(15 Feb 2005) SHOTLIST
Santa Maria, 14 February 2005
1. Various shots of Michael Jackson walking into court
2. Various shots of Michael Jackson leaving court and driving away
MICHAEL JACKSON TAKEN TO HOSPITAL
Pop star Michael Jackson was taken to a hospital Tuesday and was to be admitted, the judge in the singer’s molestation trial said.
The development delayed jury selection.
Judge Rodney Melville told prospective jurors that Jackson was on his way to court when he was taken to the hospital emergency room instead. He later told them Jackson was to be admitted.
But Melville did not give any details about the illness and said he was awaiting word on Jackson’s condition before deciding whether jury selection would resume.
The judge made the announcement 15 minutes after Jackson was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning.
A call to the Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria, where Jackson was taken, was not immediately returned.
Jackson spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain said she was trying to learn more about Jackson’s condition and would comment later.
On Monday, questioning of prospective jurors got under way, and Jackson’s lawyers announced they may call actress Elizabeth Taylor, TV talk show host Jay Leno, musician Quincy Jones and basketball star Kobe Bryant to the witness stand.
The list of possible witnesses sounded like coming attractions for a major Hollywood spectacle. But Melville dimmed that prospect, saying not all of the celebrities would necessarily testify.
Attorneys are in the process of selecting 12 jurors and eight alternates who will decide whether Jackson molested a teenage cancer patient at his Neverland Ranch and plied the youth with alcohol.
During Monday’s proceedings, Jackson smiled and nodded at potential jurors. At one point he picked roughly at a fingernail, and later wrapped it in a napkin.
Names of defense and prosecution witnesses were revealed to prospective jurors Monday so attorneys could find out if any of the more than 240 members of the pool had associations that may be important in jury selection.
Defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. also named two of Jackson’s children, Paris and Prince Michael. Possible prosecution witnesses included Debbie Rowe, their mother.
Other possible witnesses included Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Chris Tucker, former child actor Corey Feldman, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and younger brother Aaron, CBS correspondent Ed Bradley, CNN’s Larry King, Fox broadcaster Rita Cosby, New Age guru Deepak Chopra, psychic Uri Geller, illusionist David Blaine, Las Vegas tycoon Steve Wynn and relatives of the late Marlon Brando.
Prosecutors also listed the family of a boy involved in 1993 molestation allegations against Jackson. The judge has not yet ruled whether that incident can be mentioned in the trial. The accuser received a multimillion-dollar settlement and no criminal charges were filed. Both sides listed former Jackson attorney Mark Geragos, and the defense list included Jackson’s chief prosecutor, District Attorney Tom Sneddon.
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