Michael Was Only Friends With Boys- ANOTHER MEDIA LIE!

The media like to regularly claim that Michael Jackson had zero interest in girls or women, that he was some all consumed freak about “little boys”, and that if he befriended a family it was only to home in on any males. Even people like Taraborrelli wrote flippant stories in his book about how Michael was vacationing with male kids – for some reason neglecting to mention the sisters of these kids (as well as the mothers and fathers) who can be seen in all these same vacation snapshots (see: Michael’s vacation with the Cascio family in Gstaad 1993 and in August 1995).

It’s a complete media myth, just some stories from at least 57 girls who Michael befriended and spent time with:

Stacee Brown
Rebbie Jackson’s daughter

From Jermaine Jackson’s book, “You Are Not Alone”

When we played the mid south Coliseum in Memphis (August 1971), we were excited because it meant that we’d not only be reunited with Rebbie, but we’d get to meet her daughter, our new niece, Stacee, then about 10 months old. As we flew in from another state, Rebbie drove from Kentucky to our hotel for the night and management arranged for a crib to be set up in a side room of one suite. No one was more excited than Michael when our eldest sister arrived and he was the perfect, doting uncle. He spent more time with Stacee, pulling faces to make her coo and laugh, then he did with anyone else. In fact, I don’t know who was entertaining whom as they crawled around on hands and knees. We left them alone, with Michael dangling a red, white and black transistor radio, shaped like a globe, over her crib. We must have been catching up with Rebbie in the adjoining room for about an hour when we wondered, “Is Michael still in there?”

Rebbie went to check. Seconds later, she popped her head around the door, waved us over, but put a finger to her lips. We all crept to the doorway and saw the funniest, cutest sight – Michael had climbed into the crib, cuddled up next to Stacee and fallen fast asleep. It was an angelic picture. Michael was 13 – a good two decades away from that horrible period in his life when some would suggest his pure love of children was sinister and perverted. And yet his empathy, gentleness and connection with children was always an intrinsic and innocent part of him.

Tracee Ellis and Rhonda Ross



Diana Ross’ daughters
Michael in 1977: “One of the nicest things that happened on the movie set was when [Diana Ross] brought her daughter and all her school class onto the movie set.

“We had such a great time. Even though she spent almost the entire afternoon trying to bite off the huge false nose I had to wear for the part.”

Diana 1984: Once, when she was really concerned, she rented a yacht and took Michael and her daughters sailing in the Caribbean. On the boat he was like one of her children, running across the decks, playing hide-and-seek. Over dinner he was her friend and confidant.

Rhonda: Her feelings on growing up with Michael Jackson: “I’ve known Michael and the Jackson family my whole life. Jermaine was married to my sister Hazel Gordy and together they have 3 children — my niece and nephews. There was a time — up until my twenties [when Diana married Arne]— that Michael and I were especially close. He was a kind and loving soul, a brilliant artist and performer. It’s still hard to believe that he is gone. We will miss him forever. We’re all taking it one day at a time.”

Natalia Barrett




My father, Ben Barrett, was in the music business and recorded a great deal of Michael’s music, from the early days with the Jackson Five right up to the “Dirty Diana” album. My brother Roman and I spent a lot time in the studios, and I remember spending time with Michael–playing video games and consuming “studio snacks” (sugar cubes, Hershey’s Kisses, Melba Toast, etc.). For the record, he was always kind and engaging–never once inappropriate with us.
For many years, Michael lived with his parents and siblings down the road from us in Encino, California, on a street called Havenhurst, just off the main road of Ventura Blvd. As kids, Michael and his brothers would ride their bikes up to our house to visit my dad. Just take a moment to imagine Michael as a ten-year-old–that gorgeous little boy singing “My Cherie Amour”–riding his bike around the neighborhood like any ordinary, innocent kid. He was beautiful and, by anyone’s standards, astronomically talented

Kidada and Rashida Jones











Quincy Jones’ daughter, befriended her during recording of OTW, pictured sat as a guest next to his parents at the Soul Train Awards in 1989 and was his stylist for a Vibe fashion shoot in 1995

Quincy Jones on his daughter’s friendship with Michael: “Michael was like a member of my family, a surrogate son. He spent many hours with my daughter, Kidada who was a precocious child of eight at the time. They adored each other and totally communicated despite the age difference (he was twenty then). Her mother once found a phone bill showing Kidada made ninety-one long-distance calls to Michael in a single month. She played the telephone like Herbie Hancock plays the keyboards.”

“It’s mostly little things that excite him or stir his emotions,” says Jones. “Childlike things. He loves children a lot. He’s been friends with my daughters for years. When he comes to my house, they think they’re doing me a big favor by lending him to me so he can rehearse, because they think he’s their friend. He’s just got a very pure type of enthusiasm about simple things.” And as for the snakes Jackson occasionally carts to work? “Now to me, that’s the strange part,” Jones says laughing. “When the dude brings in a fifteen-foot python — that’s what I can’t take.”

Quincy: “He has the ability to go into a child’s world. I’ve seen him come and play with my two (pre-teen) daughters. He’ll come over at 11 at night and go into their room and talk and play for two hours.”

Q: Did you ever meet Bubbles?

Quincy: Are you kidding me? He bit a hole in my daughter’s hand! Rashida’s hand. Rashida Jones—did you see I Love You, Man? That’s my daughter. She was a little girl. And Bubbles bit her hand. Michael used to bring Muscles and Bubbles by the house all the time, you know.

Rashida: Michael Jackson used to hang out at her house Music producer Quincy Jones is her dad (mom is actress Peggy Lipton), so the gloved one was often over when Rashida was a kid. “He was fun and hilarious,” she says.

ME interview: Do you have any crazy stories about Michael Jackson?

Rashida: I remember Michael would take us to the mall to get toys, which was the most exciting thing ever. But he was always wearing a surgical mask, and I was so embarrassed to be seen with him! It just was not cool to be roaming around the mall with a dude wearing a surgical mask. But he was always so sweet to us, and so fun, just like a big kid, — like a really big kid. I feel so horrible for him. I feel so sad for his soul. He came into this world with so much talent, but he just didn’t know how to protect himself. Michael was exceedingly aware of the fact that he didn’t have a childhood, and he wanted to try to create a world in which he could try to make up for everything he had lost.

ME: So, taking you guys shopping for toys was something he would do to make him feel in touch with his own youth?

Rashida: Yes, exactly.

Rashida, Playboy, October 2011

Rashida plays 20 questions with Playboy in the November issue (out Friday) and was asked about her memory of Michael.

“Michael basically grew up with us, so I have a million memories of him. We were at each other’s houses all the time,” the Parks and Recreation star shares. “He was definitely a little bit of an alien, for sure, and when I was young, it felt as if he was my age, not 18 years older, but with just a little bit more pep.”

“Later, we’d go out on the town together. He always wore those surgical masks. Once, my sister, Michael, Emmanuel Lewis and I got in a car with Super Soakers and went by a movie theater and supersoaked the hell out of people waiting in line. They had no idea they’d just been supersoaked by the King of Pop.”

We bet that memory has stuck with some and they’re thrilled now though!

Rashida Jones, CNN.com, December 2011

MORGAN: Your house must have been like — like a daily walk of fame and notoriety and legends. I mean, everyone must have been coming through.
JONES: There was a lot of legendary personalities.
MORGAN: Start name-dropping. Biggest names that walked through that door?
JONES: Michael Jackson, Ray Charles.
MORGAN: Didn’t you go in a car with Michael Jackson once and spray gun complete strangers with a water pistol?
JONES: It was a childish prank, yeah.
MORGAN: You actually did that?
JONES: Yeah.
MORGAN: What was he like, Michael Jackson.
JONES: I’m not making any excuses. He was so wonderful. He was a big kid. He really was that. It wasn’t — he was so innocent and just a big kid. And to me, at that age, he just was like me but taller and very much more talented.
MORGAN: That guy just knew how to do it, didn’t he?
JONES: He did. But he was also had this like — this thing just bubbling over. He had no choice. I mean, when you sound like that and you dance like that, what choice do you have? You have to give it to everybody, you know.

Nicole Richie



Nicole supported Jackson against the charges of improper sexual behavior with children. To that end, she offered tales of her own childhood romps at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, during which she often slept in Jackson’s bedroom. “You know, a group of us would all sleep in the same room,” she said. “It was like, absolutely nothing more than just… an adult kind of wanting to be a kid again. Just, you know, enjoying the company of children. I grew up with him. I have spent many evenings there and many days there. I can only speak for myself that absolutely nothing went on.”

