Measure of a Man: Michael Jackson

Tonight, Michael Jackson fans reached a milestone. The petition to protest the Discovery Channel UK's reenactment of Jackson's autopsy reached 10,000 signatures. While the estate's letter certainly helped bring attention to the outrage that the fans and family feel for the show, there is one aspect that must be made crystal clear.

The estate nor the family raised their voice first. It was the FANS who expressed their outrage and organized protest letter writing campaigns, petitions, mass emails and boycotts of both Discovery Communications and their sponors. And I guarantee you, that it will be FANS that will continue to protest for Michael, his legacy and his children.

This is the measure of the man that was Michael Jackson. His global impact on the world was and still is so profound, and on such a massive scale. Whether fans love his music, his dance, his humanitarianism or some combination of all three, Michael Jackson changed the world. It is now up to us to continue his message in honor of his legacy.

I think it is important to reiterate that this protest is about Michael. It is not about the end result, although we most certainly need to try. It's about the unity.

Michael Jackson fans need unity so badly. With the Murray trial coming up next week, not only do we need to stick together, but stay focused on both the trial and the continuing protest. I sincerely hope and pray for all of us for the upcoming new year. Fasten your seatbelts, MJ fans. It's going to be a bumpy ride. But that's nothing new for Jackson fans, right?

Peace, love, joy and laughter to all of you for the new year.

Michael's Message to the World

Today I was looking for a video that would motivate Michael Jackson fans to sign the protest petition against the Discovery show and send their letters of protest to mjj@innocent.com. I immediately thought that Michael's performance of Man in the Mirror from Live in Bucharest would be the video. Michael's message that it's all for L.O.V.E. is displayed beautifully in this performance. This is one the reasons that this performance is a clip in Hold My Hand; because it is an image that most MJ fans associate with Michael and his message. While I was downloading it, I read the comment below the video by 2maninthemirror, who posted this comment 3 weeks ago:

"So many people say "Why does this make me cry?" or "How come every time I watch this video I find myself crying?"

It's because Michael is up there telling us to lift each other up.

He's standing up there telling us to change ourselves to be better so then the world can change.

And here so many people are ALL saying these horrible things about him and degrading him like no other human being and he hasn't done a single thing to hurt anybody.

I will NEVER understand how people can be so cruel....

This comment really says it all, doesn't it? This single comment underscores what the core of Michael Jackson fans feel; that Michael told us to make changes within ourselves to better the world, yet the media degrades him like no other. And so we cry, we feel frustrated, we feel that Michael's message will never be heard and we sometimes feel the futility of it all. This why tireless fans have continued to ask for signatures on Christmas eve and Christmas day. There are fans who have placed time aside from their loved ones for the message of Michael Jackson. It is truly, truly spectacular to see the love emanate from his fans.

But what we have to realize is that is it not the end result that is important. Michael Jackson wants us to use our power within the MJJ community to stand up for what is right and just. I have said this many times, but truly, if we are united there is nothing we can't accomplish.

As of this moment, the petition to protest the reenactment of the MJ autopsy reenactment has 8,340 signatures. Many, many blogs, fan sites, tweets and fans have asked for MJ fan signatures. You have responded and that is to be applauded.

However, we need more and time is running out. Please, MJ fans, realize the significance of this show for all celebrities, including Michael. Move outside of your comfort zone. Post the petition site link and the email address to send letters to at mjj@innocent.com.

Find fan sites and post the information. Find blogs, tweet, do whatever you can to ask for signatures against this show. Send it to people you do not know. Challenge yourself to at a minimum, ask 10 people to sign this protest petition.

If you do this, we could reach thousands of fans by December 31, 2010. That is the cutoff date. I continue to urge you to spread Michael's message of L.O.V.E. Don't look for celebrities to stand up for Michael. We the fans, have and always will, fight for Michael, his legacy and his children. This, above all else, shows just how much millions of fans love Michael and his message.

