LOS OLIVOS, Calif. - Friends and relatives of Michael Jackson (news) descended on his Neverland Ranch on Saturday to show their support for the entertainer who is fighting child molestation charges.


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The private gathering behind the gates of the sprawling estate was described as a homecoming for Jackson, who has kept a low profile in Las Vegas and undisclosed locations since surrendering to authorities on Nov. 20 and being released on $3 million bail.


"This event is to show Michael that he has the love and support of his friends and family," Jackson's spokesman Stuart Backerman told reporters outside the estate.


The gathering — titled "You Are Not Alone" after a Jackson song — drew about 600 people, including celebrities such as tennis star Serena Williams (news - web sites), rapper MC Hammer, comedian Eddie Griffin and "American Idol" host and DJ Ryan Seacrest.


More than 450 cars entered the main gate of the estate. Fans ran up to a black Mercedes that carried two people who appeared to be Jackson's parents.


About 20 reporters staked out the gate, along with a dozen fans. One sign pasted on a car read, "Michael is innocent!! Leave him alone!!"


Guests characterized the mood inside as upbeat.


Musician Edwin Birdsong said Jackson was subdued as various supporters honored him.


"He just said "Hi," and smiled," Birdsong told reporters as he left Neverland. "It was very festive and happy."


A gospel choir led by Andrae Crouch performed, Birdsong said. Other celebrities included actor Robert Townsend and former baseball star Darryl Strawberry, he said.


Actor David McKnight said friends, family and children whom Jackson has helped over the years took turns giving tributes. He said there was "a lot of food, a lot of eating, and a lot of celebration, camaraderie, holding hands, cheering and praising Michael Jackson."


Guest Katherine Rogers said Jermaine Jackson performed a song at the gathering and actor Tommy Davidson (news) served as master of ceremonies. She said Michael Jackson looked "relaxed."


Asked by reporters how Jackson was faring, Backerman said, "He's doing fantastic. He's doing well. He's holding up fine. He's clearly fighting mad regarding the allegations."


Backerman declined to answer further questions about Jackson's legal troubles.


As cars began leaving, passengers in one vehicle threw T-shirts reading "I support Michael Jackson" to fans waiting outside.


Jackson was charged Thursday with seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent. He maintains his innocence.


Jackson was looking forward to thanking people who have stood by him, said Brian Oxman, a lawyer and Jackson friend who planned to attend Saturday's gathering.





"It's for family and friends to say thank you from Michael to people he loves and who have supported him," Oxman said. "It's not a party. It's not a pep rally. It's not hoopla or celebration."

Jackson soon will travel to England to fulfill unspecified contractual obligations. There have been reports he will be promoting his latest CD, "Number Ones," which is doing better in the United Kingdom than it is in the United States.

Mark Beaumont, a staff writer at music magazine NME, said he doesn't expect a rapturous welcome for Jackson if he goes ahead with his visit to England.

"There will always be the hardcore fans but that is a relatively small group now and people are becoming more suspicious," Beaumont said.

you don't like him, so why bother posting this?

Marrk said:

You like him, so why bother responding ? I don't know, because it's a free country?

like all of those 600 people belive he's innocent?

They're probably just there for the hell of it, ryan seacrest?

lovebizzare said:

I just like how they bow at his feet in "honour" of him

ummm maybe they just wanted to support him and make their friend feel better?
by the way i wish the media would quit with this stuff "flash news- cars are arriving!". isn't there important stuff i could be hearing about? and kobe too. i don't care!!!

conch5184 said:

There was one comment from an editorial that amused me - "was Janet there, or was this 'family gathering' only for the failures?"

But in all seriousness you're right. Yesterday, "Jennifer Aniston has best celebrity hair" was a news flash. Come on! What next? Best celebrity fart?

no good can come of it either. it's just interfering and making things worse on everyone involved in the actual situations. how did we become so idiotic? i blame the britneys and n sync's for some of the dumbing down.

conch5184 said:

please, they can't be blamed for everything

i know...but i think they went a long way in starting us down this slippery slope. i don't mean actually britney and n sync, but the people who made their images at least in the beginnings of their careers like lou perlman and the music industry giving in to selling out etc etc.

conch5184 said:

The people who manufactured Frankie and Annette would like a word with you...

VoicesCarry said:

Hmm. So who does have the best celebrity fart? Lol

Yeah, Janet's doing the smart thing and staying out of the Michael drama. She went to visit him recently at a hotel, but had a towel over her head very much like "Blanket", lol Siblings or not, she can't let herself be brought down by him when she has an album coming out that she has to worry about. She got involved the first time and did "Scream" with him and cancelled some shows to be with him.

