SHOTLIST:

APTN - APTN CLIENTS ONLY

Santa Maria, California - 27 February 2005

1. Wide shot of courthouse

2. Wide shot of camera, trucks and barricades set up near courthouse

3. Wide shot of satellite trucks parked outside courthouse

US POOL - APTN Clients Only

FILE - Santa Maria, California - 25 February 2005

4. Michael Jackson stepping out of car

5. Wide shot of Jackson walking to courthouse, fans yelling "Michael, We love you"

6. Jackson accompanied by aides holding umbrellas, Jackson yells "I love you more" to fans

APTN - APTN CLIENTS ONLY

Santa Maria, California - 27 February 2005

7. Wide shot of tarp being put up around courthouse fence

8. Various shots of worker putting up tarp around courthouse

9. Wide shot of courthouse complex with barricades lining the street

10. Wide pan of Big Red Tours bus sitting across from courthouse

11. Medium pan of bus operator standing on top of second deck

12. Medium shot of Big Red Tours bus

13. Close up of license plate that says "Lon Bus"

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Phil Collins, Tour Bus Operator:

"This whole trial is definitely helping the area as far as Santa Maria, local businesses will be probably feeling the benefits of all the generated interest in this small town and it can only help us all. It''s kind of sad that we are doing it on the back of someone else''s misery but celebrities put themselves in these positions, its kind of the territory they are in."

US POOL - APTN Clients Only

FILE - Santa Maria, California 25 February 2005

15. Jackson passing through metal detector

16. Lead prosecutor Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon arriving at court

STORYLINE:

Preparations were underway in Santa Maria, California on Sunday for the start of the Michael Jackson child molestation trial.

Prosecution and defence lawyers were to begin outlining their cases to the jury on Monday.

Television crews and city workers were busy in and around the courthouse.

Residents of Santa Maria were bracing themselves for months of media attention from around the world.

Some said they would appreciate the economic boost when hordes of reporters and Jackson fans pack hotels and restaurants, but others said they could live without all the commotion.

Michael Jackson is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy, plying him with alcohol, and conspiring to hold him and his family captive.

Jury selection had been expected to last several weeks, but took only five court days, while the selection of the alternates could be completed as early as Sunday, allowing the trial to proceed.

The jury in Michael Jackson''s child molestation trial includes several fans of his music, four parents of young children, a woman whose grandson was convicted of a sexual offence, and a man who visited Jackson''s Neverland ranch as a child.

Drawn from the county where Jackson lives, the four men and eight women range in age from 20 to 79.

The jury seated on Wednesday was primarily white and Hispanic and did not appear to include any of the half-dozen blacks who were in the pool of more than 240 prospects.

Experts said the trial may boil down to the credibility of two people: Jackson and the accuser''s mother.

Both sides have compelling stories to tell.

Prosecutors were to depict a poor family whose stricken son wanted to meet his idol.

They will say that the dream became a nightmare of abuse and imprisonment at Jackson''s Neverland Ranch.

The defence was to describe Jackson as the target of a money-hungry mother, who coached her son to spin stories for profit.

Jackson''s defence will try to show that the boy''s mother has sued others in the past claiming abuse.

SHOTLIST

PLEASE NOTE: SOUND QUALITY AS INCOMING

APTN

1. Michael Jackson and family walking through supporters during recess

2. Fans waiting for the Jackson entourage (MUTE)

3. Jackson pointing to supporters

4. Jackson walking past bus

5. Jackson lawyer Tomas Mesereau Jr. walking toward bus

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vox pop, Kevin (no last name given) Jackson supporter:

"I've been a Michael Jackson fan ever since he was on Ed Sullivan back in '74, so that might tell you how old I am, but, I'll still listen to his music twenty years from now."

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lisa Dawn Marble, Jackson supporter:

"Michael is a humanitarian. Michael is very effective at helping people all over the world; individuals and societies. He's extremely inspiring and compassionate. I recognised when I was nine years old that Michael's purpose was to spread understanding and compassion all over the world."

POOL

8. Jackson family leaving courtroom (MUTE)

9. Jackson and family members inside courthouse (MUTE)

10. Jackson and family members leaving courthouse

11. Wide shot Jackson family and Michael Jackson leaving courthouse and walking toward bus

12. Bus departs

APTN

13. Two shots of bus pulling away, crowds waving

STORYLINE

Fans of Michael Jackson erupted in cheers on Monday as the pop star emerged from a double-decker tour bus and went into court for an often testy showdown between his defence attorney and the prosecutor who twice filed child molestation charges against the singer.

Jackson, wearing a white suit with a mustard yellow armband, entered court with five of his siblings, also dressed in white, and his parents.

A bodyguard held a black umbrella over the singer, who flashed a peace sign to the crowd.

About 100 mostly young fans pressed against a chain-link fence and hoisted signs saying "Our Love is With You" and "Michael Jackson is Innocent" outside the hearing on whether prosecutors can use evidence seized from the office of a private investigator working for the singer.

Dozens of police and a small group of people demonstrating in support of sexual abuse victims were also at the court.

The defence is seeking to have key evidence excluded from the case by arguing that prosecutors violated Jackson's attorney-client privilege by searching the Beverly Hills office of a private investigator hired by his then-defence attorney, Mark Geragos.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon testified that he didn't know at the time that Geragos had hired the investigator, Bradley Miller.

As he testified, the exchanges between Sneddon and Jackson attorney Thomas Mesereau Junior were contentious at times - prompting a warning from Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville.

In a public relations flourish, Jackson decided to attend Monday's pre-trial hearing with his parents, Katherine and Joseph Jackson, and siblings Jermaine, Janet, Randy, Jackie and LaToya.

Jackson, 45, is charged with committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

He has pleaded not guilty and is free on three (m) million US dollars bail.

Santa Barbara County sheriff's officials already have testified that they used a sledgehammer to break into Miller's office and seize videotapes and files relating to the Jackson case.

They maintain that they did not know Miller was employed by Geragos.

The conspiracy count has become a centrepiece of the prosecution case with allegations that the 12-year-old accuser and his family were coerced into making a videotape praising the singer's character.

The tape and other materials seized from Miller's office are at issue in the hearing.

A ruling that they must be suppressed because they were wrongfully seized would seriously undermine the prosecution's case.

SHOTLIST

1. Wide shot pan of Michael Jackson supporters standing across the street from the courthouse

2. Jackson look-a-like holding a sign

3. Various shots of supporters holding signs

4. Tilt down of supporters jacket reading Michael

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Liddy Champo, British Michael Jackson Fan:

"I've been a fan since childhood, he's always impacted my life in some way. Yeah, from a child it was just like the general, he's the structure of your whole moral status. He teaches you the right things to do in life, the right path to take and he's basically the foundation of who I am today. It's all based on Michael."

6. Police officers walking by

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ann Scott, British Michael Jackson Fan:

"All I can say is innocent until proven guilty. And we love his music. And it was well worth all the money...we travelled to San Francisco and then to here, hopefully for my granddaughter to see him personally."

8. Close shot of sign reading "England supports you Michael"

9. Wide shot of Ann Scott and granddaughter holding sign

10. Japanese fans standing together

11. Pan of crowd of Jackson supporters

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Elise Andani, American Michael Jackson Fan:

"I don't think he's gonna get a fair trial because the media is filming and all that. Hopefully he does but I don't think he will."

