Neverland Firsthand: Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary | |
---|---|
Directed by | Eli Pedraza |
Produced by | Liam McEwan |
Starring |
|
Distributed by | YouTube |
Release date |
|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Neverland Firsthand: Investigating the Michael Jackson Documentary is a documentary produced by Liam McEwan, and directed by Eli Pedraza, which explores the allegations of child sexual abuse against singer Michael Jackson by Wade Robson and James Safechuck in the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland . [1] [2] [3] The documentary presents interviews with individuals described as having been omitted from HBO's work, who counter the version of events presented in that work.
Shortly after the release of Leaving Neverland, Michael Jackson's nephew, Taj Jackson, became determined to counter the allegations made against his uncle. [1] The project was released in March 2019, approximately two months after Leaving Neverland. Director Liam McEwan recounted that the first time he heard of Robson and Safechuck was when they filed lawsuits that were ultimately thrown out of court, prompting him to further investigate their claims. [4] McEwan further confirmed that the Jackson family did not pay him to create the film. [4]
Neverland Firsthand makes the case that the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which claims that Michael Jackson sexually abused Wade Robson and James Safechuck when they were children, is flawed. [1] [2] [3] The documentary features Jackson's nephew Taj Jackson, Jackson's niece Brandi Jackson, private investigator Scott Ross, technical director Brad Sundberg, and investigative journalist Charles Thomson. [5]
The documentary provides information described as having been "excluded from HBO's broadcast", on the grounds that it discredits claims made in Leaving Neverland. [1] Sundberg, who worked with Jackson on the Neverland Ranch and in other locations stated in his interview for the film that he never saw "a child around Michael Jackson that looked like they had been distressed, hurt, abused". [2] Brandi Jackson specifically addressed accusations made by Robson, stating that she and Robson had previously been in a relationship, and that she had found him to be "a bit of an opportunist" positioning himself for financial gain. [2] [4]
Another point investigated by the documentary is an assertion that Safechuck's allegations against Jackson included material "taken from a fictional book released in the 1990s about a child being molested by Jackson". [5] McEwan also noted that Safechuck claimed that Jackson had wanted him to testify in Jackson's 2005 trial, and Safechuck had refused; McEwan interviewed a private investigator who worked on that trial, who stated that Safechuck was never asked to testify at all, because the judge had barred the introduction of such evidence. [4]
Within the first few days of release, Neverland Firsthand made international headlines, being picked up by Vanity Fair , [2] Billboard , Rolling Stone , and Cosmopolitan , [1] as well as being featured in news broadcasts across Italy, Mexico, France, Australia, [4] and South Africa.
Corey Scott Feldman is an American actor. As a youth, he became well known for his roles in popular 1980s films such as Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985) and Stand by Me (1986). Feldman collaborated with Corey Haim starring in numerous films such as the comedy horror The Lost Boys (1987), the teen comedy License to Drive (1988) and the romantic comedy Dream a Little Dream (1989). They reunited for the A&E reality series The Two Coreys, which ran from 2007 to 2008.
Wade Jeremy William Robson is an Australian dancer and choreographer. He began performing as a dancer at age five, and has directed music videos and world tours for pop acts such as NSYNC and Britney Spears. Robson was the host and executive producer of The Wade Robson Project, which aired on MTV in 2003. In 2007, he joined the Fox television dance series So You Think You Can Dance as a guest judge and choreographer. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for the dance number "Ramalama " of So You Think You Can Dance.
People v. Jackson was a 2005 criminal trial held in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, California. The American pop singer Michael Jackson was charged with molesting Gavin Arvizo, who was 13 years old at the time of the alleged abuse, at his Neverland Ranch estate in Los Olivos, California.
"Fat" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "Bad" by Michael Jackson and is Yankovic's second parody of a Jackson song, the first being "Eat It", a parody of Jackson's "Beat It". "Fat" is the first song on Yankovic's Even Worse album.
Maureen Orth is an American journalist, author, and a Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine. She is the founder of Marina Orth Foundation, which has established a model education program in Colombia emphasizing technology, English, and leadership. She is the widow of TV journalist Tim Russert.
John Gregory Branca is an entertainment lawyer and manager who specializes in representing rock and roll acts. He is also co-executor of the Estate of Michael Jackson.
The Thriller jacket is the red jacket worn by Michael Jackson in the music video for his 1983 hit "Thriller". Designed by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, the candy-apple-red jacket featured black stripes and raised shoulders forming an inverted triangle. The jacket became the "hottest outerwear fad of the mid-1980s" and was widely emulated. Because counterfeit copies of the jacket could sell at over $500, in 1984 Jackson filed a lawsuit in New York City to prevent unauthorized copies of the jacket and his other merchandise.
