Oh please…please…that’s…please…”

BASHIR (off camera): “You’ve had your lips enlarged?”

MICHAEL: “Oh please, that’s stupid…”

BASHIR (off camera): “You’ve had your eyelash…eyelids reconstructed…eyelids reconstructed?”

MICHAEL: “That’s stupid… (Then more forcefully) It’s stupid! C’mon…none of its true.”

BASHIR (off camera): “None of its true?”

MICHAEL: “None of its true...its B.S…they made it up. They lie! They don’t want to give me credit for anything. One paper said I had each…cause I was growing a little beard…‘He had each little hair transplanted into his face with a laser…lasered in.’ How ignorant is that? I can’t even grow a beard now? 

Michael's 'little beard' - Gorgeous!

Ignorant fool who wrote such a thing! So don’t…don’t believe that stupidity. Don’t waste your money on it.” Cause when you’re buying it…you’re not buying something based on what’s true…it’s not the truth…its garbage!”

♫ Introduction to “Got to Be There” by the Jackson Five starts to play

 (00:00:46. Cuts to Mr. Bashir is in a convertible sports car driving past The Flamingo on the Las Vegas strip.)

♪ “Got to be there (got to be there). Be there in the morning”

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “I wasn’t convinced by Jackson’s explanation and felt that he wasn’t being entirely honest. I knew I’d have to return to the subject of his face before we were through.”

♪ “Got to be there (got to be there). Be there in the morning”

 BASHIR COMMENTARY: “But suddenly Jackson suggested a filming opportunity I couldn’t turn down. The following day I would be going out on the town with the Jackson children.”

(00:01:24. Cuts to still of title credit) I could cut Michael out of the picture so it would be more accurate but why on earth would I want to do that? ~Karen

 

♫ Introduction to “Wanna Be Startin Somethin” from the Thriller album starts to play

(00:01:28. Cut to Michael Jackson and Mr. Bashir walking down the hotel corridor. The camera is behind them.)

BASHIR: “Where do we go to get out of here?”

(We don’t hear Michael but we do see him motioning with his right arm)

BASHIR: “Left? Okay…thank you.”

(00:01:34. Michael Jackson turns around abruptly and back tracks slightly. The camera pans in for a close up of Michael’s two oldest children as they run down the corridor to catch up to their Daddy. Paris immediately heads to her Daddy’s side and is blocked from the camera’s view by Michael while Prince stops just a little short).

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “I was about to meet Michael Jackson’s children: Prince Michael the first and Paris. They’re rarely seen in public.”

BASHIR: “Are you all set? (He addresses this to Prince.) That’s a really great mask!” (He moves over to Prince and crouches down in front of him.)

PRINCE: “It’s a butterfly.”

BASHIR:  “It’s a butterfly! Let me see. Come here! (He touches the bottom edge of Prince’s mask.)What’s it made of?”

PRINCE: “I don’t know. Inside it’s all black.” (Behind Prince you can see a bodyguard hovering protectively)

MICHAEL: (Laughs)

BASHIR: “Wow!”

 (00:01:56. Cut to a shot of a different bodyguard on a cell phone. When the cut is made back to Michael, the camera is now behind him, the children and Mr. Bashir.)

BASHIR: “Oh, sorry.”

PRINCE: “Daddy, can I run?”

MICHAEL: “If you want, sure.”

BASHIR: “Shall we run?”

MICHAEL: (Laughs)

(Paris is behind Mr. Bashir. She steps around him and makes a beeline for her Daddy)

BASHIR: “No…no. He’s wearing nice shoes, he’s ain’t running anywhere.”

MICHAEL: “Oh, I can run…(The camera zooms in on Paris. She is now positioned between the two men, holding her Daddy’s hand.) Paris, do you want to run?”

PARIS: “I want to hold your hand.”

MICHAEL: “Okay.” 

PARIS - A real Daddy's Girl!

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “Jackson told me he had never allowed his children out without masks to conceal their identities.”

