The Michael Jackson interview

[Grojlach]

Strange nobody has brought this one up before... This interview was broadcast a few days ago across the world; here a synopsis, some reactions and Michael Jackson's own response.

Jackson: "I Share Bedroom with Kids"

More than 14 million viewers watched Monday's UK TV documentary in which Michael Jackson admitted he shared his bedroom with young children.
The ITV1 programme attracted 14.1 million viewers according to unofficial overnight figures, one of the highest ever figures for a TV documentary and taking 53.9% of viewers.
Towards the end of the 110-minute programme - as Jackson was seen discussing his relationships with children - over 60% of UK TV viewers were watching.
It was made by Martin Bashir, whose BBC interview with Diana, Princess of Wales in 1995 attracted an audience of 22.8 million.
During the programme it emerged that children still slept overnight at Jackson's house, despite allegations of abuse - which the singer has always denied - made in 1993.
Jackson said he sometimes slept on the floor while giving the children his bed, which he said was a "beautiful thing", "charming" and "sweet".
"Why can't you share your bed? That's the most loving thing to do, to share your bed with someone," he said.

Difficult questions
Close friend Uri Geller, who helped set up the programme, defended Jackson's reputation following the documentary's broadcast.
The celebrity psychic told BBC News 24: "Michael could have not had those children there when Martin Bashir brought the cameras but Michael is honest and very, very innocent.
"He says he sees God in the faces of children. He is inspired by them. His music, he claims, comes from them.
"Michael has done absolutely nothing wrong to children in the past or present."
Geller - a father-of-two - added he found nothing sinister in Jackson's actions.

Innocent
In the programme, made by Granada TV, Jackson introduced Bashir to a 12-year-old named Gavin, who he befriended as the youngster fought cancer.
The boy said he battled his illness with the help of Jackson and maintained his parents were happy with their friendship.
Jackson insisted his feelings for children was entirely innocent and had nothing to do with sex.
"My greatest inspiration comes from kids... it's all inspired from that level of innocence. I just love being around that all the time," he said.
Bashir had "unprecedented" access to Jackson for the documentary, Living With Michael Jackson.
He followed the singer for eight months, interviewing him several times and spending time at his Californian ranch, Neverland, which includes a zoo and a full-scale fairground.
Jackson was also filmed spending $6m (£3.6m) on a shopping excursion during a stay in Las Vegas.

'Fat nose'
The singer grew emotional as he described his hard-working childhood - singing with his brothers in the Jackson Five group - and his "hated" violent father, who taunted him about his "fat nose".
But when Bashir asked him about reports of multiple plastic surgery, he denied having more than two operations on his face, saying only: "Oh God, oh please... it's stupid, none of it's true."
Jackson said he was giving his own children - Prince and Paris, aged five and four, and baby Prince Michael II - as "normal" a childhood as possible, even though they never saw their mothers.
He blamed the ever-present paparazzi for the fact that his children were always masked in public.
Jackson said his third child had been born to a woman he had never met, saying he had not cared who she was so long as she was healthy.
Prince and Paris' mother is Debbie Rowe, Jackson's former dermatology nurse who he married in 1997.
Jackson said she had handed over the two children to him as "gift" and that she was not involved in bringing them up.
Bashir was present during the infamous "baby dangling" incident in Germany recently when Jackson held his baby son over a balcony to show waiting fans beneath.

Adoption plans
Jackson denied that had been wrong, saying any criticism was "ignorant" - a word he also used to describe media criticism of any other aspects of his life.
"We were waiting for thousands of fans down below, and they were chanting they wanted to see my child, so I was kind enough to let them see. I was doing something out of innocence.
"I love my children, I was holding my son right and strong... I wasn't going to let him fall," he said.
He said he wanted more children and was considering adopting two from each continent.

Source: BBC

[ 02-06-2003, 04:58 AM: Message edited by: Grojlach ]

[Grojlach]

Some reactions...