Angels in the Shadows

This is the time of year that I am most grateful for what has transpired in the last 12 months. This year, I am more grateful than I have been in others. Michael Jackson's life and death have been a personal journey for me, as it has been for many others. What I have learned on this journey are numerous; the concept of love for a man most have not met personally, the acts of kindness from perfect strangers, the bonding of individuals whose only commonality is their love and loyalty to Mr. Michael Jackson, just to name a few.

The single most important lesson I learned this year is the lesson that the angels in the shadows have taught me. Angels in the shadows are those who loved Michael Jackson and continue to further a positive legacy for him and his children. Angels in the shadows do not require attention or notoriety. These are the people who work behind the scenes, never asking for anything in return except to get the word out that Michael Jackson was innocent and continues to be crucified by the media, even in death.

There are countless numbers of angels in the shadows. Some are loud, some are quiet. Some are known within the MJJ community, some are not. Some run fan sites, others blog, others develop their own communities and still others flit from one site to another spreading information. What is truly miraculous is that Michael Jackson himself has created this; an incalculable amount of angels in the shadows who never give up, and who, despite the immeasurable amount of negativity, keep their heads held high and pursue an activist stance against the nonconstructive bias.

And so I am grateful. Grateful to have learned so much from the angels in the shadows. I thank you and I love you, even if we do not agree. I believe with all my heart that Michael gazes down from Heaven and his heart swells with pride to see so many angels in the shadows who follow his message...that really in the scheme of things, it's all for L.O.V.E.

Happy holidays to all of you. Justice

A Matter of Record for Michael: Protest Discovery

As most you know by now, one of the readers of many blogs including this one has received a response by the estate regarding the Discovery Channel Michael Jackson autopsy show. The estate executors have no legal standing regarding the protest of this show. They will monitor the show to ensure that there are no direct violations.

This is why, MJ fans, we must protest the show even more than before. Two important things I heard today:

#1: It will be a matter of public record as to how many people sign the petition and how many people send letters to the Discovery Channel UK in protest. MJ3 WILL BE ABLE TO SEE just how many fans have protested the airing of this show for Michael and for his children.

#2 I received a tweet today that essentially said that although we are protesting Michael's show specifically, that we should remember Michael's message as well. Michael would want us to protest this show for everyone, not just for him.

So I took a look at this so-called Dr. G and her show. She has aired shows on many, many celebrities. Under Fallen Stars: Celebrities and Drugs, Dr. G has aired shows on Chris Farley, Sid Vicious, Janis Joplin, Ol' Dirty Bastard, River Phoenix, Anna Nicole Smith, DJ AM, Heath Ledger, Chris Penn and now Michael Jackson.

This show is completely unacceptable for anyone. Michael Jackson would NEVER condone the airing of reenacted autopsies because it one of the indignity of the deceased and morally reprehensible.

Please continue to send your letters to:

Nicolas Bonard
Discovery Enterprises International
Chiswick Park Building 2
566 Chiswick High Road
London, W4 5YB
UK

Or simply email mjj@innocent.com and THEY WILL FORWARD YOUR LETTER OF PROTEST TO THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL UK.

MJ fans....DO NOT GIVE UP AND DO NOT EXPECT SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT. SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR MICHAEL AND HIS CHILDREN....PROTEST AND RAISE YOUR VOICE FOR MICHAEL AND HIS MESSAGE!

A special thanks to SandyK, whose tireless work to promote Michael's message and deter negativity is a model for all MJ fans to follow.

Sign your name, Sign your name

I thought of something different. I am desperate to get people to sign the petition or email a letter so the Discovery channel show on the Michael Jackson autopsy can be stopped.

Here is the letter that the petition covers:

"Based on the authopsy’s(sic) report and court documents, the film will show a reproduction of the body of the star in every detail. The documentary aims to follow a doctor who will dissect the body and reveal the true reasons for his death by spreading rumors about his addiction or his skin condition.

