Ray Hultman, one of the jurors from the Michael Jackson trial, has been accused of plagiarism.
Hultman and the two co-writers of his book about the trial, called "The Deliberator", have allegedly taken a description of Jackson's clothes worn during the trial word for word from Vanity Fair.
The alleged stolen quote was:
"Up close, Michael Jackson's appearance is amazing. He wears a black pageboy wig, and his face is caked with white makeup, which conceals a prosthesis that serves as the tip of his nose. One person, who has seen him without the device, says he resembles a mummy with nostril holes."
These were first written by Maureen Orth in an article in April 2003 for Vanity Fair.
If true, then it further destroys what is left of Hultman's already dubious integrity.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Jackson Fined
Michael Jackson was fined $10K yesterday, for failing to appear in court to answer another sex abuse case.
This one is from Joseph Bartucci, who says that Jackson assaulted him in a limousine in 1984.
Bartucci claims that he repressed the memories of abuse until 2003, when he saw news coverage of child molestation charges against Jackson.
Jackson's lawyers say this is another attempt to exploit his wealth and celebrity, they doubt that the accusations will go to trial.
This one is from Joseph Bartucci, who says that Jackson assaulted him in a limousine in 1984.
Bartucci claims that he repressed the memories of abuse until 2003, when he saw news coverage of child molestation charges against Jackson.
Jackson's lawyers say this is another attempt to exploit his wealth and celebrity, they doubt that the accusations will go to trial.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Another Court Case
Michael Jackson finds himself involved in yet another court case today.
This time US District Judge Eldon Fallon will be hearing why Michael Jackson should not be held in civil contempt, or have a default judgment entered against him.
Neither Jackson nor his attorney appeared at a hearing last month, in a federal civil case that accuses Jackson of sexual assault during the 1984 World's Fair.
The hearing was a procedural matter, in which Jackson was supposed to show that he had legal representation.
Brian Oxman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, says that the allegations made in the lawsuit are false. He called the plaintiff, Joseph Thomas Bartucci Junior, one of many people who have tried to take advantage of Jackson's wealth and celebrity.
Bartucci claims he was lured into Jackson's limousine by one of Jackson's employees, then held against his will for days and sexually assaulted during a drive to California and back.
Bartucci was 18 at the time and claims he repressed the memories until 2003, when he saw media coverage of child molestation charges brought against Jackson.
This time US District Judge Eldon Fallon will be hearing why Michael Jackson should not be held in civil contempt, or have a default judgment entered against him.
Neither Jackson nor his attorney appeared at a hearing last month, in a federal civil case that accuses Jackson of sexual assault during the 1984 World's Fair.
The hearing was a procedural matter, in which Jackson was supposed to show that he had legal representation.
Brian Oxman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, says that the allegations made in the lawsuit are false. He called the plaintiff, Joseph Thomas Bartucci Junior, one of many people who have tried to take advantage of Jackson's wealth and celebrity.
Bartucci claims he was lured into Jackson's limousine by one of Jackson's employees, then held against his will for days and sexually assaulted during a drive to California and back.
Bartucci was 18 at the time and claims he repressed the memories until 2003, when he saw media coverage of child molestation charges brought against Jackson.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
More Self Publicity From The Jury
Ray Hultman, an ertswhile member of the Michael Jackson jury, is intent on creating as much publicity as possible for his forthcoming book about the trial.
Hultman has continued his media tirade against Jackson, by saying that in he was shocked by Jackson's ghost-like features during the trial.
Quote:
"Up close, his appearance is amazing. He wears a wig and his face is caked in white make-up, which hides the prosthesis that serves as the tip of his nose.
One person who has seen him without the device says he resembles a mummy with nostril holes."
Hultman has continued his media tirade against Jackson, by saying that in he was shocked by Jackson's ghost-like features during the trial.
Quote:
"Up close, his appearance is amazing. He wears a wig and his face is caked in white make-up, which hides the prosthesis that serves as the tip of his nose.
One person who has seen him without the device says he resembles a mummy with nostril holes."
Monday, August 15, 2005
Court T-V Drops Case
Diane Dimond, an anchor for Court T-V during the Michael Jackson trial, has dropped a restraining order against Bobby Joe Hickamn who insulted her.