Charities condemn Jackson

Charities have condemned pop star Michael Jackson for telling a TV documentary that he let children stay in his bed.
The singer revealed his close friendships with children during the ITV1 special Living with Michael which aired in the UK on Tuesday.
He told interviewer Martin Bashir that he saw nothing wrong with children sleeping over at his Neverland mansion
He also said a 12-year-old boy named Gavin regularly stayed in his bed while he slept on the floor, but admitted other children had slept in his bed with him.
Children's charity Barnado's said that if anyone in the UK had revealed similar circumstances then an investigation would be launched by the authorities.
Principal policy officer Pam Hibbert said: "At Barnardo's we feel it is totally inappropriate for an adult man to share a bed or bedroom with a child that is not his own.
"One would expect most adults to recognise and acknowledge this - and understand the reasons why.
"One has to ask whether substantial wealth protects adults but not necessarily children."

Wrong message
Jackson, who likens himself to Peter Pan, was accused of child abuse in 1994 by a 13-year-old boy.
Although Jackson strenuously denies the allegations he paid the boy's parents $18m (£11m) to drop a civil case.
During the documentary Jackson said former child star Macaulay Culkin, his brother Kieran and their sisters had stayed in his bed with him.
Jackson said there was nothing improper about the arrangement.
But children's charity the NSPCC said Jackson was sending out the wrong message.
A spokesman said: "Michael Jackson says he has innocent intentions towards children.
"But his claims that he has shared his bed with many children who are not his own and it is 'what the whole world should do' sends out totally the wrong message to those whose intentions are anything but innocent.

Masked
"This behaviour could be used as justification by people who want to harm or sexually abuse children as an excuse for their own behaviour."
There was also concern about the way Jackson is raising his own three children, Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II.
None of them are allowed to leave the house without their faces being masked and do not attend a "normal" school.
Kidscape director Michele Elliott said: "Michael Jackson is a very talented musician but by his own admission, also very damaged by his childhood experiences.
"He has created a strange, unreal world and is populating it with his own children, whom he treats like toys.
"He doesn't seem to consider how his actions will impact on children."

Source: BBC

(some parts of the main article were re-used for this one, apparently)

Jackson defended over TV interview

Psychic Uri Geller has come to the defence of his friend Michael Jackson after a documentary where the pop star admitted he shared his bedroom with young children.

Jackson made the admission in a documentary made by journalist Martin Bashir on the UK's ITV1 channel on Monday.
During the programme it emerged that children still slept overnight at Jackson's house, despite the allegations of abuse - that the singer always denied - made in 1993.
Jackson said he sometimes slept on the floor while giving the children his bed, which he said was a "beautiful thing", "charming" and "sweet".
"Why can't you share your bed? That's the most loving thing to do, to share your bed with someone," he said.

Difficult questions
Geller told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday that he thought it was a good idea for Jackson to agree to the programme.
"I thought it was about time for Michael to open his house to a presenter I trusted," he said.
"I think Michael was brutally honest, he was direct, he never flinched from the most difficult questions."
But Geller also said the tone of the show had changed halfway through and Jackson's words had been twisted.
"In the first part of the show he came over as a totally positive person, towards the end of the programme I think he was shown in a more negative light," he said.
"This is just an indication of how manipulative a documentary like this can be."
Geller added he had no doubt's about Jackson's character.
"I fully trust Michael, he is a pure innocent human being, he brings so much joy into the lives of people," he said.

Innocent
In the programme Jackson introduced Bashir to a 12-year-old named Gavin, who he befriended as the youngster fought cancer.
The boy said he battled his illness with the help of Jackson and that his parents were happy with their friendship, and saw nothing wrong with him sharing a room with the star.
Jackson insisted his love for children was entirely innocent and had nothing to do with sex.
"My greatest inspiration comes from kids... it's all inspired from that level of innocence. I just love being around that all the time," he said.
Bashir had "unprecedented" access to the singer for the 90-minute documentary, Living With Michael Jackson.
He followed Jackson for eight months, interviewing him several times and spending time at his Californian ranch, Neverland, which includes a zoo and a full-scale fairground.
Bashir was present during the infamous "baby dangling" incident in Germany recently when Jackson held his baby son over a balcony to show waiting fans beneath.

