The Rake's Progress

It seems that Michael Jackson is not the only member of the Jackson clan to be stony broke. The media reports the following:

Joseph Jackson, 79
Tries to promote various girl groups in Las Vegas. He has previously filed for bankruptcy.

Katherine Jackson, 77
She has also previously filed for bankruptcy.

La Toya Jackson, 52
She earns extra cash judging beauty and singing contests.

Rebbie Jackson, 57
The oldest, she's married to successful businessman Nathaniel Brown.

Tito Jackson, 55
Formed a blues band several years ago and plays at small venues for $500 to $1,500 a gig.

Randy Jackson, 46
Does odd jobs like changing tires to support himself. He ran into serious problems with friends after he persuaded three people to take out lines of credits against their homes to help Michael pay his attorney fees.

Marlon Jackson, 51
Lives in San Diego, where he works stocking groceries at a Vons supermarket. He fell on hard times three years ago when he was forced to leave his foreclosed home and move into an Extended Stay America hotel with his wife, Carol.

Jackie Jackson, 56
The oldest son started an Internet clothing business and is trying to produce records by his sons.

Jermaine Jackson, 54
Splits time between the parents' Hayvenhurst mansion and his girlfriend's home in the San Fernando Valley. He has over $5M in federal, state and other liens against him and a 1995 bankruptcy filing, he doesn't work or have a regular income.

Jackson 5 Reunion?

Rumours about a possible Jackson 5 reunion continue, with Janet Jackson discussing the issue with AFP.

Quote:

"I hope so. I really hope so because I'll be the first in line to buy a ticket.

I do know that my brothers want to and I know it's been kind of tough for Mike. He's kind of on the fence, from what I know about it."

She added:

"Maybe he just wants to continue to be a solo artist and if that's what he wants then you have to respect his wishes. But what an impact it would have on the world and he has to see that because everyone else does.

I think he'd have to be blind not to see that."

Michaal Jackson in recent years though has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

Jackson Claims He Was Robbed

Michael Jackson claims that he was saved from financial ruin by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and billionaire Ron Burkle, during his child molestation trial in California.

The revelations come in a sworn deposition made by Jackson for a federal lawsuit set for trial this week.

Jackson believes that disloyal advisers stole from him while he was busy fighting criminal charges, thus causing his finances to teeter on the edge of the abyss.

Jackson claims that whilst his trial was going on, he was pressured to sign off on a multimillion-dollar financing deal with Don Stabler, one of his brother Randy's associates.

He said the Rev. Jackson and Burkle coached him on how to get through the issue with Stabler, adding that Burkle kept calling and telling him to not sign anything.

Jackson provided this information during discussions with lawyers for the Hackensack finance company, which is suing him in federal court in Manhattan.

Businessman Darien Dash claims Jackson owes his company, Prescient Acquisition, $48M for helping arrange financing to buy out Sony's half of the Beatles' song catalogue.

Jackson claims that he has never heard of Dash, and doesn't remember signing an agreement.

Either there is an agreement, in which case Dash will produce it in court, or there isn't.

Mesereau 1 Bain 0

It seems that Tom Mesereau has won the power struggle, reported on this site a few days ago, as to who should be the official voice of Michael Jackson during the jury deliberation phase.

Raymone Bain, on Friday, issued a short statement to reporters that denied rumours that she had been fired. However, Jackson's MJJ Productions later put out a statement on its Web site saying she had been fired.

Even Jesse Jackson has been quiet for the last few days.

Power Struggle

There still seems to be a power struggle going on behind the gates of Neverland, between the Jackson pr machine/entourage and Tom Mesereau as to who has the right to speak on his behalf.

Mesereau, quite rightly, is telling people to shut their mouths; whilst the jury ponder the guilt or innocence of Jackson.

He knows that a misplaced word or impression could tip the scales of justice the wrong way.

However, it seems that Raymone Bain (Jackson's spokesperson) still likes to give a daily briefing to press.

Jesse Jackson, normally never shy in putting himself forward, seems to have taken heed of Mesereau; he has reportedly left Neverland, and is out of touch, at a meeting somewhere in Chicago.

There is an old saying: "if you hire a dog, let it do the barking".

In other words, Jackson has paid Mesereau to act on his behalf; it is time that he let him do just that.

Shut Up

As I have mooted already, the actions of "publicity shy" Jesse Jackson in telling the world Michael Jackson's thoughts have not been viewed as necessarily being in Michael Jackson's best interests.

Tom Mesereau have told the Reverend and also Raymone Bain, Michael Jackson's publicist, to shut up and stop talking about Jackson's health and hopes for acquittal.

Mesereau told the Jackson entourage to obey the judge, and keep quiet.

Raymone Bain has said that Jackson was idling away the time with his children, watching television and movies and taking calls from his lawyers.

Quote:

"He is good spirits but as you all can imagine he is very nervous. He is confident in his innocence,".

Mesereau issued a statement saying that he had not authorised anyone to hold news conferences on Jackson's behalf.

Quote:

"I have not authorised anyone to speak or hold any press conferences on behalf of Michael Jackson or his family...A gag order is in effect which the defence team will continue to honour."

Exactly, the best service that Jackson's entourage can their master is to shut up and wait for the jury to deliver their verdict.

