Michael Jackson interview with Bashir. Do you know what guy he was with? How life with Jackson turned into a trial with Jackson

Jan Runov, New York: British Martin Bashir's documentary about Michael Jackson, based on an interview with him, was a resounding success. The TV company ABC, which paid Bashir $5 million for the right to show it, received the highest rating that evening: more than 27 million viewers watched the film. The emphasis placed by the author of the film was unexpected for Michael Jackson himself, who said: "Everyone who knows me knows the truth: my children come first for me, I will never endanger or harm any child." And further: "I believed Martin Bashir and let him into my life and into the life of my family, because I wanted him to tell the truth, and he betrayed me. His program is terrible and unfair."

After watching the film, many child care professionals said that Michael Jackson should not be allowed around boys. A psychiatrist, director of a psychiatric hospital in Brewster, New York, Michael Nukitelli said that Jackson is mentally ill, that he often loses touch with reality. Doctor of Psychology Patricia Farrell from New Jersey believes that Michael Jackson cannot be a father, because he perceives the world not as it is. He lives in infantile fantasies. In the film, Michael Jackson admits that he still likes to sleep in the same bed with the children of his friends. In an interview, he denied that he had undergone plastic surgery, called the changes in his face natural under the influence of time.

British journalist Martin Bashir sought Michael Jackson's consent for an interview for 8 months, promising to help the singer breathe new life in his artistic career, which clearly went into decline. But the result was the opposite: millions of viewers around the world witnessed the terrible state that the once most popular singer reached. Psychologist Patricia Farrell was shocked by footage of Michael Jackson holding his young son, Prince Michael II, outside a balcony. The doctor is outraged that the singer's children do not know that they have a mother.

10 years ago, Michael Jackson was accused of pedophilia. In order not to bring the case to court, the singer paid the plaintiff about $20 million. But now he has admitted that he continues to share a bed with boys (although he denied that it was sexual in nature). Raoul Felder, a well-known New York lawyer, said Jackson's confessions should trigger a judicial investigation.

Michael Jackson prepared a counter-film from those fragments of his interview that were thrown out by Martin Bashir. At first, none of the major American television companies seemed to want to show it. Then everyone wanted to, but the singer preferred Fox, which announced on Wednesday February 12 that it would show a counter-film on February 20. The movie is called "Michael Jackson Part Two: The Interview They Didn't Show You".

Jury selection for Michael Jackson's trial began last week. The trial promises to be long and scandalous. "Power" brings to the attention of readers summary first act soap opera, which for the next six months will certainly compete with any other entertainment offered by television and the press.
The first phenomenon. boy and singer
In 2000, Gavin Arviso was ten years old, but he had already experienced a lot. He was diagnosed with cancer. Made a few major operations. He spent almost most of his time in the hospital, which, however, was even good for him: at home, the boy was always expected by parents who were always quarreling and fighting with each other and intimidated, downtrodden sisters.
Forgetting at least for a while about the disease helped him television. From one TV program, he learned about the international charity campaign "Make a Wish", engaged in the fulfillment of the cherished desires of terminally ill or dying children. He spoke about the transfer of his mother and said that he would like one of his idols to write to him - actors Jim Carrey, Chris Tucker, Adam Sandler. In the first place, he put, of course, Michael Jackson, but he was absolutely sure that the main idol would not find time to write to him. Nevertheless, Gavin wrote a letter to Michael Jackson with the help of his mother.
A few weeks later, the hospital where Gavin was in received a call. Michael Jackson, after reading the boy's letter, wanted to talk to him on the phone. The first conversation lasted only a few minutes. Michael promised to call again. And he kept his word. world celebrity and a ten-year-old teenager from Los Angeles became "friends on the phone." They talked almost every day. Soon the hospital began to bring gifts from Michael Jackson. Gavin was happy. And soon Janet informed her son that as soon as he recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital, they would all go to Michael Jackson in Neverland.
The first trip to the estate of the famous singer took place in August 2000. For Janet, Gavin and his sisters, Michael Jackson sent his own limousine. Since then, the boy very often came to the singer's estate, either accompanied by his mother, or one of his relatives.

The second phenomenon. Same director
In 2002, another guest appeared at the Neverland estate - TV journalist and director Martin Bashir. Bashir became world famous for a documentary film about Princess Diana, in which she frankly talked about life in the royal family. Bashir has repeatedly expressed a desire to meet Michael Jackson and interview him. Michael agreed.
The TV journalist spent several months with Michael Jackson, filming his life in Neverland and talking with his friends, including Gavin. Actually, it was thanks to Bashir that Gavin became a celebrity. Bashir's camera repeatedly captured moments of extraordinary friendship. Here is Michael hugging the boy, here they are walking hand in hand through Neverland. Here Gavin says that Michael cured him of cancer.
The release in 2003 of the film "Life with Michael Jackson" made a real sensation. Not only was the great singer filmed walking and playing with teenage boys, he also frankly admitted in front of the camera that he shared his bed with them and did not see anything reprehensible in this. Martin Bashir certainly didn't call Michael Jackson a pedophile. There was no need for this. The footage from the film spoke for itself. Martin Bashir gave interviews in which he spoke of "deep concern" about how Michael Jackson affects teenagers.
The singer tried to protest. He issued several statements accusing Bashir of betrayal. appeared on the screens New film"Michael Jackson, take two. The interview you'll never see." It included footage own operator Jackson, who happened to be filming Martin Bashir making a movie about Michael Jackson. In "Double" Bashir did not seem at all concerned about the morals and health of Jackson's young friends. "I have tears in my eyes when I see you with these children. Your relationship is so natural, so caring, so kind," Bashir said enthusiastically to Jackson.
The resonance caused by the films was enormous. Showbiz stars and fans of Jackson stood up to protect Michael Jackson from a traitor reporter. Janet Arviso also said her word. She was outraged by Bashir's insinuations, as well as the fact that her son was being interviewed without parental consent. In all the interviews that she gave at that time, a mandatory part of the program was a promise to sue the journalist. However, the lawsuit never came to fruition. The Arviso family suddenly disappeared from the field of view of journalists.

