Will this case eclipse all criminal court cases? Will this case get even more out of hand than the O.J. case? Will this be the epitome of a media circus?

No. There are too many other, bigger stories for the media to gorge on.

Would you consider the Kobe Bryant case or the Scott Peterson case as big as OJ? No way. OJ had an allure all its own.

[I still believe OJ was not convicted beyond a reasonable doubt, and that it is insane to have civil charges due for a "crime" he was acquitted of...]

No. I think that the main reason why this won't be as big as OJ, see the glove doesn't fit, Simpson is because Michael's been in media hot water for a while and I think that the public is growing tired of him, God knows I am.

CP

The OJ case was argued in the wake of the LA riots and his pointless drive around LA in that white Bronco was covered by three networks during prime time. I don't think that there is any comparison here. Because it includes a minor I think the chances of this getting televised on Court TV is about zilch, so no, I think it will end with a fizzle rather then a bang. I just hope this is tried in court and all the evidence makes it to the jury. So in answer to your question:

Will this case eclipse all criminal court cases?

In the multimedia world we live in this one will be anticlimactic.

Will this case get even more out of hand than the O.J. case?

No, simply because the stakes are nowhere near as high.

Will this be the epitome of a media circus?

absolutly! If I were a serious journalist I wouldn't touch this one with a ten foot pole for that very reason.

OJ was guilty! if you tried to get those gloves on over rubber gloves they wouldn't fit either. they DID fit!

MJ's trial won't be quite as big. I hope not anyway.

double murder trumps molestation/rape cases. look at lacy peterson vs kobe bryant. brrr.

IF MJ is not convicted on the same flimzy basis as OJ wasn't then there could very well be outrage, considering Michael was exactly thought of as functioning as a "normal" human being. the court of public opinion is what it is. Him slipping through the cracks yet again might very well be seen as just another money over justice INjustice.

I have no doubt the media, primarily the 24/7 cable news stations will try to make it another OJ, but I think people have been pretty much numbed to that sort of thing. COURT TV may carry it gavel to gavel if cameras are allowed, but I doubt anyone else will.

No.

Why?

It is like Ben and Jen, no one cares (by the way, are they still together?). Also, it will probably just be another pay-off, which is all I believe the family is looking for anyway. And finally, when OJ appeared it was 1) after the LA riots and 2) when nothing was really happening.

How is a Michael Jackson lawsuit going to compare with the Iraq War, Kobe trial, highway sniper shootings, other sniper trial, 2004 pres. election and most importantly the football games?

I voted yes because even though the Simpson case was more shocking and tragic, the odd behavior (past and present) of MJ and possible forthcoming allegations and evidence will only make this case a media frenzy. And if he is convicted of any crimes where are the feds going to incarcerate MJ and protect him from the prisoner ethics of child molesters? Neverland Prison?

I do not believe it will be anywhere near as big, since the OJ case embodied other issues that contain elements that could have deep, long lasting ramifications for the whole of society - The Police Force were taking hits, racism was the big word.

In the Jackson case all we have is the reputation of a star on the line. It will be big, because Jackson is so big, but its impact on society is not even comparable.

Looks like SOMEBODY's got to do some explaining to do!

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/doc_o_day/doc_o_day.html

DECEMBER 9--A confidential investigation by Los Angeles police and child welfare officials concluded earlier this year that allegations Michael Jackson sexually abused a cancer-stricken boy were "unfounded," according to an internal government memo obtained by The Smoking Gun.

Nighttimer,

I'm not sure about the rest of the country but already in LA the media is hitting this story hard and though I love Micheal, this story nor the one on Drudge earlier are going to be helpful to him. Everybody reporting in detail says that that case is stemming from a report made by a teacher who saw the Martin Bashier interview and based her complaint soley of that story, just like Gloria Allred who called for Jackson's children to be taken away from him after that interview and the "Balcony" incident.

I know that the points I just made don't really defy what you stated but the LAPD is coming out saying that they have no idea what report anyone is talking about. They say that they never claimed any accusations involving the case that is now pending, were "unfounded".


So again, the report on TheSmokingGun.com, as stated in the police report only pertained to a complaint made by a teacher who saw the Bashier interview and not from the case that is now pending. I will give it to Mark Gerigos (sp?) he is one dirt bag full of hot air who can make a case about anything but the facts. Nice leak Mark, try again.

The OJ case was as much about prosecutorial incompetence and sloppy police work as much as anything else- I don't know if they will make the same mistake with MJ- I think the prosecuters in the OJ trial tried to play the same game as the defense attorneys in the media and got burned big time. Mark Furhman and Marcia Clark are as much to blame as anyone for OJ being a free man, and I don't see those same characters in play on this one (so far)-

And IMO- both the MJ trial and the Kobe deal are simply a "victim" con game designed to extort money out of someone rich.

Let's see. We have sniper trials in D.C. We have wars on several fronts. We have the Republicans saying, "Look at our hero! He spent two hours in a war zone. Does that make him a brave soldier or what?" There is an election year coming up, so everyone will be wondering who the Republicans will be running next year...

Michael Jackson has not really been staying at the top of the musical charts, has he?

