Conference ljsrv1::tv_chatter

  Here again we can only guess as to his motives. Someone mentioned that Johnny
Mathis has been forgotten. Well maybe you've forgotten him but my girl friend
hasn't. She's been a Mathis fan for almost 4 decades and when we went to CD his
X-mass album was one of the 1st she bought. He's not forgotten, he's retired. 

  Likewise, Michael Jackson could retire tomorrow, give away 95% of his money,
and still live like a king for the rest of his life. He doesn't need to sell
any more albums. 

  Does he feel he has to sell them anyway? I don't know. Does he have a need to
be in the lime light? Maybe, and maybe not. He did make it clear that being a
star has it's drawbacks. Maybe he'd like to try being rich but not famous. Then
again maybe not. Who knows? 

  George

    I saw the interview last night (UK) - I thought he did fine... he has
    much more of sense of humor than I had imagined.  I find him amazing
    considering the alternative childhood/adolescence he has had.

    I wonder though... does he really know what love is?  He claims to have
    such unconditional love for so many that have hurt him...  

    I wasn't going to watch because I didn't realize it was on until a
    co-worker told me.  I watched it and it made me rethink some things.  I
    feel so sorry for him with this skin disorder, because now he looks
    like such a fake person it is hard to look at him.  It almost looks
    like he was once a severe burn victim that had skin grafts ...
    
    So sad, even those wealthy, adored entertainers have human problems.  I
    was shocked about his "girlfriend" Brook Shields.  She was on
    Entertainment Tonight the other night saying that their friendship was
    at a higher level than normal but that they were'nt lovers in the
    physical sense .... guess he must think more of the relationship than
    she does, because about 6 months ago (according to the rags) she was
    engaged to Liam Neeson, and lately she has been dating David Keith
    (officer and a gentleman).
    
    He's a great entertainer and a genuinely nice person, from what I got
    from the special.  Oprah, as usual, did a fantastic job.  I loved the
    "virgin" Question and his response was a riot!
    
    Tammi

    I believe the skin disorder answer but why the red lipstick?  He looks
    like something out of a Dracula movie.  Appearances aside, tho, he
    seems like a very frightened person that is trying to center himself by
    believing in love and the goodness of man.  Unfortunately, I think this
    will mean he will be hurt many more times.  I wish him strength.
    
    

Yes, I feel for him as well.  On the Grammy's, he basically said that he didn't have
a childhood and I believe him.  I suppose it's hard to be "normal" when your every word is
a reason for someone in the audience to scream.  

The funniest line was the one where he said "I guess I can now dispell another rumor" as
he hugged his sister.  (I guess there was some rumor that he and Janet Jackson were one
and the same)
 

    Re .25: I dunno - that woman who was with him didn't look like Janet to
    _me_. ;-)
    
    (I can't help feeling that if he can manage a sense of humor about the
    situation, whatever the truth is, *and* make lots and lots of money,
    he's doing pretty well...)
    
    -b

    Last nights Street Stories had a piece about the skin disease
    VIGI...something or other.  Seems there is no known cure - but a lot of
    hopeful people waiting for one.
    
    Interesting...
    
    -sandy
    

The following interview occurred on Tuesday night's "A Current Affair", a 
half-hour prime time Australian news review program which is shown on the 
National 9 Network here. This program is hosted by Ray Martin, a man who's 
considered to be one of our most gentlemanly and capable of interviewers. 
Ray Martin was in Sydney, Australia, and the interview is with LaToya Jackson 
via satellite TV hook-up from Las Vegas, USA. The interview provides an 
intriguing insight ...which speaks for itself..

M: "Welcome back. The Jackson family has been doing it tough lately over 
    claims that Michael is a child molester, although there are no formal 
    charges and nothing has been proven against him. The family gathered in 
    Las Vegas at the weekend in a show of unity, to record a concert, but one 
    highly visible absentee was 36-year old LaToya Jackson. LaToya, who 
    claims that Michael IS a child molester, has made a habit of popping up 
    and embarrassing the Jacksons, and she was at it again in Las Vegas. I 
    spoke with her a short time ago and THIS was the result.

   "LaToya, thank you very much for your time. Can you understand why the 
    world thinks the Jackson family is a bit strange?"

J: "Well.. probably because of all the.. the different things that has 
    occurred and has gone on in the family."

M: "Did it seem bizarre to you though growing up in the family or did it seem 
    like just a normal family, or a bit strange?"

J: "No, it wasn't normal - it was a very disfunctional family, actually - 
    when your father is constantly abusing you, and your mother is there 
    doing the same, and also watching him at the same time, that's not normal 
    at all, and then also molesting his daughters... tha.. that's not normal 
    at all."

M: "Are you sorry that you missed the Jackson family reunion concert the 
    other night?"

J: "I can't tell you that I'm sorry that I MISSED it..."

M: "But that's your family.. that's your mother and father, your sisters and 
    brothers, your cousins.. Would you not have liked to have been part of 
    it?"

J: "I don't really believe in the things that my parents and my family 
    believe in, and so I felt that as long as they believe in their beliefs, 
    and I believe in something entirely different, I can't go along with it 
    because it's basically just saying it's all right to do things that 
    they're doing, and the things that they're doing ar.. are entirely wrong, 
    and I'm not going to go along with that."

M: "What are they doing that's entirely wrong?"

J: "Well they believe in child abuse... and I'm totally against that."

M: "They BELIEVE in child abuse?" (Simultaneously, J: said "I'm an abuse 
    victim." but M:'s voice was dominant.)

