Dear Michael: Bad

Chapter 2 - Captain EO Premiere

I woke up to someone banging on the door to our hotel room. Shayla shot up out of bed, "who is that?" she looked at me.

"I'm going to find out," I told her as I put on a robe and made my way to the door. Shayla followed close behind. I looked through the peephole to find Frank. I opened the door, "why are you banging on the door like that?" I asked him.

"Look," he pushed past me and Shayla with a newspaper in his hand. We followed him to the couch as he slapped the paper on the table. "Right there. Look!" He pointed. Shayla and I looked to find a photo of me in the hyperbaric chamber on the cover of the National Enquirer with the headline reading: Michael Jackson sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber to live to be 150 years old!

"Frank, what is this? I told you to say something about Captain EO, not make up some lie!"

"That's just it, Michael. I told everyone I leaked it to that that's what we wanted. But instead, they took our money and ran with this bullshit instead," he scoffed.

Shayla picked up the paper to read it, "oh, Michael... They've said some awful things about you."

"What'd they say?" I wondered.

"They said something about you too, Frank. 'After trying it out for the first time, 28-year-old Michael said: 'When I woke I felt like a new person. I've never felt better....' Manager Frank Dileo said: 'That machine is too dangerous. What happens if something goes wrong with the oxygen? Suppose it catches fire – there could be an explosion.' But Jackson, Wacko Jacko, because of his odd habits has just completed a new film in which he plays Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. And the role has strengthened his obsession with cheating death. In any case, he is more likely to listen to one of his pets than to a mere human.' Okay, I can't read any more of this garbage." She threw the paper down.

"Wacko Jacko?" I looked around the room. "Is that what they think of me now?"

"Don't pay them any attention, Michael," Frank told me.

"They called me weird when I bought Bubbles, but now I'm 'Wacko Jacko?'"

"Don't let that get to you, Mike, we've got a show to open in two hours. Look, I just wanted to show you, so you wouldn't think that I put this bullshit out. I know what I told them. Shit, they even got the movie wrong. I don't know how since Disney has been promoting this for quite some time, but whatever. You're not a wacko, Michael. Fuck the critics."

"Okay," I nodded.

"You good?"

"I'm good."

"Good. I'll see you all in a bit," Frank took the paper and left.

"You okay, baby?" Shayla sat down beside me.

"You know... I thought I could control the media. I figured, if I gave them what they wanted, they'd act accordingly, but I guess not. Instead, they make up lies to make the story more interesting. And they got the fucking movie wrong," I got up to take a shower. This is definitely not what I needed the morning of the premiere. I thought those photos would do some good. I guess not. Now I'm "Wacko Jacko."

VII

Once Michael and I were ready, we went down to Frank's room to find his door already opened. "Frank, Shayla's going with you, right?" Michael asked.

"Yep. We'll see you at the show, Michael. Remember act surprised like you didn't even know who it would be. Be happy after all these years that you finally get to see her again and don't be all lovey-dovey. Just act like she's a fan, okay? You're nervous after not seeing her for all these years, okay?" Frank reminded Michael.