I was blackmailed by Bashir, says child prodigy’s father – Mail on Sunday

I was blackmailed by Bashir, says child prodigy’s father

By Louisa Pritchard February 23 2003

The Mail on Sunday Controversial TV journalists Martin Bashir has been hauled before the Broadcasting Standards Commission after being accused of blackmail by one of his interviewees.

Farooq Yusof, father of runaway child prodigy Sufiah told the commission at a private hearing in London on Wednesday that Bashir had claimed to have vital information about his missing daughter — but would reveal it only if Mr. Yusof would appear in a Bashir documentary.

In the film, shown on ITV’s Tonight With Trevor McDonald in 2001, Bashir interviewed Sufiah — then aged 16 — who had run away from Oxford University to escape her ‘domineering’ father.

Do Feldman Tapes Indicate Jackson Witch-Hunt? – CJ

Do Feldman Tapes Indicate Jackson Witch-Hunt?

February 10, 2005
A "Celebrity Justice" exclusive.

Former child-star Corey Feldman was grilled by Santa Barbara sheriff Sgt. Deborah Linden about the actor’s close friendship with Michael Jackson. The interview occurred in 1993, as cops conducted an investigation into charges of child molestation brought against Jackson.

On the tape, obtained exclusively by "CJ," Corey repeatedly insists that their friendship was totally innocent, while the cops repeatedly express suspicion, for over an hour.

"Is your belief in him and your love for him getting in the way of you telling us things?" Sgt. Linden is heard to say.

Feldman replies: "Everything I’ve told you is true and there’s… I mean, nothing happened."

Linden also states, "I’m so concerned that if something happened you’re not going to tell us because it would be so hard to tell us…"

"…No," Feldman insists.

Corey also tells Linden, "You don’t know how many times I have racked my brain and gone, ‘is there something I’m forgetting? Is there something that, you know, I’m thinking didn’t happen but it really did?’ If I could find something I would love to be able to tell you, but nothing happened."

We spoke with noted Beverly Hills defense attorney Jay Jaffe, who observed that, though Feldman certainly sounds believable on the tape, the investigators, "Want to hear what they want to hear, not what the witness wants to say."

[Jackson] ‘Kidnap’ Victims Lived It Up – Fox What family was REALLY doing

[b][Jackson] ‘Kidnap’ Victims Lived It Up[/b] Thursday, February 10, 2005 By Roger Friedman Yesterday there were reports that Michael Jackson’s band of “kidnappers” held a mother and her three kids (two sons and a daughter) “hostage” at the Country Inn and Suites in Calabasas, Calif., in February, 2003. Calabasas is a beautiful, verdant suburb of Los Angeles, replete with million-dollar homes and gated communities. It’s not exactly a back alley in South Central. Several weeks after their expulsion from Neverland and Jackson’s world, the family told a lawyer that the elder son, 13, had been molested by Jackson and that he had also held the family hostage. Prosecutors may have trouble with this episode if they ask the mother or kids exactly what they did during their “hostage” period. I have seen receipts that show the family had a telephone in their hotel room and used it constantly during their five-night stay. They also went to at least one movie at the Calabasas Edwards Cineplex 6, ate ice cream at a Cold Stone Creamery, and had several meals at an Outback Steak House. They walked to all these places, during which time any of the four family members could have asked for help if they were in trouble. “The mother loved Outback and wanted to eat there all the time,” my source says. She also patronized Anchor Blue (a chain store) and shopped almost continually at stores such as Robinson-May, Banana Republic, Wilson’s Leather and Pacific Sunwear. She may have also scored a hostage first when she got a manicure and pedicure for herself and her teenage daughter ($51) before dining at Panda Express.

Corey Feldman Defended Jackson in 1993 Police Interview – CJ

Corey Feldman Defended Jackson in 1993 Police Interview
February 9, 2005
A Celebrity Justice exclusive.

"CJ" has obtained an audio interview between actor Corey Feldman and Santa Barbara sheriffs. Recorded in December 1993, the interview includes Corey stating — not once but numerous times — that his friend Michael Jackson, whom he hung out with, didn’t do anything improper with him.

"Nothing ever happened with Michael and me," Corey is heard saying. "Believe me, If there was something that I’d been hiding for all these years, then I would want nothing more than to bring it out right now, to make sure that Michael got the help that he needed."

Stupidity Alert: Rivera Attacked for NOT Bashing Jackson – MB #243

Stupidity Alert: Rivera Attacked for NOT Bashing Jackson – MJEOL Bullet #243 In a media filled with opinion, innuendo, and speculation, Rivera is bashed by some because he refuses to buy into this ‘guilty until proven guilty’ nonsense. Feb 7 2005 — In the circus that is the media, you’ll find a number of different characters: from the lion tamers to the tight-rope walkers to the clowns. Well certain “clowns” have taken it upon themselves to criticize Geraldo Rivera for taking a leave of absence from the Big Top. It seems absolutely amazing to some that Rivera’s interview with Michael Jackson has generated so much envy and/or hatred. I extend a welcome to the club of enlightenment to Rivera for his refusal to convict Jackson before trial. Finally, someone in the media isn’t afraid to overtly say that the emperor has no clothes. Or in this situation, Sneddon has no “case”. Ironically, most of that nonsensical hatred is aimed at Rivera by know-nothing reporters who had already publicly convicted Jackson the minute they heard the charges, and who wouldn’t know the first thing about unbiased journalism. We all have our opinions of this case. If Rivera was trashing and bashing Jackson left, right and center, there wouldn’t be so much as a peep of criticism. Some observers have suggested that some in the media, like Court TV, may have invested a lot of money on digging out and pursuing the ‘Jackson is guilty’ angle and they are loathed to relinquish that viewpoint. And anyone who publicly interferes with their crusade, like Rivera, suddenly becomes a target.