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Moving to Germany Considerations
“The Guardian” (July 21, 2005)
Michael Jackson hopes to make a fresh start after being cleared of child molestation by building a replica of his treasured Neverland ranch near Berlin, according to German newspaper reports.
Germany's capital is tonight hosting a 76th birthday party for Jackson's father Joe, featuring the singer's siblings Janet, La Toya and Jermaine. Jackson himself is not expected to attend.
His spokesman, Shawn Andrews, told the newspaper Berliner Morgenpost: "Michael is a fan of Germany and has fallen in love with the city of Berlin." One possibility is that Michael will build a Disneyland-style home, based on the German fairytale castle Neuschwanstein. Mr Andrews added: "This is definitely not a PR gag. Michael is really planning this."
Joe Jackson decided to throw the Berlin party as a demonstration of his thanks to Michael's loyal European fans during the trial. He told a press conference in Berlin: "The sole reason for my trip to Europe is to thank the European people for their solidarity."
One thousand guests have received a golden ticket to the three-day event. One invitee, Bianca Schmidt, held up a banner for eight days outside the court in Santa Maria that read: "Germany fights with you. Keep the faith."
Ms Schmidt, 35, said: "It is amazing that we can now celebrate his freedom with members of his family."
...According to German newspaper "Berliner Morgenpost", Jackson... is considering a move to Berlin. The singer's spokesman, Shawn Andrews, told the paper that he was planning to build a "fairytale-style" castle in the city.
"Michael wants to live in Europe", Andrews is quoted as saying. "He's a big fan of Germany and has fallen in love with the city of Berlin."
Jackson was due to visit the city in July for his father Joe's 76th birthday party, which was thrown there as a thank you to German fans who stood by him during his child abuse trial. However, after the singer pulled out at the last minute--leaving a Jackson lookalike to sing "Happy Birthday" instead--Jackson Sr. denied that his son had already made up his mind to relocate to Germany.
"There are no serious plans that I know of", he said. "But it's one of several possibilities."
