Hee-hee!
Oh!
Get back in line. Alright, come on now.
We're gonna take it from the top. And get it right this time.
One, two, three, four. Stop!
Breathe together. You gotta feel it. You hear it? Take it from the top.
One, two, three, four.
Ah, up here.
Michael, I'm gonna need your outline. At me.
I'm gonna need my broken doors. Cause I'm a bitch boy now.
That's what I'm looking for.
Someone to love. Oh yeah.
All right, I think that's good. All right, all right, all right, all right, all right.
I think that's all right. It's gonna feel better when you get it right.
Eat your food, please.
Stop!
Hey, Mikey, why are you playing with your food?
You need to stop playing with your food.
Come on, you know who never eats?
Shut up, LaToya. You shut up.
I was fine talking to you.
Look, I made a fish.
I see, but that's a weird to eat.
All right, now listen up, boys.
I know you would never let me down.
And I...
I think you're ready.
So I've booked us a few gigs.
We start in Illinois tomorrow, two shows in the morning.
Wait, wait, wait.
Joseph, we don't need to work them that hard.
Work?
They don't know the first thing about work.
I understand that, but they have school.
Let me tell you something.
In this life, you're either a winner or you're a loser.
You hear me?
Y'all are some poor black kids from Gary, Indiana.
Shit ain't nothing gonna be had it to you.
But you gotta fight for it.
Y'all wanna work in a steel mill like me for the rest of your days?
No, sir.
Yeah, because I sure as hell don't.
Unless you work harder.
Harder than anyone else.
This is your life.
Y'all willing to fight for it?
Yes, sir.
I need to hear you a little louder.
Y'all willing to fight for it?
Yes, sir.
Now I want you to reach out like you're about to touch that wall, but not quite.
Like this, all right?
Reach out.
Come on.
But don't touch it.
All right?
Good.
That's it.
Keep your arms up.
Now, I want you to look at that wall.
All right?
Close your eyes.
We're gonna reach out together.
As one.
As a family.
No more Jackie.
Tito.
Jermaine.
Marlin.
From now on.
You're the Jackson Five.
Hey.
Hi, boys.
That was crazy.
Hey, mother.
Why don't you wash your hands and get your night clothes on?
It's getting late.
Hold up.
No, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Set up your instruments.
Come on.
They have school in the morning.
What do you mean?
You don't have time for no nighty night and sweet dreams.
We need to rehearse so we can get it right.
Come on.
Set them up.
Come on.
Why?
We're tired.
And we did good.
I guess it's fine.
You tired?
And you think you did good?
Is that right, Michael?
Yes, Joseph.
We did good.
Michael, come over here.
Come here.
You looking at me like I ain't talking to you?
Boy, you come over here when I call.
What?
My opinion on that around here?
Boy?
Joseph, stop it!
You gonna mind me, boy?
No!
We will rehearse until you get it right.
In this life, you're either a winner or a loser.
That's right.
You gonna cry, go on cry.
Go on, Big Nose.
Set it up.
Michael and his mother...
Both of all slowly circle each other for a long moment.
Neither spoke.
Captain Hook met his fate in the jaws of his old enemy, the Crocodile.
Neverland was finally free.
Five, six, five, six, seven, eight.
Michael, keep your eyes out here. Michael, put it out here.
Once they've done all the things you set out to do.
Spend, there's a crown for you to bear.
Things you'll go through if you're going anywhere.
The things you know are right.
It's the truth that the truth makes you up to.
Spend through all the things you wanna reap.
If it's good to complete and there's no deal.
What's up? That's it, get those up.
That's all right here, right here.
Spend, they were trying to make you cross.
And they know what you say makes no sense at all.
Spend, don't you know that you are free?
Well, they really suffer when you want to be.
Memories.
Handsome young fella.
Now, ladies, don't let them break your heart.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up for the Jackson Five.
Hi, boys.
Hi.
He's adorable.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
You never can say goodbye.
No, no, no.
I never can say goodbye.
Even though the pain and heartache Seems to follow me wherever I go.
I hide my feelings, they always shamed the show.
You like my boys? Are you their manager? Joseph Jackson. Suzanne DePass, from Motown.
Motown. It's God-given talent right there. Perfect pitch. Perfect pitch? We ain't there yet.
The things he can do with that voice.
I'll be in touch, Mr. Jackson.
I'm Mr. Roy. Mr. Roy is here.
Suzanne, boys, good to see you again. Have y'all been learning the song we gave you?