13. Reporter interviewing Debra Opri

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Debra Opri, Attorney Representing Jackson Family:

"I have faith in the citizens of Santa Maria, I have faith in the citizens of Santa Barbara county. I believe they will do the right thing and they will properly evaluate the evidence and in the end, I think it's going to look good for Michael Jackson. People should wait until everything is presented."

15. Media satellite trucks outside courthouse

16. Shot of press gathered outside courthouse

17. Shot of woman holding a sign and chanting, pull out to wide shot of Jackson supporters behind fence

STORYLINE:

Dozens of dancing, screaming fans gathered outside a California courthouse Monday, as pop icon Michael Jackson's child molestation trial is set to begin.

Many supporters camped out all night. Some came from as far away as Europe and Japan.

Supporters blasted a Jackson song deriding the district attorney and booed a woman who held a sign backing the alleged victim, a 13-year-old boy.

Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville summoned 300 people to court for the first round of jury selection Monday.

Another 300 people are to follow on Tuesday, with a final one-hundred-fifty scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.

From that pool of people, the judge hopes to find 12 jurors and eight alternates, but the process could take a month or more.

Fans standing outside the courthouse expressed confidence in the pop star's innocence.

At the same time, however, they feared he won't get a fair trial.

Debra Opri, the attorney for Jackson's family members, said she believes a fair trial is possible if jurors - and the public - withhold judgement until all evidence is presented.

Forty-six-year-old Jackson is charged with molesting a cancer patient - then age 13, now 15 - and plying him with alcohol.

Early Sunday, Jackson issued a court-approved video statement on his Web site, predicting he would be acquitted.

SHOTLIST:

1. Pan of cars arriving

2. Mid shot of supporters and protesters shouting

3. Close-up pan Jackson and family walking into court house

4. Close-up Michael Jackson and family walk into court waiting room

5. Mid shot of people outside of court house

6. Close-up Michael Jackson goes through metal detector into court room

7. Mid shot prosecution witness and former Jackson employee Adrian McManus walking into court

8. Pan of Jackson's attorney Tom Mesereau Jnr. walking into court

STORYLINE:

Michael Jackson headed back to court on Friday for another day in the child molestation trial against him.

Jackson's attorney Thursday attacked the credibility of two former employees at the singer's Neverland ranch who said they had seen Jackson act inappropriately with young boys.

A former security guard at the ranch, Ralph Chacon, told a lurid story about seeing the singer sexually abusing a child in the early 1990s, but was attacked by Jackson's lawyer as making the whole thing up "to get even."

Former guard and ex-maid Adrian McManus, who claimed she saw Jackson inappropriately touch actor Macaulay Culkin and two other boys, were called to testify in a prosecution attempt to show that the current molestation allegations against the pop star are part of a pattern.

But attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. accused Chacon of having tried to "extort" $16 million from Jackson in a lawsuit and lengthy trial that he and other ex-employees lost, and portrayed McManus as a thief and a liar.

The boy Chacon referred to received a financial settlement, reportedly between $15 million and $20 million, from Jackson in 1994.

The boy did not cooperate with a police investigation and no charges were filed against Jackson. The boy is not scheduled to testify in the trial.

Jackson, 46, is currently accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy in 2003, giving him alcohol and conspiring to hold the boy's family captive to get them to make a video rebutting a TV documentary in which Jackson said he allowed children to sleep in his bed but that it was innocent and non-sexual.

McManus, a Jackson maid between 1990 and 1994, testified that she saw Jackson kiss Culkin on the cheek while his hand was on Culkin's bottom. She described a similar scene with two other boys and third incident involving the same boy that Chacon testified about.

But McManus also testified that when subpoenaed in the lawsuit that resulted in the 1994 settlement she did not tell attorneys that she had seen Jackson touching the boy.

SHOTLIST:

1. Black SUV pulling up outside courthouse

2. Pop icon Michael Jackson getting out of car

3. Various of Jackson waving to fans and then walking into courthouse, surrounded by body guards and shielded by black umbrella

4. High shot of Jackson walking into court

5. Various of Jackson walking through security inside court entrance

6. Jackson being checked by security guard using a metal detector wand

7. Jackson walking past security

8. Jackson's attorney - Thomas Mesereau Jr (white hair) - following him into court

JACKSON ARRIVES AT COURT

Pop icon Michael Jackson arrived for the start of his child-molestation trial Monday, greeted by a crowd of fans shouting encouragement as they pressed against fences to see the pop star.

Jackson, wearing all white and shielded by an umbrella, waved to supporters as he walked into court.

During the morning hours before his arrival fans danced and sang a Jackson song deriding the district attorney and booed a woman who held a sign backing the alleged victim, a 13-year-old boy.

Many had spent the night outside the little courthouse.

Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville summoned 300 people to court for the first round of jury selection on Monday. Another 300 are to follow on Tuesday, with a final 150 scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.

From that pool of people, the judge hopes to find 12 jurors and eight alternates, but the process could take a month or more.

Jackson, 46, is charged with molesting a cancer patient - then aged 13, now 15 - and plying him with alcohol.

A day before the jury selection started, Jackson issued a court-approved video statement on his Web site, predicting he would be acquitted.on his Web site, predicting he would be acquitted.

SHOTLIST:

1. Black SUV pulling up outside courthouse

2. Pop icon Michael Jackson getting out of car

3. Various of Jackson waving to fans and then walking into courthouse, surrounded by body guards and shielded by black umbrella

4. High shot of Jackson walking into court

5. Various of Jackson walking through security inside court entrance

6. Jackson being checked by security guard using a metal detector wand

7. Jackson walking past security

8. Jackson's attorney - Thomas Mesereau Jr (white hair) - following him into court

9. Shots of Jackson supporters cheering on the other side of a fence near the courthouse

10. Pan from supporters holding signs to Jackson look-alike

11. Another shot of Jackson look-alike doing a TV interview

12. Close shot of sign reading "France Supports...M.J."

13. Shot of Spanish and British flags

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Liddy Champo, Jackson Fan:

"I've been a fan since childhood, he's always impacted my life in some way. Yeah, from a child it was just like the general, he's the structure of your whole moral status. He teaches you the right things to do in life, the right path to take and he's basically the foundation of who I am today. It's all based on Michael."

15. Close shot of sign reading "England supports you Michael"

16. Wide shot of Ann Scott and granddaughter holding sign

17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ann Scott, Jackson Fan:

"All I can say is innocent until proven guilty. And we love his music. And it was well worth all the money. We travelled to San Francisco and then to here, hopefully for my granddaughter to see him personally."

18. Media satellite trucks outside courthouse

19. Shot of press gathered outside courthouse

20. Reporter interviewing Debra Opri

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Debra Opri, Attorney Representing Jackson Family:

"I have faith in the citizens of Santa Maria, I have faith in the citizens of Santa Barbara county. I believe they will do the right thing and they will properly evaluate the evidence and in the end, I think it's going to look good for Michael Jackson. People should wait until everything is presented."

22. Jackson waves to crowd just after getting out of car

STORYLINE:

Pop star Michael Jackson arrived for the start of his child-molestation trial Monday, greeted by a crowd of fans shouting encouragement who pressed against fences to see the pop star.

Jackson, wearing white and shielded by an umbrella, waved to supporters as he walked into the courthouse.

