Return to Transcripts main page
Showbiz Tonight
Encore: CNN Presents: Man in the Mirror: The Life of Michael Jackson
Aired September 04, 2009 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Now, on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, a SHOWBIZ special report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
USHER, SINGER: The music would not be what it is without Michael Jackson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: How the sweet-faced singing phenomenon turned into a suffering star. Tonight, Michael`s painful confessions. The childhood he cried over and the abuse he said he couldn`t put behind him.
Michael`s many faces, tonight, the turning point that sparked a shocking physical transformation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER CASTRO, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR, "PEOPLE MAGAZINE": He stopped being a curiosity and he started being a freak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: How Michael`s rocket rise to stardom pushed him into dramatic darkness. Was Michael hiding a deeper secret?
And fall from grace. Michael`s unbelievable child molestation trial. The horrible accusations and the life-changing toll it took on the King of Pop.
A special edition of TV`s most provocative entertainment news show starts right now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Hello. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York City with this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "The Life of Michael Jackson."
There is simply no question that Michael was and will remain one of the biggest stars of all time. But for all of Michael`s ups, there were downs - his painful childhood and tormented relationship with his father, the plastic surgery, the child molestation charges.
Jackson`s sudden death has stunned the world leaving people everywhere looking for answers. How could the phenomenally talented superstar end up as such a tragic figure?
Well, we begin with Michael`s confessions in his own words as he sheds some light on his troubled story. From "CNN Presents: The Man in the Mirror", here`s CNN`s Don Lemon for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SMOKEY ROBINSON, SINGER: When I first saw him, I was amazed at his talent, to be 10 years old. It was just incredible.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): From child prodigy to cultural icon.
SEAN DIDDY COMBS, RECORD PRODUCER (through telephone): This man was the greatest recording artist of our time. This man, through his music, actually like, made a change in the world.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
LEMON: The King of Pop.
USHER: Michael had an unseen magic to influence people, the music and the culture. Music would not be what it is without Michael Jackson.
LEMON: The soundtrack of a generation.
BERRY GORDY, FOUNDER OF MOTOWN RECORDS: Michael Jackson doesn`t just come along once in a century or a lifetime. He only comes along once.
LEMON: All silent at age 50.
JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON`S BROTHER: My brother, the legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 2:26 p.m.
LEMON: As his life was controversial -
CRAIG MARKS, FORMER EDITOR, BLENDER MAGAZINE: He raised the bar for image makeovers to a point where no one else wants to even come close to it.
LEMON: So is his death.
DR. DEEPAK CHOPRA, MICHAEL JACKSON`S FRIEND: He was the victim of circumstances. He was the victim of his own body-image. He was the victim of the media frenzy around him.
LEMON: Millions in mourning. They are mourning in Gary, Indiana, too, Michael`s hometown. He was the seventh of nine children. Flags at half staff, a memorial at his childhood home. His steelworker father, Joe, turned five of his boys into a band with five-year-old Michael out front.
One of the first venues, the auditorium of Roosevelt High. Here, the Jackson 5 won the talent contest and wowed the crowd.
JOANN SAMS, SECRETARY, ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL: Oh, it was just unbelievable, because they were so young, but yet, they were so talented. They performed as if they had been performing for years. And we were so excited.
LEMON: From the high school auditorium to the big-time. Media mogul Suzanne de Passe was there at the beginning.
SUZANNE DE PASSE, MEDIA MOGUL/DISCOVERED JACKSON 5: I was asked to come to see this group.
LEMON: De Passe was just starting out at Motown, working with founder Berry Gordy.
DE PASSE: I saw these kids, and they were unbelievable. And I called Mr. Gordy and I said, "Oh, I`ve just seen the most fantastic act."
GORDY: When she told me about another kids` group I said, wait a minute, I got all these other stars.
DE PASSE: I went back one more time, mustered up all my courage. And I said, "Mr. Gordy, you just have to see these kids."
GORDY: Suzanne de Passe insisted I meet with these kids and audition them.
LEMON: An audition seen in this video from a documentary produced by Michael Jackson.
GORDY: They were sensations. They were tremendous. And the lead singer, Michael, was just so incredible. And immediately, I was up all night trying to think of the type of songs that would create excitement among people.
LEMON: Motown gave the group a record deal. And the Jacksons began their rocket rise to stardom.
