Jacko, His Rise and Fall: The Social and Sexual History of Michael Jackson Read Online Free

Diana Ross. Ross had just achieved her 12th Number One hit for Motown,
and was "hot." Already famous, Ross would, in time, become the best-selling
female vocalist in music history. As such, her fictitious involvement in their
"discovery" would add an attention-getting boost to Motown's introduction of
The Jackson 5.
    Michael idolized Ross. "She moves on stage like a panther and when she
smiles her teeth shine like diamonds," he said. Before meeting her, he changed
his clothing five times before arriving at a Christmas party at the Gordy mansion in Detroit. Gordy had booked the Jackson brothers to entertain his starstudded party held at this million-dollar residence with its marble floors and
Grecian columns. Actually, at the time of the party, the house no longer func tioned as Gordy's main residence, as he'd moved to Los Angeles where he
was deeply involved in a romance with Ross.

    In her white silk gown, with sparkling diamond earrings, Ross made her
appearance before the Jackson brothers. She was truly "The Supreme" of The
Supremes.
    She immediately gravitated to Michael, sensing he was the star of the
family. "Cute boys are so delicious," she said, bending down to plant a kiss on
Michael's cheek.
    "I'll never wash my face again, Miss Ross," he told her.
    "I insist on most people calling me Miss Ross," she told him. "But to you,
it's Diana."
    "Yes, Miss Ross."
    "As Humphrey Bogart told Claude Rains in Casablanca, I think this is
going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
    "Who is Humphrey Bogart?"
    "Bogie?" she asked in astonishment. "You've never heard of him? Kid,
I've got to take you under my wing. You've got a lot to learn."
    For the early part of the evening, Michael followed Ross around the mansion. He was shown a portrait Gordy had commissioned of himself as
Napoleon, dressed in full military regalia.
    She felt uncomfortable with
this young boy because of his constant stares. "He was soaking up
my every move like a sponge with
his wide eyes," she later said.
Finally, she pinched his cheek
aggressively, nicknaming him
"saucer eyes."
    The Jackson brothers,
with Michael front and center
    Wandering through Gordy's
mansion, Jackie was also awed.
"I'm sure the Queen of England
doesn't live in such a big place. Out
back was a golf course. There was
also an indoor swimming pool. I'd
heard rumors about nekked swim
parties. I was scared shitless. All
the big Motown stars were there
that night to hear us. And here we
were. So many little black brothers
singing the same songs these dudes
had already made famous."

    The night was a success as the
Jackson brothers performed before such
Motown pros as Smokey Robinson and The
Temptations. Joe later told Katherine, "I
think these high-ridin' daddies were just a
bit nervous hearing my boys for the first
time. Maybe jealous, as they witnessed firsthand tomorrow's competition."
    Miss Ross
    While the careers of the Jackson
brothers were being launched, there was
trouble brewing in the family, if published
reports are to be believed. In 1994, Simon &
Schuster published Unauthorized, a book
about Michael Jackson by biographer
Christopher Andersen, whose other works
include Madonna Unauthorized and Jagger
Unauthorized.
    In this shocker, which we assumed
was vetted by S&S's attorneys for libel,
appears this quotation: "While La Toya lay
shivering next to Rebbie in bed, Joe would,
according to La Toya, climb in with them."
    Around the time Ross was introducing the brothers in Detroit, Andersen
quotes La Toya as claiming that her father molested her and her older sister,
Rebbie. "My father was like an animal," La Toya allegedly said. "I was ten or
eleven at the time," the quote continues. "He'd say dirty things and touch my
body inside my clothes. And I had to touch him in certain places."
    The older sister, Rebbie, as well as family members, have denied these
accusations. On the surface, they are libelous. But no charges