If this Michael shit delays the J.J. album, I'll kill him.

theVelvetRoper said:

Can I help? I'm very much looking forward to her new album, too. Hunting Michael around his Neverland haunt using crossbows - sounds like a good video game.

it's the chain reactions. the success of those artists and what they stand/stood for made the money-hungry music business manufacture artists with a similar appeal and ignore artists with more "substance". they didn't and still don't get much of a chance. then the rest of entertainment had to keep the pulse of what was hot and appeal to the audience that was paying attention and creating so much success. so along came a certain trashiness in the general media. there wouldn't have been headline news about bennifer 10 years ago i think.
many are accountable but the good news is their audience is maturing and looking for something they like better (as well as feeling alienated by the direction some of their idols take- nowhere near as many 14 year olds love britney as used to), and entertainment is starting to recognize again that older audiences DO spend money. with the success of john mayer, norah jones, alicia keys, dido, etc. the music industry is coming around again. it's always circles. it was frankie and annette and so on and then along came the beatles. it was whitesnake and new kids on the block, then along came nirvana. this too will pass

VoicesCarry said:

Definitely! We can be the torch-weiding villagers!

Haha, when all of this Micheal molestation crap came out again, the first thing I thought of was the affect it would have on the Janet album. Poor molested children were not the issue. I'm probably going to hell.

conch5184 said:

too. Manufactured pop is alright when it's GOOD. Not right now, unfortunately.

Janet could do with SOME publicity though, her BBC Celebdaq price has been £1.00 for about a year with an all time high of £1.01. She's less valuable than 3 year old Big Brother contestants Invest in Michael, David Beckham and Arnie to make the big bucks
[This message was edited Sun Dec 21 14:47:11 PST 2003 by Ellie]

Ellie said:

Janet's a private person, and I respect that. I wish more celebs could be so private (hint hint MJ & Jen & Ben)

Possible Jackson Visit Raises Eyebrows in UK

By Jason Hopps

LONDON (Reuters) - Pop superstar Michael Jackson (news), expected to fly to Britain this week for a Christmas visit, is unlikely to escape the furor surrounding his forthcoming court fight over a barrage of child sex charges back home.

A spokesman for the embattled King of Pop confirmed the singer would fly to Britain, but stayed tight-lipped over details of the Christmas trip. Some British politicians questioned the logic behind the visit by the star.

"I must confess I was a little bit surprised that someone in America can be released from their (bail) condition of not traveling abroad in order to launch a CD," British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott told the BBC on Sunday.

"I wonder whether that would have happened to an ordinary person who said 'I want to go to visit my mum'. But that's their decision, not ours," Prescott said.

Although hugely popular in Britain, where his latest album "Number Ones" is riding high on the charts, Jackson is unlikely to be as warmly received when -- or if -- he arrives as he was on a 2001 visit, when he addressed Oxford University.

Jackson, who has regularly topped the charts over a 30-year career, was arrested on suspicion of child molestation last month and released on $3 million bail.

California police have charged him with nine counts of molesting a boy under the age of 14, including committing seven "lewd acts." Jackson denies the charges.

A trip to Britain was made possible after his lawyers arranged with prosecutors the return of his passport which was confiscated after his arrest.

The singer is due in court in the United States on January 16 for a formal reading of charges, but has two contractual agreements in Britain that pre-date his arrest warrant, British media reported.

His spokesman was offering few details:

"When he goes, where he goes and for what purpose he goes is private," Jackson's spokesman Stuart Backerman told reporters in Los Angeles.

"We can't really comment any further on that because it's a personal obligation that he's going for and may stay a few more days obviously for the Christmas season to relax," he said.

But with several members of Britain's ruling Labour Party calling for Jackson to be banned from entering the country, the singer may not find the relaxation he seeks.

"He's a great performer and I think he can only erode that reputation by making the judgment to come to Britain at this time," Labour Member of Parliament Dan Norris told Sky News.





That's a pretty big double standard. An average Joe on bail would NOT be allowed to leave the county, much less the country.

VoicesCarry said:

Hence the fact that Janet has never had superstar-like success outside of the USA.

Ellie said:

??? You mean besides the sold-out 2-year-long world tours, millions of albums sold, and international acclaim?
[This message was edited Sun Dec 21 16:13:58 PST 2003 by VoicesCarry]