1996 Shana Mangatal

Michael’s stay in hospital, June 7, 1990

Pop star Michael Jackson, who was hospitalized here late Sunday night complaining of chest pains, is suffering from a cartilage inflammation of the front part of the ribs and will be released within the next 48 hours,” Bob Jones, his personal publicist, said this afternoon.

According to watchful fans, Jermaine Jackson spent Sunday night in the hospital with his brother and Michael Jackson’s cook arrived this morning with shopping bags of goodies for him. Michael Jackson is said to be a vegetarian. Spokesman Jones, however, denied that Jackson is having food brought in. “The hospital does not allow you to bring in your meals,” he said.

“Yesterday we went down to Hollywood Boulevard by his star {in the sidewalk} and got over a thousand signatures,” said 20-year-old Shana Mangatal as she looked over a giant get-well banner made of construction paper. “We’re here to show Michael that his fans care,” she said.

We grew up with his music.” “He’s devoted all his years to us,” added another fan, Sherry Atkins. On rock music station KROQ this morning, deejays Kevin Ryder and Bean Baxter took advantage of their morning guest a hypnotist, to call a receptionist and then a nurse at St. John’s Hospital to try to hypnotize them into putting Jackson on the line. Their attempts were futile.

Sandy Gallin is Announced as Michael’s Personal Manager, August 22 1990

Shana Mangatal is employed as Sandy’s secretary.

Ghosts, June 1996





Shana (facebook, 26th June 2009)

Screenshot of me and Michael as “The Mayor” in “Ghosts”. If you haven’t seen “Ghosts”, please check it out on You Tube. Michael was so proud of this film. He was in every single scene and was a GREAT actor! The last time I saw him, the first thing he mentioned was how much fun we had filming this!

We filmed this in the middle of the summer at Van Nuys airport. It was sooo hot on the set.

Unfortunately, Stan Winston died about a year or more ago. It was shocking. I remember calling to tell Michael about it and he had already heard!




Shana (facebook 28th August 2009)

Michael as The Mayor looking at himself. This scene was a bit eerie, even when we filmed it. I was standing next to Michael during this scene and I said to him, as we were looking at his supposedly “dead” body on the floor, “Wow..you’re dead.” I meant it as a joke to break the creepy atmosphere, but he didn’t really laugh. He just stared at the dummy on the floor, in sadness. I felt like an idiot after that for saying something so insensitive.




This was one of my favorite scenes to film. It’s at the end of the film and Michael as “The Mayor” turns around and asks us townspeople to leave with him. He shocked me when he turned directly to me and said the line, “Let’s go!” On each take he would look me directly in the eyes and say the line. I almost laughed and ruined the take the first time, because he didn’t tell me he was going to do it, and I was very surprised.





Shana, (facebook, 14th January 2010)

I autographed, framed and gave this one to Michael on our last day of filming “Ghosts”

Shana’s facebook, HIStory World Tour in Hawaii, 3/4th January 1997

Actually, I did an interview in Hawaii during the History tour. A TV Station was at an after party we had at a club called Maharaji, or something like that. They were doing a whole special on MJ for Hawaiian TV. I was never able to see it.

They asked really nice questions..just about the tour and the show. I wish I could find it.

I do have pics from Hawaii, but it rained very badly almost the entire time we were there, so the pics are not so good. I was so mad because I had never been to Hawaii before and really wanted to see the beauty of it. I think we were there in January, which is the rainy season unfortunately.

It was an MJ special, not just an interview with me. I just happened to be one of the people interviewed for it.

They had a crew set up at the party interviewing all of Michael’s people.

Michael has a birthday party at Neverland, August 29th 2003

2003 Sandy Gallin helps organize party, Shana attends

Video, @4:15 “Everyone’s happy. You can eat whatever you want. We’re full from all the ice cream and the candy. Everything’s free.”

