Yes i am thinking of that.Get my info from newspapers and just type all the info down. [/b][/quote]It would be good if you could as it doesnt get as much media coverage over here.

Yes i am thinking of that.Get my info from newspapers and just type all the info down. [/b][/quote]It would be good if you could as it doesnt get as much media coverage over here.

Update

There's an adage around most courthouses that a trial is often won or lost in jury selection -- and that may never be more true than in Michael Jackson's child molestation case, legal experts say.

"It's the whole ball of wax. It's going to decide if he wins or loses," Stan Goldman, a professor at Loyola Marymount Law School in Los Angeles, said of the 46-year-old pop star.

That's partly due to Jackson's fame, which creates the potential for "stealth" jurors -- people who want to get on the case with an agenda to either convict or acquit the self-styled "King of Pop" or win some notoriety for themselves.

And it's partly because, with little physical evidence and two wildly opposing accounts of the case -- one of them hanging on the testimony of a 15-year-old boy -- the verdict may ultimately depend on who the jury is more inclined to believe.

Questioning of potential jurors had been scheduled to start on Monday in the central California coastal town of Santa Maria but it was delayed over the weekend for several days because the sister of Jackson's lead attorney had become gravely ill.

Prosecutors say Jackson sexually abused the boy, then 13, at his Neverland Valley Ranch near Santa Maria, then conspired to commit extortion, false imprisonment and child abduction. Defence lawyers say the boy lied to police to help his mother extract money from the self-styled "King of Pop."

Legal experts say prosecutors will look for jurors who are older, more conservative, less enamoured with celebrity, willing to accept authority and appalled by child molestation. Jurors with their own children would be a natural choice.

The prosecution should avoid anyone who is a devoted fan of Jackson, as well as jurors who might want to overly analyze the case or second-guess authorities. "You want someone who is going to say, 'Yeah, I think he did it. Bang!'" Goldman said.

Jackson's attorneys may look for jurors who have advanced degrees, critical thinkers who question authority. The perfect Defence juror may be "a left-winger who just moved from San Francisco with a lot of education and who is willing to forgive Michael Jackson his idiosyncrasies," Goldman said.

SPECTER OF THE O.J. SIMPSON TRIAL

Both sides face the problem of Jackson's international fame and the saturation news coverage of his trial. In fact, the six-month trial of a defendant as famous and controversial as Jackson on lurid sex abuse charges in relatively small, conservative Santa Maria may be the perfect storm for complicating jury selection.

Sensational trials, especially those involving a celebrity, breed special problems for attorneys trying to pick a jury because they attract would-be jurors with hidden motivations.

Court watchers point to the "Trial of the Century," in which former football great O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend despite what prosecutors called a "mountain of evidence" against him.

Despite nearly around-the-clock news coverage in the weeks leading up to the trial, prosecutors were exasperated when many prospective jurors claimed to be only vaguely aware of Simpson or the sensational crime. When the case was over, several jurors wrote books about their experiences.

"That's what you get with celebrity juries," said Harland Braun, a Los Angeles lawyer who represented actor Robert Blake among other well-known defendants. "There are people who think the most important thing in their entire life will be as a juror on one of these cases. There's fame, there's importance, there's the possibility of money involved. They have agendas."

Braun added: "The normal reason we have jurors is that it's supposed to be 12 people from the community just trying to do the right thing. That gets distorted in a celebrity trial."

Some legal experts saw red flags when more than half of those summoned to the Jackson trial by Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville said they were willing and able to serve, a remarkably high number for a child molestation case that was expected to last six months.

Former San Francisco prosecutor Jim Hammer said the fact that more than 50 percent of those summoned agreed to participate "suggests that people want to be on this jury."

FYI - There's plenty of info on CourtTV.com and surely most news sites on the Net.

Let the show begin... Michael Jackson is an anomoly. I spent years defending him when the first allegations came out. Granted, my hearty defense didn't mean squat to Jackson, didn't change the balance of my bank account, didn't change anyone's mind, but, I defended the guy. Figured he was being targeted because of his fame, fortune and general strangeness. That was until I saw him and his, then wife, Lisa Marie on an awards show, lip-locking and putting on a show for the fans and nay-sayers. Ugh. That did it for me, now I see him as crafty, manipulative and quite possibly capable of attempting to pull the wool over our eyes. Innocence lost.

Update

Jury selection in the Michael Jackson molestation case will be delayed for a week because of a death in the family of the pop star's attorney, a judge said Monday.

Monday's scheduled questioning of prospective jurors had been postponed last week because Thomas Mesereau Jr.'s sister was gravely ill. Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville said jury selection will resume on Feb. 14.

In another development, Melville also agreed to a request from various news organizations, including The Associated Press, to see the questionnaires filled out last week by prospective jurors.

A pool of about 250 prospective jurors was formed after the first round of questioning by the judge to determine which people would be able to serve on the expected six-month trial. The next round of questioning will involve defense attorneys and prosecutors.

Update

Former child actor Corey Feldman, who has publicly defended Michael Jackson in the past, said in a recent interview the pop star once showed him a book of nude photos when Feldman was a young teen, ABC News has reported.