The fifth phenomenon. Same judge
Judge Rodney S. Melville, who presides over the trial, is one of the most controversial figures in California. He gained notoriety in the state in the mid-90s, becoming the first high-ranking judge to publicly admit to being an alcoholic. In his own words, he became addicted to alcohol in boy scout camps when he was 12 years old. Through his efforts, special courts for alcoholics and drug addicts were opened in California, which sentence the accused not to imprisonment, but send them to the appropriate state clinics for rehabilitation.
It is said that it was because of Judge Melville's special attitude towards alcohol and alcoholism that the district attorney decided to add cases of drinking minors to Jackson's list of charges, setting the judge against the accused in advance. So far, however, the judge seems to have done everything so that no one can accuse him of bias. According to many experts, Judge Melville gave the most extensive opportunities to both the prosecution and the defense. For example, the District Attorney's request to have the jury screen Martin Bashir's controversial film was widely seen as a huge victory for the prosecution. On the other hand, the judge's decision that 15-year-old Gavin Arviso will personally testify in court, as insisted on by the defense, is called a victory for the lawyers: they will be given the opportunity to cross-examine the witness.
However, the task facing the judge - to ensure a fair and impartial trial - seems to many almost impossible. In mid-January, just before the start of jury selection, the text of the testimony appeared in the newspapers, which Gavin Arviso gave during the preliminary investigation in the absence of Michael Jackson's lawyers. The testimony is so frank and shocking that not a single decent newspaper dared to publish it in full. The most decent was the story of how Michael Jackson almost forcibly tried to get Gavin drunk with wine. The testimony was confirmed by the words of one of the sisters of the witness, who, however, admitted that she herself was not present at the time, but learned about everything from her brother. Where the newspapers got the text, banned by the judge for publication, remained unknown.

End of the first act
Formally, the trial on Michael Jackson's charge of seducing a minor began last Monday, when the jury selection process began. Out of 700 applicants, 12 main jurors and seven alternates must be selected. Taking into account the obvious desire of the prosecution and the defense to get as many people convenient as possible on the jury, this process will last at least a month.
About two billion people witnessed the beginning of this second act of the documentary soap opera. Leading US television networks, as well as many television channels in Europe and Asia, broadcast live from the courtroom in Santa Maria.
As for the third, main act, which will begin when the jury is sworn in, the number of its spectators is completely impossible to calculate. More than 50 TV channels will cover the process on a daily basis with regular live broadcasts from the courthouse. Given that almost every channel has its own website, where you can also find news from the trial, the number of daily viewers will significantly exceed the two billion that watched Michael Jackson enter the courtroom on January 31.
The results of the process are more or less boldly ready to be predicted only by astrologers who promise condemnation of Michael Jackson. Legal experts are preparing the public for a lengthy process and a completely unpredictable outcome. "We have: a multimillionaire - the idol of millions of people around the world, a district attorney opposed to him, ready for anything, and several witnesses who, obviously, changed their testimony throughout this story," says one of the California lawyers. All this makes the process completely unpredictable."

Martin Bashir to Michael Jackson:
Martin: You don't want to grow up?
Michael: No. I am Peter Pan
Martin: But you are Michael Jackson.
Michael: Yes, but at heart I'm Peter Pan.

Actor Michael Madsen (who co-starred in Michael Jackson's You rock my world video) once told me, "Michael Jackson was very open and kind person, but he seemed to me the most lonely and unhappy on the planet. It’s hard to be sincerely friends with someone and trust people if you live in a world of lies called “show business” from the cradle.”

Six years have passed since the moment when on June 25, 2009 the heart of the King of Pop stopped, and with it the whole world. I remember that on that day, almost all the news channels of the world spoke only about this, the planet froze. The magic seemed to be gone forever.

I would like to call this article my tribute, a kind of collection of sketch facts and personal thoughts about my hero Michael Jackson, who united and inspired a billion hearts and instilled in me a love for music since childhood.

I am deeply convinced that the mass media played a big role in Jackson's ailments. They tormented him for many years, shrouding him in cynicism, hypertrophying speculations and pseudo-facts that have never been proven. The press, like countless faceless termites, undermined him until it turned the great artist into a paranoid, hermit and recluse who lost confidence in almost everyone. Michael became a hostage to his own fame, in the shackles of which he lived all his life. People killed him with rejection, they also resurrected him after death. A kind of Judas weather vane. Madonna was at her most honest at the 2009 MTV Awards ahead of her tribute performance to Michael. She boldly said, as befits a queen, looking straight into the hall:

"We all pulled away from him when he was having a hard time. All of you and me. We were too busy making biased judgments instead of supporting a man who has never been and never will be in the history of music. There will never be another Michael Jackson." "I can't say that we were close friends, but there was a period when we talked. I once offered him a ride, and then we went home to watch a movie. While watching, he suddenly took my hand. There was so much innocence in it. "

Michael Jackson and Madonna

Few people know that Michael Jackson had an "inspiration tree" at his Neverland Ranch. He deftly climbed it and could sit for hours and look into the distance, writing songs. Some of his greatest hits, such as Will You Be There, were written on this very tree. In an interview with Martin Bashir, which later played a cruel joke on him, Jackson said:

“Some people like to play football, some like basketball, and I like to climb trees. Don't you climb trees in free time? he asked Bashir. He shook his head negatively. "O! You're missing out on a lot," Michael summed up. At that time, the King of Pop was 44 years old.

