Jan.28 in history

22 Years Ago --- Singer Michael Jackson Hurt When His Hair Catches Fire New York Times January 28, 1984 The singer Michael Jackson was hospitalized last night with burns of the scalp after an accidental explosion set fire to his hair during the filming of a commercial, a spokesman said. The explosion about 6:30 P.M. was in material being used to create smoke effects for a concert scene in a Pepsi- Cola commercial. "Something went wrong and it exploded and Michael's hair caught on fire," said John Branca, a spokesman for Mr. Jackson. (A spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department said no one else was been injured in the incident.) (Larry Baum, a spokesman for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said Mr. Jackson had been admitted to the hospital with "second-degree burns on his skull," but had apparently not suffered any facial burns. "His condition is stable and he's doing well," Mr. Baum said. He added that Mr. Jackson was to be transferred to a special burn unit at Brotman Medical Center in Culver City.) The accident occurred at the Shrine Auditorium as Mr. Jackson was coming to the front of the stage, singing a jingle to the tune of his hit song "Billy Jean," said Margaret Watkins of Fullerton, who was watching the filming from the fifth row. "There were canisters that let off smoke, they pop and they smoke," she said. "His hair caught on fire. He grabbed his head and they put water on him and took him off stage." Mr. Jackson, 25 years old, won eight Americian Music awards Jan. 16 and is nominated for 12 Grammy awards. His latest record album, "Thriller," has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful albums in history. --- 21 Years Ago --- Jagger Finishes First Solo Album, 'She's The Boss' New York Times January 28, 1985 ...Mr. Jagger, who is 42 years old, has been musically involved with another 1980's pop phenomenon, Michael Jackson. The two singers got together last year to collaborate on a single, "State of Shock," which also appeared on the Jacksons' "Victory" album. "How was working with Michael? Quick," said Mr. Jagger. "He had the two of us practice scales for two hours and then we recorded the vocals in two takes. When he sent the finished track to me later I was kind of disappointed in the production and the mix. But I think he's a really good singer." And dancer? "Well, yeah, but we didn't dance too much in the studio..." --- 20 Years Ago --- 'Hands' Song In Limbo At Jackson's Urging Los Angeles Times January 28, 1986 "We Are the World," which celebrates its first birthday today, remains the official end-hunger anthem of USA for Africa, even though foundation President Ken Kragen went to great lengths to give his organization a new theme song for 1986. Thanks to superstar Michael Jackson, who co-wrote "We Are the World" with Kragen client Lionel Richie, the "Hands Across America" theme song may have been stillborn. Jackson engineered a successful board-room offensive against unveiling the song and a "Hands Across America" music video on Sunday's Super Bowl half-time NBC telecast. His fellow board members learned of Jackson's disdain for the new song during a trustees meeting of the USA for Africa Foundation last Tuesday in Century City, when the 27-year-old reclusive pop star squelched the airing of the "Hands Across America" song and music video. The song "We Are the World" was broadcast in its place. "The truth and the party line is that Michael Jackson and, in fact, most of the board were in agreement that 'We Are the World' should be the official song of USA for Africa," Kragen said Monday. Kragen said that the board voted unanimously to make "We Are the World" the official song of USA for Africa at Jackson's behest. Kragen said that the board also agreed that each separate USA for Africa project, such as Hands Across America, could have its own theme song too, but such theme songs could never supersede "We Are the World." "There was a little bit of a flurry last week," Kragen acknowledged. Of his own enthusiasm for the Hands Across America theme song and video, Kragen said, "Well, I got a little bit ahead of myself." Kragen said that a special board meeting from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday effectively ended the board's disharmony on "Hands Across America." Jackson did not attend the Saturday meeting... --- 18 Years Ago --- Pepsi Chases Coke In New Ad Campaign USA Today January 28, 1988 He's Bad and he's back. Michael Jackson, who practically owned the Grammy Awards show in years past, will dominate its commercial breaks this year as hero of four new Pepsi ads. The "Chase" campaign, unveiled Wednesday, is part of Pepsi's ad attack. The big-splash strategy includes four non-Jackson ads, two of which will air during the Super Bowl. Pepsi-Cola USA, perennial runner-up to Coca-Cola Co., is trying to get extra oomph from its ad dollars by tying ads to news events, promotions and popular TV shows. Examples: The Chase ads will next air in March during four consecutive episodes of NBC's Family Ties - which stars Diet Pepsi pitchman Michael J. Fox; sweepstakes tied to the Chase series will take place in April - when Jackson will be touring the USA in concert; and Fox's newest spot airs during the Super Bowl. The four Chase ads track Jackson through a fantasy sequence in which he flees overzealous fans. --- 17 Years Ago --- 'Billie Jean' Delusions Houston Chronicle January 28, 1989 A 41-year-old former legal secretary who calls herself "Billie Jean Jackson" and claims she is married to Michael Jackson has been convicted of trespassing at the pop superstar's mansion. Lavon A. Muhammad, who also says Jackson fathered her 6-year-old twins, was found guilty this week of eight misdemeanors, including trespassing and violating a court order