14 DAY TRIAL // According to an old saying, the living should speak no ill of the dead, but in our modern society this almost never applies to celebrities. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, many famous people become even more notorious after their passing, especially if they suffer from an early death.
Celebrities such as Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger or 2Pac are the perfect example for such cases of post-mortem increased fame, to the point that they create a veritable legacy. One of the most prolific celebrities, as far as this post-mortem controversy and fame goes, is Michael Jackson, who rose to the title of King of Pop during his lifetime.
Despite the fact that he has been dead for five years now, Michael Jackson still manages to make headlines, most of which have the ability to be turned in blockbuster movies on their own. Ranging from the suspicious conditions in which he died, to his estate and the way he lived his life, Jackson still captures the attention of the media.
This week, it was the turn of a brand new scandal to bring back the pop superstar to the world’s attention. Sadly, the issue of a possible illegitimate child belonging to Michael actually drew more attention than his ongoing murder trial in which the state proved the singer’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was the one who administered the deadly injection filled with strong sedatives.
In what looked suspiciously like a media campaign, the owner of the production company FilmOn, David “Alki” Alkiviades, claimed he had irrefutable proof that the obscure singer known as Brandon Howard was actually Michael Jackson’s illegitimate son.
In a press conference which included a dentist who claimed had obtained Michael’s DNA sample from one of his former dental device purchased at an auction, and former friend of the superstar, actor Corey Feldman, it was presented to the media that there was a 99.9% DNA match between Michael and Howard.
This was supposed to serve as proof that the pop singer fathered a child in secret 31 years ago. This stunning conclusion does not come out of the blue. The rumor of a connection between Howard and Michael has been around for some time, fueled by the similarity in demeanor, voice and mannerism between the two.
Further evidence, according to conspiracy theorists lay in the hit song “Billie Jean,” which is believed to be inspired from Michael’s real life experiences. In it, Jackson can be heard singing about a girl named Billie Jean who is not his girlfriend, before finally crying “the kid is not his son.”
It is believed that “Billie” is the nickname of a gospel singer by the name of Miki Howard, who used to tour with Michael in his younger days and who was also represented by his father, Joe Jackson.
On this basis, Alki and his production company enlisted the help of dentist Joseph Goodman to make a DNA comparison between the two. The press conference was a highly directed event, with the entire panel sitting at a large table and the results being presented in a sealed envelope.
Upon reading the numbers that indicted an almost identical match, it was also revealed that the tests were conducted in two separate facilities in Utah and Ireland. This aspect of the story would later come under fire from investigative journalists who blasted the Ireland DNA lab as a fake, since they couldn’t prove its existence.
Further doubt was cast on the entire enquiry when it was revealed that the logo used on the test result sheets was similar to that used by an organization in the movie “Terminator: Salvation” and the layout was “borrowed” from samples of DNA paternity tests available online.
As the results were pronounced, Brandon Howard, the alleged son of Michael Jackson, took the time to post a video on his Facebook page in which he clearly stated that he didn’t want to be associated with this inquiry, nor the people conducting it.
In the video, a clearly upset Howard said “Number one, I did not call TMZ or anything like that. Didn’t put out a story, nothing. Number two, I’ve never self-proclaimed to be Michael Jackson’s son. Number three, I’m definitely not suing the estate. I’ve been taken care of very well. Number four, it is true I did do a DNA test but it had nothing to do with any of this.”
The day after the scandal with the test results broke out, certain people close to the Jackson clan threw another bomb at the press: Howard wasn’t Michael’s illegitimate son but his long lost brother, as it was presumed that Joe Jackson had gotten Miki pregnant.
According to one such source, these rumors have been going on for years and among the whispers that followed the Jacksons, this had become almost common knowledge and accepted as fact.
“I’ve been hearing for years that Brandon is Joe’s son,” said the source, seemingly unaware of the fact that another man by the name of Augie Johnson has claimed to be the biological father of Howard Brandon and has even agreed to undergo a paternity test.
Johnson, 65, was a back-up singer for Michael Jackson on his album “Off the Wall” and thus would have gained access to his entourage which included Howard’s mother. He has since spoken to the press and said that he maintains a relation with son Brandon Howard ever since the 80s when he was born.
Speaking about all this recent controversy, the Jackson clan has unanimously stated that the entire scandal is a fabrication and that Michael and Joe have never mentioned to them of a possible relationship with singer Miki Howard, instructing their rep to dismiss the DNA test as “unfounded hearsay.”
At the end of the day, the entire matter does seem like just one desperate cry for attention, one that hopes to gain as much media exposure by using the name and image of the pop superstar who remains controversial in death as he was in life.