Dimond had claimed that Hickman incited people to attack her. According to court documents, she felt so threatened that Court T-V hired three guards to protect her.
Dimond and Hickman also sued each other over legal fees.
A settlement between the two was reached this week, but both parties declined to comment on details.
Dimond had claimed that Hickman incited people to attack her. According to court documents, she felt so threatened that Court T-V hired three guards to protect her.
Dimond and Hickman also sued each other over legal fees.
A settlement between the two was reached this week, but both parties declined to comment on details.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Jackson Jury High Jinks Damages Justice System
The post Michael Jackson trial jury fallout does not seem to be abating.
It seems that the "fifteen minutes of fame" were simply not enough for some members of that jury.
They tasted the "sweet fruits of fame" (I am being ironic here), and decided that they wanted to gorge themselves on more.
Two of the jury, Eleanor Cook and Ray Hultman, claim that they were pressured by other jurors into voting for acquittal.
Then, for good measure, they have also announced that they intend to milk their jury work for every cent that they can get; they plan to sell books, a TV movie even T-shirts.
Cook is quoted as saying:
"They ought to be ashamed. They're the ones who let a paedophile go."
Unless I missed a point here, she was on the jury too. She could have voted guilty, but did not.
Now other members of the jury have gone public, in an attempt to reclaim their "honour":
Susan Derr-Drake, a jury member, said:
"I was crushed. The whole thing is fracturing. It was very disheartening. Up to the point of the verdict and the (post-verdict) press conference I felt we all did a really good job and had integrity. And then, as soon as the publicity hit, people changed. They were seduced by fame and fortune."
Susan Rentschler, another juror, said:
"I called Ray and spoke with his wife (after the trial) and she wouldn't let me speak to him. I wouldn't want to speak with them now. They should be ashamed of themselves. They are giving juries a bad name. They are not doing anything good for the legal system itself by saying things that are totally untrue."
Larry Garrison, a Hollywood producer, has purchased the rights to Cook and Hultman's stories; he has imposed a media blackout on them.
Garrison has waded into the fray, and said:
"Right now I have the whole world converging on me to do interviews. I have a major (TV) network that right now I'm in negotiations with. I have about four major publishers (interested) in the books. Within a day or so both deals should be done, hopefully."
He then added, somewhat implausibly:
"This is not about money. This is about the judicial system gone awry. This is about two jurors being pressured, being told they'd be kicked off the jury. Elly Cook is 79 years old and she doesn't give a damn about money right now. She's donating the money to feed the children."
Of course it is about money!
How gullible does he think people are?
Garrison then contradicted his "not about money" claim by saying that Cook is marketing T-shirts with the words "Don't Snap Your Fingers at Me, Lady -- Elly Cook, Juror Number 5".
This unedifying spectacle is doing immense damage to the public's perception about the integrity of the jury system, not to mention the remains of Jackson's shattered reputation.
Maybe he could sue them for defamation?
It seems that the "fifteen minutes of fame" were simply not enough for some members of that jury.
They tasted the "sweet fruits of fame" (I am being ironic here), and decided that they wanted to gorge themselves on more.
Two of the jury, Eleanor Cook and Ray Hultman, claim that they were pressured by other jurors into voting for acquittal.
Then, for good measure, they have also announced that they intend to milk their jury work for every cent that they can get; they plan to sell books, a TV movie even T-shirts.
Cook is quoted as saying:
"They ought to be ashamed. They're the ones who let a paedophile go."
Unless I missed a point here, she was on the jury too. She could have voted guilty, but did not.
Now other members of the jury have gone public, in an attempt to reclaim their "honour":
Susan Derr-Drake, a jury member, said:
"I was crushed. The whole thing is fracturing. It was very disheartening. Up to the point of the verdict and the (post-verdict) press conference I felt we all did a really good job and had integrity. And then, as soon as the publicity hit, people changed. They were seduced by fame and fortune."