(00:02:16. The camera angle has switched and now we see Michael, Paris & Mr. Bashir from the front. They are having a conversation which we hear snippets of MICHAEL: “Yeah!  And later: “No.” and later still “…they do great work…” Behind them are a bodyguard and Nanny Grace Rwaramba.)

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “The children were the result of Jackson’s brief marriage to his dermatology nurse, Debbie Rowe. Paris is now 4, (00:02:29. Cut to a shot of Prince running down the hotel corridor) Prince is almost 6.”

MICHAEL (off camera in response to Mr. Bashir asking something about St. Peter’s Basilica): “Uhm…I don’t…think so…”

(00:02:34. Cut to a shot taken behind Michael, with Prince on his left & Paris on his right, each holding one of his hands. They are just about to enter into an elevator.)

PRINCE: “Excuse me Daddy, who’s going to check on (some inaudible)”

(00:02:38. Cut to a close up of Michael’s face in the elevator)

BASHIR (off camera addressing Prince):

PRINCE: (off camera):  “Not Part 2.”

(Michael nods in agreement and the camera pans down to Prince.)

BASHIR (off camera): “Not Part 2?”

PRINCE: “Na-uh! Daddy got this for me.”

BASHIR (off camera): “Oh right… Okay.”

PRINCE: “He got me Spiderman shoes too.”

BASHIR (off camera): “What’s he been telling you about…not Part 2? Why don’t you like not…why don’t you like Star Wars Part 2?”

PRINCE: “It’s because it’s boring and slow.”

MICHAEL: (Laughs – Camera pans up quickly to catch this reaction.)

BASHIR (off camera): “Right.” (Laughs) “And what makes you think you’re (Camera pans back to Prince) qualified to make such a strong judgment?”

(Prince doesn’t answer straight away so Michael helps his young son better understand the question)

MICHAEL: “What makes you think you’re right about that? You sure you’re right?” (Prince nods in the affirmative) “I think he has a point…”

BASHIR (off camera): “He has a good point.”

(00:03:12. Cut to outside the hotel. Michael has an umbrella in one hand, Paris is holding the other. In the foreground Prince is on the right with Mr. Bashir on the left. In the background are Nanny Grace and three staff/security team members.)

MICHAEL (singing acapella):  ♪ “Smile though your heart is aching. Smile even though its breaking…”

BASHIR: “I think there are some people here that just might want to have a word with you…”

MICHAEL: ♪ “Although a tear may be ever so near…”

(00:03:26. Cut to 2 female fans, one blonde and one brunette, waiting for Michael outside the hotel.)

FAN GIRLS: “Hi! Good morning!” (The camera pans back to Michael who is now holding the artwork the fans have given him)

MICHAEL: “Hi! You don’t know how happy those pictures make me! And those banners you guys make…”(The camera cuts to a close up of Michael’s face and the fan girls are reflected in Michael’s mirrored sunglasses.)

FAN GIRLS (off camera): “Thank you.  You know we’re actually running out of…uh…baby pictures that we brought from Spain.”

MICHAEL: “You can never run out of baby pictures…”

(Cut to the fan girls) BASHIR (off camera): “You’re from Spain?”

FAN GIRLS: “Yeah.”

MICHAEL: “Sunny Spain.”

BASHIR (off camera): “And you’re big fans of Michael’s?”

FAN GIRLS: “Sunny Spain! It’s been a long, long time that (inaudible)...”

MICHAEL: “I know… Spain is so sweet. They’re beautiful people. Woo!

 (Laughs and puts an arm around Prince as his son races up to him calling Daddy, Daddy, Daddy...) Stunning to look at…” (They head to the car)

BASHIR (off camera): “Take care.”

PRINCE: “Bye! Love you!”

(The party has arrived at the vehicle and they proceed to get into the car)

BASHIR (voiceover): “Did you cry when Prince was born?”