After more than an hour's wait, Jackson and his attorney stood and faced the first group of prospective jurors filing into the courtroom.

During the hours before Jackson's arrival, fans danced and sang a Jackson song deriding the district attorney, and they booed a woman who held a sign backing the alleged victim, a 13-year-old boy. Many had spent the night outside the little courthouse.

Jackson, 46, is charged with molesting a cancer patient - then age 13, now 15 - and plying him with alcohol. Early Sunday, Jackson issued a

court-approved video statement on his Web site, predicting he would be acquitted.

On Monday, Jackson spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain said the pop star's "spirits are great," and shot down rumours that he had been suicidal.

Jackson is being prosecuted by Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon, 61, whom Jackson has derided in song as a "cold man" with a vendetta.

A child-molestation case Sneddon tried to build against Jackson 10 years ago fell apart when the singer's accuser reportedly accepted a multimillion-dollar civil settlement and refused to testify in any criminal case.

The challenge facing the court is not to find jurors ignorant of the case but to find those who say they can put aside everything they have heard and

look at the evidence as if they had heard nothing.

The referee is Melville, 63, a veteran of the bench who has refused to tolerate tardiness or even, in one case, a bathroom break for the defendant.

At the final pretrial hearing Friday, Melville made it clear that he won't abide lawyers attacking each other and that the gag order stands.

Earlier this month, the 1,900-page transcript of the case prosecutors presented to the grand jury that indicted Jackson was leaked to thesmokinggun.com and ABC News.

Among other things, the transcript included the accuser's testimony that Jackson closed his eyes tightly while molesting him on a bed, and that the

pop star ignored the child's warnings that he shouldn't drink alcohol because of his medical condition.

More than 1,000 applications for media access have been submitted, some of them from as far away as Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Canada and Mexico.

SHOTLIST

1. Wide shot of walkway to court

2. Michael Jackson exits the van

3. Various of Jackson walking into court with his mother; waves to fans

4. Interior court, Jackson walking through metal detector

5. Various of lead defence attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. walking into court

6. Actor Chris Tucker, star of the film "Rush Hour", entering through metal detector inside the court

JACSKON DEFENCE CONCLUDES

The defence has rested in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial without putting the pop star on the stand, wrapping up after a surprisingly short three weeks devoted mostly to portraying the accuser's mother as a shakedown artist.

Jurors could get the case as early as the middle of next week to decide whether Jackson should be convicted of molesting a teenage cancer patient at his Neverland ranch.

Defence lawyers portrayed Jackson as the victim of false charges that surfaced once the boy's mother realised she was being weaned from a lavish lifestyle that the singer had financed.

A series of witnesses testified that the mother was a grifter who made a career out of hitting up celebrities for money.

Jackson, 46, is charged with molesting the boy in February or March 2003 when the youth was 13.

He is also charged with giving the teenager alcohol and conspiring to hold his family captive to get them to rebut a documentary in which the boy appeared. Jackson said he let children into his bed for innocent, nonsexual sleepovers.

'Rush Hour' star Chris Tucker, who resumed testimony earlier on Wednesday, was the final defence witness.

Tucker testified that during the time he befriended Jackson's young accuser he found the boy to be unusually sophisticated and cunning child.

Tucker said the boy repeatedly asked for gifts but that he forgave him because he knew he had battled cancer and had family problems.

The actor and comedian had testified Tuesday that he met Jackson's accuser at a benefit while the boy was battling cancer in 2000.

Tucker said that a few days after the benefit the boy told him it hadn't made any money, so he wired "probably 1,500 US dollars or more" to a foundation for the family.

Defence attorneys put Tucker on the stand to bolster their argument that the boy and his family have a history of targeting celebrities for money.

Jackson's attorneys will then be given an opportunity to respond, followed by closing arguments, which probably won't begin before next week.

SHOTLIST:

1. Mid view Jackson's car arriving

2. Katherine Jackson, mother of Michael Jackson, getting out of car

3. Michael Jackson and entourage walk towards courthouse

4. Michael Jackson waving to supporters

5. Long shot fans dancing

6. Michael Jackson and family walking into court room

STORYLINE:

Stung by several recent rulings favourable to the defence, prosecutors in the Michael Jackson child-molestation trial said they planned to wrap up their case as early as this week.

The pop star's trial resumed on Monday following a three-day break.

Meanwhile, speculation is mounting over whether prosecutors will call the pop star's former wife, Debbie Rowe.

Rowe is battling Jackson for custody of their two children, Prince, 8, and Paris, 7.

Prosecutors said last week they planned to rest their case during this, the trial's ninth week, clearing the way for Jackson's legal team to begin their defence of the pop star.

A host of A-list celebrities are expected to take the stand on behalf of the singer, including the screen legend Elizabeth Taylor, the television stars Larry King and Jay Leno, and the musician Stevie Wonder, to testify to the "King of Pop's" good character and innocent love of children.

Judge Rodney S. Melville cancelled Friday's court session when witnesses were not available to testify.

Melville denied prosecution requests on Thursday to present testimony on battered women's syndrome as it relates to the mother of Jackson's accuser and to present salacious new testimony from a former Jackson employee.

However, the judge said he would allow testimony from Chris Carter, a former Jackson security guard who was recently arrested for investigation of robbery in Las Vegas.

Carter was among those expected to testify this week.

Jackson, 46, is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy in February or March 2003, giving the boy alcohol and conspiring to hold the boy's family captive to get them to rebut a TV documentary in which Jackson appeared with the boy and said he allowed children to sleep in his bed.

Jackson called the sleeping arrangement an innocent, non-sexual practice.

The child molestation trial of Michael Jackson has resumed in California with his videographer on the stand.

On Wednesday, prosecutors were preparing to question the Jackson's former wife, Debbie Rowe, who is expected to talk about a video she made supporting him.

Jackson's former videographer testified that two men whom prosecutors have named as the singer's unindicted co-conspirators became his managers in late 2002, a few months before they allegedly took part in a conspiracy to hold the family of Jackson's accuser captive.

Prosecutors asked Hamid Moslehi about Dieter Wiesner and Ronald Konitzer on Tuesday to try to link them more closely to the singer.

The mother of Jackson's accuser has testified that the German businessmen helped coerce her family into taking part in a videotaped interview rebutting a damaging documentary.

On cross-examination, Jackson defense attorney Thomas Mesereau, Jr., tried to show that Jackson was a victim of Wiesner and

Konitzer, not a close associate.

Jackson is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy in February or March 2003, giving him alcohol and conspiring to hold his family captive to get them to rebut "Living With Michael Jackson," in which the singer tells an interviewer he lets children sleep in his

bed, though not in a sexual way.

Moslehi said when he shot the rebuttal video and other footage to be used in a TV show defending Jackson, Wiesner and Konitzer promised him a percentage of net profits.

He said he received no profits, nor was he paid for his work. He said he received only a small part of $250,000 in invoices and has a suit pending against Jackson.

Moslehi said he filmed the accuser and his family three times and that after the third taping, he gave the accuser's mother

$2,000 as a loan because he felt sorry for her.

The defence contends that the mother has a history of trying to obtain money from celebrities and others, and that the family is now targeting Jackson.

The mother took the Fifth Amendment to avoid questions about alleged welfare fraud, and jurors heard that the family obtained a $150,000 settlement in a lawsuit against a department store.

