O.J.
      Simpson
      this
      ain't—the
      coming
      Michael
      Jackson
      circus
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      1994,
      the
      O.J.
      Simpson
     
     
      trial
      forever
      changed
      the
      face
      of
      tele-
     
     
      vision
      news
      coverage.
      The
      trial
      was
     
     
      covered
      every
      day
      by
      every
      major
     
     
      network
      news
      outlet,
      and
      CNN
     
     
      broadcast
      the
      trial
      live
      most
      days.
     
    

    
     
      And
      while
      the
      events
      of
      the
     
     
      past
      days
      may
      suggest
      that
      Michael
     
     
      Jackson's
      troubles
      have
      all
      the
      trap-
     
     
      pings
      of
      the
      next
      "Trial
      of
      the
     
     
      Century,"
      I
      assure
      you
      that
      this
      will
     
     
      not
      be
      O.J.
      Part
      II.
      For
      one
      thing,
      not
     
     
      even
      in
      California
      would
      a
      judge
     
     
      allow
      these
      proceedings
      to
      be
      tele-
     
     
      vised.
      The
      12-year-old
      complainant
      is
     
     
      reportedly
      ready
      to
      testify
      for
      the
     
     
      prosecution,
      but
      the
      judge
      is
      likely
      to
     
     
      take
      all
      precautions
      to
      shield
      this
      wit-
     
     
      ness's
      identity.
     
    

    
     
      And
      the
      attractiveness
      of
      the
     
     
      story
      will
      likely
      diminish
      once
      the
     
     
      trial
      is
      underway
      and
      specific
      allega-
     
     
      tions
      begin
      surfacing
      regarding
     
     
      Jackson's
      conduct
      with
      these
      chil-
     
     
      dren.
     
    

    
     
      Case
      in
      point,
      the
      1993
      civil
     
     
      proceedings
      that
      were
      dropped
      when
     
     
      Michael
      Jackson
      paid
      off
      the
      family
     
     
      of
      the
      complainant.
      The
      sworn
      state-
     
     
      ments
      given
      in
      those
      proceedings
     
     
      allege
      that
      Jackson
      lured
      the
      com-
     
     
      plainant,
      J.
      Chandler,
      into
      his
      confi-
     
     
      dence
      and
      then
      had
      the
      boy
      mastur-
     
     
      bate
      him
      and
      perform
      oral
      copulation
     
     
      on
      Jackson.
      One
      statement
      paragraph
     
     
      out
      of
      a
      sworn
      statement
      reads
      that,
     
     
      "Michael
      Jackson
      had
      me
      suck
      one
     
     
      nipple
      and
      twist
      the
      other
      nipple
     
     
      while
      Michael
      Jackson
      masturbated.
     
     
      On
      one
      occasion
      when
      Michael
     
     
      Jackson
      and
      I
      were
      in
      bed
      together
     
     
      Michael
      Jackson
      grabbed
      my
      buttock
     
     
      and
      kissed
      me
      and
      put
      his
      tongue
      in
     
     
      my
      ear.
      I
      told
      him
      I
      didn't
      like
      that.
     
     
      Michael
      Jackson
      started
      to
      cry."
     
    

    
     
      The
      entire
      statement
      is
     
     
      extremely
      graphic
      and
      extremely
      dis-
     
     
      turbing.
      With
      the
      King
      of
      Pop
     
     
      now
      poised
      to
      meet
      charges
      of
      "lewd
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      or
      lascivious
      acts
      with
      a
      child
      under
     
     
      14"
      head
      on,
      the
      networks
      are
      not
      apt
     
     
      to
      want
      to
      cover
      the
      trial
      in
      the
      same
     
     
      in-depth,
      every-detail-counts
      manner
     
     
      in
      which
      the
      O.J.
      Simpson
      trial
      was
     
     
      covered.
      That
      trial,
      with
      its
      emphasis
     
     
      on
      forensic
      evidence
      and
      conspiracy
     
     
      theory,
      was
      the
      stuff
      network
      exec's
     
     
      dreams
      are
      made
      of.
      The
      fun
      is
      sim-
     
     
      ply
      sucked
      out
      of
      a
      celebrity
      trial
     
     
      when
      instead
      of
      two
      dead
      bodies
     
     
      there
      are
      violated
      children.
     
    

    
     
      The
      child's
      testimony
      will
     
     
      definitely
      be
      a
      big
      part
      of
      the
      trial.
     
     
      Under
      California
      law,
      complainants
     
     
      in
      criminal
      proceedings
      involving
      sex
     
     
      crimes
      are
      compellable.
      This
      is
      a
     
     
      somewhat
      new
      development,
      brought
     
     
      on
      in
      large
      part
      by
      Jackson
      himself;
     
     
      in
      1994,
      when
      Jackson
      settled
      with
      J.
     
