MICHAEL AND THE PRESIDENTS

I wanted to mark what I hope is a momentous shift in USA’s perception of Michael Jackson. I am not speaking out of turn when I say that Michael’s own country treated him appallingly. I have seen these same sentiments expressed by my American friends on numerous occasions.

So it was with tremendous delight that I read this account two weeks ago:

 FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky, May 6 (UPI) -- With a military band playing Michael Jackson's "Thriller," U.S. President Obama Friday met with special ops personnel involved in the Osama bin Laden raid.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden flew into Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to meet with those involved in the Abbottabad, Pakistan, Navy SEAL raid that left the founder and leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network dead.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/05/06/Obama-meets-SEALs-in-bin-Laden-raid/UPI-94491304670600/#ixzz1M2Y00OCi

To have Michael Jackson associated with a moment in his countries history that is a source of pride and celebration to most, if not all, Americans truly warms my heart. It is such a refreshing change after decades of him being an object of ridicule. And to my mind, it is evidence that a turning point has been reached. I imagine that protocol would dictate that any ceremonies the President and Vice President are planned in minute detail, with every decision given careful consideration. That would include any songs played by the military band. If Michael was still perceived to be a highly controversial character, surely they would not have selected one of his songs?

Adding immeasurably to my enjoyment of this aspect is that it has occurred despite the media’s ongoing efforts to disparage Michael. I will be discussing those efforts in other postings I am working on. 

 

Immediately following Michael’s death, President Obama’s comments were disappointingly neutral – his official comments at any rate. In this video he is questioned on this very subject. 

I remember feeling hurt by this myself. Even though he is the American President, the election of Barack Obama really captured the imagination of the worldwide population. In fact, I’d say while his support was perhaps a 60/40 ratio in the United States that percentage was way higher overseas – maybe even as high as 90/10.

For me personally, I had become very interested in American politics through the Kennedy family. I decided to look into them, because they were so beloved, icons throughout the world and I wanted to know why.

I started reading about President Kennedy and then branched out to books on the extended family. My favorite member of that family is undoubtedly Robert Kennedy. “Man in the Mirror” is one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs but I always have to look away or fast forward the section that has footage of RFK’s fatally wounded body following his assassination. The Kennedy’s as leaders really appealed to my idealistic side.

I remember thinking that it was such a shame that I was born in the year RFK was assassinated. That ‘such a one’ appears so rarely that it was unlikely to happen again in my lifetime. But then President Obama came along and he exemplifies all that I think an American President should be. Handsome, extremely intelligent, witty with a drop dead gorgeous family – and a Democrat – perfection!

I guess I should not have been so surprised that he was cautious in what he said about Michael – after all that is part of his appeal, that he is not someone prone to making impulsive decisions. Instead, he strikes me as one who gives careful consideration to whatever he decides, including what comments he makes.

Perhaps it is naïve of me, but whenever I admire someone I assume they will like the same people I do - but that is not always the case. In any event, I wish I could find the other video I’ve seen from July 2009. In it, President Obama is seen with the European leaders in an unguarded moment at the conference they were attending. He has his back to the camera and he and the other leaders are discussing the passing of Michael Jackson. I recollect him saying emphatically that Michael Jackson was the best ever. The thing I loved most was that I felt his pride in Michael as he said this, pride that the greatest entertainer ever was an American. Pride also that the greatest entertainer ever was an African American? As soon as I do locate the video, I will insert it into this post.

I see the inclusion of ‘Thriller’ at the ceremony as a return to Michael’s rightful place – as an American treasure. Below you will see a montage I’ve put together of Michael with 4 consecutive American Presidents.

Michael’s visit to the Reagan White House in May 1984 followed a get well soon letter the President sent to Michael after the pyrotechnics accident that occurred during the filming of a Pepsi commercial a few months earlier.

Here is a video collection of the news reports of that visit as put together by a fan. I love seeing what a gentleman Michael is, notice how solicitous he is towards the First Lady, Nancy Reagan at 00:04:34 and again at 00:06:33. Katherine Jackson sure raised him right!

 

Here is another gem a fan has put together. I can't resist including it too!

April 5^th 1990 – “Michael meets with President Bush at the White House Rose Garden ceremony to be honored as Entertainer of the Decade by the Capital Children’s Museum.” (Source: mjjtimeline.blogspot.com)

May 1^st 1992 – “Michael is in Washington to accept a Point Of Light Award from President Bush.” (Source: mjjtimeline.blogspot.com)

Here is a video of this event. It is brief, which is fortunate as it is of such poor quality. But the color photo stills at the very end are very good!

The start of 1993 continued the US Presidents connections with Michael Jackson. Michael performed “Gone Too Soon” and “Heal the World” at President Clinton’s inauguration. Here is a video of that performance.