J: "Yes.. very much so and they've denied it emphatically and.. and they're 
    still in that denial stage."

M: "Now you know that your family have said about you.. that you're a 
    profiteering liar."

J: "Yes.. they have said that several times. I'm very used to them saying 
    that actually."

M: "It's interesting y'know that at the moment Michael's been..  hasn't been 
    formally charged with anything.. you've never seen him DO anything, and 
    yet you've convicted him. You've basically hanged him yourself."

J: "No, what you must remember is that I have seen a lot. I've lived with 
    Michael."

M: "Straight question: Have you ever seen Michael commit a crime ... with 
    little boys?"

J: "I've seen Michael ..I've seen Michael do a lot of things."

M: "Have you seen Michael commit a crime with little boys?"

J: "I have NEVER seen Michael in the bed molesting a child."

M: "So where's your evidence? Why are y.. why are you pointing the finger at 
    him?"

J: "You don't understand. I know SO much. There's.. The writing is right 
    there on the wall."

M: "Are you jealous of Michael?"

J: "Of course not... uh..no."

M: "So you're not.." (cut short)

J: "How COULD I be? He's.. he's my brother. First of all, you must remember, 
    to ME, Michael is the BEST entertainer in the world... 

M: "But you.." (cut short)

J: "...and no-one ever will be above him.."

M: "...but it's bizarre you say, `How COULD I be? He's my brother,'.. and yet 
    you go around the world, at press conferences and interviews, basically 
    stabbing him in the back.."

J: "I DON'T go around the world stabbing him in the back. I think it's the 
    mentality of.. of YOU! I don't want to say your people or your country. I 
    think it's you yourself."

M: "But you're saying it. 

J: "..sometimes you people.."

M: "We're not saying it. You're the one who's saying that he's a child 
    molester. You're the one who's saying that he's guilty of his crime."

J: "It's the people.. NO NO NO! .. you asked me the question.. you asked me 
    how I felt ..and this is how I feel.. I think people like YOU miss the 
    point and what you're doing and what you're allowing... you're allowing 
    people to ABUSE children, and it's wrong to do that... when you speak 
    that way.. what you're doing is very..." 

M: "Don't keep making the accusation, unless you're prepared to support it, 
    don't make the accusation."

J: "...what you're doing is very, very wrong.. because you know what? You're 
    telling children that it's OK to be abused and it's NOT."

M: "No, we're not! No, we're not! We're saying nothing like that.." (cut 
    short)

J: "..so for all you kids who are listening to this, if anybody's touching 
    you.. ANY little kid, please speak out openly and let someone know 
    because (at this point J: looked squarely at the camera and turned on her 
    interviewer, commencing to refer to him only in the second person) what 
    THIS guy's saying is very, very wrong. Don't listen to this. If someone's 
    touching you, you go immediately and you seek help."

M: "LaToya, have you.." (cut short)

J: ".. no matter what it is."

M: "LaToya have you had.." (cut short)

J: "..because he.. he.."

M: "..psychiatric help?"

J: "The way he's talking, he sounds like HE's an abuser.. the way HE's 
    speaking."

M: "Have you had psychiatric help?"

J: "He sounds like an abuser. he sounds EXACTLY like he's an abuser."

M: "WHO?" (pause) "WHO sounds like they're an abuser?"

J: "I mean ..have you been with him? Is that the problem? You've been with 
    him and you're afraid that that's gonna come out??"

M: (shaking his head in disbelief) "Do you make these accusations.." (cut 
    short)

J: "Is that..is that.. your fear?"

M: "Do you make these accusations as clearly as that?" (cut short)

J: "No, I'm asking you.. I'm asking you.. NO.. THAT'S not a.. THAT's not an 
    accusation! I'm asking you a question ..because you're acting as if you 
    have a chip on your shoulder, and there's no reason for you to act that 
    way."

M: "But that's as absurd as everything else you say."

J: "Everything else that you're saying too is ridiculous. I think what you're 
    saying is totally ridiculous. I am NOT stabbing him in the back."

           (Interview was suspended at this point..temporarily..)

                                    *****

M: (Shaking his head in further disbelief) "Well, Ms Jackson carried on with 
    THAT nonsense for about another twenty-five minutes, all the time being 
    prompted by someone in the studio, but off-camera - presumably her 
    husband/manager, Jack Gordon, until our bizarre interview ended this 
    way..."
                                    *****
           (Closing remarks from the interview were then shown..)

J: "People like YOU will let this go on and it's very, very wrong!"

M: "Who's talking to you in the background?"

J: " ...so I refuse to sit here and listen to you, and listen to you talk 
    this way. I think it's wrong of you... very wrong.

M: "Who's talking to you in the background?"

J: "..so I have nothing else to say to you whatsoever. I think what you're 
    doing is wrong. I'm sorry. GOODBYE" 

(J: arises from her seat and walks off... camera is still rolling.. there is
    a pause ..and next thing, J: is heard speaking from her microphone as a 
    "voice over"...)

J: "And YES, I'm talking to YOU so you can hear what I'm saying.. I can't 
    hear you but I DEFINITELY want you to hear what I'm saying, because you 
    DO have a SERIOUS problem, sir.. whatever it is, I don't know, but YOU DO 
    need to go see a psychiatrist. Goodbye."

                                    *****

M: (Sitting, bewildered, shaking head..again..)

   "Strange experience. Well, I think as Michael Jackson, I'd take the 
    interview and rest my case..."


                                    (END)