Like any other human being on this earth, Michael Jackson is entitled to a minimum of decency and respect. Over the months, media accumulate abuse and act as low as before.
We ask the directors of the Discovery Channel programming to proceed with the outright cancellation of this indecent documentary, detrimental to both the person and his family and loved ones. UNITE against the ignominy !"


BLOG READERS: Post your name in a comment below. That's all it takes. With your name, you consent to it being sent to MJJ Justice Project in protest of the Discovery Channel Michael Jackson autopsy show. (If you don't want to post it here, ask your fan site or another blogger to send your name to MJJ Justice Project mjj@innocent.com)

JUSTICE FOR MICHAEL JACKSON AND HIS CHILDREN. Sign your name!

#MJJ@INNOCENT.COM

Today I don't care who gets mad at me for this blog. I don't care about the reasons why or why not fans should buy the CD; buy it or don't buy it, fans were gonna do that anyway. I don't care about who thinks Michael is alive and I don't care what track comes out next on the radio. I don't care about who is tweeting what. I don't care about what video people are posting on Facebook. Today all I care about is stopping the Discovery Channel Michael Jackson autopsy show. If you have the time to tweet, then you have the time to write a short letter to the Discovery Channel stating your opinion.

The petition has 5,236 signatures. EVERYONE is either blogging or talking about this show with disgust. The media has picked up the story. Look at the list: CNN blog, TMZ, Hollywood Reporter, E Online, Billboard, the list goes on and on and on.

MJ fans, TAKE 5-10 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME away from Twitter/Facebook/blogs, fan clubs and EMAIL:

mjj@innocent.com

THEY WILL FORWARD YOUR LETTER TO THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL. This is ESPECIALLY TRUE for MJ fans who live in Europe, specifically the UK.

All it takes is a few minutes of your time. SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR MJ AND SHOW YOUR POWER IN STOPPING THIS ATROCIOUS SHOW FROM AIRING. Fans, we have the power to do this. Don't give up and don't leave it for someone else to do. EMAIL THOSE LETTERS TODAY.

MJ Estate v. Howard Mann

This blog will essentially reiterate Harriet Ryan's L.A. Times article entitled "Michael Jackson estate is warily watching rival releases". Ryan's article not only explains the relationship between Mann and Katherine Jackson, but gives quotes from Katherine, Mann and Weitzmann regarding this questionable business relationship. Ryan states:

1. Howard Mann is responsible for Katherine Jackson's appearance on the Oprah show to promote her book.

2. Mann's past business ventures included nude online gambling and "a naked woman's wrestling league".

3. The MJ estate executors have drawn an extremely hard line against anyone who uses MJ's likeness and unlicensed merchandise, which in addition to promotion deals, has "translated into hundreds of millions in posthumous earnings." Therefore, the estate is watching Howard Mann and his business dealings with Katherine Jackson.

4. The MJJ estate is "reticent to offend Katherine Jackson" and had not at that time, taken any action to curb Mann's appetite to use Michael Jackson's name/likeness. (We know now that the estate HAS filed court docs against Mann).

5. However, "Mann is taking on the estate armed with two weapons--a legal loophole that he says gives him carte blanche to flout intellectual property laws and an unlikely alliance with Jackson's mother, Katherine."

5a. Katherine is frustrated with the size of her allowance from the estate and has entered into business ventures with Mann to supplement her income.

5b. The loophole...Vintage Pop Media.

Sidenote: History of Vintage Pop Media:

a. Katherine and Joe Jackson had assembled a collection of Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson memorabilia, and put it all into a storage locker. Jackson's parents ran into financial difficulty and ultimately the contents of the storage locker were sold in a 2001 bankruptcy auction. Henry Vaccaro bought the storage unit.

b. Vaccaro set up a pay-per-view website of the Jackson memorabilia, but Michael Jackson sued Vaccaro for "copright infringement, cybersquatting, violating of his privacy rights and other claims in 2004" but after his acquittal, he left for Bahrain. A judge dismissed the case, and ruled "with prejudice", meaning that "the singer was barred from refiling the same claims."

c. After Michael died, Vaccaro put the word out that he wanted to sell Vintage Pop Media. Not only were the contents valuable, but Mann saw the court ruling as the most valuable piece connected it. "As Mann saw it, whoever owned the company Jackson had sued, was forever immunized against intellectual property suits from Jackson or his heirs and he had free rein to make money from Jackson's name."

d. An attorney independent of Michael Jackson, his family or the estate is quoted as saying that Mann is correct, and that "by abandoning the case, Jackson essentially 'forfeited his intellectual property'".