Four months later Michael is invited by former president Jimmy Carter to Atlanta in order to boost the Atlanta Immunisation Drive. Afterwards, Michael joins Ted Turner, Jane Fonda, Emmanuel Lewis & Lisa Marie Presley in the front row during the Kids Celebration at OMNI. (Source: mjjtimeline.blogspot.com)

But another four months later the Beggar Boy family starts their public smear campaign and well…you know what happened then…all hell broke loose.

This is one person’s take on that – I just love this sentiment – even if it appears to be from Dominic Cascio (whose family is somewhat controversial due to the posthumous Michael album).

 

Unfortunately, President Clinton was unable to ‘stop the reporters from bothering Michael Jackson”. Instead during the latter years of his presidency he would fight his own battle with an insatiable media. It would not be until the new millennium when he was out of office that he would be free to resume his cordial relationship with Michael. 

Foreign leaders filled the void during the remainder of the 1990’s – most notably the South African president, Nelson Mandela.

 “Dear Jackson family,

It is with great sadness that we learnt of the untimely death of Michael Jackson. Michael became close to use after he started visiting and performing in South Africa regularly.

We became fond of him and he became a close member of our family. We had great admiration for his talent and that he was able to triumph over tragedy on some many occasions in his life.

Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry and we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide. We also mourn with his family and his friends over the loss of a dear friend. He will be missed and memories cherished of him for a long time.

Be strong,

Nelson Mandela
7 July 2009

 Former South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, who had met Jackson, said: “We lost a hero of the world.”

Michael Jackson visiting Namibia in 1998. In the picture Michael Jackson is shaking hands with the then President of Namibia; now Founding President of Namibia Dr. Sam Nujoma and Chief of Protocol, at the time, Patrick Nandago in the background (now Namibia's Ambassador to the USA).

Michael always said children were little geniuses.

   

This posting has taken me ages to complete. I’ve done bits and pieces of it over the last 5 months. Sometimes when I was angry with Oprah I had to stop writing because I really don’t want to be too negative. Instead, I want to poke a little bit of fun at her without being nasty about it. I was watching her ‘Oprah in Australia’ specials when I saw this cute little Aussie kid do what appears to be the ‘Loser’ hand gesture. Now he may well be pointing to his little friend and not Oprah but it cracked me up so I had to include it in my blog.     

Hee Hee!

It’s not designed to humiliate Oprah; I think she looks beautiful and happy in this photo. With my blogs, I deliberately try to fill them with as many gorgeous photos as I can. When it comes to Michael that is easy – the hard part is not being able to include them all! I try to do the same for his family & friends also. With his foes, unless he is in the photo with them I am loathe to include them, unless they are the clever ones created by MJ fans.

Please enjoy this first part – I’ve come to realize I’m not going to get this topic completed to my satisfaction in just the one session, so I’ll do it in stages.

This woman has caused me a lot of conflicted emotions. I used to adore Oprah, I really did! I thought she was a wonderful humanitarian and if not for a tendency to sometimes appear overly self aware (I cringe whenever she has a singing guest perform on her show and the director cuts to Oprah to catch her reaction. It seems like as soon as she realizes the camera is on her she’ll start lip synching and its just so embarrassing to watch!)

But since Michael died, I’ve been forced by the fan community’s intense dislike & distrust of her to re-evaluate my own opinion of her. I first became aware of this mistrust just before the Lisa Marie Presley interview. I was taken aback by it actually because the most recent thing at that time that I’d seen that Oprah had done concerning Michael was the episode devoted to the ‘This Is It’ premiere. She had both Jackie & Tito Jackson on her show and she seemed very respectful, I thought, towards Michael – even gushing at times with regards to his artistry and genius.

But when I read the feedback from the fan community though, they were able to list a litany of insults from Oprah. Let me tackle these one by one. First there was special she did revisiting the 1993 interview she did with him. The blurb about this special as it appeared on Australian TV was this:

“Oprah Remembers Michael Jackson. The world mourned and is still coping with the death of Michael Jackson. For the first time since he passed away Oprah speaks about where she was and how she felt when she heard the tragic news.”

Instead of the tribute I was expecting, I was annoyed by how Oprah kept bringing the subject back to her. For instance, I felt she spent too much time describing her own reactions to the interview, her nervousness in the beginning, whether she thought this answer or that answer was candid etc – it was like this special was designed for journalism students or wannabe TV presenters to analyze her interview techniques rather than a public keen to remember a fallen icon.

It irked me when she went on about how her career could have been ruined had the live interview gone badly due to her lack of prepared in advance questions. This special first aired in September 2009, only a matter of weeks after Michael was buried. I distinctly remember wanting to see more of Michael, new unseen footage perhaps, but the ratio of Oprah versus Michael was too heavily stocked – in the wrong favor.

