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At Jackson trial, talk is cheap

Personalities like Majestic Magnificent, Jesse Jackson weigh in despite lawyer's claim that no one's authorized to speak for singer

BY TINA SUSMAN | STAFF CORRESPONDENT

June 12, 2005

Michael Jackson's "official" and "unofficial" spokesmen: clockwise from top left, attorney Thomas Mesereau, activist/comedian Dick Gregory, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Raymone Bain. (Getty Images Photos/Gregory, Jackson; AP Photos/Bain, Mesereau)

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson's defense attorney had a distinctive way of introducing himself to prosecution witnesses during the pop star's child molestation trial. "My name is Thomas Mesereau, and I speak for Michael Jackson," he would say in his velvety baritone as he stood up to cross-examine them.

Since testimony ended June 2, it seems a lot of other people have decided they also speak for Michael Jackson. Everyone from the Rev. Jesse Jackson to the entertainer's personal magician, Majestic Magnificent, have stumbled over one another to offer insights into the pop star.

Anyone who ever passed through Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch, it seems, has become an expert on all things Jackson, including one man who spoke on MSNBC while a caption reading simply "Jackson Family Observer" flashed on the screen.

By Wednesday, Mesereau had apparently had enough. He issued a statement declaring he had not authorized anyone to speak for Jackson or his family, sparking furious debate over whom he was trying to shut up.

Jurors, after six days of deliberations, were to resume discussions tomorrow.

Since the trial began in February, prosecution and defense attorneys, as well as Jackson and his family, have been ordered not to speak to the media. That has left it primarily to Jackson's spokeswoman, Raymone Bain, to fill in reporters on topics including the entertainer's skeletal appearance to his mother's reaction to one witness' testimony that he saw her son perform oral sex on a boy.

By Wednesday, her impatience was palpable: "I've heard reports he's near death. That's not true. I've heard reports Katherine Jackson [his mother] has had a stroke. That's not true. In the past couple of days, it's been 'the sky is falling, the sky is falling.' I think everyone should calm down."

Asked if Jackson's lawyer approved of her speaking to the media, she said, "If Mr. Mesereau didn't want me here, I wouldn't be speaking publicly."

A few hours later, Mesereau issued his statement. "I have not authorized anyone to speak or hold any press conferences on behalf of Michael Jackson or his family," it said. Jackson and his family posted a similar message on the singer's Web site about the same time. Bain insisted the statement was not aimed at her.

Attention turned to Jesse Jackson, who earlier had slammed sheriff's deputies for their "Waco-style" raid on Neverland in 2003, then did a walkabout through the sprawling courthouse compound, across the road and to a tiny coffee shop, trailed by camera crews and excited Jackson fans. He insisted Mesereau's statement was not aimed at him, either.

Another possible target of Mesereau's statement was health guru and former comedian Dick Gregory. He had exacerbated the intrigue surrounding Jackson's hospital visits by declaring him dehydrated and sending a machine to Neverland that he said would help Jackson's circulation.

On Wednesday, Bain said the machine had been returned. Asked what exactly it did, she said, "I have no idea. Neither does Mr. Jackson."

Arguably, the strangest person to speak on Jackson's behalf lately was Majestic Magnificent, who attended the trial frequently and says he has known Jackson more than 20 years. "In this particular situation, by being in the courtoom myself and seeing Mesereau cross-examine, it's going to be not guilty across the board," he told Fox News.

Whoever speaks for Jackson now, they're not saying much. Neither Jesse Jackson, Bain, Magnificent nor Gregory has appeared at the courthouse since Mesereau's statement. Bain on Friday issued a short statement to reporters that denied rumors she had been fired. However, Jackson's MJJ Productions later put out a statement on its Web site saying she had been fired.

Legal experts say the quiet is good, considering how easily inflammatory remarks could rile the already volatile fans outside the courthouse who scream obscenities at journalists, whom they consider anti-Jackson.

The ruckus led Court TV anchor Diane Dimond on Friday to get a restraining order against one Jackson fan who had made a habit of leaning over a fence near her broadcasting perch and shouting threats.

QUOTES

'If Mr. Mesereau didn't want me here, I wouldn’t be speaking publicly.’

- Michael Jackson's spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain when asked whether Jackson’s lawyer approved of her speaking to the media

'I have not authorized anyone to speak or hold any press conferences on behalf of Michael Jackson or his family.’- Jackson’s lawyer Thomas Mesereau, a few hours after Bain spoke

QUOTE OF THE DAY

'I've heard reports he's near death. That's not true. ... In the past couple of days, it's been 'the sky is falling, the sky is falling.' I think everyone should calm down.' - Raymone Bain, Michael Jackson's spokeswoman, on the numerous rumors surrounding the singer's trial and tribulations