Full disclosure: I just finished the (very taxing) post from last Friday, with the 200 men coming forward about their sexual abuse. I am very interested, personally, in this episode since it's with Michael Jackson's mother and children (and we get a teaser that Oprah will talk to Joe, too; I've always wondered about his relationship with Michael in the later years, since Michael spoke up as an adult about the horrible beatings he endured from his father as a child). There's no way I'm skipping this one. That said, I'll probably be a bit more brief than normal and try to hit on real highlights and not quite as many details as I think are necessitated by other episodes.
Katherine Jackson
In 1949, Katherine married Joe Jackson just outside of Gary, IN. Money was tight as they raised 9--NINE!--children in a tiny four room house with one bathroom. But that changed when five of their sons became The Jackson 5. Forty years ago they put down new roots at Hayvenhurst, an estate in Encino, CA. Oprah tells Katherine that she hoped that she'd marry Jackie Jackson and that Katherine would be her mother in law.
Oprah asks what Katherine's dreams were for her children, and Katherine says she hoped for good citizens, good fathers. Katherine wrote a book called Never Can Say Goodbye, filled with personal stories about and pictures of Michael. She feels Michael was misunderstood, and Oprah asks what Katherine thinks about Michael now. Katherine gets choked up and reminisces about holding him in her arms as a baby, and it pierces my heart. I'm pregnant with my first child, a son, and I ache for March of next year, when I will get to hold him and meet him. It's a poignant reminder that Michael Jackson, the Michael Jackson, was once a tiny baby in his mother's womb, held in her arms, nurtured and raised by her.
Being Ugly
Oprah says that Michael wouldn't allow her to show pictures of himself as a teenager. He insisted that he was ugly, and Katherine says he constantly would tell her how ugly he was. One day he simply went to get his nose done, because it was too big and it made him ugly. He didn't really let his mother come because he knew she'd try to stop him. Oprah gently transitions to asking about other operations, whether Katherine could have or tried to stop him, and Katherine says he only had additional procedures on his nose, with the exception of the vitiligo (the skin disorder where his naturally dark skin began looking "bleached" in spots where the melanin would wash out).
She says that under his clothes his skin was spotted, but he did lighten his arms and face, the parts that showed, so that he would look the same all over. Oprah says Michael told her he had two operations on his nose; Katherine says he had more than that, but that he was embarrassed and so he lied. Oprah reiterates the question, did Katherine feel like she could say, "Michael, enough." Katherine says yes, and that she did, but that Michael became addicted to the cosmetic surgery and did it anyway. Katherine even told the plastic surgeon to pretend to do work on Michael's nose when he would come in, not actually changing anything, but he didn't listen to her.
Lisa Marie
Katherine says that Michael's marrying Lisa Marie was a surprise, that she'd never met Lisa Marie, but that she believed he really did love her. Lisa Marie told Oprah that Michael loved his mother unconditionally and there's nothing he wouldn't have done for her. Katherine says yes, and she knew that, too.
June 25, 2009
Oprah asks about the day Michael died, and Katherine says it was the worst day of her life. Oprah asks how she found out, and is shocked when Katherine says that she had done field service that morning. Field service is when Jehovah's Witnesses go door to door to share about their beliefs; Oprah's shock is that Katherine still does so. Presumably the shock is that someone of her stature and wealth, and possibly age, would be involved in door to door proselytizing. Katherine received a call that someone had been taken from Michael's house, with their whole body covered, to the hospital. She was praying, but at that point they would only tell her to come because Michael was in the hospital. They didn't want to tell her he was dead until she got there.
Oprah asked who told her, and it was Dr. Conrad Murray, the man currently facing trial after pleading not guilty to manslaughter for providing Michael with drugs, who broke the news. Katherine apologizes for crying, and Oprah says she is sorry and touches Katherine to console her. Katherine says the children were there, and Paris just kept saying, "Daddy I can't make it without you. I want to go with you." Katherine was afraid that Paris would pass out, she was crying so hard. I can't imagine living through such horrible moments.