All his life he tried to return childhood, which was irretrievably stolen. And few people understood this, calling such attempts at least strange. As part of their myopia and conservatism, the crowd was unaware that this man did not initially know love and received many psychological traumas in childhood. They did not think that for the first time Michael celebrated Christmas in adulthood, and thanks to the efforts of Elizabeth Taylor. Few people thought that the problems of Jackson's relationship with the opposite sex were that it didn’t fit in his head how you could cheat on a woman if you became her husband. He believed in the sanctity of marriage and the cult family values, but constantly saw opposite examples even in his own family. According to the memoirs of one of the singer's biographers, Randy Taraborelli, when Michael found out that his brother Jackie was cheating on his wife Enid with singer Paula Abdul, he suffered it so hard, as if he had been betrayed. He has always lived in a world where male infidelity was considered commonplace, and this was reflected in his perception. Once the famous photographer Francesco Scavullo said: "Michael asked me:" How do you behave when you fall in love? Are you not afraid that she is with you, because you can do something for her? "I said, 'Mike, you can't live your whole life in distrust like that. You have to try to believe.' To which he told me, "I'm afraid. I'm afraid because of what I've seen. The men in my family don't know how to handle women. I don't want to become like my brothers."

JacksonFamily (partial)

Despite the inimitable energy, the confidence with which Jackson performed, forcing crowds of people to lose consciousness from just one dance step, in life he was extremely shy and had a fragile mental structure. So Bill Bray, Michael's security guard, who worked with him for thirty years, said: “When I met Jackson, I realized that he really lost his childhood and cannot come to terms with it. Despite his talent in business, he has a strange vulnerability. You want to go up and hug him, telling him to take care of himself. I wouldn't call myself a sentimental person."

Too busy digging in the "dirty linen" press little covered the other side of the life of the great artist and philanthropist. A little-known fact: Michael Jackson was the initiator of the creation of the "Universal Bill of Rights for Children", the content of which he himself determined. These points clearly demonstrated how accurately Michael understood the problems of children. Among them were such important topics as: "The right to be loved without having to earn this love", "The right to consider yourself worthy of adoration (even if you have such a look that only your mother can love you)" or "The right to know what you represent a unique value, even if you have not done anything in this world yet.”

Michael Jackson with childrenNeverland

“Michael's smile heals the soul,” wrote Uri Geller, “he had a unique energy. He had a great talent for choosing words that could move the one to whom they were intended.

However, Jackson was an impulsive person, and, perhaps, if it were not for his colleagues at the peak of their careers, for example, John Branca, we would never have seen the brilliant Thriller. The thing is, Michael long years was a Jehovah's Witness, and the elders insisted that whatever the King of Pop created, went through their personal artistic council. In the late 70s and 80s, Michael Jackson unquestioningly believed in the ideology of the Witnesses and showed the elders a video of the newly filmed Thriller. The latter were indignant and said that they would excommunicate Michael if this short film was released. Jackson called John Branca, who at that time was in charge of his affairs, mostly legal, and literally "ordered" to destroy all copies of Thriller. “This should never, you hear, never be aired,” Michael shouted nervously into the phone. Branca did not sleep all night. “How could such a masterpiece, in which a huge amount of money was also invested, turn into ashes because of this whim?” John recalled. Branca found a way out. He suggested that Michael write before the start of Thriller a phrase stating that its content does not reflect Michael's personal and religious views. Jackson agreed, the elders were satisfied. Michael will later say, “God bless John Branca. Without him, Thriller would never have seen the light of day." If Thriller changed the world music videos By making Jackson an innovator in the creation of short films, allowing him to erase racial and stylistic boundaries in music, canonizing MTV, Billie Jean changed music forever. This song remains one of the most successful singles of all time to this day. The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award is presented annually at the MTV Awards, which is one of prestigious awards in the world of video clips. During the creation of the Thriller record, together with the brilliant producer Quincy Jones, with whom they recorded two more masterpieces Off the wall and Bad, different situations. For example, at the very beginning of the work on the album, few people believed that it would sell more than 3,000,000 copies.

“Records don't sell very well right now, Mike,” his colleagues told him, as well as the head of the record company and Jones. This statement infuriated Jackson. He said sharply, "This is going to be the greatest CD ever, and if you don't believe it, there's no point in wasting a second of your time." Silence hung in the room, which was firmly broken by Jones: "OK" - he said - "To work!". It is known that during this period between Quincy and Michael there were very tense relations. Jones criticized Billie Jean's song as not good enough for this album, but Jackson categorically insisted that special attention be paid to this song, and he was right. It was Billie Jean who lifted the Thriller album to the top of Billboard, where the disc lasted 37 weeks at number one. To this day, Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, a cult and real classic contemporary music that has inspired hundreds of millions of people, as well as most of today's superstars. Thriller also erased once and for all all racial barriers in music.

Michael Jackson: EpochThriller

The tandem of Michael and Quincy performed miracles, the largest in terms of effect in the world of music. Jones said: “Mike, listen to the music, let it tell you what you need. Let God into the room." And MJ listened. Working to the point of exhaustion, always 100% dissatisfied with the result. Then he continued to work again and again until he achieved perfection. At the same time, Quincy was not a supporter of the dictatorship in producing. He did not impose his views, rather, he revealed to the full extent the hidden potential that was inherent in you from the very beginning. The merit of Michael and Quincy is that they turned the standard idea of ​​​​pop music and allowed people to see the limitlessness of the possibilities of truly great creativity. Despite the fact that after the Bad album, for a number of reasons, the couple never worked together, the warm relationship between Jones and Jackson remained until the very end. Moreover, after the death of the singer, Quincy repeatedly criticized the idea of ​​releasing posthumous albums. He said that it was blasphemy, you can’t think only about money, and many colleagues agreed with him, emphasizing that if Michael were alive, he would never allow albums such as Michael and Xscape (the latter was produced by Timbaland, Darkchild, L.A. Reid and many other great people) saw the light. Michael was a perfectionist and would hardly have been happy with such "raw" releases. However, the numbers speak for themselves. When Xscape's latest album came out last year, it immediately topped the UK charts and hit #2 on Billboard.