(SHOTS 6-7 MUTE)

1. Pan view of motorcade

2. Close-up fans yelling support

3. Close-up, pan Michael Jackson and his family, including brother Jermaine, father Joseph and mother Katherine

4. Close-up Jackson walks into holding room inside court

5. Pan Jackson Attorney Thomas Mesereau Jnr. arrives at court

(NO AUDIO - AS INCOMING)

6. Close-up Joseph Jackson and then Michael Jackson walk through metal detectors into court

7. Pan view of Hamid Moslehi, Jackson's former personal director of photography walking into court

SHOTLIST

1. Michael Jackson defence lawyer Thomas Mesereau Jr. pacing back and forth, talking on mobile phone and checking his watch repeatedly

2. Black Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) speeding into courthouse driveway

3. Jackson, assisted by entourage, getting out of SUV and slowly walking to courthouse

4. Jackson walking through metal detectors and into courtroom

5. Jackson defence attorney Brian Oxman walking through metal detectors and into courtroom

6. Michael Jackson, assisted by entourage, walking out of courtroom past metal detectors

7. Michael Jackson and entourage leaving the court

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Brian Oxman, Attorney for Michael Jackson:

"Michael Jackson asked me to make a statement here - he tripped this morning and he fell early morning when he was getting dressed. His back is in terrible pain, he was in terrible discomfort during the entire trial proceedings, he is going to go home, recuperate, rest and relax and he will be back on Monday and he is looking forward to being here. He went to the emergency room this morning and he was given medications and so he will be back on Monday and we are all thank you so very much. You take care."

9. Jackson and entourage walking towards cars

STORYLINE:

Michael Jackson left court on Thursday after a dramatic day in his trial.

Jackson went missing from his child molestation trial on Thursday and was nearly jailed before he finally showed up more than an hour late, in his pyjama bottoms and slippers, to listen to his accuser''s second day of testimony.

The judge apparently did not punish Jackson for his lateness, which his lawyer blamed on a serious back problem that required treatment at a hospital.

Jackson''s late arrival occurred before his 15-year-old accuser testified about drinking liquor with the pop singer and looking at sex magazines with him. He also said he once saw Jackson walk in to the room naked.

The jury heard only brief remarks from Judge Rodney S. Melville about the drama that unfolded at the start of the day, when defence lawyer Thomas Mesereau Jr. announced Jackson''s back problem.

Jackson''s late arrival marked yet another strange twist in case that has seen its share of unusual events in recent months.

When Jackson was arraigned in January 2004, the judge admonished him for arriving late and requesting a bathroom break. Last month, during the first week of jury selection, Jackson went to a hospital with flu symptoms, delaying the proceedings for a week.

"He tripped this morning and he fell early morning when he was getting dressed. His back is in terrible pain, he was in terrible discomfort during the entire trial proceedings" said Brian Oxman, from the Jackson''s defence team.

Prosecutors allege that Jackson, 46, molested the then-13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003, gave him alcohol and conspired to hold his family captive to get them to rebut a damaging TV documentary in which Jackson said he shared his bed with children.

On the stand, the accuser occasionally glanced across the courtroom at Jackson, who appeared wan.

The witness told the jury that at some point Jackson showed him sexually explicit magazines found in a briefcase belonging to an employee. He said Jackson made a statement deriding the employee for having the magazines, but that he and the pop star looked at them for 30 minutes to an hour.

The boy, who had one of his kidneys removed as part of the cancer treatment, also said that at various times in Jackson''s private quarters - his bedroom, office and a wine cellar - he was given drinks he described as vodka, rum, and "Jim Bean," apparently meaning Jim Beam bourbon.

The boy told the jury that he and his brother were once on Jackson''s bed at Neverland when the singer came in naked, but the account differed from earlier testimony by the brother.

The trial will resume on Monday.

SHOTLIST:

1. Aerial shot of singer Michael Jackson arriving at court

2. Jackson entering court

3. Jackson entering security clearance for courtroom

4. SOUNDBITE (English): Jim Hammer, former San Francisco Prosecutor and Fox News Analyst:

"We have a jury. Literally at 11:23 this morning the judge swore in the first twelve jurors. That''s about two-and-a-half days, which I think is a record time in a case like this. One of the most dramatic parts in the morning came when one of the jurors was questioned, an African-American woman, the second who has appeared on the panel, and she recounted her own strong feelings about the lack of diversity, the lack of representation of African-Americans, her own experiences as a black woman in Santa Barbara County. It was one of the most animated times I have ever since Michael Jackson, the defendant in the case. He nodded with her, smiled and then she asked how diverse is this jury, looking around the courtroom where there are practically no African-Americans whatsoever. At the point that the prosecution moved to remove her from the jury for cause there was a long conference at sidebar, and later on when the prosecution actually exercised there peremptory challenge to kick her off the jury the defence objected again, and the judge said he had ruled on it and denied the defence motion, so two African-American women in a row have been kicked off by the prosecution so far."

5. Various interiors of empty courtroom

6. SOUNBITE (English): Tim Molloy, Reporter Associated Press:

"It''s eight women and four men. They appear to be seven white jurors, four Hispanic and one Asian."

7. Jackson entering courtroom after break

8. SOUNDBITE (English): Libby Copeland, Reporter Washington Post:

"Jackson at various points today coming back from breaks would step over to the bailiff''s desk and confer with his lawyers. He would unwrap candy and stuff it in his mouth. He laughed a lot in response to things that the jurors said."

9. Various of Jackson leaving courtroom

10. Jackson motorcade driving away

STORYLINE:

A jury was selected on Wednesday to decide Michael Jackson''s fate on charges that he molested a teenage boy at his Neverland Ranch in California.

The panel consists of four men and eight women, ranging in age from 20 to 79.

After the jury was sworn in, lawyers moved on to the selection of eight alternate jurors.

Jury selection had been expected to last several weeks, but took only five court days, which were interrupted by a one-week break due to the death of a sister of one of the lawyers and another one-week break when Jackson was hospitalised with flu-like symptoms.

Selection moved at a fast pace when the judge imposed tight time limits on how long each prospective juror could be questioned.

Selection of the alternate panel will continue on Thursday.

The 46-year-old Jackson is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy, plying him with alcohol, and conspiring to hold him and his family captive.

HEADLINE: Trial may include Jackson's molestation charges

CAPTION: A potential witness for michael jackson's mother says allegations of child molestation against the pop star--may make their way into the civil trial for a lawsuit brought by Michael Jackson's mother against AEG Live. (April 29)

APTN STORY NUMBER: 889539

Location - Date: LOS ANGELES - April 29

1. SOUNDBITE: Michael Mesereau, Michael Jackson's former criminal defense attorney

See transcription below.

2. Randy Jackson walking the courthouse

3. Mesereau walking toward the courthouse

4. Wide courthouse exterior

5. SOUNDBITE: Michael Mesereau, Michael Jackson's former criminal defense attorney

See transcription below.

6. Wide of Randy Jackson surrounded by press outside the courthouse

7. Pull-out of courthouse exterior

8. SOUNDBITE: Michael Mesereau, Michael Jackson's former criminal defense attorney

See transcription below.

9. Randy Jackson entering the courthouse

10. Mesereau standing outside the courthouse

11. Courthouse exterior

VOICE-OVER SCRIPT:)

(Michael Jackson's criminal defense attorney Michael Mesereau)

"The question is what was michael's life worth to this mother, What was Michael's life worth to this children. It was worth a lot."

