Beat It

‘GIVEN the nature of his cosmetic surgery, can we ever be entirely sure that the Michael Jackson we see entering a Californian courthouse is the real deal?

Jukebox Jury

The figure dressed all in white and offering the “V” for victory sign to the fans who have come to see their hero looks like we imagine the singer to look.

But then so too does Navi. Billed as a “Jackson impersonator”, Navi from Essex has flown to Santa Maria to cheer on his idol and hold up a banner on which he has daubed in marker pen: “SMOOTH BUT NOT A CRIMINAL.”

Doubtless, Navi thinks this is a clever use of words, a pun on one of the singer’s biggest hits.

But how clever it is to go out in public dressed up as a man charged with molesting teenage cancer sufferer Gavin Arvizo, plying him with booze and plotting to kidnap him is debatable.

Chances are high that if Navi were following the trial in Portsmouth or any other hotbed of anti-paedophile rage, he’d be in trouble.

But in California, he’s surrounded by hundreds of likeminded Jackson supporters and, deprived of any words from the accused, it’s to them the papers turn for a story.

So to kick off the so-called “Trial Of The Century”, we turn to the Express and hear from Jordan Gibson, a 16-year-old who has flown to California from Newcastle-upon-Tyne with her grandmother Anne.

“I know he is innocent,” says Gibson. “To me Jackson represents purity and innocence and he will prove to the world that he is not guilty of these things.”

More fans are willing to talk, this time to the Mirror.

There are Hounslow’s Aneesh Pandya (“I would not have travelled such a long way to be here if I did not believe in Michael Jackson”) and Rupinder Gahunia (“Everyone wants to show him how much we love him”).

And here comes Pamela Goldfinch, 18, and her mum Yvonne. They’ve journeyed from Worthing, West Sussex, to cheer for their man and hold aloft a homemade banner that reads: “Innocent Until Proven Guilty. We Love Michael.”

And there’s Pamela with her banner again, this time in the Sun where she’s positioned alongside the paper’s shot of the real Jackson/Navi and his sign of support.

It all looks less like a trial and more like a bit of fun. But don’t be disheartened if you can’t make it out there as the paper reveals how you too can join in the show by buying Jackson trial memorabilia.

So, sit back and relax in a badge that says “Michael Is The Real Victim”. Slip on a woman’s thong on which is printed the legend “I SUPPORT MICHAEL”.

And when you see the real Michael in the street, playfully tweak his souvenir nose and tell him what a big fan you are…’

Posted: 1st, February 2005 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink