SPECIAL EDITION OF 20/20: MICHAEL JACKSON: THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC (TV)
Summary
One in this series of news magazine programs.
This program reports on the sudden death of popular musician and dancer Michael Jackson. The special begins by recounting Jackson’s childhood in Gary, Indiana, where he performs in a musical act with his four older brothers, the Jackson 5, earning them stardom in Detroit during the height of Motown. Berry Gordy, founder of Motown, is hesitant to sign a “kids’ group,” but is impressed by their talent and hires them; he and his assistant Suzanne de Passe groom the boys for stardom, and they find their first major hit song in the form of “I Want You Back,” and their first few hits earn the group instant success and celebrity. Soon Jackson’s popularity overtakes that of his brothers, and he becomes a major focus of media attention. Jackson releases his first solo album, “Off the Wall,” produced by Quincy Jones, which proves to be a massive success. The 1980’s prove to be Jackson’s greatest period of success, releasing overwhelmingly high-selling albums such as “Thriller,” and pioneering the reinvention of the music video as a viable art form. His appearance at Motown 25, a special commemorating the anniversary of the creation of Motown, is met with incredible ovation and an increase in his already-stellar popularity. 1987 sees the release of the album “Bad,” Jackson’s attempt to “top himself.” He goes on to release the albums “Dangerous,” “History,” and “Invincible,” eventually making him the third highest-selling recording artist of all time.
Jackson’s style and showmanship serve as inspirations to entire generations of musicians and performing artists, even into the present day. He is noted for his ability to “transcend” musical demographics and even racial barriers. He is also famed for his inventive dance steps, often imitated by other artists. During his lifetime he constantly trained and perfected his techniques, galvanizing those who worked alongside him. Jackson is credited with inventing the moonwalk, first displaying it at Motown 25 and creating a great deal of excitement. Many of his friends and fellow artists express their sadness at his sudden death.
There is still a great deal of uncertainty at the exact cause of Jackson’s death. The incident begins with a panicked 911 call made from Jackson’s residence. The call makes mention of an on-site personal doctor trying to tend to Jackson, who is unconscious and not breathing. The doctor, Conrad Murray, vanished around this time without fully explaining the situation. Around this time it is revealed that Jackson had become addicted to OxyContin, a powerful painkiller, and an opiate called Demerol. The Los Angeles Coroner’s Office concludes that Jackson had these drugs in his system at the time of his death. It is suggested that injuries sustained by Jackson over the course of his career, such as an incident wherein his hair caught on fire or falls which left him with bone injuries, were what caused him to start taking painkillers. Doctors believe that the combination of drugs in his system had a lethal effect on him, causing his respiratory and nervous systems to slow down to the point of stopping. Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley notes that Jackson was constantly afraid of death. Those who worked with him noted that in his later days he looked “frail” and sickly, especially while working on what was to be a massive comeback tour. Limited information is released about Jackson’s autopsy, but reveals little about the circumstances of his death.
Footage from an interview between Diane Sawyer and Jackson is shown wherein he discusses his latest work and the challenges he deals with in constantly trying to improve upon himself. He notes that he wants to return to live concerts in order to reconnect with his fans and feel their “presence.” Includes commercials.
(This program is incomplete. It represents the best copy available at this time.)
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: June 26, 2009 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:59
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 104109
- GENRE: News magazine
- SUBJECT HEADING: News magazine; African-American Collection - Music
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1978-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – AT&T phone service
- TV – Commercials – Buick automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Citi banks
- TV – Commercials – JCPenney department stores
- TV – Commercials – Latisse eyelash growth treatment
- TV – Commercials – Lowe’s home improvement stores
- TV – Commercials – Macy’s department stores
- TV – Commercials – Ocean Spray fruit juice
- TV – Commercials – Old Navy apparel
- TV – Commercials – Olive Garden restaurants
- TV – Commercials – Pizza Hut pizza
- TV – Commercials – Roundup weed killer
- TV – Commercials – Sears department stores
- TV – Commercials – Sprint phone service
- TV – Commercials – Ultra-Lift Pro wrinkle roller
- TV – Commercials – Verizon phone service
- TV – Commercials – Visa credit cards
- TV – Commercials – Volkswagen automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Windex cleaning spray
- TV – Commercials – Zyrtec-D antihistamine
- TV – Commercials – “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” motion picture
- TV – Promos – “Family Secrets”
- TV – Promos – “FlashForward”
- TV – Promos – “Good Morning America”
- TV – Promos – “Primetime Crime”
- TV – Promos – “World News with Charles Gibson”
CREDITS
- Elizabeth Vargas … Host
- Chris Connelly … Reporter
- Deborah Roberts … Reporter
- Jim Avila … Reporter
- Suzanne de Passe … Interviewee
- Berry Gordy … Interviewee
- Jimmy Jam … Interviewee
- Quincy Jones … Interviewee
- Kris Allen … Interviewee
- Adam Lambert … Interviewee
- Will.i.am … Interviewee
- Chris Brown … Interviewee
- Anthony DeCurtis … Interviewee
- Debbie Allen … Interviewee
- Kenny Ortega … Interviewee
- Desmond Richardson … Interviewee
- Ronni Favors … Interviewee
- Paula Abdul … Interviewee
- Bruce Goldberger … Interviewee
- Johnny Caswell … Interviewee
- Craig Harvey
- Michael Jackson
- Conrad Murray
- Brian Oxman
- Lisa Marie Presley
- Diane Sawyer