Recently, MichaelJacksonInsider.com (with Pearl Jr.) posted a short video interview with veteran AP reporter Linda Deutsch, from when Deutsch was honored with a lifetime achievement award for journalism. Deutsch talks briefly about her experience in journalism and how she tries to be fair and balanced in what she reports, and also about the time that Michael Jackson called her to thank her for being fair during the trial. I have transcribed the portion where Linda Deutsch talks about Michael's call and how she hopes to have a full interview with him someday.
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Pearl Jr: Now Linda, Michael talked to you. You got one of the first, well the first interview with Michael after the trial. Tell me how that came about?
Deutsch: He did call me. He called me after the trial, it was quite amazing. He called to tell me that he was glad that I had been fair to him during the trial, which is what I try to do with all defendants. We had a very brief conversation, but a very friendly conversation. He said that it was the worst thing that he had ever been through, was that trial. And I'm still hoping against hope that he will sit down with me for a real interview one of these days. Because, the only real contact we had during that period was every day after court he would come out, and I would ask a question. He would sometimes answer, sometimes not. And I did have a chance to go up to Neverland a couple of times, but we've never really sat down and talked and I feel that it's probably time for that.
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I'm pretty sure that the video was shot very recently, but haven't researched an exact date. You can watch the full interview (3-4 minutes long) here or if you have problems viewing the video on the site, click here for a direct link to the video (44MB).
Pearl Jr. has also posted a short video interview with Aphrodite Jones from the recent book signing in Los Angeles (direct link, here).
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Pearl Jr: Now Linda, Michael talked to you. You got one of the first, well the first interview with Michael after the trial. Tell me how that came about?
Deutsch: He did call me. He called me after the trial, it was quite amazing. He called to tell me that he was glad that I had been fair to him during the trial, which is what I try to do with all defendants. We had a very brief conversation, but a very friendly conversation. He said that it was the worst thing that he had ever been through, was that trial. And I'm still hoping against hope that he will sit down with me for a real interview one of these days. Because, the only real contact we had during that period was every day after court he would come out, and I would ask a question. He would sometimes answer, sometimes not. And I did have a chance to go up to Neverland a couple of times, but we've never really sat down and talked and I feel that it's probably time for that.
---
I'm pretty sure that the video was shot very recently, but haven't researched an exact date. You can watch the full interview (3-4 minutes long) here or if you have problems viewing the video on the site, click here for a direct link to the video (44MB).
Pearl Jr. has also posted a short video interview with Aphrodite Jones from the recent book signing in Los Angeles (direct link, here).