Nicole also said that she wouldn’t have held her tongue had Jackson tried anything with her. “I’m not a quiet person,” she said. “If there was something going on, I’d be like, ‘Who are you?’… and I’d tell my parents. But my parents would never put me in hands that they thought were dangerous. I never had any complaints, and you know, I love him.”

Nicky and Paris Hilton





Paris Hilton, Extra, 23 July 2009


“Extra” caught up with Paris Hilton at the screening of her documentary “Paris, Not France” in Los Angeles, where the heiress opened up to “Extra” about her family’s relationship with Michael Jackson — and revealed that Michael’s only daughter was named after her!

“My mom and Michael went to high school together and they were best friends since they were 13,” Paris explains. “So I grew up knowing Michael very well and when he had his daughter, he always loved the name Paris and grew up being an uncle to me. So he asked my mom if it was okay and of course she said yes and I think she’s such a beautiful little girl and I’m proud we have the same name.”

Kathy Hilton (29-6-2011): The mother of Paris Hilton, recently gave an interview to Celebuzz.com about her famous daughter’s new show, ‘The World According to Paris.’ But she was also asked about her friendship with Michael Jackson and when asked what some of her favorite moments with her friend were, Hilton answered:

My favorite moment with him would have to be when we were hunting for Easter eggs! One of the memorable times was him taking me to spend the day with Elizabeth Taylor. She’s my idol and reminded me so much of my mother. As kids, we would make prank phone calls and do silly things. He taught Kyle how to do the moonwalk when she was 4 years old. He was completely misunderstood. When he was at the Waldorf [hotel in NYC where the Hiltons lived], there were fans waiting outside in the rain with photos and I told him about them. He had a big meeting to attend but he signed pictures for them and even sent out an umbrella. That’s what he was like – so lovely. He raised beautiful, sweet children too. I will truly miss him.

Lala Romero





I don’t tell this story too often, in fact growing up I kinda learned to just keep it to myself.

Whenever people would find out I knew him, a gang of silly, dumb questions would follow, and I would always end up having to defend someone I loved so much.

When I was 5, my cousin Brian and I where OBSESSED with Micheal Jackson. We had dolls, sleeping bags, lunch boxes, and OF COURSE the gloves. I was pretty convinced I was goin to be him when I grew up, and nobody could tell me otherwise! Brian was older then me, and found out at school MJ actually lived in the Valley, we lived in. Anyone from LA pretty much knew the house. So we wrote him letters and enclosed a bunch of pics, you remember the ones from school you’d write on the bk, yeah well, lucky Micheal got about 25 of me!! Basically we told him we LOVED him & I told him I was a singer and dancer!!! We also asked him to come to our house & visit!! Our loca tia Carol (RIP) took us to his house and we rang the guard gate. His guard came out to us & took our letters. WE WERE SOOOOOOO HAPPY, we KNEW he would get em!! I honestly can say we were just happy enough to see his gate & meet his guard NEVER did we really expect what happened next.

About 4 days later, at 10:30 pm, my mom got the call from Carol, Michael Jackson was HERE, in our APT building, on her couch. I was 5 & anybody who knows a 5 year old also knows that it’s damn near impossible to wake em up!! The pic you see of us is him holding me, cause I wouldn’t wake up, he insisted my parents take da pic so I would truly know he came!! A few days later I was going into the hospital for surgery & he called me. I couldn’t BELIEVE I was talking to Micheal Jackson & that he actually had my number!! Over the next few years he would invite Brian & I to his house, to watch him shot his videos & to his shows.

It’s weird, when I was lil, I didn’t really grasp FAME, especially his FAME. All I knew was he was my friend & I think that’s why he liked me. My friendship with him changed my life. It was a HUGE influence, it made me believe having a singer career was in arms reach. My neighborhood didn’t support BIG DREAMS but his friendship gave me confidence & assurance that ANYTHING & EVERYTHING is possible, if you work hard & aren’t scared to try. His generosity & kindness inspires me daily. Here was the biggest super star in the world taking time out to come to a broken down apt building in Van Nuys CA to see his fans. He was ALWAYS about his fans & his community, and I really always knew that if I got my chance I would strive to be just like that!!

Even as a tiny lil girl I could see his sadness & his lonely. It was a part of him, I think his childhood, fame & money alienated him from most of the world. That’s why he loved US cause we didn’t care about the BS!! We just had fun!! He was so goofy & silly, we would jump on his trampoline and raid his candy shop.
Micheal was like Edward Scissorhands & Willy Wonka to me, SOOOOO AMAZING in the HEART but so misunderstood by most! I love him always for touching my life & showing me a different world then the one I grew up in.
I hope those babies of his really grow up understanding that they did have the best daddy in the world. His heart & spirit are what made him the GREATEST and so RARE.

One day I’ll post more pics, and tell ya specific stories!! All the good things ya heard about him were ALL TRUE!! I promise!!
R.I.P M.J. YOU WILL BE MISSED AND ALWAYS LOVED!

(her photo with Emmanuel Lewis on the set of The Way You Make Me Feel)

This photo was taken on one of the VERY BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE!!! Michael called me, after a surgery I had & invited me to the set of his video for “The Way You Make Me Feel”. Here’s what stood out about the day, the biggest super-star in the world made me feel like the super-star. In the middle of all his hectic-ness he would come see me, take pics with me & make sure I was good between takes!! At 5 yrs old I sat & watched him shoot, take after take in this warehouse in San Pedro CA. He introduced me to everyone, his sister Latoya was there, his co-star, that beautiful girl he was SO shy to kiss Tatiana. Even at that young age I was very aware of how gracious & kind he was with EVERYONE on set. Looking back now I remember he was sooooo excited that all of the extras were real ex bloods, crips, gang members from LA. I remember him being so excited about giving them a chance to shine & a new opportunity. We sat in his trailer, I remember telling him I wanted to be a singer when I grew up & gave him pics of me from my dance recital. I remember eating w him & him being the very first vegetarian I had ever met! I was like u don’t eat meat??? I was so confused!! Lol. Man writing this, thinking about this day & all the rest of the times I spent w him makes me smile!! As a lil girl I never really grasped how famous he was, honestly I think that’s why he loved hanging out w me! To me & all the other kids, he was just a fun, crazy, silly guy, who sang our most favorite songs. I love him for being the most honest, pure heart I have ever known for showin me video shoots, recording studios, & concerts, up close and personal, making my dream seem possible. I was there in it, seeing it happen, he brought me into a world I would have never known existed without him. A lil girl from Van Nuys CA. I can’t even begin to count the ways he changed my life. He helped create my dream. Records like Homegirlz & Sadgirl I know he would be proud of, he was always ALWAYS about giving back!! I miss him everyday & can’t believe he is gone.

Soleil Moon Frye



In a new memoir, Frye recounts having visited Neverland and being “babysat” by Jackson:

She explains that she met Jackson through his close friend Quincy Jones, and shortly thereafter, Frye and her mother were invited to Jackson’s home.

Frye can still vividly remember the magical day she spent with Michael.

She tells Access Hollywood Live, “I had gone to this awesome concert with him, a Bruce Springsteen concert… and then he invited us over to the house and so my mum came over and then I stayed with the family there and then they wound up having to leave and I wound up staying. It was awesome.

“It was before Neverland, he had a place in the (California) Valley… We watched Willy Wonka (& The Chocolate Factory) and we did wind up in a jacuzzi… It was actually a really fun highlight in my life. Nothing weird happened; he was totally sweet.

“He had all these animals; he had, like, a llama.”

“Michael took my mother and me on a tour of his home. We saw his elaborate costumes encased in glass, his bedroom, all of his knickknacks, and his stunning recording studio … We watched ‘Willy Wonka,’ and Michael and I sat next to each other. He had a way of speaking as if he were a child, too.”

“We went outside on his stunning property and began walking over a bridge when a swan jumped out at me… Michael threw me to the ground in an effort to protect me. He explained that the female swan was pregnant and so the male swan was protecting her. Seemed normal, I guess.”

After the swan incident, Jackson invited Frye “to take a Jacuzzi” with him, and the two spent time “talking about life, love and the secrets of the world” while in the tub. But like many of Jackson’s child-friends who have since grown, Frye recalls a kind and insightful man that treated her with respect and regard:

“I remember him talking about the fact that he related more to kids than adults and that grown-ups never completely understood him. He sat across from me and we had a dialogue as if we were peers – a true heart-to-heart. He never made me feel like this was a bizarre situation. It just seemed as if he really wanted someone to talk to, someone who would make no judgments about him.”