ABC News reported on Thursday that Feldman, now 33, went to authorities late last week after conducting the interview and has since been subpoenaed as a witness and placed under a gag order in the criminal case against Jackson

Did anyone see Feldman on 20/20 last night? He said that MJ never touched him and/or seduced him in any way. His main point seemed to be that at 13, when he was at MJ's home, MJ had a book of naked men/women on his coffee table, with info on STDs and according to Feldman, MJ went through the book with him explaining it. He said at that age, he didn't think it was really a big deal, but looking back now, as an adult, found it highly inappropriate. Gee. ya think????

Although IMHO, the info he gave last night isn't enough to convict MJ, like Feldman said, the fact that MJ's accuser made the same accusation, and the fact that both MJ's and a childs fingerprints were found on a porn magazine, put the "what if" doubt in Feldman's mind, because this is what happened to him. He said he was so infatuated with MJ and defended him constantly, in the past, and wouldn't believe the accusations were true. Even now he doesn't come out and accuse him but says "He could be a child molester."

He sounded sincere, and it must have been difficult to get involved in this case. Even though the info he gave isn't the smoking gun, it may very well bring other former child celebrities (McCauley Caulkin comes to mind)that Jackson hung out with, to come forward and defend or accuse, giving the case more power, one way or the other.

TIS

Update

Feb 14th

The defense witness list in Michael Jackson's trial includes Jackson's own children and a variety of celebrities, among them Kobe Bryant and Elizabeth Taylor, his lawyer told jury prospects Monday.

The glimpse into defense plans came as questioning began of potential jurors in Michael Jackson's child-molestation trial.

As the process got under way, prosecutors and defense attorneys immediately agreed to dismiss an 81-year-old man who said he has a serious health condition.

Michael Jackson's attorney, Thomas J. Mesereau Jr., told the prospects that the defense witness list includes NBA star Bryant, Taylor, illusionist David Blaine, TV newsman Ed Bradley, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and relatives of actor Marlon Brando.

Earlier, Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville told the about 240 people to relax and to keep an open mind, saying a trial participant's greatest fear is that a judge or juror in a case has been "bought and paid for."

"I'm not bought and paid for. I have not made up my mind in this case and I want to select a jury that feels exactly the same way," Melville said.

"You might be able to relax a little bit if you think of this as a job interview," the judge added, eliciting laughter.

Jackson is accused of molesting a 13-year-old former cancer patient, giving the boy alcohol and conspiring to hold him and his family captive.

Last week, Melville released juror questionnaires that previewed some of the issues attorneys will focus on. Jurors were asked whether they or someone they knew had experienced improper sexual conduct, if they could judge people of a different race fairly, and if they had followed the 1993 molestation allegations involving Jackson.

Jury selection had been delayed a week because of the death of Mesereau's sister.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are trying to thin the nearly 250 potential jurors who filled out questionnaires into 12 panelists and eight alternates.

The prospective jurors' job titles range from engineer to student to janitor, and their ages spanned from 18 to the early 80s. The average was 46, which is also Jackson's age.

The possible jurors were predominantly white, and about a third Hispanic, with only a half-dozen black prospects.

Defense attorneys were expected to try to weed out parents of young children who might be especially afraid of child abuse. Prosecutors were likely to look for jurors who looked up to law enforcement.

During questioning of would-be jurors, each side has an unlimited number of challenges for cause -- challenges that let them remove someone because of obvious bias. In addition, each side has 10 "peremptory" challenges to remove jurors without explaining why.

update
Another Delay

MICHAEL Jackson was in hospital last night with flu-like symptoms after collapsing on his way to court.

The trembling pop star reported feeling faint and having trouble breathing.

Bodyguards rang Jackson’s lawyer Thomas Mesereau at court in Santa Maria, California — and he ordered them to divert their 4x4 to the nearest hospital.

Staff and patients were stunned when Jackson and his minders rushed in.

A flu-like illness was diagnosed, but there were reports the singer had a panic attack when he realised he was running late in heavy rain on his way to face child abuse charges.

Jackson fans wept at court. One woman wailed: “Michael’s collapsed.”

Many rushed to Marian Medical Center hoping to see him.

But his six police outriders waited outside and other officers and security guards were soon at every door.

Mr Mesereau told Judge Rodney Melville that Jackson was “very, very ill” and the case was adjourned for a week.

Jackson denies molesting a 13-year-old boy, conspiracy to kidnap, false imprisonment and extortion.

Last night Dr Chuck Merrill, who treated Jackson, said he suffered some vomiting. He was undergoing tests and being treated with intravenous fluids.

Who are these people? There are certain celebrities I like, but I would never cry if they died, let alone if they got a minor illness. The only celebrity's I can every remember even feeling remotely upset about was Phil Hartman, and that was mostly because it was such a tragedy. I just can't imagine crying because some muscian I liked (who hasn't put out a good album in many years) got a cold.

"Very, very ill" - My arse, he had the flu, probably a cold, it's another delaying tactic just like the earlier lawyer fake family death excuse.

And you're right, Cancerkitty. Those fans are almost as loopy as whacko J, I don't understand how people can be so deluded.