A POTENTIAL WITNESS FOR MICHAEL JACKSON'S MOTHER SAYS ALLEGATIONS OF CHILD MOLESTATION AGAINST THE POP STAR--MAY MAKE THEIR WAY INTO COURT...KATHERINE JACKSON IS SUING CONCERT GIANT AEG LIVE -- CLAIMING THE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY IS LIABLE FOR HER SON'S 2009 DEATH.

(Michael Jackson's criminal defense attorney Michael Mesereau)

"He was exonerated of every single charge. He was completely cleared of any child molest allegation and I think it's a mistake for the defense to bring that in. If they do, I'm going to be called to the witness stand to discount it."

KATHERINE JACKSON'S ATTORNEY SAYS AEG LIVE OWED IT TO THE POP SUPERSTAR TO PROPERLY INVESTIGATE THE DOCTOR, WHO WAS EVENTUALLY HELD CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS DEATH...MICHAEL JACKSON'S FORMER CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY SAYS THE JACKSON FAMILY HAS MOMENTUM IN THE CASE.

(Jackson family attorney Michael Mesereau)

"Those emails are very damaging. They show their was an employment relationship. They show they were putting pressure on Conrad Murray to make him perform. And I think they're going to have a tough time getting out of that."

AEG OFFICIALS DENY WRONGDOING...THEIR LAWYERS ARGUE COMPANY EXECUTIVES COULD NOT HAVE FORESEEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LED TO MICHAEL JACKSON'S DEATH.

A JURY OF SIX MEN AND SIX WOMEN WILL DETERMINE WHETHER AEG IS LIABLE-- AND WHETHER ANY DAMAGES SHOULD BE AWARDED.

STORYLINE

SHOTLIST

APTN

Santa Maria, California - February 28, 2005

1. Mid shot of Michael Jackson turning and waving to people outside courthouse

2. Mid shot of Jackson supporters holding placards outside courthouse

3. Mid shot of supporters holding banner

4. Wide shot of Jackson waving to people outside courthouse

POOL

Santa Maria, California - April 27, 2005

5. Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe walking into court

POOL

Santa Maria, California - April 5, 2005

6. Close shot of prosecutor Tom Sneddon walking through metal detector toward courtroom

7. Close shot of Jackson lawyer Thomas Mesereau Jr. walking through metal detector toward courtroom

APTN

Los Angeles, California - April 26, 2005

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Stan Goldman, legal analyst, Loyola University Law School:

"I don't think the prosecution has one of the world's strongest cases here when it comes to the actual complaining witness and his family. What makes it a reasonably strong case at this point is the evidence of prior events. You've got to prove two things in effect, if you're the prosecution: Michael Jackson is a paedophile and he acted out with this boy. If you can prove he's a paedophile based on other cases, you've done about two thirds of the heavy lifting already."

POOL

Santa Maria, California - March 9, 2005

9. Close shot of Jackson gesturing to people outside courthouse

APTN

Santa Maria, California - February 28, 2005

10. Court sketch, wide shot of prosecutor Sneddon (far left), Judge Rodney Melville (top centre), and Michael Jackson (far right)/pan to Jackson and Mesereau

11. Court sketch, close shot of Sneddon

APTN

Santa Maria, California - March 1, 2005

12. Mid shot of TV journalist Martin Bashir (centre) arriving at courthouse

13. Mid shot of photographer

POOL

Santa Maria, California - April 19, 2005

14. Mid shot of accuser's mother (covered by coat) passing through metal detector toward courthouse

POOL

Santa Maria, California - March 10, 2005

15. Court sketch close shot of accuser on witness stand

16. Court sketch close shot of Jackson

17. Court sketch mid shot of Judge Melville and Jackson lawyer Thomas Mesereau Jr

18. Court sketch close shot of Melville

19. Court sketch close shot of accuser

APTN

Los Angeles - April 26, 2005

20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jean Rosenbluth, legal analyst, University of Southern California:

"I think what the prosecution has going for it in this case is just sheer weight of evidence and it's going to be the... where there's smoke there's fire and there's so much stuff that's been thrown at the jury that perhaps they're just going to think 'gee, I'm not going to sort through all of this something must be going on'."

APTN

Los Angeles - April 6, 2005

21. Close shot of Mesereau and Jackson arriving at event

22. Close shot of photographers

POOL

Santa Maria, California - March 10, 2005

23. Close shot of Jackson in pyjama bottoms, tilt up to Jackson arriving at court house, pull out to wide of Jackson being helped by aides.

APTN

Los Angeles - April 26, 2005

24. SOUNDBITE: (English) Stan Goldman, legal analyst, Loyola University Law School:

"I don't know how much saving of Michael Jackson's character you can do in this case. Sure, you can put him on, the way he (Mesereau) seems to have promised the jury he will do. You can make the jury feel that Michael Jackson has a completely different character with all sorts of witnesses. But in the end, what you really have to do is convince the jury that there is a reasonable doubt that he did what he's charged with."

POOL

Santa Maria, California - March 10, 2005

25. Close shot of Jackson walking through metal detector toward courtroom

DEFENCE PREPARES TO SAVE STAR FROM JAIL

The child abuse trial of superstar Michael Jackson - dubbed the trial of the century - has reached the half-way point, after nearly three months of courtroom drama in the small California town of Santa Maria.

The prosecuting team in the Michael Jackson child molestation case had planned to rest its case on Tuesday, but it remained unclear whether that deadline was on track.

As the prosecution sought to wrap up its presentation, it called final witnesses and presented more phone records in hopes of bolstering the conspiracy portion of their case against the pop star.

Prosecutors had initially hoped to rest its case last week.

But after Jackson's ex-wife Deborah Rowe delivered a startling setback in her testimony on Thursday, they needed more time to recoup their losses and orchestrate a strong finish.

In a stinging turn for the prosecution, Rowe testified that Jackson was easily manipulated by "opportunistic vultures" in his inner circle who wanted to make millions from his troubles.

Rowe was called by prosecutors to bolster a charge that the singer and his associates conspired to hold the accuser's family captive to make a video praising Jackson.

District Attorney Tom Sneddon had said Rowe would tell the jury her remarks in the video were scripted, and that Jackson strong-armed her into appearing in the video by promising her visitation with their kids.

But the strategy backfired when Rowe turned the tables on prosecutors, denying her remarks were scripted or rehearsed, and portraying Jackson as a "wonderful person" and "a great father."

The 46-year-old Jackson is accused of molesting a 13-year-old cancer patient in February or March 2003, and giving him alcohol.

Prosecutors also allege that Jackson conspired to hold the accuser's family captive to get them to rebut the "Living with Michael Jackson" documentary, in which the singer said he lets children sleep in his bed.

Jackson denies all 10 charges against him, including child abuse.

They began their case in late February, and brought forward their first key witness - British journalist Martin Bashir - on the first day of March.

Prosecutors won a victory of sorts in March when Judge Rodney Melville allowed past allegations against the singer to be used as evidence in the trial.

That move opened the door for testimony from witnesses who alleged prior acts of molestation before the 2003 incident in which Jackson is charged.

Some analysts say the prior allegations could still prove to be key in convincing the jury of a pattern of abusive behaviour on the part of Jackson.

As prosecutors in the Jackson trial wrap their case, the defence prepares to counter weeks of testimony, including that from witnesses who testified to alleged prior acts of molestation by Jackson.