In fact, the actress holds the memory fondly, and says:

“This story is not one I have shared often, but now I realize, if even for only one night, Michael Jackson was my babysitter.

As strange as it all sounds – and I know it sounds strange – it was a highlight in my young life.”

Frye said the encounter was her one and only with the King of Pop.

Soleil Moon Frye, Huffington Post

HuffPost: And you hung out with Michael Jackson.
Frye: I was friends with a family who was very close with him. I went to a Bruce Springsteen concert and he was there with Elizabeth Taylor and I gave him a gold yo-yo and he played with it. Then I got invited to his home with my mom and we had dinner there. I have very clear memories of eating tomato soup.

HuffPost: How old were you?
Frye: Nine years old. It’s so funny when people ask me, ‘Do you think you had a normal childhood?’ and I’m like, ‘What’s normal?’ For me, I was always able to be a kid and have a balance. It was certainly eccentric and in its way unique but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Lilly Davis

Daughter of Stephen Davis, first editor of Moonwalk

Stephen: “Michael had this monkey called Bubbles. And they brought in Bubbles one day after lunch when my daughter was with me – she was seven at the time, her name is Lilly. And there weren’t many kids around at that time. This was in the Encino house, before he moved out to Neverland. And the monkey comes in and takes one look at Lilly, my little seven year old girl, and grabs her by the arm – and then starts dragging her out of the room. And Michael Jackson grabs Lily’s other arm. And he says to the monkey, “Hey Bubbles – Where you goin’ with my girlfriend?”

Meanwhile, I notice that the hand that is being held by the monkey is turning blue, because he’s got this vice grip on it. So I said, Mike, this is getting a little old here, I’m a little worried about the hand turning blue. So he kind of intervened, sort of kicked the monkey with his foot. But it’s that moment – where the monkey is pulling one way, and Michael is pulling the other, and Lilly looks up at me, and Michael goes, “Hey Bubbles – where you going with my girlfriend?” And my heart just went out to him, it was such a sweet thing to do.”

Donna Ashlock









February 28, 1986: After having had a heart-transplant, 14-year-old Donna Ashlock from California gets a call from Michael Jackson. He had heard that she is a big fan of his. Michael invites her to his home in Encino as soon as she is feeling better. This visit takes place on March 8th. Donna stays for dinner and watches a movie together with Michael. Unfortunately Donna passed away three years later.

Teen-Age Transplant Patient Meets Her Heartthrob, LA Times, March 9 1986

-The ninth-grader stepped into teen idol Michael Jackson’s limousine and then walked away with the dream of a lifetime. Donna Ashlock, 14, who got a new chance at life with the transplanted heart of her ex-boyfriend, Felipe Garza, 15, on Jan. 5, arrived at Los Angeles International Airport Saturday from Patterson, Calif., for her meeting at Jackson’s home in Encino. “I still don’t believe it,” said Donna, who’s already met with President Reagan in the Oval Office.

Nicole Grierson

Shared by her father, Don Grierson, music supervisor, former Senior VP, A&R, Epic Records

“During the marketing of the “Bad” album, Epic and MTV created a contest whereby the winners would visit a `set’ in the desert near Palm Springs which included many of Michael’s animals from Neverland [Ranch]. I took my daughter Nicole, then 4, to that wild, crazy set. Sitting in a big tent with many tables, Michael asked me to bring her over to him. He sat with her for some time, talked and laughed with her and then gave her a fluffy pink toy bunny rabbit. She loved that rabbit and was Michael’s great fan from there on in. Michael was so very kind to her.”

Andrea Patel









Dedicated “The Way You Make Me Feel” to her.

Nazir Patel was one of the lucky ones to meet the late pop icon Michael Jackson and take his autograph.

Arif Patel puts on Michael Jackson’s sequined jacket before meeting the icon backstage at a concert

We had the good fortune of knowing between October 1984 until Mar 1988.

A great human being who always spoke well of other celebrities whenever we spoke on phone during the years he kept in touch.

It was Oct 1984 when he called us at The Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto in response to a fan letter I wrote on behalf of our daughter.

Andrea aged 3 and a letter that I was able to get through his father whom I met outside the hotel walking on the street. Thereafter he invited us to his Victory Tour concert as VIP guests. And started a friendship that would have him call many times. In Nov 87 he dedicated a single The Way You Make Me Feel to our daughter Andrea 7 and then invited us to a Bad concert reception in New York in March 1988. Thereafter I received a large size photo of me with him in April.

My name is Andrea Patel. When I was 6 years old I met Michael Jackson here in Toronto and he personally invited my family to his concert. Soon after he would phone us, and send us boxes of stickers/gum. Then to top it off he dedicated the single ‘The way you Make me Feel’ to me. Dedicated to Andrea Patel of Canada, I love you. It’s something I have never been able to live down, even if I try. People are always fascinated by this and refer to him as my best bud even though I don’t talk to him anymore. It truly was 15 minutes of fame!

Unfortunately we never heard from him once he fired his manager at the time Frank Dileo. However fond memories will always remain with us. We never used our friendship for any personal gains although we had offers for our story which we always refused. Until to this day I never gave up trying to get in touch with him. But his new managers were of no help and my mail probably never reached him. I was still hoping to hear from him even just a day prior to his passing away.

The last card Thinking of You I sent to an address in L.A belonging to Michael that was provided by a friendly source has not returned to me undelivered. Perhaps the people around him may have not been delivering my mail to him. I would just like to express my condolences to his family members and especially his dad who gave this great opportunity by passing on my fan letter to his son. To us and to the world he will always be remembered as the King of Pop. We will miss him.

Michael autographed the cover of the Thriller album to Andrea , autographed the cover of the Bad album and also wrote a whole page in his handwriting to our son as well autographed many other photos to each one of us. And I took many photos of him with my family members when he had invited us to his hotel suite in Four Seasons. We have shared those memories with friends , relatives and coworkers.

Dhez Rueda
we had the good fortune of knowing between October 1984 until Mar 1988.
A great human being who always spoke well of other celebrities whenever we spoke on phone during the years he kept in touch.
It was Oct 1984 when he called us at The Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto in response to a fan letter I wrote on behalf of our daughter

http://blogs.bigadda.com/naz4584795/2009/06/27/the-michael-jackson-we-will-never-forget/blogs.bigadda.com

Dhez Rueda
My name is Andrea Patel. When I was 6 years old I met Michael Jackson here in Toronto and he personally invited my family to his concert. Soon after he would phone us, and send us boxes of stickers/gum. Then to top it off he dedicated the single ‘The way you Make me Feel’ to me. Dedicated to Andrea Patel of Canada, I love you. It’s something I have never been able to live down, even if I try. People are always fascinated by this and refer to him as my best bud even though I don’t talk to him anymore. It truly was 15 minutes of fame!

Kellie Parker















Played Katie in Moonwalker

Q&A CineVegas Podcast with Vincent Paterson, after a Moonwalker screening in 2009

Kellie: “It’s hard… (losing composure, pauses) I’ll always feel that way. I’ll always be waiting for him.”
Steve Friess: “As I understand it you remained in contact with Michael up until very recently.”
Kellie: “Yeah. I remained very close with Michael for about ten years. Then after that I continued to stay in touch with him but not as regularly, every couple of years and then I did actually see him a couple of weeks before he passed away.”
Steve: “What was the occasion?”
Kellie: “I was working on a show he came to see, sort of randomly…”
Kellie: “I do know that in his life he would struggle with being so well known, that was sort of a constant struggle throughout his life. But I do have to say, I spent a lot of time with Michael alone on set, he and I had a lot of scenes together and he taught me so much. He was so dedicated. We would go through – before we even shot he and I would spend sometimes like half an hour together just improving, ’cause he was so committed to it.

Steve: “How was the audition process for something like this, how did that go?”
Kellie: “You know it’s funny, I auditioned for it, then didn’t hear anything for six months and thought somebody else must have gotten it. Well, originally it was caused Chicago Nights. And they weren’t quite sure what exactly it was going to be. And I actually found out a couple of years later, I was doing a press thing with Michael, and they’d asked how he’d chosen each of us. Apparently what got me the job was, they got me in to do a screen test and after the screen test they’d left the cameras rolling. And I was such a tomboy, that was me – I had braids in my hair, I was raggedy, ripped up jeans. I was just tough! I wanted to be a guy. And Brandon did the screen test with me and we had a ball or something and he was playing with it and I went up to him and was like, ‘You’re doing it wrong! God!’ But they’d left it rolling. So that’s what Michael saw and he was like, ‘Oh my god, I have to have her.’”

