Written by:
Demetria Daniels

P: 212-332-9991

718-885-6576 A chatty, informative column of New York events featuring places, people and personalities and celebrities. demetriadaniels@gmail.com

 
Dear Folks, took some time off - HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. Saw all the MICHAEL JACKSON interviews - why didn't the interviewer ask him whether he slept with his own children? I sleep with my dog - anyway, Michael, I would love to be invited to go on all the rides in Neverland. I'll bring Ruffy. I think you are terrific, and eveyone is jealous of you. The following is my own story of how I got to hear MICHAEL JACKSON in concert and got to go backstage.

THE MICHAEL JACKSON STORY
excerpted from "Adventures of a Buxom Blonde" (I'm hoping someone will publish these stories)

By far, this is not the first adventure I have to tell about in New York, but it is the most exciting, so let me tell you a story...A couple of days ago, my friend ARISTEDES DUVAL, a fellow Greek who writes songs and performs in clubs and organizes the appearance of many bands - (a great impressario) called to invite me to the Film and Video Festival at Madison Square Garden so I could attend and go to all the parties. He told me to call the person in charge and fax him my credentials to attend, and I did and I went.

While I was there - it was the same day as the Michael Jackson concert, I asked how much the tickets cost. "Two hundred fifty dollars" I was told. Alot, I thought. But secretly, I wanted to go. I went to the Film and Video Festival and while I was there, I asked the guard how I could get a press card to see the concert. He pointed upstairs. So I rushed over to a open elevator and up, up, up, up, we went with some other people. I followed them when we got out, down the aisle, pass a check point into little private rooms, all carpeted, a private viewing room with screening chairs, an open bar and a buffet - wow - did I luck out. They asked who I was and who sent me. I made up some name, smiled, and that seemed to satisfy their curiosity so I had a drink, a canape and sat down to see the packed garden.

I watched as an imitator carrying a black umbrealla went in and out of exits; he looked liked Michael Jackson. Huge excited throngs snapped pictures and followed him around the aisles. This lasted for about 20 minutes. In between these anticks, I helped myself to shrimp .

The concert began. On stage sat an overweight man in a chair, with sunglasses - whom the crowd seemed to recognize, and as legends go, this unexpected guest was - MARLON BRANDO.

As the spotlight shone upon him, he took off his gold rolodex and mumbled some words..."by the time I put this watch back on, thousands of children will be hacked to death". The audience was stunned; they gasped with amazement at the cryptic message, not knowing how to respond. Brando continued with some more thoughts on the children of the world - the crowd became irritated and booded him. Perhaps there was more to say and think about - it lasted 10 minutes. What the crowd found out was that MICHAEL JACKSON had started a foundation called "HEAL THE WORLD'. So, these were his words.

He had been siting on the sidelines in a diamond -encrusted jacket next to his friend, ELIZABETH TAYLOR with a lavender-purple boa surrounding her regalness. She would introduce him later.

The two of them watched as GLORIA ESTEPHAN sang and a young lad of ten also came on stage.

At the half-way mark, guards came around to the upstairs boxes, asking for tickets - I didn't have one - they told me to go downstairs. Somehow I wandered down, found a seat. So by the time MJ took the stage with his brothers, and LIZA MINELLI sang, and BRITTNEY SPEARS did a duet and they showed documentaries that followed his tour around the globe, helping children, I was sitting in an $800- seat with an excellent view of the stage and celebrities.

The brothers came on and tapped and twirled and did their steps and Michael at one point brought on the stage a suitcase. He opened it, put on the silver glove. His costume changes were as quick as his footwork, and he wowed the audience with "Beat It". The audience went gaga - very excited.

At the finale, KENNY ROGERS, LIZA MINELLI, MICHAEL and QUINCEY JONES led them in a performance in "We Are the World". What a concert... but there is more.

That's not all - you would think that would be enough - but the evening was just beginning. I followed the crowd onto the escalator, ready to exit the building, when suddently I saw two well-dressed black gentlemen head to the door with a coded numbers system; they pressed them and opened the door. So I followed them to see where they were going - never expecting what came next.

The stairs brought me into a dressing area of the performers where I saw a group of people heading down the hallway, so I went with them into an elevator. I was standing right next to the parents of MJ. Imagine the Mother and Father of the star of the show. I said hello and shook hands. As we got off, I saw DONALD TRUMP exiting with his girlfriend. There were limos on the ramp. I mingled in and shook hands with the brothers as they exited into their cars and then finally chatted with QUINCEY JONES, whom I had met once before at the East Hampton Film Festival. I told him I had the original 45 record of "We Are the World". He said he was happy to hear that. The gloved one wizzed by, did not stop to talk and jumped into his limo, which went down the ramp with an ambulance car in back of it flashing red lights.

What an evening folks - but that's what GOTHAMGOSSIP is all about - the extraordinary things that happen to me in New York- a gal born and raised right here in Brooklyn.


posted by Demetria at 11:48 AM