All language subtitles for The Michael Jackson Story s01e01 Fame.eng

[indistinct chatter]

[Michael] Ah, it's in my pocket.

Huh?

[indistinct chatter]

[Michael] I think
every child is born...

to do a certain thing.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] I knew
I wanted to be a...

a star. [chuckles]

It was being on the stage.

Just looking out
over a sea of faces.

[crowd cheering]

[Michael] When they're chanting
and they're screaming.

[Michael] And I've wanted it...

because I wanted to be loved.

That's the real truth.

I wanted people
to truly love me.

[somber music playing]

[reporter] A lot of people ask,

"Who was Michael Jackson,
really?"

I mean, he was a child star...

who became the most
famous man on the planet.

[crowd cheering]

This is a man who changed
the music industry.

I mean, he is a musical genius.

[reporter 2] But he was also
accused of abusing children...

and died without a cent
to his name.

I mean, this is
the ultimate story...

of power, celebrity, and money.

[crowd cheering]

[reporter 2] And now the battle
is raging for the truth...

and Michael Jackson's legacy.

[dramatic music playing]

[announcer] The number one
artist in the world!

[Shmuley] That level
of mega stardom is not healthy.

People are not gods.

[reporter 3] Tonight,
Jackson is wanted by police

of multiple felony counts
of child molestation.

[reporter 3] The Jackson machine
just keeps right on rolling.

[indistinct chatter]

[La Toya] Are you guys
ready for me?

[soft music playing]

Whenever you're ready.

People don't know my brother.
They never did.

They thought they did.

And I think it's important for
the public, the world to see...

I don't want to say the truth,

but from a family
member's perspective.

And that's important to me.

So you get it right
and you understand,

as opposed to reading
nonsensical things in the media.

[somber music playing]

[interviewer]
What do you do mostly?

I mean, you know,
in your spare time?

Sports. Messing around.

I go swimming all the time.
I like swimming.

Play basketball.

Catching lizards and things.
Just messing around.

[La Toya] My memory of Mike...

is...

basically...

a child that was
far older than his age.

[soft music playing]

[La Toya] Mike was
always just feisty.

- [indistinct chatter]
- No, sit down.

Now I would like to show you...

[La Toya] As young kids,
we would have a photo shoot.

He would stand there
and then he would get out

the picture and say,
"No, put Jermaine here,

Jackie here,
and I will be in the middle."

And this is a little kid
talking to his siblings.

[reporter 4]
Northwestern Indiana

is not like any other part
of the state,

because it is
solely industrial.

One factory next
to another for miles.

The Negro population of Gary,
Indiana, is 45.8%,

the highest percentage
in any city

north of the Mason-Dixon line.

[La Toya] Growing up in Indiana,
it was humble beginnings.

My father, Joseph,
worked in the steel mills.

And we were a large family
from a small home.

It was two bedrooms.

In one of the rooms,
the brothers slept,

and there were six bunk beds.

And my sisters and I,
we slept on a let-out sofa

in the living room.

We were a family
that loved music.

And when Mike was
around eight or nine...

he would do riffs constantly.

And no matter what
you would sing to him,

he would do it even better.

[dramatic music playing]

My father, he saw them
performing together...

and he says, "Jeez."

He became their manager...

because he saw a bigger
and brighter future.

They used to do shows.

What they called back then
was the Chitlin' Circuit.

It was famous Black artists,

but they were performing
for Black audience.

Don't be afraid.

Don't be ashamed.
We want Black power.

[crowd cheering]

We want Black power.
We want Black power.

[dramatic music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

[Dionne] To perform
during that period of time

was very challenging...

based on the fact that
we were kind of relegated

to certain areas of our country

and not very welcome
in some parts.

But we learned
how to deal with it...

and how to break down
the barrier

that they thought
they put in front of us.

[reel clattering]

["Tobacco Road" playing]

? I know ?

? Bring it back
To Tobacco Road ?

I met Michael when they were
coming into audition

to be on Motown.

I had to kind of just look
at him and shake my head.

I said, "My God,
this kid is amazing."

It was an exciting time.

They wanted it so badly.

And then finally, there
they are, signed to Motown.

? When I had you to myself
I didn't want you around ?

? Those pretty faces
Always made you ?

? Stand out in a crowd ?

? But someone picked you
From the bunch ?

[Dionne] Michael, he had
something that nobody else had.

And his performances were
meticulously done.