“Michael was magic, pure and simple. He was a man who believed in the goodness of mankind and embodied pure unconditional love for the world. I am so sad on so many levels. For the loss of an innovative genius and who was music and dance personified, for the loss of a man who loved the whole world and touched so many lives, but mostly, for me personally, the loss of a friend that I loved so dearly.

Most people don’t know about how close I was to Michael for many years following ‘Moonwalker/Smooth Criminal’ because I was never one to exploit that, even to this day I rarely talk about it, for that was a friendship that I honored and respected as private. I feel compelled at this time though, to speak of my amazing friend, as a witness to his life, and the gentleness of his soul.

He taught me so much, both as an actor and as a person, he continually inspired me to reach beyond my boundaries. He and I spent a great deal of time, one on one, while filming ‘Moonwalker.’

I remember that he told me once to never rush an emotion, that everything in life has a rhythm, and that it is the pauses and silences that speak the truth. He understood this better than anyone, he had a way of quietly inspiring everyone around him to be better than ever thought they could be. He helped so many, and inspired us all.

Michael believed in Magic, he believed that we could change the world, and he had such unconditional love that when you were around him, you couldn’t help but believe it too. He is intertwined in all of who I am, I became a dancer because of him, I became an artist because he inspired me to dream, and a writer because he taught me the power of moving people through words and actions. I love you my friend, and I know you are in a better place, we were blessed to have you for as long as we did.”

Shanice Wilson



She was 14 here when she first met Michael

Shanice Wilson,the bubbly recording star who stole our hearts in the 90s with her number one hit, “I Love Your Smile,” is joining the star-studded list of artists who will be on Michael Jackson’s newest album.

Epic Records, in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson , will be releasing a series of songs on a new album simply entitled, “Michael”. Shanice sings with the King of Pop on the track entitled, “Behind the Mask.” In addition to Shanice, the album features Akon, 50 Cent, Lenny Kravitz and more.

The Grammy nominated artist worked with MJ previously, singing back up on the hook of his song, “Keep The Faith” on the “Dangerous” Album. Now, she reunites with the King on track No. 9. At age 14, Shanice released her debut album, “Discovery,” which produced two top ten R&B hits including “(Baby Tell Me) Can You Dance” and “No Half Steppin.”

Since childhood, it had always been Shanice’s dream to meet Michael Jackson in person, she told BSN. “Having the honor of being on his newest release is an amazing and sentimental experience for me.”

John McClain, the current executor of Michael Jackson’s estate, is also the man who discovered Shanice at age 11. Ultimately, McClain signed Shanice to her first record deal. Shanice vividly recalls during negotiations with A&M Records, the tween siren practically made meeting Jackson a term in the contract.

At age 14, Shanice’s dream became reality. She had just gotten home from school when she got a call from someone at A&M Records saying, “Somebody would like to meet you today.” Shortly after, a limo arrived outside her home, scooped her up and delivered her to the set of Michael Jackson’s “Moonwalker” video. “It was incredible,” reminisced the star. “We sat in the trailer for about an hour. We talked about Bubbles, ( Jackson’s pet chimpanzee) and how Bubbles was doing commercials. We talked about how we shared the same vocal coach (Seth Riggs). Michael was so down to earth. I have been in the entertainment industry for a long time and have met a lot of people and I can honestly say that Michael Jackson is the biggest star that I have ever met, but he was also the most down to earth of all.”

While the album was still in the production stage, John McClain reached out to Shanice via John Nettlesby to be a part of the project. Naturally, she was thrilled. The call took her back to her early childhood, an 8-year-old child in a state of uncertainty riding a Greyhound bus, moving from Pittsburgh to California. She had no idea the future would hold such good fortune. “People kept telling me I was going to Hollywood where all the stars were! I was so excited because I thought there would be stars everywhere, just walking down the street. As soon as I stepped off of the bus I asked, ‘Where is Michael Jackson?’ But to my disappointment I found out that the stars on the streets of Hollywood that people were referring to was the Walk of Fame,” she giggled.

Working on “Behind the Mask” was poignant. Many of the songs on the new album were in their rough stages and had to be completed after the King’s untimely passing. Shanice had difficulty holding back tears in attempts to sing the song. “As soon as the music came on and I heard Michael’s voice, I would start to cry.” But the seasoned professional got it done with the support of others around her. John Nettlesby, for instance, who contributed to production of the vocals, eased the pain by chatting and sharing fun stories about Michael throughout the recording session.

Smith Wordes’ Daughter

Documentary on Michael, “A Remarkable Life”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwayfxMLV1c

Dancer in the video for Smooth Criminal

She took her daughter with her while visiting the set of the Black or White shoot.

“She had such a good time with Michael and they watched The Little Mermaid and tried on a boxful of wigs, crazy wigs that he had and ate enough candy that by the time she was home she was sick to her stomach. He just kinda offered her a little fantasy land.”

Lottie Rose's Daughter



(Michael’s hairdresser’s daughter from 1981 to 1994, she is to the right of the photograph, the daughter is one of the girls and the others are relatives of Lottie’s)

Lottie Rose: He would allow me to bring my daughter with me. She would stay the nights and slept in Michael’s bed. I would be working on him. At Neverland, because the drive was so long, I would stay and we would have our own little room.

Her daughter: I met MJ when I was 11 years old… Just so happens, I was at my mom’s hair salon on a Saturday when she received a phone call from Bill Bray, MJ’s right hand man at the time. He told my mom that MJ liked her work (she did the hair for the soft sheen print advertisements) they called soft sheen and they referred them to her.

My mom thought it was a joke until the limousine pulled up in front of the salon. She told me about MJ at the very last minute… I couldn’t believe it and went crazy while Bill was pulling the limousine around to the back of the salon. Let me tell you… it was the best night ever for an 11 year old.

Really nice guy, very friendly and the best part was that I practically had MJ’s attention all to myself.

He was not shy at all. In fact, I was very shy and afraid to meet him at first because he was MJ. However, he was very friendly and helped me to warm up to him.

MJ and I talked mostly about me and my friends, what we did for fun, where we liked to go, what it was like to go to the mall, favorite stores, amusement parks, favorite rides, going to the beach, movies and more… He would also call me at home from time to time to chat on the phone.

Michael loved to play practical jokes. He would tell my mom that muscles or bubbles was around, and then would rub her leg to make her think it was one of the animals. She would hop around and scream sometimes… was really, really funny!

Tamil and Lana Ramirez



In photos: Tamil Ramirez (left), with brother Billy and sister Lana (right) and King of Pop Michael Jackson, who signed this photo. “All the allegations against him distressed me. When you met Michael, he was just a nice bloke.” Mr Ramirez met Jackson while following his Bad tour in Australia. Mr Ramirez, 32, who works at a Darwin pharmacy, said that he lost contact with Jackson a few years ago. “I used to write to him but I haven’t for a while.” Jackson invited Mr Ramirez and his two sisters, Tamil and Lana, to his hotel room after reading how they had spent every cent they had to follow his concert circuit around Australia. They then visited him at Hayvenhurst and stayed with him for a while, the whole family.

Chantal Robson



Wade Robson’s sister

On the witness stand, 2005

CHANTAL ROBSON: We just hung out. Watched cartoons. Watched videos. Played games. You know, what normal kids do. Hang out and have fun.
MESEREAU: Did you fall asleep on his bed?
CHANTAL ROBSON: Yes, we did.
MESEREAU: How many times do you think you’ve been in Michael Jackson’s room?
CHANTAL ROBSON: I’ve probably been there a lot of times, just sort of in and out. I’ve slept there four times.

When Mr. Mesereau’s asked Chantal Robson if she thought her brother had been molested, she answered: “No. Because he would have told me. I don’t think for one second anything happened… It’s a normal friendship.”

“Was Wade an Applehead?” the prosecutor asked. “Yes,” she replied. Mesereau had the last word. “When Michael Jackson called your brother DooDoohead, did you ever suspect something nefarious was going on?”

“No,” she said. “Michael called me and my brother Applehead and Doodoohead.”

Her brother Wade Robson on the stand, 2005

ZONEN, prosecutor: Was your sister there the entire time during that week as well?
WADE ROBSON: Yes.
ZONEN: Was she in that bed with you as well?
WADE ROBSON: Yes.

