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CNN Saturday Morning News
Fans Give Jackson's Comeback Concert Rave Review
Aired September 08, 2001 - 08:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: As we showed you right here earlier, the one time king of pop is trying to have a big comeback with two concerts and tributes in New York City. The first of those was last night.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: And let's go now to two of his most ardent fans, who were both sitting right there on the front row. Donna Green and Lisette Theard-Jackson were in that front row last night and they must be running on adrenaline because they're with us this morning from our New York bureau. Thank you both for being with us this morning.
LISETTE THEARD-JACKSON, JACKSON FAN: Oh, you're welcome.
DONNA GREEN, JACKSON FAN: Thank you.
SAVIDGE: Let's start off, how was the show? How was it?
GREEN: Excellent.
THEARD-JACKSON: Amazing.
GREEN: Wonderful.
THEARD-JACKSON: Everything that I ever could hope for in a concert, really.
SAVIDGE: Really?
THEARD-JACKSON: It was.
GREEN: Yes, it was so great to see Michael back again. It was awesome, awesome, and the Jackson Five reunion was just so exciting. I'm so glad that that finally happened. It was, god, the highlight of the show. Really excellent, especially when 'NSync joined them. I mean my god, awesome.
MCEDWARDS: Donna, you're old enough to remember the Jackson Five, aren't you? Lisette...
GREEN: Yes. Yes.
MCEDWARDS: You're a bit younger, though, Lisette.
SAVIDGE: You're very brave.
THEARD-JACKSON: I'm a bit younger but my taste in music runs more toward the Earth Wind & Fire and the Isley Brothers variety. So I'm very much in tune with the Jackson Five's records, more so maybe than a lot of people my age you would think.
MCEDWARDS: Lisette, how is his new stuff?
THEARD-JACKSON: His new stuff, well, we've heard one song so far. The first single, that is called "You Rock My World." And I think really the production is wonderful and flawless. And it more tends toward a club song or a dance song. It was, I think, designed to remind people that he still can make happy, fun dance music and, you know, this is the first song that we've heard from him in about six years where he hasn't been angry or defending himself to people. And, you know, he's singing happy lyrics and it's a really good song. And I think the response on the radio has been wonderful for him.
I know that I heard it about 60 or 70 times in the last week when I was home in Los Angeles, California. So it's got a really good response.
MCEDWARDS: And Donna, it looks like he can still dance right there, huh?
GREEN: Oh, yes. It was awesome. I had the best time of my life. It was, Michael's just, he brings this magic that no one else can do. I mean he can just stand there and people are just in awe of him. He just has this presence about him that you just can't help but to watch him, his style, the way he moves. I mean he just brings his, he has something that no one else has. I mean I really feel he is the greatest entertainer in the world. I think he'll go down as the greatest entertainer, honestly, in history.
THEARD-JACKSON: I think the concerts last night...
SAVIDGE: Well, let me ask you this. As you sat in the audience last night and looked around at your fellow people who went...
GREEN: Yes?
SAVIDGE: Were they, was this sort of a trip down memory lane? Did it look like that kind of age group? Or were these new and young listeners that were maybe seeing Michael Jackson for the first time?
GREEN: No, you know, it was a mixture of all ages. I mean there were fans my age, older than me and young teenagers. I mean Michael, the fans Michael has comes in all ages.
THEARD-JACKSON: All ages.
GREEN: I mean teenagers, you know, people my age. My gosh, I saw fans there that surprised me that were in their 50s and 60s. It's unbelievable. I mean Michael just has an effect on all ages. He's wonderful.
THEARD-JACKSON: He's an interesting entertainer.
GREEN: Yes.
THEARD-JACKSON: There's no one age group that would apply to people that are interested in seeing him. Like some of the younger acts today you'd see, I think, 90 percent teen audience in their audiences. But with Michael, you had grandmothers sitting next to teenagers. You had people from all over the world in the audience and everyone was coming there not more as a trip down memory lane, but just to be a part of the magic and to witness this person live, which it's been now 12 years since he's done a mainland U.S. show and so the energy was just fantastic. So it was wonderful.
MCEDWARDS: How do you feel -- Donna, maybe I'll ask you this. How do you feel about all the attention that's been paid to his personal life? I mean there's been so little from him in recent years musically, but boy, we know about his marriages, his baby and...
SAVIDGE: And we think he's kind of strange.
MCEDWARDS: Well, yes.
GREEN: I think he, I think he has been treated very, very unfairly and I think a lot has to do with the tabloids. They've been so unfair with him. They act like he doesn't have a heart, like he has no feelings. You know, they talk about the color of his skin. You know, they try to insinuate that he's trying to make himself that way, trying to be white. That's not the case.
You know, he has a skin disorder. It's not very nice. He has a heart, you know? I mean you don't think he sees this stuff and, you know, you don't think it hurts him, you know? It's very unfair what they say about him. They don't do -- all the other celebrities in the world they don't -- Michael takes the worst beating out of everybody. And but you know what, though? Out of all the stuff that he has to deal with and he has to take on a daily basis, he has such class and dignity. You never hear Michael say a bad word about anybody.
So I mean, you know, in America they tend to, you know, if you see something on the TV or in a tabloid, people tend to believe it, you know? And it's unfortunate because this man has a heart of gold, you know? He is the kindest -- I've been fortunate enough to be able -- I've never met Michael. I've been fortunate enough to talk to him on the telephone once or twice.
MCEDWARDS: Oh, my goodness.
GREEN: He...
MCEDWARDS: You are an ardent fan.
GREEN: He's -- I love him. I will support him till the day I die. And, you know, he's very, he's so sweet. He's very, he's not as shy as what people think, you know? He's not strange. He's just as normal as you or I.
MCEDWARDS: All right...
GREEN: You know, he's awesome.
SAVIDGE: We're going to have to leave it there this morning. We thank you, Donna and Lisette...
GREEN: And don't read the tabloids. Don't believe them.
SAVIDGE: All right.
GREEN: That's for you, Michael.
THEARD-JACKSON: Most definitely not.
GREEN: That's for Michael.
SAVIDGE: OK, there you have it.
GREEN: We love you.
MCEDWARDS: We appreciate your time and I guess go to their...
GREEN: Thank you.
THEARD-JACKSON: Oh, you're welcome.
MCEDWARDS: Go to their fan site.
SAVIDGE: They're obviously still on that Michael high. Thanks, again.
GREEN: Thank you very much.
THEARD-JACKSON: Thank you.
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