MICHAEL (voiceover): “Yes…”

(00:04:05. Cut to footage of Michael in the hotel suite at The Four Seasons)

BASHIR (off camera): “Can you just tell me what happened? Can you remember how…?”

MICHAEL: “Of course! He came out with this (cut to footage taken of Prince in the limo) really big head and as soon as I saw his head I thought of my grandfather and my brother Randy, cause his head was shaped just like theirs. 

And I said Oh My God! And then uh…uhm…the rest they let me pull…pull him out and I cut the umbilical cord…with scissors that were shaped like a stork. (Laughs) And uh…and they cleaned him off and everything and uh...I was ready to take him home. And they said “No! Can’t take him home.” And I go “Why?” “I think there’s some serious problem” I go “What?” “We gotta take him to intensive care; he’s not breathing correctly” I go “Oh, no!” I said “Please God, don’t let me have a sick child, please!” So I waited; an hour, two hours, three hours, four hours…I was so scared. After about five hours, this nurse comes in; she goes “Okay, you can go home now.” I was so happy!”

(00:05:08. Cut to footage of Michael alighting from his vehicle. You hear a voice say “Okay, Mike.” Then Michael helps first Paris and then Prince out of the car also. Mr. Bashir can be heard saying “Let’s go straight there.”)

BASHIR (voiceover): “Paris was born soon after…”

MICHAEL (voiceover): “Yes…”

BASHIR (voiceover): “Your daughter…”

MICHAEL (voiceover): “Yes…”

BASHIR (voiceover): “How was that? Were you there for her birth?”

MICHAEL (voiceover): “Of course!” 

(Michael now has his children on either side of him; they are holding his hand. We hear “C’mon, C’mon”, “Let’s go!” and Mr. Bashir say “Let’s go straight to that museum.” With his free hand Prince grabs hold of Mr. Bashir’s hand and all of them are walking swiftly towards the entrance of the building they have arrived at.)

MICHAEL (voiceover): “Of course!  It was just…uh…magic. She came out… the wrong way…her face was faced the wrong way and she was being kind of (Cut back to Michael) choked by the umbilical cord, so I was kinda worried…and it took her longer and…uh…and I was so anxious to get her home that I…after cutting the cord…I hate to say this…I snatched her and just went home…with all the placenta all over her.” (Laughs)

BASHIR (off camera): “You…you are kidding!”

MICHAEL: “Yeah…I am not kidding. Got her in a towel and ran. They said it was fine. They said everything’s okay with that…and I cleaned…I got her home and washed her all off…”

BASHIR (off camera): “She was just born!”

MICHAEL: “I know.”

BASHIR (off camera): “Why did you want to do that?”

MICHAEL: “Because…I felt that it was okay…they told me it was okay…Debbie said it was okay and…uh…I got the permission of the doctor. I think I was so frightened that they would give me some bad news…I was so scared…but there was no bad news to be gotten, so…uh…I started re-living…and I was afraid…I said I just don’t want to hear anything bad, I’m just go, go, go, go…” 

Michael - grateful to Debbie for helping him bring Prince & Paris into this world

BASHIR (off camera): “Presumably, Debbie…had to stay in the hospital… because she had just given birth?”

MICHAEL: “Of course. Yeah.”

BASHIR (off camera): “Was she okay about losing the baby, as it were, in the first few minutes?”

MICHAEL: “Oh, she told me to.”

BASHIR (off camera): “She told you to take the baby?”

MICHAEL: “Yeah. She said ‘Go right ahead. I know that’s what you want.’ She said: ‘I’m totally fine with it’. I said ‘You’re fine with it?’ and she said ‘Yes, of course…”

BASHIR (off camera): “How long was it before she was…united with her baby? How long?”

MICHAEL:  “Oh, I don’t know technically…after getting out? I just don’t know exactly…I kind of forget…”

(00:07:06. Cut to interior shot of Egyptian style museum)

MICHAEL (voiceover): “See this…how beautiful this is…”

BASHIR (voiceover): “It’s amazing…”

MICHAEL (voiceover): “You been in here?”