The Drug Use
Oprah mentions that the death was prescription overdose, and so Oprah asks Katherine if she was aware of Michael's addiction. Katherine says she learned of his painkiller addiction, as a result of burns when he was shooting a Pepsi ad, a long time after it began. She had known about that but not for a long time, and didn't know about the Propofol addiction (Propofol is part of the drug cocktail that killed him; this article explains why it's so horrible that he was addicted to it; the article was printed before the final autopsy that attributed his death to a prescription overdose, Propofol among the drugs). Katherine says she knew of the other children's intent to do an intervention, to try and get Michael into rehab, and Oprah asks if Katherine ever spoke to Michael about drug use. Katherine told Michael that she never wanted to hear that he had overdosed, that it will kill her too, but he lied and denied; he just kept repeating, "My own mother don't believe me."
Child Abuse Allegations
Katherine was in the courtroom every single day of Michael's 5 month trial in 2005. Katherine says she was so grateful that the jury believed the truth. She seems angry when she says that Michael loved children, and it was basically greed that caused other people to prey on his love of children with lies and false allegations. Oprah asks about the odd behavior, such as Michael showing up in pajamas, and Katherine says it's because he had fallen and was in the hospital and the judge threatened to keep all $3 million of Michael's bail money unless he came in, so Michael went straight from the hospital, in his pajamas, to the court house. Oprah asks if the trial changed him, and Katherine says that Michael used to trust everyone, perhaps too much, and after the trial he didn't trust anyone except his mother.
Dr. Conrad Murray
After a break, Oprah asks what Katherine would say to Dr. Conrad Murray. Katherine says she wants to know why he didn't take care of her child, why he left the room (you can read the alleged circumstances surrounding Michael's death on this wikipedia page), and why he gave the drugs to Michael. Oprah asks if Katherine murdered Michael; she says she doesn't want to say, because she can't say whether it was intentional or unintentional and that she has her thoughts but simply can't say.
Time & The Children
Oprah asks if time heals all wounds, and Katherine says no. Some days things are better, but then other days it feels like it just happened and she still can't talk about him without getting choked up. Oprah asks about the children, if Katherine approved of decisions such as having the children wear veils in public. Katherine says she didn't approve, because she knew how the public would perceive such a move, but it was actually Debbie Rowe, the children's biological mother, who had the idea and not Michael. The children, who went from normal grandma visits, were moved into Katherine's home the night Michael died. Oprah asks how that was, and Katherine says the worst moment was when, after Michael died, the hospital told the family they were free to go and Paris said, "Grandma, where are we [meaning her and her two brothers] going?"
The Children In Public
Though Michael homeschooled the children, Katherine felt it best, upon the children wanting to, to allow them to go to school. The oldest two, Prince and Paris, are now in school and the youngest, Blanket, is beginning to show interest. Katherine says he's very shy and not quite ready yet. Oprah inquires whether Katherine thinks it's good for the children to be allowed to be seen by the public, and Katherine says it's much healthier for them.
Oprah asks whether Katherine feels that Michael is still here with her, and Katherine says that she has her memories and that's the one thing no one can take away.
Joe Jackson
Oprah goes out to the backyard, and is sitting with Katherine and Joe. Oprah says she's surprised to see Joe, because the world thinks they're divorced. They say no. Oprah asks if Joe thinks Michael was afraid of him, and Joe says that he thinks Michael was afraid he'd do something wrong and Joe would chastise him. Joe insists that he "never beat Michael like the media tried to say"; I have to say that the look on Oprah's face at this point, though she's trying to keep it passive, sure doesn't look like she believes him. Ok, and my gut was right because Oprah follows this statement up with telling Joe that Michael himself told her, in a 1993 interview, that his father beat him. Joe changes his tone to say that he's glad Michael was raised in such a way that he was so well liked all over the world, that he could have been raised in such a way that he'd be dead from doing drugs or in jail like so many other people's kids.
[Is it too ironic to point out here that his kid is dead from doing drugs? Regardless of your view on spanking, it wouldn't seem that Joe's methods turned out much better for Michael if you use Joe's logic. I'm not saying I am using that logic, but Joe is, and it's both aggravating and sad to see him refuse to take responsibility for beating his young children.]
