Part 27 (1/2)

As they were talking, the phone rang. Katherine took the call upstairs. Joseph followed.

A few minutes later, Katherine came running down the stairs, huffing and puffing and saying, 'Michael's on the phone. Michael's on the phone! Joseph's talking to him right now.' Jerome Howard recalled, 'She was very worked up about it.'

Jermaine ran to the staircase where Katherine was standing and, in a very excited tone, said to her, 'Mother, let Kenneth talk to Michael. Let Kenneth try to convince him. After all, he convinced you and Joseph in the first place. He He should talk to Michael.' should talk to Michael.'

Katherine was sceptical. 'I don't know if that's a good idea,' she said as she ran back up the stairs. It was all so... frantic. 'But pick up the phone and try,' she hollered back at them. 'It can't hurt.'

According to Jerome, Jermaine ran back over to Kenneth. 'Look, man, you gotta persuade Michael.'

'But... how?' Kenneth asked, helplessly. 'How do I do this?' He looked bewildered.

'Man, I don't know,' Jermaine answered. His brow was furrowed; it looked like he was trying to think of something, quickly. 'But you gotta do it. Cry on the phone to him if you have to,' he said, facetiously. 'Whatever. Just do it, man. Do it.'

Kenneth Choi picked up the telephone.

'Michael, please, my country wants you to come and perform,' he said in broken English.

There was a pause. Apparently, Michael was explaining why he didn't want to do the tour.

'But, please, Michael, I beg of you...'

Another pause.

Suddenly, Kenneth began to weep. 'But, Michael, if you don't come to my country to perform, I have no choice but to kill kill myself,' he said, his tone theatrical. 'I mean it. I'll do it.' In moments, Kenneth was sobbing, uncontrollably. myself,' he said, his tone theatrical. 'I mean it. I'll do it.' In moments, Kenneth was sobbing, uncontrollably.

Jermaine took one look at him and fell to his knees, laughing. He had to hold his hand over his mouth to stifle the sound. Then, Jerome fell to the floor, as well, laughing hysterically.

Kenneth ignored them both. 'You see, this is my mission,' he continued on the phone, tears cascading down his cheeks. 'My mission is to bring you, the great Michael Jackson, to Korea to perform for all of the people there. I must see you. Please, I beg of you. Michael, please. Please Please.'

Finally, Michael agreed to meet with Kenneth Choi. He never could resist a crying man.

According to Jerome, when Kenneth got off the phone, his demeanour immediately changed and he began dancing around the room, merrily. 'My G.o.d, I can't believe it,' he whooped. 'I talked to Michael Jackson on the phone. Oh my G.o.d!'

Meanwhile, since the two weeks Katherine had to convince Michael to sign the contract had pa.s.sed, she had no choice but to return the million-dollar reward money. Joseph was upset with her when he found out she had the money, and even angrier when he heard she had given it back. 'We coulda' used that money, Katie,' he said, angrily. 'Oh my G.o.d. The world is going crazy when my own wife has a million dollars and doesn't tell me about it.'

Soon after that, Jerome Howard quit working for Katherine and Joseph Jackson. 'I discovered that Kenneth Choi was meeting with Joseph and Katherine behind my back, cutting a side deal. When I saw this happening, I quit.'

It had been twenty years since the Jacksons moved from Gary to Los Angeles in search of fame and wealth. All of them had come to enjoy a privileged lifestyle. However, somewhere in the process, they seemed to lose all perspective on reality. It seemed that none of them knew when to stop; they wanted more, always more. When the Koreans figured out how to appeal to this acquisitive streak, a new, Moonie-induced decadence spread like a cancer throughout the family.

The Moonies gave Joseph a Rolls-Royce Corniche; later he would get more than fifty thousand dollars because, after all, he was Michael Jackson's father and, it was thought, he must have some some influence on him. influence on him.

Then, Katherine got thirty-five thousand dollars, because she was Michael's mother.

Then, Jermaine got a Range Rover, because he was the brother who, it was felt, had the most power over Michael. (He gave the automobile to Hazel, as part of their divorce settlement.) Then, Michael got sixty thousand dollars and expensive artwork, because he was, after all, the man of the hour. That wasn't enough, however, so the Koreans sent over a white Rolls-Royce Corniche, which Michael happily accepted. Why not? If they were dumb enough to give it to him, he figured, he was smart enough to take it. He wasn't even sure where it came from, he said. 'Who are these people, and why are they giving me a car?' he asked John Branca.

Other people were getting many thousands of dollars just because they knew Michael and, it was hoped, had some sway over him. Jerome Howard said. 'To the Moonies, this was just so-called seed money, funds they had to spend in order to get close to Michael.' Even Michael's bodyguard, Bill Bray, got half a million and, today, no one even remembers why or how he got it.

Everyone was greedy enough to accept what they could before the Koreans finally realized that the chance of Michael Jackson ever doing those concerts was nil. The nadir of the debacle was reached when one of Bill Bray's girlfriends went to Kenneth Choi and said, 'Listen up, you. My boyfriend controls Michael Jackson, and I I control my boyfriend. So, if you want this concert to take place in Korea, then you'd better give control my boyfriend. So, if you want this concert to take place in Korea, then you'd better give me me something.' something.'

'Well, what do you want?' Kenneth asked, hopefully. Maybe she she could do the job no one else was able to do. She mulled it over. 'How about that 560 SEL Mercedes-Benz you have parked in your driveway?' could do the job no one else was able to do. She mulled it over. 'How about that 560 SEL Mercedes-Benz you have parked in your driveway?'

