adoreme said:

i don't believe that was an argument
Adore why the hell are you responding to this thread anyway?
Don't you need to go Bootlegg your thousands of madonna tix?

voices do you think this is legit?
Roger Friedman is usually a reliable source
but his recent peices were quite distasteful
give me the scoop!

Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Father's lawyer suggests mother keeping her sons away so they don't tell the truth about what really happened at Neverland

The following article comes from Roger Friedman's May 19th column.

The 14-year-old boy at the center of the current Michael Jackson case is right in the center of a family at war.

The boy's parents, who are in and out of family court over custody and visitation issues, recently crossed swords again.

This time the mother, who has been called an opportunist and a manipulator in this column by many who have had dealings with her, really said a mouthful. In court papers she said that not only do her two sons and one daughter not want to see their father, but - and this is only according to her - the two boys sleep with baseball bats because they fear this man. She also said they go through putting up a series of barricades so they can sleep soundly.

But it turns out, according to the father's lawyer, that the daughter has seen and spoken to her father. "The mother doesn't care whether she seems him or not," says H. Russell Halpern. "She's only interested in keeping the boys away from him. She's afraid they'll tell him that the whole Michael Jackson story is made up."

In fact: sources have told me from the beginning that when the 14-year-old underwent chemotherapy treatments a year and a half ago, it was the father who took care of him. When the family first came to Neverland, it was the father, not the mother, who accompanied them.

"When the boy got sick, the father took a leave of absence from his job and slept next to his bed. The boy wanted him there for comfort."

The mother's latest court statement, says Halpern, "demonstrates her lack of credibility." And there may be some evidence to back this up. When the mother sued J.C. Penney a couple of years ago, she gave a deposition in which she allegedly testified that her ex-husband - whom she later accused of beating her kids and killing her dog - was a "wonderful man."

Halpern is busy right now trying to get the deposition unsealed. He claims that the Pasadena, California lawyer who handled the case has been pressured by the mother's attorney, Larry Feldman, to keep the papers hidden. But attorney Tom Rothstein told me yesterday, "I've never spoken to Larry Feldman in my life." Feldman, of course, is better known as the lawyer who got a $20 million settlement for another family from Jackson in 1994.

Here's the latest press:

Jackson: Press Pushes for Gory Details
Wed May 19, 5:15 PM ET

By Josh Grossberg

The press corps want to know who's bad, and they're not gonna beat it until a judge tells 'em to do so.

Media outlets covering Michael Jackson's child-molestation case are asking a Santa Barbara judge to release last month's grand jury indictment against the onetime King of Pop, as well as transcripts of witness testimony.

Attorney Theodore Boutrous, who filed the motions on behalf of several major news organizations, argued on Tuesday that the Gloved One's case did not meet the high legal standard that would warrant keeping the allegations against him confidential.

"This case does not raise any of the issues that have traditionally been invoked to seal or partially seal indictments, such as the need to protect the lives of witnesses, to ensure the defendant or other potential targets did not flee or the need to protect innocent persons from injury," Boutrous said in the motion filed in Santa Barbara Superior Court.

At a hearing last month, Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville ordered the bulk of Jackson's indictment held from public view at the request of the embattled entertainer's attorney.

As a result, only edited portions of the indictment were made public, none of which named Jackson's alleged co-conspirators or provided details of the acts he supposedly committed against the unnamed minor, widely believed to be the young cancer survivor shown holding hands with the singer in Martin Bashir's now infamous 2003 documentary on Jackson.

Jackson, 45, was indicted on Apr. 30 of 10 felony counts: four counts of lewd acts involving a minor, four counts of administering an intoxicating agent, reportedly wine, to commit a felony, one count of trying to force a minor to commit a lewd act on Jackson's "body and certain parts" and one count of conspiracy.

The "Thriller" singer has pleaded innocent to all the charges and remains free on $3 million bail.

Melville cited several reasons for keeping portions of the indictment sealed, including protecting of the identity of Jackson's accuser and avoiding possible tainting of the jury pool by disclosing sordid details.

However, in his petition for news organizations, Boutrous challenged that justification and argued that the child's identity, though not disclosed by the press, is already known in public, thanks to his appearance in the Bashir documentary.

The lawyer also said that an indictment "always cast the defendant in a negative light," so there's no reason to think publishing details of the case would prejudice prospective jurors. As a solution, he suggests both sides carefully scrutinize the jury pool during jury selection.