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/WqmF_ZIfVWU/

Shana Mangatal, on facebook responding to “Michael Jackson Commemorated” on facebook, September 2010


For those of you who haven’t seen it, check this video out!It’s a portion of a great new Michael Jackson documentary. This clip shows the fun we had at Michael’s 45th bday party. I briefly appear at 4:14, being driven in one of the famous Neverland golf carts….and having too much fun! Ahhh, the memories!Thank you to …Candra, Eutuxia, Jennifer and Shelley for sending his to me!

One of my favorite memories of this day was playing video games in the arcade with Michael, Nick and Aaron Carter and Rodney Jerkins. Seeing the pure joy that Michael was able to have while playing those games, inspired me to try to always have a child’s heart. His childlike spirit was infectious.

The sad thing is that Michael had planned to open up Neverland, and make it more accessible for the fans, after this event.

He really wanted everyone to be able to experience it. But, the Arvizo allegations changed destiny and ruined everything.

Come to think of it, I remember going to another party like this at Neverland, a few weeks prior to this. I can’t remember what the occasion was, but it was just as fun. I remember sharing some wine with Paris Hilton at dinner! lol. He was definitely opening Neverland up more and more, for all to enjoy.

Todd Mangatal’s posts about his sister’s relationship with Michael, Friday, 26th November 2003

Easter Weekend
THIS WEEK EVENT’S IN WASHINGTON DC, BALTIMORE, TRENTON NJ. AND MORE

My Sisters Commitment to help her friend Micheal Jackson

For many years Michael Jackson has been a part of my life and my family’s life. So let me take a minute to tell you a little story about what Michael Jackson has meant to me throughout the years, and how dreams come true.

It all starter in 1971, I was at home with my mother and sister (Shana), and my father was away at work. We received a call from my father who urgently instructed us to turn on the TV to see an amazing new group. The show was American Band Stand, and the group was The Jackson Five. From that moment I felt a bond (probably like most people at that time), but this bond was a little different for me and my family, and as time went by the meaning of this “bond” came to light. As we go on you will see what I mean. Shortly after that I got my first record album which was the Jackson Five album, which featured a song that I loved “Never Can Say Goodbye”. If you’ve heard the saying “I’ve played the record until grooves were worn into it”, this is what actually happened, I played it out, because it brought joy to my youth. In 1973, a new arena had just opened in the Washington DC area “The Capitol Center”, and at such a young age I attended my first concert with my mother and sister, of course it was the Jackson Five. This was the first concert at the Capitol Center, the place was barely finished; the sound was terrible; and the stage seemed very far away; but that didn’t matter to me, I was seeing my favorite group live. After the concert, I clearly remember my sister and I listening to the album and we would pretend to be the Jackson’s, where we would dance and sing with make shift microphones.

Me being Michael and her being Marlon. I think somehow this is where her love for Michael Jackson and the Jackson’s began. Keep in mind she was only 3 years old at the time, but it seemed as if she loved them as much then as she does now. As the years progressed we continued to follow the Jackson Five, we had the opportunity to attend their last concert together in the late 70′s (I don’t recall the name of the tour). This was an amazing concert because by this time they were into amazing light shows, pyrotechnics, and of course Michael Jackson had grown up and as becoming a star in his own right. At this time my musical taste was expanding and I was started to get into P-Funk, but my sister’s love for Michael Jackson began to blossom.

I recall the many appearances he made in DC (such as the Jackson’s Reunion Tour and others) she would literally bother us to take her to the hotel to join the many fans who were camped outside showing their support to the Jackson’s. What was so amazing and what makes me believe this was a bond, Jermaine Jackson was walking into the hotel and somehow he saw my sister and brought her inside to receive an autograph from Michael Jackson and the Jackson’s. On many of Michael’s other visits to DC, it always seemed she would get the opportunity to meet them, and she even made the news a few times. At this point I thought it was just a teenage crush on your favorite pop star, but as it turned out it was more than that. She had a dream and she followed it!

