I saw the just released video of Michael Jackson’s 1984 accident on the set of his Pepsi commercial before I left work yesterday. I had to leave early for a doctor’s appointment and when I got there, the waiting room was packed and the wait to see the doctor was a long one. People were hanging out in the waiting room watching CNN on TV.
As we were all sitting around the video of Jackson’s accident came on. Since I had just seen it I knew what was coming, but I knew that this was the first time anyone else would be seeing it. As soon as Wolf Blitzer teased it the room became silent and anyone who wasn’t watching before was watching now. The clip began and people literally gasped when the pyrotechnics went off at the wrong time and Michael, unaware that his hair had caught fire continued to dance.
As soon as the clip ended people started talking- people who, until moments before, had been absolute strangers. I was struck by how many people seemed to change their opinion of Michael Jackson’s drug use just by watching that clip. One woman said to me, “You know, you kind of understand it now.” It made me wonder, if people had seen this tape before Michael had died, would they have thought differently of him while he was alive?
Tonight on Showbiz Tonight we are going to look at some of the disturbing, brand new questions that the release of this video has raised. Be sure to tune in to Showbiz Tonight at 11pm Eastern and Pacific on HLN- Don’t miss it!