to stay more than 100 yards from Jackson's Encino property. Muhammad allegedly has harassed Jackson for five years, leading to a 1986 restraining order. Jackson's song " Billie Jean," about a man denying a paternity claim, is one of his biggest hits. Van Nuys Municipal Judge Stephen E. O'Neil told Muhammad she faces up to 2 1/2 years in jail at sentencing Monday if she continues to refuse psychiatric treatment. --- 16 Years Ago --- Picture This Houston Chronicle January 28, 1990 Australian artist Brett-Livingston Strong, left, unveils his portrait of singer Michael Jackson as they attend a press conference in Beverly Hills, Calif. Hironichi Saeki, president of a Japanese trading and development company, paid $2 million for the painting. --- --- Michael Jackson, 'Music Man' New York Times January 28, 1990 At the two Antique Boutique stores, 712-14 Broadway (near East Fourth Street) and 227 East 59th Street (near Second Avenue), the hot look is an update of "The Music Man." "Michael Jackson made a real fashion impact on band uniforms when he started wearing a band jacket," said Danielle Frederick, publicity director for the stores. The doormen's coats and school and professional band jackets range from $35 to $125. At the two Andy's Chee-Pee's vintage clothing stores, 16 West Eighth Street (near Fifth Avenue) and 14 St. Marks Place (near Second Avenue), what's popular is "the juxtaposition of the rigid with what's easy," said Rita Lefkowitz, a store manager. At these stores, high school and professional band jackets sell for $28. A doorman's double-breasted melton coat with brass buttons and, with luck, an embroidered name of a tony Manhattan building sells for $60. --- 14 Years Ago --- Personals San Francisco Chronicle January 28, 1992 On tonight's "A Current Affair," Tim Whitehead, a cousin of Michael Jackson, says, "I think all people should know that (Jackson) loves women and he loves going on dates." --- 13 Years Ago --- Gant Gets Lifetime 'Thriller' Orlando Sentinel January 28, 1993 Although reporters weren't allowed to ask pop star Michael Jackson questions during a news conference for his halftime starring role at the Super Bowl on Sunday, Dallas safety Kenny Gant had the "thriller" of asking the megastar anything he wanted. Gant, a lifetime Michael Jackson fan who played at Lakeland Kathleen High School and Albany State, was granted a private audience with his musical idol moments before Tuesday's news conference. Escorted past waves of security guards, Gant was allowed into a backstage holding room, where Jackson had agreed to receive him. Can he relate the conversation? "Every word," said Gant, who said his nervousness was accented by Jackson's shyness. "He would only make eye contact for fleeting moments and then look away." Gant recalls the conversation like this: Gant: "I'm Kenneth Gant, Dallas Cowboys deebee." Jackson: "How are you?" Gant: "I'm fine. How're you?" Jackson: "Having a good time?" Gant: "Yes." Jackson: "Nice to meet you." Gant: "Nice to meet you." A photographer snapped their picture and Gant happily floated away with a lifetime memory. --- --- Super Half Los Angeles Times January 28, 1993 When Michael Jackson sings "Heal the World" during halftime at Sunday's Super Bowl, he'll be backed by a 500-member choir. And that will include 150 choir members from the Orange County High School of the Arts... "You bet they're excited," says Stevi Meredith, their director. "But they're more thrilled about Michael than the game." They get an extra treat tonight-their first rehearsal at the bowl with Jackson present. --- 12 Years Ago --- Photos Don't Tally With Description Orlando Sentinel January 28, 1994 Police photographs of Michael Jackson's genitals, which the pop superstar said deeply embarrassed him, may end up being his salvation in avoiding criminal charges of child molestation, a source close to the pop star said Thursday. The source, who asked not to be identified, said the photographs did not tally with a description given to police by a 14-year-old boy who accused Jackson in a civil suit of sexually abusing him. The source said this was one reason the star, who wants to get the six-month-old matter behind him, agreed this week to settle the suit with the boy and his parents. According to the source, the boy was paid $5 million to withdraw his suit and his parents received unspecified cash settlements... Lawyers both for Jackson and the boy also said they wanted to get the case behind them; many outside legal experts took that as a sign that the boy would not testify in any future criminal proceeding. Under California law, the decision as to whether to testify would be up to the boy. The source said the description the youth gave of Jackson's genitalia turned out to be at variance with photographs taken by police on orders of a California judge. "The pictures simply didn't match the boy's description," the source said. The source said the teen-ager had implicated other boys whom he alleged Jackson sexually molested. But the source said that when police questioned these boys, they denied being molested. The source said the suit would have been settled earlier except for a disagreement between the boy's parents. "What held up the settlement was the father's insistence that his ex-wife not get any money because he claimed she had allowed the relationship between the boy and superstar," the source said. --- --- Liz stands by Mike Toronto Star January 28, 1994 Elizabeth Taylor, a long-time friend of Michael Jackson, said yesterday she remained convinced of the pop star's innocence after his settlement of a lawsuit filed by a boy accusing him of sexual molestation. The movie star, who once called Jackson "one of the least weird people I know," welcomed the resolution of the case. --- 10 Years Ago --- Don Juan Jackson