Upon graduating high school an honor roll student, my sister (Shana) surprised us by announcing her intentions to move to California to pursue her dreams of acting, singing, and of course meeting Michael Jackson. I even remember her saying she was going to marry Michael, yes to me this sound like an obsessed fan, but again, I think it was more than that, it was destiny for her to have the opportunity to meet and know the star she adored. Even though we were all very concerned about her going off 3000 miles away at such a young age, we felt she was level headed enough to handle herself, especially if this is what she believed was right for her. So she was off driving to “Hollywood”. I “felt” her need to experience what she believed in, because when I got married, my wife and I decided to move to California also. I guess this entertainment business was in our blood. Actually, that’s where Arious Entertainment was born, so we were able to guide her in the right direction as far as finding a place to stay and telling her where and where not to go.

This was the beginning of her dreams coming true. From the time she arrived it seemed things started to click, first she worked at Universal Studios and got the opportunity to meet many people in the business and made friends. She even got a few great parts on many sitcoms such as “Different World”, “Fresh Prince”, “Dougie Houser”, “Family Matters” and even had a few movies “House Party I and II,” “Shazam” with Shaq, and several others. What makes this story so amazing and goes to show if you believe in something strong enough, you can get it.

About a year after arriving in LA she got a great job with a major talent management company, and who their biggest client turned out to be was Michael Jackson, so she had the opportunity to get to know the star she idolized from childhood. She had the opportunity to be in Michael’s “Ghost” video which was done for the Adams Family movie, and most importantly she had the opportunity to travel along with him on his tours to Japan and Hawaii. She’s had many trips to “Never Land”, and one of her best friends is his personal assistant. She even attended his most recent birthday party (2 months ago). As you can see, her dream came true. She has told me she is very disappointed that these accusations continue to hunt him since he’s only trying to do good and follow his heart, and give back to the children.
So, she plans on doing something about the accusations by telling the truth of what she knows about her good friend. It’s not for money, nor is she writing a book, but it’s what one friend does for another friend. Look out for her interviews (Shana Mangatal) in the following week on Entertainment Tonight (Wednesday night 11/26/03), Good Morning America, MTV, US Weekly Magazine (and more to be added soon.) Myself and my family are very proud of her and her accomplishments, and most importantly for her taking such an important stand on this issue for her friend Michael Jackson

Society is so twisted now a days, everything has to have a negative motive. We are not saying he’s a saint, nor are we saying he’s bad, (because he only knows that) but I really think the parents are to blame. As long as the parents are receiving the fruits of his kindness, everything is fine, but it’s when the fruits stop falling their way a problem arises. NO PARENT should send their child off to spend the night or an extensive amount of time with a 45 year old man whether it’s Michael Jackson or even the President. We must stop looking at the worst and look deeper. One thing that I believe because of the way the world is today, if Jesus Christ should come back tomorrow, he would be crucified just like he was 2000 years ago, because no one looks for goodness.

You Are Not Alone party at Neverland, December 20th 2003

Shana attends.

Todd Mangatal, January 15th 2004

My sister Shana Mangatal still supports Michael Jackson 100%, and as promised I must update you on the issue with Shana and Michael. You may recall in my previous e-mails I indicated that my sister was busy with helping coordinate the celebration at Michael’s Never Land Ranch in Santa Barbara. Yes, two weeks prior to Christmas she was asked to contact and invite many of her celebrity friends as well as Michaels’ to attend the celebration. Of course, she was glad to help and immediately got busy inviting folks. Needless to say, she did a great job, because many of the celebrities were thrilled to receive an invitation, and many attended. As for the day of the event, her responsibility was to take care of all the Jackson family needs, therefore she coordinated everything that involved the Jackson family, the photos, the place they would be seated, and whatever they needed, etc. As Shana and I talked I asked her to give me some details about the day of the event. She pointed out that she was very pleased to assist with the coordinating, and felt the event was very successful. She was happy that her good friend Tommy Davidson had agreed to host the event, and was a bit distracted and embarrassed the day of the event when he gave her a loud “shout out” on the Mic. Being as personal as she is, she didn’t go in much detail about the day’s activities, except that she was very busy making sure everything she was responsible for was handled properly and correctly. I asked if she had time to mingle with the celebrities and she stated she really didn’t have much time, but was able to say hi to many. At the end of the day she did spend a little time with Michael, who expressed his appreciation to her for “being there for him”, for her help with the event and it’s success, and most importantly for all her support.