The fan community’s hostile reaction to Oprah really surprised me at first. One of the things they cited, that I must admit I had not picked up, was how Oprah ‘harped’ on the abuse allegations. I’m playing the interview on my TV as I write this. We are 14 minutes in (this was taped from the TV so it includes commercials) and Oprah has already mentioned the allegations 3 times. Wow! That certainly lends credence to the fan community’s assertions that Oprah is hell-bent on portraying him in a negative light.

On the other hand, Oprah mentions that Michael had made some comments to her about his father off camera and that she would honor that and would not repeat them. This is the thing about her that has caused me to oscillate. Is she malicious when it comes to Michael or simply misguided?

 

From my own perspective, what angered me most was probably the section where she said:

“But…anybody who knows Michael Jackson will tell you that when you are up close to him, he had absolutely no pigmentation in his skin, so you can see all the way through to…you are looking at his veins when you look at his hand.”

So here finally Oprah confirms what Michael told her back in 1993 about his vitiligo. Only 16 years late, Oprah! I’ve said this in this blog before, and maybe it’s unfair of me to expect her to champion Michael, but if the media are accusing the most famous black man of not wanting to be black, and you know that this is not the case, surely you must defend him on this score?

Instead though, in 1993 Oprah went on after Michael said the word ‘vitiligo’ about bleaching creams and whatnot, making me think she didn’t believe him about the disease. Now, fast forward to 2009 and we hear her saying it was obvious to anyone that met him that he did have a skin disorder. Why, oh why didn’t she say so in 1993? Oprah is an influential figure and a show of support in regards to his vitiligo could have made Michael’s last 16 years that much easier. 

Not Jon Stewart but the equally funny Stephen Colbert…

You not going to believe this, but I taped today’s episode of Oprah (which is actually an older episode from September 2010 I think). Every Sunday, I check the episode description for Oprah’s shows for the upcoming week and decide which ones (if any) I want to watch.

On the show today was the hilarious Jon Stewart & the legendary Liza Minnelli. I wasn’t expecting any references to Michael Jackson because if there had been I would have thought I would have heard about it from the MJ fan-mily. Actually I tuned in mainly to see Jon Stewart, whose segment of the show took up the first 45 minutes.

Speaking of Jon Stewart, I just have to include this quote from him, which I love:

"However you felt about the man, whatever your opinions are, I believe we, as a people, should make a rule that once you die, unless you are a convicted felon or an oppressive dictator, whatever derisive nickname that we used for you - it dies with you. So, can we all stop calling him Jacko now?"

When we are 3 minutes into Oprah’s interview with Liza, the topic turns to Liza’s most recent marriage. Liza says that she is attracted to really talented people but when it comes to her choice of husbands she is hopelessly bad at picking the right man.

“Michael Jackson – I understand - was a very close friend if yours?”

“Yes.”

“Even best man at your wedding to David Gest.”

“Yes.”

“What do you miss most about Michael?”

“His sense of humor about himself, you know?

“Hmm.” (Oprah says distractedly as she turns to the large screen behind them where the above photo is displayed) “There’s Michael…and Liz…and you…and…your husband…”

“Whatever his name is!” Liza cackles with laughter. “But no…I mean…Michael was adorable…and he was funny!  You know, we talked every week on the phone, no matter where we both were and…he had the best sense of humor…especially about himself.”

“Really did he?” Oprah appears very surprised to hear this.

“Really good! And I don’t think that’s a side people know.” Liza says regretfully.

This exchange seems to confirm the MJ fan-mily’s assertion that Oprah is pre-occupied with Michael Jackson. She only has about a five minute window to interview Ms. Minnelli and one of her first questions is about Michael.

But the question she asks is not negative – she is asking what one friend misses most about another not anything about the false allegations or suspected drug use. So, at the very least, on this occasion Oprah does a lot to improve people’s perception of Michael Jackson – letting them know he was a loyal friend with a fantastic sense of humor.

I will end Part One of this Oprah series with another child genius, young Blanket Jackson!

Hee Hee! See you next time!

Sony Exec put in her place...by Michael! Updated 19 Feb 2012

19 February 2012 
Seven of mj-777.com posted about Michael's chefs Akasha Richmond and Mani Niall. The posting included a video where Mani tells a story revealing that playing practical jokes on his record company executives appears to have been a favourite past time of Michael's!

“One of the little things that just… I remember, because Michael had such a good sense of humor. He uh…you know had Muscles… this giant, long, thick boa snake... and he had a group of CBS Executives over at his house and they had been in one room... and I don’t know if they ate and they went into the living room... and he had this big floral couch. And  he draped Muscles [starts laughing] over the back of the couch ...and they all went and sat down and slowly one by one ... noticed there’s this giant boa constrictor on the back of the couch. And they…their eyes popped out and they ran out of the door. And he was sitting there howling!