Practicing. Thank you, Dave.
We'll start with Michael.
Michael, um, you're moving too much.
Alright, here we go.
Michael, you're doing it again. Take a step closer to the microphone. That's it. And
I'm gonna need you to keep your feet still. You understand me? Give me the same lead.
No, he's just getting it.
I just need five minutes.
Say, Joe, sir, why don't you worry about keeping
the board is on schedule, hm? We got this over here.
Luckily from me take a second look...
What did I tell you?
Let me tell you something, son. I've been doing this a
long time. I've never heard a voice quite like yours. You
sang that song better than Smokey himself. Really? It's
special. You have something to say. That's rare, Michael.
Yeah, this is the fader. Come on, try it. Come on
up. This fader goes up and down and it sets the
levels to the volume. It can make your voice sound
louder or softer. Right? Yeah. These knobs up here,
that's for your EQ. What's EQ? Equalization. You
see, when we record, we split things up in track.
Excuse me. Time to go, Michael. Mr. Gordy's a very
busy man. I'm sure you've taken up enough of his time.
Go ahead on, Michael. I can show you this stuff some other time.
Right? Okay, Mr. Gordy. Thank you. Mm-hmm.
Hey, Michael. You can ask me anything. Anytime you want.
All right. So, how old are you?
Ten.
No, you're not ten. You're eight.
In this business, you can make up just about anything, especially your age.
One, two, three, baby, you are me, girl.
Michael! Michael, how old are you?
Come on, I'm eight, sir.
Ended up in reading about the Serengeti.
Learning about all different types of lions, tigers, monkeys, giraffes.
One day, you and I will have more friends to play with.
Wouldn't that be fun?
Look at this picture. You like it?
Come on, Michael. Joseph wants you.
And make sure you put your rat in the cage this time.
It's disgusting.
Come on, now.
Meet Bill Bray. He's your new head of security, all right?
Now, he's gonna be around a lot.
Make sure you mind him.
Nice to meet you, Mr. Bray.
It's very nice to meet you, too, young man.
You can call me Bill, okay?
Okay, Bill.
Guard him with your life.
Michael, you're missing the best part.
And llamas have three stomachs so they can digest
their food because all they eat is vegetables.
And they're really smart, very intelligent creatures.
And best of all, they never ever bite.
That's what you said about the rats.
No, really. Llamas never bite.
They only spit when they're agitated.
So you want me to bring some spittin' agitated animal into my house?
They live outside. Come on, please, please, say yes.
I'll look after him.
Absolutely not, Michael.
Mother has enough things to worry about.
And you don't need another pet.
They're not my pets.
They're my friends.
Well...
I do understand that.
But don't you want to meet real friends like kids your own age?
I would like that for you.
I do sometimes, but I'm not like the other kids.
They don't treat me like a real person.
And all they want to do is stare at them and take pictures of me.
You look at me, Michael.
I knew you were different the moment you were born.
I knew you were different from your brothers.
And that's okay.
You have a very special light.
And you know what Jehovah says?
He says, let your light shine unto the world.
Now you let your light shine.
Do you understand me?
Yeah.
Don't you ever let anyone take that away from you.
Not even yourself.
Huh.
The next song we're gonna do is one of our favorites.
You guys ready?
Let's make it fine.
We must bring salvation back.
Shedding the past.
Embracing freedom.
That's your album right there, brother.
That's what people want.
Pure escapism, Quincy.
That's it?
Yeah.
So, how are you gonna tell your father about a solo album?
Breaking away from the family, he's not gonna like that.
I'm not a kid anymore, Q.
I'm gonna look him straight in the eye.
Tell him to his face.
I need you to tell my father that the solo album is your idea.
Okay.
I'm gonna have a drink.
Michael.
We love you doing a solo album.
Honestly, that's why we signed you all to Epic.
No disrespect to your family, but...
This is what we were hoping for.
Great.
I just, I think it'll be better, coming from you guys.
Anything we can do to help, Michael.
So, tell us about the album.
Okay.
Well, this album, it's really important to me.
I just, I need the freedom to write the music and lyrics that pop into my head.
You know, to express myself creatively.
I want a whole new sound, a whole new me.
Quincy Jones producing.
Route Timberton, he's working on songs right now.
It sounds terrific, Michael.
Consider it done.
So, we feel like Michael doing a solo album would be really great for the label.
And, more importantly, for the Jackson brand.
They could help each other with PR and merchandising and feed each other, you know?
Feed.
Sure.