Watching their growth
over the years was sensational.

We've got some great guests,
the incredible Jackson Five.

[crowd cheering, applauding]

[Robert] One of the hottest
recording groups

today is the Jackson Five,

the only American group to have

four consecutive
number one records.

[Steve] Kids nowadays don't know
how big the Jackson Five were.

They were our Beatles,
our Black royalty.

You had Beatlemania,
we had Jackson mania.

[crowd cheering]

[reporter 5] Not since
the heyday of The Beatles,

has the music world seen
anything like the Jackson Five,

about to receive
yet another platinum record?

[interviewer 2] But you have
to give a lot of the credit

to the original Jackson Two,
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Jackson.

I decided to deal with the boys
as much as I possibly can,

getting them prepared
to be in show business.

They come to us originally from
Gary, Indiana, the Jackson Five.

- [crowd applauding]
- [soft music playing]

[Steve] It was just amazing...

to see this Black family...

post-segregation...

who were so famous...

and that
you could identify with...

showed Black people
that we can make it in America.

[upbeat music playing]

[reporter 6]
It's called Los Angeles,

the city of the angels.

People from all over the world,

drawn by a city
of limitless boundaries...

one that offers
unlimited opportunity.

[dramatic music playing]

Growing up in Indiana,
Mike would have

this little projector thing
that you put over your eyes

and you would click it

and it would show
a different slide of LA.

He would say,
"Oh, this is so beautiful,

I would love to live
there one day."

So moving to Los Angeles
was simply amazing.

We were so elated and excited

just to see the beauty
of the city.

And it was such
a different life.

We moved to this huge mansion...

and my father just said,

"I think this will be
a perfect place."

And, you know,
what my father said goes.

Let's introduce Mr. Joe Jackson,
the father of this fine group.

- [crowd applauding]
- [indistinct chatter]

Okay, we're going to find out
who's boss around here.

Dad, do you have to
ever discipline

this lively group
you've got here?

I have a way, you know,
like when Randy don't do right,

we make him take out
all the garbage or something.

[all laugh]

- No, that's fair.
- [Joseph] Yeah.

Yeah, but what about Michael?

If Michael,
Michael always does right?

[Joseph] No, not all the time.

The way we discipline Michael
is sort of like,

yeah, we don't give him
as much money to spend.

- [all laughing]
- That's it.

Right.

You think it's a good profession
for them?

Yes, I like for them to...

[Joyce]
I moved to Los Angeles...

to work for the family...

out of Joseph's office.

When Joseph spoke to me about
coming to work for the boys,

he presented himself as a really
concerned, loving father.

Joseph grew up dirt poor...

before civil rights.

And to take from nothing
and build that act...

was huge.

And all of a sudden,

now he's living in
a wealthy house in Encino.

He's got a Rolls Royce.

He really was chasing
the American Dream.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michelle] At that point,
they were portrayed

as this happy, loving family.

But my experience,
can't speak for anybody else's,

but my experience
of what I saw, that was...

that was the farthest thing
from the truth.

I went to high school with
Michael's baby sister, Janet.

And Michael was
also a very close friend.

When I would be there
and Joseph would pull in...

you know, the speaker
or the phone would ring

and it would be like,
"Joseph's here."

And everyone's like,
"Oh, God, Joseph's here."

We weren't that, you know,

savvy back then
about this stuff but...

knowing that there was
just weirdness.

[Michael]

I found out later, Joseph...

had done
some really awful stuff.

Joseph would put
Michael in the closet...

in the dressing room,
in the dark and lock it...

so that he was,

he would do what
Joseph would tell him to do.

And nobody figured out
what was going on.

[La Toya] He wasn't as cruel
as people think.

But Mike had a fear
of my father,

we all did,
because we felt, okay...

what did we do wrong?

He's going to discipline us.

And you were
kind of afraid of that.

It just put something
in your belly.

And you would say to yourself...

"Oh, no."

His eyebrows would go up

and his eyes would turn...

a deeper green...

a deeper green than they were.

And you knew he was angry.

Everybody would say,
"I don't want to get in trouble

because Joseph's
going to strangle us."

[reel clattering]

[dramatic music playing]

We're right almost in the middle
of a recording session

with the Jacksons.

And we're going to bring
the boys in right now...

all five of them.

- Here they are.
- [all chuckling]

[presenter] Now, I don't have to
give any introduction

to these gentlemen, do I?