Susan Rentschler, another juror, said:
"I called Ray and spoke with his wife (after the trial) and she wouldn't let me speak to him. I wouldn't want to speak with them now. They should be ashamed of themselves. They are giving juries a bad name. They are not doing anything good for the legal system itself by saying things that are totally untrue."
Larry Garrison, a Hollywood producer, has purchased the rights to Cook and Hultman's stories; he has imposed a media blackout on them.
Garrison has waded into the fray, and said:
"Right now I have the whole world converging on me to do interviews. I have a major (TV) network that right now I'm in negotiations with. I have about four major publishers (interested) in the books. Within a day or so both deals should be done, hopefully."
He then added, somewhat implausibly:
"This is not about money. This is about the judicial system gone awry. This is about two jurors being pressured, being told they'd be kicked off the jury. Elly Cook is 79 years old and she doesn't give a damn about money right now. She's donating the money to feed the children."
Of course it is about money!
How gullible does he think people are?
Garrison then contradicted his "not about money" claim by saying that Cook is marketing T-shirts with the words "Don't Snap Your Fingers at Me, Lady -- Elly Cook, Juror Number 5".
This unedifying spectacle is doing immense damage to the public's perception about the integrity of the jury system, not to mention the remains of Jackson's shattered reputation.
Maybe he could sue them for defamation?
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Bain's Back
Michael Jackson issued a brief statement Tuesday regretting the death of one of his mentors, John H. Johnson.
Now the thing that caught the eye of the Jackson watchers was not so much the message, but the by line.
The message was signed by Raymone Bain, Jackson's erstwhile spokeswoman who had (according to Jackson's own website) been fired.
Now it seems she is back in favour at the "royal court", and has confirmed that she continues to work for Jackson.
The moods swings of celebrities are tricky to judge, and can have good and bad effects on the lives of those who are employed by them.
Now the thing that caught the eye of the Jackson watchers was not so much the message, but the by line.
The message was signed by Raymone Bain, Jackson's erstwhile spokeswoman who had (according to Jackson's own website) been fired.
Now it seems she is back in favour at the "royal court", and has confirmed that she continues to work for Jackson.
The moods swings of celebrities are tricky to judge, and can have good and bad effects on the lives of those who are employed by them.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Another Juror Admits Mistake
I don't know what has got into some of the jury from the Michael Jackson child molestation trial, but a few of them seem to have had a sudden attack of guilt.
Katharina Carls, a third juror from the Jackson trial, has apologised for clearing Jackson.
She now insists that she believes that he was guilty of sexually abusing a teenage cancer sufferer.
Why say this now?
Why did she not vote him guilty when she was in the jury room?
Carls is the third juror to question Jackson's innocence; Eleanor Cook and Ray Hultman both, oddly enough, in the process of writing books about the trial have said that they think that Jackson was guilty as well.
Pathetic!
If they really believed that, then they should have said so during the trial.
Katharina Carls, a third juror from the Jackson trial, has apologised for clearing Jackson.
She now insists that she believes that he was guilty of sexually abusing a teenage cancer sufferer.
Why say this now?
Why did she not vote him guilty when she was in the jury room?
Carls is the third juror to question Jackson's innocence; Eleanor Cook and Ray Hultman both, oddly enough, in the process of writing books about the trial have said that they think that Jackson was guilty as well.
Pathetic!
If they really believed that, then they should have said so during the trial.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Jackson Buys Home In Bahrain
Michael Jackson has bought a luxury property in the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, where he rested after his child molestation trial.
Jackson has purchased a 14-acre property near a palace of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, a son of Bahrain's King Hamad.
Jackson has purchased a 14-acre property near a palace of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, a son of Bahrain's King Hamad.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Allegations of Serious Misconduct
The jury that cleared Michael Jackson of child sex abuse has been accused of serious misconduct including, smuggling books and videotapes into the jury room.
The allegations come from Stacy Brown, who used to be a friend of Jackson and a spokesman.
He has been approached by two of the hapless members of the jury; who want to make a fast buck out of their brush with celebrity, by writing a couple of books.
Isn't there a law against members of juries profiting from the verdicts?
Brown is quoted as saying:
"That jury would have acquitted him even if they had a videotape (of the alleged crime)".