J. RANDY TARABORELLI, BIOGRAPHER: From the time that most kids were building tree houses, Michael Jackson was building an image. At the age of 10, he was told to say that he was eight. And Michael was happy to play along with that, because he understood at a very early age that image- making and public relations was very important.
LEMON: It worked. The Jackson 5 exploded on the charts. Their first three single "I Want You Back," "ABC," and "The love You Save" all hit number one.
TOURE, FORMER CNN POP CULTURE ANALYST: The sound was incredible. The weight, the gravity, the way he would sing. And then he would dance, you know. And his brothers were on stage with him. I mean, you couldn`t stop him.
LEMON: But behind the image of a happy family and their rags-to-riches story, there was something else - incredibly hard work, and a father who pushed his children. In 1993, Jackson spoke about both in this interview with Oprah Winfrey.
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": So he would tease you, and make fun of you?
MICHAEL JACKSON, KING OF POP: Yes.
WINFREY: Did he ever beat you?
MICHAEL JACKSON: Yes, he did.
WINFREY: And that was difficult to take, getting beaten and going on stage and performing?
MICHAEL JACKSON: Yes.
WINFREY: And why would he beat you?
MICHAEL JACKSON: Because he wanted me to - I guess, maybe, I don`t know if I was his golden child or whatever it was.
LEMON: In a BBC interview, Joe Jackson admitted whipping Michael with a switch or a belt, but denied ever beating him. Beating, Joe maintained, is something you do with a stick. Success at such a cost left Jackson with conflicted feelings for his father.
RABBI SCHMULEY BOTEACH: On the one hand, he would always complain, "My father didn`t love me enough. My father made me into a performance machine. My father was too strict. He was too much of a disciplinarian. He made me rehearse too much. I would see kids on the monkey bars and I would cry because I couldn`t have a childhood."
LEMON: Rabbi Schmuley Boteach was a friend and spiritual visor to Michael Jackson.
BOTEACH: I said, "Look at the flip side of that. Because of that you became a great performer, and maybe even because you were not given enough love as a child, you wanted the world`s love. So you worked really hard perfecting your dance moves, and you became a big superstar. Would you trade it in for a normal childhood and be a celebrity?" And interestingly, He`d say to me every time, "No, I wouldn`t do that."
LEMON: Jackson and his brothers would become preteen idols, appearing in commercials and on magazine covers. However, Jackson`s teenage years were awkward. He suffered from bad acne and was self- conscious of his appearance.
BOTEACH: He did say to me that he was once on an airplane, and his father said to him, "You know, your nose isn`t nice," or something like that. And generally, he expressed to me that he was made to feel that he was ugly, that he was not pretty. And sadly, he really internalized that message.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Don Lemon for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Well, Michael`s painful childhood didn`t seem to slow him down. But after a dramatic split from Motown Records came an earth-shattering match.
Tonight, when Michael met Quincy. Coming up, Quincy Jones speaks about his record-breaking partnership with Michael Jackson.
We will also have this -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASTRO: The most incredible part of that whole thing was that on his being wheeled to the hospital, you know, he`s waving to his fans with the glittery glove.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Michael was on top of the world when a shocking on-set accident changed everything. In a split second, his hair catches fire but leaves a lifetime of physical and emotional scars. Tonight, the inside story behind Michael`s reaction to the event that would change his life forever.
Then, Michael Jackson, the defendant. Awful accusations - Michael charged with molesting children. Tonight, Jackson`s former attorneys open up about Michael`s devastating, emotional rollercoaster during the battle of his life. This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN, "The Life of Michael Jackson."
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CHER, SINGER: God gives you certain gifts and some people he gives different gifts and some people he gives more gifts. And this child was just an extraordinary child, touched by this ability to have people feel him and feel people. And he just had that sense that you get and you don`t get it from a living person.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "The Life of Michael Jackson." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Now, Michael Jackson, the superstar. Michael was just 5 years old when he hit the big time with his four brothers. And even as popular as he was as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, I doubt anybody could have predicted what would happen next.
A messy business break-up actually led to a partnership that would shift his career into high gear. Michael linked up with a then little-known music director by the name of Quincy Jones. Quincy helped Michael skyrocket to superstardom.