Update


MICHAEL Jackson put on an extraordinary show yesterday at the hospital where he is “seriously ill” with flu.

He waved teddy bears out of his window as his fans below screamed: “We love you!”

The star was well enough to get out of bed despite getting his child molestation case adjourned on Tuesday when his lawyer said he was “very, very ill”.

Jackson, 46, was taken poorly on his way to court and rushed to the Marian Medical Centre in Santa Maria, California — where he is now being treated in a room next to a CHILDREN’S WARD.

Yesterday, his face hidden by blinds, Jackson waved kids’ toys from his second-floor window as followers cheered and sang: “Michael, we love you”.

Then he reappeared with a handwritten sign saying: “I love More”, and flashed victory signs.

Meanwhile his ex-wife revealed she is trying to stop their kids appearing for the defence at his trial.

Debbie Rowe, 37 — who will give evidence for the prosecution — says she is “hell-bent” on making sure Prince Michael, eight, and six-year-old Paris do not give evidence.

Jacko denies molesting a 13-year-old cancer sufferer and eight other charges. The case is expected to resume on Tuesday.

Finnaly

Smoking Gun Smokes Out Jackson Case

Has the gagged Michael Jackson molestation case been unbound?

The Smoking Gun on Thursday published 805 pages of purported Jackson grand jury testimony--and said it was busy scanning more.

The postings come about a month after the Website, along with ABC News, first made public excerpted testimony of Jackson's young accuser. At the time, both the prosecution and defense teams decried the leaks, essentially confirming their authenticity.

As of Friday, there were no new condemnations of the latest Smoking Gun scoop, although Jackson's camp seemed to find comfort in some of its contents.

Jackson's official news Website posted a FoxNews.com story, based on the Smoking Gun documents, about how the singer's accuser told the grand jury that he referred to his alleged Neverland tormentor as "Daddy," or "Daddy Michael."

Jackson earlier blasted the grand-jury leaks. With the blessings of the court, the pop star released a statement on Jan. 30, saying that he deserved a fair trial and maintaining that the "information" heard by the grand jury was "disgusting and false."

California's Santa Barbara County convened a grand jury to hear testimony in the Jackson case last spring. The proceedings resulted in a 10-count indictment against the entertainer. Jackson has pleaded innocent to the charges, which include molestation, conspiracy and plying a child with intoxicating substances.

According to the Smoking Gun (www.thesmokinggun.com), the grand jury heard from 41 witnesses--from the accuser to the flight attendant, who told of Jackson's predilection for being served wine ("yucky Kendall Jackson") in Diet Coke cans, to the public-relations expert, who said a Jackson attorney gleefully talked of making the accuser's mother "look like a crack whore."

Chief among the new posts were 154 pages of testimony that the Smoking Gun says was delivered by the accuser--all but outed now, if not identified, as a former cancer patient who turned 15 in December--over two days on the stand in March and April of 2003.

The choicest contents of the boy's professed testimony are by now familiar to those with a working knowledge of the case: The boy says Jackson showed him naked pictures of women (cracking "Got milk?" at the sight of a woman's breasts), nicknamed him "Apple Head," spoke of the importance of masturbation and then masturbated him, got him woozy on "Jesus Juice" (wine in a soda can), Skyy vodka and Jim Beam bourbon and held the boy and his family against their will at Neverland Ranch.

one new detail contained in the boy's supposed complete testimony: Jackson kept a mannequin in his bedroom, and, on one occasion, pretended to have sex with it in front of the accuser and his younger brother.

The alleged molestation is said to occurred in the weeks after the boy taped an interview with Jackson for the Martin Bashir documentary Living with Michael Jackson, which aired on ABC in February 2003.

The Smoking Gun's mother lode of documents also includes the purported testimony from the accuser's brother, mother and sister, the attorney who represented the family of the accuser in the 1993-94 Jackson molestation investigation, and the therapist who turned authorities onto the family at the center of the current case. In all, the Website says it has obtained 1,903 pages of testimony.

Jackson was not called to testify before the grand jury.

Leading news organizations such as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press, did not publish accounts of the professed leaks Friday, with the L.A. Times saying it could not confirm that what the Smoking Gun has posted is the same document that's supposedly sealed up at the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

The Jackson trial, still in the early phases of jury selection, is on hold until Tuesday. Proceedings were suspended earlier this week when Jackson took ill with the flu, and required an overnight hospitalization.

Meanwhile, in another developent, music legend Quincy Jones, already on Jackson's star-studded list of possible defense witnesses, might not be the singer's best character witness, Celebrity Justice reports.

While Jones has told confidantes that he never saw any criminal behavior by Jackson toward children, the TV show says, the record producer was worried that his friend's "sleepovers with boys" would be his downfall.

"We are told Quincy Jones actually did an intervention on several occasions. Going to Michael Jackson and saying, 'Look, this is inappropriate. It's wrong, and it could bring you down if you don't stop,'" Celebrity Justice executive producer Harvey Levin said on Thursday's program.

Jones worked with Jackson on his three biggest solo album hits, Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad, and also produced "We Are the World," which was cowritten by Jackson.

Will it ever get started

Update

MICHAEL Jackson pretended to have sex with a child mannequin in his bedroom, according to secret court documents.