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones

For many years, Michael's sound engineer was Bruce Swedien - a sound genius, master and magician who always achieved a unique sound. This is a unique person. No one in the world knows the geometry of sound better than Bruce. Proof of this is at least his work on Michael's Invincible record, recorded in 2001, which is objectively considered the best sounding in the history of pop music. Still. After 14 years.

Initially, Jackson wanted to record his hit Bad in a duet with Prince, who at that moment was at the peak of his career, but communication between the artists did not work out from the very beginning. They met and discussed the project. Michael and his management came up with an excellent plan: launch a rumor campaign in the press, they say, they are with Prince worst enemies who hate each other, and then, when the whole world will savor it and divide into two camps, they will make an official statement that these are just rumors and present a video for Bad, where, according to the original plot, they will compete with each other , finding out who "s bad. Prince was not enthusiastic about this idea, and after he heard the demo of the song, he finally refused, citing the fact that the guys would succeed without him. When Frank DiLeo (Michael's manager in those years) asked what he thought about it, Jackson shrugged indifferently and replied: "Numbers."

Between them there was always some kind of struggle and rejection of each other. Prince sent Michael a box of amulets and feathers as a gift. It was later revealed that she had been charmed by voodoo masters, which horrified Jackson. Prince considered Michael a bore, and he said that Prince, although he writes good music, is in itself a sinister person and treats women terribly. “Besides, he is no actor. It doesn't represent anything." Not too upset, the king of pop performed the song Bad himself, and the great Martin Scorsese shot a musical short film on it. By the way, in it for the first time on the screen you can see Wesley Snipes. The song became another revolution in the world of music and attracted a huge number of street audiences.

Michael Jackson: eraBad

The Bad album sold dizzyingly, but it never managed to repeat the sales success of Thriller. Moreover, at the Grammy Awards in 1988, in the most anticipated for Michael nomination "Album of the Year", he lost to one of the most outstanding U2 discs - The Joshua Tree. Having released the most hits of the year and sold the most copies, Jackson left without this award, which undoubtedly plunged him into discouragement, but not for long. The next super hit called Dangerous went on sale in 1991 and became Michael's most successful record since Thriller. Among other things, Dangerous has had the most iconic influence on all modern R "n" B music, greatly changing it. There was a lot of controversy about the cover of the album, many tabloids looked for hidden meaning in it, even the message of Jackson's involvement in the illuminati was traced. Cover artist Mark Ryden said that he was very inspired by Michael's Leave me alone video, which was the impetus for creating just such an image. “This is the largest format for a cover. The original was about 90 square centimeters,” Mark recalls. “If you look at it very carefully, you will see that the names, themes and messages of the songs are displayed on it thoroughly. Its creation took me several months. It was a long, painstaking and very important job for me.”

Michael Jackson album coverDangerous

One of the album's most personal songs is Who is it, the video for which was directed by the iconic David Fincher. Who is it is saturated with throwing, internal questions of the singer. In the depths of magnificent harmony, innovative music, captivating hypnotic melody and performance, the deepest drama of loneliness in a crowd of many-sided people is imprisoned, behind whose masks it is impossible to discern sincerity. Especially in women. The line of distrust towards female love in this work is so pronounced that it is impossible not to feel all this emptiness of brokenness as a result of the deepest disappointment. In the life of Michael Jackson, perhaps, there were four women whom he idolized: mother Katherine, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross and Lisa Marie Presley. And if Taylor was his closest soulmate and support, and Ross was his mother in show business, then he definitely had feelings for Lisa of a different nature. They were similar. The childhood of both passed under the spotlight, both did not know a normal life, she genuinely understood and idolized him, and he heeded her advice. It was she who once told him: “Michael, a good sleep is more precious than public opinion”, it was she who held his hand on the edge of the abyss. This puzzle had to come together. And he got along. True, not for long, but, nevertheless, gave Jackson and Presley a few happy years. After Michael's death, Lisa said that Jackson repeatedly repeated the phrase: "I think I'll end up like your father." The anthem of their relationship was the song, a super hit from the album History - You are not alone, written for him by R. Kelly. You are not alone is one of the best pop ballads in contemporary music.

Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor

Michael Jackson and Lisa Presley

Michael always wanted to reach out to people, to tell them, “Don't judge me, I'm just human. Just like you, I just want to love and be loved just like you,” and he sent these subtle messages through his sensual songs. How else could he do it? But how many of us can read between the lines? A huge bird descends onto the stage, hugging him with wings in Will you be there, “before you judge me try hard to love me”, begging, he sings in a soulful Childhood, “when you "re alone and you" re cold inside "on the doomed in anguish, he explains in Stranger in Moscow, more aggressively tries to convey his pain to people's understanding through Why you wanna trip on me, Scream and They don't care about us and sums up this desire through global topics about the problems of the Earth in the brilliant Earth song, and also hymns to goodness We are the world, Heal the world and Man in the mirror.If we dwell on the composition Stranger in Moscow in more detail, then, of course, it will turn out to be the most personal song ever created by Jackson.Randy Taraborrelli said that the idea of ​​the song and the video was originally conceived as a reflection of secrecy inner world singer. He began to write it after the first tour in Moscow. This metropolis seemed to Jackson a complete identification own life. In his perception, Moscow remained a gray city, seething with races, a city of people running somewhere, where you feel the loneliest in this crowd. Randy said that even at the peak of his career, Michael sometimes took walks in order to make new friends. But unsuccessfully.