BASHIR (voiceover): “No, I haven’t.”

MICHAEL (voiceover): “Look at this!”

BASHIR (voiceover): “It’s extraordinary!”

(Cut to a close up of Prince, sandwiched between his father and Mr. Bashir. The camera widens to show Michael’s party which is walking towards the camera. The four of them are holding hands. It’s Paris, Michael, Prince and Mr. Bashir. But Paris is walking behind her Daddy and therefore is not seen on camera. Nanny Grace is behind Paris.)

BASHIR: “Is this the store you were talking about?”

MICHAEL: “I think its coming up…We’ll be there real soon.”

(00:07:21. Camera goes in for another close up of Prince. The camera pans over to catch a glimpse of Paris but she is still obscured by her father, so the camera pans back to Prince. Two photographer’s flashes are visible before a cut to the reverse view is done and we see a third flash – most likely the below shot.)

BASHIR: “And this is actually the tomb you’re talking about? The tomb that you bought? Oh, this must be it.”

MICHAEL: “Yes. Isn’t it gorgeous?”

BASHIR: “Let’s have a look…Let’s go in and have a look. Is this it?”

MICHAEL: “That’s it!”

BASHIR: “Wow!”

MICHAEL: “Isn’t it gorgeous? Look at the face! C’mon…that’s beautiful!”

BASHIR: “This is the actual coffin?”

MICHAEL: “Yeah.”

BASHIR: “A replica of the...”

MICHAEL: “A sarcophagus.”

BASHIR: “Anthropologic coffin of Tutankhamen.”

MICHAEL: “Yeah…like in gold…this one’s gold.”

BASHIR: “And you’ve bought it? Why have you bought it?”

MICHAEL: “Cause I love it! Look at the art – it’s phenomenal! It’s a work of art.” 

BASHIR: “You did…What about…would you liked to be buried in something like this?”

MICHAEL: (Laughs) “No. I don’t…I…I wouldn’t…I don’t ever want to be buried.” (Laughs)

BASHIR: “Really?”

MICHAEL: “No.”

BASHIR: “What would you like to happen to you?”

MICHAEL: “I…would like to live forever.”

(00:08:08. Cut to a shot taken behind Prince in the store, where the camera moves from Prince up to window where a crowd has gathered, to observe the proceedings.)

00:08:08. BASHIR (voiceover): “Do you try to give your children a normal upbringing?”

MICHAEL (voiceover): “Yes, of course!”

 

(00:08:13. Cut to Michael seated in the Four Seasons hotel suite answering the questions).

BASHIR (Off camera): “What about things like schooling…and education? Do they go to school?”

MICHAEL: “Yes, they have school.”

BASHIR (Off camera): “And…do they go to a normal school?”

MICHAEL: “Never!”

BASHIR (Off camera): “Why not?”

MICHAEL: “It wouldn’t work.”

BASHIR (Off camera): “Why?”

MICHAEL: “Cause we get chased by paparazzi everywhere we go. I don’t want press all over them at school. In the bushes…in the trees and in the... I saw what happened to me, you know…they are doing the same and worse to them. And…uh...I don’t feel like the jealousy and the teachers saying “Just because you’re Michael Jackson’s children, don’t think I’m going to treat you any different from anyone else around here!” Well, they don’t want to be treated differently, you know, it’s just that... I don’t want them to have to go through all that.”

BASHIR (Off camera): “So the truth is…they can’t really have a very normal life, can they?”

MICHAEL: “No, no.”

(00:09:03. Cut to Michael and Mr. Bashir in a noisy and crowded shopping mall with camera flashes going off. Michael is saying “Hello” and “Hi.” As the camera angle widens we see the children again).

BASHIR (addressing Prince):  “You hold my hand. You hold Daddy’s hand and my hand…Thank you.”