Chantal on June 27th: A MEMBER of a Slacks Creek family Michael Jackson took to America 17 years ago yesterday remembered her gentle friend.

Chantal Robson, who became friends with Jackson after younger brother Wade won a talent contest in 1986 impersonating the star, said she learned of his death the same way millions of others did – through the media.

“I got a text message from Wade saying ‘turn on the TV, I really hope this is a hoax’,” she said from Los Angeles.

“People kept sending texts and emails saying ‘I’m so sorry’ and I was feeling really mad because I didn’t want to believe it was real.”

Chantal last saw Jackson at his 2005 trial for child molestation – at which she, Wade and her mother testified for the defence.

Jackson was acquitted of all charges and they have kept in regular contact since.

“Wade spent time with him and his children in Vegas recently. He was healthy and happy. He was finally getting through everything,” she said.

She said if it was not for Jackson her family may not have moved to the US where Wade’s career has flourished.

“I’m also a choreographer and my mum’s an agent. Life in America has been very good to us and it’s all thanks to Michael,” Chantal said.

She said the private Michael Jackson was different to his public persona. “He’s shy but he’s so intelligent . . . the smartest person I’ve ever met and his kids are exactly the same. Incredibly intelligent,” she said.

Brother Wade had been devastated by Jackson’s death, Chantal said.

“He’s having some time alone with his wife to process everything in LA. We’ll get together soon and share memories.

“It just makes me kind of angry that it’s taken his death for people to finally talk about how wonderful he actually was. He was always wonderful.”

Brandi Jackson



Jackie Jackson’s daughter Brandi

(Snippet from the Glenda phone conversations taped without his knowledge and sold to Hansnews in 2005. Approx date of conversation: First day of his Dangerous World Tour, 27th of June 1992. Michael’s friend Glenda Stein is calling Michael and Brandi picks up the phone)

B: Brandi Jackson
G: Who?
B: Brandi
G: Brandi? Oh, I don’t think I’ve talked to you before. Is Sherry there?
B: Yea
G: Can I speak to her?
B: Is this Glenda?
G: Yeah, this is Glenda
B: Yeah?
G: Yeah! Who are you Brandi?
B: What?
G: Who are you?
B: Who am I?
G: Yeah
B: BRANDI JACKSON!
G: Brandi Jackson?
B: Yeah
G: Oh (laughing) which one, who do you belong to?
B: Sigmund (Jackie’s real name)
G: Sigmund, oh okay
B: My daddy owns (I)
G: (I)? Oh okay. It’s nice to meet you.
B: You too…Wait..hold on
G: Okay

Michael: (Laughing) Brandi comes to me and she says “There’s another lady on the phone and she’s the sweetest.” (Laughing) I think she (I)
G: (Laughing.) (I) she sounds (I) I’ve never talked to her before.
M: She’s a cutie pie. She’s Jackie’s little girl. (I) She was in my commercial, that LA Gear commercial.
G: Oh she was?
M: Yeah
G: Oh
M: And she was in the video “Time to Remember.” She was a doll. She was soooo pretty.
G: Aahhhh
M: She’s a good actress.

Wade Robson, testimony 2005

24 Q. Were there ever any girls, other than your
25 sister, at age seven, who actually spent the night
26 in Mr. Jackson’s room with you during the years that
27 you knew him and spent the night in his room?
28 A. Yes. 9122
1 Q. Who?
2 A. There was Brandi Jackson.
3 Q. I’m sorry?
4 A. Brandi Jackson, who is Michael’s niece.
5 Q. And she spent the night on how many
6 occasions with you?
7 A. Only one that I can remember.
8 Q. One night?
9 A. Yeah.

Background actor Peter Sagal on the set of Remember The Time, Nerve, 2007

What was your impression of Mr. Jackson?

He seemed very nice, although he did treat himself something like an Egyptian pharaoh. [In the video], Michael Jackson for some unexplained reason goes back in time to ancient Egypt, which is populated by all these African-American luminaries: Magic Johnson is there, Eddie Murphy is the pharaoh. [Michael] shows up, then runs away. There’s a chase scene, and he keeps singing and singing as he runs. They rehearsed it with this guy who looked, and was costumed, just like Michael Jackson, and was amazingly good at dancing like him. Finally, the doors to the set opened, and in came a royal procession of videographers, bodyguards, reporters, attendants, and in the middle of it was Michael Jackson, resplendent in his costume, holding the hand of the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen, and I say this as a father with three little girls. Someone explained to me it was his niece (Brandi Jackson).

Sommer, Skye and Tracy Dyer



“….That Michael Jackson’s Neverland was a child’s wildest fantasy is something Tracy Dyer can attest to from firsthand experience.

In 1991, Jackson invited self-help guru Dr. Wayne Dyer, his wife and eight children to visit Neverland for five days. Tracy, owner of Minneapolis based-Urban Junket, a maker of luxe carrying bags for computers and more, was in her 20s.

“When all this stuff came out, allegations of pedophilia — remember, he was exonerated — I found that absolutely shocking based on the man I met,” said Dyer.”

“…He was like a child himself. The whole amusement park was like a child’s fantasy place, wasn’t an adult fantasy,” added Dyer. The Dyer family’s stay with Jackson coincided with two birthdays for Tracy’s siblings Skye and Sommer. “He was so sweet to all of my brothers and sisters,” Dyer said. “August 24 was Skye’s birthday, and she was turning 10. He had the entire amusement park and everything in the house decorated in this ‘Little Mermaid’ theme. It was the craziest thing you’ve ever seen. We woke up in the morning and ['Little Mermaid'] music was being pumped through the house. It was like, Oh My God! She just loved it.

“Then two days later, on the 26th, it was my sister Sommer’s birthday; she turned 8. She was really into Barney at the time. They had taken down all the ‘Little Mermaid’ stuff and redecorated the whole park for Barney. It was Sommer’s birthday now. He was so extravagant, but it was all about the kids.”

Before watching movies, Jackson told the Dyers to take anything they liked from the concession stand. “It was like going to Southdale [to see a movie, except everything was free]. I looked at him and was like, ‘Why do you have staff working a free concession stand?’ He said it was about the whole experience.” The whole experience included any movie they could name.

“After everybody had gone to bed, he and I were the only two up. We were talking in his media room and he said, “Your dad probably thinks I’m a freak. I said, ‘No, he doesn’t,’” said Dyer, who said Jackson went on to add, “It’s not that I’m a freak, it’s that I don’t know what normal is. I didn’t have a normal childhood. I was famous at 5. Then he said there was one freakish element of his personality. “He was like, I have to show you. He took he down this hallway and into his bedroom and I was [thinking], ‘Uh-oh, what’s this?’” Jackson opened his closet filled with a row of about 100 pairs of black pants, 100 white shirts and 100 red blazers — all perfectly lined up — his current look. “He turned to me and said, “A little obsessive, don’t you think?”

The family received lovely parting gifts, Neverland T-shirts, playing and note cards, but Tracy can’t reminisce with any photos from this once-in-a-lifetime trip to Neverland. “When we got there they were like, If you have any cameras, we have to take them now. We can’t let you take any pictures,” Tracy said.

Dr Wayne Dyer, their father on Michael: In 1992 when the time came to write a dedication for my book Real Magic, I decided to recognize three special people—my dear daughter Saje, my spiritual brother Deepak Chopra, and my friend pop superstar Michael Jackson. I wanted to recognize Michael “whose words, music, and love remind us that it is only through giving that we are saving our own lives.” Michael Jackson had a special relationship with the principles of Real Magic, the idea of “creating miracles in everyday life.” With his enormous musical talent, he created a body of work that brought joy to millions. My children and I spent five very happy days with him at Neverland in 1991. He wanted to talk to me about “real magic,” but the truth is, he already had the magic—the power he needed to dream and create and give. Michael was dedicated to ending world hunger and helped create the 1985 “We Are the World” celebrity sing-along that brought together some of the biggest names in popular music to raise funds for famine relief in Africa. I didn’t have to explain “real magic” to Michael because he was already a spiritual being, already kind, loving, and ready to use his musical gift to create miracles. Along with millions of people around the world, I say, thank you, Michael, for sharing your amazing talent to lift our spirits. I’ll remember you as a beautiful human being with a heart as big as the sky.