Joe: Beating The Children
Oprah gets frank, and says that she was beaten as a child because that was the culture. She asks Joe if that was the way he raised his children. Joe replies, "Beat or whipping?" To which Katherine says, "Same thing," and Oprah says, "It's the same thing when you have welts on your back!" Oprah points out that Joe is taking issue with the word "beat", and Joe is continually dodgy and so Oprah asks how he would describe it. Katherine says, "You might as well admit it. That's the way Black people raise their children." Joe remains silent, but Katherine says that Joe used a strap on the children.
Oprah asks Joe if he'd do anything differently, and he crosses his arms (very defensive posture) and says that he would use a strap if his children did something wrong, and reiterates that this is how he raised them and as a result his kids have never been in jail, that of nine kids, none have been in jail. Oprah asks if he regrets the strapping, and Joe says no, because his kids turned out well.
The Kids
Oprah meets the kids, including Michael's three, and a bunch of their cousins. We learn that Prince wants to direct and produce movies and Paris wants to be an actress. She plans to study and take it seriously, and says that she used to do improv with her dad. We find that all of the children are interested in show business, and they tell Oprah they grew up watching the tapes of their fathers / uncles as The Jackson 5.
Talking to Paris about school, Oprah asks what it's like when people learn about who they are, and Paris says it's great to be accepted for who she is. Oprah asks if Prince and Paris remember when they literally would go out in veils, and Prince says they knew why they were wearing the mask: so that when they went out without their dad, no one would know who they were. Paris says he tried to raise them to not know who he was, but it didn't really go so well. Oprah asks if they liked being behind the mask, and Paris says it wasn't always comfortable but she knew it was to protect her.
Oprah tells Paris that we all remember Paris speaking at the funeral, and that we were all very moved by it. She asks what her favorite memory of her father is, and Paris replies that it's very hard for her to try to have just one. Prince says his favorite was waking up early in the morning and walking the beach with his dad, and Paris says it was getting quality time with just her and her dad, without her two brothers there. Paris remembers one night when she and her dad sat on the roof of their home in Las Vegas, seeing the city lights, drinking soda and eating Snickers bars.
Oprah asks if their dad was strict, or if they could get away with anything, and Blanket pipes up, "He could get away with anything!" Michael would get away with things, but the kids couldn't get away with things. Paris recounts doing things from going to the art museum to playing tag to him getting the dog for them. Paris says her dad was the best cook ever, and Oprah's shock doesn't surprise Paris. She reiterates that he was just a really great dad, that he cooked breakfast for them a lot. Oprah asks what she misses the most, and Paris gets very, very somber and says, "Everything."
Oprah thanks the children for their time and the show ends.
Gospel Filter Review (GFR)
I wrote about Michael in the Lisa Marie Presley episode, which can be read about at that link. I have to be honest--my brain is just utter mush at this point. The only thing that I can't stop thinking about was the attitude of Joe Jackson that his use of physical discipline, which was described by Michael as being quite harsh, means his kids are ok because none of them went to jail. That's just wrong, and I'm sad for his heart that won't admit it was wrong and for his children who don't have a repentant father. There are many Christians who believe that spanking can be done in a Biblical and loving way; you can do your own internet research and / or read this book. Regardless of one's beliefs about what the Bible means when it says to use the rod on children, the accounts of how Joe beat his children was not Biblical.
One other thing that stands out is that many may wonder if Jehovah's Witnesses are considered to be Biblical Christians. Simply put, they are not. You can read a great outline of why not here; other questions stretching across a variety of topics regarding Jehovah's Witnesses and their beliefs can be found here. Basically, though, Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that Jesus Christ is God and therefore they are not considered Christians. This puts them in the category of a pagan religion that is demonic and needs Jesus. I've written about false religions before and you can read those posts here.
Finally, I am saddened at the tragic loss for the entire Jackson family: son, father, brother, uncle. It's heartbreaking and I am saddened at the way our culture has cultivated the environment for men like Michael Jackson to live in such a way that they feel in need of drugs like he used. There was a GREAT sermon about this yesterday, but it won't be live on the website for a week. I'll try to remember to come back and post it, but basically the message is that Jesus tells us not to be anxious, to fear not, and he equips us to live trusting him. I'll post it when it's live but for tonight this sister is too tired to string together even the tiniest resemblance of a coherent thought.