The 14-year-old lad who says Jacko molested him claims the star giggled as he lay on top of the undressed tailor’s dummy resembling a girl of eight.

The cancer victim told a Grand Jury hearing held behind closed doors: “Michael was acting like he was having sex with it.

“He was like on his knees and trying to have sex with the mannequin.” And the boy's younger brother said in evidence: “The mannequin in his bedroom was a female child, African American, and she would be sitting at the back left of his bedroom. He picked it up and was pretending like he was humping it on the bed. He was on top.”

The California Grand Jury heard the boys’ statements last year — before deciding there was enough evidence to warrant putting Jacko on trial.

The evidence is meant to be secret but the transcripts were leaked to US website The Smoking Gun, which published them on Thursday.

They also include damning evidence from the lad’s mum and sister, ex-employees at 46-year-old Jacko’s Neverland ranch and a child psychologist who alerted cops to child abuse claims.

The boy also tells how Jackson plied him with alcohol — despite knowing he was still recovering from cancer. He said: “It wasn’t a good idea for me drinking because I only had one kidney.

“But he would just say, ‘It’s OK’. And he would just keep on telling me to drink because it would relax me.”

He also told jurors how the star wrote letters to him signing himself “Daddy Michael” — and that he called the kids names “like doo-doo head or apple head”. Jackson denies child abuse. Jury selection in Santa Maria is adjourned until next week while he recovers from flu.

Someone tell me if you can see this pic???




TIS

cant see it

Ok,

I saved it on my computer and tried repasting it. Is it showing now? If not, I'll just delete it.


TIS

TIS - I can see it, very funny.

Still cant see it,must be my computer

Now i can see it.

Update

Lawyers in the Michael Jackson (news) trial are preparing another round of questions for potential jurors returning to court after two weeks of delays in the child molestation case.

Jury selection was abruptly suspended last week when Jackson was rushed to an emergency room with "flu-like" symptoms. The 46-year-old pop star was treated and released Wednesday.


The week before, jury selection was delayed by the death of lead defense attorney Thomas Mesereau's sister.

Judge Rodney Melville will try to get proceedings back on track Tuesday when jury selection was to resume. Jackson also was expected in court.

Of 242 potential candidates, attorneys will eventually select 12 jurors and eight alternates. Each side can challenge an unlimited number of jurors for any signs of bias and reject 10 jurors without cause.

Jackson is charged with molesting a teenage boy who was a former cancer patient and plying him with alcohol at his Neverland Ranch. He also is accused of conspiring to hold the boy and his family captive.

Jackson has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Last week, Mesereau asked prospective jurors about their interest in the arts, their feelings toward Jackson and whether they believed young witnesses could be encouraged to lie.

The defense was expected to argue that the mother of Jackson's 15-year-old accuser has told him to lie.

Mesereau also offered a star-studded list of more than 300 possible witnesses in the case, including Kobe Bryant, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross and Jay Leno.

Update

Well ahead of schedule, a jury was selected Wednesday for the child molestation trial of pop star Michael Jackson.

"We have a jury," Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville announced.

The panel consists of four men and eight women, ranging in age from 20 to 79. The racial and ethnic breakdown appeared to be: seven whites, four Hispanics and one Asian.

After the jury was sworn in, attorneys moved on to the selection of eight alternate jurors.

Jury selection had been expected to last several weeks, but took only five court days, which were interrupted by a one-week break due to the death of an attorney's sister and another one-week break because Jackson was hospitalized with flu-like symptoms.

Among the jurors were a woman who said her grandson was required to register as a sexual offender because of a crime; a woman who said she was related to the pilot of Flight 93, one of the planes that went down on Sept. 11; a 20-year-old man who likes "The Simpsons" TV show; and a man who is interested in Western art and country music.

One of the jurors had been asked during selection if he recognized celebrity witnesses in the case including self-help guru Deepak Chopra. He responded, "I think he's a rapper."

Update

A hospital's focus on accommodating a flu-stricken Michael Jackson contributed to the death of an elderly heart patient, according to members of the woman's family who on Friday threatened to sue the pop star and the hospital.

The family of Manuela Gomez Ruiz, 74, told ABC's "Good Morning America" that the grandmother was relocated from Marian Medical Center's primary trauma room to a smaller room so that Jackson could have the larger room. Ruiz was being treated Feb. 15 for a heart attack, the family said, and died the same day after two more heart attacks following her move.

Jackson's overnight hospitalization ended Feb. 16, forcing a postponement of jury selection in his child molestation case. That selection process concluded Thursday, setting up opening statements Monday.

Members of Ruiz's family said they have hired an attorney and plan to sue the hospital and Jackson.

Maria Elena Ortiz said she objected to her mother being moved after Jackson was admitted.

"Why does she have to be moved if he's coming in for a stomach flu?" Ortiz told ABC. "I said, 'My mother just had a heart attack and I think it's more critical than a stomach flu.' They didn't say anything."

The hospital offered condolences to Ruiz's family, but in a statement said patient privacy laws and hospital rules prevented more specific comment.

"We are confident, however, that our patients have and continue to receive high-quality, compassionate and timely care," the statement said.