Shana Mangatal’s facebook, says she saw MJ at Copperfield Show, New Year’s Eve, 31st December 2006 (message posted on 12/23/07)

Shana’s Response:

“Hi Anji!

I will tell you that I did see MJ last New Year’s Eve in Vegas after the Copperfield show. So, I am curious to know who is spreading these rumors.

Thank you, Anji, for your support. Are you from the US? Your picture is very beautiful!
All My Best,
Shana”

Word of Michael’s Ex, Dec. 2007

‘Michael is a real hot-blooded man who loves women. He was the love of my life. When I see his image in photos, I see his heart. “

So says Shana Mangatal, an aspiring actress (she also participated in a video clip of 2Pac – Unconditional Love) who for years has worked as an assistant to former manager Michael Sandy Gallin. Shana says that she and Michael have been together for four years starting in 1990 (after they separated following the marriage of Michael and Lisa).

“Once he came into office for a meeting and when I met him for the first time all at once I felt a spark,” said Bob Shane, of Enterntainment weekly. “When I saw him, I fell in love immediately and I realized that. And he is a man who flirts a lot, so I immediately sent signals that he was attracted to me.”

The woman also was present during a tour of MJ in Japan and Hawaii, and the set of Ghosts.

Some sources also claim that the New Year 2006 Shana was in the company of Michael at the party of Jesse Jackson, even claiming to have seen pictures in which Michael and Shana are intimate attitudes …. may not be so “ex”? or that our dear joker is less holy than most of us believe?

Michael Jackson: Womanizer, Firpo Carr, Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper, October 1-7, 2009

Shana Mangatal (Ghost): Shana, the woman internationally known as Michael’s true girlfriend who talked every day with him for seven years, was in what she describes as being Michael’s favorite film short by far, Ghost (1995). He wrote, produced, and helped direct Ghost. It was originally titled Is This Scary? (1993), but was halted when Michael was charged with child molestation in 1994. Of all the cast and crew Shana was the only one he brought back from the original production. Did she and the King of Pop ever lip-lock? No doubt. When ET’s Bob Goen asked if they were ever intimate, she answered: “I don’t want to go into detail about it but…yes.” She went on to say that he was a normal red-blooded man who was very flirtatious and loved women.

Shana worked for one of Michael’s companies. When Michael discovered her, he moved his headquarters to an office adjacent to hers. Grace Rwaramba, who eventually became the nanny for Michael’s children, was best friends with Shana. Grace confided in Shana that Michael got real nervous when he knew he was going to see her. In speaking to and communicating with Shana I explained to her how I imagined Michael saw her:

“Michael understood that your indescribable beauty challenges the imagination of the most prolific poet,” I wrote as we communicated by Facebook. “It scars the mind of the uninitiated. He was aware that a mere gaze in your direction causes an eruption that ripples through the space-time continuum. He had to have known that with an instrument forged by the gods you were sculpted into perfection. Your ambiance, rivaled only by the loveliest of sunsets, is forever engraved on the psyche of man.” (To be sure, the woman’s beauty inspires poetry.) “Michael knew that reality is altered when you enter a room,” I continued. “Your heart must beat honey; your tears navigate down your cheeks as sweet diamonds. The pantheon of gods is minus its most beautiful goddess. Zeus weeps. MJ had to have known this.” Indeed, her words had to have been a song in his ears that resonated through his soul and thereafter satisfied his existence. (See Song of Solomon.)

Michael went abroad after being found “Not Guilty” on all counts in his child molestation trial, but contacted Shana upon returning stateside. Actually, they never really stopped talking. They had communicated judiciously as dictated by decorum throughout the years. And in an exclusive telephone interview this past Tuesday she revealed that, unbeknownst to one another, they moved to Las Vegas around the same time. Upon discovering that she was there, Michael, with his children in tow, visited her. The romance was rekindled. In fact, she and Michael had been in touch up until about two weeks before he died.