Up Tomorrow
Katherine Jackson
In 1949, Katherine married Joe Jackson just outside of Gary, IN. Money was tight as they raised 9--NINE!--children in a tiny four room house with one bathroom. But that changed when five of their sons became The Jackson 5. Forty years ago they put down new roots at Hayvenhurst, an estate in Encino, CA. Oprah tells Katherine that she hoped that she'd marry Jackie Jackson and that Katherine would be her mother in law.
Oprah asks what Katherine's dreams were for her children, and Katherine says she hoped for good citizens, good fathers. Katherine wrote a book called Never Can Say Goodbye, filled with personal stories about and pictures of Michael. She feels Michael was misunderstood, and Oprah asks what Katherine thinks about Michael now. Katherine gets choked up and reminisces about holding him in her arms as a baby, and it pierces my heart. I'm pregnant with my first child, a son, and I ache for March of next year, when I will get to hold him and meet him. It's a poignant reminder that Michael Jackson, the Michael Jackson, was once a tiny baby in his mother's womb, held in her arms, nurtured and raised by her.
Being Ugly
Oprah says that Michael wouldn't allow her to show pictures of himself as a teenager. He insisted that he was ugly, and Katherine says he constantly would tell her how ugly he was. One day he simply went to get his nose done, because it was too big and it made him ugly. He didn't really let his mother come because he knew she'd try to stop him. Oprah gently transitions to asking about other operations, whether Katherine could have or tried to stop him, and Katherine says he only had additional procedures on his nose, with the exception of the vitiligo (the skin disorder where his naturally dark skin began looking "bleached" in spots where the melanin would wash out).
She says that under his clothes his skin was spotted, but he did lighten his arms and face, the parts that showed, so that he would look the same all over. Oprah says Michael told her he had two operations on his nose; Katherine says he had more than that, but that he was embarrassed and so he lied. Oprah reiterates the question, did Katherine feel like she could say, "Michael, enough." Katherine says yes, and that she did, but that Michael became addicted to the cosmetic surgery and did it anyway. Katherine even told the plastic surgeon to pretend to do work on Michael's nose when he would come in, not actually changing anything, but he didn't listen to her.
Lisa Marie
Katherine says that Michael's marrying Lisa Marie was a surprise, that she'd never met Lisa Marie, but that she believed he really did love her. Lisa Marie told Oprah that Michael loved his mother unconditionally and there's nothing he wouldn't have done for her. Katherine says yes, and she knew that, too.
June 25, 2009
Oprah asks about the day Michael died, and Katherine says it was the worst day of her life. Oprah asks how she found out, and is shocked when Katherine says that she had done field service that morning. Field service is when Jehovah's Witnesses go door to door to share about their beliefs; Oprah's shock is that Katherine still does so. Presumably the shock is that someone of her stature and wealth, and possibly age, would be involved in door to door proselytizing. Katherine received a call that someone had been taken from Michael's house, with their whole body covered, to the hospital. She was praying, but at that point they would only tell her to come because Michael was in the hospital. They didn't want to tell her he was dead until she got there.
Oprah asked who told her, and it was Dr. Conrad Murray, the man currently facing trial after pleading not guilty to manslaughter for providing Michael with drugs, who broke the news. Katherine apologizes for crying, and Oprah says she is sorry and touches Katherine to console her. Katherine says the children were there, and Paris just kept saying, "Daddy I can't make it without you. I want to go with you." Katherine was afraid that Paris would pass out, she was crying so hard. I can't imagine living through such horrible moments.
