I don't know whether there are any fat ladies involved in the Michael Jackson trial, but if there are they aren't singing. Judge Rodney Melville has given the prosecution permission to show the Jacko jury a video of the singer's teenage accuser, Gavin Arvizo, being interviewed by police back in Jul 2003. They want to disprove allegations made by the defence that Gavin has changed his story since originally making his allegations against Jackson. By allowing the video to be screened, Jackson's defence have said they may want to recall the teenager back to the witness stand to clarify any points raised by the screening.
The video screening will be part of the prosecution's rebuttal to the defence's case. They are expected to call a number of witnesses as part of that rebuttal. They won't, however, be able to show the jury a photograph of Jackson's genitalia, which is surely a relief to everyone. The prosecution said they planned to show the jury a photograph of Jackson's genitals that was taken during investigations into the 1993 child abuse allegations issued against the singer. They say that at the time they asked his then accuser Jordan Chandler to draw a picture of the singers genitalia, and that he included in his drawing a blemish which was "unique to Jackson's anatomy". Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen said he wanted to show the jury the pictures to show Jackson's relationships with boys were "not casual."
However defence lawyer Robert Sanger opposed that proposal, primarily on technical grounds - ie neither side is meant to introduce significant new evidence into a trial at the last minute. The rebuttal stage is designed for clarifying points raised earlier in the proceedings. Judge Melville backed that point of view and refused permission for the photos to be shown. Phew.
Finally in Jacko news, there are reports this morning that if the singer is found not-guilty he plans to quit America and move to Europe. Lucky Europe. US media are reporting that Jackson has already sold his Neverland ranch for a reported $30 million because he feels his home has become tarnished by the various accusations made during this trial. Sources say he will leave America as soon as the trial is over, moving to Europe or, possibly, Africa.
US columnist Roger Friedman told Fox News TV: "Those who are in the know tell me that Jackson is already planning an almost instant move. Whether it's temporary or permanent is up in the air, but the pop star knows he has to take a breather from the US if he wants to rehabilitate his career. My money is on London or Paris but some say Africa is being mentioned a lot. His brother Jermaine lives in Saudi Arabia".