MICHAEL Jackson wore all white yesterday as he began his battle to prove he is all right.

The defiant superstar chose the colour of innocence for the opening day of his child sex trial.

But he was BANNED from taking the message one step further by wearing an armband featuring the number 777.

It is a Hebrew figure representing purity and love of God — and prosecutors claimed it could influence jurors.

Jacko, 46, smiled and looked relaxed as he arrived at the Californian court that will decide if he is good or bad.

He wore a buttoned-up shirt, tight white trousers and sunglasses as he made a less than grand entrance.

Only 300 fans — far fewer than the 5,000 anticipated by nervous cops — turned out to support him.

As he stepped from a blacked-out Jeep to be greeted by his lawyer Thomas Mesereau, Jacko gave his supporters a brief wave and V-for-victory sign.

Then he walked quickly into the Santa Maria court flanked by two minders, one holding an umbrella to shield the him from the sun.
Jacko vanished from sight after security gave him the once-over with a scanner.

But before entering the courtroom he CHANGED into a more elaborate outfit of glittering jewel-encrusted vest and belt covered by a white jacket with gold armband.

Court reporter Linda Deutsch said: “The scene was quite theatrical. He was joking with his lawyers as they waited for about an hour for things to get started.

“He walked over to the clerk of the court to introduce himself by shaking her hand.When the jurors came in, he stood smiling at them.”

Jacko later emerged for a lunchbreak wearing the jacket and armband and surrounded by minders and lawyers.

The star denies molesting a 13-year-old cancer sufferer, now 15, plying him with booze and plotting to abduct him.

Only the three-week process of selecting 12 men and women from 750 prospective jurors began yesterday.

Jacko smiled at potential jurors as they filed in but concentrated hard as they were questioned for suitability.

Earlier mum Katherine, 72, blasted the charges against her son as “ridiculous” and said she was praying for him.

Sitting next to hubby Joe in a TV interview, Katherine said: “My son is very generous, very giving, very loving. He would never hurt a child. It's OK to love children.”


What are your thoughts.

They say this trial will last about 6 months and will take about 3 weeks to select the jury. I'm sure I'll read updates on it. It's not televised is it???

Did anyone see and tidbits of an interview with Jackson's parents with I think, an English lady named Daphne something????? I don't know if it aired already or will be aired, but Joe Jackson was very outspoken in his opinions. He said that he made "no" mistakes with his children; and of course that Michael was innocent. What troubled me is in his words, the reason why they are picking on Michael all comes down to one thing..."race". :rolleyes: I have a hard time buying that, since his son "was" loved, admired by all races.

He also said regarding Michael's plastic surgeries that there is too big a deal made out of it, and again paraphrasing him, he said, "you know who has a lot of plastic surgeries? Jews. He said almost every Jew has plastic surgery. His wife and him were arguing to a degree. She told him to "shut-up."

Does anyone know of this interview and if it's been aired, has anyone seen it?

TIS

It has been aired in the U.K but ididn't see it.The trail is being aired on ITV News in the U.K but i don't know about the US sorry

I don't know the facts, so I can just tell you my impressions. Celebrities are somehow vulnerable and may be victims of greedy people who do not hesitate to tell anything just to blackmail them. In this specific case, if it is all true, MJ is sort of a monster, that's it. Hope the trial will let us understand the facts. Anyway, it is obvious that he's not completely sane.

Mad, sad or bad??? Possibly none, possibly all. I think a defence of not guilty by reason of insanity would be a good bet.

I wonder how long potential jurors stayed in the shower after meeting him. Thank god I'm not 18 and in San Fernando.

TIS--I believe it will be on Court TV...

I think Jackson is innocent in my opinion. The mother scammed money from hospitals using her son's illness, and all. Not that I think Jackson is playing with a full deck though, I believe his mind did not mature the right way and he simply came to fear sex from seeing his father/brothers have sex with the fans of the band, etc. IMO, he's trying to make a fantasy land to escape from reality.

MJ, being so popular is an easy target to either extort money from or accuse of such despicable crimes that's true, and from what I've read (if true) the mother of this boy has been accused of that. The fact that the other family "settled" from the first case could also work in Jackson's favor.

Keep in mind too, we will not hear all of this case, and like discussed before during the Scott Peterson trial, only the jury will know all of the facts.