The Drug Use
Oprah mentions that the death was prescription overdose, and so Oprah asks Katherine if she was aware of Michael's addiction. Katherine says she learned of his painkiller addiction, as a result of burns when he was shooting a Pepsi ad, a long time after it began. She had known about that but not for a long time, and didn't know about the Propofol addiction (Propofol is part of the drug cocktail that killed him; this article explains why it's so horrible that he was addicted to it; the article was printed before the final autopsy that attributed his death to a prescription overdose, Propofol among the drugs). Katherine says she knew of the other children's intent to do an intervention, to try and get Michael into rehab, and Oprah asks if Katherine ever spoke to Michael about drug use. Katherine told Michael that she never wanted to hear that he had overdosed, that it will kill her too, but he lied and denied; he just kept repeating, "My own mother don't believe me."
Child Abuse Allegations
Katherine was in the courtroom every single day of Michael's 5 month trial in 2005. Katherine says she was so grateful that the jury believed the truth. She seems angry when she says that Michael loved children, and it was basically greed that caused other people to prey on his love of children with lies and false allegations. Oprah asks about the odd behavior, such as Michael showing up in pajamas, and Katherine says it's because he had fallen and was in the hospital and the judge threatened to keep all $3 million of Michael's bail money unless he came in, so Michael went straight from the hospital, in his pajamas, to the court house. Oprah asks if the trial changed him, and Katherine says that Michael used to trust everyone, perhaps too much, and after the trial he didn't trust anyone except his mother.
Dr. Conrad Murray
After a break, Oprah asks what Katherine would say to Dr. Conrad Murray. Katherine says she wants to know why he didn't take care of her child, why he left the room (you can read the alleged circumstances surrounding Michael's death on this wikipedia page), and why he gave the drugs to Michael. Oprah asks if Katherine murdered Michael; she says she doesn't want to say, because she can't say whether it was intentional or unintentional and that she has her thoughts but simply can't say.
Time & The Children
Oprah asks if time heals all wounds, and Katherine says no. Some days things are better, but then other days it feels like it just happened and she still can't talk about him without getting choked up. Oprah asks about the children, if Katherine approved of decisions such as having the children wear veils in public. Katherine says she didn't approve, because she knew how the public would perceive such a move, but it was actually Debbie Rowe, the children's biological mother, who had the idea and not Michael. The children, who went from normal grandma visits, were moved into Katherine's home the night Michael died. Oprah asks how that was, and Katherine says the worst moment was when, after Michael died, the hospital told the family they were free to go and Paris said, "Grandma, where are we [meaning her and her two brothers] going?"
The Children In Public
Though Michael homeschooled the children, Katherine felt it best, upon the children wanting to, to allow them to go to school. The oldest two, Prince and Paris, are now in school and the youngest, Blanket, is beginning to show interest. Katherine says he's very shy and not quite ready yet. Oprah inquires whether Katherine thinks it's good for the children to be allowed to be seen by the public, and Katherine says it's much healthier for them.
Oprah asks whether Katherine feels that Michael is still here with her, and Katherine says that she has her memories and that's the one thing no one can take away.
Joe Jackson
Oprah goes out to the backyard, and is sitting with Katherine and Joe. Oprah says she's surprised to see Joe, because the world thinks they're divorced. They say no. Oprah asks if Joe thinks Michael was afraid of him, and Joe says that he thinks Michael was afraid he'd do something wrong and Joe would chastise him. Joe insists that he "never beat Michael like the media tried to say"; I have to say that the look on Oprah's face at this point, though she's trying to keep it passive, sure doesn't look like she believes him. Ok, and my gut was right because Oprah follows this statement up with telling Joe that Michael himself told her, in a 1993 interview, that his father beat him. Joe changes his tone to say that he's glad Michael was raised in such a way that he was so well liked all over the world, that he could have been raised in such a way that he'd be dead from doing drugs or in jail like so many other people's kids.
[Is it too ironic to point out here that his kid is dead from doing drugs? Regardless of your view on spanking, it wouldn't seem that Joe's methods turned out much better for Michael if you use Joe's logic. I'm not saying I am using that logic, but Joe is, and it's both aggravating and sad to see him refuse to take responsibility for beating his young children.]
Joe: Beating The Children
Oprah gets frank, and says that she was beaten as a child because that was the culture. She asks Joe if that was the way he raised his children. Joe replies, "Beat or whipping?" To which Katherine says, "Same thing," and Oprah says, "It's the same thing when you have welts on your back!" Oprah points out that Joe is taking issue with the word "beat", and Joe is continually dodgy and so Oprah asks how he would describe it. Katherine says, "You might as well admit it. That's the way Black people raise their children." Joe remains silent, but Katherine says that Joe used a strap on the children.