Adoption plans
Jackson denied that had been wrong, saying any criticism was "ignorant" - a word he also used to describe media criticism of any other aspects of his life.
"We were waiting for thousands of fans down below, and they were chanting they wanted to see my child, so I was kind enough to let them see. I was doing something out of innocence," he said.
"I love my children, I was holding my son right and strong... I wasn't going to let him fall," he said.
He said he wanted more children and was considering adopting two from each continent.
The singer said he wanted to "live forever" and "totally" identified with the immortal children's fiction figure Peter Pan.
Questioned about the apparent change in his skin tone over the years, Jackson said he had the condition vitiligo, which made him lose skin colour and meant he was allergic to the sun.
Elsewhere in the programme, the singer is shown trying to teach Bashir his trademark "moonwalk" dance.

Source: BBC

[Grojlach]

And Michael Jackson's response to the documentary and the criticism:

Jacko says he was betrayed by Bashir

Michael Jackson has criticised Martin Bashir and the makers of a documentary on him.
He says he feels more betrayed than perhaps ever before.
He has been widely criticised following the ITV1 programme, Living With Michael Jackson, in which he revealed that he still shares his bedroom with children.
A spokesman said Jackson first saw the programme, in which he was interviewed by investigative journalist Martin Bashir, last night.
He immediately released a statement through his British representative Stephen Lock, criticising its portrayal of him.
"I trusted Martin Bashir to come into my life and that of my family because I wanted the truth to be told.
"Martin Bashir persuaded me to trust him, that his would be an honest and fair portrayal of my life and told me that he was 'the man that turned Diana's life around'.
The pop star went on: "Today I feel more betrayed than perhaps ever before; that someone who had got to know my children, my staff and me, whom I let into my heart and told the truth, could then sacrifice the trust I placed in him and produce this terrible and unfair programme.
"Everyone who knows me will know the truth which is that my children come first in my life and that I would never harm any child."
Jackson said he had received many messages of support from fans in Britain since the documentary was aired on Monday night.

Source: Ananova

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So what do you think?

[Link]

Personally I think people are getting way to exaggerated about Michael Jackson each time he does something. Can he do nothing right? Every single thing he does, has something wrong about it. We keep on forgetting the fact that he is in his way brilliant, and that there's absolutely no one in this entire world who can even come close to his musicality.

[Grojlach]

Originally posted by Link: Personally I think people are getting way to exaggerated about Michael Jackson each time he does something. Can he do nothing right? Every single thing he does, has something wrong about it. We keep on forgetting the fact that he is in his way brilliant, and that there's absolutely no one in this entire world who can even come close to his musicality.

Well, I agreed with your post entirely until the last bit about him being the most brilliant musician, which I doubt. But yes, I think this case is blown way out of proportion... People simply listened to the interview and highlighted and misinterpreted the bit about children sleeping over. Of course, Jackson is extremely excentric, but excentric and weird enough to be completely honest about it. I think that in all his naivity, Jackson is still a child at heart, he really doesn't understand why others frown on his behaviour.

[Link]

Absolutely true, but you cannot say he isn't a brilliant musician Grojlach. That's (in my eyes) simply denying the truth. He still is one of the most best-selling artists around. But he has suffered greatly from paparazzi invading his personal life, and last, but not least, his childhood, which was probably wrecked by his tirannical father.

[Grojlach]

Originally posted by Link: Absolutely true, but you cannot say he isn't a brilliant musician Grojlach. That's (in my eyes) simply denying the truth. He still is one of the most best-selling artists around. But he has suffered greatly from paparazzi invading his personal life, and last, but not least, his childhood, which was probably wrecked by his tirannical father.

Don't put words in my mouth, Link. [img]tongue.gif[/img] I never claimed he wasn't a brilliant musician, it was more the remark about there being no one out there getting even close to his musical brilliancy that I disagreed with. Maybe in pop music he's unchallenged, but I wouldn't call him the greatest artist of all time by default; music is more than just pop music, mind you.

[ 02-06-2003, 05:52 AM: Message edited by: Grojlach ]

[Link]

But it wasn't my intention to state that he was simply the most brilliant musician ever. I mean; in his genre he is, but for Jazz it may be Herbie Hancock. And for blues someone else. But in pop music Michael Jackson is simply the best, IMHO.

[Memnoch]

He may be a great musical talent, but I reckon he's lost the plot completely in terms of his mental stability.

[Link]

Originally posted by Memnoch: He may be a great musical talent, but I reckon he's lost the plot completely in terms of his mental stability.

Very true, and it's a true shame that happened, IMHO.