Knowing that she could have met with him anytime during the two-week period, Shana decided to delay their meeting until Friday, June 26, 2009. It would be the weekend and they could spend some time together. Something happened to prevent that though. Michael Jackson died Thursday, June 25, 2009. Shana, with the humility and grace of an angel, stated retrospectively,

“It taught me never to procrastinate.” She’s still hopelessly in love with him.

The King of Pop’s crown slipped a bit when it came to beautiful women. He had a weakness for them. For those of us who truly knew him, all the above, coupled with who he was as a person, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Michael Jackson was no child molester–which is the point of this article. Rest in peace my friend. Amen.

Shana Mangatal, facebook, 11th November 2009





Yeah, I actually introduced Bryton to MJ for the very first time that night. They would remain friends for years to come. Michael would always ask about him. I have a ton of pics with Bryton through the years. Ironic that he is now on Y and R.

You’re good, Roxy! I can’t believe you found my Family Matters episode. I actually did 2 episodes, that’s how I originally met Bryton. His whole dressing room was filled with pics of MJ. His only dream was to meet him. So I set it up. Michael called him the day after that MTV10 meeting.

I get sooo embarrassed seeing old stuff of myself. I’ve never even watched my Entertainment Tonight interview and hate watching the Tupac video. I was way too shy to be an actress! Michael and I used to talk about show biz alot. He gave me alot of advice. He knew I wanted to be an actress, so he put me in Is This Scary and Ghosts. I’ll always be grateful to him for that.

Believe it or not, I ran into Karen Faye in the commissary at lunch while I was filming Family Matters! We filmed on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. She was doing make up for “Suddenly Susan”, Brooke Shields’ sitcom. We had filmed Ghosts a little while before that. Hollywood is such a small town!

Shana Mangatal, facebook, January 2010

Hi guys,I completely understand the curiosity and am not offended by any question. I’m not that sensitive:-) On the other hand, Michael hated for people to speculate about his … See moreprivate life. Absolutely hated it. Everyone who ever worked for him had to sign confidentiality agreements. If you ever stepped through the gates of Neverland, you had to sign a contract as well. You couldn’t bring cameras inside and your cell phone magically stopped working when you entered. That’s how fiercely protective he was of his privacy. So, knowing this, I am trying my best to uphold his wishes. The tidbits and stories I do share, are offered to show you guys a glimpse of the real man. People tend to forget Michael was a human being, who did normal things on a day to day basis. He protected that side of himself from the public however, and I have to respect that. I do think he should have let the world see a bit more of the “real” Michael. People would have loved him even more! It upsets me to see fans fighting each other and launching vicious attacks on those of us who can actually offer real insight into the man. Michael preached peace and LOVE. Let’s uphold that legacy.

Shana Mangatal
The truth is, there’s no “one” person who can claim to know everything about Michael. He kept things private and separate from even his family, staff and friends. Everyone wanted to believe they were his best friend and knew everything, but he made sure that didn’t happen. It did take alot of courage for me to come out and do the ET interview. I did it because everyone else had seemed to abandon him at that time. None of his “Hollywood” friends would come out to defend him. I just couldn’t sit back any longer and let the future jury be swayed by all of the negativity coming out. I was really worried about what Michael’s reaction would be. He did not want me to do it. Sometimes he didnt know what was best for himself though! Thankfully, after I did it he thanked me (although he asked me not to do any more interviews..lol!) The next month I hosted a party for him at Neverland. The most touching moment for me was when Rebbie spotted me. She came over to me and gave me a big hug. She thanked me for being there for her brother and told me she had heard so many good things about me. That meant so much to me and I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Rebbie.