Michael Jackson invited too many cameras, and too many people into Wonderland. He was essentially tried in the press before any charges were drawn up. The only way that I would anticipate his trial drawing an O.J. type feeding frenzy from the press is if he is found not guilty.

The way things are playing out, it might be the other way around Curmudgeon. The D.A.s evidence and case is starting to look really fishy... it might be, that if he's found guilty, people might BE upset because the way this case has been handled and it would be an even bigger media storm.

Just the facts Jack-son, the case against the King of Pop
http://www.americasdebate.com/forums/index...?showtopic=4406

I'll never forget the shock value of watching OJ Simpson’s infamous white Bronco pursued by more than a dozen black and white police units and news helicopters. By comparison, Michael Jackson's case really isn't that extraordinary, and many have already subconsciously convicted him due to his eccentricities. MJ's crime simply isn't as surprising or heinous to most...and therefore not as interesting, regardless of his innocence or potential guilt.

Actually John Locke, it is on the front page of the USA Today that the child admitted nothing happened earlier in the year.



Actually, I would say that they tried to rely on framing too much. Whether or not he did do it, they wanted to make sure he WOULD be guilty. And that backfired when Cochran explained that OJ couldn't have had blood in all those places. The scene practically looked like a blood bath. I think if he was found guilty there definitely wold have been grounds fo ran appeal.

As one comedian put it, "OJ couldn't have done all that.The O Jays couldn't have done all that".

Will that happen in this case? As eager as the DA seems to just slam MJ behind jail? You bet it will. The question is, will it backfire against him too?

Somebody should do a research project into exactly how many trials the media has named the 'Trial of the century' in the last century.

Trials are as big as the media decides they are. I suspect this one will be quite massive...

I didn’t watch the Michael Jackson interview on 60 minutes but have seen snippets over the holidays. I understand Michael made some accusations about police brutality that are questionable. I also understand that the Santa Barbara County sheriff has provided video and audio proving just the opposite.

It made me wonder – why would Michael lie so readily about something so easily refuted – for something he KNEW there were eye witnesses (not necessarily video and audio, as he may not have been aware that he was being recorded).

I understand that child is withering away and his testimony has already been prerecorded for fear that he won’t be alive or may be too weak for the trial. I also think information given on the deathbed is somehow considered more credible. Does anyone know if this is true?

This is all getting more interesting by the day. It’s also sad, very, very sad.

Sympathy. He knows he has no chance in hell of possibly winning this case and since even though if a civil suit is settled, the boy will still have to testify.

In other words, he is running out of ways to save himself and claims of police brutality might have helped him, but since they were basically found to be lies, his credibility and his case might suffer greatly.

IMHO, it would be better if he just pleaded guilty and go to jail and watch his once powerful career go down the toilet

I heard on the radio today that people like Michael can't differ what is wrong with a male over 35 sleeping with young boys because they are sick. They think by saying they would never HURT anyone they can't define that sleeping with a young boy is not morally right.
It is against the law because he is being with minors.
I don't by any means think what he did was right and should be held accountable if found guilty, but from what I heard today he really doesn't see he has committed a crime.
Should be interesting to see what happens.

"Morally right" or not, California law doesn't make the act of sleeping with a child illegal in unto itself. There have to be other actions within that scenario that I won't go into detail here about, and they have to be proven in some fashion in court. It's a difficult case to prosecute particularly in light of some of the past prosecutions in California of similar kinds of charges. The McMartin pre-school case comes to mind and that was a travesty by the time all was said and done.

No question Michael Jackson is a pretty strange character and some of his actions are downright bizarre, but that doesn't make him a criminal. I think the eventual outcome of this case is very much an unknown at this point, but the odds right now are probably with the defense.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...hael_jackson_61

So about 40 minutes ago Michael Jacksons arraignment ended and it took him and his aunturage 20 minutes to walk 100 yards to his SUV, because of the media and his fans (which numbered in the thousands). Once he reached his vehicle, he go on top of it, with his umbrella and his personal camera man, and they panned around and showed, literally a sea of people, his music (Dom Sheldon is a cold man...) and he waved and gave the peace sign.

THIS WAS COVERED LIVE BY ALL NEWS STATIONS.


Dan Abrams, of MSNBC, who was in the court room everyday of the OJ trial, said and I'm paraphrasing, "I've never seen anything like this in my life."

Folks, I'm the biggest MJ FAN you'll ever meet (trust me ) and I think Michael is innocent, but when you get home tonight and they play this clip of him on top of his SUV over and over and over again, you will see how surreal it was from purely a media frenzy "WHY THE HECK IS HE DOING THIS?!" perspective. If that makes any sense.

This will be the BIGGEST non-war, non Presidential media circus we have ever seen.

No doubt about that and it's most unfortunate I think. The charges that Michael Jackson is facing are extremely serious charges and I sometimes wonder if he really understands that. This morning, he shows up nearly a half an hour late for his hearing and that is absolutely the wrong thing to do from his legal standpoint. He doesn't need a judge angry at him. I don't know if he's guilty or not of these charges, but I keep hearing stuff like "He's just being Michael, normal rules don't apply to him."

