Jackson Pals Cry Foul
The Jackson clan is reportedly less than thrilled by a magazine report alleging that the King of Pop is also the king of wine-filled pop cans--which he doles out to minors.
Firpo Carr, a Jackson family friend, told reporters that the Gloved One's parents and siblings are outraged by this week's Vanity Fair article which reports that Jackson provided young children with wine he referred to as "Jesus juice" or "Jesus blood."
Carr charged Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth with including false statements and allegations without attribution in her article.
"We find it curious that this article appears when Michael's legal team cannot respond to this yellow journalism because of a gag order," Carr said.
Orth did not include a response from the Jackson camp in her article, though she stated she had attempted to contact the Moonwalker's intimates for comment.
Vanity Fair issued a terse statement in support of its story, saying only: "Vanity Fair stands by Maureen Orth's Michael Jackson story. The article underwent rigorous fact-checking and legal vetting."
Carr did admit that Jackson had been in and out of rehab in an attempt to kick his painkiller addiction. The Vanity Fair piece included an anecdote from a former Jackson employee stating that Jackson once collapsed on the floor of a plane as a result of sipping Jesus juice and popping pills.
But Carr asked the public to remember that Jackson is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He said that Jackson's struggle with a painkiller habit made him no different than Elvis Presley or Betty Ford.
The Jackson FileE! Online tracks all the latest developments.
Except, as far as we know, neither Elvis nor Betty ever enticed young boys into bed while in the grips of a Demoral high...
It's not the first time Orth has crossed the Jackson machine. In an article written for Vanity Fair last year, she alleged, among other nuggets, that Jackson bleaches his skin because he doesn't like being black; that he wears a prosthetic nose tip; and that he cursed enemies such as Steven Spielberg and David Geffen in a Swiss voodoo ritual.
Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman issued a warning of sorts to Vanity Fair at the time of the article's release.
"We take it very seriously, and we are looking into this," Oxman said in February 2003. "We think Vanity Fair should be very careful in making its claims here, because we've heard all these things for years."
Jackson is charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an "intoxicating agent" to a minor. He has pleaded innocent to all the charges against him and remains free on $3 million bail.
The pop star is due back in court Feb. 13 for his preliminary hearing.
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