But the road was anything but smooth. A shocking accident left Michael with a lifetime of physical and emotional scars. Our SHOWBIZ special report continues now. Once again, from "CNN Presents: The Man in The Mirror," here`s CNN`s Don Lemon for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): By 1975, the Jackson 5 had made a highly publicized split from Motown. And Michael Jackson was ready to spread his wings. Jackson would turn to Quincy Jones, then musical director for "The Wiz," now a multi-Grammy winning producer, arranger, and composer.
QUINCY JONES, MUSIC PRODUCER: I said, "You know what? I`d like to take a shot at producing your record." And we started going, we started to get going. And the record company said, "No, Quincy`s too jazzy. He`s not the person to do this." And so Michael and his managers fought them and said, "Quincy`s doing the record."
LEMON: Legendary music producer Quincy Jones would produce Jackson`s first adult solo album, 1979, "Off the Wall." The album was a smash with songs like "Don`t Stop till You Get Enough" and "Rock with You," reaching number one.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the greatest moment that disco has in its entire history.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
JOHN NORRIS, FORMER CORRESPONDENT, MTV NEWS: They are songs that still hold up today. They don`t sound dated. I guess what none of us could have anticipated was the album they would then produce after "Off the Wall."
LEMON: That album was 1982`s "Thriller." And it would catch fire when Jackson unveiled an out of this world dance move on a television special for Motown`s 25th anniversary.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
NORRIS: What a moment that was in pop culture history when he moon-walked across the stage there.
TOURE: So he`s doing the moonwalk. Which when he first did it nationally, it was like, wait, is gravity being, like, messed with here? Special effects? Like what are we doing? I mean, within six months, every 10- year-old in Dallas could do it.
LEMON: The transformation was complete. Michael Jackson was about to go from child pop star to the biggest star on the planet.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
In November 1982, 24-year-old Michael Jackson released "Thriller." And with that historic piece of vinyl, a phenomenon was born.
TOURE: The record flew out of stores. It could not be stopped.
NORRIS: From the iconic look to the moonwalk to the glove, the red jacket and with the zippers and glasses and the white socks.
LEMON: R&B superstar Usher -
USHER: If it wasn`t music, it was obviously dance that influenced us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
LEMON: Saying "Beat It" to the competition, for 37 weeks the album sat at number one and is, to this day, the top-selling album in the world. "Thriller" broke records, with seven top 10 singles. And it also broke barriers.
USHER: Being the first black artist to ever have a video played on MTV was pivotal for all of us. There would be no other form, honestly. There wouldn`t be BET. There wouldn`t even be the MTV that is now without Michael Jackson`s influence.
NORRIS: And of course, it paid off for all of us, because, I mean, the idea of MTV without Michael Jackson`s videos from "Thriller" is almost inconceivable.
LEMON: Fan clubs, trading cards, Michael Jackson dolls. The craze reached a fever pitch in 1984 when a Pepsi commercial gone awry sparked even more frenzy.
CASTRO: He`s on the set, and he`s descending a staircase. There`s a flash behind him, and his hair catches on fire. The most incredible part of that whole thing was that on his being wheeled to the hospital, you know, he`s waving to his fans with the glittery glove, you know, to the end a showman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Don Lemon for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Now, some say it was that burning incident that led to Michael`s use of painkillers. Still, even that scary accident wasn`t enough to derail Michael`s incredible career. One month later, Michael Jackson went on to win eight of his 13 Grammy Awards.
But a decade later, Michael`s music took a backseat to devastating accusations involving children. And Michael Jackson was forced to defend his reputation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL JACKSON: I ask all of you to wait and hear the truth before you label or condemn me. Don`t treat me like a criminal because I am innocent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Michael fights back against child molestation charges, charges that haunted him for years. Coming up, Michael, the defendant. A very bizarre trial pushed Michael towards an emotional breakdown. His former attorneys open up about what really happened behind the scenes.
Also, the King of Pop marries Elvis` daughter. Michael`s shocking wedding to Lisa Marie Presley. They said it wouldn`t last and it didn`t. But boy, did Michael give us all something to talk about. Tonight, never- before-heard details about his relationship with Lisa Marie. Did Michael really predict his death?
And the many faces of Michael. The startling story behind his countless plastic surgeries. You`re watching a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "The Life of Michael Jackson."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERYL CROWE, SINGER: I grew up with him - watching him as a 4 and 5-year- old. My first record was "ABC" and how much he changed all of our lives and then to be able to stand up there with, I think, the consummate performer of my lifetime and learn from him. And I can`t - there`s no way to express how amazingly talented this person was.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "The Life of Michael Jackson." There is no doubt that Michael was one of the greatest entertainers ever. But was he the best entertainer of all time? Better than the Beatles, better than Elvis?