Florida Times Union January 28, 1996 Just one week after wife Lisa Marie Presley Jackson told him the thrill is gone, a heavily made up Michael Jackson visited New York's Motown Cafe with a mystery blonde. They both kept on their shades and ate sushi -- which had to be driven in from another restaurant because it's not on Motown's menu. The couple then sped off in a blue van. --- 9 Years Ago --- Jackson Icing On Liz's 65th-birthday Cake USA Today January 28, 1997 Michael Jackson will jet home from Switzerland for the birth of his first child in February and to escort Elizabeth Taylor to her 65th birthday tribute in L.A. on Feb. 16. "It's not a date," says Gary Pudney, executive producer of the gala, which will air on ABC. "He'll be escorting a very good friend." Jackson will not bring his bride, Debbie Rowe, to the Pantages Theater event, Pudney says. Not only did Jackson write a tune for his pal, Elizabeth, I Love You, he also penned a poem (Elizabeth) that he'll read. "This is the first time Michael has read poetry publicly. His love and devotion for Elizabeth is very special," Pudney says. But he says rumors that Taylor will be godmother to Jackson's baby aren't true. Of her birthday bash, Pudney says, "Elizabeth wants everybody to have fun." On the guest list: Rosie O'Donnell, Roseanne, Ellen DeGeneres, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher, Tim Allen, Sharon Stone, John Travolta, Liza Minnelli, Shirley MacLaine, Patti LaBelle, Drew Barrymore, John Lithgow, Kevin Bacon. Taylor will appear twice in the two-hour special (David Copperfield will perform some magic with her) and at a private reception after the show. --- --- Pillow Talk USA Today January 28, 1997 Diamond merchant Bharat Shah paid $10,181 at an auction of Michael Jackson memorabilia this weekend for a pillow cover the pop star used during his tour of India in November. While staying at the Oberoi hotel, Jackson scribbled on the pillow cover: "I love you India. I have seen the face of God in your children." --- 7 Years Ago --- A Treasure Trove Of Goodies At Flea Market New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur) January 28, 1999 Sharon Nelson returns to the days of yore with a visit to a Petaling Jaya flea market that captivates guests with its music, wares and funfair atmosphere. From one corner of the hall comes a ear-splitting blast from the past. Michael Jackson's Beat It fills the air at a loud but invigorating volume. Far from paying heed to the song's message, people begin to flock around at the weekly flea market at the lower ground of Amcorp Mall in Petaling Jaya. The sound emanates from a vinyl record (remember those?) being spun on a turntable that looks at least 30 years old. "How much?", asks one fascinated stopper-by. "Ini, ah? Ini saya sudah lepair, tahu..., (This one? I have fixed this, you know ...)," says the Sunday entrepreneur before he hits the potential customer with a price of RM400. --- 2 Years Ago --- Dionne's Prayer Birmingham Post January 28, 2004 Five-time Grammy award winner Dionne Warwick is saying a little prayer for close friend Michael Jackson and said child molestation charges against him were a "complete injustice." "I've watched him grow to become the icon that he is, and I wouldn't even consider believing the claims against him," Warwick said in Singapore before a concert. "I think it's a complete injustice, the way the trial is being done," Warwick, aged 63, added. --- --- High-tech Lynching New York Amsterdam News January 28, 2004 Once upon a-time, Blacks would have to be dragged to an oak tree. Now, wealthy Blacks drive up to lynch mobs in limousines amid caravans. The media has replaced the lynch mob, the camera has replaced the rope and the courthouse has replaced the tree. Justice Clarence Thomas described it, correctly, as a "high-tech lynching." ... Jackson's attorneys should have at least established a rapport with the judicial system to the extent of demanding a courtroom to accommodate his several hundred supporters in addition to assuaging the racist instincts of the judicial system. If a circus-like atmosphere existed in Santa Maria, the California judicial system fomented it by denying to Jackson the right to a public trial. Judge Rodney Melville employed Jackson's police-inspired tardiness to not only flog Jackson verbally but also to poison a potential jury pool in Santa Barbara County by judicially devaluing his character while his attorneys buried their heads in the sand. There should have been a strenuous objection to this devious ploy. The judge should have also gagged himself to protect Jackson's right to a fair trial. Since the media has no ethical obligations to Black defendants, it is free to constitutionally sabotage their nominal constitutional rights - this includes lying to the public with impunity. Jackson can do flips or the moonwalk once he leaves the courtroom. Things are different inside the courtroom, however. He is exposed to the court's contempt powers. On the real side, his courtroom deportment was honorable. Since Jackson is clothed with the presumption of innocence, he owes zip to the alleged victim or the judicial system. If a criminal defendant believes he or she is being railroaded or framed, as has happened to countless Blacks, why should this defendant show contrition other than to promote a badge of slavery? We know what happens to uppity Blacks. His attorneys were out of line to apologize to the perpetrator for Jackson's reasonable conduct. Instead, they should have been complaining about prosecutorial misconduct and judicial excesses. The media and the criminal justice system are laying the groundwork for prejudicial, pre-trial publicity as part of a graduated process to lynch Jackson. If these excesses are left unchecked, Jackson will never know what hit him. ---