Oprah, she’s a fine tuned instrument. Three or four years ago I had the opportunity to be an audience member. You are never told in advance who or what the show is going to be about until you are in settled in your seats. I am sure some guests were in the know from friends or relatives who work for Oprah, but I was not one of the privileged ones. Rumors were whispered through the waiting room that we had just missed the exciting and unforgettable taping of Tom Cruise jumping on the sofa. Sigh! My friend and I check in at the front desk and are ushered into a waiting room, apparently until all who are on the list arrive. Then, we are ushered into another waiting room and we wait…. and wait. Finally, we are allowed to enter her hollowed kingdom and the race is on to grab your seat. Women were running down the hallway, around the stage and snatching seats next to the isle Oprah, herself, will soon walk down in all her glory to announce her show, the final show of the year.
“Sports & Parents Living Vicariously Through Their Children” is what we were all told. A silence fell over the crowd, a deafening silence. I, for one, was more than a little disappointed. No gifts. No movie stars. No famous authors. Oh well. I’m still gonna be on Oprah!
Families and their children are escorted to the front of the auditorium and called up on stage one by one to be interviewed by the Queen of Daytime TV. Videos are played of fathers yelling, screaming and forcing their five year old sons to run laps, do push ups and lift weights. Mothers are shown hauling their young daughters to cheerleading practice, dance class and acrobats. Kids were crying. Parents were exasperated their children were not performing at Olympic intensity. I have watched Oprah since 1986 and there is one thing I know for sure; she doesn’t like parents living vicariously through their children.
Finally, one burly man from the front stood up along with his son and he explained to Oprah that he was managing his family the exact way Joe Jackson ran his. His kids were going to be famous, too! Well, let me tell you what happened next. All Hell broke loose! The Queen started yelling. She came marching down off the stage, into the audience and got in that man’s face like I have never seen before. He didn’t say a word. He just stood there and took it. What choice did he have? I was seated in the back of the auditorium and, frankly, she scared me, too!
“Do you have any idea what Joe Jackson did to his family? To his children?” and on and on she went about how abusive he was, how much those children had endured under his hand and no one, absolutely no one, should EVER try to emulate Joe Jackson. She continued railing about what Michael Jackson’s father had done to him and no child should ever live through that kind of torture again. Finally, she turned and walked back to her seat. The man and his son quietly sat down. Oprah was still going off about how this was her last show and she couldn’t believe she was dealing with this business. We sat there stunned. The interviews soon ended. Oprah announced there would be no “After Show” as she waved good-bye and marched off stage to her dressing room. The entire incident left me feeling quite empty and sad for the Jackson family.
I couldn’t wait to see the show when it aired, but of course, the confrontation had been cut. To this day, I will never forget Oprah standing up in defiance over anyone believing the Jackson children had a happy childhood. Good for her. On this day, the day of Michael Jackson’s death, say what you will about how strange he was, but never forget that through all his ups and downs, his genius shone through.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Beth Mann
Hayley Rose
MarianneSp
Dianne Schuch - Lindsey
Mature Student
J. P. Major
Salon.com
Comments
Thanks for the window into her day time show.
I do not mean to excuse his behavior at all. God only knows what was done to him. Still, he was a musical and business genius. I was wondering tonight if the Beatles songs will be available on iTunes anytime soon now.
I believe it was his money that kept him from jail. He pretty much admits his love of children and has no problem sleeping with them.
Please, for a moment, think of the average Joe trying to explain this and not going to jail.
Has anyone else read that Joe Jackson nicnamed Michael "big nose" at a young age. I read this last night in a news article and could not help but think that perhaps this may have initiated his obsession with his appearance.
Anyway, nice post. Thanks for sharing.
www.lauratrojan.com
If you started watching Oprah in 1986, you probably saw me on the only show she ever did about fat people who refuse to yo-yo, losing and gaining weight. Reader's of my comic strip, MS. HIPPS which was published in chapter newsletters of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, wrote in when I called in during one of Oprah's many shows on weight loss with fat people crying about how miserable and unhappy they are and challenged Oprah to do a show about fat people who are happy with themselves; so we did the show.
That was the show on which Oprah said she'd never go on another diet, then shortly thereafter started the Optifast regimen. Appearing on Oprah was not at all what I expected, being an ardent fan and in complete awe of the woman. I was actually star-struck and not my usual loquacious self.