Quinn and Dakota Culkin



Kit Culkin describing Michael’s relationship with all his kids including his daughters Quinn and Dakota. I kind of want to emphasize that Kit Culkin really had a disliking for Michael, he was highly highly critical of him, pretty much blaming him for the reasons why Mac went on to emancipate himself from him later: which is why it’s important to note that he 100% does not believe MJ was an abuser or that he touched any kids, let alone his own. He actually breaks two myths by stating that Michael did not spend more time with his sons than his daughters and that his kids, including Mac, didn’t actually spend that much time with Michael:

Kit Culkin in his book “Lost Boys”: I should here say that Michael ever seemed to genuinely like all of my kids (as they did him) and quite equally so. I noticed, for I never found him in his visits or ours to be exclusionary or one to play favorites (holding one or some in higher esteem than the others: this sort of things). Indeed, he seemed ever to treat them all quite democratically and as though they were all of them (himself included) brothers and sisters of equal standing. I have heard it reported that Michael always wanted to play only with boys (just as boys usually only want to play with other boys, I suppose), but I never noticed this to be true. My six year old daughter Quinn (who, as her name would imply, was my fifth child) was always included in the activities that Michael would often plan and was always made to feel as though she was a part of the whole gang. As I say, Michael always treated my kids quite equally.

And lest one think that Neverland had attractions for only pre-adolescents, let me note that there were things about the place that gave my older children delight as well: and some of them quite unexpected. My ever enigmatic and inscrutable daughter Dakota, who was just then entering her teen years and was never one to get much excited about most anything, had something to tell me about one morning over breakfast:

“Dad, guess who woke me up this morning?”

“I dunno. Who woke you up this morning?”

“Janet Jackson!”

(What could I possibly say to this?)

Sage Romero















Her mother Joanelle: In 1991, I launched my production company, it was 2 weeks old when I received a call from Michael’s casting office, asking if I had any American Indian dancers because everyone he had been interviewing wasn’t right. I told them “I have the best dancers in town” I really had no one, however I went to many Pow wows and gathered 30 dancers, one of them being my precious daughter Sage. She was 5 then. Michael’s casting office had no idea that Michael and I knew each other. To make a long story short. Director John Landis, cast 5 dancers, my daughter – who was the jingle dress dancer, and four other dancers from the native community here in Los Angeles that I brought in that day.

Michael shot 7 hours of photos of Sage while shooting his video and used her image for his painted angels in his Neverland ranch. We had so much fun while filming. Michael, Sage and I watched “Willie Wonka” 3 times while everybody had to wait on set. Michael took Sage and Nancy Reagan to lunch, he had asked if I wanted to go however I declined for obvious reasons. Many stories to remember.

Amy Agajanian



The girl standing to his right, she walked in holding his hand

Appeared on the pre-Michael Jackson Oprah show special on February 1993,

Oprah: “Michael Jackson, as we’ve often heard is surrounded by children and through the years he’s befriended young actors like Emmanuel Lewis and Macauley Culkin. But you don’t have to be a child star to get Michael’s attention. I first met my next guest when I was visiting Michael’s ranch a few weeks ago to shoot the promos. Her best friend just happens to be the biggest superstar in the world and the whole universe saw her at Michael’s side during his Superbowl performance, please meet Amy. Amy, we’re glad to have you here. On the day we were there shooting our promo Amy wanted us to finish so we could go out and play with Michael, isn’t that right?”
Amy: (nods her head)
Oprah: “What’s he really like, Amy?”
Amy: “He’s just like a kid. He wants to stay a kid but he grew up.”
Oprah: “Do you spend a lot of time with him?”
Amy: “When I go up there I spend almost most of my time with him playing.”
Oprah: “What do you play?”
Amy: “I play on his rides and we play hide-and-go-seek.”
Oprah: “And how did you meet him? We want to know so we can do the same thing.”
Amy: “Well I was doing a commercial with him. I was four and I didn’t know anything about him. And I went into his trailer and sat right up on his lap and he said to himself that he was going to be friends for life.”
Oprah: “The two of you?”
Amy: (nods)

Amy sharing stories with a journalist after Michael’s death, 2009

[Amy] was a very close little pal to Michael in the early 90s, kept up with him a little over the years, is a young woman now who, along with her family, is utterly devastated by Michael’s death. I talked to her on the phone for over an hour a few months ago. She doesn’t remember or know much legal stuff, other than the whole family was at the airport waiting to testify on MJ’s behalf, when they were disappointed to get called by the lawyer and told they wouldn’t be testifying. She also was at a Neverland celebration afterward and said it was so joyous! Everyone singing! Her older brothers were allowed to sleep over at the house, but even though she was MJ’s closest pal and spent far more time with him than the boys, she was relegated to a guesthouse with her mother. She was pissed! Michael explained to her it wasn’t proper for little girls to be in his house overnight unchaperoned. Michael’s feelings about this explain completely why it was always boys overnight. But you hear nothing about his little girl pals.

She said she thinks she was MJ’s best friend (but of course she wouldn’t really know for sure) until Lisa Marie came along. She told me about accompanying the couple to a few outings, and she BURNED with jealousy, the poor little thing. She said it was obvious they were in love, always holding hands and kissing. So Michael started finding less and less time for her.

Oh, in the interest of fairness to LMP , she said LMP was as sweet as could be to her and she did come to like her.

And… she said she’d love to come on this forum and answer questions, loves to talk about MJ but no one ever asks her (???!!), but I never made it happen. I don’t want to expose her to the haters here, so never found the right venue for it. I was planning to write an article about her and the other little girls in MJ’s life, and the media’s unbalanced portrayal of his friendships with boys only. Life got in the way, but I still hope to…

She was the one on Oprah, and who walked with him hand-in-hand at the Superbowl. She described the thrill of it to me. She said she had no idea it was that big a deal or that Michael was that big a deal, and was utterly stunned and overwhelmed. Michael just told her they were going to a concert, so she had no idea what to expect. She hadn’t known Michael was famous until that moment. Can you imagine???

Her father JC Agajanian, Junior:

