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.