The defence is likely to call on a host of celebrities to testify to the singer's good character and possibly even Jackson, himself.

Some analysts, again, note that Jackson's character is not on trial, and that defence attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. must convince the jury there is reasonable doubt as to the charges against him.

SHOTLIST

1. Michael Jackson''s car pulling up to courthouse

2. Cameramen taking pictures

3. Jackson getting out of his car with his mother and Germaine Jackson, then giving the V-sign to his supporters who are chanting their support while another chants in support of the accuser, UPSOUND (English) "Innocent!" and "Those are my private parts!"

4. Jackson''s attorney arriving outside of courthouse, UPSOUND (English) "Those are my private parts!"

5. Sketch of courtroom proceedings; MUST COURTESY: Sketch by Bill Robles

6. Sketch of Michael Jackson and attorney Thomas Mesereau; MUST COURTESY: Sketch by Bill Robles

7. Sketch of Judge Rodney Melville; MUST COURTESY: Sketch by Bill Robles

8. Sketch of Michael Jackson; MUST COURTESY: Sketch by Bill Robles

9. Sketch of District Attorney Thomas Sneddon; MUST COURTESY: Sketch by Bill Robles

10. Wide of media centre outside of courthouse

11. Reporters and technicians at the media centre

12. Wide of people standing outside of courtroom with signs

13. Close up of sign, reading "We Believe And Support Victims of Child Sexual Abuse!"

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nicole Jackson, Michael Jackson fan:

"I do believe that if there was evidence in ''93 they would have convicted him. But the same lawyer for this case is the one that brokered the multi-million dollar settlement in ''93, and they didn''t prosecute. So, that''s obstruction of justice. If there was evidence, but Michael was innocent, that''s why there was nothing to book him for back in ''93."

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Coleman, actor and radio personality:

"These are people in a court process that need to have their time and their day and their due justice whatever that justice may be without our input, without our interruptions, without our interruption on that. And, the less of us, and the less of them that are here, the more likely the process is going to be fair in there for them."

16. Wide of sheriff''s deputies standing outside of courthouse

17. Man holding sign outside of the courthouse, reading "Don''t Be Moved by That Babbling Fool"

STORYLINE:

A prosecutor laid out the child molestation and conspiracy case against Michael Jackson on Monday, saying his 15-year-old accuser was abused and employees tried to silence him and his family by warning that his mother could be killed.

In his opening statement, District Attorney Thomas Sneddon said Jackson showed the boy - then aged 10 - adult material on various websites from the first time he stayed at Neverland in 2000.

Arriving at the Santa Maria, California courthouse with his mother and brother Germaine Jackson, the pop super star gave a V-sign to a small group of supporters waiting outside of the courthouse.

Another person in the crowd shouted "Those are my private parts!" in support of Jackson''s accuser.

Opening statements began after Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville read the indictment to the jury, revealing the names of five unindicted alleged co-conspirators.

All are Jackson employees.

The judge also read 28 overt acts allegedly committed in a conspiracy surrounding the alleged molestation of the boy, a cancer patient, at Jackson''s Neverland ranch and a purported attempt to keep his family silent.

The jury, chosen with unusual speed, is a hometown group of eight women and four men. Most jurors are white, Jackson is black.

Since buying the ranch in 1988, Jackson has invited thousands of people to his theme park of a home, which includes an arcade, trains, rides and a zoo.

SHOTLIST:

1. Pan across courthouse exterior (Building G)

2. Pan across media trucks

3. Mid shot reporter

4. Man moving engineering truck

5. Media setting up

6. Medium shot of Court TV reporter Diane Diamond

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Diane Diamond, Court TV Reporter:

"It does, you know we haven't ever gotten a real answer about Michael Jackson and whether he is a child molester. I don't know if he is. You don't know if he is. In 1993 it never got to court and we know why, so this time around I'm anxious to find out the truth."

8. Cutaway Diamond

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Diane Diamond, Court TV Reporter:

"He is in the criminal justice system now. We saw him handcuffed, we saw his mugshot and tomorrow he will march in here surrounded by whatever security and enter into the court system. I don't think that Mark Geragos, brilliant a criminal defence attorney as he is, thinks there's not going to be a trial. I think there will be a trial."

10. Cutaway Diamond

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Diane Diamond, Court TV Reporter:

"And he stepped out of the car and I caught the glint of light on his handcuffs and I just had to stop. It hit me full force what had happened. This is a man who is idolised world wide and there he is like a common criminal being taken into jail."

12. Pan over media

13. Courthouse

14. Pan over media trucks

TENSION MOUNTS AHEAD OF JACKSON COURT APPEARANCE

Singer Michael Jackson returns to the world stage on Friday, not as an entertainer, but as a man accused of child sexual abuse.

Jackson will be in Santa Maria California , about 150 miles (240 kilometres) north of the city of Los Angeles, facing charges of child molestation.

He's set to join lawyer Mark Geragos to enter a plea on the charges.

They'll be joined by a throng of media gathering once again from around the world, and by a caravan of Jackson fans said to be arranged by brother Jermaine Jackson.

Michael Jackson faces seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts on a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent, reportedly wine.

Jackson, his family and supporters all say the 45-year-old pop star is innocent of the acts that were said to have occurred at his sprawling Neverland Ranch, near Santa Barbara, in the state of California.

But legal experts say the charges are serious and Santa Barbara County officials say they have a strong case against Jackson.

And while it isn't yet the trial of the century, the spectre of scandal and the nature of the allegations are already a test of Jackson the man and the celebrity.

Court TV reporter Diane Diamond, who first broke the story of Jackson's arrest, like many, is eager to find out the truth.

It has been more than a year since the pop star dangled his shrouded baby boy from a hotel balcony in Berlin, Germany.

That incident, and a British T-V documentary focusing on Jackson's private life at his secluded estate, sparked new questions about Jackson's private life and personal behaviour.

And now there are more than questions about Jackson's personal behaviour with children who have been guests at the sprawling ranch.

Jackson was taken into custody last month on suspicion of molesting a 12-year-old boy and has denied the accusations.

The allegations mark the second time in a decade Jackson has been accused of molestation.

On Friday, Jackson will face a judge in this Santa Maria courtroom where he's expected to enter a not guilty plea.

SHOTLIST:

1. Black Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) arrives

2. Michael Jackson and entourage get out of SUV, AUDIO (fan screaming off camera): "Justice for Michael."

3. Jackson and entourage walk to courthouse, turns and waves to fans, AUDIO (fan screaming off camera): "Fight Michael fight."

4. Jackson goes through metal detector, guard searches Jackson with metal detecting device, Jackson walks into courtroom (continuous shot)

5. Witness Ann Gabriel Kite arrives, walks through metal detectors

6. Michael Jackson''s defence lawyers Thomas Mesereau Jr. and Susan Yu outside speaking

7. District Attorney Thomas Sneddon walks through metal detectors and into courtroom

8. Aerial of media lined up in parking lot under white tents to protect them from rain

JACKO TO TAKE THE STAND?

Michael Jackson''s defence team may be adding another star witness to their list: Michael Jackson.

As the 46-year-old pop star arrived for the third day of his trial for child molestation, jurors are still wondering if Jackson will take the stand.

In his opening statements Tuesday, defence attorney Thomas Mesereau made several implications regarding a testimony from Jackson.