6. Howard Weitzman disagrees and is quoted as stating that Mann's "day is coming. The estate will be taking appropriate legal action." (Note: The estate did take legal action a few days before Ryan's article was published.)

7. "In a telephone interview, Katherine Jackson praised estate executors John Branca and John McClain for doing 'a very good job' managing the estate but criticized her monthly cash allowance of $7000 to $8000 as inadequate and said it left her dependent on Mann to cover her expenses."

8. Again, Weitzman disagrees. Weitzman states that cash payments to Katherine Jackson are only part of the estate's agreement. The estate has paid off the Encino home mortgage, and pays the bills for security, household staff, vehicles, food, tuition and vacations. (Let's not forget that the estate is also footing the bill for the renovations and repairs at the Encino compound.) Weitzman states that the "estate has spent millions of dollars for Mrs. Jackson's benefit and on direct living expenses of both Mrs. Jackson and the children."

So we have on one hand, the fact that Katherine Jackson is Michael's mother and he adored her. Should Katherine have the right to profit from her son's intellectual property? On the other hand, we have the estate executors who are dealing with a questionable influence on Katherine, and the fact that Branca has worked very hard to squash any use of Michael's intellectual property without permission from the estate.

It is my opinion that if Howard Mann gave one damn about Michael, his intellectual property or MJ3, he would not try to profit from these business ventures.

Discovery Channel, Weitzman and Branca

Well, I got so excited that I posted information I should not have. So this is it in a nutshell. A reader of this blog, and of other blogs as well named June, wrote on the blog that she emailed Howard Weitzman, attorney for John Branca/John McClain to complain about the Discovery Channel's Michael Jackson autopsy reenactment. Here is the response she received from Weitzman:

"I was not aware of this fact and will look into this situation. What an outrageous and pathetic concept. Thanks for bringing this to my attention." Howard

I was ecstatic that Howard Weitzman had taken the time to email June. So I emailed John Branca. I wrote a short note to him about my concern about the airing of this show. Branca emailed back within a few minutes and said:

"I am outraged as well. We are checking whether it can be stopped."

I was so excited that the estate was getting involved in this, that I took a screen shot which shows the entire Internet world private information.

Two things I would request:

#1 PLEASE CONTINUE TO WRITE TO THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL AND PROTEST THE AIRING OF THIS SHOW.

#2 Please do not inundate John Branca with email regarding this show. He is aware and doing what he can to stop it, if possible.

Thanks to June, MJJ Justice Project, and John Branca.

MJ Fans: One Voice Against Discovery UK

I realize that I have blogged about this already, but the more I think about it, the more I recognize how appalling a re-enactment of Michael Jackson's autopsy truly is.

In the past few days, many articles have re-published TMZ's article regarding fans' outrage over the airing of this show on Discovery UK. Yet, when one looks at the petition, it only has 1,500 signatures. Now, I do understand that the petition requires us to log in via Twitter or Facebook, and that some are hesitant to do this.

One of the areas that I have NOT seen covered in blogs is the fact the Discovery Channel has withdrawn shows before they aired. In the article titled "Mythbusters Gagged: Credit Card Companies Kill Episode Exposing RFID Security Flaws" the author states:

Credit card companies successfully nixed a Mythbusters segment exposing RFID's security flaws, according to Arbiter of Truth and Mythbusters co-host, Adam Savage. Texas Instruments comes on along with chief legal counsel for American Express, Visa, Discover, and everybody else... They were way, way outgunned and they absolutely made it really clear to Discovery that they were not going to air this episode talking about how hackable this stuff was, and Discovery backed way down being a large corporation that depends upon the revenue of the advertisers. Now it's on Discovery's radar and they won't let us go near it.