And I was just like that is like the ultimate payback to these … you know… greedy record executives that make so much money off you!

And, you know the snake’s not going to do anything but it’s a pretty honest reaction when you see a snake that you run… and it just blended into the floral pattern on the couch."

Mani tells the above story around the 4 minute mark of the above video.


ORIGINAL POSTING

The group I’m angriest with over the treatment of Michael Jackson is the media. But I know there are a great many other fans who are absolutely furious with Sony, AEG, The Estate or all of the above.

Well, I came across this little anecdote that will delight those fans who are anti-Sony. Enjoy!

It comes courtesy of Caroline Thompson who co-wrote a movie called ‘Midknight’ a project earmarked specifically for Michael. 

“We had a very long and hilarious day at Neverland with him. It was Anton [Furst - the intended director], our executive Amy Pascal who is now one of the heads at Sony, Larry [Wilson the co-writer] and myself.

“But the funniest one was where we went to see his young lion, who was asleep. 

Michael told us to be very quiet. You know how in zoos there’s the cage the lion’s in, then two or three feet out there’s a little fence that keeps you at distance?”

 “Right.”

“Well he urged us over the fence, so we were all gathered round staring at the lion asleep, and Michael hollered out and clapped his hands and the lion woke up and sprang at Amy, 

and she squealed and back-pedaled and fell over the fence and landed flat on her ass, and Michael laughed his head off. I mean, gales of laughter. And he said, “He always goes after the smallest person in the group.” He laughed and laughed and laughed.”

Now, you could say that was just Michael’s sense of humor, and of course it was, but put it together with this other account…

“While recording for Dangerous, Michael became frustrated with a producer who was treating people poorly. Rather than firing him, Michael called him into his lounge area and had a security guard throw a pie in his face. No further action was required.”

Right era - this is on the shoot for 'Black or White' but this is John Landis - not a record producer

 My Source for the above quote: regulatedthriller via http://fuckyeahmichaeljackson.tumblr.com/

We could surmise that this was Michael’s way at getting his own back at one of the Sony Executives. That’s what I’d like to think at any rate!

Here is Amy Pascal, looking no worse for wear after the experience, at the premiere of This Is It with Kenny Ortega and Jermaine Jackson.

Below is the link to the rest of the article. I must warn you, this Caroline Thompson woman has some unkind things to say about Michael. (That’s one of the reasons I wanted to do it as a separate post – to highlight the cute story without having to subject everyone to yet another mean spirited attack on our beloved Michael).


On the positive side, instead of lamenting the fact that we never got to see “Midknight” I’m grateful we didn’t after reading this article. Michael needed to have a movie written for him by someone who wanted him in the lead role and understood who he was – something this woman clearly did not. This is very ironic considering she wrote Edward Scissorhands – you think she would have been more attuned to the sensitive soul that was Michael Jackson.

Before you have to read the nastiness have this quote in your mind:

"Michael Jackson's performance as the Scarecrow was one of the only positively reviewed elements of the film, with critics noting that Michael possessed "genuine acting talent" and "provided the only genuinely memorable moments." Michael said "I don't think it could have been any better, I really don't." He stated that his time working on The Wiz was "my greatest experience so far . . . I'll never forget that."

 http://www.viceland.com/wp/2009/09/michael-jackson-would-have-loved-to-have-been-edward-scissorhands/

Media stranglehold - what can we do about it?

Tori Tomkins says: "I tell people all the facts I can remember - that the family trashed Michael's property, used his credit cards and visited tourist attractions whilst they claimed they were being "held captive." That their testimonies weren't consistent or believable - that Sneddon forged fingerprint evidence on magazines that hadn't even been published at the time of the allegations - that his office fabricated phone evidence - that the prosecution had no evidence to present in court apart from two legal art books and a family with a history of lying, extortion and deceit. Yet I tell people these things and they say "Well, I suppose," as if they don't quite believe it. It is extremely frustrating - how much more evidence is needed?"

Tori’s quote shows you what an insidious stranglehold the media has over the general public. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, some people find it hard to let go of their pre-conceived notions. Why is that? Well, I think maybe I can shed some light on this.

As Michael said in an interview given to Magdalena, Gold Girl in 2002: 

I did know. Instinctively and intuitively I knew Michael was a genuinely good person. That was what attracted me to him - even more than his undeniable talent or his stunningly good looks. Like he told ET on the set of ‘Beat It’ he was here to “bring some kind of joy, escapism, magic to the world!”

Here is that interview: (I quoted from the 00:52 mark). 