     
      Chandler
      during
      the
      civil
      proceed-
     
     
      ings,
      criminal
      proceedings
      were
      pre-
     
     
      cluded
      because
      of
      the
      nature
      of
      the
     
     
      settlement
      and
      the
      complainant's
     
     
      unwillingness
      to
      testify.
      In
      response,
     
     
      a
      new
      law
      was
      passed
      that
      made
      wit-
     
     
      nesses
      in
      criminal
      proceedings
      com-
     
     
      pellable
      regardless
      of
      any
      civil
      settle-
     
     
      ments.
     
    

    
     
      Reports
      suggest
      that
      the
      com-
     
     
      plainant
      in
      this
      case
      is
      not
      interested
     
     
      in
      a
      civil
      suit,
      is
      cooperating
      fully
     
     
      with
      the
      prosecutors,
      and
      is
      eager
      to
     
     
      take
      the
      stand.
      If
      no
      other
      com-
     
     
      plainants
      come
      forward
      and
      the
     
     
      charges
      against
      Jackson
      are
      bolstered
     
     
      only
      by
      this
      one
      child's
      allegations,
     
     
      then
      the
      trial
      will
      quickly
      devolve
     
     
      into
      a
      credibility
      contest,
      which
      tends
     
     
      not
      to
      make
      for
      good
      television.
      It
     
     
      might
      also
      be
      possible
      that,
      given
      the
     
     
      complainant's
      age
      and
      the
      content
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      his
      testimony,
      that
      much
      of
      the
      trial
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      will
      be
      held
      in
      camera
      and
      subject
      to
     
     
      publicity
      ban.
      You
      aren't
      likely
      to
      get
     
     
      day-by-day
      breakdowns
      of
      the
      day's
     
     
      events
      in
      the
      Jackson
      trial.
     
    

    
     
      Nor
      would
      you
      want
      to.
      To
      prove
      the
     
     
      charges
      against
      Jackson,
      prosecutors
     
     
      will
      have
      to
      show
      that
      Jackson
      inten-
     
     
      tionally
      used
      the
      child
      to
      arouse,
     
     
      appeal
      to,
      or
      gratify
      Jackson's
      lust,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      one
      or
      sexual
      desires.
      If
      J.
     
     
      Chandler's
      sworn
      statements
      are
      any
     
     
      indication,
      this
      will
      not
      be
      testimony
     
     
      for
      mass
      consumption.
      From
      the
      brief
     
     
      filed
      with
      the
      L.A.
      County
      Superior
     
     
      Court
      of
      California:
      "These
      sexually
     
     
      offensive
      contacts
      include,
      but
      are
     
     
      not
      limited
      to,
      defendant
      Michael
     
     
      Jackson
      orally
      copulating
      plaintiff,
     
     
      defendant
      Michael
      Jackson
      mastur-
     
     
      bating
      plaintiff,
      defendant
      Michael
     
     
      Jackson
      eating
      the
      seaman
      of
      plain-
     
     
      tiff,
      and
      defendant
      Michael
      Jackson
     
     
      having
      plaintiff
      fondle
      and
      manipu-
     
     
      late
      the
      breasts
      and
      nipples
      of
      defen-
     
     
      dant
      Michael
      Jackson
      while
      defen-
     
     
      dant
      Michael
      Jackson
      would
      mastur-
     
     
      bate."
     
    

    
     
      While
      one
      might
      think
      that
      a
     
     
      trial
      involving
      the
      King
      of
      Pop
      and
     
     
      allegations
      of
      molestation
      would
      be
     
     
      infinitely
      interesting,
      given
      Jackson's
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “past
      eccentric
      behaviour
      and
      his
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      bizarre
      appearance,
      this
      trial
      will
     
     
      quickly
      fall
      from
      the
      monologues
      of
     
     
      late-night
      talk
      shows.
      It
      will
      be
      sad
     
     
      and
      it
      will
      be
      disturbing.
      It
      will
      be
     
     
      less
      about
      the
      bizarre
      and
      eccentric
     
     
      Michael
      Jackson
      than
      it
      will
      be
      about
     
     
      the
      lost
      innocence
      of
      a
      12-year-old
     
     
      boy,
      who
      wanted
      nothing
      more
      than
     
     
      to
      meet
      and
      spend
      time
      with
      a
      music
     
     
      legend
      in
      a
      place
      called
      Neverland,
     
     
      and
      instead
      was
      violated
      in
      a
      vile
      and
     
     
      reprehensible
      way.
      The
      trial
      will
     
     
      focus
      on
      the
      mental
      and
      emotional
     
     
      duress
      that
      Jackson
      subjected
      the
      boy
     
     
      to,
      and
      how
      the
      boy
      will
      likely
      be
     
     
      dealing
      with
      the
      resulting
      psychologi-
     
     
      cal
      problems
      for
      the
      rest
      of
      his
      life.
      It
     
     
      certainly
      won't
      be
      the
      kind
      of
      trial
     
     
      that
      the
      media
      will
      relish
      or
      celebrate
     
     
      the
      way
      they
      did
      O.J.
      Simpson's.