This means that the advertisers for the Discovery Channel had enough clout to pull the show in question before it aired.

Please MJ fans....there is very little time to take action but the end result is possible! There are three steps:

1. Write:
Nicolas Bonard Senior Vice President
Discovery Enterprises International Discovery Networks Europe /Oprah Winfrey Network
Chiswick Park Building
2566 Chiswick High Road
London, W4 5YBUK

2. Email your letters to MJJ Justice Project at:

mjj@innocent.com

3. ANYONE WHO HAS INFORMATION ON WHO ARE THE MAJOR ADVERTISERS FOR DISCOVERY CHANNEL UK, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AS TO WHO THEY ARE.

Hitting the Discovery Channel with respectful letters along with a refusal to use their advertisers' products may be the only avenue to produce results. Shamone MJ fans! Use your voice for Michael and for his children.

I'm Starting With the Fan in the Mirror

With all the excitement and controversy for Jackson fans due to the upcoming release of "Michael", the release of the Hold My Hand video (WOOO HOOO) and even the dread and anticipation of the Murray trial, there is something very disturbing lurking in the background. Today while reading tweets, I kept seeing something about a Discovery channel petition. I haven't had much time to research it, but it would seem as if the Discovery channel HAS LOST THEIR FREAKING MINDS.

From a fan website I found this:

Michael Jackson's Autopsy Thursday 13th January, 9.00pm on Discovery Channel (UK)

Global PremiereBased on the official coroner record, court documents and press reports, this unique documentary dramatises Michael Jackson's autopsy to discover the truth about his untimely demise in 2009. Independent pathologist, Dr Michael Hunter, performs a full autopsy on an anatomically correct synthetic cadaver, including a dissection of artificial organs. This film tells the real story behind the medical myths that surrounded Jackson throughout his troubled life - his drug addiction, his vitiligo and other disorders. With an exclusive testimony from one of Jackson’s long time personal physicians, Discovery Channel unravels the complex series of events that led to a relatively healthy 50 year old man dying unnecessarily.

This is completely unethical and unacceptable for many reasons:

#1 Michael Jackson HAS CHILDREN who will eventually hear the gruesome details of this "documentary".

#2 Of EQUAL IMPORTANCE, THIS DOCUMENTARY COULD COMPROMISE AND/OR TAINT CONRAD MURRAY'S TRIAL OUTCOME.

I can think of many more reasons that this show should NEVER air, but those are the two most important.

PLEASE FANS!! We may be divided regarding a lot of issues on Michael, but everyone wants to see justice served in the trial of Conrad Murray! And every single fan of Michael Jackson wants his children to be protected for as long as possible from media crap like this so-called documentary.

A petition has been drawn up at the petitionspot.com. Here is the link. So far, only 609 people have signed it.

Also, on the site it gives several emails and a prototype letter which I am going to post here.

Discovery Channel : http://corporate.discovery.com/contact/viewer-relations/

Discovery Channel UK: http://www.yourdiscovery.com/web/contact-us/uk/

Viewer Relations: http://dsc.discovery.com/utilities/about/viewer-relations.html

Prototype letter:

"The documentary you are about to broadcast on January 13 is an affront to human dignity !Whether it's Michael Jackson or simply anonymous, this type of sensational and unscrupulous reporting can only cause harm.For these reasons, we ask the simple withdrawal of this damaging reconstruction that only attacks the deceased and his family.Michael Jackson is not an excuse for systematic exploitation ! To a question of ratings, you're ready to broadcast anything and everything !Should we make a boycott of your programs to be heard ? "

Michael Jackson fans....there is not one among us who cannot do what Michael Jackson asked us to do....be the fan in the mirror, and let's make that change to ban this documentary from EVER hitting the airwaves.