You knew them originally
as the Jackson Five.

They're the Jacksons now.
They record on Epic.

[Susan] This is really
a special picture to me.

Both of our hair
was kind of big.

See, his face
looks completely different.

So this was earlier, I guess.

He still looks like
a great looking kid, you know.

When the Jackson Five
came to Epic...

they were a good pop group.

But Michael was so much
the center of it, the star.

He just wanted to
be perfect in a way.

He wanted to be
the best dancer ever...

and best singer,
best entertainer.

He wanted to be a great.

[reporter 7] You guys
are really riding a big high now

as far as producing records
and so on.

Do you think this is the peak
of your career now?

Or have you gone down
a little bit?

Are you expecting
bigger and better things?

We're looking forward to doing
other things like producing

other people and producing
ourselves in the future

and going into acting
and that type of thing.

[car horns honking]

[reporter 8]
New York is the most

exciting city in the world.

But New York has never seen
anything like The Wiz,

a new musical motion picture
being made here

that stars Diana Ross.

[Susan] The Wiz was

the Black version
of The Wizard of Oz.

And Michael really
wanted to be in that movie.

[La Toya]
My father didn't want him

to venture off into movies...

because he felt
it would break up the group

and he would go
in a different direction.

And he wanted to keep
the brothers together.

As he always said, I want to
keep my boys together.

But this is something
that Mike saw.

He loved opportunity
and he went for it.

[dramatic music playing]

[interviewer 3] How did you feel
when you heard

you got the part in The Wiz ,

and especially playing
with Diana Ross?

I was very happy.

I would talk to
Diana on the phone.

I say, you're going to film
The Wiz next week, huh?

Or next month.

She would say, yeah, next thing
I noticed, I was in it.

[La Toya] Mike and I
were extremely close.

So we moved
to New York together.

And going to
the set every day...

he just embraced it
with great joy.

But most of all,
what he would always say,

"I'm learning so much,
La Toya, you have no idea."

Hey fellas, is today the day

you're going to help me
get down from here?

[crows] Help you down?

Man, what is going down
in that hayloft you call a head?

[La Toya] Living in New York...

we were so used to
being with family,

being controlled by my father.

But yeah, you could do
what you wanted.

It was so wonderful.

[upbeat music playing]

[Rubell] Is Michael there?

Hi Michael, come on in,

you can come right in.
Hi, how are you?

You just walked in. How are you?

Michael, this is Jane Pauley.
Come sit over here.

[Jane] It's been
a long day for you

and you're unwinding here?

You mean today?

No, we're all finished
with the movie.

But I'm just relaxing now.

- Just hanging out in New York?
- Yes, Studio 54. [chuckles]

[Jane] When you hear the name
Studio 54, what does that do?

Does your pulse quicken
and your feet start moving?

Yeah, I'm ready to have
a good time.

It's where you come
when you want to escape.

It's really escapism.

[Jane] But you're
Michael Jackson,

you don't have it so bad.

What are you escaping from?

- You know?
- I'm not escaping from anything.

It's just a change of pace.

- Right, it is.
- It's a change of pace.

He doesn't escape from anything.

If anything,
he's one of those people

who's very recognizable...

[La Toya] Doing The Wiz ...

and all the work
that he had done...

and the growth
that came with it...

took him mentally...

in a different direction,

saying, "I want to do
a solo album."

[dramatic music playing]

[Steve] By Michael
doing The Wiz,

he had a chance to meet...

great composer,
arranger, Quincy Jones.

And Quincy had
worked with Sinatra.

I mean,
the greatest music people ever.

[telephone ringing]

[Michael] I called Quincy
up one day.

I said, Quincy, "I'm ready

to do an album, a solo album."

"But I want
a real good producer

to work with me."

I said, "Can you
recommend somebody?"

And he said, "Why don't you
let me do it?"

["Don't Stop
'Til You Get Enough" playing]

[Steve] I remember getting
a cassette of Off The Wall .

And when I heard
"Don't Stop 'Til you Get Enough"

I was just astonished to hear.

Oh, my gosh.

I said, Michael,
this is going to be...

it's gonna be phenomenal.

[reporter 9] This is the album
that's caused the storm

right around the world.

It's Michael's
Off The Wall album.

And hopefully, we've got
Michael in LA on the phone now.

Let's have it so, oh here we go.
Hello, Michael.

- [Michael] Hello.
- How are you?