“Even at home I feel loneliness,” Jackson said, “sometimes it gnaws at me so much that I cannot cope with my emotions, lock myself in a room and cry. You have no idea how hard it is to find true friends. Sometimes I walk around the neighborhood at night, hoping to meet someone, just to talk about something abstract, but every time these walks end in nothing.

He envied people who could safely walk the streets, shop in the supermarket (once his friends closed one of them especially for Michael so that he could imitate shopping), meet, fall in love, walk in the park. The greatest artist who dreams of simple things. A hermit with hundreds of millions of crazy fans, a lone dreamer, riding a "ferris wheel" in his Neverland for hours on the tenth circle, looking at one point, lost among hundreds of evening lights. A grown man with the soul of a nine-year-old boy, stuck in time, who so wanted to be understood. A person who longs for sincerity and a genuine miracle in the world of people who always wanted to take something from him, touch him, be involved in fame and money, but never thought about giving this person at least a little real love in return. Unconditional. open. Hence the purchase of human-sized dolls, which he kept at home, giving them names and talking to them, in the same parallel, the park of wonders, his favorite pastime - shootouts with water pistols and friendship with Macaulay Culkin. Children are supposedly the audience he was comfortable with, because they are genuinely sincere. “If I wake up and find out that there is not a single child left on Earth, I will jump out of the balcony immediately,” Michael said. The desire for this sincerity and the childish environment in which he received it played a cruel joke on him in the world of selfish, unprincipled and greedy adults who were so eager to snatch at least something from this “pie”, to destroy and trample Jackson’s empire, as it says "by any means necessary". In the end, they succeeded. But it is unlikely that one day it will be possible to shroud in oblivion the great musical legacy that the King of Pop left in his songs, videos, performances. Incredible, ingenious creativity, settled in millions of hearts forever. This extraordinary man changed the world and gave us magic. And magic never dies.

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On January 31, the Michael Jackson trial begins in a California court. The famous singer has been charged with ten counts, including sexual harassment of minors, child soldering and conspiracy to kidnap, wrongful imprisonment and extortion.

This process promises to be very loud: more than a hundred television and radio companies from all over the world have already deployed their mobile stations in the city of Santa Maria, where the court is located, and special correspondents of newspapers and magazines have stormed local hotels. In addition, fans of Jackson flock to the city, who intend to support their idol, chanting slogans about his innocence in front of the courthouse. The process will be open, but Judge Rodney Melville has imposed a ban on communication with the press for its participants. In addition, there will be no cameras in the courthouse.

How life with Jackson turned into a trial with Jackson

In February 2003, Living with Michael Jackson, a documentary film about the life of the singer, was shown on television in the UK and the USA, filmed by British journalist Martin Bashir. Bashir accompanied Jackson everywhere for several months and, as the journalist himself said, was convinced that the singer was simply obsessed with children.

In particular, the film contains an interview with one of the young residents of the Neverland Ranch, where Jackson spends most of his time. The 12-year-old boy reported that he sometimes sleeps in the singer's bed. Jackson himself innocently confirmed that he sometimes shares his bed with children, and sometimes spends the night in a sleeping bag on the floor next to the bed on which his guests sleep. In particular, Jackson reported that he regularly slept in bed with this boy, who had cancer, but as a result of Jackson's actions, allegedly recovered without medication. Insisting that his love for children is completely innocent and has nothing to do with sex, Michael Jackson called his behavior "beautiful and charming."

The authorities of the Californian city of Santa Barbara, next to which the Jackson ranch is located, immediately after the unusual revelations of the star emphasized that they take them seriously. Indeed, the representatives law enforcement in Jackson's words, they did not find a precedent for initiating a criminal case, but noted that an investigation could be launched in the event of claims. The prosecutor's office even set up a hotline specifically for those who believe they have facts that could serve as evidence in a possible trial against Jackson.

And such evidence appeared. Nine months after the film was shown, a 13-year-old boy complained to his therapist that Jackson allegedly molested him. The psychotherapist contacted the police, who searched the singer's ranch and found hundreds of videos of children who visited Jackson (however, it must be admitted that the footage was not of a sexual nature), as well as love letters and poems written by Jackson and dedicated to the children who visited his ranch. .

I see the Lord in the faces of these children. I just love being around them. Yes, there are enough guest rooms in the house, but the children want to be with me. They often ask me if they can stay the night. And if their parents don't mind, I let them. What could be more natural than sharing your bed with someone? When you say the word bed, you mean sex. All wrong. We are just sleeping.

Michael Jackson

However, California authorities issued an arrest warrant for Jackson on charges of sexual harassment to minors. Jackson voluntarily turned himself in to authorities and was released on $3 million bail pending an investigation.

Incendiary "Rubba" in Neverland

The trial will begin with a selection of 12 jurors out of 750 candidates who wish to participate in the consideration of the Jackson case. This process is expected to take about a month. The court itself, according to lawyers, will last at least six months.

The main witness for the prosecution will now be a 15-year-old teenager, whose name has not been disclosed. According to some reports, it was he who appeared in documentary Martin Bashir, who is also subpoenaed as a witness. The teen's testimony was partly made public on an ABC News talk show in mid-January. At the same time, by decision of the judge, all materials of the case are closed. How the testimony of one of the key witnesses for the prosecution got to the employees of the TV channel is currently being established by the investigation.

