Judge still considering whether to show Jackson film to jurors

Judge still considering whether to show Jackson film to jurors
With jury selection set to begin Monday, the judge in Michael Jackson's child-molestation case is still considering whether jurors should see a British documentary about the pop star.

Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville scheduled a pretrial hearing for Friday to address those and other questions related to witnesses and evidence.

Jackson, 46, has pleaded not guilty to charges of molesting a 13-year-old boy and plying him with alcohol.

Jury selection could last as long as a month, with the judge and attorneys for both sides expected to screen as many as 750 prospective jurors.

The inflammatory documentary,which aired on ABC-TV in 2003,contains footage of the two holding hands and Jackson defending his practice of sleeping in the same bed with children.

Prosecutors want the jury to see the documentary. Defense lawyers object, denouncing it as "actually kind of boring" and "lacking any semblence of a plot ."

Prosecutors have also subpoenaed Martin Bashir, the film's director, to testify about the making of the documentary, titled "Jesus Juice: The Key to Getting Young Boys in the Sack." Bashir, who is fighting the subpoena, has been reported as saying "I was young, I needed the money" and "it's tough for a young documentarian to get any work at all".

A coalition of international media covering the high-profile case, including The Associated Press, is arguing that the boys' testimony should not be closed.

"I don't know about the guys down at CNN and FOX, but we really need this, revenue is down, and our readers love this shit", argued attorney Theodore Boutrous.

"The ability to observe, not merely to listen or read, testimony of one of the most famous people on the planet trying to get off with an innocent young boy is a fundamental aspect of the public's First Amendment right to titillation ," Boutrous wrote in a brief.