[crowd cheering]

He is the first artist to have
four top ten singles

with his Off The Wall album.

He keeps breaking records.

- It's just amazing.
- [Michael] Ow!

[dramatic music playing]

[Dionne] It had to happen.

[Michael] I feel
like I wanna rock.

He had earned
the right to be Michael.

[crowd cheering]

[Dionne] He felt
that it's now my time.

[dramatic music playing]

[reel clattering]

[indistinct chatter]

Mayor? Okay.

- Let's get the mayor back here.
- Yeah.

[cameraman] I'm rolling.

[interviewer 4] Hey, guys,
what did you think of this?

Were you ever afraid when
you saw that big crowd?

- Never afraid.
- Never afraid.

It's a lot of excitement.

And it's nice to see
the fans all come out

to greet us at the airport.
I think it's wonderful.

[interviewer 4] What do you have
to say for Atlanta?

I'll start here.

[Randy] Love it. I can't wait.
Tomorrow night.

I love it.

- [Jackie] We love you, Atlanta.
- Love you very much.

Tomorrow night,
everybody be out there.

Because we're going to do
our best. Have a good time.

[interviewer 5] At this point,
Michael really is kind of

the mainstay of the Jacksons.

Has it always been that way?

Yes, yes.

[interviewer 5] Michael has
always been sort of the star.

Yeah, he's been
highlighted the most

because he's the lead singer
and he's up front, you know.

As a little kid,
we put him up front

because he danced so much
and had so much energy.

[soft music playing]

[La Toya] I think my brothers...

some of them felt
that once he do this...

he's never coming back.

He's going to abandon us.

And that was kind of disturbing
to some of them.

And then the others were just,

well, let's see where it goes.

Let's see where it leads.

[Michelle] I remember the boys
being in the office

and one of them distinctly said,
if it wasn't for them,

Michael wouldn't be who he was
because they were the ones.

And Joseph was the one
who made Michael who he is.

And he basically
wouldn't be shit without them.

And it was them that built him.

And Michael's just sitting
there listening to this.

And he sat there and he took it.
I just remember thinking...

how mean, why are you guys
being so mean to him?

I just, I wanted
to go in and like...

hurt them because they were
being mean to Mike.

[crowd cheering]

[Michelle] I think Michael
had grown up feeling

under Joseph that he wasn't
anything more than a commodity.

And I think in that moment,
it crystallized for Michael

that he was nothing more than
a commodity to his brothers.

And I think it broke his heart.

[indistinct chatter]

Oh hi, Steve! Good to see you.

Fine, how are you?

[La Toya] If things
got difficult for Mike...

he always had
a very loving relationship

with my mother, it was a very...

trusted relationship.

If something upset him,

she would always make sense
out of everything.

["Lovingly" playing]

? Don't look so sad ?

It's one
of your favorite songs.

? I know it's over ?

? Don't say a word... ?

[La Toya] My mother

was a very religious person.

She was a Jehovah Witness.

And she always thought

if you had a personal
relationship with God...

then he would show you the way.

[soft music playing]

[Christian] It's strange
being back here.

I haven't lived here
for many years.

Yeah, it was such
a strange time, you know,

with Michael being
suddenly so famous.

And we're just going door
to door trying to save souls.

Michael would say...

"Hi, my name is Joe."

It was his middle name,
so he wasn't lying.

"This is my friend Christian."
"We're here to talk to you

about the wonderful hope
of God's kingdom."

And the people
would kind of stare.

They would think...

that guy really looks
like Michael Jackson.

And you can kind of
see it in their eyes.

The Jehovah's Witnesses
are millennialists.

So they believe that Armageddon
is coming any day now,

and God's going to

cleanse the earth
of all the evil people.

And so our job as Jehovah's
Witnesses was to go door to door

and try to recruit people
to save them

so that they could join
our religion and then...

you know, hopefully
make it into the paradise

that was going to come.

Michael had a tough upbringing,
and I think that he had a,

you know, fantastical view of
what he wanted the world to be.

And I think this idea of
God bringing a paradise

just was very appealing.

And I think that was a big part
of his enthusiasm

for going door to door.

He genuinely wanted
to tell people.

[Michael] We did
missionary work, door to door.

We do 90 hours a month.

It was just a wonderful
time for me,

because it allowed me
to get out into society

and to see people.

I was totally deprived
of seeing people

open their doors.

I don't go to
other people's houses.

I don't know
what they live like.

