Posted by AUGUST 15 2007 – Apparently some people can’t get enough of badmouthing Michael Jackson. When they do so using false information under the moniker of “reporter,” Jackson representative {tag Raymone Bain} steps in.
A wannabe Jackson-know-it-all and general gossipmonger — as some describe {tag Roger Friedman} — has apparently stuck his foot in his mouth for the umpteenth time with another factually questionable Jackson story.
Friedman’s mess was published yesterday (Aug 14), drawing the ire of Jackson and his representative.
EURweb.com has published a letter reportedly from Bain to Friedman addressing Friedman’s defamatory Jackson reporting.
This won’t be a rehash of Friedman’s pile of…. of….. ‘news’ from his “sources”, but here’s an overview. Apparently, Friedman’s “sources” claimed Jackson and former D.C. mayor Marion Berry have become pals and that they were introduced to each other by Bain.
The problem with these assertions is that, according to Bain, Jackson and Berry have never met nor were they introduced to each other by her.
Bain writes:
FACT: Michael Jackson has neither met, nor does he know Former Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion S. Barry, Jr., neither has he been in his presence while on the East Coast, and vice-versa. PERIOD.
(see Statement from Raymone Bain Re: Friedman ‘Marion Berry’ story (Aug 15 2007))
Though Bain knows Marion Berry, she goes on to write in her slap-down letter that she hasn’t seen him in “at least two years”. Woops!
Information like this is readily checkable, but Friedman is apparently allergic to fact-checking when it comes to certain rumors about Jackson. If the gossip is juicy enough, or if he can make hay out of an alleged connection, I guess it really doesn’t matter if the story is true or not.
Friedman’s tall tales are underscored by the fact that not one of his so-called colleagues in journalism has yet to call him out in a substantial way about any of his previously inaccurate Jackson reports, let alone this current one.
This isn’t the first time Friedman has pushed shady rumors about Jackson’s current living situation. This isn’t even the first time Bain and Friedman have gotten into it.
At the end of June of this year, Bain had to publicly smack Friedman in the mouth (figuratively of course) for another slew of factually-challenging reports. I know that’s an understatement!
He previously claimed Jackson was being controlled by other people, and he’s made god knows how many allegations about Jackson’s finances that haven’t panned out.
As previously addressed on MJEOL Bullet #324, Friedman has been doing his best “Ms. Cleo” impersonation for a long time when it comes to Jackson.
Probably having that past in mind, Bain also wrote in her public response:
All of this, Roger, is a complete lie. I do not know who your sources are, or why you continue to believe them. I do not know why you continue to write untruths which can be verified as untruths.
I do not know why you do not check to determine the accuracy of your sources. And, I do not know why you have such venom for Michael Jackson.
(see Statement from Raymone Bain Re: Friedman ‘Marion Berry’ story (Aug 15 2007))
Exactly why does Friedman seemingly have such a venomous attitude toward Jackson? Lately, he’s apparently gone out of his way to write questionable if not outright false information about Jackson; and doing so incessantly.
It’s almost as if he’s jealous… or as if he’s getting paid to do it… or as if he has a crush on Jackson he can’t deal with so he’s lashing out like a high school girl.
__When I think of home, I think of a place where there’s…__
None of this means a whole hell of a lot to the majority of the public.
Friedman appears to have a nasty habit of taking whatever he hears about Jackson and interpreting it in a negative way; probably with the help of a few a$$holes whispering in his ear about any given situation of which they know nothing.
And he does it all in an attempt to convince the rest of us, the public, that we should care. Take, for example, Jackson’s living situation.
Friedman also falsely asserted that Jackson is “homeless” and is “carting around with three school-aged kids”.
It is almost as if Friedman, or those who are feeding him false information, is trying to get info about where Jackson is staying/living for some reason; hoping that Bain would give details about Jackson’s place of residence in response to false reports.
The assertion by Friedman that Jackson is “homeless” is a bald-faced lie anyway, seeing as he still owns a big ass piece of land in California. You may have heard of it. It’s called Neverland.