There`s actually a raging debate going on among SHOWBIZ TONIGHT viewers. Our "Showbiz on Call" phone lines - they have been lighting up. And Debra from Louisiana says Michael is the king of kings. .
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DEBRA, CALLER FROM LOUISIANA: I truly believe that he is the greatest of all time. There`s no comparison to Elvis or the Beatles because he really made a difference in every race with his music. And with that being said, I miss him and we love him and he will be greatly missed.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Thank you, Debra. We also heard from Pam calling into "Showbiz on Call" from Texas. And Pam says, the Beatles and Elvis made Michael Jackson possible.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
PAM, CALLER FROM TEXAS: PAM, CALLER FROM TEXAS: The whole debate about who`s the better artist - it`s really sort of ridiculous because while they`re all great artists in their own time, Michael wouldn`t have been where he was if The Beatles and Elvis hadn`t paved the way.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: Thanks a lot, Pam. We`ve also been getting a ton of E-mails on this. We heard from Janice in California. And Janice thinks, "There is only one entertainer that will forever live on as the number one legend in this world and that is Elvis Presley. Long live the king of rock `n roll."
But Sherwin from Florida says, "No entertainer in the history of the business was a better showman than Mike. His performances were monumental.
Thank you so much for your E-mails and your phone calls. And remember, you can always E-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. You can also get in touch with us on our SHOWBIZ TONIGHT Facebook page. You can sign up for that on our Web site. Just go to CNN.com/ShowbizTonight.
And you can always call our "Showbiz on Call" phone lines at 1-888-SBT- BUZZ; that`s 1-888-728-2899. Leave us a voicemail and we`ll play some of your calls right here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
And your calls to "Showbiz on Call" are also now online on our homepage, CNN.com/ShowbizTonight.
Now, the SHOWBIZ lineup. Here is what`s coming up at the bottom of the hour on this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
The many faces of Michael Jackson, the countless surgeries, his skin condition. Tonight, we have the truth behind his unbelievable physical transformation.
Also ahead, the two kings. The stunning similarities between Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Two superstars, two shocking deaths.
Also this -
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: Meet the woman behind Michael`s huge hit song, "Man in the Mirror." This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "CNN Presents: Man in the Mirror" on HLN.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
COMBS: My heart is just hurting. It`s hard to explain in words. When I first heard the news, you know, I was just in shock. And as you just watch television and you see all the old videos, this man was the greatest recording artist of our time.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "The Life of Michael Jackson." Tonight, Michael`s many faces, the turning point that sparked his shocking physical transformation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASTRO: He stopped being a curiosity and he started being a freak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: How Michael`s rocket rise to stardom pushed him into dramatic darkness. Was Michael using plastic surgery to hide painful secrets?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL JACKSON: I ask all of you to wait and hear the truth before you label or condemn me. Don`t treat me like a criminal because I am innocent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Michael, the defendant. Michael fights back over accusations that he molested kids, accusation that is haunted him for years. A very bizarre trial pushed Michael towards an emotional breakdown. His former attorneys open up about what really happened behind the scenes.
A special edition of TV`s most provocative entertainment news show continues right now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Tonight, a SHOWBIZ special report, "The Life of Michael Jackson." Michael Jackson changed what it meant to be a star in every way. He changed music. He changed dance. He even changed fashion. But probably the biggest change of all was the shocking transformation of his appearance.
His countless plastic surgeries really made him unrecognizable from the fresh-faced star who first skyrocketed to the top. And then, there was a skin condition that left people wondering what really happened to Michael. And his physical transformation was literally just the surface of the emotional rollercoaster that he lived.
From "CNN Presents: The Man in the Mirror," here again is CNN`s Don Lemon for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): In July, 1984, the Jackson 5 reunited in a flurry of publicity. But their victory tour reviews were mixed.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Months later, Jackson partnered with Lionel Richie on an effort that was more warmly received. Concerned about hunger in Africa, Richie and Jackson wrote the song, "We are the World," and assembled a super group of two dozen artists to perform it.