Mesereau told jurors "Michael will tell you one time he got a very bad feeling at Neverland" minutes before the prosecution showed the documentary "Living with Jackson."

In the documentary, the singer is shown holding hands with the accuser and explaining that there is nothing sexual about occasionally sharing his bedroom with children.

The film was made by British journalist Martin Bashir, who took the stand yesterday for the prosecution.

The prosecution also called on witness Ann Gabriel Kite, who claims to have been hired by a former Jackson lawyer to help rebuild the pop star''s image after the documentary aired.

Although the star is not officially on the defence''s list of witness, a Jackson spokeswoman said the possibility has been spoken about.

Jackson would be exposed to cross examination by the prosecution if he did take the stand.

The pop star is on trial for sexual abuse and kidnapping charges against the 15-year-old boy featured in Bashir''s documentary.

SHOTLIST

Los Olivos, California - December 17, 2004

1. Mid shot of Michael Jackson walking toward camera during event at Neverland Ranch.

2. Wide shot of Jackson greeting people at event.

3. Close shot of children at event.

4. Close shot of Michael Jackson.

5. Mid moving shot of "Neverland Ranch" sign at entrance to ranch.

6. Mid shot of children statues on Neverland Ranch property.

7. Close shot of children statue.

8. Close shot of child statue.

9. Close shot of children statue.

10. Wide shot of children walking on pathway at Neverland Ranch.

11. Mid to close shot of artwork near Neverland Ranch entryway of Jackson with children.

12. Close shot of Jackson waving.

Los Angeles, California - January 19, 2005

13. Mid shot of legal analyst Stan Goldman.

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Stan Goldman, legal analyst, Loyola University Law School.

"Jackson's best defence is really an offence. It is that...it may be a very sympathetic young man, this teenage boy, his brother may be sympathetic, but they're not the real people testifying here. It's the mother who the defence will try to paint as a grifter, a con artist, who is really speaking through these young boys and she's really the one who set this whole thing up because of the very allegations against Michael Jackson in the past. He's too easy a target."

Santa Maria, California - January 16, 2004

15. Mid to close shot of Jackson arriving outside Santa Maria courthouse.

16. Mid shot of police officers watching Jackson.

File

17. STILL - Photo of Jackson from Santa Barbara County Sheriff's department from the day he was arrested and processed

18. STILL - Close shot of Jackson photo

19. Close-up of legal filing in the Jackson case.

20. Close shot of text from legal filing.

Los Angeles, California - January 19, 2005

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Stan Goldman, Loyola University Law School.

"But if you're the prosecution and you're able to produce a laundry list of young men in court who claim that Michael Jackson did exactly this sort of thing to them in the past it tremendously bolsters the credibility not only of the witnesses testifying against Michael Jackson, but also bolsters the prosecution case in the sense that it really makes Michael Jackson look like such an unsavory character that the jury might be prepared to believe anything about him."

Santa Maria, California - January 16, 2004

22. Wide to mid shot of Jackson waving to people from atop vehicle after court appearance.

23. Wide shot of satellite trucks outside courthouse.

24. Mid shot of Jackson supporters outside courthouse.

25. Close shot of Jackson supporter holding sign ("Leave him alone").

26. Close shot of Jackson supporter holding sign ("Stop crucifying Him").

Los Angeles, California - January 21, 2005

27. Mid shot of legal analyst/attorney Gloria Allred.

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gloria Allred, legal analyst/attorney.

"This could be very similar to the case of people versus O.J. Simpson, where a lot of people felt that the prosecution was not only being asked to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, but almost to prove guilt beyond any doubt whatsoever, which is more evidence than the prosecution legally has to produce."

Los Olivos, California - December 17, 2004

29. Mid shot of Jackson gesturing to people.

30. Mid shot of children on Neverland Ranch train walking toward Jackson.

31. Close shot of Jackson.

JACKSON TRIAL TO BEGIN MONDAY

The long legal journey for Michael Jackson is about to enter another phase as the child molestation trial against the pop star is set to begin next Monday.

Jackson's attorneys, prosecutors, prospective jurors, observers in the court and around the world will ponder the private world of Michael Jackson as never before.

Part of that world for Jackson remains his sprawling Neverland Ranch estate, some 70 miles north of Los Angeles.

It is still a place where Jackson welcomes dozens of children as he did last December in a private charity event.

But Neverland, and activities alleged to have occurred there, have also been the focus of a probe that now forms the basis of a criminal case against Jackson.

The 46-year-old faces multiple counts of molestation and a count of conspiracy involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

Jackson has pleaded not guilty to charges of molestation, conspiracy and giving alcohol to his alleged victim at the Neverland Ranch.

Prosecutors in Santa Barbara County and Jackson's attorneys have waged a legal and public relations battle in the months leading up to the trial.

That battle continues in the Santa Maria California court where Judge Rodney Melvile considers a flurry of motions in the case. And pre-trial rulings will determine the kind of testimony allowed during the trial.

Some legal analysts say the defence wants to focus on the testimony of the mother of Jackson's accuser in the case filed by Santa Barbara County prosecutors.

Jackson has denied charges that he plied the woman's then 13-year-old boy with alcohol and molested him two years ago at his Neverland Ranch.

Defence lawyers claim the boy and his mother are liars seeking financial gain.

Jackson's attorneys have urged the judge to deny a prosecution request to present evidence of alleged past sexual offences during the pop singer's trial.

Prosecutors say the evidence should be allowed under a California law that lets relevant previous acts, whether prosecuted or not, be considered in sex crime cases.

The judge has ruled that he'll wait till a jury is picked to decide if prosecutors can present such evidence.

But prosecutors have already won some court battles.

The judge ruled they can have an expert witness testify about how children behave after abuse.

Prosecutors are also pushing to have jurors screen a British television documentary about the pop star.

The accuser already has been seen in the documentary that aired on ABC-TV in 2003.

It contains footage of Jackson holding hands with the boy and defending his practice of sleeping in the same bedroom with children.

And Prosecutors want permission to introduce unspecified but reportedly pornographic videotapes and other materials seized during a 2003 raid on Neverland.

No matter what the evidence may be, some analysts say prosecutors must contend with Jackson's celebrity status.

Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred sees possible parallels to the trial of O.J. Simpson and the burden of proof placed on prosecutors of high profile cases.

For Michael Jackson, the trial of a lifetime is to begin Monday with the selection of a jury that could take a month.

SHOTLIST:

1. Pan view of cars arriving

2. Mid view of supporters and protesters shouting

3. Close up pan Jackson and family walking into court house

4. Close up Jackson and family walk into court waiting room

5. Mid view of people outside of court house

6. Close up Jackson goes through metal detector into court room

7. Mid view prosecution witness and former Jackson employee Adrian McManus walking into court

8. Pan view of Jackson's attorney Tom Mesereau Jnr. walking into court

9. Close-up pan of Jackson, leaning on employee, walking out of court house

10. Pan view as cars drive away

FORMER MAID TELLS COURT SHE USED MEDIA BROKER TO SELL STORIES

Michael Jackson's former maid testified at his child molestation trial on Friday that she and other employees used a "media broker" to sell stories to tabloids, including one claiming inside knowledge of Jackson's sex life with ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley.

Adrian McManus had earlier testified for the prosecution that she saw Jackson in compromising positions with boys.