So, I guess you're okay with all this?
Of course, gentlemen.
Whatever's good for Michael, it's great for me.
And if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to... Only thing is...
Michael can do whatever he wants in his spare time.
So long as he continues to work with his brothers.
He... I'm sorry?
I own his ass from nine to five.
After that, it's up to him.
If he wants to cut an album at midnight, so fine with me.
As long as he's at that microphone at 9am sharp.
That's what works around here.
My house.
Understood.
I appreciate you gentlemen stopping by.
Shows respect.
Our pleasure, Joe.
Yeah.
I'm so excited to start recording with Q tonight.
I wish you could come.
I'm a little nervous, but more excited.
Better be more excited.
Just have all these ideas in my head.
Just constantly floating.
Just gotta get them out.
Let me get some sleep, Louie.
I'll be back in the morning.
I'll tell you all about it.
You ready, Joker?
Yeah.
Just hit it.
You want me to drive?
Not this time, Joker.
Sure about that.
Next time.
I'd rather let Louie drive.
Take your time.
Settle in.
No rush.
And, uh...
Keep these feet still.
Q, can you do me a favor and lower the lights for me, please?
Just a little bit.
Thanks.
You're confident.
You're strong.
You're beautiful.
You're the greatest of all time.
You ready?
I'm melting.
Like hot candle wax.
Sensation.
Of live where we at.
So let love.
Take us through the hours Uh, uh, uh.
..
I won't be complaining Uh, uh, uh, uh, cause there's just love power.
Let's just seem all.
It's almost here. Hurry up. What is it this time? It's a surprise. Is it a part? Did you get a damn
Ferrari, Mike? Mike, I'm going back to bed. Valentino.
I wake your father up. LaToya. Do you know about me?
What's going on? What you got going on, Mike? You'll see.
It's okay. It's okay. I want you to meet my new friend, Bubbles.
I rescued him from this awful place. You know, where they do testing on animals.
Welcome to the family. Michael, you do know that chimps
are wild animals that don't belong in a house in Encino.
Mother, I'll take good care of them.
I will, I promise. Does he bite? Oh, no. No, he's sweet.
But, you know, chimps are sensitive, though, you know, to certain
sounds and people. You know, they either hide or they attack.
It's okay, Bubbles. It's okay. You're safe now.
I want to make some music, huh?
That's me. I just released my new album. Those are my demos. Don't mess that up.
Here, I want to show you this. Look. See?
This is Neverland. I come here all the time.
It's filled with magic, adventure, pirates. Here, I'll help you.
Look. The Lost Boys. This is my favorite page. It's Peter Pan. And the shadow.
So, Michael. Surgeries. Have you had any surgeries in the past five years?
Mm-mm. What about medications? Are you taking any?
No, ma'am. Just Beniclin cream from a viniligo.
Oh, I'm sorry. You know, it's much more common than people think.
Has it spread? A little bit, yeah.
Yeah, but, you know, the cream, it helps even out my skin, too.
Oh, I see, yeah. Michael. Good to see you again.
We're almost ready for you. Any, uh, any last questions?
Oh, no. I'm ready.
I need to make a few marks around the nose.
You know, you're a pretty good-looking kid.
You sure you want to do this?
I'm not a kid anymore.
And my nose is too big.
I'm not sure that's true.
You see, my face isn't symmetrical.
For the photographs and all.
I have to be perfect.
Oh. You're the boss.
Just relax.
Hey!
What's going on, son?
Son?
Michael?
Boy?
Come here.
Let him know what...
Let me see something.
Hey.
It's from my sinuses.
I guess I'll always be a gamer.
Dreaming my life away.
My dream is gone away.
Maybe I should get a nose job.
You think so?
Yes, I do.
Muscle says everybody does it.
Mm-hmm.
All the big stars.
All our favorite ones.
Well, it looks great.
You really think so?
I do.
See, I want a new look.
Oh, yeah?
I'm gonna reinvent myself.
Hmm?
You know?
Now that I'm doing my own thing and...
I want the world to see me differently.
Not a boy in a kid band anymore.
Look around, Michael.
Your fans love you.
They're not my fans.
They're part of my family.
It's just time for me to start...
taking control of my own destiny.
Mm-hmm.
You know?
I wanna be who I wanna be.
Mikey.
Joseph just called a meeting.
Careful, he's hungry.
How hungry?
He's pretty hungry.
For, like, a mouse?
Maybe.
There he is.
Man of the hour.
Come on, sit down.
Sit down.