Jackson publicist Raymone Bain blasted the "Good Morning America" report.

"It is outrageous that Michael Jackson's name would be invoked into a situation of which he had no authority or control," Bain said. "He was a patient himself."

In the statement, the singer also offered condolences to Ruiz's family.

Update

The credibility of a 15-year-old boy and his family will be a key element in the outcome of Michael Jackson's molestation trial, observers say.

Opening statements Monday will preview the essence of the trial — whether Jackson gave wine to a then-13-year-old cancer patient at his Neverland Ranch and then touched him inappropriately.

"You will see two different trials in opening statements," said Loyola University law professor Laurie Levenson, "the prosecution's case against Michael Jackson and the defense case against the boy's mother."

The prosecution's story depicts a poor family whose stricken son wanted to meet one of his idols. The child's wish was granted, but the prosecution claims it turned into a nightmare of sexual abuse and imprisonment at Jackson's fairy tale home in the coastal mountains 170 miles north of Los Angeles.

The defense narrative casts Jackson as the target of a money-hungry mother who coached her son to spin stories when it looked like their celebrity benefactor would cut them off. The defense will present evidence that the mother has sued others with claims of abuse.

"The bigger the star, the bigger the target," Jackson said during a recent television interview with Geraldo Rivera, suggesting his defense.

Though Jackson's star has waned on stage, his legacy and showmanship still generate a global audience. Jackson's lawyer suggested to jurors that celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor and Stevie Wonder would testify on behalf of the pop star. More than 1,000 members of the media from around the world have credentials to cover the trial.

Ever a performer, Jackson has a hair and makeup artist to prepare him. A wardrobe assistant helps pick his theatrical court attire.

Prosecutors who unsuccessfully pursued Jackson over a decade ago with charges he molested a different boy are investing huge resources to make this set of charges stick. A battalion of deputies raided Jackson's ranch to seize evidence and a cadre of lawyers and investigators have churned out mountains of motions and search warrants.

The face of the prosecution has been Tom Sneddon, the Santa Barbara County district attorney so identified as Jackson's nemesis that the star insulted him in song. Sneddon himself is expected to deliver the prosecution's opening statement on Monday.

Jackson's team, headed by Thomas Mesereau Jr., is a buttoned-down operation. Mesereau is a confident, veteran defender known for turning around seemingly hopeless cases.

Prosecutors will cast Jackson as a wicked pedophile, the kind of man who would get a boy drunk and then take advantage of him.

Silenced outside court thus far by a gag order, Mesereau was expected to go on the offensive against the accuser's family and try to persuade jurors to search for flaws in the prosecution's case

Update

Michael Jackson's child-molestation trial opened Monday with a prosecutor's contention that the King of Pop is a closet pervert who used wine and pornography to lower the inhibitions of a 13-year-old boy.

When the court day concluded, Jackson's defense lawyer was only halfway through a dollar-by-dollar description of an alleged scheme by the accuser's mother to cash in on Jackson's kindness and vast wealth.

In six months or so, jurors will have to decide which portrayal is more accurate. Their decision could determine whether Jackson spends the rest of his career in prison or back home at Neverland Ranch, the scene of his alleged crimes.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon addressed jurors for more than three hours, much of it spent outlining an alleged conspiracy that began following the Feb. 6, 2003, airing of a documentary entitled, "Living With Michael Jackson."

to Sneddon, Jackson and his media handlers went into a sort of hyper-damage control after filmmaker Martin Bashir asked Jackson at length about his habit of allowing young boys to sleep in his room. Jackson's current accuser appeared in the documentary, holding Jackson's hand and laying his head on the singer's shoulder.

Jackson insisted that the boy and his brother slept in his bed while Jackson slept on the floor, but Jackson's comments that he shared beds with other boys and saw nothing wrong with it sparked investigations by Sneddon's office and California child welfare officials. Sneddon charged that, for weeks, Jackson and five unindicted co-conspirators on his payroll worked feverishly to keep the boy away from the media and to force the boy and his family to tape a video that cast Jackson in a positive light.

The prosecutor repeatedly used Jackson's public statements to tell jurors that his public persona as a champion of children belies his private passion for sexual intimacy with them.

"You see, the private world of Michael Jackson reveals that, instead of cookies and instead of milk, you can substitute wine, vodka and bourbon," Sneddon said.
Lead defense attorney Thomas Mesereau has yet to address charges that Jackson plied the now 15-year-old accuser with wine and Skyy Vodka, and exposed him to a Samsonite suitcase full of magazines featuring "Barely Legal" teens and '60s-era magazines depicting children at nudist camps.

Mesereau focused much of the first 90 minutes of his opening statement, however, on an alleged scheme by the accuser's mother.

"I'm here to tell you these accusations are false, they are bogus and they never happened," said Mesereau, his white hair flowing past the shoulders of his 6-foot-3-inch frame. "These charges are fake, silly."

Although Judge Rodney Melville lifted an order prohibiting the parties from naming the complaining witness or his family in court, Court TV has opted not to name the accuser or his mother. The boy and his mother are identified in court papers as "John Doe" and "Jane Doe," respectively.