On Friday she insisted under cross-examination that she was not out to get Jackson's money even when she and four other Neverland employees sued him for millions.

Speaking of a wrongful-termination lawsuit, which backfired and resulted in a large judgment against the plaintiffs, McManus said she wanted justice.

Jackson attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr. asked: "But your idea of justice was millions of bucks?"

In reply she said an apology would have been enough for her.

Jackson is on trial on charges of molesting a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland ranch.

The prosecution is presenting evidence, much of it from former Jackson employees, that the crime was part of a pattern of inappropriate behaviour by the pop star with boys.

Mesereau has used the ex-employees' legal battles with Jackson and the sale of stories to tabloids to attack their credibility.

Before the trial went into recess for the weekend, prosecutors presented another ex-employee - 70 year old Phillip LeMarque.

In his testimony, he said he was delivering an order of french fries to Jackson at Neverland's arcade late one night and saw the singer holding "Home Alone" actor Macaulay Culkin up to a video game console with one hand on the boy's waist and the other in the boy's shorts.

The defence has asserted that Culkin has repeatedly said he was never molested, and a spokeswoman for the actor has said he has no plans to be part of the case.

Under defence questioning, LeMarque said he and his wife, a cook, sued Jackson for unpaid overtime and received a settlement.

LeMarque said he quit because his wife was asked to sign a false affidavit saying she saw a former maid go through people's purses.

That ex-maid, whose son received a financial settlement from Jackson in the 1990s after he alleged molestation, testified this week that she once found Jackson showering with a boy.

SHOLIST:

1. Aerial view of Michael Jackson and family getting out of car

2. Close up of Michael Jackson walking to Santa Maria Courthouse

3. Mid view of Michael Jackson walking into court (interior)

4. Mid view prosecutor walking to courthouse with documents

5. Mid view Michael Jackson walking through metal detector and entering trial room

6. Jackson walking out of courtroom

7. Jackson walking out of courthouse

8. Jackson answering reporter's question

9. Jackson and family walking to car

STORYLINE:

The chief investigator in the Michael Jackson case testified on Wednesday that the young accuser slumped down in his seat and became "choked up" when first interviewed about allegedly being molested by the pop star.

Sheriff's Sergeant Steve Robel also testified that the boy told him he was molested between five and seven times, but could not recall what happened every time.

"He was fine with talking to us," Robel said of the teenage boy's initial interview. "When I got into the molestation acts I noticed a change in (his) demeanour. He became very quiet, folded his arms and sank down into his chair.... he even became choked up."

Robel's questioning by District Attorney Tom Sneddon and cross examination by Jackson's attorney Robert Sanger also delved into differences in the number of alleged molestation incidents that have emerged in testimony.

The boy himself testified in the trial to only two molestations, but said he believed there may have been more.

Despite the statements about five to seven incidents, the investigator said that since the first interviews of the boy in July 2003 he has been able to provide detailed accounts of only two alleged molestations.

The possibility of the accuser not being aware or fully aware at certain times has been raised in testimony by the boy's brother, who said he twice witnessed his brother being molested while asleep.

46-year-old Jackson is accused of molesting the boy, giving him alcohol and conspiring to hold the boy's family captive to get them to rebut a TV documentary in which Jackson appeared with the boy and said he let children sleep in his bed, but it was non-sexual and innocent.

Jackson's defence contends the family has a history of filing false claims to get money.

The defence cross-examined Robel about what he knew of the rebuttal video, in which the family praised Jackson as a father figure.

Robel testified that before obtaining an arrest warrant for Jackson, none of the investigators had seen the rebuttal video.

"And it did not appear to you to be consistent with what you had been hearing from the family?" Sanger asked.

"I was not alarmed," said Robel, "because I recalled what (the mother) said to me in her initial interview."

Robel said the mother indicated she was instructed by a Jackson associate to do the video.

Robel also acknowledged he had not seen a collection of cards and letters written by the family to Jackson, calling him "daddy" and effusively paying tribute to him.

Another detective, Paul Zelis, testified about adult magazines found at Neverland, including one found in a nightstand drawer that also contained a studio photograph of the accuser, his brother and sister.

He acknowledged under cross-examination that the magazines were not tested for fingerprints until after grand jury hearings in March and April 2004.

Zelis did not say whether any fingerprints were found on the magazines, but prosecutors said in opening statements that some magazines had Jackson's and the accuser's fingerprints.

The defence contends Jackson once caught the boy and his brother going through his magazines and took them away.

SHOLIST:

1. Aerial view of Michael Jackson and family getting out of car

2. Close up of Michael Jackson walking to Santa Maria Courthouse

3. Mid view of Michael Jackson walking into court (interior)

4. Mid view prosecutor walking to courthouse with documents

5. Mid view Michael Jackson walking through metal detector and entering trial room

6. Jackson walking out of courtroom

7. Jackson walking out of courthouse

8. Jackson answering reporter's question

9. Jackson and family walking to car

STORYLINE:

The chief investigator in the Michael Jackson case testified on Wednesday that the young accuser slumped down in his seat and became "choked up" when first interviewed about allegedly being molested by the pop star.

Sheriff's Sergeant Steve Robel also testified that the boy told him he was molested between five and seven times, but could not recall what happened every time.

"He was fine with talking to us," Robel said of the teenage boy's initial interview. "When I got into the molestation acts I noticed a change in (his) demeanour. He became very quiet, folded his arms and sank down into his chair.... he even became choked up."

Robel's questioning by District Attorney Tom Sneddon and cross examination by Jackson's attorney Robert Sanger also delved into differences in the number of alleged molestation incidents that have emerged in testimony.

The boy himself testified in the trial to only two molestations, but said he believed there may have been more.

Despite the statements about five to seven incidents, the investigator said that since the first interviews of the boy in July 2003 he has been able to provide detailed accounts of only two alleged molestations.

The possibility of the accuser not being aware or fully aware at certain times has been raised in testimony by the boy's brother, who said he twice witnessed his brother being molested while asleep.

46-year-old Jackson is accused of molesting the boy, giving him alcohol and conspiring to hold the boy's family captive to get them to rebut a TV documentary in which Jackson appeared with the boy and said he let children sleep in his bed, but it was non-sexual and innocent.

Jackson's defence contends the family has a history of filing false claims to get money.

The defence cross-examined Robel about what he knew of the rebuttal video, in which the family praised Jackson as a father figure.

Robel testified that before obtaining an arrest warrant for Jackson, none of the investigators had seen the rebuttal video.

"And it did not appear to you to be consistent with what you had been hearing from the family?" Sanger asked.

"I was not alarmed," said Robel, "because I recalled what (the mother) said to me in her initial interview."

Robel said the mother indicated she was instructed by a Jackson associate to do the video.

Robel also acknowledged he had not seen a collection of cards and letters written by the family to Jackson, calling him "daddy" and effusively paying tribute to him.

Another detective, Paul Zelis, testified about adult magazines found at Neverland, including one found in a nightstand drawer that also contained a studio photograph of the accuser, his brother and sister.

He acknowledged under cross-examination that the magazines were not tested for fingerprints until after grand jury hearings in March and April 2004.

Zelis did not say whether any fingerprints were found on the magazines, but prosecutors said in opening statements that some magazines had Jackson's and the accuser's fingerprints.

The defence contends Jackson once caught the boy and his brother going through his magazines and took them away.