 

MICHAEL: “Hello. Hi. ” (Then to Nanny Grace) “Tell her [Paris] when I let go to let go. She’s doing pull…pull… (Michael demonstrates on Nanny Grace’s hand what Paris is doing) Pull…pull…that’s what she does. Tell her I gotta sign autographs sometime!”

(00:09:25.The camera zooms in on Paris who looks a little confused by the goings on)

00:09:25. BASHIR (voiceover): “Do you worry about the effect of…your life on them…the fact that you’re the star you are and therefore they…by default have to be part of that? They don’t have a choice…”

MICHAEL (voiceover):  “That’s the way it is. (Cut to Michael in his hotel suite) And uh…it’s worked successfully in the past, many times. It’s all in how you shape and sculpt and mold their world, you know. Many people have been very successful at it.”

 (00:09:52. Cut to outside the mall, heading back to the car. Forming a human chain, from left to right: Nanny Grace, Paris, Michael, Prince & Mr. Bashir)

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “Jackson obviously liked being a father. And he had a surprise for me. Prince and Paris had...”

END OF PART 5 – Now for some analysis/commentary

1. BASHIR (off camera): “You’ve had your lips enlarged?”

This is not a rumour I’d heard before and it strikes me as odd. Most media tended to imply Michael ‘wanted to be white’ so I would have thought a lip enlargement would have been contrary to that!

2. ♫ Introduction to “Got to Be There” by the Jackson Five starts to play

Those of you that have read Parts 1 through to 4 probably know what I’m going to say here. Again, the song used is an old one.

Maybe some people will think it’s because Michael’s later albums were less successful but that is not true. ‘Dangerous’ (1991) was as big a hit as ‘Bad’ (1987) if not more so. And whilst it may be truer of the US, in Europe and the rest of the world ‘HIStory’ (1995) was a massive hit.

3. (00:00:46. Cuts to Mr. Bashir is in a convertible sports car driving past The Flamingo on the Las Vegas strip.)

This is yet another example of Mr. Bashir’s ego running amok. A sports car with the top down is so not necessary to the story line; it merely serves to boost his ego.

4. BASHIR COMMENTARY: “But suddenly Jackson suggested a filming opportunity I couldn’t turn down. The following day I would be going out on the town with the Jackson children.”

This is so misleading. One of the conditions Michael had insisted upon was that his children would not appear in the finished film. And yet here is Mr. Bashir saying that it was Michael’s idea!

Another problem I have with it is that Mr. Bashir implies this is the first time he sees the children. But in Part 4, when they arrive at the Venetian shopping mall, Nanny Grace is seen getting out of the car. Admittedly you don’t see the children but Michael, Mr. Bashir and Nanny Grace all seem to be wearing the exact same clothing that they are wearing ‘the following day’!

It is not the first, nor the last, time that the scenes are shown out of chronological order. And it is further proof that this film should never, ever be referred to as a documentary.

I must confess that for me the children and their interaction with their Daddy is the highlight of this section of the film. I’m afraid that when it comes to them, I love seeing them, even though I know it is not what their father would have wanted.

5. (00:01:34. Michael Jackson turns around abruptly and back tracks slightly. The camera (A) pans in for a close up of Michael’s two oldest children as they run down the corridor to catch up to their Daddy. Paris immediately heads to her Daddy’s side and is (B) blocked from the camera’s view by Michael while Prince stops just a little short).

BASHIR COMMENTARY: “I was about to meet Michael Jackson’s children: Prince Michael the first and Paris. They’re (C) rarely seen in public.”

(A) Further to the above point, the camera man clearly had instructions from Mr. Bashir that contradicted Michael’s wishes. He repeatedly panned in for close ups of the children, and these feature prominently in this section of the film.

(B) If you have seen Janet Jackson’s interview with Robyn Roberts, she did say Paris had an uncanny knack of always knowing where the camera is. And certainly, in Part 5 she demonstrates an ability to use her Daddy to shield her from the camera!