Now, y'all real happy about Michael's success.
That's lovely to see.
It's heartwarming.
I mean, he can go all the way.
Right to the top.
All by himself.
Wouldn't there be something?
Oh, man.
Let me tell you.
The Jackson family is the brand.
That's our Coca-Cola.
There, so we need to open up the store and start selling.
Oh, you know what's gonna happen?
Folks gonna go out there and start buying some Pepsi.
We gotta get in there again and bend the wares.
So, I've decided.
I'm arranging a tour in a live album.
Well, how are we gonna tour without Jermaine?
Your brother made his choice when we left Motown and he stayed.
Let him live with it.
The point is, we need to capitalize on Michael's album.
So, we're gonna do a bunch of songs.
Joseph, I...
I...
I need to think.
No, sir.
I told you what to think.
You got a problem with that, Michael?
We need to have a reasonable conversation about this, Joseph.
You think now, because you're a big superstar and you got this
big hit album, that you're better than everybody in this house?
Is that it?
Better than your brothers?
Is that it?
You need to think.
You think you're better than me, boy?
Joseph, that is enough!
Is that it, Michael?
Huh?
Is that it, Michael?
You better stop...
Let's go.
Where do you want to go?
Just drive.
I'm so sick of it, Bill.
All of it.
Joseph's exploiting me.
I had a whole plan.
Trackless.
The visuals.
I wanted to do a solo tour.
Just...
Just ruining it all.
Just...
I need my freedom.
Well... You can move out.
I'm not ready for that.
It's not that easy.
Life's not easy, son.
I'll tell you.
I love my family.
I do.
I just want to do my own thing.
Joseph's never gonna change.
Only thing he cares about is the Jackson family.
Huh?
And no matter what you do,
he's only ever gonna see it as a family success.
Get your own team.
Get you a good lawyer.
Think about it.
You too.
You have a good lawyer.
And then... No...
Then... The two of us... Need look no more... We... We... We... We... We...
We...
We appreciate you coming in, and we applaud your decision to seek independent counsel.
We can assure you the most comprehensive attention to your entire media portfolio.
At Hardy Berovec, we believe in treating our clients as family, and we want you...
I already have a family.
Too much of one.
I mean, the whole point's going solo, right?
So, that means you're probably gonna break a few hearts over there in Encino.
Unless I'm missing something.
Do I know you?
No. I don't think so.
You sure?
Yeah. I think I'd remember.
Who are you?
John Brinker.
You handle the Beach Boys.
Yeah, I do.
Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, a couple other guys, and now I work here.
I like the Beach Boys.
Me too.
Brian Wilson's a genius.
Some of the best harmonies in rock and roll.
You know what I'm after, Mr. Brinker?
Sure.
You want to be the biggest star in the world.
Can you help make that happen?
Yes.
How?
Because I believe there's no one like you.
And there never will be.
Mr. Jackson.
Mr. Jackson, I apologize.
He's my guy.
Can you leave us alone for a second?
Please.
Of course.
Yes.
Okay, Mr. Brinker.
Here's your first job.
I need you to fire Joseph.
You're dead.
You don't want to fire your dead.
I mean, how would you like me to do that?
Quickly.
Yes.
LaToya, get the hell out of here.
Kate, look at this.
Can you look at this?
The boy fired me with a piece of paper.
A piece of paper couldn't even be man to man, huh?
Look me in the eye and do it.
That boy's gonna feel my belt when they get in here.
No, he's not.
Yes to hell, he is.
No, he's not.
What are you gonna do, beat him?
You gonna whoop him?
He's grown.
What'd you say to me?
I said you can't do it no more.
You can't whoop nobody.
You can't beat nobody.
And if you don't like it, you can leave.
And the next time you see your son, you oughta thank him.
Everything we have is because of him.
And don't you ever forget that.
Everybody seems to forget.
that I'm the one that got us out of Gary.
And everything I've done is for this family.
You go on ahead and keep thinking that.
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself with me.
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself with me.
Yeah, enjoy yourself.
You can go down this side.
Yes.
Thanks.
No, I'm back.
I love you.
I'm so excited.
This looks really cool.
That's you.
That's Michael Jackson.
What?
It's Michael Jackson.
What?
Please excuse him.
Are you actually really...
I'm Michael.
Wow.
I wonder...
I'd love an autograph.
For my son.
I mean...
Of course. Yeah.
He's a huge fan.
Here.
How about I sign this?
What's your name?
You can just make it out to Pauline.