However, even if you had to disregard his "weirdness" (for lack of a better word), his lifestyle and adoration for children, what about the fact that by his own admission, he sees nothing at all wrong with sleeping with children? In my mind, the average 46 year old (or any adult for that matter), would find this suspicious? Don't you think???

If he is innocent and just being targeted, it is about the lowest thing you can do do any person. He'll always be under suspicion, even with a not guilty.

But, on the other hand, if he is quilty, he deserves to be punished to the extreme.

Keep in mind though, that the jury will have to go by certain guidelines. Even if they thought he was guilty, but it was not proven, the verdict would have to be not guilty.

TIS

I feel sorry for him in a way cuz his father took away his childhood and messed with his head. BUT if what they say is true he needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law insane or not.

Lets hope he gets a fair trial

I don't care if he's innocent or guilty. But one thing we know for sure is that he's a nutjob.

I take it you dont like his music He is a nutjob

I actually like his older music, when he was actually black. He did a few good songs after his transition though.

He's a fruitcake.

I think he went to pot after the "dangerous" album

I think he's smoking too much pot.

My favs are Thriller and Billy Jean. Can't think about other.

My fav's Man in the Mirror

Day 2

MICHAEL Jackson’s ex Debbie Rowe is to be a star prosecution witness in his child sex trial.

The pop superstar’s former wife is mum to his kids Prince Michael and Paris and is expected to knife Jacko by telling all about his weird lifestyle.


She will testify in revenge for his decision to stop his annual million-dollar payout to her.

Wacko Jacko agreed to give former nurse Debbie the cash after she signed over custody of their two kids to him following their 1999 divorce.

The pop superstar also bought her a £1.5million Beverly Hills mansion.

But the couple’s pact was blown apart last year when determined Debbie — horrified by the scandal surrounding Jacko — launched legal action to take custody of Prince Michael, seven, and Paris, six.

The 46-year-old singer halted his payments. And now Debbie, 44, will be a star prosecution witness at Jacko’s trial in Santa Maria, California. Her testimony could be dynamite as she is expected to lift the lid on his bizarre lifestyle.

Diane said there was no word on whether Jacko’s first wife Lisa Marie Presley will take the stand.

Elvis’s girl branded the singer a “freak” in 2003 but said she never saw him in bed with a child.

Jacko denies molesting a 13-year-old, now 15, and plotting to abduct him.

The star, who wore “pure” white for the first day of his trial, chose BLACK for Day Two.

His suit bore the British Army’s Royal Engineers badge, which Jacko used as a symbol of innocence.

Its French motto, Honi soit qui mal y pense, means “shame on him who thinks this evil.” The hearing was adjourned to Monday, when 250 people identified as potential jurors will be questioned for suitability.

Day 3

EXPLOSIVE tapes in which Michael Jackson’s first accuser Jordy Chandler tells how the star abused him have been broadcast on US TV.

It was the first time Jordy’s voice has been heard by a public gripped by Jacko’s child sex trial.

The boy, then 13, sobbed as he told a top psychiatrist that the singer:

GROPED him as they slept together at the singer’s Neverland ranch and in hotel bedrooms as they travelled together around the world.

KISSED him on the lips.

CRIED and said “You don’t love me any more” if Jordy objected.

KEPT him loyal and quiet by saying their secret was locked in a “little box” that only they could look inside.

Jordy is said to be one of seven boys prosecutors want to call as witnesses at Jacko’s trial, which resumes on Monday in Santa Maria, California.

His claims in 1993 triggered a police investigation. But the case never came to court after the pop superstar allegedly paid his family £12million in exchange for silence.

The tapes were recorded by eminent psychiatrist Dr Richard Gardner — and handed to US show The Insider by Jordy’s uncle Raymond.

Jordy’s mum took the boy to Dr Gardner as he was an expert on false child abuse claims and could tell if a kid was lying.

He was convinced Jordy was telling the truth.

On the tapes, Jordy says his mum confronted Jackson after he shared a bed with him at a Las Vegas hotel.

The star began weeping as he denied anything sexual had happened.

Jordy said: “He got my mum feeling so guilty that she broke in tears and decided, ‘OK, I believe you’.

“And so from that point on I was in his bed until the end of the relationship.”

Dr Gardner asked the boy about how the alleged abuse began, saying: “What kind of kiss was it?”

