Power of celebrity looms large at Jackson trial

[polycarp]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/crime_jackson_dc

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (Reuters) - Day after day, Michael Jackson sits quietly in a California courtroom, looking sometimes pained and often frail, a small man in a dark suit at odds with the outsized celebrity that is the central theme of his criminal trial.
Without him singing a note or dancing a step, the magnetism of the self-styled King of Pop has been abundantly clear in three months of testimony from dozens of witnesses for both prosecution and defense.

The drama being playing out in court comes down to whether Jackson has used his celebrity power for good or for bad.

Prosecutors say the singer used his star power as a predatory tool to ingratiate himself with young boys and their families. Defense lawyers say opportunists have sought to profit from Jackson's generosity and to sully his love for children.

"A big star can attract a lot of people," said Robert Thompson, a professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University. "Stardom is magnetic. When all of a sudden they're responding and reaching out, that can be very seductive."

J. Randy Taraborrelli, who has followed Jackson for more than two decades, said: "He's like a Pied Piper of pop music in the sense that he attracts kids and their families like no other celebrity in history."

In parts of a documentary shown to jurors, Jackson acknowledges that his celebrity has forced him into an isolated life that is always misconstrued by the media. "They're so quick to call you strange and weird, but it's almost like you're forced to be different," he says.

Thompson calls Jackson an "allegory for how enormous celebrity can completely alienate you from the real world," and notes that the singer's star power allows him to control his own environment.

"Just as God created the Universe and then wanted to people it, one could make the argument that when you create a Neverland with merry-go-rounds and animals then you want someone to play with you," Thompson said.

Jackson, 46, has pleaded innocent to charges of molesting a 13-year-old boy at Neverland in early 2003. He faces more than 20 years in jail if convicted.

'ALMOST GIDDY'

The adulation Jackson is capable of inspiring was on full display in court last week as Karlee Barnes, the sister of a boy who prosecutors say was abused by Jackson in the 1990s, staunchly defended the singer.

"You are positively thrilled to be friends with Michael Jackson," said prosecutor Gordon Auchincloss. "You seem to be almost giddy about it."

"I love him with all my heart," replied Barnes.

Her mother, Marie, testified that she once wrote a letter to Jackson saying she would kill herself if she had upset him by an outburst she had in his presence.

Another mother, Joy Robson, said she trusted the singer implicitly, telling jurors Jackson is "very pure in his love for children."

Even the mother of Jackson's current accuser gushed that Jackson was a father figure to her family.

Whatever his motives, witnesses have testified that Jackson opened his ranch in central California to dozens of children and their families who often spent weeks there.

Some of the boys also shared Jackson's bed -- with the consent of their mothers.

The mother of Jackson's current accuser told jurors she chose to ignore an incident on a private jet flight in which she witnessed Jackson licking her sleeping son's head.

When average people are in the presence of celebrity "you can then kind of overlook some of the things that would otherwise strike you in a rational moment as odd," Thompson said.

Even if the jury finds Jackson innocent, said Thompson, the story is still tragic.

"Michael Jackson got so famous at such a young age that he could literally withdraw from Planet Earth and create his own universe where his own rules applied," he said.

[Dana71]

Michael sure did use his celebrity status to draw children in. He is a sick man, and he really needs help.

[abbey]

Well if he's relying on Liz Taylor or Liza Minnelli to keep him out of prison, he's doomed!

[BabyRider]

I am repulsed and disgusted and angry. What in the hell are the parents thinking? If there is even the slightest question of a person's motives around your kids, you don't take them around that person, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE!!! One mother "chose to ignore" strange behavior from Jackson in regards to her child???? That mother should not be a mother. And why? Because he's a celebrity? Who F-ing CARES who he is?? Why do people think that if a person is famous, their motives are automatically pure?? This is just sick and I hope that freak spends a REAL long time in jail.

[along-for-the-ride]

Originally Posted by BabyRider

I am repulsed and disgusted and angry. What in the hell are the parents thinking? If there is even the slightest question of a person's motives around your kids, you don't take them around that person, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE!!! One mother "chose to ignore" strange behavior from Jackson in regards to her child???? That mother should not be a mother. And why? Because he's a celebrity? Who F-ing CARES who he is?? Why do people think that if a person is famous, their motives are automatically pure?? This is just sick and I hope that freak spends a REAL long time in jail.

My sentiments exactly, Babyrider.

[john8pies]

The only question which needs to be answered is did he REALLY commit the crimes of which he`s been accused. Celebrity witnesses, etc, are a smokescreen