Glam-less Jackson Party Proves a Flop
July 23, 2005
Celebrating your birthday alone is never nice. But, it's worse if you're a celebrity and then not have the adoring crowds to cheer you on.
That's exactly what happened to Joseph or Joe Jackson, father of popstar icon Michael Jackson, who had to contend with cutting the cake minus the usual glitz at the Estrel hotel in Berlin's immigrant-dominated Neukölln neighborhood on Friday evening. Among his brood of nine, only one, Jermaine, showed up. The others, including Michael, Janet and LaToya, stayed away.
The absence of Michael seemed to have also turned off the fans -- instead of the expected 1,000, just a few hundred appeared. Many of them wore T-shirts reading "Michael is innocent."
Many also seemed disappointed by the evening's events. While the Jacksons and a few dozen invited celebrities feasted on a four course menu by candlelight, the fans behind the barricades had to pay for their hotdogs themselves.
Even expected celebrities like Mike Tyson and Liz Taylor were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a few German singers and ex-boxers wandered around on the red carpet.
Birthday boy Joe however thanked the German fans for their support during Michael's trying trial in California where he was acquitted of child sex abuse charges. Son Jermaine added: "thank-you for all your love and prayers."
The rest of the evening was taken over by crooning look-alikes of Tina Turner, Tom Jones and others provided by the hotel's own show.