Boutrous asserted that keeping the material confidential breaks with legal precedent and opens the door for "every defendant in a case of public interest to argue an indictment should be sealed so the world will not learn of his or her alleged bad acts."

The lawyer also filed a separate motion seeking the release of all 13 days of testimony before the grand jury, including accounts by Jackson's accuser, as well as another John Doe, reportedly the alleged victim's brother who is said to have witnessed two acts of molestation on his sibling.

A hearing on the media's petitions has been set for May 28.

Meanwhile, Court TV's Diane Dimond, the reporter who has been on the Jackson beat since initial allegations of child molestation first surfaced more than a decade ago, claims to have uncovered new information about the mysterious multiple co-conspirators and their connection to Jackson.

According to Dimond, gay-porn producer Marc Schaffel is listed as a conspirator for allegedly trying to separate the boy and his family from investigators and may have even tried to spirit the family out of the country. Schaffel produced Michael's ill-fated 9-11 charity tune ("What More Can I Give?"), which was delayed after news of Schaffel's porn credits surfaced.

Two other Jackson associates, Frank Tyson and Vince Amen, are believed to be the other co-conspirators, according to their New York attorney, Joseph Tacopina, who said there were no plans for the men to cut a deal with prosecutors. The men are allegedly facing accusations of conspiring with Jackson to commit abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

It's not an argument. It's a factual statement.

Luv4oneanotha said:[quote]

i don't believe that was an argument

At least not a convincing one.

Adore why the hell are you responding to this thread anyway?

For the sheer joy of reading these witty and persuasive posts.

Don't you need to go Bootlegg your thousands of madonna tix?

[quote]

adoreme said:

in other words you were bored?
[This message was edited Thu May 20 4:26:21 2004 by Luv4oneanotha]

VoicesCarry said:

My God! Thank you, VoicesCarry!

dag said:

dag said:

So, if Michael is charged guilty, you'll believe that he's guilty?

theVelvetRoper said:

Depends if they have a logical amount of evidence to prove his guilt
if they do sure i was wrong
but my guess they don't, least not physical anyway
so all im saying this is going to be a long trial.

i believe the real problem is that the public and the pseudo-intellectuals have made up their mind on Michael Jackson's Charge
He's Guilty they don't really need proof the fact that he's eccentric enough
and yeah i admit the dude is weird i was reading an interview
with Kit Culkin Mcaully and kierans father
he told an incident where he found his 2 year old son and michael in a corner with bottles in their mouths
Very strange... not toward molestation weird
its just mentally stable weird, the father thinks Michael has some major issues...
i happen to agree with him
but we shouldn't use MJ's issues to prove his guilt
the law says you must prove to the jury BEYOND a reasonable doubt
and if the district attorney cannot provide that kind of earth shattering evidence
then the case trial is going in a dumpster
Especially with MJ's Status and Money
if your going to send one of the most famous figures in pop culture to jail
wouldn't you want formidable physical evidence that he did what he's being charged with?

some people really want him to be guilty which is kind of sickening of what has come with modern society. i mean you can have all the evidence in the world, but these people can't see beyond
the child molesting "Wacko Jacko"
which is sad
so lets do some prediction
if he does turn out to be innocent?
will that be enough for the public?
no, his image is dead, matter of fact its been dying since the first case
this is the last death grasp

Luv4oneanotha said:

I don't know. He's still selling. His image may be dead, but his career isn't.

VoicesCarry said:

very true...

yeah michael has a worldwide fanbase unlike most of todays big artists like justin and usher who are only really big in the usa its only in the states i think where michaels fanbase has shrunken over the years mainly cause of the medias portrayl of him

riverdean7 said:

Or maybe because that happens to every artist.

And that's why Madonna and her kids have been threatened with murder.

sawah said:

If you believe The Sun.

Wow! This thread's still here. I would've thought it would be on page three or four by now.

Cloudbuster said:

Well, so much current, exciting news has been posted that the mods felt they just had to keep it here I guess.

VoicesCarry said:

I was, in fact, being as sarcastic as your good self.

Cloudbuster said:

I know

I wonder if there is the same kind of cool pic of MJ and one of his poor children ( I guess that it's not even use to ask about the kids and their mama)

Here's the latest... I guess they don't wanna lower Michael's bail amount because they fear he'll pull a Roman Polanski... your thoughts?