But here is where the stranglehold of the media comes in. They have a level of trust – the very nature of the news media is that they report on events as they happen. Well, that’s how it is supposed to be at any rate. But as we now know, that is not what actually happens. These days the news media and the entertainment industry are almost indistinguishable from one another. Ratings are the name of the game and there seems to be very little concern that the ratings often come at the expense of the truth.

Last week, I was watching an episode of ‘The View’ and Barbara Walters said something that was very interesting. She was discussing the upcoming royal nuptials of Prince William to Kate Middleton and she made the point that a poll had been taken that showed the American public’s interest in the wedding was surprisingly low. Ironically, she then spent the next five minutes promoting her TV special on the same subject!

Prince William & Kate publicly announce their engagement. I wish them well!

Amusing, yes but there is a very significant point I’m trying to make. The media likes to decide what they think we should be interested in; regardless of whether we actually are or not. Arrogant, isn’t it? But not isolated. Remember the same thing happened with the Monica Lewinsky - President Clinton scandal. Despite feedback from the public that they had enough of the furore, the news reports continued to focus on it day in day out until they decided it was time to move on to a different story.

It is the same with Michael Jackson; they decided how he was to be portrayed and it seemed to matter little to them what the truth might actually be. When it came to the allegations, they determined that a guilty verdict suited their purposes best and slanted their reports that way.

Now, that sounds like a statement that would come from a fan. And many do dismiss us as “Oh, that’s just those crazy MJ fans!” It is not unexpected that as a fan I would want to believe the media was biased but the opposite is true. Initially, I believed the media must have some basis for their reports so some parts of it must be true. I didn’t want to doubt Michael but the media were so insistent that I’m afraid I did for a brief period. It was a GQ article “Was Michael Jackson Framed?” in 1994 that set me straight.

The difference is that as a fan I sought to uncover the truth. The general public were reliant on the media for that and the media failed to represent the situation fairly. I haven’t actually re-read that GQ article but from memory the author simply presents arguments for both sides of the equation – and isn’t this exactly what we desire our media to do in every single instance? Tell us the facts and then leave us to draw our own conclusions.

Given all this, ten years later I was unprepared for the media onslaught that followed the second set of allegations. Armed with the knowledge gained from the 1993 experience, I wasn’t concerned with the rumors until charges were laid. Then I was very confused. I felt sure Michael was innocent but the police must have had some evidence if they chose to charge him, right? The media were reporting like a conviction was a foregone conclusion, so they must surely have been privy to some proof that would warrant such a position? So it was with a lot of reluctance that I watched some court re-enactments of the trial (I think it was on the E! network). My reluctance turned to relief as day by day it became increasingly apparent that no such evidence existed.

My relief was so strong that I did not really ponder all that much on the media’s role. Michael would be exonerated and at that time that was all that mattered to me.

For the most part, all those things Tori mentions in her quote weren’t widely reported on during the trial…I never heard about the falsified fingerprint evidence, for example, until after Michael died. In fact, for me - the first I heard of that was on Reverend Catherine’s blog talk radio show – the one she did with William Wagener. To say I was astounded would be putting it mildly. That was huge and yet it has been completely ignored by the mainstream media. It is exactly this type of blatant and audacious disregard for the truth that is at the core of the problem. The general public do not expect the media to do this kind of thing. They believe, as I did, that if the media said something happened they had researched that item to ensure that it did occur. Conversely, if they became aware of a pertinent morsel of information, they would relay that to the waiting public.

So, this is why some people react to Tori’s facts they way they do. They may seem reluctant to believe her – after all it is quite daunting, and more than a little humiliating to acknowledge that you may have been duped for an extended period of time.  For some people, this may be close to twenty years!

Or as this fan put it:

"All these pages, 100’s of pages, many, many hours of investigation, going to the Philippines, going to Chicago, going all over the country, there’s not one scrap of evidence that Michael Jackson ever harmed a child, did anything wrong, committed any crime. It’s almost a vindication when you look at this. The FBI looked at all of these matters and said “there’s nothing here,” and I think that’s the most startling thing which I’ve seen."

It’s not a question of more evidence; the existing evidence just needs to filter through to the public at large in a medium they can trust.

The dilemma for us Michael Jackson fans is how do we get the facts to the general public if the media aren’t going to do it?

Not another ‘Pepsi Moment’ comment! Oh no, this time it’s by Aussies…

Today, 23^rd April 2011, I was watching a repeat of the results show for ‘American Idol’ on FOX8 when a promo ran for ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’.

I wasn’t really watching avidly as I was working on a posting for my blog but I like having the TV on in the background. Sort of killing two birds with one stone – I wanted to know the outcome without needing to pay close attention to the whole show.  My MJ antenna kicked in when I heard this though:

“And…another Jackson who can’t stay away from a naked flame.” Accompanying these words was footage of Latoya Jackson in a kitchen backing away from an oven top which had flared up.