I didn’t know homeless people could own property! DOH! Ok, ok. Enough of the Homer Simpson impersonation.
This point was not lost on Bain either, as she goes on to state in the letter:
While where Mr. Jackson is currently residing is his own private business, Mr. Jackson will never be "homeless" as long as he owns the 3,000 acre estate called Neverland Valley Ranch, which to my knowledge, and at this date, he has not sold.
(see Statement from Raymone Bain Re: Friedman ‘Marion Berry’ story (Aug 15 2007))
Friedman also, apparently, mentions the education of Jackson’s children in that Aug 14 article. To which, Bain responded in her smackdown letter:
Mr. Jackson has a tutor for his children who is certified and qualified. As we are in the summer months, and most children in the United States are on vacation until classes begin later in the month, the same applies to Mr. Jackson’s children.
(see Statement from Raymone Bain Re: Friedman ‘Marion Berry’ story (Aug 15 2007) )
Bain also states that she will let Jackson’s attorneys act as they see fit with regards to other issues Friedman has whined about in his Jackson reports.
__He just can’t stop himself__
The {tag Wacko Journo} today (Aug 15) wrote a response to Bain’s letter. He again sites “sources”, the names of which he does not provide, as claiming that Bain is lying about what she said concerning Marion Berry.
In response to Bain calling him out about assertion concerning Jackson’s children, Friedman whines:
“I think it would be interesting for Bain to name the tutor and show his or her credentials as an educator for a 10-, 9- and 5-year-old. She doesn’t say who it is in this letter, and there are concerns that the only education the three Jackson children have had is their ABCs.”
Ha! This coming from a guy who has not named the “sources” for his articles!
Maybe Friedman wants to get the name of the tutor for Jackson’s kids so he can publicly harass him/her the same way he has seemingly harassed Jackson’s nanny, {tag Grace Rwaramba}? And he has gone after her viciously and repeatedly in previous articles!
Remember, Bain released a statement at the end of June about Friedman’s attacks partially stating:
Mr. Jackson is concerned that his assistant, Grace Rwaramba, is constantly being attacked by Fox News’ Roger Friedman.
There have been vicious and untrue reports concerning Ms. Rwaramba, who lives a very private life and has done nothing wrong, but is being attacked for her professional relationship and proximity to Mr. Jackson.
(see Jackson Smacks Down Malicious Rumors: Press Release)
Neither Jackson nor Bain are under any obligation to hand out the details of a private employee who is in charge of educating his children.
Not only could that be a violation of the employee’s privacy, but it will almost assuredly cause the media to swarm him or her as if hyenas attacking prey.
Again, look at what Friedman himself has done with regard to Jackson’s nanny. How stupid does he think they are?
As for the education of Jackson’s children, it too is just another issue of which Friedman should have no concern. How many other children’s education has Friedman taken a personal interest in enough to write about or mention in a gossip column?
Friedman is not in charge of the welfare of Jackson’s children, thank God. Hence, their education is literally none of his business.
The best Friedman could muster in today’s column is more talk about Jackson being sued. Big damn woop!
When told about someone else suing Jackson, a friend of mine, in her infinite wisdom, simply responded with a flat-out, “So?”
Yeah. That’s pretty much the general response from those who have lives of their own and/or couldn’t care less about Jackson’s personal life.
“Jackson being sued” isn’t any more of headline than “Planes Land Safely at LAX”. It’s part of the ‘news’ which is only ‘news’ because it has Jackson’s name attached to it.
Maybe all of these people think they can halt Jackson’s inevitable plans to release an album or otherwise keep him from focusing on his career?
Maybe some of them want to halt any plans to harness his extreme money-generating capabilities? Is that it? Is that why so many people wait… and wait… and wait until he’s seemingly moved on from on lawsuit to file yet another lawsuit against him?
And then there’s Friedman, right on top of it all, with all the alleged details and insider reports from unnamed “sources”! Thank God for that! Not.
‘Pathetic’, thy name is Friedman.
-MJEOL