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"Countdown Music and Video Awards"

Air date confirmed in “Countdown Archives” (archived)

Molly Meldrum, autobiography written by Molly Meldrum and Jeff Jenkins, “The Never, Um, Ever Ending Story: Life, Countdown and Everything in Between” (translated Spanish excerpts) (archived)

In 1984, I went to Los Angeles to present him with a special Countdown Award for his contribution to the world of music. I was quickly taken to the CBS offices under a cloud of secrecy and introduced to a lady named Shirley Brooks, someone she trusted completely for Michael and a friend of her family. She took me to another part of the building and introduced me to Michael, who arrived surrounded by people, although he was surprisingly welcoming and kind, as he was recovering from the injuries of the burn caused in his head by an accident while recording a Ad for Pepsi.

What also surprised me was that, despite having received so many awards already - including eight Grammys in a single night - he seemed genuinely happy with ours. We took some photos, but Shirley told us that it would take a while for them to reach us, because Michael had to approve them first. 'But we desperately need them to take them to the Countdown Awards,' I begged. And Shirley did not disappoint me.