Fact, Fiction and Fantasy: Branca on The Wrap.com

Today on The Wrap. com, the first of a five part investigative piece by Johnnie L. Roberts, on the relationship between Michael Jackson and John Branca was published. The article is entitled "Michael Jackson and John Branca --a Major Wrap Series". This blog will review the three parts of the first piece released.

First part: "How Michael Jackson Nearly Lost His Prized Music Catalog":

1. Author Roberts begins the piece by stating that Branca is overseeing the estate as he oversaw Michael Jackson's business affairs during his lifetime. Similarly, the author states that Branca is negotiating the ATV debt as he did while Jackson was alive.

Fiction. The estate status report, filed in October, 2010, pdf page 22 states that "the special administrators have recently completely successful negotiations with UBS to refinance the loan secured by the Estate's interest in Sony/ATV as well as extensive negotiations with Sony to complete the refinance negotiation....The negotiations resulted in an amended agreement with Sony to the great benefit the Estate and a new loan at a substantially lower interest rate for the Estate, which is locked in for the period of the loan." Therefore, the information from the author should have been updated to include the negotiations of the refinancing of Jackson's half of the ATV.

2. Roberts provides a somewhat obscure history of the relationship between Branca and Jackson, stating that it was "punctuated by moments of brilliance, such as when the lawyer orchestrated Jackson's purchase of the Beatles' song catalog, ATV music, perhaps the most important deal in Jackson's life.

Fact. John Branca, as we all know, did help Jackson acquire the ATV catalog.

3. Roberts then moves on to question Branca's loyalty to Jackson, stating that "...some might conclude that Branca is no hero at all. A deal in 2003 to sell Jackson's interests in the Beatles' and MIJAC catalogues to the investment bank Goldman Sachs will lead some to question Branca's role in Jackson's business affairs.

Fact. Many fans are suspicious of John Branca and whether he had Michael Jackson's best interests at heart.

4. Roberts then goes on to reiterate that the ATV loan needs to be renegotiated (see #1) and then erroneously places a comparison image of Jackson's signature; one from a letter firing Branca in Februrary 2003, and another that Jackson "authorized trustees to borrow $35 million from Bank of America".

I have a two part question for author Roberts. Up until this point, Roberts is writing about John Branca. In the midst of this subject, Robert interjects two signatures by Michael Jackson, that appear to be dissimilar. What does this have to do with John Branca? The image, which is later shown in full here, is part of the Bank of America loan which was originally $35 million but later was renegotiated for $70 million. Branca's name is mentioned once in this document, but the signatures required were that of Malnik and McClain, not Branca.

Jury's out on this one, I'm not a lawyer. (However, this document does prove that Jackson's firing letter to Branca, dated February of 2003, DID NOT TERMINATE THE SERVICES OF BRANCA FOR LONG. This document is dated in August of 2003, so Branca was in fact, employed by Jackson in late 2003.)

Next up: "Inside Secrets of the Goldman Deal"

5. Roberts states that there was a deal between Michael Jackson and Goldman Sachs to get rid of Jackson's crushing $270 million debt. According to Roberts, "As the proposal evolved during more than a year, its fundamental flaw -- that Jackson all but surely would forfeit his songs -- remained clearly obvious to Branca. More than anyone, Branca knew that owning the songs was one of his client Jackson’s great passions and that the singer worried intensely about them slipping from his grasp....In a July 2003 missive on his firm’s letterhead, Branca essentially put Goldman on notice that it ultimately must assure certain of Jackson’s ongoing obligations -- “direct payment of this firm’s 5%” -- under certain circumstances if the proposal progressed."

Ultimately, the deal fell through. Roberts states that "as for Branca, by the time the deal collapsed, Branca was fired." However, later in the article, Roberts publishes the letter in its entirety here, and Branca CLEARLY outlines what should be expected in order to protect Michael Jackson's assets even though he is not working for Jackson any more.

