Living with Michael Jackson

Living with Michael Jackson is a notorious Granada Television documentary http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352524/ in which Michael Jackson is extensively interviewed by British journalist Martin Bashir. It was shown first in the UK on 3 February, 2003 and then in the U.S. three days later. The controversy surrounding the programme was one of the factors that led to Jackson being put on trial for child molestation.

Related Topics:
Granada Television - Michael Jackson - British - Martin Bashir - 3 February - 2003 - Jackson being put on trial

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The documentary was made following a suggestion by Jackson's friend Uri Geller. It later emerged that Geller had turned down another 'bid' for the interview by 'faux-naif' journalist and presenter, Louis Theroux. An interview with Jackson was very special, for it had been extremely rare for Jackson to allow such access to his personal life, or indeed to talk so freely about his traumatised childhood. However he showed some reserve when asked to discuss other personal issues, such as the plastic surgery he had on his face. In one of his favorite shops and in the renting of rooms in hotels he demonstrated extravagant spending.

Related Topics:
Uri Geller - Louis Theroux - Shop - Hotel

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The documentary also shows a boy who was Jackson's friend at the time, and later became his accuser, born December 1989, at the time of the filming 12 years old. The boy is seen holding hands with Jackson and resting his head on Jackson's shoulder. The boy stated in the trial that the first was Jackson's initiative, the latter his own, because he was really close to Jackson, and Jackson was his best friend. He and Jackson tell about the two sleeping in the same room, though not in the same bed (they told about an occasion where each was happy to sleep on the floor and let the other have the bed). The boy has later told that he had not realized that the footage would be broadcast all over the world. After the airing he was teased by his friends. His mother claims that she has not given Bashir permission to film her son, and was not even aware of that until the airing.

Related Topics:
Holding hands - Teased

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jackson admitted that "many children", especially pre-adolescent boys (including Macaulay Culkin when he was younger, his younger brother Kieran and sistershttp://www.mjshouse.com/stories/living_with_mj_transcript.wm) have slept in the same bed as him, but he denies having had sex with any of them. Conversely, Jackson claims to allow his children to stay with his friends, for example with Barry Gibb. He emphasizes that children need and deserve lots of love — not sexual, but like having hot milk and cookies, tucking them in, telling a bed-time story, etc.

Related Topics:
Pre-adolescent - Macaulay Culkin - Kieran - Slept in the same bed - Sex - Barry Gibb

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~