Jurors hear Jackson voice his innocent love of children and deep loneliness

AFP [b] Jurors hear Jackson voice his innocent love of children and deep loneliness[/b] Wed May 11, 9:32 PM ET Jurors at Michael Jackson’s trial heard the singer voicing his innocent love of children, his overwhelming loneliness and his anger at critics who called him “wacko.” The self-crowned “King of Pop” appeared in a two-year-old videotaped interview, and court-watchers believe that may be as close as he’ll get to testifying at his own trial. “Everything I do is inspired by children. If it weren’t for children I’d throw in the towel. I’d have no reason to live,” said Jackson, who is on trial for molesting a 13-year-old boy two years ago. “I haven’t been betrayed or deceived by children. Adults have let me down,” he said. Sitting with his lawyers, Jackson daubed his eyes with a tissue as he watched himself on the screen. The footage, shot by Jackson’s personal videographer, was of an interview the singer gave to British journalist Martin Bashir during filming of the documentary “Living With Michael Jackson.” Many of Jackson’s comments never made it into the final edit of Bashir’s film which was broadcast in early 2003 and ultimately triggered the molestation charges the singer now faces. The jurors, who watched the documentary at the start of the trial, were now able to hear the journalist’s conversations with Jackson in their entirety, including the effusive praise Bashir lavished on his subject. “My life, my romantic development was shaped by your records,” Bashir said, adding that he believed Jackson had composed “some of the most beautiful pop music we have ever heard.” When Bashir testified as a prosecution witness early in the trial, Jackson’s defence lawyers accused him of betraying the singer by misrepresenting his intentions in making the documentary. The broadcast version famously showed Jackson holding hands with his future accuser and admitting to sharing his bed with children. In the unedited footage shown to jurors on Wednesday, Jackson lashed out at the critics of his lifestyle. “They are ignorant and I am prejudiced against ignorance,” Jackson said, adding that he was targetted for being famous. “They called me weird, strange, wacko. They said I’m a girl, a homosexual … it is jealousy,” he said. “I am Peter Pan in my heart.” The self-crowned “King of Pop” also told Bashir how his fame and success had left him isolated and depressed as a young man. “I used to be very lonely, you have no idea,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion as if holding back tears. “I would walk up to strangers and say will you be my friend.” Jackson said his level of depression was such that he used to shut himself in his room with just his animals and mannequins for company. Of his charity work with children, the singer said his reward had been “God’s smile of approval” and the knowledge that he brought some happiness into disadvantaged lives. “I feel pure and good inside,” he said, comparing the feeling to “taking a good shower.” “Mother Theresa’s not here, Lady Di is not here, Audrey Hepburn is not here … there is no voice for the voiceless,” he said, portraying himself as an advocate for children around the world. … Source: [url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050512/ts_alt_afp/afpentertainmentus_050512013247;_ylt=AgXz6R2iKX0ROVfX.k37iyTZa7gF;_ylu=X3oDMTBidHQxYjh2BHNlYwN5bnN0b3J5]AFP[/url]