Mesereau promised to prove that Jane Doe is a con artist who coached her children on how to lie for profit. He told jurors about a $152,500 settlement with JCPenney over a 1999 claim that she was held against her will, assaulted and molested by store personnel. More recently, Jane Doe tried to use the accuser's cancer, now in remission, in both successful and unsuccessful efforts to gain sympathy and cash from celebrities like Jay Leno, Chris Tucker and George Lopez.

"The most-known celebrity, the most vulnerable celebrity, became the mark — Michael Jackson," Mesereau said.

According to a grand jury's indictment, which Melville read to jurors Monday before unsealing it, Jackson is accused of 28 acts in a conspiracy to imprison the accuser and force him and members of his family to appear on a video rebutting the Bashir documentary. The indictment also accused Jackson, now 46, of committing lewd acts with a child and administering an intoxicating agent in furtherance of a felony, in this case the alleged molestation.

As a light rain fell, more than 50 fans waited outside the courthouse before dawn, hoping to win a lottery for one of 45 seats set aside for the public in Melville's courtroom. Those admitted to the courtroom sat quietly, heeding the warnings of stern sheriff's deputies that no outbursts or signs of emotion would be tolerated.

Jackson arrived to a flash of cameras and proceeded smiling down the courtroom aisle with his mother, Katherine, and brother, Jermaine. Wearing a black suit, dark vest with large buttons, a sunburst medallion and a red armband, Jackson helped himself to a cough drop from a bailiff's jar before taking his seat next to Mesereau.

He wore glasses for much of the day but did not take notes during Sneddon's lengthy opening statement.

"It's extraordinary in its length, but this is an extraordinary case," Sneddon said. "There is only one person responsible for this conduct and the consequences ... the defendant, Michael Joe Jackson."

Mesereau, a high-profile attorney who previously represented actor Robert Blake, will finish his opening statement Tuesday morning before Sneddon calls his first witness. Bashir, the filmmaker, is expected to be the first witness for the prosecution.

According to Mesereau, Bashir flattered Jackson and promised to show him in a good light to get him to agree to take part in an eight-month documentary project. Instead, Mesereau charged, Bashir worked hard to create "a scandal" involving Jackson that would bring Bashir millions in connection with his documentary.

"It worked," Mesereau said.

Sneddon also told jurors they will hear from the accuser, an older brother who claims he saw Jackson sexually touching the accuser, and a long list of former employees and flight attendants who observed Jackson drinking alcohol with children to the point of intoxication.

The sun had come out by the time Jackson and his entourage left the courtroom. The defendant blew a kiss to a section of fans. Another 50 or so supporters — and some detractors — stood behind a temporary fence set up to keep them a distance away. "Michael, we love you," one supporter said. Another responded, "Michael, how does it feel to put your hands down a boy's pants?"

The trial, which is expected to last as long as six months, resumes Tuesday.

Update

THE atmosphere turned electric in courtroom 101 — the second Michael Jackson spotted Martin Bashir.

Jacko’s demeanour changed in an instant. And his reported hatred for the British journalist could not have been more obvious.

He glowered ferociously at Bashir, whose documentary sparked events that led to him facing child sex charges.

But his glares later turned to TEARS during scenes from the ITV Tonight programme, which was shown to the jury.

Jackson was in the well of the court with his defence team when Bashir suddenly appeared from the back.

He became instantly agitated, eyeballing the journalist and making a remark to his lawyer Thomas Mesereau.


Jacko — wearing a navy suit, red waistcoat and a gold armband — then repeatedly glowered at the documentary maker.

But the journalist IGNORED him — and simply glanced around acknowledging other reporters as he took a seat in the public gallery.

It is believed to be the first time the pair have seen each other since Bashir’s 2003 ITV documentary Living With Michael Jackson.

And the journalist was in court in Santa Maria, California, as the first witness in what has been dubbed the trial of the century.

As the jury filed in, the TV journalist stood up. District Attorney Tom Sneddon then announced: “I call my first witness Martin Bashir. Mr Bashir come forward please.”

As Bashir, 42, strode across court to the witness stand, Jackson, 46, leaned forward and shot him a look of pure hate

Minutes later the documentary was started on a giant screen at the front of the court.

Transcripts of the programme — filmed at Jackson’s Neverland ranch — were handed out.

As the showing started, Jackson shifted forward in his seat to view the screen through his gold-rimmed glasses.

He began to rock back and forth as his song Smooth Criminal blasted round the court from the show’s soundtrack.

Jacko then tapped his fingers on his cheek — but within minutes he was in tears. The star first became distressed as the film showed the infamous footage of him dangling youngest child Blanket from a hotel bedroom window.

And when he was shown giving Blanket a bottle, Jackson dabbed his eyes with a tissue.


The singer became even more upset when the film showed him with children Prince Michael, nine, and Paris, seven, being mobbed by photographers on a zoo trip. Jackson appeared to be crying, clutching a tissue to his face.

The documentary switched to Jackson’s accuser, who was then 13.

And this is when Jackson became most upset.

The pair were shown sitting on a sofa, with Jackson holding his hand. They talked of how he and his brother, then 12, regularly stayed in Jackson’s bedroom.