LIONEL RICHIE, MUSICIAN: Now, one great thing that happened that we both had to realize, I can`t read or write music, and Michael cannot read or write music. So, how do you write a song called "We are the World"? So we started listening to tracks, like de, de, de, de, de, de. And we started - this is where we started.
LEMON: It was a triumph for Jackson as a musician and as a humanitarian. Despite the success of "We are the World" in the mid-`80s, seemingly soft- spoken Michael was retreating into a world all his own.
NORRIS: Michael had begun to exhibit a certain, I think aloofness, and a tendency to kind of withdraw from the world.
CRAIG MARKS, FORMER EDITOR, "BLENDER" MAGAZINE: Hysterical adulation does play tricks with your mind. So Jackson was almost doomed to implode somewhat anyway.
LEMON: By 1985, the pop star began looking different. People were talking about his plastic surgery.
TOURE: Every few months you would see him, and you`d go, whoa, you`re looking weird, dude. But I think it was about `85, `86, and I was like, wow. He`s not going to be able to get any weirder than this. And then, two years later, I was like, I was wrong.
LEMON: Family members came to Jackson`s defense.
JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON`S BROTHER: Well, you know, you have to say to yourself, who hasn`t?
KING: Yes, but -
JERMAINE JACKSON: I mean, his whole thing is, if there`s something that you feel that you want to change, and then you do that. There are many people in the past who have done many things to themselves and they`re not talked about like my brother is.
LEMON: In 1986, a photograph of Michael asleep in an anti-aging chamber rocked the tabloids. In 1987, his interest in the Elephant Man`s bones, Bubbles the chimp, Liz Taylor, and an array of strange disguises set tongues wagging.
CASTRO: He just wanted to give the world the impression he was like this mysterious, kind of enigmatic figure. His mistake is that he took it way too far, so that he stopped being a curiosity, and he started being a freak.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
LEMON: Jackson`s follow-up to "Thriller" hit stores in 1987 simply titled "Bad." The pop star`s eccentric behavior hardly deterred the album`s record-breaking five number ones.
Spawning iconic music videos and a sold-out world tour, "Bad" went on to sell 8 million copies, and Jackson went on to change his image once again. Taking a cue from "Bad`s" title, he became a crotch-grabbing tough guy, a far cry from his gentle, offstage persona.
And yet the money kept rolling in. In March, 1988, Jackson finalized the purchase of a 2,600-acre ranch. The cost - $19 million. He filled the property with an amusement park, a private zoo, and dubbed the oasis Neverland.
NORRIS: There`s a reason it`s called "Neverland Valley." You know? His fixation on the "I won`t grow up, I`m a lost boy, I`m Peter Pan."
LEMON: And with Neverland came the children.
TARABORELLI: Michael began to sort of surround himself with young boys, and much to, I remember, the chagrin of people who were working for him.
LEMON: Three years later, in the fall of 1991, "Dangerous" was released. Long-awaited, the buzz was big. As a result, its lead single, "Black or White," shot to number one. Coincidentally, fans were wondering about Michael`s much lighter skin tone, from black to white. Why? Jackson told Oprah he suffered from a rare skin disease.
CASTRO: If you believe the fact that he, you know - that he has this congenital skin condition, that`s why he`s so white, then fine. But a lot of people think that he has bleached his skin. With Michael Jackson, you never know what the truth is.
LEMON: But in 1993, disturbing allegations surfaced concerning Jackson`s association with children. A 13-year-old boy filed a lawsuit accusing the singer of sexually molesting him. Jackson vehemently denied the accusation on national TV.
MICHAEL JACKSON: I ask all of you to wait and hear the truth before you label or condemn me. Don`t treat me like a criminal, because I am innocent.
LEMON: The case was eventually settled for nearly $20 million, and the suit was dropped in 1994. But Jackson`s reputation was seriously damaged.
Less than a year later, Jackson made headlines again when he married Lisa Marie Presley, the 26-year-old daughter of Elvis.
TOURE: It was quite obvious to all of us from the beginning that it was a sham, that it was a publicity stunt. And it was just kind of disgusting and silly. Even from the beginning, when they`re nervously holding hands at MTV and he says, "Nobody thought this would last," and then he goes to kiss her. But she`s clearly like, "Whoa, what are you doing?"
