Jacko, His Rise and Fall: The Social and Sexual History of Michael Jackson (106 page)

"I am very angry at Eminem's depiction of me in his video," Michael told radio host Steve Harvey. "I feel that it is
outrageous and disrespectful. It is one thing
to spoof, but it is another to be demeaning
and insensitive."

Eminem

Of course, Michael had far more
than Eminem to worry about. Michael's
attorneys had been desperately trying to get
Judge Melville to dismiss charges or else
throw out evidence. In his ruling of October
16, 2004, the judge refused, claiming that
the police had acted properly when they'd
searched Bradley Miller's office.

As Michael neared his trial date,
more suspicions were aired about his past
activities with young boys-many of them
anonymous, but some of them minor celebrities in their own right. One such
case involving "names" surfaced in November of 2004.

It was revealed that teen pop singer Aaron Carter had spent an unsupervised night with Michael, "my idol," at Neverland. Aaron was only 15 years
old at the time. He'd gone to Michael's 45th birthday bash at Neverland with
his older brother, former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter. The next day, Nick told
his mother, Jane Carter, that Aaron refused to leave Neverland, so he left his
younger brother there.

His mother claimed she was in panic until Aaron came home about 24
hours later, never giving his mother an explanation of what went on during his
absence. "I don't know if he was alone with Michael," June claimed to
celebrity interviewer Daphne Barak on Access Hollywood. June later said that
prosecutors grilled Aaron about his time at Neverland. "I have no idea what
he told them," June said.

Aaron did admit spending time in Michael's bedroom but mostly "we had
innocent, fun-like dance lessons and rode around the ranch." Aaron reportedly also told his mother that Michael gave him a Bentley, but he never brought
the vehicle home. Later Michael denied giving the teenager the expensive car.

When June called Michael, he reportedly told her, "Nothing happened.
Absolutely nothing happened. All we did was hang out."

Michael's show-biz involvements were ground to a virtual halt as police
grilled one boy after another. His upcoming trial dominated the headlines,
which is why the world took little notice of the November 16, 2004 release of
Michael Jackson, The Ultimate Collection Box Set, a flashy-looking assortment of five separate CDs. It contained 13 previously un-issued recordings
dating back to as early as 1969 and forward to the post-millennium. It also presented an unreleased 1992 live concert and contained 57 tracks of hit singles. But the glory days of Thriller sales were long gone.

On December 3, 2004, just weeks before Michael was scheduled to go on
trial, police-armed with a search warrant-once again raided Neverland.
Investigators entered the estate at 9 a.m., remaining there for three hours, but
issued no statement as to the reason for the raid. Michael was leaving
Neverland at the time of the raid, but did not stick around to see what the
police were doing. When he heard about the raid, Mesereau raced more than
150 miles from Los Angeles to the Los Olivos ranch to monitor the search.

Within days, Mesereau filed a motion to dismiss the child molestation
charges on the grounds of "vindictive prosecution and outrageous government
conduct." The defense also asked Judge Melville to suppress all evidence
seized at Neverland under the latest search warrants. According to reporters,
Michael's lawyers even wanted a DNA sample taken from the star destroyed.

Around Christmas in 2004, private videos of Michael went on the market.
The footage was shot in 1996 by Dr. Allan Metzger, who taped scenes from
the HiStory tour as well as scenes from Michael's wedding to Rowe. Although
in the wedding scenes Rowe looks more attractive than she usually does,
Michael allegedly looks like a freakish goon. As for what the film contained,
a source who'd seen the footage claimed, "You see Michael bitching and
moaning about his fans. He says he doesn't like them to touch him and gets
really upset when they storm his limo."

Metzger did not release the tapes himself and was "shocked and aghast"
to find the video being peddled. He said he thought the tapes were locked in
a safe. It was reported that an estranged member of Metzger's family managed
to procure the damaging tapes.

More damaging video was on the
way.

Brothers, Aaron and Nick Carter

Directed by Helen Littleboy and
narrated by Mark Strong, Michael
Jackson's Boys aired on television in
2005. It used interviews with friends,
family, journalists, and many young
boys who had been involved with
Michael over the years. Boys included
Frank Cascio, playing himself. Jordie
Chandler in archive footage also
appeared as himself, as did the array of
the "usual suspects," including
Macaulay Culkin, Terry George,
Emmanuel Lewis, Jimmy Safechuck, and others. Archival footage was also used of Lisa Marie and Brooke Shields.

Some fans immediately attacked the film as "very dangerous, one of the
most biased pieces of television I've seen in a long time." The show clearly
left the impression that Michael "grooms" young boys for a relationship but
"rejects them once puberty hits."

The impending trial had all the elements for a great show business special.
The defendant was arguably the most famous personality in show business,
the only performer who rivaled Elvis Presley and The Beatles in worldwide
name recognition. Charges of child molestation were expected to bring lurid
testimony from shady accusers. Over-the-top courtroom histrionics could be
expected. For defense witnesses there was talk of an all-star cast, including
Dame Elizabeth herself.