Fantasy. My personal opinion is that the author baits the reader with innuendo and statements from Al Malnik, in order to create, once again, controversy within the Jackson fan base. Anyone who reads that letter will see that Branca had Jackson's best interests at heart, despite the fact that he had been fired. Roberts then states that "in case Michael wanted out of the venture, 'an exit strategy needs to devised for [him] to receive fair market value.' Skeptical of Goldman’s power grab, he insisted that 'Michael should have some control over the management and operation of the venture.'" This statement is an example of the contradictory
assertions on the part of author Roberts.

Third part: "The Secret Probe that Got Branca Fired"

6. Ahhhhh...the Interfor report. Roberts states that "Interfor’s investigation, 'found a tight business relationship between Branca and Tommy Mottola,' then-CEO of Sony Music, where Jackson was an artist, according to an excerpt from the firm’s final report. The excerpt added: 'Interfor has begun investigating the flow of funds from Jackson through Mottola and Branca into offshore accounts in the Carribean [sic].'" However, Roberts states that "The investigation, which apparently began in late 2002, provided no credible evidence to corroborate those and other assertions. And the probe may have been little more than part of an elaborate smear campaign intended to influence the beleaguered Jackson to fire Branca."

Fact! Branca was exonerated in the court of Jackson's opinion. Branca DID NOT put money into offshore accounts, period. At least Roberts got that right.

All in all, Roberts' article can be viewed in two ways. My personal opinion is that this article has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt what many fans have been saying since Michael died; that Branca was, and still is looking out for Michael's interests and the interests of MJ3.

We Have Not Forgotten You Conrad Murray

Every time I see these vacation pictures of Conrad Murray from last summer I get sick to my stomach, but this is an ironic pose isn't it? I have seen many tweets recently stating that instead of a posthumous CD, video game or Cirque show, they want to see justice for Michael Jackson. It's the one thing all fans agree on; justice. The vast majority of MJ fans want to see Conrad Murray pay for the death of our beloved Michael.

So while some fans rejoice at the new material coming out from the Michael Jackson estate, we also brace ourselves for the upcoming trial to begin on January 4, 2011. With this in the back of my mind, I started researching just exactly what was going on with Conrad Murray. Posted yesterday on TMZ, an article's headline reads: "Conrad Murray Hangs On to Medical License". After reading the article, TMZ states that "this all stems from issues related to child support he owed his baby mama....According to Murray's rep, the telephonic meeting ends their inquiry into Dr. Murray."

Hmmmm...something didn't sound right to me at this point. So the Nevada Medical Board has issues with unpaid child support, but has no problem with Murray transporting propofol over state lines, administering propofol in a home setting, or with the death of another human being? So as I click back on my pc to resume researching, I read the headline that Google has for the TMZ article. This headline is different than the link above, and it states, "Dr. Conrad Murray Sanctioned by Nevada Medical Board".

From the channel 8 website out of Nevada, an article titled "Medical Board Hears High Profile Cases" gives a more accurate description of Murray's license status. "The board announced a settlement Friday. Dr. Murray admits to wrongdoing and will have a reprimand on his state record. He will also have to pay the cost of the state investigation against him." The article also states that although "he is facing involuntary manslaughter charges for his role in (Michael Jackson's) death, Dr. Murray keeps his Nevada medical license for now." This is in direct conflict with what TMZ reported Dr. Murray's rep stated, that the Nevada Medical Board's issue stemmed from child support issues. Murray admitted to wrongdoing in the death of Michael Jackson, and yet was merely reprimanded by a medical board.

There are two issues here. The first is that the media continues to distort the facts that surround Michael Jackson, even nearly a year and a half after his death. The second is that Dr. Conrad Murray admitted wrongdoing. Jackson's family, friends and fans have known that Murray committed illegal activity with regard to administering propofol to Michael Jackson for 18 months.

A few weeks after Michael died, I remember reading an article about Ed Chernoff, the attorney Murray retained within days of MJ's death. The article, entitled "Best Course of Treatment: Representing Michael Jackson's Personal M.D." is a must read for Jackson fans. Among the highlights of the article:

1. Conrad Murray had to wire $600 to Chernoff for the flight from Texas to California because Chernoff believed Murray's request to retain him was a hoax.