So when they would
open the door and say...

"Come in." I would come in.

[Christian] I was 15 when we
started hanging out together.

I think he felt safe with us...

because he had no other space
where he didn't have something,

some place where people
wanted something from him

because of his fame.

We just liked him
because of who he was,

and that he was part
of this joint community

where we were all working
to do God's will.

But at the same time,
I think he was conflicted about

who he was...

because even though
he was very devout,

I think Michael
had a lot of ambition

around being perceived as
very successful, very talented.

He was raised in this paradigm

where success is how
you get validation, right?

And from the time
he was a little kid.

So I don't think
he ever lost that.

Michael sometimes would stand
in front of a mirror and say,

"100 million, 100 million."

Because he wanted to sell
100 million albums.

On his next album.

And I think that really fed him.

[somber music playing]

[Steve] Michael's ambition,
I believe,

was to make the greatest album
ever heard.

But he also knew
the power of motion pictures.

He wanted to use video
to drive sales.

I mean, rock bands have been
doing that for years.

[indistinct chatter]

I'm not like other guys.

I mean, I'm different.

I'm a monster.

[dramatic music playing]

Michael, I think this is
going to be the Citizen Kane

of the videos. I really do.
It's going to be the most

revolutionary thing in the
history of, in videos, you know.

I mean, it's a new art form now,

but I think this is
leading the way.

"Beat It" and this one
is leading the way.

God, what a great looking kid.

Filmmakers, they usually know
when they have something.

And I knew we had something.

Music video was new
at that time.

And this is pre-internet.

And Michael's videos
were special. You could tell.

Some prominent Black musicians
are complaining

that they are being left out
of the video market,

specifically the music
television cable operation.

We are looking
for a certain sound

and a certain point of view.

[reporter 10] Bob Pitman is
the 29-year-old whiz kid

who created MTV
after a successful career

as a radio station
program director.

We are not all things
to all people.

We are cable television.

And what cable television
does best is specialize.

One thing per channel.
So you know exactly

what you're getting
when you turn on the channel.

It was almost impossible
for a Black artist

to get on the cover of any of
the major magazines or TV shows.

[interviewer 6] Over Christmas,
I watched MTV.

- I saw no Black star.
- Plenty of Black stars,

but only Black stars
who do rock and roll.

[Susan] And MTV refused to play
Michael's video.

You don't see R&B. You see...

He was outraged.
It was pure blatant racism,

plain and simple.

Prejudice is ignorance.

Music has no color.
I don't believe in that.

What I do, I don't want it
labeled Black or white.

I want it labeled it's music.

[Susan] A few of us at Epic

and the president
of CBS Records,

we all went up there
and explained

why they had to play
those videos.

They said, you can't continue
with a program like this

without honoring
some of the best music...

that America has to offer.

And some of the best music
America has to offer

is made and performed
by Black artists.

Period. End of discussion.

They only could look at
the bottom line and say,

you can't ignore these tracks.

And once they played Michael.

It took off.

[reel clattering]

[reporter 11] Michael Jackson's
album Thriller has been topping

various record charts,

so it should come
as no surprise

that Thriller is number one
on Billboard's chart

of most successful pop albums.

Well, the title song from
that blockbuster album,

now the subject of
the most talked about

music video to come along.
Take a look at this.

[dramatic music playing]

[Michelle] Thriller was
an amazing piece of work.

Like everybody loved it.

And it just got
bigger and bigger.

We love you!
We love you Michael!

[reporter 12] Michael Jackson
was partying in New York.

The occasion,
for selling 23 million albums.

[La Toya] He exploded.

Everybody wanted a piece of him.
Everyone wanted to see him.

[indistinct chatter]

Michael Jackson's Thriller
is now the highest selling

solo album in the history
of recorded music.

The number one artist
in the world!

[reporter 13] He is simply put,
probably the most exciting

and intense performer
of the decade.

[interviewer 7] You have
something within your records

that everybody just loves.

Boy I couldn't say.
I just created it.

[interviewer 7] Where do you
think the gift came from?

- God.
- [dramatic music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

Ladies and gentlemen,
may I have your attention?

I need your attention right now.

I am saying for the last time,

as chairman of the Walk of Fame,
if you do not back up,

this ceremony will be canceled.

[crowd cheering]

Ladies and gentlemen,
Michael Jackson.

We now welcome him
to the Walk of Fame.

[Christian] The Thriller album
was fantastic.