The leaked testimony is described by some experts as "the most detailed evidence describing the physical relationship between Jackson and one of his alleged victims." So, according to the teenager, the most popular game the boys on the ranch called "Rubba" - supposedly according to its rules, the singer, exciting himself, rubbed himself against the bodies of the children.

In addition, representatives of the prosecution, which is headed by prosecutor Tom Sneddon (Tom Sneddon), intend to provide the court with some "erotic materials" seized at the singer's ranch in 2003. According to experts, these materials confirm that Jackson had a motive for the crime.

Defends the former king of pop lawyer Thomas Mesereau (Thomas Mesereau Jr.). He has represented the singer since April 2004, when he unexpectedly parted ways with his former lawyers Mark Geragos and Benjamin Brafman. The defense intends to present to the court the testimonies of other children who visited Jackson at the ranch. In particular, one of the defense witnesses, 17-year-old Ahmed Elatab, claims the following: "Michael never molested either the children or me personally. I never saw him behave in a strange way with any of the boys." Regarding the plaintiff's claims, Elatab said: "I'm sure his parents just want money, and this is a chance for them to get rich."

Jackson himself maintains his innocence. On the eve of the opening of the trial, he posted a video message on his website in which he called for a fair trial of himself, adding that he believes in American justice. If proven guilty, Jackson faces 3 to 8 years in prison for each of the ten counts.

One time is not a pedophile

It's not the first time Jackson has been accused of pedophilia. In 1993, the father of 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, who was allegedly molested by Jackson, filed a lawsuit against the singer. However, the case did not reach the court: the proceedings lasted more than a year and ended with a settlement agreement, which cost Jackson, according to some reports, $ 20 million. The child refused to testify against the singer, and all charges were dropped from the latter.

In addition, as it became known during the investigation, in 1990, Jackson paid another $ 2 million "compensation" to the son of a former ranch worker to prevent charges of harassment. The 12-year-old teenager did not testify against the singer, fearing that his friends would accuse him of homosexuality. The agreement between him and Jackson included a "non-disclosure" clause.

If this time Jackson fails to decisively justify himself, then others may follow this process. According to Robert Wegner, the star's former security guard, about 300 boys under the age of 14 have passed through the singer's ranch since the early 90s. Wegner claims to have seen the singer stroking his groin in front of the children, rubbing against them, and touching and caressing them themselves. The huge fortune of the ex-king of pop may simply not be enough to pay all legal costs and possible compensation.

The Nature of Michael Jackson's Love

Probably, the explanation of the singer's unusual love for children should be sought in the childhood of Jackson himself, which, especially in the light of the oddities of this man's adult life, is a fertile field for psychoanalysts.

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the seventh child of nine in a poor family of steelworker Joe Jackson. When Michael was five years old, Joe made a musical ensemble "The Jackson Five" from his five offspring. And knocked into literally of this word - as Michael's sister, Latoya Jackson, writes in her autobiography, their father mercilessly beat them with a belt or a bamboo cane, forcing them to rehearse every evening for 3-4 hours. According to Latoya, Michael experienced constant humiliation from his father, whom he hated more and more every year.

It was in childhood that Michael began to develop a "black complex". Moreover, paradoxically, the fault was his father, who could not stand the spirit of blacks.

By the age of 14, when Michael was already a stage veteran in the Jackson Five family group, one more problem was added to his problems - acne. Michael's character has changed markedly: before, Jackson was very sociable and easily converged with people, but now he is closed in on himself. And although by the age of 16 acne completely disappeared, Jackson was never able to completely get rid of the psychological consequences of this trouble. One of them is excessive shyness, turning into timidity. Probably, it was after this that Michael began to meticulously monitor his appearance and the cleanliness of his environment, which later turned into a real mania.

Among other problems of young talent, the “sexual taboo” that existed in the Jackson family should be highlighted. All conversations on this topic were prevented, and if one of the brothers was seen in the company of a girl, then his father gave him a grandiose scandal, which, as a rule, ended in assault. According to Joe, who was the producer of The Jackson 5, the marriage of one of the brothers could interfere with the group's career.

The already established singer explains his indifference to children by the fact that, having become an adult, he experiences the humiliation of childhood anew and tries to get rid of this feeling by communicating with children and showing them care and love. However, now the nature of Michael Jackson's love for children will be determined by the court.

A couple more excerpts from a conversation with Bashir.

The first video was posted on the French site ElusiveShadow.com and was accompanied by a very interesting article looking at manipulation tactics in journalism using the example of Bashir's behavior in this interview, as well as revealing the topic of the restriction of freedom of speech in modern media. I give her translation in a slightly abridged form. Perhaps he is not entirely accurate in details, since at first he translated from French into English with Google, but in general the meaning is preserved.

This footage was taken on January 14, 2003, a few weeks before the first broadcast of Bashir's film. Michael Jackson is in Miami and has just learned of the sudden death of Maurice Gibb, a member of The Bee Gees. The day before the funeral, which he is going to attend, Michael answered questions from Martin Bashir - including about plastic surgery and the birth of his children. At some point that morning, the reporter decided to pause and stop filming, and only Michael Jackson's camera continued to record. As a result, we see what we should not see.

In this video, you can see that the artist is holding much less tense than during the interview. He recalls cinema and jokingly refers to his old passion - "cockney slang": a special way of speaking, characteristic of the lower classes in London. The essence of slang is to replace English words in sentences with rhyming phrases. For example, "stairs" becomes "apple and pears". Keith Badgery, who worked as Michael's driver during the Dangerous tour, inspired Michael's passion for cockney slang even then.