Now my American friends may have already seen this episode. We seem to be a week or two behind here in Australia.

But what angered me was this was yet another instance of Michael being blamed for something bad that happened to him. The Pepsi incident on January 27, 1984 is what they were referring to of course. How can a pyrotechnic accident be his fault I wondered? We should blame Michael for being a perfectionist and doing that fateful take, when in all likelihood he got it down pat in the earlier takes?

Michael handled the whole situation magnificently. Whilst in hospital receiving treatment for the painful burns he suffered, he took the time to visit with other patients, providing them with comfort and a little relief. 

According to the www.mjjtimeline.blogspot.com Michael only spent one day in hospital. He could easily have chosen to stay in his own room but he cared more for others. He knew his presence would bring joy and brighten what would otherwise have been only an ordeal.

And you just know he couldn’t resist a trip to the maternity ward to check out all the babies when he went back a few months later in April for follow up reconstructive surgery!

Later that year, he settled with Pepsi and donated the $1.5 million in damages he received to the Center that was named in his honor ‘The Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children’.

Michael turned a traumatic experience into something that has touched the lives of who knows how many people. But what do the media do? They use it as an opportunity to mock him. Now some will say us MJ fans are too sensitive. Certainly that was what some were saying after a comment made by a contestant on American Idol a few weeks ago. 

James Durbin was asked by the host Ryan Seacrest if he had any concerns about any aspects of his just completed performance to which James replied: “I have a lot of hairspray in my hair to keep it from jumping around, so much so that the one thing I was worried about was having a ‘Pepsi Moment.’”

I was watching that – and distinctly remember it made me intake my breath sharply. Then I realised, and was grateful for, the fact that James had described it as a ‘Pepsi Moment’ as opposed to a ‘Michael Jackson Moment’. I can not be mad at James. But I am furious with the FOX8 crew for the comment I heard today.

How dare they suggest Michael brought the pyrotechnic mishap on himself? Why is someone else’s pain and suffering fodder for their pathetic jokes?

It distresses me to write this because I am forced to admit that the Australian media are really no better than the Americans or British when it comes to Michael Jackson.

Up until recently, I had been quietly smug; thinking that the main culprits were in the USA or the UK. That’s true – both have acted abominably. Unfortunately though, their Australian counterparts have followed their lead.

To borrow Diana Ross’s phrase, Michael is a personal love of mine, one I didn’t really share with my family and friends until after he died. I assumed that the negative media coverage of him had probably influenced my loved ones perception of him. So I was pleasantly surprised when one by one they each told me that they believed the media were wrong and that Michael is the good person us fans know him to be.

Compounding that is the ridiculous satisfaction I get that our Aussie boys (Wade Robson & Brett Barnes) all vehemently denied any wrongdoing by Michael Jackson. The fact that they didn’t succumb to the temptations of the monies offered by the lurid media for any false allegations make me inordinately proud of my fellow countrymen.  

So I had been lulled into a false sense of security – that our media wasn’t as bad because obviously all my friends and family had a more balanced and fair view of Michael’s character. The recent natural disasters changed all that though. One particularly offensive member of the media pulled the ‘Broadcast News’ stunt. That is a movie from the 80’s where William Hurt plays a reporter who manipulates a piece – editing it afterwards so that it appears that he cries as the interviewee tells him her emotionally laden story.

On the promo for the interview with a mother who had her toddler ripped from her arms, the ‘Sunday Night’ reporter does exactly the same as the William Hurt character and they include a shot, just of him, welling up with tears! I was so disgusted that I vowed then and there to never watch that show.

And then I was watching some live coverage of the Japan earthquake. This insensitive female reporter was talking to an Australian who was in a Japanese subway and she said something like “I’ll let you go so you can evacuate.” That infuriated me, she thought her report was so important – she was begrudgingly letting the person go, seemingly indifferent to that person’s safety.

In conclusion, the worldwide media sucks!

Dr Murray's Alphabet of Excuses

I really try to be as positive as I can - especially here in my blog - but I have had enough and just can't keep quiet any longer.

I am totally fed up with Dr Murray's lame, pitiful, ridiculous and insulting excuses for causing the death of Michael Jackson.

Do you guys remember a TV show called "The Practice"? Well they had a name for their approach to defending their clients:

 "However, the firm is far more notorious for employing a strategy they refer to as "Plan B", which involves creating doubt with the jury as to their client's guilt by accusing a third, usually innocent party of the crime in order to plant the seed of reasonable doubt."

Initially, Dr Murray's defense did seem to be targeting Michael as the "third, usually innocent party" but now I think they've gone one step further - they are doing Plan A - Z! Let me explain it this way...