Mom.
Pauline.
Mom.
Is that the new Atari game?
I love that.
You played it?
Oh, yeah.
All the time.
Just be sure to keep talking left when you fire.
That's how you power up.
Cool.
Thank you.
Of course.
Hi.
Would you like an autograph?
Yes, please.
What's your name?
Annika.
It's a pretty name.
What do you say, baby?
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thanks, everybody.
Who's Tiki?
You want to make it, baby?
Okay.
Yeah.
Oh, here, here.
I got it.
Oh.
What's going on?
Hey, Mikey.
What's up, Mikey?
Too short.
Who's ball is it, Nicholas?
Guys, look.
I got a Twister.
Twister?
You want to play tonight?
Really?
What are you going to do with Twister?
Come on, it'll be like the old days.
We love you, Mike, but I got to be home with the family.
I can't be playing games.
And the rest of us are going out tonight.
Yeah, Marlon's got a hot date.
Yeah.
Tomorrow, what time are you going to be home?
We can play then.
Yeah, Marlon's going to be playing his own game of Twister.
Yo, Jackie, I'm always lucky.
Yeah, right.
You guys are no fun anymore.
Come on, Mike.
Don't be like that.
It's okay.
Don't worry about that.
It takes a long time to learn.
I'm a professional dancer.
You want some ice cream?
Okay, but then I've got to go to work.
Don't break anything.
I'll be back.
I was thinking about framing this.
Read it.
Go on.
Beat it.
Firing your own father.
What kind of son does that?
You got a lot to learn about family.
Hi.
Welcome back to my room.
Hi.
Beautiful.
This is for you.
Hi.
This is for you.
Hi.
You watch TV.
You watch TV?
Sometimes.
You watch TV?
Yeah.
Cartoons.
Three Stooges a lot.
Charlie Chaplin.
You know who he is?
Duh.
No you don't.
You're such a duty head.
He's wonderful.
Really.
He's an actor.
He's a movie director.
I have a dog.
It's a dachshund.
Hmm.
What's his name?
Rudy.
He's getting fat.
My mom says I feed him too much.
I love Rudy.
Do you have any pets?
Uh... A snake.
And a giraffe.
No way.
And a llama.
It's gotta be the greatest selling album of all time.
And not just by black artists.
By any race.
Any color, okay?
Then I want the largest concert tour there ever was.
Just stadiums only.
Just thousands and thousands of people.
Just rushing into the stadiums.
Just all over the world.
I also want to make short films.
Featuring my music.
That's ambitious.
I can see it.
You see it?
You can do it.
I see it so clearly.
Now, Walter Yetnikoff called.
CBS wants to do a press release.
No.
No press.
No interviews.
No nothing.
He's not gonna like that.
You gotta handle that, Branka.
You see...
I want to be mysterious.
Like Arbo.
You know.
I mean, if Haley's Comet came every year.
Just year after year.
Would you look at it?
You're gonna need publicity.
What I'm gonna need is a good record that sells.
Nothing else matters.
Fair enough.
Then I suggest you start laying down some killer demos.
Can you do that?
Of course.
I can do that.
What are you doing, Mike?
Chill.
Letting the Creator give me a song right now.
If I'm not here to receive these ideas,
God might give him the Prince.
Hello.
Put a smile on your face.
Sing to the world.
Sing all night long.
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm.
Almost all of the gunfire and death over drugs and territory involves rival gangs.
Ryan Chavez reports from Los Angeles.
A best friend killed by a rival gang member.
Another killed at a drive-by shooting in Sacramento because he wore the wrong color.
Those who wear blue call themselves the Crips.
The Bloods wear red.
Some, like Smokey, survive attacks, though paralyzed.
People dying over nothing, man.
Over a neighborhood.
Yet the city remains filled with warring soldiers.
It's easy to creep to me.
If some of y'all don't do, y'all don't watch out.
You wouldn't die for him, would you?
You saying that now on TV, but you wouldn't die for him, for real?
Yeah, I'd die for him.
But I started to get too deep in my tries, so
I started getting in trouble with the street.
Hey, Bill, it's me.
Hey, Joker. What's up?
Well, I need some help. I was hoping you could pull some favors.
Okay, so they're all at the studio.
But they're only there because of you.
I can't believe you're doing this.
Music will bring people together, Bill.
That's the point.
And if things work out, I have a big idea.
That was juicy right there.
What was that?
This dance is going poppin', man.
Oh!
What?
Oh!
What?
Hey, and this?
