in article 13077cb5.0401170836.5cc2d
...@posting.google.com, ivy_mike at
ivy_m
...@my-deja.com wrote on 1/17/04 11:36 AM:
> A pretty rare event--me watching TV--last night tuned
> me into the Jackson saga (briefly). It seems the tack is
> to bus in hordes of his dopey fans to the courthouse, and
> invite them to his little playground for fun and games, so
> as to, I guess, give the impression of great public support;
> not a very original idea for those who can afford it.
> I think Jackson and his handlers believe he'll moonwalk
> his way right out of his predicament...and maybe he will.
> --
> Regards, IM
Ellis Henican had a humorous article yesterday on Jackson's antics. He
wondered whether Jacko will be moonwalking himself right into prison
Is Michael Jackson Losing His Mind?
January 17, 2004, 7:48 PM EST
Maybe he's laying groundwork for an insanity defense.
Or maybe he's actually starting to believe his own delusional hype ‹ that
his sadly twisted life is perfectly normal, man-boy slumber parties and all.
Otherwise, it's hard to understand what Michael Jackson could possibly have
been thinking on Friday when he came out of the courthouse in Santa Maria,
Calif., climbed on top of a black SUV and performed that preening star turn
for a throng of frenzied fans.
It was half Liza Minelli, half Fred Astaire ‹ and about the dumbest thing a
criminal defendant has ever done while television cameras rolled.
Are you crazy, Michael?
Wait! Don't answer that!
Every time the Wacked One appears in public, he manages to alienate a few
more of the people he will eventually need. This time, it was the judge and
whichever prospective jury members have TV sets in their homes.
He showed up 20 minutes late for his own arraignment, producing a stern
admonition from Judge Rodney Melville. "Mr. Jackson, you have started out on
the wrong foot with me," the judge harrumphed.
Then, the most famous child-molestation defendant in the history of American
jurisprudence interrupted the proceeding so he and his brother Jermaine
could take a bathroom break. The judge didn't sound too charmed by that
either. In the future, the Weak-Bladdered One should "regulate his liquid
intake," the judge suggested helpfully.
But none of that was half as ill-conceived as what came after the 90-minute
hearing let out. That's when the pasty-faced Jackson, in black suit, white
shirt and white-silk armband, pushed through the rabble outside and climbed
on top of the car ‹ waving, grinning, pointing, saluting, blowing kisses and
shuffling through several exuberant dance steps to the loud delight of his
fans. His personal videographer was up there with him, capturing Michael's
every move.
And why let the fun stop there, even if this was arraignment day in a
serious felony case?
Jacko's Nation of Islam security guards were passing out invitations to a
post-arraignment bash back at Neverland. The invite promised a party "in the
spirit of love and forgiveness."
No word on who was loving or forgiving whom.
Well, say this much: It's a good thing Michael has now made friends in the
well-connected Nation. He might need their help ‹ after he moonwalks his way
into prison.
As the live pictures from this bizarre event came in from California, I
happened to be sitting in the green room at the Fox News Channel on Sixth
Avenue. The famed defense lawyer Mickey Sherman was also there. Mickey knows
a thing or two about high-profile criminal defendants, having represented
Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel, among other well-heeled alleged perps.
Mickey was shaking his head at this good-news-bad-news scene, painful for
any experienced lawyer to watch.
"You have a multimillionaire client who might well be innocent," he sighed.
"Unfortunately, he is dancing on top of his car and having a party after his
arraignment."
Ughh!
Often, this really isn't the lawyer's fault. The best advice in the world is
worthless, if the client won't follow it.
"The more affluent your client is, the more difficult it can be to control
him," Mickey said. "These people figure they can buy and sell a lawyer at a
moment's notice. They figure they're a lot smarter than you are. You are
just there to get them off."
And sometimes, these big-dollar clients have trouble remembering who's
really on their side. "They'll see the lawyer as just another part of the
misery process ‹ the cops, the courts, the judge. And now they've gotta pay
a lawyer, too. It is just part of the machinery that is making them
miserable."
Does Michael Jackson appreciate the gravity of the charges against him? Does
he care?
Well, he wasn't acting like it on Friday. And that could come back and haunt
him.
After all, a teenage boy has alleged that Michael plied him with alcohol and
took sexual liberties with him. The charges carry a possible sentence of
nearly 20 years in prison. A jury will ultimately decide.
Benjamin Brafman and Mark Geragos are experienced defense attorneys. They
just have a client who is nearly impossible to control.
"Even if he won the case and the real molester came forward and confessed ‹
even then, you don't take delight in this process," Mickey Sherman said, as
the pictures kept rolling in from California. "It's offensive to the judge,
to the prosecutor, to the public and to victims of all crimes. This is not a
time for celebrating, no matter what happens in court. It is a time for
seriously facing charges and being as humble as you can."
Next dance?