In a perceptive article, journalist Amy Sohn wrote that Michael might as
well be on trial for much more than child molestation, citing "body dysmor-
phia, bizarre wardrobe, narcissism, racial-identity disorder, transgenderism,
makeup wearing, and poor parenting. Jackson is a walking set of contradictions between male and female, gay and straight, man and boy, abused and
abuser."

Even as charges swirled around Michael, many parents defended the pop
star, claiming the accusations were lies and asserting that it was still safe for
their kids to visit Neverland if invited.

In Los Angeles, Gaynor Morgan told the press that she had no objection
to her ten-year-old son, Alex, visiting Michael. "It'd be fine for him to stay
and spend time ... and you know, confident," Morgan said in a slightly awkward statement.

Sally Thomas of Dallas defended Michael, claiming that her five-year-old
son, Travis, had visited Neverland as a participant in a Make-a-Wish Grant. "I
don't think Michael sees himself as a middle-aged man when he's with these
children, because he's out there playing just like they are," said Thomas.

One reporter concluded, "That leaves some to complain that Michael
Jackson may be Peter Pan-but it's the parents who are in Neverland."

As defenders came forward to praise him, Michael saw his hopes dashed
on January 31, 2005. His lawyers had been working feverishly behind the
scenes to have charges against their client dropped, but 4,000 summonses had
been mailed out to county residents. Jury selection had begun, as court officials hoped to find a dozen "impartial" jurors. Because of so much pre-trial
publicity, nearly every prospective juror had already formed an opinion, and
most of them seemingly believed that Michael was a child molester.

During the jury selection, everyone who was even remotely connected
with Michael real or fantasy wise-talked to the press. A resident of
Phoenix, Hans Schmidt, came forward, claiming he had tapes in which Michael asserted that he pined for "a woman to love." Schmidt maintained
that these tapes would prove that Michael was straight.

On the tapes, the singer allegedly expresses his dislike for his nappy hair,
calling it "nigger hair." He also mentioned his battle with anorexia. Even so,
during the filming of these tapes, he was reported to have shared a dessert with
a beautiful blond-haired boy. In the New York Daily News, columnists
provocatively speculated: "Let's hope it wasn't the English dessert Jackson
mentions a fondness for in another conversation: Spotted Dick."

Finally, the court selected 12 jurors, each of whom claimed that they
wouldn't allow Michael's celebrity to affect their final decision as to his guilt
or innocence. The jury of four men and eight women was made up mostly of
whites. No jurors were black, but at least three appeared to be Hispanic and
another Asian.

Some of the final jurors, ranging in age from 20 to 79, were Michael's
fans; four parents of young children; a woman whose grandson had been convicted of a sexual offense, and a man who had visited Michael at Neverland
when he was a child. Eight alternates were selected-four men and four
women ranging in age from 19 to 81.

The trial that would last for 73 days began on March 1, 2005, and would
involve the state calling 90 witnesses, the defense 50. Some 700 pieces of evidence, including pornography, would be introduced into the official record.
But perhaps none of these exhibits was as bizarre as a collection of barebreasted plastic "Barbies" in S&M
gear.

The perils of plastic surgery

As a means of demonstrating
Michael's attraction to young boys,
the prosecution introduced two
books featuring nude prepubescent
boys. The books had been seized
during the 1993 raid on Neverland
and never returned. The pictures
were of boys who took part in the
1963 film adaptation of Lord of the
Flies. One book, The Boy: A
Photographic Essay featured many
photos of nude boys, including
some explicit depictions of genitalia.

In TV coverage, reporters
Diane Dimond and Nancy Grace
emerged collectively as Michael's bete noire. Each of them would later insist that Michael got away with some
serious charges of child molestation, all of it coming at great cost to his music
career and personal reputation.

Judge Rodney Melville ruled that witnesses, including young men, could
be summoned to court to testify if Michael had ever sexually abused them. In
most cases, evidence of past behavior had not been admissible against a defendant. However, in 1995, the California Legislature changed that, passing a law
that in cases of child molestation, testimony from the past could be allowed.
The judge cleared the way for the prosecution to introduce testimony that
Michael had made moves on five other boys, including Macaulay Culkin.
However, even before his appearance in court, Culkin had consistently denied
that Michael ever molested him.

In pressing for the introduction of boys from Michael's past, Sneddon told
the judge that Michael's actions with these youths were inappropriate, including "kissing, hugging, and inserting his hands into their pants." He also
claimed that "there was a pattern of grooming," or preparing the boys for
molestation, but did not elaborate.

Sneddon wanted testimony from Jordie Chandler, but the boy had refused
to appear, reportedly fleeing the country. Nonetheless, the DA wanted the
jurors to see the cute young boy with his dark hair and doe eyes. A larger-thanlife photograph of Jordie was shown to jurors on an overhead projection
screen. Attorney Larry Feldman, who previously had brokered Jordie's $25
million settlement with Michael, claimed that Jordie was much better looking
than this photograph revealed. "I can tell you, at that age he was adorable,"
Feldman said. When the picture was shown in court, Michael did not look up
at it but stared straight ahead.