'It's yours,' Choi said. He handed her the keys.

Finally, Kenneth Choi got the meeting with Michael Jackson he had so desired. Katherine brought him along with her to the Soul Train Soul Train Awards where Michael was an honouree. When Katherine introduced him to her son, he dropped to his knees and kissed Michael's hand. 'My people need you,' he told Michael. 'You must perform in Korea. After all, j.a.pan attacked our country two times, and you performed in j.a.pan two times. You even held a j.a.panese baby in your arms.' Awards where Michael was an honouree. When Katherine introduced him to her son, he dropped to his knees and kissed Michael's hand. 'My people need you,' he told Michael. 'You must perform in Korea. After all, j.a.pan attacked our country two times, and you performed in j.a.pan two times. You even held a j.a.panese baby in your arms.'

'Huh?' Michael asked. He looked perplexed. 'Who the heck are you? Mother, who is this person?'

'Why, Michael, this is the nice man I told you about,' Katherine said, eagerly. 'Kenneth. You know, the man who is putting together the concerts in Korea?'

From the look on his face, Michael didn't have the vaguest idea who his mother was talking about, or why the man in front of him was on his knees.

'My people need to see you,' Kenneth continued. 'You are a hero, a saint of men.' He then pulled out a video camera and began taping Michael. 'No, wait!' Michael said, putting his hands in front of his face. 'Stop! Is this that reunion thing? Is that what this is?'

'Yes, Michael,' Katherine said. 'Yes! This is him. Kenneth Choi.' She was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with excitement.

'But I don't do business with my family,' Michael said, turning to Kenneth. 'And stop taping me. Stop it, I said.'

By June 1989, after almost six months of feeling pressured by everyone around him, Michael finally signed a contract to appear in Korea for four shows that would take place in August. 'I can't take another second of it,' he said in explanation of his decision. 'These people are going to drive me crazy until they get what they want. So, let's just do the shows and get it over with.'

He would perform only four songs, however, as well as a medley with his brothers. The rest of the show would be done by the brothers, without Michael.

'I'm doing it for Katherine,' he said of the Korean deal.

The family was elated. Finally, Michael had committed to the Jackson Moonie Project. No one received the reward money, however, because Michael had made up his own mind. 'He should have gotten the million dollars,' said John Branca, 'for turning himself over to the Koreans.' (Until the first edition of this book was published in 1991, Michael didn't even know that there had been a reward offered to any family members who could secure his services.) should have gotten the million dollars,' said John Branca, 'for turning himself over to the Koreans.' (Until the first edition of this book was published in 1991, Michael didn't even know that there had been a reward offered to any family members who could secure his services.) Amazingly, considering all that had occurred in the recent six months, when the deal was signed and it was time to pa.s.s the promised millions on to Michael, the Reverend Moon, who was to fund the venture, decided that the agreed-upon amount was too high a price. According to Jerome Howard, Moon wanted Michael's payment lowered: first to $8 million, then to 7, then 5, then 4.5, and finally to $2.5 million. Finally, the deal fell apart, completely.

As a result, Michael Jackson ended up being sued by Segye Times, Inc. which is financed by Reverend Moon. Moon wanted his money and all of the gifts to be returned. Also named in the suit were Joseph, Katherine, Jerome Howard, Jermaine Jackson and Bill Bray.

Michael, in turn, sued Segye Times, Inc. for eight million dollars saying that he was not giving back any of his gifts, and not demanding that anyone else give back theirs, either.

There is disagreement among the partic.i.p.ants of the Jackson Moonie Project about who is responsible for what had occurred, but most a.s.sociates of Michael's agree that none of it would ever have happened if Frank Dileo had still been Michael's manager. After all, in the past, Frank had intercepted many deals having to do with the family before they even reached Michael.

Even John Branca could not have protected Michael from the debacle because by the time Michael went to him for advice, he had made up his mind to sign the deal. Also, it seemed to some observers that Michael, now seeming more paranoid than ever, was beginning to lose confidence in John as well.

'I don't even know how this whole thing happened, or how I got involved in it,' Michael said at the time. 'All I know is that I kept saying no, no, no, no no. But my family would not take no for an answer. Look what happened as a result. The whole thing made me sick. Just sick.'

LaToya's Drama.

In the summer of 1989, after the Jackson Moonie Project was no longer an issue for them, the Jackson family braced themselves for more distress from LaToya, who was thirty-three years old. They had heard that she was now writing a book of her own, one that would be nothing like the one penned by Michael. Hers, LaToya threatened, would tell the 'whole truth about my dysfunctional family'. (One would think the family wouldn't be so worried, though, since in April of 1988, LaToya told a reporter, 'To my knowledge, Michael has only had one nose job.') According to Marjorie Walker, a friend of the family's at the time, 'Katherine telephoned LaToya to ask if it was true that a book was being planned. LaToya said it wasn't true. Meanwhile, she had been negotiating with G. P. Putnam's Sons publis.h.i.+ng house. When Katherine found out she had a deal, she was hurt. Once upon a time, LaToya never lied. If you knew LaToya, you'd understand how out of character her behaviour had been since she'd met Jack [Gordon]. She is a girl who was scared to death to go out of the house, who felt her family could do no wrong. Now, she was planning to write a book about just how wrong they all were.'

LaToya signed a deal with Putnam, which advanced her more money for her autobiography than Michael had received for his from Doubleday. Michael's was reportedly a $300,000 deal; LaToya's $500,000.

'It won't be so bad,' Katherine reasoned. 'What can she write about anyway?'