Jackson: Life on the Run?
Mon May 24, 1:30 PM ET
By Lia Haberman

Michael Jackson on the lam in Africa? Perhaps cooling his heels in Asia? Or maybe pulling a Polanski and shacking up in Paris?

It could happen, argue prosecutors, who are opposing a motion to lower the pop star's $3 million bail.

The hefty bond is necessary to insure Jackson doesn't beat it before his trial and possible prison sentence, according to a prosecution motion written by Deputy District Attorney Gerald McC. Franklin and obtained by media lawyers.

"The defendant here is 'Michael Jackson (news), international celebrity,' a man whose lifestyle to date would not have prepared him to adapt readily to a prison environment and routine, and whose physical stature will present its own problems for him in making the necessary adjustments.

"Mr. Jackson has doubtlessly given those realities considerable thought," the motion said.

It goes on to suggest that "the temptation to flee must surely be strong for an individual in the defendant's circumstances. To suppose otherwise would be to blink reality."

As an example, prosecutors cite Max Factor heir Andrew Luster who hightailed it to Mexico during his rape prosecution, "notwithstanding his $1 million bail bond," before being captured.

And while the average joe would only be dinged $435,000 for Jackson's child-molestation and conspiracy charges the stakes are a little higher for the onetime King of Pop, who owns multiple properties and a music catalogue estimated at $75 million to $90 million, among other assets.

Then there's the undeniable celebrity factor that could translate into a global welcome mat, charge prosecutors. "Mr. Jackson is known and adored--'adored' is not too strong a word--in many of the countries of Europe, the Near East and Africa," said the motion.

"Several of those countries do not have extradition treaties with the United States....He may well conclude that life as a wealthy absconder in one of these countries is preferable to what might amount to a life term in a California prison," the motion said.

Jackson was charged in December with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent, believed to be wine, to a minor.

Then in April, Jackson was indicted on 10 felony counts: four counts of committing lewd acts on a child under the age of 14, four counts of plying the child with alcohol, one count of trying to get the child to commit a lewd act on his "body and certain parts" and one count of conspiracy.

Jackson has pleaded innocent to all charges and remains free on $3 million bail.

In a separate motion, prosecutors sided with defense attorneys opposing a media petition to release last month's grand jury indictment against Jackson, as well as transcripts of witness testimony. Jurors "should learn about the evidence while seated in the jury box, not at the breakfast table or from late-night talk shows," said prosecutors.

The motions are scheduled to be argued this Friday.

June7 said:

lol who would blame him? lol
lets lower the bar for a superstar just in case he fleas
their wrong about one thing those very same countries who give him adoration
will turn on him within a drop of the hat
he may have a chanc somewhere in the congo
the dudes ready for trial i'd be worried what he does during the last day of the trial
remember he's gt that moonwalker Magic!

"we find the defendent, Guilty!"

MJ:: oh shyt ::runs to the court room door::
::spins::
::turns into golden powder and whisked away with the wind::

Luv4oneanotha said:

Me.

I disagree. Plenty of people have managed to avoid countries successfully because of the lack of reciprocal extradition treaties.


Well, you never know.

There's no way this would happen. Roman P. is not world wide known... he's a regular "Joe" who wouldn't be noticed on the street unless someone pointed him out to you...

Michael, on the other hand, is known in every corner of the world... there's no way his bail lowering provides a flight risk... where on Earth would he go that he isn't known???

I think he'll be front and center at the trial... no problem.

This issue, really...

June7 said:

At the time of his crime he was pretty well known...more for the unfortunate butchering of his family and friends by the Manson clan than anything he had done.

....he doent stick out like a freak like MJ tho.

polanskis films are well known but he isnt and like someone said earlier the majority of people walking past him wouldnt recognize him even before the scandel roman wasnt known to give interviews or even attend his own movies on opening weekends

sawah said:

That is a truly despicable thing to say. You're practically suggesting that by letting her children live half normal lives she is inviting people to make threats against them.

Someone who wanted to do damage to MJ's kids would have no more trouble finding them than Madonna's family. He is not protecting them by making them wear these veils. This will not keep them out of danger.

June7 said:

That is such a poor excuse for not lowering the bail. 3 milion is not going to stop Michael from going anywhere. He could pull that much out of his left sock. The man just recieved 3.5 million for an upcoming box set that Sony are going to put out later this year.

WildStyle said:

Odd. I heard he was in deep financial trouble and had a loan of $7 million with the bank....