Live during the HIStory Tour in Munich, Germany, on July 4, 1997.
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Elizabeth, I Love You
Michael performed “Elizabeth, I Love You” at his longtime best friend Elizabeth Taylor’s 65th birthday celebration on February 16, 1997.
Was Michael Jackson Framed?
Following the 1993 molestation accusations against Michael Jackson (no criminal charges were ever brought by the police or the grand juries), writer Mary A. Fischer published an incredibly well-researched article about the case in GQ magazine. Regardless of what you think you already know about the case, I urge you to read Fischer’s article. Had more people been aware of the facts surrounding the accusations made sixteen years ago, Jackson’s public image in the years following would have been very different.
Was Michael Jackson Framed? The Untold Story
By Mary A. Fisher
GQ, October 1994
Did Michael Do It?
The untold story of the events that brought down a superstar
Before O.J. Simpson, there was Michael Jackson—another beloved black celebrity seemingly brought down by allegations of scandal in his personal life. Those allegations—that Jackson had molested a 13-year-old boy—instigated a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, two grand-jury investigations and a shameless media circus. Jackson, in turn, filed charges of extortion against some of his accusers. Ultimately, the suit was settled out of court for a sum that has been estimated at $20 million; no criminal charges were brought against Jackson by the police or the grand juries. This past August, Jackson was in the news again, when Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’s daughter, announced that she and the singer had married.
As the dust settles on one of the nation’s worst episodes of media excess, one thing is clear: The American public has never heard a defense of Michael Jackson. Until now.
It is, of course, impossible to prove a negative—that is, prove that something didn’t happen. But it is possible to take an in-depth look at the people who made the allegations against Jackson and thus gain insight into their character and motives. What emerges from such an examination, based on court documents, business records and scores of interviews, is a persuasive argument that Jackson molested no one and that he himself may have been the victim of a well-conceived plan to extract money from him.
More than that, the story that arises from this previously unexplored territory is radically different from the tale that has been promoted by tabloid and even mainstream journalists. It is a story of greed, ambition, misconceptions on the part of police and prosecutors, a lazy and sensation-seeking media and the use of a powerful, hypnotic drug. It may also be a story about how a case was simply invented.
Neither Michael Jackson nor his current defense attorneys agreed to be interviewed for this article. Had they decided to fight the civil charges and go to trial, what follows might have served as the core of Jackson’s defense—as well as the basis to further the extortion charges against his own accusers, which could well have exonerated the singer.
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NAACP Image Awards
On January 6, 1994, Michael Jackson spoke before an audience at the NAACP Image Awards before presenting an award to actress/choreographer Debbie Allen.
At the time that he made this speech, Michael Jackson was still under investigation by the LAPD following charges of child molestation. Months later, with investigators still failing to find even a single witness willing to testify against Jackson (and with TWO grand juries failing to find any damaging evidence against him), and a case based almost entirely on false tabloid speculation, the investigation was closed. Despite what the media would have had you believe, criminal charges were never filed.
Pigtails and Frog Legs
Food is something we all need physically, but so is love, the deeper nourishment, that turns into who we are.Michael Jackson, 1993
In 1993, Michael wrote the introduction to a cookbook for families published by Neiman Marcus, Pigtails and Frog Legs. The book was illustrated by legendary Warner Bros. Cartoon artist Chuck Jones. Above is Jones’ portrayal of Michael.
To a child, food is something special. It isn’t just a delicious taste or the vitamins that build a healthy body. Food is love and caring, security and hope — all the things that a food family can provide. Remember when you were little and your mother made a pie for you? When she cut a slice and put it on your plate, she was giving you a bit of herself, in the form of her love. She made your hunger go away, and when you were full and satisfied, everything seemed all right. Because that satisfied feeling was in the pie, you were nourished from a deep level. Food is something we all need physically, but so is love, the deeper nourishment, that turns into who we are.
Think about how necessary it is to nourish a child with a bit of yourself when you use this book. It is full of delicious things. Every recipe has an extra ingredient of caring, because the people who wrote them were thinking of the children. They were specially thinking of those who aren’t able to take nourishment for granted because they are poor, sick or disabled. These are the children who need food to heal. The theme of ‘Heal the World’, which has been close to my heart, is the central theme of this book, also. Here are recipes for the spirit. Please make them with that in mind. Your child is growing spirit that can be knit strong with love. When you break an egg and measure a cup of flour, you are magically mixing the gift of life. The food’s proteins and minerals will turn into bones and muscles, but your feeling as you cook will turn directly into a soul.
It makes me happy to think that the needs of children’s spirits are at last becoming important in this world. Children have no power to end wars directly or to mend age-old differences.
All they can do is be themselves, to shine with gratitude and joy when love is turned their way. Yet isn’t that ultimately the greatest power? In the eyes of a child you become the source of joy, which lifts you into the special category of caregiver and life-provider. You may think that your apple pie has only sugar and spice in it. A child is wiser — with the first bite, he knows that this special dish is the essence of your love.
Enjoy!
— Michael Jackson, 1993
(Thanks, franlart!)
You Were There
Michael wrote “You Were There” for Sammy Davis, Jr., and performed it for him at a tribute concert in early 1990. Sammy passed away just a few months later.
HEE-HEE! SHAMONE!