But the singer maintained he slept on the floor. It was when Bashir asked “what do you a 44-year-old man . . . get out of this?” that Jackson looked most emotional.

He began to twist a handkerchief between his fingers before blowing his nose and dabbing at his eyes.

Jackson shook his head and again glared at ex-Panorama reporter Bashir, who now works for American TV giant ABC.

He admitted in the show sharing a bed with other boys — including child star Macaulay Culkin and his brother Kieran.

Lawyer Mr Mesereau yesterday revealed the star DOES plan to speak in his own defence.

The boy — who Jackson is accused of molesting when he was 13 — was earlier branded an “out of control youngster”. Mr Mesereau said he ran riot in Neverland with his brother, stealing wine.

Jackson has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His trial, which is expected to last six months, continues.


Witness jail threat

MARTIN Bashir could be jailed or fined for contempt after refusing to answer four questions from defence lawyer Thomas Mesereau.

The journalist’s lawyers claimed he was protecting his sources — covered by the California Shield Law — but the judge over-ruled.

The questions he snubbed were if he got Jackson to sign documents without lawyers present, how many hours of footage were cut from his documentary, whether he was being paid as a correspondent at the trial and whether he saw unedited documentary footage.

Update

AIDES of Michael Jackson hatched a plot to paint the mother of his alleged child-sex victim as a “crack whore”, it was claimed yesterday.

A team of spin specialists set out to discredit the woman, whose son has accused Jackson of molesting him, a PR woman told the superstar’s abuse trial.

Ann Marie Gabriel — who was hired by Jacko — claimed the plan was put together in the days after the airing of the Martin Bashir TV documentary which triggered off the case.

Mrs Gabriel also told the hearing in Santa Maria, California, that she had grown worried the family were “being hunted down like a pack of dogs.”

She told the court she had been brought into Jackson’s team by Las Vegas-based lawyer David LeGrand to “handle the fallout from the Bashir documentary”.

Mrs Gabriel said on a scale of 1-10 for PR disasters she would rate the programme a “25”.

But she said a lawyer working for the star told her “they no longer had to worry about the mother because they had her on tape and were going to make her look like a crack whore”.

Mrs Gabriel, who worked alongside top British PR firm Bell Yard Communications in trying to salvage Jackson’s reputation, said the remark was made after the family fled Neverland Ranch following the documentary screening.

She claimed another aide, Marc Schaffel, rang her in an “extremely agitated” state to tell her that “Janet had taken the kids and left the ranch either late at night, or early in the morning.”

She said Mr Schaffel later phoned her back to tell her the “situation had been contained”.

Mrs Gabriel said the wording caused her “concern”, adding: “I believed that if someone had taken their children and left there was some kind of problem.

“The way that he said the situation had been contained made me feel very uncomfortable. I didn’t understand why he would be so upset about them leaving.

“And they were telling me they had been found and brought back to the ranch, all in the space of 12 hours.”

Later that day she spoke to Mr LeGrand and told him: “Don’t make me believe that these people were hunted down like dogs and bought back.”

Mrs Gabriel said other aides told her “the situation had been taken care of, but no one told me how.”

Mrs Gabriel also revealed she had concerns about Jackson’s association with Marc Schaffel.

She said: “David LeGrand told me, and I found out from my own research, that Mr Schaffel was a gay pornography producer.

“In regards to Mr Jackson I saw that as negative from a PR point of view.”

She said that she was sacked just two days after raising concerns about what Mr Schaffel had said about the boy and his family.

The court heard Mrs Gabriel was a specialist in crisis management, an area of PR where experts limit damage. She said Mr LeGrand, who she admitted having an affair with, recruited her in February 2003.

Talking about the Bashir documentary, “Living With Michael Jackson”, she said she thought it was “an absolute disaster”.

She added: “I felt the documentary was put together in a way that portrayed Mr Jackson in a negative light.

“As far as the shopping spree, the climbing the tree, and portraying himself as Peter Pan.

“And the interaction he had with a person on the video — a young boy.”

She admitted telling the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department that when she watched the Bashir documentary it “disgusted her and made her feel ill”.

Mrs Gabriel said she later started on a plan in which Jackson — whom she never met — was to “immediately begin rehabilitation of his image”, concentrating on his musical genius.

She felt the fallout after the Bashir documentary was made worse by the leaking of legal documents from 1993 on to a US website, Smokinggun.com.

The website was said to have shown an affidavit from Jackson’s 1993 accuser graphically describing alleged molestation.

Mrs Gabriel said: “In conjunction with the Bashir documentary this went way beyond a disaster for Mr Jackson.”

Jackson, 46, denies molesting the boy when he was 13, giving him alcohol, conspiring to abduct him and false imprisonment. The trial continues.

Update

Wacko world of Jacko

THE weird private world of Michael Jackson was unveiled to the jury in his child-sex trial yesterday.

A video shot by police showed a suite crammed with five young boy mannequins, three life-size dolls and an oil painting of the singer with Jesus at the Last Supper.

The court where Jackson, 46, faces a child-sex abuse trial sat in silence as the 12-minute film was shown on a huge screen.