Dr Murray – A is for Michael was an Addict - so I’m not responsible for his death…

 is for Autopsy which does not support Michael being an addict. Take this one, Seven - click here 
 A is for why did Dr Murray leave Michael Alone? Click here 
A is for was it an Accident? 
A is for was it Aliens that came in and injected the propofol - courtesy of Twitter!

Dr Murray – B is for a Burglar came in and killed Michael - so I’m not responsible for his death…

Prosecution - B is for Bed. Dr Murray left Michael on the bed rather than place him on the floor when administering CPR.   

This B eautiful B edroom is in the Los Angeles home Michael was living in as he rehearsed for the upcoming ‘This Is It’ tour. As you can see there is ample floor space. However, there have been reports that this wasn’t the room Michael was using that fateful night. In any event, space was not the issue as to why Michael had not been moved to the floor to perform CPR – it appears a lack of knowledge was the cause?

B is for Bumbling. Also see “I” for Incompetent and “N” for Negligent…

Dr Murray – C is for Michael was Cash strapped – now see ‘D’

 is for C.P.R which apparently Dr Murray didn’t know how to do properly? 
 is for Contradictory and Conflicting which is what Dr Murray's statements to police have been

C is for Cardiologist – This is what Dr Murray is – not an anaesthesiologist – so he had no business administering propofol to anyone, let alone Michael Jackson in a home setting.

Dr Murray – D is for Michael was Depressed because of ‘C’– now see ‘S’ 

Dr Murray – D is for Demerol. What do you mean the autopsy report Didn’t show any traces of that in Michael Jackson’s system? But the media all said he was addicted to that…Perhaps the jury won’t notice the autopsy report and just believe what they had seen or read in the media?

Prosecution - D is for Dipravan – another name for Propofol and a Dose that was way too much of it was found in Michael’s system according to the autopsy report.

Prosecution - D is for Distracted. Which Dr Murray seemed to be given the number and duration of his phone calls? Read more about these calls from Nikki Alygator's blog here.

Dr Murray – E is for the monitoring Equipment I requested from AEG was not provided – so it’s their fault…Seven, please tell them...click here

Prosecution - E is for Evidence which does not seem to support Dr Murray’s account of that fateful morning.

Dr Murray – F is for Fingerprints.  Mine weren’t on the syringe - so I’m not responsible for his death…

Prosecution - F is for Dr Friedberg - a propofol expert who says this: "Dr. Murray failed to watch and monitor his patient and nothing else matters" adds Friedberg. "No amount of legal defense attorney posturing can relieve Murray of his responsibility to have watched and monitored his patient.  

Dr Murray – G is for Get out of here! You’re not buying any of my excu…I mean…statements? Oh, you’re MJ fans! Typical! ….What? You’re not fans… and you still don’t believe me? What’s wrong with you people!

Prosecution - G is for Gloves which is the most likely explanation for why Dr Murray’s fingerprints don’t appear on the syringe.

Prosecution - G is for Gross Negligence

Dr Murray – H is for Hippocratic Oath. Ever heard of it Dr Murray?

Prosecution - H is for Hospital – the setting propofol should have been administered in – instead of Michael’s Holmby Hills Home.

Prosecution - H is for Homocide

Dr Murray – I is for Nation of Islam. Michael was involved with them - so somehow it's their fault he died

Prosecution - I is for Involuntary Manslaughter. Involuntary manslaughter is defined as "the person's act either was by its nature dangerous to human life or was done with reckless disregard for human life. (In addition) the person either knew that such conduct was a threat to the lives of others or knew of circumstances that would reasonably cause the person to foresee that such conduct might be a threat to the lives of others."

Dr Murray – J is for Jail which I'm trying desperately to avoid...

is for Justice. 



We agree, J is for Jail and this is where we expect Dr Murray will end up!

Dr Murray – K is for its Dr Klein’s fault. He got Michael addicted - so I’m not responsible for his death…Seven will tell ya...click here

Prosecution - K is for Killer

Dr Murray – L is for there was no Landline phone so I couldn’t call 911 so I’m not responsible for his death…

Prosecution - L is for Ludicrous Lies

Dr Murray – M is for 'Michael’s kids are like my own'.

 (MJ fans in unison: ‘NO, THEY’RE NOT!’)

Prosecution - M is for Murderer

Prosecution - M is for Medical License. Why does Dr Murray still have his? 

Prosecution - M is for Motive, Means and Opportunity –the trifecta when it comes to premeditated murder. WE can clearly establish the latter two but not the first; hence our decision to pursue the lesser charge of Involuntary Manslaughter.

Prosecution - M is for Means – Dr Murray had the means to commit the crime. He prescribed, and by his own admission, administered the murder weapon, propofol.