Jesse Jackson Speaks

Reverend Jesse Jackson entered the media spotlight again, in an attempt to speak on behalf of Michael Jackson.

He said that Michael Jackson does not feel bitter towards Gavin Arvizo, but does feel betrayed by those who testified against him.

It seems, according to the Reverend, that Michael Jackson believes that he will be acquitted.

Quote:

"He is convinced that he'll be acquitted if the jury uses reasonable doubt..He declares his innocence in the most private sessions."

Adding:

"I think in some sense he feels betrayed by those he trusted the most, who now seek to destroy him..He's not embittered by it ... he does not speak toward them in embittered tones. He speaks of the unfairness of the sheriff."

Why is he annoyed at the Sheriff?

Reverend Jackson also criticised the search of Neverland. He referred to it as "a Waco-style invasion,".

Needless to say, great emphasis was made as to Jackson's back pain:

"You add to that the stress of this moment. And yet, through it all, he is enduring the pain with great strength and great focus,".

Jackson On Jackson

Jesse Jackson, the spiritual adviser to Michael Jackson, has stated that Michael Jackson is like the Biblical figure of Job.

Job was confronted with great misfortune, yet he kept his faith.

Jesse Jackson is quoted as saying:

"In many ways, his destiny, at least for a season, is in the jaws of the jury,".

Jackson's High Risk Lifestyle

The Reverend Jesse Jackson put his two cents into the Michael Jackson trial on Thursday, again.

He appeared on the Abrams Report, and said that after the trial (assuming that Michael Jackson is not found guilty) Michael Jackson wishes to build a theme park in Africa.

Jesse Jackson claimed that Michael Jackson does have enough cash for such a project.

I would have thought that a more productive use of the money for the children of Africa would be on schools, agriculture and sanitation.

Theme parks serve no purpose, other than to take one's mind off reality.

As regards Michael Jackson's self confessed habit of sleeping with children, Jesse Jackson said:

"I think that some of what he has done is just on the edge. It is high risk. And now me and his family is very acutely aware of what has happened. And I think that this type risky behavior will never happen again. It shouldn't have happened in the first place, but certainly it will never happen again."

Read that a few times and you get the impression that, despite what the good Reverend says, he actually thinks that Michael Jackson is guilty.

Jackson Plays To The Gallery

Michael Jackson appeared on the net yesterday in an interview with Rev Jesse Jackson, and declared that he was "completely innocent" of child molestation charges.

Then, for good measure, Jackson stated that he is the victim of a conspiracy and asked fans around the world to pray for him.

Oddly enough Jackson did not choose to elaborate in his conspiracy theory; eg saying who it was that was conspiring against him, and why.

He cited the gag order as preventing him from backing up his claims.

Jackson then went on to "play the race card". He said that he was just the latest of several "black luminaries" to be unjustly accused, citing former South African President Nelson Mandela and former heavyweight boxing champions Muhammad Ali and Jack Johnson as others.

Precisely how he can compare his case with that of Mandela's past imprisonment is beyond me. They are totally different situations, and involve very different personalities.

Playing the race card is merely playing to the gallery of public sympathy. It will avail him nothing in the courtroom.

Jackson then gushed:

"I just want to say to fans in every corner of the Earth, every nationality, every race, every language, I love you from the bottom of my heart..I would love your prayers and your good will, and please be patient and be with me and believe in me because I am completely, completely innocent. But please know a lot of conspiracy is going on as we speak,".

Jackson then tried to pull the sympathy vote for his "back pain"; noting that he was in "intense pain" since falling in the shower earlier this month. This contradicted an earlier part of the interview where he said that his health was perfect.

Seemingly, if the interview can be believed, Jackson has been "hand fed" by Elizabth Taylor.

"Elizabeth Taylor used to feed me, to hand-feed me, at times...Please, I don't want anybody to think I'm starving; I'm not," he quickly added. "My health is perfect, actually."

I fail to see how this form of discussion is helpful to his case or his image.

Jackson Prays With Jackson

It is reported that Michael Jackson starts each trial day by praying with Reverend Jesse Jackson.

That at least is the story put out by the minister and Michael Jackson's spokeswoman, Raymone Bain.

Bain claims that MJ receives advice from the Reverend on both spiritual and personal issues.

Bain claims that MJ wakes up at about 4:30am, and talks to Reverend Jackson for 15 to 20 minutes by phone.

The Reverend Jackson said in a telephone interview that the entertainer and his family are Jehovah's Witnesses, and the prayer they share is non-denominational.

Reverend Jackson also said that it was unfair that the jury has no black members. He challenged a reporter to imagine a situation in which a white person would be charged with molestation and have a predominantly black jury.

Colour has nothing to do with it, Jackson is either guilty or innocent; making this a race issue is a cheap political stunt by the Reverend.

Religion and politics do not mix.

Jackson on Jackson

Jesse Jackson has waded into the Michael Jackson trial.

He has stated that Michael Jackson will not a get a fair trial, because no member of the jury is black.

In my view, playing the race card in this trial is merely playing to the gallery. I suspect that Jesse Jackson made his comments for his own personal political ends, rather than because he genuinely believes them.

The question of the fairness of the trial will be down to people's perceptions of Michael Jackson the "eccentric" celebrity, not Michael Jackson the African American.