LEMON: The marriage collapsed less than two years after the wedding. Presley filed for divorce in 1996. On the day after his death, Presley wrote on her blog that Jackson always thought he`d die early like her father. As Jackson`s marriage began to crumble, so did his career.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Don Lemon for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Well, just a couple of years later, Michael`s life was turned upside down. It was the trial of his life. Michael, the defendant, stood accused of molesting children.
And even though he was acquitted, Michael would never be the same again. Tonight, his former attorneys open up about Michael`s devastating, emotional roller coaster.
Also tonight, the two kings, the stunning similarities between Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Two superstars, two shocking deaths.
We`ll also have this -
(MUSIC PLAYING)
I do love that song. "Man in the Mirror" was one of Michael`s biggest hits. Tonight, I`ve got the amazing story you haven`t heard about the woman behind "Man in the Mirror." This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN, "The Life of Michael Jackson."
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
LIZA MINNELLI, ACTRESS: He was a wonderful man, a really nice, wonderful man. He was a lovely man. And he was a genius talent, absolutely genius. And I will miss him until the day I go.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "The Life of Michael Jackson." I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
Now, Michael Jackson`s fall from grace. Just when it seemed like his life couldn`t get any more controversial, there was the child molestation trial. And those closest to Michael at the time say it was one of the most trying times of his life.
Jackson raised eyebrows, not only for the accusations against him, but for the bizarre behavior caught on tape each day that he arrived to the trial. He was dancing on an SUV, arriving to court in his pajamas, a frail and frightened shell of a man we all knew as the pulse-pounding pop phenomenon. This was yet another shocking chapter in the King of Pop`s unpredictable life.
Once again, from "CNN Presents: The Man in the Mirror," here`s CNN`s Don Lemon for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): It seemed like another classic Michael Jackson performance, surrounded by screaming fans. But this time, Jackson`s stage was the roof of an SUV, outside the Santa Barbara County courthouse. After nearly a decade of being suspected of child molestation, the King of Pop was about to face the music.
BEN BROCKMAN, ATTORNEY FOR MICHAEL JACKSON: I was trying my best to get him down. I knew it wouldn`t look right. I knew it wasn`t appropriate.
LEMON: Ben Brockman was one of Jackson`s attorneys.
BROCKMAN: I recognized that, you know, this is Michael Jackson. He`s a 12-year-old superstar with thousands of people shrieking and screaming. He`s trying to not affect the legal proceedings in any way. I think he was responding to his fans by, at least, showing them his face.
LEMON: Brockman says the superstar was terrified.
BROCKMAN: We were alone in a room. This is the first time I really had an opportunity to be completely alone with him. Of course, in all other meetings there were a whole entourage present.
There were dozens of lawyers and bodyguards and assistants. And without warning, he just broke down and began to sob. And we were sitting very close and he actually collapsed on my shoulder. And he was sobbing.
LEMON: It would take a year before a jury was seated and the trial began. The circus surrounding the trial seemed more than Jackson could bear. The superstar seemed to be fading in front of the world`s eyes.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: He was emaciated. He didn`t exchange words with his lawyers very often. And as the trial progressed, he got weaker and weaker, including that one bizarre day when he called in sick and the judge said, come in anyway. And Jackson showed up in court in his pajamas.
LEMON: It was March 10, 2005, the second day of testimony by Jackson`s teenaged accuser.
BROCKMAN: I feared for Michael Jackson. Not that the trial was going to end badly, but that something would happen to Michael. When I saw that spectacle, I realized that my concerns about his frailty, about his physical issues, and emotional instability, were even more well-founded.
LEMON (voice-over): It was June 13, 2005. After more than two months of testimony, 135 witnesses, and seven days of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict.
Followed by news helicopters and a convoy of cars, Jackson rushed from Neverland Ranch to the courthouse. He was greeted by a crush of reporters and fans. It was the kind of attention and screams he was accustomed to. But his face was expressionless.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people of the state of California, plaintiff versus Michael Joe Jackson, defendant, not guilty of a lewd act upon a minor child.
LEMON: With each not guilty verdict, the crowd outside cheered.
THOMAS MESEREAU, LAWYER FOR MICHAEL JACKSON: I just looked at him and hugged him and he just said, "Thank you, thank you." He was very placid. He was very, very controlled.
He sat there on a daily basis, watching accusations hurled at him, suggesting that he was an insensitive monster. And I know that it tore him to pieces. He survived it with 14 acquittals. But was damage done to his soul, to his spirit, to his gentle, kind way of looking at the world? I suspect so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Don Lemon for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Well, after Jackson was acquitted of the child molestation charges, he deemed his home at Neverland Ranch forever tarnished. So he took his kids and moved as far away from Hollywood as possible to the country of Bahrain in the Middle East.