Shana Mangatal, facebook, June 28 at 10:43pm

Thank you for writing. I would never release personal pics of MJ on a public forum like Facebook. Can you imagine how often these pics would be copied and pasted on every website imaginable? The pic I posted of me and MJ was taken by his photographer, therefore approved by him. I’m not here to “prove” anything. This is my personal FB page, not a MJ message board. I haven’t spoken about MJ since 2003. If I wanted to “prove” something, I would grant every interview that’s been requested of me since then. Everything I said on ET was true, and everything I’ve written here on FB is true. There are lots of false stories that are being made up. I can’t control any of that. You can also choose to believe what you want to believe. It really doesn’t matter to me, and in the scheme of life makes no difference.
You can feel free to share this email with your friends on Lipstick Alley.
God Bless You!!! Shana

Firpo Carr retracts his original article about Shana being his last girlfriend, 29th June 2010

Firpo Carr Retraction: After reviewing the matter for some months now, I have found no evidence that Shana Mangatal was Michael Jackson’s secret girlfriend. Whether she was or was not I leave for others. In an upcoming article, I will retract everything I said about this matter. More details later.

The “evidence,” given to me by a very credible source, lead to a deadend; and, yes, I do believe I was mislead. I will say more in the upcoming article, although this will not be the focus of the article. I will offer a formal apology to the fans at that time. Thank you for your respectful approach.

Michael Misc, Things in the kitchen drawer, Firpo Carr, Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper, July 8-14, 2010

You know those miscellaneous things you indiscriminately throw into the kitchen drawer? You know what I’m talking about; those things you don’t know quite what to do with. Well, it’s the same with miscellaneous “info-bites” about Michael Jackson.

While they’re not quite top shelf, arguably, they may still be newsworthy; behind the scene things that “inquiring minds” want to know. These involve people who at one time or another had varying degrees of involvement with the King of Pop; from family member to distant employee. Since the kitchen is where the wife and/or mother has traditionally and historically operated, this article will center primarily on women; starting with the wife and mother who gave birth to Michael Jackson.

Katherine Jackson: Here’s an interesting tidbit that demonstrates Mrs. Jackson’s love for Michael’s fans. On one occasion when we were at Neverland, a crush of fans anxiously approached her. Though I had not been empowered or authorized to do so, I felt duty bound to protect her from the zealots. To my surprise, she waved them past me and warmly welcomed them; even embracing those close to her. Afterward, she heartily reprimanded me (as I had seen her do with her own sons), and told me that not only were the fans endearing to her, but that there would be no “Michael Jackson” without these same fans. I could see the mild, loving, but righteous intensity in her eyes. I also sensed her deep, sincere, and abiding love for the fans.

In my capacity as a Biblical scholar and university instructor of comparative religion, Michael summoned me to discuss spiritual and religious issues and answers. Our discussion involved–among other things–what religious instruction his children were to receive. Other discussions centered on business and legal matters. We never talked about his romantic encounters. This was because Michael compartmentalized his life. Everything went into its own category; and his love life was out of my lane. Still, some things could not be hidden from public view.

Lisa Marie Presley: Kudos to MJ’s first wife, Lisa Marie Pesley, for stating the truth and sticking by her man in connection with the molestation charges against Michael. “I understand and support him,” she stated in a press release. Here’s what she said seven years ago in a Playboy (July, 2003) interview. PB: “Did you and he ever have children join you in your bed?” LMP: “Never. Never, never, never, never. I never saw him sleep in bed with a child, ever.” PB: “Did you ever see him with photos of nude children?” LMP: “Never. Never.” PB: “Do you have any reason to think he’s a child molester?” LMP: “If I’d had any reason to suspect that, I would have had nothing to do with the guy. I had no reason to, other than the allegations themselves. The only two people who know are Michael and that kid in the room. I’ve never seen him behave inappropriately. He was great with my kids. He does have a connection with kids, babies. He’s a kid, and other kids sense that in him.”

When asked, “Did you and Michael discuss having kids?,” Ms. Presley answered: “Yeah. [Laughs] I got out of that one. … I knew Debbie Rowe was offering to do it for him while we were married, according to him. She was a nurse who had a crush on him and offered to have his babies.”

