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Jackson 'homecoming' at Neverland
More than 300 relatives and close friends of Michael Jackson are heading to his Neverland Ranch to show their support for the singer, who is facing multiple child molestation charges.
"There will be a goodly chunk of people including celebrities," spokesman Stuart Backerman said Friday, adding he did not have any names yet of famous people who might attend. Backerman said the guest list originally included about 300 names but predicted twice that many people could show up. Jackson was charged Thursday with seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent. The entertainer, who has proclaimed his innocence, is looking forward to thanking those people who have stood by him, said Brian Oxman, a lawyer and Jackson friend who planned to attend the gathering.
Initially, Jackson's relatives were to receive a tour of Neverland to see damage Jackson said was done by sheriff's deputies when they searched the estate. Oxman said the focus of the gathering has since changed. "They wanted to do something simple and quiet," he said, "and the fact that it's mushroomed into these huge proportions is just the nature of Michael's life." A holiday gathering for Jackson family and friends could help burnish the entertainer's reputation, said Laurie Levenson, a law professor at Loyola University. "The goal here is to look like 'The Waltons,' to make it look like he has a warm family and group of supporters," she said, referring to the 1970s TV show about a close-knit family during the Great Depression. "That helps him. But it has to be sedate. He's under a microscope right now." With Jackson's arraignment scheduled for January 16, legal experts said the pop star should try to stay out of the headlines. Jackson's plans for the coming weeks may help him do that. He is heading for England to fulfill some contractual obligations, his lawyer has said. Authorities in Santa Barbara County approved the trip. Backerman said he doesn't know what Jackson will be doing overseas. There have been reports the self-proclaimed King of Pop will be promoting his latest CD, "Number Ones" which is selling better in the United Kingdom than it is in the United States. "It's been amazing with Jackson, you don't realize how many loyal fans he has. He seems to have more fans these days in the U.K. than he does in the States," said Ben Todd, the deputy show business editor at The Sunday Mirror in London. "You don't get worse publicity than he had and even then the album went straight to No. 1. Despite the allegations, despite his increasing eccentricity and despite the fact he hasn't released a decent album for 10 or 15 years, his fans are incredibly loyal."
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"It's for family and friends to say thank you from Michael to people he loves and who have supported him," Oxman said. "It's not a party. It's not a pep rally. It's not hoopla or celebration."
