I suppose I should write something about this documentary, since it just got aired in France. But I don’t know what to say. So I’ll start with quoting an fr.rec.tv.programmes article:

This "journalist" is just a dirt digger who wanted to go sensational over old gossip when the simple interview of michael at home, with his fans and kids, was already a scoop.

Besides, the english journalist certainly blew the opportunity for his colleagues who hoped to make a real Jackson interview. Anyway, for me, he’s an asshole.

There. Sums up quite well what I felt during the whole show. Yes, Michael Jackson is a psychopath (literally: he lives in a distinct reality); yes, he’s completely irresponsible, and his child will need quite a therapy in order to get over that; yes, it’s impressive and even painful for us to see this face move and speak, and realize that there is indeed a human being behind that thing we had only seen in pictures, and couldn’t quite imagine in motion, in use in everyday life. But it wasn’t that bad. He isn’t that bad. Martin Bashir’s worries about Jackson’s children are exaggerated, and his worries about the star’s teenage friends is absolutely ridiculous. Come on, how could Michael be a pedophile, when he’s convinced he’s a child? That’s not how it works…

I was glad to see that, on the last interview, Jackson was finally defensive—I don’t know if his naiveness just worn out, or if his aides warned him about Bashir, but it was comforting to see he quit trusting the guy. Bad idea, however, to launch a public, mediatic counter-attack, in courts and on TV: it provided additional publicity the show didn’t need, nor deserve. And in fact there wasn’t so much material for scandal in there.

Watching the show, I couldn’t help but think of one of my ex’s, who was a fan of Michael Jackson. I don’t know if he still is: it’s an awful time to be a fan of his, and yet there still are plenty of those, as evidenced by the documentary itself.

Oh well, it’s a tough time for the ingenuous.