Debbie Rowe: I tip my hat to MJ’s second wife who, in my humble opinion, Fox News attempted to manipulate when I was a guest on the network shortly after Michael’s death. During the trial, at a press conference I held outside the Jackson Family

Encino compound, Mary Hart of ET challenged me with the substance of these questions, “Do you know Debbie Rowe? Have you ever met her?” I answered, ‘I wouldn’t know Debbie Rowe if I saw her. No, I have never met her.’ Another mildly interesting miscellaneous morsel. Now for the juicy stuff.

The Shana Saga: By all accounts, Shana Mangatal is the polar opposite of the three women mentioned above. She’s not at all in the same class. She’s mentioned here to demonstrate just how far she is from the pack. In fact, I’m taking this opportunity to make a full retraction of what I wrote in the October 1, 2009, article, “Michael Jackson: Womanizer,” wherein I unequivocally stated that Shana was internationally known as Michael Jackson’s “secret girlfriend.” In an attempt to prove Michael innocent of child molestation, I stepped out of my lane. In all candor, I was clueless in “The Politics of Personal Relationships” involving Michael Jackson. In a sense, I owe Shana an apology, for it seems that I thrust her from the backburner into the spotlight; an irresistible light that mesmerized her.

This past June 29, 2010, Shana wrote: “I [received] a few comments on my page stating that you’re writing a negative article about me?” She asked that I not mention her in any more of my articles and proceeded to say: “You called ME, asking questions.” She concluded by writing: “I supported MJ on ET in 2003, because the situation was dire and he needed someone to speak up and say something positive. He was my friend and I will always stand by him through thick and thin.” My response?

“It is quite unfortunate that you have been misinformed regarding my intention to write a ‘negative’ story about you. That is not my style. As they say on the street, ‘I don’t roll like that.’ The reality is that I ill advisedly stated unequivocally that you were Michael Jackson’s ‘secret girlfriend.’ I violated the rules of Journalism 101 in making such a definitive statement without any ‘proof.’ Therefore, after several months of quiet reflection and investigation, it is incumbent upon me to admit my journalistic mistake to my readers. So, in reality, it is not about you. Rather, it is about my own shortcoming.

“You are correct in stating that, as an investigative journalist, I contacted you to verify what I had been told, namely, that you were Michael’s secret girlfriend. You were one of several women I called or attempted to contact who reportedly had had close contact with Michael Jackson. I mentioned a total of four in the article that included what I said about you being one of those women. In short, since I put the story out there that you definitely were Michael’s ‘secret girlfriend’ I am obliged to correct my mistake my making a retraction. After the retraction is printed, I will then be pleased to honor your request not to mention your name again in any of my articles. As you may suspect, there would not be any reason for me to do so. Rest assured that it is not my intent to cast aspersions on your character.”

Shana responded by making a heartfelt personal appeal to reconsider the retraction. She asked that I just leave things as they are. I answered: “The matter is out of my hands. This is a business matter, not a personal one. Papers make retractions all the time. It comes with the territory. The truth trumps personal feelings. Therefore, ‘leaving it alone’ is not an option. To do so would be to sink my credibility and that of the Sentinel. Regrettably, you seem to be missing the point. It really is not about YOU or your ‘haters.’ Again, I, as an investigative journalist, have stated something that I did not verify. Of course, if you have convincing ‘evidence’ or ‘proof’ that you were indeed Michael Jackson’s ‘secret girlfriend,’ that would change matters considerably.” I ended with: “I will let this note to you end…our exchange on this matter. Thank you for understanding. Again, I wish you all the best.”

To this she replied: “And this will be my last e-mail to you. I’m not trying to ‘prove’ anything and never was. You came to ME asking for help with YOUR article. … Everything I told you was the absolute truth. Anything you added to my quotes were [sic] your additions, not mine. … I never said I was Michael’s ‘secret girlfriend’. You did! Why should I have to ‘prove’ anything? This was all your doing, not mine.”

Well, for the record, there it is. The retraction has been made. This miscellaneous item can now be removed from the kitchen drawer and thrown in the trash. We can turn off the lights now. The kitchen is closed.