Oprah asks Joe if he'd do anything differently, and he crosses his arms (very defensive posture) and says that he would use a strap if his children did something wrong, and reiterates that this is how he raised them and as a result his kids have never been in jail, that of nine kids, none have been in jail. Oprah asks if he regrets the strapping, and Joe says no, because his kids turned out well.
The Kids
Oprah meets the kids, including Michael's three, and a bunch of their cousins. We learn that Prince wants to direct and produce movies and Paris wants to be an actress. She plans to study and take it seriously, and says that she used to do improv with her dad. We find that all of the children are interested in show business, and they tell Oprah they grew up watching the tapes of their fathers / uncles as The Jackson 5.
Talking to Paris about school, Oprah asks what it's like when people learn about who they are, and Paris says it's great to be accepted for who she is. Oprah asks if Prince and Paris remember when they literally would go out in veils, and Prince says they knew why they were wearing the mask: so that when they went out without their dad, no one would know who they were. Paris says he tried to raise them to not know who he was, but it didn't really go so well. Oprah asks if they liked being behind the mask, and Paris says it wasn't always comfortable but she knew it was to protect her.
Oprah tells Paris that we all remember Paris speaking at the funeral, and that we were all very moved by it. She asks what her favorite memory of her father is, and Paris replies that it's very hard for her to try to have just one. Prince says his favorite was waking up early in the morning and walking the beach with his dad, and Paris says it was getting quality time with just her and her dad, without her two brothers there. Paris remembers one night when she and her dad sat on the roof of their home in Las Vegas, seeing the city lights, drinking soda and eating Snickers bars.
Oprah asks if their dad was strict, or if they could get away with anything, and Blanket pipes up, "He could get away with anything!" Michael would get away with things, but the kids couldn't get away with things. Paris recounts doing things from going to the art museum to playing tag to him getting the dog for them. Paris says her dad was the best cook ever, and Oprah's shock doesn't surprise Paris. She reiterates that he was just a really great dad, that he cooked breakfast for them a lot. Oprah asks what she misses the most, and Paris gets very, very somber and says, "Everything."
Oprah thanks the children for their time and the show ends.
Gospel Filter Review (GFR)
I wrote about Michael in the Lisa Marie Presley episode, which can be read about at that link. I have to be honest--my brain is just utter mush at this point. The only thing that I can't stop thinking about was the attitude of Joe Jackson that his use of physical discipline, which was described by Michael as being quite harsh, means his kids are ok because none of them went to jail. That's just wrong, and I'm sad for his heart that won't admit it was wrong and for his children who don't have a repentant father. There are many Christians who believe that spanking can be done in a Biblical and loving way; you can do your own internet research and / or read this book. Regardless of one's beliefs about what the Bible means when it says to use the rod on children, the accounts of how Joe beat his children was not Biblical.
One other thing that stands out is that many may wonder if Jehovah's Witnesses are considered to be Biblical Christians. Simply put, they are not. You can read a great outline of why not here; other questions stretching across a variety of topics regarding Jehovah's Witnesses and their beliefs can be found here. Basically, though, Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that Jesus Christ is God and therefore they are not considered Christians. This puts them in the category of a pagan religion that is demonic and needs Jesus. I've written about false religions before and you can read those posts here.
Finally, I am saddened at the tragic loss for the entire Jackson family: son, father, brother, uncle. It's heartbreaking and I am saddened at the way our culture has cultivated the environment for men like Michael Jackson to live in such a way that they feel in need of drugs like he used. There was a GREAT sermon about this yesterday, but it won't be live on the website for a week. I'll try to remember to come back and post it, but basically the message is that Jesus tells us not to be anxious, to fear not, and he equips us to live trusting him. I'll post it when it's live but for tonight this sister is too tired to string together even the tiniest resemblance of a coherent thought.
Up Tomorrow
Former President Bush on His Most Difficult Decisions
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