However, behind the laughter and external ease of the interlocutors, a clear manipulation of the singer’s mood is visible: Bashir openly laughs with Michael, but does not hesitate to openly remind him that his best friend may die soon, because she is no longer young. The pause that followed and the sad expression on Michael Jackson's face speaks volumes about how these words affected him. A few minutes later, when the interview resumes, Bashir will choose Michael's friendship with Elizabeth Taylor as his next topic of conversation.

This example allows us to consider in detail the methods of manipulation used in journalism. The media is often considered the "fourth power" (after the executive, legislature and judiciary), and it is believed that they can control the crowd at will. Indeed, the risks of abuse of this power are many, and the history of journalism is full of examples of how information is distorted at various links in the chain: in the choice of an eyewitness, the manner in which questions are worded, the skillful editing of answers, and deciding which answers to keep and which to leave out.

However, another problem that the general public tends to overlook is the pressure that today's journalists transgress ethics, ignore certain facts, and favor one viewpoint over another.

Manipulation in journalism

The Journalist's Bill of Rights and Duties requires "respect the truth no matter the consequences," "not withhold material information," "not using dishonest methods to obtain information, photographs, and documents," and even "force oneself to respect a person's privacy."

If on paper everything is obvious and simple, then in reality no one is immune from ethical flaws, and in front of the camera the interviewee is often in the position of a victim, even if the interview suggests the opposite. If a person is frightened by sudden attention, he may be more malleable, agree with someone else's opinion and not defend his point of view as strongly as usual. If, on the contrary, he is aroused by the presence of the camera, he may show excessive self-confidence, which he would not show under other circumstances.

The journalist is naturally in the position of being responsible for assessing the importance of the spoken words and their correct use. Abuse can occur without violating the norms of professional ethics, simply due to insufficiently deep questions. For example, a journalist may highlight an interviewee's incomplete life experience. Bound by restrictions on the length of the interview, he may prefer aspects of the story that the interviewee would not like to emphasize.

For example, in the spring of 2009, the France 2 channel released a report about the postponement of the dates of Michael Jackson's concerts, which had just been reported to fans. A team of reporters looked for a variety of people's reactions to the event, from upset fans and angry viewers to those who were calm and understanding. The journalist was unable to gather feedback on his own and eventually turned to the team at this site (ElusiveShadow.com) to help out and act as "experts on fan reactions". The site administrator agreed to answer questions by phone and commented in detail on the postponement of dates, the new schedule and the reactions of the public for twenty minutes.

In the evening during the broadcast, none of this was reflected in the program. Factual errors corrected in telephone conversation were still present. The journalist was not a novice: he had 25 years of experience behind him and a good track record ... and yet. Deadlines, trouble finding witnesses, hasty editing, an intern tasked with fieldwork collecting feedback...and here's the result: a misreported story despite the reporter taking the time to interview.

But there are cases when journalistic excesses are directly related to the deliberate manipulation of a witness. There are many studies on the topic of psychological manipulation, especially in the context of studying the phenomenon of sectarianism. The fact that men and women who are sane and capable of critical thinking end up in the hands of guru leaders and adopt irrational beliefs has raised many questions about the mechanisms by which certain people gain control over others.

The "Guru" gains influence over his victim gradually, as a result of a multi-stage process of "brainwashing". It would be premature to conclude that the journalistic episode with Jackson and Bashir is a typical example of brainwashing, but it contains a mechanism for inducing a victim into a certain psychological state, based on well-known tactics to get the opponent to agree with the reasoning that the manipulator needs.

Manipulation begins with the act of seduction. Since it is important for the interlocutor to think that an emotional relationship has been established with him, we pay attention to everything that he says. The explanation is simple: if the victim can fall in love with the manipulator, she will be much more receptive to his demands.

In the case of Jackson's interview with Bashir, the "seduction" is illustrated by a number of examples: the journalist endlessly flatters Michael Jackson, especially in matters where he feels insecure, such as when discussing his appearance. In an interview, the singer admitted that he does not like to look in the mirror. Martin Bashir reassures him, says that he is "sexy", so much so that "women will throw panties at the TV screen."

Likewise, anyone who looks at Michael Jackson's public statements will notice his desperate need to be loved. This need came to the fore once, when the singer, who was then staying in a London hotel, threw a pillowcase out the window, on which “Please love me always” was written in black marker. And repeatedly during interviews, Martin Bashir multiplies the compliments, giving the artist the illusion of love he so desperately seeks.

Winning love is the first step to possessing a person: once trusting relationship installed, the victim has a feeling that she lives in a cocoon of love, she is listened to and understood. When Martin Bashir tells Jackson that he “wants to finally show the world who he really is,” he sends an underlying message: “I understand you. I know who you are. I see things that no one else has seen before me." And Michael Jackson, obviously, responds well to this, because in an interview in response to Bashir's reasoning about the attitude towards celebrities, he answers: "You are above this, you are a respected journalist."

Further, the mechanisms of mystification come forward: gradually the manipulator achieves a separation from reality in the mind of the victim. To do this, he enters the role of a confident person who provides support to the victim, and hides his real questions. The victim perceives this as transparency. The double play was revealed in Michael Jackson's reciprocal film "Take II", comparing what Martin Bashir said to the artist in person with the doubts he expressed off-screen.

Everything is now set up so that the victim no longer exists as a unique and independent individual, but becomes an "anonymous member of the group." “Everyone gets plastic surgery!” - says Martin Bashir in an attempt to extract more information from Michael Jackson on this topic. And this technique is effective: as the singer himself admits, he is unpleasant that he is constantly singled out when many other stars also undergo operations to change their appearance.