Ike: The gentleman on the phone is Mr JC Agajanian, Junior. JC is a dear friend of Michael’s, and you’ve spent many times with him and I thought, “Boy, we gotta have you on the Haunted Saloon tonight to talk about Michael Jackson. Welcome to the Haunted Saloon, JC. We lost another good one, didn’t we?
JC: And just to be serious for a moment, David, I gotta tell you we did lose in fact, I believe the world in fact lost, a very very special talent. And I think that’s something we need to keep in mind when all of the lies and baloney and all the speculation and all the gossiping and all of that is come and gone, the bottom line is that we lost somebody that will really never be replaced.
Ike: Yes, and you know Jay, tell us about some of your experiences, like that you’ve told me, tell us on the Haunted Saloon. Tell us about the time you spent two weeks up at the Neverland Ranch, with Michael.
JC: Well, you know what… it was a pretty special deal and I have to give you a little background, a friend of ours that I know both Bartender Bruce and yourself both met, went back in the old Ascot days, Sandy Seamen who went onto LA Gear tennis shoe company that hired Michael to work for him and that’s how I got to know Michael, so… really that was my entre and I have three kids, JC the Third, and David, JC is his middle name of course, and Amy, and they were doing a commercial for LA Gear and they were on set when Michael was there to do a commercial. Frankly, the kids and Michael got along, there were a lot of other kids there that were going to be in the commercial. Of course, LA Gear makes adult and children’s shoes, so it was a natural set up. Michael was there… wait, in fact, I’ll tell you what, my wife Francie was the one who went to this commercial shoot and I was with you guys at ??? that night and we were working and they were working too, you might say. Michael said that sometime we had to come out to Neverland Valley…
Wife, Francie: Ranch (inaudible, speaking to husband in background)
Ike: And that’s another thing that my wife Francie has reminded me of, it was a ranch, it was beautiful and it was… he had horses and it had reindeers and he really liked horses and that’s really something that I think everyone in the Haunted Saloon that’s listening maybe didn’t know about Michael… he appreciated wild life, he appreciated of course all the exotics that were there. They had wild horses walking around, they had giraffes, when we were there a little baby giraffe was born. But we were invited up to, and I won’t stretch this enough, we were invited up to Neverland, which we thought he was saying just to be nice and we spent quite a bit of time up there and he wanted us up there as parents and he really enjoyed, really, having the kids up there as well. Right, you know, as soon as I say that I know there’s gonna be eyebrows going up, but it wasn’t like that, and I have to tell you, his honesty in these interviews, is what I think got him in trouble. And him just saying stuff from his heart, stuff that was just how he felt honestly, adults would look at it and raise an eyebrow, twist what he says and make it not his intention. So the place was just gorgeous, it was Disneyland, it was 2500 acres and most of it was manicured. It was really just a fun place to be. He was a very generous, generous person. The kids would run around, they’d have their jackets on or they’d throw them on the ground, or tennis shoes, throw them off and go get on the big giant trampoline that was on the same ground as the big giant swimming pool. That evening whatever was taken off was washed and magically folded and put back in their rooms. The staff there was just unbelievable. Water balloon fights, he had an Indian village that we were welcome to stay in overnight. We had dinner brought up to the Indian village, we ate in the teepees, there were heaters in there, it was just everything you could think of. Let me entertain any questions you might have, Ike.
Ike: Is it not true that your own kids wanted to go to court and testify, because they’d been there many many times and never had a problem. Isn’t that true that they wanted to go to court?
JC: Well you’re absolutely right Ike and in fact Michael’s lawyers had called and asked if my kids would be interested in testifying on behalf of Michael and they were ready to fly JC3 and David up from San Diego and Amy here from Hermosa Beach and fly them up, but at the last minute they didn’t need any more character witnesses. But let me tell you something that came up about his bedroom, and the “secret room” and all this stuff that went on. Francie and I were in his bedroom, my kids were in his bedroom, his bedroom was a playland, it had Disney things in there, it was like a living room. And when he said, “I invited kids in my bed” it’s… first of all, any kids that wanted to have a slumber party there, the “secret room” that they referred to that was locked up and so on, that was where he went to sleep. When he said, “I’d be happy to give my bed to kids”… what he meant by that was, when he grew up, he didn’t have a bed. All the Jackson kids slept in one room. To be able to sleep in the bed was a big deal! And the people just didn’t understand that what he was saying was, when you give someone where you sleep and you leave and you go to another room to sleep, you’re giving them the bed, you’re sharing the most you have. It’s like sitting at the table and going, “Yeah, you could have this steak and go eat, I’ll eat the beans over here.” They just didn’t understand and his honesty in saying that got him in trouble.
Ike: Yeah, I know that, it’s just you know, you fascinated me before when we talked about this and you told me a lot of different stories. You told me one that when you first got there, he walked you around the garden and there was like, “zanes” and things around the garden, or something?
JC: Yeah, you know what Ike, when you called last night and asked if I’d share some of my memories and thoughts about Michael after he passed, of course because you called me and because you and Bruce called me and asked me to come on the show, I said okay, but I’ve been asked to do other interviews that I’ve turned down. One night when we were sitting at Michael’s dinner table and it was a beautiful dinner table, it was a beautiful Tudor house that he had and it was four stories and he had a wonderful cook that cooked whatever and in fact before we got up to Neverland they were asking, what did the kids like to eat? They wanted to have whatever they liked on him. But we were sitting there at the dinner table and of course we – I made a point of saying a prayer before dinner, Michael was a spiritual guy, nobody’s ever said anything like that, they don’t let you know, but we had a prayer at the dinner table before we started to eat dinner, and as we were eating we were talking about various things and believe me, Michael insisted that we ask any question that we have, if we saw something in the news, if we heard something about elephant man bones or if we heard sleeping in chambers, any of that – ask me, ask me whatever you want, and believe me, my wife Francie that both you guys know, did ask plenty of questions, but Michael looked at the kids that night at dinner, we were about two thirds of the way through and he said “Listen kids, I don’t necessarily want you to tell anyone about our friendship when you get back to your schools.” And they looked at each other puzzled and looked at Michael puzzled and said, “But Michael, why not?” And Michael looked at them and said, “There’s a lot of mean people out there and there’s a lot people who say mean things about me and I don’t want you to have to be put in a position to defend me.” So, I think so much of your kids that I don’t want them to have to defend me and get in fights and say, “No, Michael’s really a good guy and don’t say bad about him.” He was so thoughtful that he was asking the kids to keep our happy time and our friendship private and not share it and he was always selfless like that, Ike.
Ike: Yeah, that’s really something you know and it’s really very sad that he had to go through those extremes.
JC: It really was. He never had a chance of any time to himself. He grew up as everyone knows, without a childhood and you and Bruce both know that he worked since he was a little kid and don’t forget, there were many facets of Michael that not a lot of people get to see, on television it was the celebrity facet, there was also the loving father and that is not a joke, he was a very loving father and there was also the kind, generous friend, he was without question that. And he was very shy, when we first got up to Neverland he had his sunglasses on, he had on his hat and he was shy just seeing us again and eventually he warmed up to you, but you’re right when we first got up there, he put us in a golf cart, a special golf cart that was a long one and took us all around the ranch and when we up there we thought we were coming up to a ranch that was kind of like a cowboy ranch, like the Haunted Saloon, what would be right outside your doors there, dirt and corals and horses and so on. But it was, what we see on television now there were rides and a movie theatre and he took us all around, he took us to see all the records in his storage and I just thought of something Ike, and if I could just continue here and you know me, I’m rarely short on words, but he had a movie theatre that was set up for children that were sick. That were terminally ill. It was, very lovely seats, rocking type of upholstered chairs, there were about 35-40 seats, a full size movie theatre screen behind us, a regular projection just like in a regular large movie theatre, but at the back of the movie theatre, behind the seats, there were two bedrooms. Those bedrooms were floor to ceiling glass. Those rooms were supplied with oxygen and a large hospital bed, that could tilt up, and any kids that came out to the ranch, whether it was the Make A Wish foundation or any of them, they were welcome to come in and see these first run movie things that maybe they couldn’t see at a regular theatre because they don’t have oxygen in a movie theatre and Michael went through a lot of expense and a lot of trouble to have these two rooms that were for kids who were terminally ill to come and be at the ranch, and see movies and so on. Dare I say it Ike, there’s just so many stories that never make the newspapers, never report about Michael. His generosity, how much he truly loved children and like we were talking about earlier, his inability to have a childhood so part of him was child like because he never had that childhood. He envied the children who were outside playing in the park while he was outside rehearsing, while he was practicing his dance moves, while Joe was cracking the whip and I don’t mean that in a bad way but Joe worked at a steel mill in Indiana and he took these kids from nothing and right up to the top of the line. They were talented, but he bought instruments, he bought everything they needed and he gave of himself, he swatted the kids and I have to admit, JC and David have been swatted a couple of times too. It may not be politically correct but it was Armenian correct and that’s what we had to do.

Ike: So you as well as the whole world, were just so shocked to hear that too, it was so shocking.
JC: It was shocking and I tell you, we knew Michael some years ago. I know that he had a problem with painkillers that he had gotten from that Pepsi burn he had years ago. He really had a lot of pain that followed that and I believe that he was in a lot of emotional pain as well. He carried a lot of things, he internalized a lot of things, he didn’t have many people that he could confide in. He really admired – I don’t want to say admired because that might be the wrong word but, he really enjoyed being around a family like the Agajanian family where it was just a mom and a dad and kids that messed around and then we’d have to say, “Sit down” and “Don’t make so much noise” and correct them and he’d laugh, he just really enjoyed being around real people because he was surrounded by people who were either Yes Men or people who were seeking what they could get from him and we were neither.
Ike: You were just regular people and he liked that.
JC: Yeah, the kid loved to ride horses… When we went up to Neverland, Michael who had horses and wranglers who were full time there, asked the kids if they wanted to go riding. Of course they said yes and it was at the dinner table and he said, “Well, just call the person in charge, call the Head Wrangler, tell them what time you want to go out on the horses and they’ll have them ready for you,” and the kids said, “Let’s go tomorrow morning!” So they did that. Of course, I didn’t get up, Francie was the one who got them situated with the wranglers and the breakfast in the main house, our living quarters were just outside that main Tudor house that Michael lived in and we lived on a little lake when we were there.