2. On the morning of June 29, 2009, Chernoff, his partners and his PR team blitzed the TV news shows in Houston with their information about Murray. "Chernoff believe the blitz that Monday helped his client. Sevcik (PR person) says before the media interviews, she looked at roughly 100 comments posted on 20 different web sites and only 25% of those comments said that Murray was an innocent bystander in Jackson's death. After the Monday media appearances by Chernoff...that figure rose to 75%, Sevcik said...The message is expecially important in case Murray is charged with a crime; because it will improve Murray's chances of an unbiased jury pool and getting a fair trial."

Personally, this just sounds like a PR stunt to sway public opinion in favor of Murray, no matter whether he is guilty or not. When the horrid articles surfaced stating that Murray's defense was going to be based on Jackson self-injecting, my research partner told me the same thing. PR puts something out there, and then reads what public opinion will be to see if the public buys the defense or not. Nobody is buying that defense, Dr. Murray.

Jackson fans, keep in mind that the media has no integrity and especially with regard to Michael Jackson. And to Dr. Conrad Murray, we have not forgotten you. We will anxiously await your involuntary manslaughter trial and we will continue to fight for justice for Michael Jackson. You, Dr. Murray, are responsible for more pain than you could ever imagine. No matter how long it takes, in the end Dr. Murray, you will pay for taking Michael Jackson away from the world. Physician, heal thyself and tell the truth.

Why We Should Continue to Thank Charles Thomson

I first heard of Charles Thomson, as many MJ fans did, when his article "One of the Most Shameful Episodes in Journalistic History" was published in the Huffington Post in June, 2010. Immediately, this piece was spread throughout the MJJ Community; fans applauding, fan groups asking if he could speak publicly through their groups, and an overall feeling that finally, the truth about the media's irresponsible journalism and Tom Sneddon's ceaseless vendetta regarding Michael Jackson were coming to light. Thomson's article was tri-fold; not only did it speak of media's perversion of the facts, but it underscored the illegalities of Sneddon's actions and questioned whether charges should have ever been brought upon Michael Jackson in the first place.

I had no idea who this journalist Charles Thomson was at the time, so I went to the internet to research. I found his blog, in which many of the posts regarded Michael Jackson and Thomson's belief in his innocence. Highlights of the blog in its entirety include:

~July 2009, Thomson blogs about Martin Bashir and his manipulation of "Living With Michael Jackson"

~November, 2009, Thomson blogs regarding media bias against MJ and the Evan Chandler Suicide

~January, 2010, Thomson blogs about the FBI's release of information that supports Michael Jackson's innocence.

~November, 2010, Thomson blogs about Kelvin Mackenzie's statements about Michael Jackson and his children.

There are numerous other blogs in which Michael Jackson is the subject and contain valuable information that fans should read.

Recently, Thomson wrote an article about the "One More Chance" video and the story behind it, entitled "The Dream that Turned Into a Nightmare". Once again, Thomson gives the reader an insight into Tom Sneddon's series of unfounded attacks on Michael Jackson, and this time, how those attacks ended Jackson's dream of a movie career.

Thomson has been interviewed many times regarding Jackson. He has written countless pieces as well. And yet, he has been attacked and ridiculed as well. That has not stopped Thomson from writing what he feels is significant. What is truly important here is Thomson's message. First and foremost, Thomson points to journalistic integrity; to be honest and fair through journalism rather than to publish sensationalistic articles to gain ratings. Secondly, Thomson has maintained Jackson's innocence regarding the 2005 trial, in a public forum where the majority at least still question the accusation.

What is fascinating is Charles Thomson's age. Because he is young, he will continue to affect generations of readers who question Jackson's guilt or innocence. Readers should THANK Charles Thomson, rather than to accuse or berate him. I admire Thomson, and wish that he would research and write an article on Conrad Murray prior to the trial. I can always hope.