I don't care how talented or weird he is, and he's very talented and very weird, he better understand that normal rules do indeed apply to him.

I 100% agree and it's breaking my heart that it's going on like this and that someone in his family doesn't make him stop! I wish he had more level headed people around him, people that would be bold enough (or show tough love) and shake some sense into him. And shame on Mark Garagos for allowing this to happen!

It is escalating into a very sad situation indeed and this is just the beginning! Although I am not a Michael Jackson fan, I do admire and respect his major contributions to the world of music! Somehow, as he grew older, his perception of fantasy and the reality got out of whack...and unless he gets professional help and separates himself from associations that enable him to continue is this path of self-destruction, his situation is only going to become worse and much sadder.

For gosh sakes...he is only in his mid-forties and has an abundance of talent to contribute to the world. I don't think he is guilty of these charges but only a trial will substantiate his innocence or guilt. If he makes it through this hurdle, I hope his family and close associations will FINALLY get the nerve to intervene and tell him what he should hear instead of what he wants to hear. Sometimes, we kill those we love, admire, and support with denial and kindness!

Will this case eclipse all criminal court cases?
Not for me. I already find the Kobe case more riveting and it seems that victim rights are up for debate in that case.

Will this case get even more out of hand than the O.J. case?
I believe it may and it is my contention that MJ wants it that way. Please a 1/2 and hour late for court, not cool. Not to mention his most recent interview.

Will this be the epitome of a media circus?
I believe that on it's merits this case should in no way receive the same media attention as the OJ trial did. Though if MJ continues on his course of self destruction it may.

"I hope his family and close associations will FINALLY get the nerve to intervene and tell him what he should hear instead of what he wants to hear."

Read his biography and you will find out 'his family and close associations' have tried on numerous occassions to stand up to Michael. In these cases Michael has simply alienated himself from those certain people (excluding his mother, for whom he has a weak spot). In cases involving an employee of Michaels, he has simply fired them. He no longer communicates with many ex-friends and family members for this reason. As you can probably see from these examples, it is absolutely no use telling Michael Jackson something he is not interested in hearing. After all, Michael has and always will do what he and he only wants to do and it doesn't matter what anyone, or EVERYone else says.

Without reading his biography, I believe you are right rosieross. Well, then like the rest of us, he has the gift of choice and he certainly is taking full advantage of that gift. Ultimately, there comes a time when we learn: For every action there is a reaction. Maturity is the ability of accepting responsibility for our actions.

As a side note: That famous film clip of Michael jumping up on the SUV and then helping the big guy up will be used in court by the very same authorities that he charged with "dislocating" his shoulder and causing bruises. I can tell you for a fact...a dislocated shoulder/rotor cuff problems is very painful and renders the arm from being raised above the head almost impossible, and the problem doesn't go away in a couple of weeks. In addition to his other charges, you can bet one charge for sure he will face is "filing a false police report."

Edited to add: I voted No-it won't be bigger than the O. J. trial. I'll stand by that, but it will be more buffoonish.

I don't know if this is worth mentioning, but I am going to assume that the byline of this thread is a riff on the phrase, "The War to end all Wars." That phrase was coined in the belief that the Great War would be the last international war. Unless you believe that this trial will be the end to legal trials I don't know how on earth it applies.

Will this case eclipse all other trials? Probably, but I think that it is more of an indictment of our completely unhinged culture which cares more about celebrity than laws or justice. The Scopes Monkey Trial certainly seems bigger in terms of social impact. The Nuremburg trials ushered in a new era of international justice. Yet a man who may have diddled some children is being considered the biggest trial in history? Yowzah...

Will this case eclipse all criminal court cases?
I doubt it. This is more of an entertainment issue than a legal one at this point, and I don't foresee the same level of courtroom drama that we've seen from infamous criminal court cases past. This is only on the news because Jackson is an eccentric whose antics prior and to this point have turned it into a circus.

Will this case get even more out of hand than the O.J. case?
In terms of bad punchlines and ridiculous antics I would say yes.

Will this be the epitome of a media circus?
Yep, in part because those in love with his celebrity will flock to the scene and in part because Jackson will do his part to make the entire issue as over the top as it could be. He no longer seems to have an ounce of sense in his bones and the media will gobble it up for ratings. While it will get plenty of coverage, I don't expect anybody in the media or mainstream America will take the case very seriously at all, which is disheartening should allegations of sexual misconduct be true.

One saving grace to this trial may very well be that it's probably not going to be televised. The judge in this case has already issued gag orders and has not allowed cameras in the court room for any of the hearings. I'm inclined to believe that the judge will continue to forbid cameras in the court room given the nature of the charges and the fact that juveniles are involved.

The way television "news" works these days is that a story isn't really news unless it's also good TV. I doubt that we'll see the media circus quite like we did during OJ.

There may be a gag order as Aquilla stated but from what I have been seeing so far is OJ never had an iota of fans as MJ.
I think because MJ is so much more famous of course this will be a lot bigger than the OJ trial.
When I watched the trail of OJ there were no fans outside carrying signs of WE LOVE YOU, Etc.
I think we may be surprised how big this will become.