It was far exceeding
anyone's expectations

about how big
it was going to be.

And Michael was becoming sort
of transcendent as a pop star.

But he was still
very idealistic, very devout.

I mean, nobody had been
that famous

in the Jehovah's Witnesses yet.

It was very much
at odds for the church,

for someone to be famous,
because any kind of notoriety

could be considered
controversial, potentially.

Even his deciding
to do a Thriller video.

The church was very paranoid
about any demon influence

and anything with demonology.

And so zombies
rising from the dead

or anything related
to the occult...

suddenly the hammer came down

from the headquarters
of the church.

And so when he realized

that this was going to be
a problem for him, he panicked.

He wrote, "Due to my strong
personal convictions,

I wish to stress that this film

in no way endorses
a belief in the occult."

And he had to put that at
the beginning of the video

in order to get
the church to go,

"Okay, you can release it."

It really created some tension.

On the one hand, fame brought
him all this opportunity.

And I think he liked
the adulation.

It was very validating.

But I think he started to feel
handicapped by the fact

that he couldn't pursue
all his creative stuff

that the church was constantly
tightening the screws

and saying, "No, you can't
do this, no, you can't do that."

And later on,
he just made a decision.

He disassociated himself,
which basically meant

he was leaving the church.

You know, I left
the church in 1990.

And when you leave,

you know, the church
completely cuts you off.

You know, you lose
your whole foundation.

You lose your family,
all of your friends.

You're really adrift
in so many ways.

And when he left,

he lost the thing that had
grounded him for so long.

[indistinct chatter]

[interviewer 8] How long have
you had this beautiful beast?

Gosh, it was during the,

a little bit before
Thriller I had him.

Probably about, almost a year,
almost a year now.

[interviewer 8] And this type
of snake is not dangerous?

Well, I don't think so.

- Some people would.
- Could it be dangerous?

Yeah, they squeeze,
they can really squeeze.

I think he's great.

[interviewer 8] What other
animals do you have?

[Howell] After Thriller,

I saw a completely
different Michael Jackson.

I was his personal
cinematographer

from 1981 to 1987.

And when I first met him,
Michael was really humble.

He was a true, cool dude.

But after the Thriller album,

his personality started to get
a little bit different,

more eccentric.

[indistinct chatter]

[Howell] I could see he enjoyed
being around kids.

- Hello!
- Wow! Wow! Woo!

Tell us about
where we recognize...

[interviewer 9] We're going to
do our own interview here.

Okay this is the Michael Jackson
Interview Show, okay?

So, how old are you, young man?
No, not how old are you.

What show are you on?

My show is Webster!

And who do you play on the show?

[Howell] Out of nowhere,

Michael's good friend
was Emmanuel Lewis.

Emmanuel Lewis was a star
of the TV show, Webster.

And then one day,
Michael calls me up.

He goes, I need you
to come over.

So I get there, and he has
Emanuel with him.

They're dancing to one of
his new songs that never,

ever was released.

And he's holding him
like a baby.

And I could see Michael
had a connection with children.

[somber music playing]

[Michael] When a child
steps in the room

I'm totally changed.
I feel their energy.

I feel their spirit.

When I look in their eyes,
I feel healed.

[Howell] What I saw,
Michael liked...

kids because of the fact
that they weren't domineering.

They weren't asking
for something.

You know, because you had

too many of these producer
bigwigs coming over.

What I called,
and what he called, suits.

And when the suits
would come over,

it was a different atmosphere
because they wanted something.

By then, Michael got so big,
now it's just a business.

[dramatic music playing]

[reporter 14] Jackson's image
has been pressed into plastic.

In a short six months since
they first came on the market,

Michael Jackson toys, dolls,

and other products
have been selling with a fury.

[Mike] Jackson has become
a mini-conglomerate.

He is setting up five
separate companies

to handle
his business interests.

Albums, video cassettes,
concert tours,

merchandising tie-ins.

This year, Michael Jackson
is expected to earn

more than $50 million.

[reporter 15] Michael Jackson
made recording business history

today by closing the deal
on The Beatles' catalog.

From now on, all those
royalties go to Jackson.

[reporter 16] Michael Jackson
has a new manager.

Jackson has hired
the vice president of promotion

for Epic Records, Frank DiLeo,
to manage his booming career.

Formerly, Jackson was managed
by his father, Joseph Jackson.

[La Toya] Mike decided to end
the relationship with my father.