(C) A-ha! The truth – finally…Mr. Bashir admitting that the children are rarely seen in public. A decision made by their father – to protect them.

6. BASHIR: “Are you all set? (He addresses this to Prince.) That’s a really great mask!” (He moves over to Prince and crouches down in front of him.)

PRINCE: “It’s a butterfly.”

BASHIR:  “It’s a butterfly! Let me see. Come here! (He touches the bottom edge of Prince’s mask.)What’s it made of?”

PRINCE: “I don’t know. Inside it’s all black.” (Behind Prince you can see a bodyguard hovering protectively)

My dear readers, you should have been a fly on my wall as I watched this portion! It’s pointless I know, but I was yelling at my screen “Bashir, get your hands off Prince!” and later “What are you doing Mr. Bodyguard? Remove that creep Bashir immediately!”

7. PRINCE: “Daddy, can I run?”

MICHAEL: “If you want, sure.”

This is a testament to what a great father Michael was. Five year old Prince asks permission before running down the corridor. That is a very well behaved child!

8. (Paris is behind Mr. Bashir. She steps around him and makes a beeline for her Daddy)

BASHIR: “No…no. He’s wearing nice shoes, he’s ain’t running anywhere.”

MICHAEL: “Oh, I can run…(The camera zooms in on Paris. She is now positioned between the two men, holding her Daddy’s hand.) Paris, do you want to run?”

PARIS: “I want to hold your hand.”

Paris is such a Daddy’s girl!

9. BASHIR COMMENTARY: “Jackson told me he had never allowed his children out without masks to conceal their identities.”

We learnt from Prince on the Oprah show, that the children only wore their masks when they were out with their father. And that it had proved to be very beneficial because it allowed them to retain their privacy when they went out on outings without him.

Here's part of the transcript from that show: 

OPRAH: Did you know at the time why you were putting on the mask?
PRINCE JACKSON: Yeah.
OPRAH: Why?
PRINCE: Because then when we did go out without our dad, then nobody would really recognize us.
PARIS: He tried to raise us without knowing who he was, but that didn’t really go so well.
OPRAH: It didn’t really go so well. Did you appreciate or like being behind the veil or mask at the time?
PARIS JACKSON: I appreciated it.

I love this tongue in cheek humor! Like I said earlier, I love seeing the MJ3, even when I shouldn’t…

10. BASHIR COMMENTARY: “The children were the result of Jackson’s brief marriage to his dermatology nurse, Debbie Rowe. Paris is now 4,

This is another very common practice of the media when referring to Michael’s marriages. They never fail to include the terms “brief” or ‘short lived’. And yet, as David Edwards from vindicatemj once pointed out, Lisa Marie Presley’s marriage to Nicholas Cage was far shorter than her one to Michael and yet no-one mentions that!

11. (00:02:34. Cut to a shot taken behind Michael, with Prince on his left & Paris on his right, each holding one of his hands. They are just about to enter into an elevator.) 

 PRINCE: “Excuse me Daddy, who’s going to check on (some inaudible)”

I had a lot of trouble deciphering this exchange – I would welcome any reader’s input on what they think Prince said here.

12. MICHAEL (singing acapella):  ♪ “Smile though your heart is aching. Smile even though it’s breaking…”

BASHIR: “I think there are some people here that just might want to have a word with you…”

This was another segment that had me screaming at my computer screen. Michael Jackson – the greatest entertainer ever – is singing acapella and you, Mr Bashir, can’t shut up and let the man sing!

Hooray! We have a song from 1995 at last. “Smile” was included on the HIStory album. 

13. MICHAEL: “I know… Spain is so sweet. They’re beautiful people. Woo! (Laughs and puts an arm around Prince as his son races up to him calling Daddy, Daddy, Daddy...) Stunning to look at…” (They head to the car)

It was lovely seeing Michael flirt with his Spanish fan girls.  I know there are a few people in the media that try to insinuate that ‘his type’ was 13 year old Latino boys - citing a so called similarity in the way Jordie Chandler and Gavin Arviso looked. The main similarity comes from the fact that they both betrayed Michael's friendship and accused him of unspeakable acts - none of which either of them was able to substantiate. In any event, nothing Michael ever said ever indicated a sexual attraction to a 13 year old boy or any other child for that matter.

