Jacko, His Rise and Fall: The Social and Sexual History of Michael Jackson (111 page)

"I have been with the Jackson family for 15 years," Oxman said. "And
I'm Jewish. I have never once seen anything anti-Semitic from him or from
his family."

The day after ABC aired the telephone answering machine message, the Anti-Defamation League demanded that Michael apologize. "Michael
Jackson has an anti-Semitic streak and hasn't learned from his past mistakes,"
said ADL director Abraham Foxman.

More unwanted publicity came late in 2005 in the form of a book by
Pulitzer Prize winner, Margo Jefferson, who published a short treatise on the
star. Only 138 pages, On Michael Jackson claimed that the performer "speaks
to and for the monstrous child in us all." An African-American, Jefferson has
long been an admirer of Michael's. But she also paints a devastating portrait
of the entertainer. She raises some disturbing questions about sexual desires in
young boys, particularly at the ages of 12, 13, 14, and 15. Such boys are not
necessarily "innocent," she said, noting that "they are curious, they have sexual desires, as well as impulses, and they want to act on them. I am not trying
to turn Michael's accuser, Gavin Arvizo, into a youthful seducer. I am simply
trying to say there was almost no public acknowledgment of these everyday
facts, known to anyone who has had a child, spent time with children, or
remembers being a child."

Those children that Michael had once befriended-at least most of
them-had turned into adults. In the fierce sun of Bahrain, Michael had plenty of time to acknowledge Sean Lennon, son of John, as he turned thirty in
2005. Sean, a holdover from Michael's "boy crazy days," had grown into a
man, although Michael reportedly had been disappointed that Sean had not
realized his dream in music. "How could anyone, even a son, follow in the
footsteps of a father like John Lennon?" Michael asked. "My own father, Joe,
was a failed musician, so I didn't have to compete with his record like poor
Sean has to do. It's the same with Lisa Marie. She's no female Elvis-let's
face it."

Although a multi-millionaire and the reasonably attractive son of a music
legend, Sean stunned the world when he virtually advertised for a lady companion. He told the press that it could be, "Any girl who is interested but she
must be born female and between the ages of 18 and 45. She must have an IQ
above 130 and must be honest. She must not have any clinical, psychological
disorders ... and a kind heart. Clearly beautiful-but beauty on the inside is
more important-but no deformities, third legs, fifth nipples." In a statement
so bizarre as to seem unbelievable, the rich singer/songwriter claimed that,
"I'm completely alone and I'm completely miserable."

When Michael read this astonishing statement, he reportedly said, "I'm in
the same boat as Sean." As an afterthought, he added, "Of course, I have the
children, but sometimes even they are a mixed blessing. As I get older, I realize that parenting can be an annoying task at times."

Taking over most of that parenting for Michael in Bahrain was Grace
Rwaramba, a native of Rwanda, who was the nanny to his kids. The rumor mill swirled around Michael and the nanny when the press reported that
Michael was planning to wed Grace so that she could become the actual mother-not the stand-in-for his kids.

The trouble with that report was that Grace was already wed, having married Stacey M. Adair in Las Vegas on February 26, 1995. The couple had not
lived together, however, for years.

Adding to the tabloid fodder, it was rumored in the press that Grace had
also been involved in "romances" with two of Michael's brothers, Jermaine
and Randy. Grace has denied introducing Michael to the Nation of Islam and
has blamed his problems on Satan.

It was believed that Michael considered marrying Grace when a
California appellate court restored Debbie Rowe's parental rights. If he were
in a marriage, or so it was believed, it would help his legal status as a parent
and sole custodian for his three children.

Reporter Roger Friedman claimed that, "Rwaramba is widely disliked by
the Jackson camp, by nearly all of his family members, and his remaining two
or three employees. They see her as a social-climbing gold-digger who wants
what's left of Jackson's money."

Friedman had reported in 2005 that Grace was "drugging Jackson and
keeping him isolated from family and friends." She's been with Michael and
his three kids since he fled to Bahrain. "Family members and business associates who want to speak with Jackson must call the nanny, who decides what
calls are put through to the abundantly weird singer," Friedman claimed.

Because of his ties to Grace and her links to the Nation of Islam, and
because of Michael's previous links to that group, rumors also circulated that
he was prepared to convert to Islam, as had his brother Jermaine, who was also
said to be urging his brother to convert. It was even claimed that Michael was
planning to erect a mosque in Bahrain.

A spokesman for Islamic causes said, "Thousands of people are embracing Islam. Michael Jackson is just one of them." Michael's spokesperson,
Raymone Bain said, "Michael is looking to give something back to the country that has welcomed him so openly."

Michael caused a media storm when he entered the women's restroom in
a shopping mall in Bahrain. A representative claimed that the singer did not
understand the Arabic sign and mistook the bathroom for a men's room.

Bain claimed that Michael left the women's room as soon as he discovered what it was. But witnesses said that he did not leave the toilet at once and
was spotted applying makeup in the mirror. Upon his exit, he was recognized
and a mob began to gather. He hid out in a bookstore until the police arrived
to escort him out of the mall.

Relations with Bahrain soured when he was pilloried for appearing in a Muslim abaya robe, garb which is traditionally worn by females.

Every time Michael appears in public, including a surprise visit to the
water park in Dubai, it is widely reported in the press. He rented the entire
Wild Wadi Park and appeared here in a white Lycra body suit that exposed just
his nose and eyes. A lifeguard told the British tabloid, The Daily Express, "He
looked even stranger than usual. His body is very skinny and Lycra does him
no favors."