And his thinking
and his thoughts were,

"I need a manager
who's much bigger and better,

and someone who really knows
what they're doing

in this big industry."

But I think the part
that became difficult was...

the people
that entered into his life.

Because this business can be
very overwhelming, cutthroat.

And people will say and do
anything to get into your circle

and to manage you.

And that part of it...

destroyed him.

[reporter 17] Michael Jackson
has not a song on his lips,

but a bottle of Pepsi-Cola.

This week, he signed up for
five million dollars or more

to promote Pepsi in concerts
and commercials.

A lot of people are asking,

why would
Michael Jackson do commercials?

Well, the reason is
that these commercials

are going to be
just extraordinary.

They're using
state-of-the-art technology.

They're going to be
creative masterpieces.

No expense is spared.

They asked me to direct them
because I had success

and a relationship with Michael.

We were going to shoot
two promotional commercials,

even though Michael...

confessed to me that he never
drank Pepsi in his life.

We went down there and started
shooting, and the plan was,

there was an explosion, Michael
would come down and dance.

The pyrotechnics...

added too much...

and all hell broke loose.

[explosion]

[dramatic music playing]

[crowd screaming]

[indistinct chatter]

[reporter 18] The scene was wild
as hundreds of fans

tried to see Michael Jackson

as he was carried into
a Los Angeles area hospital

with second and third degree
burns on his scalp.

[indistinct chatter]

I'll never forget the image
of Michael being taken away

in a stretcher, but smart enough
to take his glove,

the famous glove, and wave it.

But it was the beginning
of a dark time.

[soft music playing]

[Michelle] I remember
in the early years,

Michael would just
come out and hang out.

It was just, it was casual.
It was normal.

But at that point, Michael
started going out a lot less.

Everybody was, like, worried.

He would call all the time.

He would constantly
reflect back on things

from his childhood.

[somber music playing]

[Michael]

[Howell]
When I went to the house

after the Pepsi burn...

with Michael, there were
some times where we would talk,

and he would
come a little close,

and then I would say to myself,
what is on his nose?

And those were stitches.

Physically or visually,
you could see that...

it had been, you know,
worked on.

I have a shot of Michael
when he's leaving

the Havenhurst house,

and that was when
I saw the change.

You know, the transition
from the negro look

to like something different.

[Michelle] It was heartbreaking.

Michael was trying to erase
something off of his face...

and it was all the nastiness

and all the things that
Joseph said about him,

but I think that set Michael
on a very unhealthy pattern

and path for the rest
of his life when it came to...

facial reconstruction
and his skin color.

But I don't think
anybody was prepared

for how extreme it would get.

- [indistinct chatter]
- [camera shutters clicking]

Not since Thriller
five years ago

has the record industry been
so focused on a single album.

It's called Bad.

It's Michael Jackson and Bad
right here on Kiss FM.

[reel clattering]

[reporter 19] They were queuing
all over America,

snapping up the first copies

of Michael Jackson's
latest offering.

But after five years
of comparative seclusion,

he's changed his image.

It's a lot of talk.
A lot of people are talking

about it and how
foolish he looks.

The look?

Well... [chuckles] the new look
is not too hot,

but the album is great
and he's a great entertainer.

[dramatic music playing]

[Gregg] I was a fan
of Michael Jackson

since I was a kid.

From you know, the Jacksons,
I loved Off the Wall.

I was a talent manager
at the firm

that managed Michael Jackson.

And it was our job to manage
his career and public image.

I remember I met him
like up close and personal

and I was just surprised
at like how white he was.

I mean and just almost
like almost like translucent.

[man] Oh, this is beautiful.
What happened?

[Gregg] You know,
we were wondering

if he was bleaching his skin
or maybe it was makeup.

I can remember one instance
and we had made this video.

It was like multi-million
dollar video.

We had David Fincher,
you know, directed.

I remember at one point,
he literally kind of broke down

in tears and he was
kind of ranting like,

"I look like a monkey.
I look like a monkey."

And I was like thinking, what?

I mean, he looked great in
the video, but in his own mind,

he hated the way that he looked.

And some people mentioned,
I think it's called baking,

where they, you know,
could lighten him up

throughout the video.

[somber music playing]

[Gregg] I mean, that word,
I look like a monkey.

First, it was kind of
shocking from him.

I'm thinking, here's this huge,
amazing artist

and his own issues
with self-image...

actually became a form of like
self-sabotage with his career.