That's called the sea walk, cuz.
Yeah, hey, yeah.
Put it on, put it on, cuz.
Put it on, put it on, yeah.
Yeah, put it on, yeah.
Hey, can I get an autograph?
Come on.
Whatever, cuz.
Look, it's for my sister.
Come on.
No, yeah, of course.
Afterwards, I'll sign autographs for everybody.
Hey!
Sure.
Look, I know this isn't easy for you guys.
So I just want to thank everybody for coming.
It's really important to me.
You see, I think music and dance is what we all have in common.
That's a universal language.
We can change the world.
I believe that.
Sounds good.
Let's work on that together.
Yeah.
Keep going.
Let's, let's work on that part.
Right now, let's just forget about the arms.
It shouldn't be too forced.
It's natural.
It's a flow.
All together.
See?
It's in unison.
Think of a school of fish.
You all move together.
You know what I mean?
I want to try something.
I just got an idea.
Bill, can you bring my jacket, please?
I want to try something when we travel down this way.
The jacket.
Thank you.
Let's do it again.
I'm going to break out and do something.
But continue.
With that, with that flow.
Woo!
Yeah, I like it!
Yeah!
What do you guys think?
That was tight, bruh.
Feels good?
All right?
I want to try music now.
Yeah.
In fact, I want to put you all in my short film.
Yo!
Yeah!
All right.
Let's crank it up, please.
I want to feel it.
I feel it.
It's your heart.
I'm burning.
The dog is just right now.
It just doesn't matter.
We just roll up right just...
CBS wants you to call the album Michael Jackson.
Do it, go century.
Louder!
Go straight in the faucet.
Then let that ooze into the rest of the court.
You dig?
Okay.
I'll try that.
You're on the cover of the damn album.
You singin' on every song.
A little more.
Don't kid her, kid her now.
That's some Van Halen shit.
Not you, my Marie Antoinette, for I will give you eternal life.
Can we stop a second?
Cut!
That was great.
You guys were perfect.
Just keep warm.
Stretch out for a second.
Hey.
Is the camera supposed to move in there?
Uh, I-I can ask John?
Is there a-a particular thing you're lookin' for?
Or a- Yeah, I'm just worried.
We're not gettin' the feet.
You know, Fred Astaire would always say, you gotta get the whole body.
You know, that's how the audience feels the dance.
Right, right.
Um...
Can you ask John just to try that?
Just for one take?
Yeah, you got it.
Thank you.
Yeah.
So instead of moving in,
he wants the camera to move out to see the feet.
All right.
Okay, Michael, we're gonna pull back.
We're gonna hold you head to toe, okay?
Perfect.
All right.
Okay, everybody, back to first position, please.
Quiet on the ramp, please.
Watch it out.
All right.
Sound ready.
Camera set.
Get a sight.
Okay, playback.
Back.
And... Action.
What can I say, guys, except congratulations.
Album's amazing.
Everyone's buying.
Pop charts, RandB charts.
If this kid did a duet with Reba, we'd own the goddamn country charts.
Thanks, Walter.
Thanks so much.
Michael, everyone at the CBS family is so proud of you.
I'm proud of you.
Now, what can I do for you, my son?
Your wish is my command.
Well, I'm really happy with the sales of Thriller.
But...
Very good.
We're happy with the sales, but there's
still something we need to do promotion-wise.
We need to get his videos on MTV.
MTV?
Aye, aye, aye.
Not possible.
The videos are masterpieces.
You haven't even seen Thriller yet.
It's gonna blow your mind.
And they will promote the record like nothing else.
And if we get into heavy rotation on MTV, the sky's the limit.
You know that.
MTV almost never plays black artists.
I don't know why.
Maybe they don't want to scare the shit out of the white kids in the suburbs.
Walter, I make this record for everybody.
White and black.
We feel like Michael's videos deserve to be seen.
Michael, let me tell you something.
I am-
I'm a proud black artist, Walter.
I will not be shoved to the back of any bus by MTV or anyone.
Believe me, John, I have tried.
With love, Walter.
Please try harder.
Sally, honey, can you get me Bob Pittman over at MTV right now?
And tell that schmuck to drop everything and take my call right the hell now.
Of course.
Thank you.
So, Michael, are you enjoying New York?
Yeah.
Listen, I can get you tickets to Marcel Marceau.
On Broadway.
Front row.
You know what?
Better still.
Second row.
You don't want to be in the front row for them.
Those French artists.
They're not so big on showering.
You know what I mean?