The capture of the victim is usually reinforced by the manipulator's criticism of the victim's environment. For example, in a sect, the guru will point the finger at family, work colleagues, or a recruit-friendly environment. This destabilizes a person because it breaks his usual emotional ties. In Jackson's interview with Bashir, we see the reporter several times trying to hint that Michael Jackson is not receiving support: “Do you think your subordinates are telling you what you want to hear? Are they sincere with you?

This analysis can be accused of being one-sided and biased, but many media outlets also drew attention to the presence of manipulation in this interview. For example, below is a conversation that took place between Walter Rogers and A Jill on CNN in 2003:

A Jill: We are both professional journalists. What unpleasantly surprised me throughout the interview was how unprofessional it was conducted. […]

W. Rogers: He tried to act like he was a friend of Michael Jackson. Is this a good tactic?

A Jill: Definitely not. The interviewer is not your friend, just as the doctor is not your friend. He may act friendly, but he is not your friend. […] In my opinion, this is a very cowardly way of asking questions. I mean, he obviously got the interview through friendship in the beginning, but as soon as it comes to sensitive questions, he formulates them like this: “When other people say that…” or “How do you respond to accusations that…”, as if implying by this: "On the one hand - we are with you, and on the other - people who say terrible things about you." It is disgusting when the interviewer resorts to such techniques. He must have the courage to ask his own question. [...]

W. Rogers: You described the interview as "terrifying." What did you mean?

A Jill: Honestly, when an interviewer pretends to be someone's friend, it's just scary ... And the worst thing is that then he was very friendly, and added criticism after, in voice-overs and inserts. In terms of journalism, this is simply immoral.

Journalism under pressure

Fans of Michael Jackson are often puzzled by the success of the yellow press. In addition, many are surprised that the big magazines carefully avoid certain "sensitive" topics, such as Michael Jackson's relationship with Sony or the circumstances under which the artist agreed to This Is It concerts. To get a full picture of the problems of press freedom, it is necessary to trace the origins of the economic model of the media.

At the beginning of the 18th century, newspapers were made entirely by hand and therefore were few in number and expensive: 55 workers were required to make one copy. Gradually, industrialization and mechanization of labor increased the distribution of the press and reduced the cost of its production: in 1870, thanks to the invention of the printing press, it was already possible to produce up to 300 newspapers per hour. However, in France, newspapers were still the luxury of the elite: schools were not compulsory then (and did not become so until 1882), and the literacy rate of the population was extremely low. Moreover, newspapers were distributed by subscription and cost an average of 80 francs a year. For comparison, at that time, servants earned hardly more than 40 francs a month. That is, the cost of a newspaper subscription was equal to two months of income!

The press revolution began in 1836 when Émile de Girardin decided to halve the subscription price in order to make his newspaper more accessible. But how did this become possible? Previously, the subscription price fully covered the production costs of the publication. Now this was no longer the case. The proceeds from sales were not enough to return the money invested in production. Therefore, a source of additional income was found: advertising. Girardin invented a new economic model that still works today: the unified market. The newspaper is sold not only to readers, but also to advertisers who pay for space on its pages.

If the newspaper has a large circulation, it provides advertisers with good visibility, so you can charge them a substantial amount for publishing information. Conversely, if a newspaper sells less, it reaches a smaller audience, so advertising in it costs less. The system seems to win both ways: it saves the reader, the advertiser distributes their advertisement by paying a price proportional to the size of the target audience... and the newspaper owner recoups his costs. At that time, some cultural activists were already expressing fears that the press would serve the needs of commerce, and criticized the intrusion of the press into the masses through advertising. Louis Blanc, for example, wrote that journalism "will turn into a mouthpiece for speculation and speculation."

Now let's go back to modern times: today newspapers and magazines are 50% dependent on advertising. During economic crisis advertising investment is declining, and the media is struggling to stay afloat. Many have to go out of business. A fan-friendly example: Black & White, Michael Jackson's former official fanzine that existed without advertising, began to struggle as soon as the news flow dried up and competition from the Internet arose. As a result, issues were no longer released regularly, and subscriptions became unsustainable.

The media depend on advertisers, and financial dependence inevitably gives rise to the question of editorial dependence: can a journalist write whatever his heart desires in a newspaper? The answer is almost always negative. Imagine that Sony has bought an advertising page in your magazine for a year to promote their 3D TVs and provides a significant part of your income. As a journalist, are you then free to criticize Sony Music's business decisions? If you damage the company's image, they may withdraw the investment from your magazine. And without financial support, your journal will not survive. This example illustrates the conflict between posting information and protecting the advertiser.

It would be incorrect to talk about censorship here, because in most cases these mechanisms are not voiced, and the media do not receive explicit instructions to hold their tongue. Rather, there is some kind of self-censorship: the journalist limits himself and does not touch on certain “sensitive” topics. Therefore, it is quite understandable that a celebrity is a more convenient target than a businessman. Take, for example, the LVMH group of companies headed by Bernard Arnault. He owns brands such as Vuitton, Dior, Kenzo, Givenchy, Guerlain - brands that are regularly advertised in magazines. Can you blame Bernard Arnault for a newspaper column without risking losing LVMH's corporate backing? Of course not.

In concluding the article, it is important to emphasize that the point is not that journalism is “lying”, but rather that journalism is “influenced”, which leads to the prioritization of information according to the economic threat it poses: news that is potentially harmful to the advertiser. , wrapped. This topic is taboo for many reasons: the media often position themselves as a cultural industry, and it is somewhat unacceptable to talk about them in economic terms. Profitability is seen only as a means to a "fact-finding mission" and not as an end in itself, even though economic problems are a major headache in the life of every magazine.

The appearance of this excerpt from an interview with Martin Bashir is only an opportunity to mention these issues and point out some controversial decisions sometimes taken by journalists. These problems are not unique to France, they affect the media all over the world, even the most famous publications.