Dr Murray – N is for Nation of Islam. Michael knew them - so somehow it's their fault he died

 is for Nurse. Why didn’t Dr Murray have one to assist him monitor Michael? N is for also for Negligence

 Dr Murray – O is for Orange juice. Michael put the propofol in there and drank it. What? A moment ago I said a burglar snuck in (got past Michael’s security team undetected) and gave him the fatal dose. Did I? Are you sure? And how can I explain how only trace (definition: An extremely small amount. A barely perceivable indication) amounts of propofol were found in Michael’s digestive system? Well...um...[desperate pause]...Next letter!

is for Orange. Do you think this color suits him?

(MJ fans in unison: ‘WE DO!’) 

Prosecution - O is for Opportunity. Dr Murray was the Only One with Michael.

Dr Murray – P is for I will Plead the 5^th. Come on now, you didn’t honestly expect me to open myself up for cross examination did you? The prosecution would destroy me!

Prosecution - P is for Propofol – the murder weapon. P is for also for Prison where Dr Murray should spend at least 4 years.

 Dr Murray – Q is for Quick! The trial is about to start. Which story are you buying? What? …None of them? [grumble] You people are just so annoying! Alright, let me think of some more…

Prosecution - Q is for it is Quite obvious that Dr Murray caused Michael’s death.  

Prosecution - Q is for Question is – was is it an accident or premeditated murder?

Prosecution - Q is for Quantity of propofol given by Dr Murray. Only Question for the jury is do they believe the doctor?

Dr Murray – R is for Really? You’re not falling for any of my crappy excuses?

Prosecution - R is for Ridiculous. Dr Murray’s attempts at defending his actions are ridiculous.

Prosecution - R is for why did Dr Murray Refuse to sign the Death Certificate?

Prosecution - R is for Red Herrings - which is what all these lame excuses are.

Dr Murray – S is for Suicide. Michael Self-injected the propofol because of ‘C’ and ‘D’

is for Stop all these Stupid excuses and admit your role in Michael’s death.

S is for Second Degree Murder - which is what some people think we should have charged Dr Murray with instead of Involuntary Manslaughter.

Dr Murray – T is for I was Tired so I wasn’t responsible for his death…

Dr Murray – T is for ‘I Told the Truth’ …What do you mean which time? All the time! …What do you mean that’s not possible? Oh God, please save me from these pesky MJ fans!

Prosecution - T is for Truth – the real kind not Dr Murray’s delusional interpretation of it. Hopefully the outcome of his trial…

Prosecution - T is for Take responsibility for one’s actions – something we all wish Dr Murray would do…

Dr Murray – U is for Unbelievable? How can you say that? I think I’ve been very creative…

Dr Murray – U is for Uncertain. We are aiming for at least one member of the jury to be unsure and confused…Is it working?

Prosecution - U is for Unmonitored and Unattended – possibly for as much as 47 minutes, Dr Murray left Michael Jackson unmonitored and unattended. Why?

Prosecution - U is for Urine analysis. Nikki Alygator wrote a terrific piece on this.

Dr Murray – V is for drug Vials. Quick let me hide these. …What? Well, yes I was in the middle of CPR…But it’s important that I hide these, dude!

  

·         Paramedic says Jackson doctor scooped up drug vials

Prosecution - V is for Vital signs. Michael had none when the paramedics arrived.

Dr Murray – W is for I was trying toWean Michael off propofol - so I’m not responsible for his death…

Prosecution - W is for Withheld information. Seeing as Raven is having technical difficulty with her www.allforloveblog.com at the moment rather than providing a link, I’ll include part of what she wrote back on March 22, 2010:

“Here is The News Of The World article, which depicts in graphic detail what went down in those final two hours (after Murray has decided-”sh*&! I’ve f*&%*ed up!)

The article is from the UK, so forgive the “Jacko” references:

‘The report shows paramedics quizzed Murray about “meds” (medicines) after racing to a bedroom at Jackson’s Hollywood Hills home at 12.27pm on June 25 last year.

 Murray told them Jack(s)o(n) was exhausted after a sleepless night and he had given him only the sedative Lorazepam and fluids to re-hydrate him. 

This contradicts what Murray told police and the findings of the autopsy.

Detectives say the doctor also administered Valium, Midazolam, Flumanzenil and Propofol overnight. The coroner found Jackson’s blood contained Lorazepam as well as other anxiety sedatives Lidocaine, Diazepam, Nordiazepam and Midazolam, plus Ephedrine which can be used for sleep disorders and Propofol. The medics left the Controlled Meds section of the form blank indicating that Murray, who was paid £100,000 a month by Jack(s)o(n), had not informed them about the many substances he had pumped into him.”

Dr Murray – X is for X

Prosecution - X is for X

Dr Murray – Y is for Y

Prosecution - Y is for Y

Dr Murray – Z is for Z

Prosecution - Z is for Zoo animals. Why do they get better treatment than what Michael got? Click here.