It seems that one juror allegedly sneaked a video of Court TV broadcasts, widely considered biased towards the prosecution, into the deliberation room.
A medical book had also been smuggled into deliberations, to show that "Jackson fit the book`s definition of a paedophile to a T"; but Eleanor Cook, who had brought the book into the room, was later "intimidated" into voting for acquittal.
Three of the female jurors were such fans of Jackson, that they allegedly gushed "Not my Michael..." when the panel discussed the sex abuse charges.
Brown alleges that he was told that the women formed a bond and their "minds were made up about one-third of the way through the trial."
He also alleges that Cook had also admitted that she frequently winked at Jackson's mother, Katherine, across the courtroom.
Seems to me the verdict should be thrown out, and a retrial ordered.
The allegations come from Stacy Brown, who used to be a friend of Jackson and a spokesman.
He has been approached by two of the hapless members of the jury; who want to make a fast buck out of their brush with celebrity, by writing a couple of books.
Isn't there a law against members of juries profiting from the verdicts?
Brown is quoted as saying:
"That jury would have acquitted him even if they had a videotape (of the alleged crime)".
It seems that one juror allegedly sneaked a video of Court TV broadcasts, widely considered biased towards the prosecution, into the deliberation room.
A medical book had also been smuggled into deliberations, to show that "Jackson fit the book`s definition of a paedophile to a T"; but Eleanor Cook, who had brought the book into the room, was later "intimidated" into voting for acquittal.
Three of the female jurors were such fans of Jackson, that they allegedly gushed "Not my Michael..." when the panel discussed the sex abuse charges.
Brown alleges that he was told that the women formed a bond and their "minds were made up about one-third of the way through the trial."
He also alleges that Cook had also admitted that she frequently winked at Jackson's mother, Katherine, across the courtroom.
Seems to me the verdict should be thrown out, and a retrial ordered.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Jackson Sells Story To OK
Michael Jackson has sold the "inside story" of his child molestation story to OK magazine.
It is reported that he will make around $2M for this first post trial interview.
However, instead of being a hard hitting investigative piece, it seems that the interview will be very lightweight and attempt to show Jackson in the best possible light.
It is reported that he will make around $2M for this first post trial interview.
However, instead of being a hard hitting investigative piece, it seems that the interview will be very lightweight and attempt to show Jackson in the best possible light.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Guilty as Sin
It seems that the desire for money and fame is proving to be a little too much for some of the members of the Jackson child molestation jury.
Two of the jurors, who acquitted Michael Jackson of child molestation charges, now say that they think that Jackson was guilty.
Needless to say, this sudden volte face is immaculately timed to coincide with the announcement that they are writing a couple of books.
"Guilty As Sin, Free as a Bird" is the title chosen by Eleanor Cook.
Whilst co juror Ray Hultman will write "The Deliberator", along with former Jackson family friend and author Stacy Brown.
In interviews immediately after the verdict, Cook supported the verdicts and castigated Gavin Arvizo's mother.
Quote:
"Don't snap your fingers at me, lady!".
The jurors had originally made a pact not to talk about what went on in the jury room. However, it seems that loyalty to money and fame proves hard to resist.
It seems that there is also going to be a movie about the jurors' experiences.
Doesn't this blatant money making and attention seeking, by the so called impartial jury, invalidate the verdict?
Two of the jurors, who acquitted Michael Jackson of child molestation charges, now say that they think that Jackson was guilty.
Needless to say, this sudden volte face is immaculately timed to coincide with the announcement that they are writing a couple of books.
"Guilty As Sin, Free as a Bird" is the title chosen by Eleanor Cook.
Whilst co juror Ray Hultman will write "The Deliberator", along with former Jackson family friend and author Stacy Brown.
In interviews immediately after the verdict, Cook supported the verdicts and castigated Gavin Arvizo's mother.
Quote:
"Don't snap your fingers at me, lady!".
The jurors had originally made a pact not to talk about what went on in the jury room. However, it seems that loyalty to money and fame proves hard to resist.
It seems that there is also going to be a movie about the jurors' experiences.
Doesn't this blatant money making and attention seeking, by the so called impartial jury, invalidate the verdict?
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