It's like Pepe Le Pew, but without so much stalking.
You know, I have a burp coming because I just had Coca-Cola like an asshole.
Sally!
Bob!
Thank you for taking my call.
Listen.
I need you to run Billie Jean for me.
I know.
But here's the problem with that.
I don't give a shit.
I don't give two shits.
I don't even give three shits.
So you run Billie Jean for me and you run it all the time.
Okay, Bob.
Let me put it another way.
If you don't play Billie Jean in the next ten minutes,
I'm going to pull every CBS artist from your lineup.
Okay?
Bruce Springsteen, Cheap Trick, Charlie Daniels,
Billy Joel, Cindy Lauper, Bob Dylan.
You can put them all in a plastic bag,
cover the plastic bag in Crisco,
and then shove them up your ass.
Yeah.
Your butthole.
We are no longer in business.
Michael Jackson's Thriller has sold 25 million records and counting.
Michael Jackson is redefining what it means to be a superstar.
And then single-handedly revitalize the music business.
With the spin of Billie Jean on the radio,
we are witnessing the rise of the artist.
Add up the numbers.
He is one of the most popular entertainers of all time.
And these days, that means that he's also a one-man financial empire.
Yeah, she's more like Billy Green from a movie scene.
I said, don't mind, but what do you mean?
I am the one.
The good dance, the good flow, the good round.
She says, I am the one.
The good dance, the good flow, the good round.
She told me her name was Billie Jean.
And she caused her sin.
Then heavy hair turned with her eyes to dream of being the one.
The good dance, the good flow.
But she came and stood right by me.
Cause I smell a sweet perfume.
This happened much too soon.
And she's gone into her room.
Hey, hey.
Billie Jean is like my girl.
She's just a girl who claims none of us.
But the kid is not my son.
No, no, no.
She says I am the one.
But the kid is not my son.
My Billy Jean is not my son.
She's down with us to sing.
My Billy Jean.
There he is, there he is. Come on.
Are you kidding me?
That was brilliant, Michael.
Oh, you shook the world with that performance.
Oh, my goodness.
I was supposed to stay on my toes long.
Michael, I'm so proud of you.
Everyone is talking about it.
Y'all see that out there tonight?
Y'all see that?
Come on, y'all did your thing.
That's my son.
A regular money-making machine.
Hey, we'll catch you later, Mike.
Yeah.
Yeah, bye, Mike.
It's okay, Mother.
Just couldn't give him one night, huh?
So, now, let me get this straight down.
10, 11, or 12, how many of us do you have?
That's 13 of the current world champions that I've promoted.
We got 110 fighters in our stable right now.
But I'ma tell you this, all right?
The big business that's gonna be booming, the lightweight class.
I'm gonna take those young stars all the way to the top.
Here you are.
Life is good, my friend.
Yes, it is.
Those Cubans, straight from Castro himself.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Now, what did you want to talk to me about?
Have you thought about getting into the music business?
Crossover type thing?
I don't follow you.
Well, I'm about to take my boys on a world tour.
You know, we're gonna start with North America.
You know, stadiums only.
You know, the biggest.
It's time to show the world that the Jacksons are back.
Righto.
Bigger than ever.
Okay.
You've seen them sales on Thriller.
People gonna be climbing the walls.
Of course.
Is Michael gonna be there?
Of course Michael gonna be there.
That's good to hear.
Now, what's in it for me?
I've been watching you, Don.
I watch you like a hawk.
I love the way you promote your fighters.
You have a king of marketing.
You know, I just, I think that you and I, if we came together,
we could form a good partnership.
Me and you?
I cut you a good deal.
Wow.
I like deals.
I need this for my boys.
I need it.
You know, I think they deserve the Rolls-Royce of sponsorships.
I mean, merchandising, marketing.
You hear me?
I mean, it's gotta be huge.
You and I can do it.
The Victory Tour.
I may have something for you.
Pepsi.
They want to get back in the game.
Michael could be the face of the brand.
Do some commercials.
Alright.
I can see it.
Yeah.
But you wouldn't be bullshitting me, would you, Joe?
Cause if you can't get Michael...
No, that's my favorite part, I think.
I'm gonna leave it to you, Michael.
You can't go yet.
No, I'm going to bed, I'm tired.
You gotta stay for the ending, that's the best part.
Your mother is tired, baby.
Do me a favor, make sure you turn the lights off.
Night, mother.
Good night.
Why are you here?
Well, can't a father visit his son?