Jordy replied: “Just a peck on the cheek.” Then he added: “He graduated to kissing me on the lips.”

The boy said he shared “sexual activities” with Jacko but did not realise it was wrong at the time.

Asked if he did think it wrong now, he replied: “Of course.”

The US broadcast went much further than last week’s Channel 4 documentary on Jacko, in which only a tiny portion of the tapes was played.

The singer, 46, is on trial charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy, which he denies.

Jordy, now in his early 20s, is said to be reluctant to testify. Jacko has always dismissed his allegations.

FINGERPRINTS of a teenage boy and Jacko found on a porn magazine seized at Neverland are set to become a key issue in the star’s trial.

Prosecutors will argue they support the boy's claim they looked at the mag together.

Defence lawyers will say Jacko just took it away from the lad.

Details of the questionnaire given to potential jurors emerged yesterday.

Among the questions was one asking if they knew anything about Jordy Chandler’s 1993 allegations.

Man this is going to be a circus. I don't know if Jackson is guilty or not (although my gut says not for some reason) but he's never going to escape this even with an aquittal. He's weird and creepy and there are always going to be people who will prey on that (this is not to say that he might not be guilty as hell, I have no idea).

All I know is if a 46 year old grocer down the street only hung with boys and had sleep overs with them they'd be spending a couple years in the pokey getting butt f*cked every night.

I absolutely see your point Beth. It's completely inconcievable to me why I think the guy is innocent, I should know better, but for some reason I don't.

Day 4

MICHAEL Jackson paid his ex-wife $1million a year to stop her speaking about his sexual behaviour, mental state or alleged drug abuse.

Debbie Rowe, 44, signed the confidentiality agreement when she gave Jacko’s custody of their kids Prince Michael, eight, and Paris, six before they were born.

The details came out after Jacko’s lawyers dropped a bid to keep them secret.

Jacko, 46, stopped paying her last year after she confessed to fears for their kids.

She is to be a star prosecution witness at his child sex trial in Santa Maria, California.

He denies molesting a 13- year-old boy, now 15. In a new interview on US TV Jacko has insisted: "The bigger the star, the bigger the target."

He added: "People come at celebrities, we're targets. But truth always prevails."

The whole porn magazine issue should be enough to convict the idiot. It's too suspect and the upcoming defences argument is likely to be weak by saying Jacko took it away from the lad. Firstly if Jacko didn't want the kid seeing the magazine the kid WOULD NOT see the magazine. Things like that are usually well hidden when kids are around.

Anyway, even exploring the possibility that he's innocent, which he may actually be. He's still made bad decisions and for crying out loud you'd think he'd learn from them. If I could say a few words to the fruitcake I'd simply tell him that “As long as you keep inviting kids to your house you are forever going to get cases like this against you. This stupidity alone should have you locked up, you're a danger to yourself, even if you are innocent.”

Day 5

MICHAEL Jackson has vowed never to share a bed with children again.

He told US TV reporter Geraldo Rivera he now knows it was wrong.

Rivera said on his show: “However innocent it is, he now realises that it violates the social norm.”

Jackson, 46, made the promise in an hour-long interview to be shown on Fox News tonight.

The singer is currently on trial for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old boy. He admitted in a Martin Bashir documentary sharing a bed with the boy and his brother, then 11.

Jackson told Rivera that he is bearing up under the strain of the court case in Santa Maria, California.

The singer, who denies all charges, added: “The bigger the star, the bigger the target. Truth always prevails.”

Jackson could only make a few comments about his case because of the judge’s gagging order.

But he admitted he will parade his three children in front of cameras during the trial to portray himself as a family man. He usually hides them behind masks and veils.

A source on the Rivera show said: “Michael has always tried to hide his children, but now he knows he has to pull out every stop to win over the world.”

IMHO he's guilty as hell but he'll get out of it ALA O.J. Simpson. But that's a completely different story.

Hell he should've been locked up when he dangled his newborn baby over a balcony in germany.

But like others have said he is a celebrity and celebrities are targets for extortion.

The parents should also be on trial for letting there kids sleep at his house.

Do you plan on doing updates every day De Niro? This is going to take a while, they're only down to 250 jurors out of 4000 as of yesterday.

I guarantee that I will have finished this academic year before this trial is over. Hell I bet Christmas comes before the end of this soap opera.

Yes i am thinking of that.Get my info from newspapers and just type all the info down.