Michael Jackson: The Trial and Triumph of the King of Pop
Elbow Grease Productions
By Al Kaufman
Michael Jackson's death has not only helped his own album sales, but every street vendor in Atlanta is selling MJ shirts that are sure to fall apart after the third wash. And now Pearl Jr, an author and activist who fights for Black women's rights, but also enjoys being in front of the camera, is trying to cash in with this low budget quasi-documentary about Jackson's child molestation trial.
Promising behind the scenes coverage, the documentary instead gives face time to all the nut jobs who stood outside the courtroom every day; from the homophobe wearing the John 3:16 shirt and spouting Bible verses, to the two guys wearing diapers, on one of which was written "Beat it," and on the other, "Thriller." She playfully points out misspelled signs and adds glib commentary. Then she heads to Neverland ranch to gets all giddy as she stands outside the gate and watches a car drive out. Exciting stuff. Throughout the DVD, celebrities such as ZZ Top, Kayne West, and Mo'Nique make cameos to wish Michael well during his trial. The DVD ends talking about Michael's big comeback that was planned in London and predicts that Michael will be as famous as he ever was. That's right, after Michael's death they did not even go back and update the ending. They just put the product out there as quickly as possible to try to earn a few more bucks.
While the documentary offers no new light on anything that already came out during the trial, Pearl seems convinced that America still thinks Jackson was guilty and wants to change that. She is so pro-Michael she makes Michael Moore movies seem objective. All Michael's defense lawyers are wonderful people who give back to the community, while all prosecutors are Satanic. She shows Michael waving to his fans outside the courthouse every day, and uses that to demonstrate his innocence. She even throws in a frightening statistic from Dean Tong's book, Elusive Innocence, in which she states that 71% of child abuse or neglect charges turn out to be false. What she does not say is that Tong was talking about charges made by one parent against another in cases of divorce. As an advocate for women, Pearl certainly knows how dangerous it would be to alter facts like that if it involved rape cases, and that it would keep women from testifying against rapists. Spreading information such as this will keep children from testifying against molesters. As it is, studies have shown that many children who are not otherwise sexually active do not report molestation until they are diagnosed with a venereal disease, and even then, less than half of those diagnosed with the disease claim that they were molested.
Did Michael Jackson molest anyone? The court found him innocent. Many people still think he did. Many others think he didn't. This DVD will not change anyone's mind either way. If you are a Jackson fan, you may enjoy seeing people that (hopefully) are more fanatical (re: crazy) than you. If you are not a Jackson fan, stay far, far away.
