You Are Not Alone
Celebs defend Michael Jackson. From Liz to Ludacris to LL Cool J, stars say the singer deserves presumption of innocence by Gary Susman
www.ew.com



Michael Jackson should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. So say an increasing number of the singer's celebrity pals and acquaintances in the wake of his arrest Thursday on child molestation charges. His most recent defender is close friend Elizabeth Taylor, who had declined to comment on the case on Friday but changed her tune on Sunday, issuing a statement saying: ''I believe Michael is absolutely innocent and that he will be vindicated.'' She went on to blast the media for their coverage of the scandal. ''Their whole reaction is that he is guilty. I thought the law was 'innocent until proven guilty,'' she said. ''I know he is innocent and I hope they all eat crow.''

Jackson is accused of molesting a 12-year-old boy who visited him at Neverland, where the singer revealed earlier this year in a TV documentary that he still likes to hold sleepovers and share his bed with kids. ''Simple Life'' reality starlet Nicole Richie, who's a goddaughter to Jackson (her dad is his ''We Are the World'' collaborator Lionel Richie), said she used to sleep in the same room as Jackson and that nothing inappropriate ever occured. ''It was like, absolutely nothing more than just an adult kind of wanting to be a kid again,'' the 22-year-old told TV's ''Access Hollywood.'' She echoed the claim from Jackson's camp that the raid on Neverland was timed to coincide with the release of Jackson's ''Number Ones'' CD, a claim Santa Barbara district attorney Tom Sneddon has denied. ''I do think it is very convenient that his album came out and all this stuff is happening. I definitely do think that's very convenient,'' Richie said. ''It really hurts me to see that his whole life is ruined.''

''He's black, rich, and famous and they have nothing better to do,'' funkster Rick James told CNN, referring to the authorities who arrested Jackson. ''As soon as you get famous and black, they go after you,'' said James, who's had his own well-publicized run-ins with the law.

''He's my biggest influence so that's why I'm very defensive,'' Missy Elliott told MTV News at Thursday's Vibe Awards in Los Angeles. ''I'm ready to fight about Michael Jackson, so we pray to God he didn't do it, 'cause I might go to jail trying to defend him.''

''I'm a fan. I support him a hundred zillion percent,'' rapper LL Cool J told reporters at the Vibe Awards. ''Until I see evidence, I'm not going to be convinced. I'm not going to be brainwashed.'' Others at the hip-hop awards ceremony who defended Jackson included Ludacris, Monica, Kelly Osbourne, and Alicia Keys.

''I'm upset at the way he's being treated in the media,'' Keys said. ''I think they're really trying to slander his name, and I really think that's unfair for the way that he's contributed to the American culture since the day he was born. I think he deserves much more than that. This is someone's life, and I don't think he should be reduced to a joke. He's far more than that.''

(Posted:11/24/03)


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i just had to post this cause so many rant on how come its only lil boys...well, now whe know it wasnt...he digs lil girls too.. (j/k)

I'm sure he's slept in the same room as Bubbles a few times too...maybe he is into the hot monkey sex?

sosgemini said:

ah, the "old trampoline"

that's cause she is female!

Aaah, good old Liz. I like her, she has always been so supportive on Michael. Must be the 80.000$ perfume...

HerRoyalBadness said:

AaronUniversal said:

look at her bling bling

Michael is an honest man.


He will go to jail if necessary. Also because he can't run too far without his nose falling off... (God, punish me 4 this!)

...and these people really understand what a false accusation, as a major celebrity, might do to you and your career.

Like I said, until there's evidence supporting their (the SB Law Enforcer's) case, I'll support MJ, and believe him until he's proven guilty.

HerRoyalBadness said:

God's resting, allow me.

About time Liz!

Also good to see Mike getting props and support from important black figures.No matter what he looks like he's still a black man, and he never at any point pretended he's half-italian neither.

.
[This message was edited Mon Nov 24 12:12:11 PST 2003 by Marrk]

CAMILLE4U said:

uh, oh! do it again and call me german boynames!

HerRoyalBadness said:

CAMILLE4U said:

The same xpression was on the face of my last boyfriend - before he realised he couldn't escape!

HerRoyalBadness said:

CAMILLE4U said:

[/quote]


Relax, I ain't gonna eat ya!










Second thought...maybe I will

HerRoyalBadness said:

Hot sauce?

CAMILLE4U said:

Chocolate sauce...with raspberries and cream.


I'm gettin hungry...!

I'm sure Michael is very grateful for the support of a talentless skanky heroin junkie like Nicole Richie.

Some of the other people mentioned in the posted article who spoke out in support of Michael are much more "quoteworthy" than Paris Hilton's good buddy and partner in drugs and mediawhoredom, Nicole Richie.

PrimordialOoze said:

well, what makes it newsworthy is the fact that she is a girl...many who believe mj is quilty are always throwing out the "why only boys?" claim...

maybe he thought it would be inappropriate somehow to have girls in and not boys

sosgemini said:

I see the point you're trying to make but I'd be interested to know if there are any other girls out there who ever "slept" over with Michael or were invited to sleepovers in Michael's bedroom at Neverland.

Girls who are *not* Michael's goddaughter nor related to him in any way. This ONE claim from ONE girl - a girl who also happens to be his goddaughter and the daughter of a man he worked with - about staying overnight with him and that nothing sexual happened, isn't overwhelmingly persuasive. I'm sorry but I think Nicole's running her mouth right now about this because it's another way to get her name in print...and hey Nicole - it sure is "CONVENIENT" you're speaking out to the media on this (and getting your name in the media) right before your crappy TV show starts!

Besides, Michael isn't interested in little girls and even if he were, I would imagine he'd find a less risky target than his own 'goddaughter' and the daughter of someone he's collaborated with.

edit
[This message was edited Mon Nov 24 13:36:11 PST 2003 by PrimordialOoze]

PrimordialOoze said:

Fact.Both Gavin and Jordy's sisters slept over.

Marrk said:

As frequently as did all the hundreds of other little boys who get invited to sleepovers at Neverland? Did they sleep in Michael's bedroom with him like all the other little boys?

??

PrimordialOoze said:

I heard somewhere if a boy had a sister, yes.

PrimordialOoze said:

ahhh...motives. such a powerful thing...and since we are questioning motives...lets question the motive of this boys mother...or this boy who is now a young adult...

money? notarity? media attention? sorta like Nicole, huh?

Christopher said:

Liz has more wealth in jewels than the Queen of England!

sosgemini said:

Your point is valid. I totally agree that the accusar's mother is pathetic for allowing her son to stay overnight with Michael, in light of the allegations of 10 years ago. If those allegations were true, she is a sick woman and if those allegations were false, she is now a moneygrubbing liar. Whichever case may be true, she is an awful parent, imo.

Personally I'm starting to think almost everybody these days is a selfish, golddigging media whore with no integrity.

I don't agree that this attack on MJ is entirely because of his ethnicity and that he's famous.

If you found out your 45 year old neighbor was inviting kids over his house to sleep in his bed with him, wouldn't that draw suspicion from you as well?

By that same logic the media should be attacking celebrities like Stevie Wonder in the same manner, but theyre not. Michael Jackson is quite an odd character, and that in itself has always attracted peoples attention, regardless of the color of his skin or how much money he has.

CynthiasSocks said:

Yup yup. Amen sista'. Doesn't she own one of the, if not the, most expensive jewel in the world? Or did she sell it? I can't quite remember. She's cool. She does A LOT of fundraising for AIDS, and was the first to take a stand for people who acquired the disease. A person who does that can't be all bad.