transitionstate99 The problem I have with the heavy handedness of Bashir's, ahem, journalism (and yes Mr. Moore-ibid you too)is that it just isn't any good. Which would be alright if Martin didn't have this almost pedagogical desire to come off as a concerned Smarty McSmarty. It doesn't take an intellectual heavyweight to see that Michael Jackson obviously has deep, deep trauma that's surfacing in a variety of disorders. A psych student would label him body-dysmorphic with their eyes closed. So why does Bashir keep beating the same questions to death? Does he expect Jackson to break down and admit that he's had 20 zillion operations? That he spends money in a vacant equilibrium? That he is constantly surrounded and protected by people that share similar delusions, and gosh darn it, that his problems might also manifest as sexual deviancy? Yes thank you, move on: There's enough pop-psychology out there for reference material and you're not really helping-just airing Jackson's subconscious demons. But that's exactly what Bashir doesn't do; instead he panders, and condescends in an annoying I-can-see-what-you-don't-Mr-Jacko-the-wacko way. That's not journalism, it's reporting. What would have been far more interesting is if Bashir didn't treat Jacko as some sort of man-child, a weird oddity to be probed and prodded, but used the interview time to understand the depths of one man's isolation and distortion of reality. Parents can leave their children for sleep overs in 'neverland'; doesn't that speak volumes about our current society, celeb status not withstanding. What about Michael's family? The father angle has pretty much been done to death, but the sibling moments haven't. Surely that would have satisfied Bashir's rabid tabloid fantasies while simultaneously exposing the underlying psycho-drama that must exist in the Jackson household. Instead we get Michael through the celebrity lens-bright and devoid of grit. I'm not asking Bashir to throw away his vapid, objective reporting to create a far more emotionally challenging (and personal) work-it's not his style. But the least he could do is allow for a far broader commentary on the subject matter (and I'm not talking about shots of ogling fans). As of now 'Living with Michael...' is caught in some sort of limbo between paparazzi snapshot and good old fashioned nuts and bolts journalism. Is it too much to ask that Bashir make up his mind?

sundancedarkhorse Contains spoilers(yeah, but who would want to see this movie)-The ultimate purpose of this documentary was to make him out to be a normal person, not the freak he is frequently portrayed as. I watched this hoping to see that he's not as freaky as I thought. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Not only is he a freak, but I now think he is mentally ill. In one scene, just right after he dangled his poor baby, he tried so hard to show he's a good father. You can see the desperation when he is jiggling the baby, sadly named Blanket. If you expect to see him as a normal guy, you're in for a disappointment. This provides furthur evidence that he is a freak.

SHB_73 Watching this documentary on the life of an entertainer I liked as a kid It's sad to see what Michael has done to himself. His bizzare behavior coupled with the way he denys how much plastic surgery he had, Makes it clear the man needs help from a phsyciatrist. It was sickening the way he treated his youngest son by dangling him over a window balcony in Germany, along with other admissions that here horrific. Some people have criticized Martin Bashir because he was try to make Jackson look bad. He didn't have to, Jackson did it himself. When Bashir asks him how many surgeries he had, Michael says no more than two which is a flat out lie. You can't tell me by looking at him twenty years ago to today that he's only had two! Also his extravagent spending in Las Vegas makes me wonder where he gets his money? (I'm not sure owning the rights to the Beatles songbook covers everything.) Michael Jackson is sadly not even a shadow of his former self. From the time he was the young lead singer of the Jackson Five, to the early 80's when he was at his most popular, to finally what he is today.

william_blake shame on bashir and shaw for being completely one-sided and prejudicing michael jackson before they ever even started shooting. it's clear they had only one idea; to make jackson look as bad as possible. i felt like i was sort of watching a sun tabloid. bashir is no better than any of the paparazzi's following. but michael wanted to be honest well there you go then.i don't have an opinion about jackson in the issues raised on this document, since i can assure you I DON'T THINK I REALLY KNOW michael jackson after seeing this document. sure he seems strange and guilty of lying at points but no matter how hard you look you can't tell anything for certain about him, can you? please remember that when you start bashing him. meanwhile bashir catches every little mistake or a sign of "notnormaladultbehaviour", that jackson makes. "omfg he went on the stage early. holy **** he's climbing trees!" use your own brain, people and don't let bashir lead you.3/10"Propaganda is ... the deliberate attempt by some individual or group to form, control, or alter the attitudes of other groups by the use of instruments of communication, with the intention that in any given situation the reaction of those so influenced will be that desired by the propagandist."oh, and btw ask yourself who is the craziest; weird michael, paranoid bashir, insane crying screaming dancing fans, or me for watching this document in the first place?