But there is some evidence that it was Latino women that he was attracted to.

In the Rabbi Shmuley tapes (Page 274) Michael comments that he thought “Jennifer Lopez looked awfully good the other day” This was said in 1999 or 2000.

And in this trip to Gary in 2003, is it just me or do you think he found this young lady attractive? 

14. (Michael now has his children on either side of him; they are holding his hand. We hear “C’mon, C’mon”, “Let’s go!” and Mr. Bashir say “Let’s go straight to that museum.” With his free hand Prince grabs hold of Mr. Bashir’s hand and all of them are walking swiftly towards the entrance of the building they have arrived at.)

It makes me even angrier at Mr. Bashir to see the trust not only Michael, but Prince too, places in the man, knowing full well the betrayal that is to come.

Earlier, I mentioned how Janet Jackson revealed that Paris is adept at always knowing exactly where the camera is. I’ve also read on a couple of occasions that she is supposed to be a very good judge of character. So I thought it interesting that we don’t see any interactions between her and Mr. Bashir. Of course, there may have been some and the film makers chose not to show it or else it could be that she is simply too much of a Daddy’s girl to pay attention to anyone else.

15. (00:07:21. Camera goes in for another close up of Prince. The camera pans over to catch a glimpse of Paris but she is still obscured by her father, so the camera pans back to Prince. Two photographer’s flashes are visible before a cut to the reverse view is done and we see a third flash – most likely the below shot.)

This is yet another example of the film makers ignoring Michael’s instructions and focusing on his children. We don’t see much of Paris – but not for a lack trying on the camera man’s part, that’s for sure!

The close up shots of Prince when the camera flashes go off is the first of several such scenes where the editing shows the child’s perspective. The film maker’s intention I will discuss in more depth in later points.

16. MICHAEL: “I…would like to live forever.”

You will, Michael!  I was reading the comments section of another blog recently and the MJ fans were struggling with the tenses...using ‘is’ instead of ‘was’. That’s because Michael Jackson is a legend, and legends are always described in the present tense!

17. (00:08:08. Cut to a shot taken behind Prince in the store, where the camera moves from Prince up to window where a crowd has gathered, to observe the proceedings.)

Again, this scene appears to be from the five and a half year old Prince’s perspective. Given that the next conversation tackled is Michael’s parental decisions, the film makers are pre-empting that with their own visual commentary. Earlier they closed in on Prince as the camera flashes went off; here they show him standing before a crowded window of curious onlookers. Later they finally get their Paris close ups after Michael releases her hand to sign some autographs.

In isolation, each of these scenes does show the children looking a little lost perhaps. However, that’s only if you apply your own sensibilities to it. Put into the proper context (which the film makers don’t do) and you realize this is normal for those children. The children seem quite used to the attention their Daddy gets and they certainly were more relaxed about it than Mr. Bashir was! I think for Mr. Bashir it was a nerve-wracking experience being around Michael in a crowded public place for he appears to be very anxious the whole time. I believe he and his team then try to project this onto Prince and Paris, selecting camera angles that show these small children in what appears to be an overwhelming situation.

18. 00:08:08. BASHIR (voiceover): “Do you try to give your children a normal upbringing?”

MICHAEL (voiceover): “Yes, of course!”

This question was asked at the exact time they showed the scene discussed in the last point. Their intention is clear, to make Michael’s answer appear less than truthful. It is a loaded, hypothetical question anyway. It is difficult for any famous person to give their offspring what is termed a ‘normal’ childhood. Yet if we consider what we know of the MJ3 from their limited public appearances, it would appear that Michael was very successful in raising three ostensibly well adjusted children!