I wish she'd shown her confrontation with the "Joe Jackson" wannabe as a lesson to other parents who makek the mistakek of pushing their children into psychological dysfunction. However, I found out the hard way that things are often edited out of talk shows because all mentions of MS. HIPPS were edited out of the show I was on. Hey, it's her show and her fans like it regardless of what is or is not included in the final cut.
Thanks for giving us the "skinny" on the show you attended and some needed reminders on how people become damaged and end up damaging others. Those who focus on MJ's pathology will persist in their recriminations and I don't blame them or in any way excuse any wrongs he may have done.
Just remember, all of those celebrities who've died in these sad and tragic ways have been the victims of their own fame and self-destruction regardless of how much we may have loved and admired them. Yet, we continue to idolize people like James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, John Belushi, John Lennon, Anna Nicole Smith, AND Michael Jackson long after they're gone.
Maybe it's because they did something in their lives worth remembering and honoring regardless of their mistakes and transgressions.
There were two cases against Michael Jackson in 1993- the criminal case and the civil case. Michael settled the civil case, reportedly paying the Chandlers $20 million[1]. Many people say that he “paid off” his accuser but this assumption does not make sense if you take into consideration the following facts:
1) The settlement did NOT prevent the boy from testifying in the criminal trial. It makes no sense to say that Michael bought his silence. It was Jordan’s own decision not to testify.
2) If Michael wanted to pay off his accuser, why didn’t he do it at the very beginning? Evan Chandler made a demand for $20 million before authorities knew about the alleged abuse. If Michael wanted to buy their silence, like many people claim he did, why didn’t he do it right then? Before the police trashed his home, before he was publicly humiliated, before he was subjected to a dehumanizing search of his private parts? He could have bought their silence right from the get go and avoided the whole ordeal. Instead he rejected Evan Chandler’s initial demand for money. Why would a guilty man do that?
3) Even if we illogically dismiss the first two points, it still doesn’t make sense to say that Michael bought Jordan Chandler’s silence. If Michael’s plan was to settle the civil lawsuit in order to prevent the boy from cooperating with authorities in the criminal trial, wouldn’t it have been beneficial to him if the civil trial occurred first? So why did Michael Jackson file a motion asking for the criminal trial to take place first if his whole plan was to pay the boy off? If the criminal trial was first, Michael wouldn’t have had an opportunity to buy Jordan’s silence. His actions (asking for the criminal trial to precede the civil trial) are contradictory of his alleged motives (settling the civil suit to prevent the boy from testifying against him).
THAT’S WHY HE SETTLED.
So why did Michael Jackson settle, you ask? It appeared that the judicial system was not on his side. When civil and criminal proceedings arise over the same allegation, the defendant is entitled to a stay of discovery and trial in the civil action until the criminal matter is resolved. In Michael Jackson’s case, the civil trial was scheduled to occur before the criminal trial, which would have been a violation of Jackson’s constitutional right to not self-incriminate. Jackson’s attorney, Johnnie Cochran, tried to get the civil trial postponed until AFTER the criminal trial but was not granted his request. He also filed a motion blocking the District Attorney’s office from obtaining evidence used in the civil proceedings; again, he was not granted his request. If the civil trial had occurred, the prosecution would have been privy to Michael’s entire defense strategy. This would have given them time in between the civil and criminal trials to come up with a way to counter Michael’s defense. By settling, Michael did not have to go to court in the civil case and reveal his defense strategy to the prosecution.
Other reasons include the fact that the civil trial could have taken 8-9 months, which would have cost Michael millions of dollars in legal fees. Add to that the possibility of losing in court and one can see that paying the Chandlers $20 million might have actually been the cheaper alternative. Keep in mind that civil trials are very different from criminal trials in that the jury’s verdict does not have to be unanimous. Only 51% of the jury would have to rule against Michael and he would have lost the civil trial. This could have later been used against him in the criminal trial as well. When you look at the case from a legal standpoint, Michael’s decision to settle makes a lot of sense. Once the civil trial was settled, the criminal trial continued and there was not enough evidence to charge Michael Jackson. It was brought to two grand juries by DA Thomas Sneddon Jr. and both turned him down.
Perhaps a more telling question is why would you accept money from someone who allegedly molested your child instead of fighting to put them behind bars? (I’ve read MagPie’s response to that question, and apparently she would kill him and just go to jail for murder instead of putting her child under trial. Okay dokie. I’m sure thats what most parents with morals would do as well).