Megan Stein



Daughter to Glenda Stein

(Snippet from Megan and Michael Jackson speaking on the Glenda phone conversations taped without his knowledge and sold to Hansnews in 2005. Approx date: Dangerous World Tour, Monza Italy on July 6, 1992)

Michael: When I come to the states, your mother’s going to take you to my concert.
Megan: (excited) IS SHE?
MJ: Yeah
Megan: (kid is talking to someone in the background again and comes back to the phone and says )….. she said “she didn’t know”
MJ: Of course she is.
Megan: Are you going to do it in the states?
MJ: Excuse me?
Megan: Are you going to do it here?
MJ: Yeah, hopefully, we’re gonna come to the states.
Megan: Good! Do you know where we can find Michael Jackson T-shirts at?
MJ: Um… they probably… I’ll get you a T-shirt, but I don’t think they are selling those in America right now.
Megan: Okay
MJ: But, you know what?
Megan What?
MJ: When you come to my concert in LA, they are going to sell T-shirts, and they are going to sell programs about the show with pictures in it, and they are going to sell buttons and posters and pictures…
Megan: I had a dream that you bought me a real (cut in tape), and it had like a tv and it had brown wallpaper. And it was scary because me and mom…. my mom sat by the, by the, um, by the closet… and we heard a noise coming from inside…
MJ: Yeah?
Megan:: and it would talk and said “to the beautiful” and inside the closet… it would say “room”
MJ: (loud laughing)
Megan: We opened it up…
MJ: Yeah
Megan: You know Chucky? He always scared me, so I saw in the middle part. a body sitting in there. There’s no head, no arms, no feet, no butt…
MJ: (laughing)
Megan: Just a body. There’s nothing there… just a big square.
MJ: I’m not afraid of Chucky
Megan: It was moving and made like a liquid ..yuck..
MJ: Did you see those Chucky movies?
Megan: NO! I’m scared of them.
MJ: You know, that’s only pretend.
Megan: I know. But he SCARES me. My friend…you know Jill? She saw that and she said it was so scary, she had nightmares.
MJ: Yeah it is. It’s not for children. You know what? I’ll tell you something.
Megan: Huh?
MJ: I’ll tell you something.
Megan: What?
MJ: Chucky is make believe (I) Hollywood. It’s just for movies, it’s just make believe.

Stacy Solomon



Michael Jackson Behind Closed Doors, AP, July 6th 2009

After Michael Jackson’s death, I recalled seeing photos of him on the wall of Tina Solomon’s shop. One of them was signed to her daughter, “To Sarah Solomon with Love, Michael Jackson”. I wanted to know more, so Tina invited me to her home. When I arrived she showed me a large bag. Inside were photos, letters and all kinds of Michael Jackson stuff. I hit the jackpot!
Me: So you are a Michael Jackson fan.
Tina: I like Michael for the person he was, not so much as the superstar.
Me: I noticed the dates on the stuff in the box, was from 1989 to 1990. Is that when you met Michael?
Tina: No, it was back in 1970.
Me: That far back?
Tina: Yeah, I was one on the first people to get a job at the Riverfront stadium. That year the Reds were playing in the World Series. They had hired more people to work there for the series and the ones who been there the longest got to work the blue section. Frankie and I got to work the guest room.
The Jackson 5 was there to sing the Star Spangled Banner but did not know the words to the song.
Frankie and I had went into the room and found Michael sitting on the floor crying. I just could not stand seeing this little boy scared like that. He wanted me to go away, but I couldn’t. Frankie was all for leaving, but I could not just walk out on the kid.
Frankie tried singing the Star Spangled Banner, but he did know all the words. I knew the words but I made a mess of it too. Frankie started making fun of me and I took a pillow off the couch and threw it at him and missed. He picked up another pillow and smacked me good. Michael started laughing at us, so I smacked him with a pillow. Next thing I knew the three of us were having a pillow fight.

Soon these dudes came in and ran Frankie and me off. On the way out the door, Frankie told Michael if you don’t know the words, fake it. Well, the Jackson 5 did an OK job and Frankie and I lost our jobs.

Me: So how did you meet him at Record One?
Tina: My ex-husband was a sound tech at the studio. I was in and out of the place with my daughter and knew most of the people who worked there. By the time Michael booked the place, it was not a big thing to see Sarah and me hanging around. Me: Did Michael remember you?
Tina: No. Not until later.
Me: What happened?
Tina: Michael, Sarah and some other kids were in his office there, drawing and coloring. One of the staff kept coming in and trying to talk Michael into going into the studio and getting some work done. Michael wanted to stay with the kids. Someone else came and tried to talk Michael into going to work. Michael would not listen. After the person left, I took a pillow from the floor and hit Michael with it. If looks could kill, I would be dead. I asked him if he want to sing the Star Spangled Banner. And if he didn’t know the words, fake it. He was so cute when he smiled. I took a chance and he remembered. Then told the kids he’d be right back and went off to the studio. I packed up Sarah and went home. We were asked to come back the next day.
Me: Then what happened?
Tina: Then it was not time for Michael to be in the studio, we watched movies or cartoons. “Who framed Roger Rabbit” had just came out and we watched it.
Me: Tell me about those photos.
Tina: Those are rejects form photos that were taken in his office.
Me: And the photo of Michael in your shop?
Tina: Sarah use to have at least a haft of dozen of them. They were like thank you cards. I gave him a stuff toy of Roger Rabbit. He gave her a photo. I gave him a VCR tape. He gave her another photo and so on.
Me: He liked toys?
Tina: I never saw him play with toys. He did collect small action figures. He kept them in a large glass display case. In on of those photos you can see want I mean. Me: You said he like to draw and color with the kids.
Tina: Yes. He got my daughter interested art.
Tina showed me a web site called “michaekjacksonart.com” Go to the bottom of the page to “Select Category.” There was a long list of artist. Towards the bottom was “Drawings Created by Michael Jackson.” There is over a dozen drawing by Michael. Only one had a title, “Childhood.”
As I looked at the drawing my mind went back to what Tina said about the 1970 World Series and Michael. As I read the words Michael wrote on the drawing, I felt so sad. Go look for yourself.
Let peace be with you, Michael.

Sarah Solomon
Date of Interview: June 29 2009

After talking to Tina Solomon I was hoping to interview Sarah Solomon, her daughter. Sarah was 3 years old went she met Michael Jackson. I didn’t know if she would remember much about the time they spent together but I still thought it would be a good idea. The day after I talked to Tina I was back at her home, waiting to talk to her daughter. Sarah is now 22, and a very pretty young lady. I was surprised at what she still recalled about her time with the King of Pop.
Me: So, Sarah, what did you think of Michael when you first meet him?
Sarah: When I was young, I didn’t know any men with long hair and lighter voices, so when I met Michael I thought he was a girl. He does have a vibrant personality too!
Me: What did he think about you thinking he was a girl?
Sarah: I roughly know because it was a long time ago, but mom said that he thought I was a really funny girl.
Tina: Most parents coached their children before they meet Michael. Sarah had been in and out of studios since she was born. When she was a baby, her father worked in the sound department at 20th Century Fox. We sent a lot of time there. In fact, the house we were renting, at the time was owned by Jack Wolf. He was the headman at the sound department.
Me: So, Sarah, you were used to bring around famous people.
Sarah: Ain’t it cool? I feel super special having that many famous people around me when I was a toddler.
Me: What did you and Michael do together?
Sarah: Like I said, it was a long time ago, I remember being with him and other people doing art and watching TV.
Me: What did you think about Michael?
Sarah: He was a fun person to be around with.
Me: In what way?
Sarah: One time he put a rabbit mask on and acted really hilarious towards us. One time he was at the studio sounding like Elmer Fudd because he had a flu bug.
Tina: The weekend before he had a group of children at the ranch and came back with a cold.
Me: What did you watch on TV?
Sarah: I roughly remember it was cartoons and some other shows.
Me: Do you remember which ones?
Sarah: Who Framed Rodger Rabbit, Duffy Duck, and all kinds of cartoons.
Me: Did you like spending time with him.
Sarah: Always! Being around him back then is the biggest memory of all!
Me: Are you a Michael Jackson fan?
Sarah: Yes indeed, ever since I was little.
Me: What’s your favorite CD.
Sarah: It’s ‘Bad’ ‘Thriller’, and ‘Dangerous’, mostly every album of his music made in the 80s and 90s. Also, my favorite video is and always Moonwalker. It inspired me into music, science fiction, and it also inspired me to help others.
Me: Did you miss him?
Sarah: Yes I do. I miss the Michael the way he was when I first saw him.
Me: How long did you know him?
Sarah: The way I remember it, he was at the studio for about 3 or 4 weeks.
Me: If you could see Michael today, what would you say to him?
Sarah: Thank you for your help and the inspiration you gave us with your awesome music. Hope your goals for world peace will come true one day soon.
Sarah knew Michael at such a young age, but it would seem he was a great influence on her. As I think of the song “We are the World”, and how Michael tried to bring out the child in all of us, I can’t help missing him too.
May Peace be with You, Michael.