Although in exile and cut off from family members, Michael was believed
to have stayed in contact with brother Jermaine, who was reportedly flying to
Bahrain to see friends there. In fact, Jermaine, a Muslim, was believed to have
been responsible for Michael's move to that country in the first place. But
while Jermaine was still publicly defending his brother, reports reached
Michael-and later the press-that he was actually shopping a book, hoping
to cash in on Michael's trial and subsequent notoriety.

Allegations made by Jermaine were leaked to the New York press. In the
never-published book, Legacy: Surviving the Best and the Worst, Jermaine
claimed that a "sperm donor" was responsible for the birth of Michael's two
children with Debbie Rowe in spite of the pop star's insistence that the kids
were fathered in "the natural way."

"It was like a sanctioned black market," Jermaine claimed. Michael's
brother did not explain how Michael acquired his third child, Prince Michael
II. The mother of "Blanket" has never been identified.

In his book proposal, Jermaine is alleged to have suggested that daughters
Rebbie and La Toya may have been molested by Joe Jackson and that young
Michael himself may have suffered abuse from an "important businessman."

Jermaine, according to news reports, even suggested his father "may have
set up Michael to be somehow victimized by older men."

Jermaine also claimed that all of Michael's brothers feared he was gay when they toured as The
Jackson 5. He noted that all the other brothers fell in
love with women. "But, Michael, well, he wasn't
interested," Jermaine said. "We used to quietly say
that we couldn't have a gay brother."

Sean Lennon

Other allegations by Jermaine accused Michael
of being "devious and calculating" in squashing the
brothers' solo musical careers and paving the way for
himself alone. Jermaine said that Michael hated Jews,
including David Geffen, Steven Spielberg, and
Jeffrey Katzenberg, because "They stole the idea for
Dreamworks from me, including the boy-on-themoon logo."

Jermaine said that Michael preferred such drugs as Demerol, his eternal
favorite, but also Vicodin, codeine, cocaine, Percocet, red wine, and good of
Jack Daniels. Giving us an insider look at the troubled star, Jermaine's still
unpublished book was drafted by Stacy Brown, who had co-authored with
Bob Jones the book, Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask.

If Jermaine is to be believed, his brother's behavior with his own nephews
had left the family shaken. In one incident recalled, Michael was found sitting
on a bed with Tito's young sons and "holding them in a disturbing manner"
following the death of their mother in the mid-90s.

The bombshell proposal also alleged that Jermaine feared Michael might
be guilty of child molestation but backed him at the trial because he thought
the pop star "would commit suicide in prison." He also alleged in the eightpage proposal that Michael was "an out-of-control drug and booze abuser with
a calculating mean streak and a thing for young children."

"With all those drugs in his system, does Michael really know what he
does with these kids?" Jermaine asked. "I don't want to tell you my brother's
innocent. I am not certain that he is."

Most of the so-called revelations in Jermaine's proposal, including far
more devastating ones than he outlined, had not only been heard but often
published before. One publisher who looked at the manuscript said, "There's
nothing new here."

In New York, news was leaked that publishers who'd seen the proposal
turned it down when Jermaine refused to say definitely if Michael were guilty
in his kid-sex case. HarperCollins and St. Martin's were two publishers who
reportedly "passed" on the badly written proposal.

Reporter Michelle Caruso had a different spin, claiming that "Jermaine
pulled the plug on the book after Michael got wind of it and went ballistic,
threatening to sue and toss Jermaine out of the family home."

Even that family home was under threat.

By the summer of 2006, four notices of pending foreclosure were delivered at the Encino home of the Jackson family. Hayvenhurst is listed on the
real estate market as being worth about $7 million. Michael had failed to make
a $2 million mortgage payment on the property, and the Jacksons did not have
that much cash. Janet finally came through for her parents, delivering the
money to pay the back mortgages.

Journalist Roger Friedman said that, "A pattern has developed in which
Michael Jackson refuses to pay a bill-or get someone to pay it for him-until
legal action of some kind has been commenced against him."

That was certainly the case at Michael's once-beloved Neverland.

By March of 2006, Neverland had gone dark. No more laughing children.
No more arcade pulsing with rap music. No one waiting at the gate with ice cream for the kids. "I don't think he'll be back any time soon," said a security guard at the gate to Peter Pan's Castle. He refused to give his name. "I
signed a confidentiality agreement," he claimed.

In June of 2006, the animals at Neverland were moved to new homes, the
two tigers, Sabu and Thriller, were being cared for by actress Tippi Hedren,
animal rights activist and former star of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Her
fiance, Dr. Martin Dines, Michael's long-time vet, said that the animals are all
being moved out into "happy new environments." Despite reports that the animals were being mistreated, Dr. Dines insisted that they were in good condition, including four giraffes and two orangutans remaining. "I visit once a
week," he said. "There has never been a lapse in the care and feeding of the
animals."

The doctor's reports contradicted other claims. A former employee at
Neverland said, "The poor underfed animals are looking as sickly as Jacko
himself." Animal rights groups became enraged at these charges and demanded action from state officials.

Those state officials, especially in the California labor department, were
moving in on Michael on yet another front, fining him on March 9, 2006
$169,000 for failure to cover workers' employment insurance.

Michael not only paid this fine, but shelled out another $306,000 to
Neverland employees for back pay. By coming up with the funds, Michael
escaped court action. He ordered that Neverland be closed except for a skeletal crew he's forced to keep on. Today, Neverland is in search of a buyer.

In March of that year, stories about the collapse of Neverland weren't the
only headlines making the news. In the past, Michael's critics had often
accused him of being an extraterrestrial. Although said in jest, those claims
took on a more serious face that spring.

Mike Luckman, director of the New York Center for Extraterrestrial
Research, claimed that Michael, late in 2003, "indicated to me that he is open
to making contact with otherworldly beings." The revelations reportedly
occurred in the famous magic store, Abracadabra, on 21st Street in New
York's Chelsea district.