The star looked uncomfortable as the bizarre secrets of his Neverland ranch home were laid bare.

The video showed a two-floor interconnected bedroom complex cluttered with toys, photos of children and life-size models of Superman, Batman and Star Wars figures.

There were also signed photos of child star Shirley Temple, and by his bath, two photos of actress pal Liz Taylor.

The split-level complex — reached through a keypad entry to restrict access — is where the teenager, now 15, claims Jackson molested him at 13.

The video shown to the court in Santa Maria, California, was shot by Detective Al Lafferty of the County Sheriff’s Department.

It was filmed when Neverland was raided by cops after child abuse allegations were made against the star.

At the same time a video filmed by an ex-employee of Jackson was released through a Los Angeles news agency.

The video — not watched by the jury — showed previously unseen shots of a beige bed with a troll and Peter Pan cushions, a secret closet and stairs lined with dolls in Victorian-style dresses.


It was from these stairs that the teen's brother, then 12, is alleged to have witnessed him being molested on the bed by Jackson at least twice.

The police video began with a view through the entrance door of Jackson’s main residence at the ranch near Los Olivos, California.

In the hallway were huge white marble statues and a mannequin of a boy about six standing next to a life-size model of Daffy Duck.

Nearby was a life-size cardboard cutout of Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

From the hallway leading to Jackson’s room there was another room with a boy mannequin, aged about eight, doing a handstand on a red velvet and gold throne.

Nearby was a mannequin of a boy sitting on a stool. All the figures were fully dressed.


The video then showed a wardrobe filled with rows of black trousers, military style jackets and boxes of shoes.

There were then the stairs leading towards the bedroom area, with a wooden safety gate at the top.

The camera zoomed in on a bed with a glittery blue cover and blue sheets — where the alleged abuse took place.

The ex-employee’s film of the room showed a bed with beige covers.

Above the blue-covered bed was an oil painting lit by three spotlights, showing the Last Supper with Jackson wearing a military outfit.

Beside the bed was a wooden baby’s cot.

The room was crammed with electrical gear, including a projection screen on the wall opposite the bed, TV, DVD, videos and sound system.
There were also framed pictures of young girls and boys, and a framed Shirley Temple poster on the wall.

There was also a famous picture of a little girl and boy kissing and one of Jackson holding a baby.

The bathroom had a huge sound system and photographs of children and half-naked cherubs.

The video then went through to a sitting area with a piano and more mannequins before moving into what detectives called the “doll” room — with hundreds of examples, and a boy scout mannequin.

Next it showed what cops referred to as the “toy room”, with everything a child could want including remote-control cars, puppets, a 4ft high castle and rocking horse.

Cross-examined by Jackson’s defence lawyer Robert Sanger, Detective Lafferty agreed that he had also filmed mannequins of adults at Neverland but only one — a figure of a butler — appeared in the video.

Jackson denies molesting the boy, giving him alcohol, plotting to abduct him and false imprisonment. Trial continues.

Update

MICHAEL Jackson was seen “constantly hugging and kissing” the teenage boy he is accused of molesting, a court heard yesterday.

The alleged victim's sister said she saw the singer lying on his bed with his arm around the 13-year-old boy.

The 18-year-old girl said the incidents took place when she and her two brothers were staying at Jackson’s Neverland ranch in California.

Prosecutor Tom Sneddon asked her: “Did you ever see anything where Mr Jackson was touching your brother inappropriately?”

She replied: “Yes. He would be constantly hugging and kissing him, any time I saw them really.

“He would kiss him on the cheek or on the head.

“When I was in the bedroom that time he had his arm around the boy and they were hugging over and over and kissing over and over.”

The girl said her brother's behaviour changed after they left Neverland in March 2003.

She added: “He did not want to talk to me, he did not want to be hugged, he did not want to be kissed, he wanted to be by himself.”

During yesterday’s hearing, the jury watched an extraordinary video by the alleged victim and his family PRAISING Jackson.

But they claim they were forced to make the tape by Jacko’s aides to rebut allegations against him in the documentary by British journalist Martin Bashir.

The prosecution claims it was shortly after the rebuttal video was made, in February 2003, that Jackson started molesting the boy.

In the video, the accuser, now 15 — who had been diagnosed with cancer — praises Jacko as “a loving man”.

And the boy’s mother says the star told her: “Bring him to me and we will coat him with love.”

But yesterday the boy’s family said they were held against their will, frightened into making the lengthy video and told what to say.

The accuser's sister said that her family were given a piece of paper “that was kind of like a script — we had to say nice things about Michael”.

The family’s video was intended to be shown on US TV.

But yesterday was its first public screening because they had refused to give consent for it to be shown.

The jury in Santa Maria, California, heard the alleged victim talk on the tape of his love for Michael and how he “prayed I would meet Michael Jackson one day”.

He says: “I always thought he was a loving man — now I know he is a loving man.”

The boy tells how he received a call from Jackson at his grandparents’ house.

Laughing, he says: “I was so excited. He told me he wanted me to go to Neverland ranch. I did not know about Neverland. I did not know he had a ranch.

“I was so excited. I was going to see Michael Jackson. A limousine pulled up and I thought, ‘Dang, it’s cool!’