Michael Jackson and Princess Diana: Fallen Rulers of the Media Kingdom, Part 2

By the early 1990's, pop star Michael Jackson and British royal Princess Diana were massive global celebrities, admired the world over for their works. There was little dispute over their influence in popular culture, attributed to the media's unwavering fascination with them. The media's fascination, at this time, began to show its darker shades.

Michael's wildly eccentric lifestyle drew the media in, giving them bucket loads of material to discuss, truth or fiction. His guarded nature fanned the flames, since he wouldn't speak about the countless stories written about him. However, that was forced to change in 1993. That year, in the middle of his successful Dangerous tour, Michael was accused of child molestation by a 13-year old boy. Suddenly, the images of Michael with young children (the boy who accused him attended the World Music Awards with his mother as Michael's guests) were given a dark shade. The media ran with that angle almost out of the gate; the New York Post ran this infamous headline: "Peter Pan or Pervert" as the allegations broke. Although he wasn't formally charged, he was still treated like he was guilty. Televisions shows like Hard Copy paid thousands for "revelations" of improper conduct on Michael's part from former employees, even though those were highly incredible. Court documents were leaked, compromising an already weak case. Even with the massive negative response, they still gave Michael the chance to defend himself. In December of 1993, televisions stations worldwide aired Michael Jackson's rebuttal video live from Neverland Ranch, where he told of his humiliation at the court required strip search. There was little sympathy for the singer, even after he became addicted to painkillers to deal with the terrible stress of the trial. To stop the media circus in its tracks, he settled out of court, to a rumored tune of $20 million. While lawyer Johnnie Cochran insisted the settlement wasn't an admission of guilt, that did not stop newspapers of branding him guilty.

With the charges somewhat behind him, Michael stunned the world again by marrying Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis. The union was met with nearly universal skepticism, believing it was a calculated move to repair his cracked reputation. There was certainly an effort to prove their love; the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards was opened by them, and they shared a jaw-dropping kiss in front of millions. The couple appeared semi-nude in the video of Michael's #1 hit "You Are Not Alone". The same year, they also sat down with Diane Sawyer for Primetime. The interview saw Michael defending everything from his sexuality to his facial changes to even a promotional video for his new album HIStory, was compared to Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will. The efforts were futile and ultimately pointless; they divorced the next year. Michael's presence in the media didn't seem to help his album sales. HIStory, which he released in the summer of 1995, was his first album since the allegations. It was a double album; one disc held his greatest hits and the other was full of new material, most of which referring to the allegations. The album served as a test of his selling ability after the scandal. To aid sales, he released the first single "Scream", a duet with Janet. The video that accompanied it was the most expensive ever, costing $5 million. The song was a hit, debuting and peaking at #5. The second single, "You Are Not Alone", became the first ever song on the US charts to debut at #1. Despite the single successes, the album wasn't without controversy. Jackson was accused in the media of antisemitism with the song "They Don't Care About Us", which he vehemently denied. A performance of the British Christmas #1 single "Earth Song" at the 1996 BRIT Awards was crashed by Jarvis Cocker, who accused Michael of portraying himself as Christ. Ultimately, the album sold 3.5 million copies in the United States, less than Dangerous' 8 million sales, and much less than Thriller's 28 million sales. While sales of 3.5 million, especially in this current climate, are nothing to sneeze at, HIStory was deemed a disappointment.

That three year stretch also saw Diana face some struggle with the media she once dominated so easily. In November of 1993, the Sunday Mirror published secret pictures of Diana working out in a gym, in a unflattering pose. Humiliated, and sick of the media scrutiny, Diana formally withdrew from public life during a speech a month later. The absence was short-lived. She soon got back doing public charity work with cameras following her. What followed her return nearly derailed her public support. 1994 saw James Hewitt publish a book called Princess in Love, where he revealed their affair to the world. His overt betrayal of Diana made him an overnight celebrity, but the media's coverage of him wasn't favorable. Still in Di's favor, the British press referred to him as a "love rat", who violated the princess. Standing on her side didn't stop them from publishing stories about her other conquests, such as her relationship with rugby player Will Carling. Diana's understanding of the media was still strong during these times of indecent exposure, and she didn't pass up an opportunity to upstage her separated husband. The night that he admitted adultery in a televised interview, Diana stepped out for a night at the Serpentine Gallery. The dress she wore, a sexy black fishtail number, stole the front page from Charles. That dress has been referred to as the "revenge" or "up yours" dress.

Still, Diana wasn't satisfied with stealing press from Charles. She wanted to finally reveal to the world how she was feeling. Enter Martin Bashir, a reporter with BBC's Panorama. In a secret deal, she filmed an interview with him in 1995. On November 20th, the world sat down and watched as Diana officially blew the lid off the royal family. With downcast eyes, she stunned everyone with her revelations of bulimia, adultery, and loneliness. The most shocking of her interview was her suggestion, if not assertion, that Charles was not fit to be King, she would never be Queen, and that William would be better fit.

Diana's interview with Martin Bashir was one of the definitive moments of her life. It was also her biggest mistake. For someone who was so intelligent with the media before, it is mind-boggling that Diana would think openly challenging the validity of the monarchy's line of succession was a good idea. The Queen certainly didn't think so. Shortly after the interview, Diana and Charles received formal letters from Her Majesty, requesting they divorce immediately.

Michael and Diana were at different stages in their lives in the mid 90's. Diana was to be an ex-wife of a prince, stripped of her HRH. Michael was trying to salvage his career with a new album and marriage. As they navigated their significantly changed lives, the cameras were there, every step of the way. But it is clear that the media played more of a role in the latter parts of their lives than they originally thought.

In Part 3, how Diana and the press worked when she lost her title, and what role the paparazzi played in her tragic death. Also, Michael fights for his life, as odd behavior and sagging sales turned Michael from pop hero to laughingstock.