Firpo Carr, regarding his article, 8th July 2010

What I meant by the phrase ‘the politics of personal relationships’ involving Michael is what seems to be the ‘cattiness’ of certain women jockeying for position as Michael’s ultimate First Lady.

A source that I worked closely with during the heat of the trial and who has proved to be very reliable in the past gave me telephone numbers of women who may have had a romantic relationship—even one in passing—with Michael.

Why? To strengthen his legacy as a beautiful person who loved everyone, irrespective of race or color. Moreover, I wanted the world to know that he was a Black man who loved beautiful women—not little boys.

I wanted to contact these women to get statements from them. Who was my source? Sorry, but that person shall remain anonymous.

Please don’t misunderstand the intent of the article. The main reason for the article was to print a retraction, not to fill in ‘large pieces of the story.’ I’m not a gossip columnist. (This is not to say that you suggest that I am.) But, as it is, I gave you a bit more background in this post.

Please keep in mind that it is not at all unusual for a newspaper retraction to be a sentence or two. I opted to give a much more robust response since I felt I owe Michael’s fans more than a brief statement. This is especially true of the ones who tried to convince me that I was wrong about Shana.

Again, as I stated here on my fb page and in the article, after months of further investigation, no evidence at all was found supporting the notion that Shana was Michael’s secret girlfriend.

Q: Thanks for the article. Was it your source who told you that Shana was his most recent girlfriend or was that something you inferred by what Shana had told you?

Firpo Carr: My answer to your question is “both.”

Shana Mangatal, re: Firpo Carr’s comments, July 9 at 7:15pm

I have no idea what he is saying, as I have not and will not read what he has written. I thought we were cool with each other too and am shocked by his actions. Clearly, there’s more than meets the eye behind his behavior. Everything I have ever said or written here on FB is the 100% TRUTH. I did not give Mr. Carr an interview. It was a phone conversation in which he pulled out quotes to suit his needs

Shana Mangatal’s facebook, MJ’s birthday, August 29th 2010

Shana Mangatal Here’s a funny tidbit about Michael,I think you guys would appreciate knowing…he loved TIC TACS! He had his pockets filled with them during the filming of Ghosts. He didn’t mind sharing them either. Whenever I would ask for one, he would have me reach in his pocket to get it. He was usually wearing his big “Mayor” hands, so he couldn’t reach in there himself:-) He was so giving and never said no if you asked for something..no matter what it was.

Firpo Carr, facebook, September 20 at 12:44am

I’m sure Shana has suffered some embarrassment. This was not my intent, but her reaction is understandable.

Everything stated in my article “Michael Misc.” is true.

If I find out proof positive that the above statement is truly attributable to Shana Mangata (“I did not give Mr. Carr an interview”), then I will write further articles on her and publish to the world her emails to me…and more.

If, in fact, these are not emails from her, then after they’re published, she (and her mother) can sue me.

If, on the other hand, Shana, in fact did not write the above, then I’ll leave things where they are. (I have better things to do than to have to deal with this dead issue.)

Please feel free to post this response anywhere and everywhere.

Thank you.

Firpo Carr

Please understand that this is not an attack on Shana. Just an effort to set the record straight. Okay, here we go.

If Shana did in fact write, “I did not give Mr. Carr an interview,” then I respond thusly:
…
Shana wrote the following to me on June 29, 2010 (12:20 p.m.): “I’m not trying to ‘prove’ anything and never was. You came to

ME asking for help with YOUR article. I was reluctant to speak to you for this very reason. I didn’t need any extra stress or attention, as I had not spoken about Michael Jackson since 2003. I had been bombarded with interview requests since then and turned them all down…except yours..this was to help YOU. I agreed to be quoted by you because I wanted to help you, as a friend.”

This is painful for me. I truly hope it all stops here.

Sincerely,

Firpo Carr

After Lisa Marie’s Appearance on Oprah, 22 October 2010

Shana Mangatal I usually don’t comment on these things, but I do want to say that Lisa did a FANTASTIC job in articulating exactly how it felt. The interview was great. I was in tears through the whole thing. I completely relate, and I understand.