[ominous music playing]

[Shana] I remember a lot of
the Black community

felt like he had deserted them

and thought that
he didn't want to be Black.

And it was really difficult

because he was in the tabloids
every week.

He sort of became a joke.

First problem
is the sex problem.

The problem being,
we don't know what sex he is.

[crowd cheering, applauding]

The latest of
the Michael Jackson rumors.

Are Michael Jackson
and his sister La Toya Jackson

actually the same person?

I'm here with Lars Bunquist
of the IOFCIRA,

the Institute of Facial Changes
in Recording Artists.

And I understand you had
a grant for the last six years

to study the facial changes
in Michael Jackson.

That's correct, Dave.
It's been a full-time job.

[reporter 20] For most of us,
he's just Whacko-Jacko.

And if some of the press
are to be believed,

he sleeps in an oxygen tank,

often with a chimp,
a snake, and an alien.

[reporter 21] When you think
of Michael Jackson,

you don't first think
what a great artist,

what a definitive performer.

You think, what a weird guy.

[reporter 22] Record stores
have been reporting

disappointing sales
for the new album.

Some have already
begun taking down

the Bad promotional posters.

[Gregg] The Bad album had been
released in the late '80s,

but it hadn't been
as successful as Thriller.

We had to get him back
to basics as an artist,

as a singer, and get away
from the wacky personas

and the trappings
and everything else and stuff.

- [somber music playing]
- [camera shutter clicking]

[Shana] We had to make him
more relatable

to the public,
to answer the questions

that people had about him,
about his skin, about Bubbles,

about everything,
because up to that point,

Michael hadn't done
a major interview.

People hadn't heard him talk.

People didn't know
anything about him.

And then Michael's managers
had this idea

that he should do an
Oprah Winfrey interview.

- [suspenseful music playing]
- [indistinct chatter]

And the whole objective
for that interview

was to humanize him
to the world.

Oprah was calling every day
like five or six times a day.

Nothing was left to chance.
His whole career, his reputation

were dependent on
this interview going well.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Michael Jackson.

Hey.

- [Oprah] Hello. Hey.
- Hey.

Well, how nervous
are you right now?

- How what?
- How nervous are you right now?

I'm not nervous at all, actually.

- [Oprah] You really aren't?
- No, I never get nervous.

- [Oprah] You don't?
- No.

[Oprah] Not even
for your first interview

and it's live around the world?

I thought you'd be a little
nervous, but that's great,

because if you're not nervous,
I won't be nervous.

[Michael chuckles]

I just wanted to
let the world know...

[Gregg] We were all
watching it on TV

and it was pretty eye-opening.

I think it really was
the first time that I can recall

where he ever sat down
for a length of time,

answered the questions
that we all wanted to know...

and was really pretty candid.

I was actually surprised
how candid he was.

The main thing in that Oprah
interview that was talked about

was his answer to
his skin color changing.

[Oprah] The color of your skin
is obviously different

than it was
when you were younger.

- [Michael] Yeah.
- [Oprah] And so, I think...

it has caused a great deal
of speculation

and controversy as to what
you have done or are doing.

Are you bleaching your skin?
And, have, are-

Is your skin lighter because
you don't like being Black?

Number one, this is a situation.
I have a skin disorder

that destroys the
pigmentation of the skin.

It's something
that I cannot help.

Okay, but...
when people make up stories

that I don't want to be
who I am, it hurts me.

[Oprah] So, it is.

It's a problem for me.
Okay, I can't control it.

I'm a Black American.

I'm proud to be
a Black American.

[indistinct chatter]

The Black community was
really relieved to hear that.

You know, I remember people
saying, "Oh, that's why it was."

"Of course, Michael
wouldn't desert us."

"He has a disease."

It makes me feel some
of the pain that he's feeling

because I can look in his eyes

and I can see
the hurt in his eyes.

You know, he looks like
he's so lonely and so hurt.

You know, and it makes me
want to just reach out to him.

[Shana] And it worked.

And it really changed a lot of
people's perceptions of him.

[indistinct chatter]

[Shana] It felt like
Michael was back on top.

[Rosibel] My name
is Rosibel Smith.

In 1993, I was working the
sexually exploited child unit.

A case had come in
involving a young boy

who was 13 years of age
and that the perpetrator

was Michael Jackson.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Rosibel] We knew that it was
going to be a huge case.

[dramatic music playing]

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