Celebrities line up in Michael Jackson defence
In the grand theatre that is the Michael Jackson courtroom, a celebrity cast is lining up in defence of the pop singer, testing whether star power can help persuade jurors.
Actor Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone fame was first among the famous witnesses, followed a few days later by celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos. Elizabeth Taylor is on the list of possible witnesses along with Jay Leno, Chris Tucker and many others.
But there is no greater star in this tableau than Jackson himself.
An intensely personal, three-hour video interview of the singer shown to jurors has been the showstopper so far in his child abuse trial.
On a big screen, jurors watched scenes left out of Living With Michael Jackson, the documentary by Britain’s Martin Bashir in which Jackson and the alleged victim appeared holding hands and the pop star acknowledged having innocent, non-sexual sleepovers with children.
In what can only be described as a stroke of luck, Jackson decided to have his own videographer record a backup of the interview. While Bashir’s edited version brought a firestorm of bad publicity, the outtakes show Jackson as a man hurt by criticism of his lifestyle.
In the footage, Jackson occasionally powdered his famous nose or was tended to by a makeup artist. But mostly he just sat and talked. And talked.
He described his lonely childhood, his ascent to the pinnacle of superstardom and his realisation that once he got to the top it was even more lonely.
He spoke of creating his Neverland ranch fantasy world as an escape to childhood, and about his bond with former child stars.
Of Taylor, he said, “We’ve been through the same things. She’s a little girl inside. She’s a wonderful person. … It’s like when I met Shirley Temple for the first time. She said: ’You’re one of us, aren’t you?’ And I said yes.”
The video was buttressed by the testimony of three young men, including Culkin, who said they visited Neverland many times and slept in Jackson’s room. But it was all innocent, they said, insisting under harsh cross-examination by a prosecutor that Jackson never touched them inappropriately.
Culkin, who was 10 when he met the pop star, told of forming a special bond with Jackson that exists only among current and former child stars. Culkin said he knew he and Jackson were “part of a unique group” and it was “a very comforting thing”.
| Related Stories: |
|
