Cause This Is Thriller...
Michael Jackson could very well be singing "Will You Be There" to countless of fans, critics and onlookers alike who eagerly awaited the culmination of the drama which had played out in front of them for more than a year. The jury's final deliberation took all of seven days and appeared like it was not going to be good news for the King of Pop. The outcome, when it was read, was just like OJ's Trial of the Century: the (glittery) glove didn't fit in this case either and reactions ranged from jubilation to protestation.
In "Black and White" MJ diehards at the gates of Neverland
He was acquitted of:
Count 1: Conspiracy, involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
Count 2: A lewd act on a minor child.
Count 3: A lewd act on a minor child.
Count 4: A lewd act on a minor child.
Count 5: A lewd act on a minor child.
Count 6: Attempting to commit a lewd act on a minor child.
Count 7: Administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony and not guilty of providing alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21.
Count 8: Administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony and not guilty of providing alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21.
Count 9: Administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony and not guilty of providing alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21.
Count 10: Administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony and not guilty of providing alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21.
When the jury came out with the verdict exonerating Michael of all of the above charges, I somehow felt ambivalent. I didn't know if I was happy that my childhood idol was cleared of alleged wrong-doing on his part or sad that a child molester may have walked away triumphant. It is just so hard for me to picture the Jackson Five tyke who grew up to be one of the most prolific and admired performing artists in the world as a pedophile. He who had penned such great songs as Man In The Mirror, We Are The World, Childhood and Beat It, who counted Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Steven Spielberg and a proverbial galaxy of stars as friends, who gave so much of his time to a variety of charities for AIDS and hunger relief, who made millions of people want to learn how to "moonwalk", was accused of being a "Smooth Criminal". To his credit, his accuser lacked the credibility which should have made it an open and shut case. Granted, the "boy" was a cancer survivor, many people still came forward to question his motives in pinning down one of the most celebrated figures of our time.
I really, really want to believe Michael is innocent because I have admired him for so long. I even persuaded my parents to buy me one of the more expensive seats when he came over for a concert, for goodness sake! Yet there is this niggling part in me that points out certain incongruities in his lifestyle which gives me room for doubt. From his constantly changing appearance to his adaptation of a Peter Pan-like way of living, it is hard to keep up with him nowadays. Talent, however immense, can only take you so far.
This last episode will have much more of an impact on his career than other tabloid headline-making stories about him that we heard over the past decade or so. If he really is innocent, this will only serve to lessen his trust in others. If he is guilty, he will still have to face God at the end. The public will surely let him know how they feel once he releases his next record.
News clips: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/jackson.trial/ and
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/14/national/14jackson.html
Count 1: Conspiracy, involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
Count 2: A lewd act on a minor child.
Count 3: A lewd act on a minor child.
Count 4: A lewd act on a minor child.
Count 5: A lewd act on a minor child.
Count 6: Attempting to commit a lewd act on a minor child.
Count 7: Administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony and not guilty of providing alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21.
Count 8: Administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony and not guilty of providing alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21.
Count 9: Administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony and not guilty of providing alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21.
Count 10: Administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony and not guilty of providing alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21.
When the jury came out with the verdict exonerating Michael of all of the above charges, I somehow felt ambivalent. I didn't know if I was happy that my childhood idol was cleared of alleged wrong-doing on his part or sad that a child molester may have walked away triumphant. It is just so hard for me to picture the Jackson Five tyke who grew up to be one of the most prolific and admired performing artists in the world as a pedophile. He who had penned such great songs as Man In The Mirror, We Are The World, Childhood and Beat It, who counted Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Steven Spielberg and a proverbial galaxy of stars as friends, who gave so much of his time to a variety of charities for AIDS and hunger relief, who made millions of people want to learn how to "moonwalk", was accused of being a "Smooth Criminal". To his credit, his accuser lacked the credibility which should have made it an open and shut case. Granted, the "boy" was a cancer survivor, many people still came forward to question his motives in pinning down one of the most celebrated figures of our time.
I really, really want to believe Michael is innocent because I have admired him for so long. I even persuaded my parents to buy me one of the more expensive seats when he came over for a concert, for goodness sake! Yet there is this niggling part in me that points out certain incongruities in his lifestyle which gives me room for doubt. From his constantly changing appearance to his adaptation of a Peter Pan-like way of living, it is hard to keep up with him nowadays. Talent, however immense, can only take you so far.
This last episode will have much more of an impact on his career than other tabloid headline-making stories about him that we heard over the past decade or so. If he really is innocent, this will only serve to lessen his trust in others. If he is guilty, he will still have to face God at the end. The public will surely let him know how they feel once he releases his next record.
News clips: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/jackson.trial/ and
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/14/national/14jackson.html
Nice site!
[url=http://jhpelusz.com/limt/lomp.html]My homepage[/url] | [url=http://yzfwuikp.com/ixqs/ldfg.html]Cool site[/url]
Well done!
http://jhpelusz.com/limt/lomp.html | http://ktglmckt.com/sazb/bars.html
Post a Comment
<< Home