Tariano Adaryll "Taj" Jackson II is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and director. He is an original member of 3T along with his brothers Taryll Adren Jackson and Tito Joe ("TJ") Jackson. His career and solo work include a reality television series for which he was executive producer. His band 3T currently still tours, and he works as a spokesperson on behalf of the Jackson family.
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a four-decade career, his world record music achievements and publicized personal life made him a global figure. His innovations in the 1980s creatively elevated the music video medium and broke racial barriers. Through songs, stages, and fashion, he proliferated visual performance for singers in pop music, and popularized street dance moves including the moonwalk, to which he named, the robot, and the anti-gravity lean.
"D.S." is a song by Michael Jackson, released on his 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is a rock song that conveys themes such as bitterness, mistrust and corruption within law enforcement. It was written, composed and produced by Jackson and includes an instrumental accompaniment and guitar solo by Slash.
American singer Michael Jackson first faced allegations of child sexual abuse in 1993. Evan Chandler, a dentist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, accused Jackson of sexually abusing Chandler's 13-year-old son, Jordan. Jackson had befriended Jordan after renting a vehicle from Jordan's stepfather. Though Evan initially encouraged the friendship, he later confronted his ex-wife, who had custody of Jordan, with suspicions that the relationship was inappropriate.
The personal relationships of Michael Jackson have been the subject of public and media attention for several decades. He was introduced to the topic of sexual activity at the age of 9 while a member of the Jackson 5. He and his brothers would perform at strip clubs, sharing the bill with female strippers and drag queens, and the sexual adventures of his brothers with groupies further affected Jackson's early life. It was reported that his first girlfriend was actress Tatum O'Neal, when he was a teenager in the 1970s. However, Tatum O'Neal had stated that their relationship was strictly platonic. In recent years, singer and actress Stephanie Mills had revealed herself to be Jackson's first girlfriend, their relationship starting when they first met at the production of The Wiz. Jackson was then rumoured to have entered a platonic relationship with actress and model Brooke Shields in 1984. Shields later stated that they both held an equal admiration for each other, but that he started to become more asexual and distant towards her.
Leaving Neverland is a 2019 made-for-television documentary film directed and produced by Dan Reed. The documentary focuses on two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege they were sexually abused as children by the American singer Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson's Boys Is a 2005 TV documentary made by Tiger Aspect Productions, and first aired in the UK on Channel 4 in January 2005 narrated by Mark Strong and later on ABC in the U.S. in February 2005 with narration by Martin Bashir, the U.S. version also featured addition interviews not shown in the British version that increased the length of the documentary for an additional hour. The documentary was released just prior to the Trial of Michael Jackson, and it focuses on a "supposed history" of Michael Jackson's interest in boys.
The Strings Attached Tour was a concert tour by "Weird Al" Yankovic. The tour began on June 5, 2019 at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida and ended on September 1, 2019 at the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Fans of American singer Michael Jackson are known as Moonwalkers.
Michael Jackson: Chase the Truth is a 2019 documentary film by Entertain Me Productions. The film defends singer Michael Jackson against allegations of child sexual abuse made by Wade Robson and James Safechuck in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland. It focuses on research from biographer and journalist Mike Smallcombe and statements by Jackson's former bodyguard Matt Fiddes and actor Mark Lester. It was released on streaming services such as YouTube and Amazon Prime on 13 August 2019.
Sticks & Stones is a 2019 American stand-up comedy television special starring comedian Dave Chappelle and directed by Stan Lathan. It was produced by Chappelle and Lathan and distributed by Netflix, the special is detailed as "a provocative perspective on the tidal wave of celebrity scandals, the opioid crisis, and more".
Square One: Michael Jackson is a 2019 investigative documentary directed by Danny Wu. It focuses on the 1993 case in which Michael Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy. Through interviews with people closest to the case, the film makes a case for Jackson's innocence. The interviews showcase statements from trial witnesses, Jackson's nephew, and legal assistant to attorney Barry Rothman in 1993.
On the Record is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. It centers on allegations of sexual abuse and harassment against hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. Executive producer Oprah Winfrey publicly withdrew from the film shortly before it was released, citing "creative differences", severing a production deal with Apple TV+. The film premiered at Sundance on January 25, 2020, and was acquired by HBO Max, which released it digitally on May 27, 2020.