Michael Jackson, as we know, was known as the King of Pop and he shared some startling similarities to another king, Elvis Presley. Two superstars, two shocking deaths, two eerily similar stories. They even share, of course, a family connection. But will Michael and Elvis share the same legacy?
Here`s CNN`s Kyra Phillips with the two kings for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can`t help but wonder if we`ve been watching history repeat itself all this time. From humble beginnings in Tupelo, Mississippi, and Gary, Indiana, to iconic mega stardom.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PHILLIPS: Moves and music to scream for, to cry for. The powerful reaction of fans around the world made it clear. These guys were not your average pop stars. They were game-changers.
The King of Rock `N Roll, the King of Pop. One goes into movies; the other makes thrilling music videos. One becomes a sad, unrecognizable caricature of his former self. The other comes to look like a totally different person. His appearance and a litany of personal dramas upstage his career.
One isolates himself at Graceland, prescription pills and a questionable doctor in the mix, tabloid fodder. The other becomes an isolated mystery at Neverland, even moving overseas, then coming back to California. Prescription pills and a doctor who`s being asked a lot of questions in the mix. Tabloid fodder.
One makes a comeback -
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PHILLIPS: But can`t sustain it. Another is on the verge of one, but doesn`t live to make it. One dies at 42, the other at 50. Screams from the glory years become tears, tribute, grief you can see and hear.
Families left behind to deal with complex estates and children. And the tangible link that Elvis and Michael share, Lisa Marie. One king`s daughter, the other king`s one-time wife.
Death made a lot of people forget what Elvis became - a sad fallen icon transformed into a cultural touchstone who found even more riches and relevance in death.
The legends lasted longer than the living legends ever did. Don`t believe it? Go to Graceland on August 16th. Will Michael Jackson`s legend find the same kind of redemption in death? Is this how our children and grandkids will know him? Perhaps the show isn`t over yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Kyra Phillips for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And by the way, music seller, HMV says, in the week after his death, Michael outsold both Elvis and John Lennon in the weeks after their deaths. Fascinating.
Tonight, we`ve have the amazing story behind the woman who wrote "Man in the Mirror."
(MUSIC PLAYING)
This is one of my favorite songs. And tonight, I`ve got the amazing story you haven`t heard about the "Man in the Mirror" song writer. This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN, "The Life of Michael Jackson."
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Welcome back to this special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer.
Now, one of Michael Jackson`s most popular and meaningful songs is "Man in the Mirror." This was off of Michael`s "Bad" album. It spent two weeks at number one back in 1988.
The song also received a Record of the Year Grammy nomination. And tonight, I`ve got an amazing story behind the song, a song about taking a good long look at yourself to make the world a better place. Here`s CNN`s Thelma Gutierrez with the talented woman behind "Man in the Mirror" for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(PEOPLE SINGING "MAN IN THE MIRROR")
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Siedah Garrett wrote "Man in the Mirror" 21 years ago.
SIEDAH GARRETT, SONGWRITER, "MAN IN THE MIRROR": Quincy Jones - I was assigned to Quincy`s publishing company. And he wanted a song to finish out the "Bad" album. I wanted to write a song that made him feel like he had something to say important to the world. And I think he let me know that I did exactly that.
GUTIERREZ (on camera): What did he say to you?
GARRETT: He said, "`Man in the Mirror` is one of my favorite songs of all time."
GUTIERREZ: What was it like when you actually heard him singing your words?
GARRETT: I remember the first time I heard the song on the radio, I got goose bumps as I pulled over to the side of the road on the freeway. And I turned up the radio as loud as it would go, and I sat there with tears just streaming down my face. It was such a moving, emotional moment.
GUTIERREZ: What will you miss the most?
GARRETT: His voice, his laughter and his sense of humor.
GUTIERREZ: What has the world lost?
GARRETT: Music. We lost the music.
GUTIERREZ: So she sang as a tribute to her friend at the Agape Church in Los Angeles.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HAMMER: That was CNN`s Thelma Gutierrez for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. And that is it for this SHOWBIZ special report, "CNN Presents: Man in the Mirror." Thanks for watching. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
END