Biggest selling record of all time.
From a poor kid from Gary.
Who would have thought?
Me?
I thought.
Come here.
Joseph, I know you want something.
I'm gonna need you to tour with your brothers.
Now, I let you do that album by yourself.
I'm gonna need you to do this for me.
For your family.
I'm not a child anymore, Joseph.
Oh.
And you're not my manager.
Here we go.
I have to start living my own life.
On my own.
Just like everyone else.
You ain't like everyone else.
So you're trying to tell me you want to be treated like an adult.
All right.
You want to...
see what the world is like.
without a family that protects you.
Without a family that...
understands you.
Nobody else will understand you outside this place.
You'll be with all the money in the world.
Surrounded by people who say yes.
To everything.
Is that what you want?
What kind of sentence does that make?
I'm gonna...
call 9K.
I know you don't want to let your family down.
You're a whole new generation.
Loving what you do.
What a person in the motion.
The choice is left to you.
Cut! Cut! Cut! Cut!
I think we're cutting guys!
All right, here's what I need.
I'm thinking...
I'm gonna move the camera in while you're up here.
I need to get a close-up of you at the top.
So just feel the camera should come down.
Okay.
Okay, great. All right.
Okay, everybody.
Here we go.
What is this?
What do we got? Take six.
Lucky six. Lucky six.
Here we go. Energy, everybody.
You love the Jacksons. You love the Jacksons.
You love Pepsi. Let's go!
A marker!
B Mark.
C Mark.
And... Playback.
Michael!
Michael, you got it!
Get back! Get out of my way! Clear!
Katie, Katie, come on.
Hey, I need to talk to you.
Sure.
I'm his father, Joseph Jackson.
This is Mother Catherine.
Hi. It's good to meet you.
Thank you.
Well, your son is in stable condition.
All right.
And, uh, we're trying to bring his heart rate down.
He's in a lot of pain.
Okay, well, we'll leave him to cover.
It's too soon to tell.
It's gonna be a long road.
He has third-degree burns and substantial nerve damage.
Do you think he'll ever be able to perform again?
Ever?
Joseph.
Mr. Jackson, your son almost died.
I know that.
Well, if that fire had caught his clothes or burned
over to his face and eyes, he wouldn't be here.
I know my boy.
And the only thing that's gonna heal him is by getting back on that stage.
That's where he lives.
I understand that, sir.
Do you?
It's gonna be a while.
Yes, I do.
But Mr. Jackson, he's gonna need your support to get there.
I'm sorry.
It's unlikely that'll grow back.
You'll need surgery to laser the scar tissue
and stretch part of the scalp over the burn.
We'll insert an implant to protect the scalp.
We'll have to wear a wig.
Oh, right there on top.
What kind of wig?
Like, the full wig?
Hard to say.
There are prosthetic hair weaves we can try, but we
won't know till we see how the surgery goes next week.
You'll, um...
You'll have to stay on the Demerol for a while.
I don't wanna take medication.
I have to be honest, Mr. Jackson, you're gonna need them.
We have to replace the implant periodically.
The nurse are exposed up there.
You'll be in a lot of pain.
I'll let you rest.
And I'll be back later.
You see the number of people who have already gathered outside the hospital.
If that isn't a testament to the star power of Michael Jackson, I don't know what is.
All right.
All right, Joker.
Got all your favorites.
Golden Temple.
Got some Mexican, Chinese, some fried chicken.
Even got these little red candies you like.
Thanks, Bill.
You just leave it there.
Not hungry.
Oh, okay.
Okay?
I'll leave y'all to it.
Okay.
Thank you, Bill.
I'm sorry, Michael.
I should've protected you.
Mother.
I don't wanna discuss this right now.
No one can stop Joseph.
Nobody.
You just know that no matter what happens, I'm gonna be here for you.
Always.
I should get some rest now, Mother.
It's not your fault.
How are you feeling?
I'm okay.
You know, I'm still in a lot of pain.
But the doctors say I'm healing, so... That's good news.
There are all these kids here.
They won't fully heal and just burns all over their bodies.
It just breaks my heart.
It truly does.
You know, it got me thinking...
I need to do more for them.
How much are we getting for the accident?
It should be around seven figures.
I need every penny donated to the burn center here.
Please, you gotta make that happen.
Yeah, of course.
I'm getting really sleepy.
These pain meds.
Get some rest.
And I'll come check on you tomorrow.
Okay.
Did you bring that?
Oh, the mouse.
Yeah.
That's for me.