Michael Jackson |
HOLLYWOOD - CBS' 60 Minutes will air an interview with Michael Jackson Sunday, marking the 45-year-old singer's first public comments since his Nov. 20 arrest on suspicion of child molestation. According to The Associated Press, Ed Bradley, who had been pursuing the reclusive pop star for a one-on-one before the molestation charges were brought, interviewed Jackson for about 30 minutes Thursday at a hotel in Los Angeles. Bradley reportedly traveled to Jackson's Neverland ranch last February for the interview, but Jackson got cold feet and backed out at the last minute. CBS has also announced it will air Jackson's music special Michael Jackson Number Ones on Jan. 2. The special was originally slated to air in November but was abruptly pulled after the molestation charges surfaced. On Dec. 18, Jackson was charged with seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent. A Jan. 16 arraignment date is set for Jackson, who remains free on $3 million bail.
Jackson Web Site Sets Off Debate
Meanwhile, a Web site dedicated to the Jackson case is getting some publicity of its own. After taking the unusual step of setting up a Web site on the Michael Jackson case to ease the media frenzy surrounding the proceedings, California prosecutors have triggered a debate on use of the Web within the legal community, Reuters reports. While some legal experts say posting documents detailing the criminal charges against the singer was a breakthrough for public access, others argue it undermines the spirit of the law and court proceedings and perpetuates a circus-like atmosphere. In the Jackson case, the documents have been made user-friendly so that even people unfamiliar with legalese can understand them, which worries some legal experts who fear the documents will be downloaded, editorialized and then spread further around the Web.