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Coffee With Michael

ScrEAm.Jack5on

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http://coffeewithmichael.blogspot.com/


Thursday, December 9, 2010

Welcome


The relationship Michael Jackson had with his fans is something not many understand...

Loving Michael was not about the typical fan admiration one has for mainstream celebrities. This was about a man who would open his home to us, who would send us food when we waited long hours, who would give us handwritten notes and flowers and would invite us places he went to. He truly loved us, and in return we had an enduring loyalty to him.

This blog has been created for both the writers and the readers. It's been a year and a half since we lost Michael and we have discussed ways of documenting our experiences and we decided that this is the best way. While this will be a theraputic process for us, it will also be an opportunity to share our beautiful memories with others who loved Michael just the same.

We named this blog, "Coffee With Michael" because it was a playful term we would use when we would spend a more-than-usual amount of time with him. One minute with Michael was like one hour...and one hour was like a day...

None of us really ever had coffee with him, but we did have some amazing moments throughout the years and we've come here to share them with you.

XoXo,
- Arus & Talin
Posted by Coffee With Michael at 6:27 PM



 
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Geppetto Snowglobe


It’s now ten days until Christmas Day and it got me thinking of a very magical December back in 2008 when Michael first moved into his new home. I was at my local mall doing some light Christmas shopping for family at The Disney Store when I spotted an adorable snowglobe with all of Michael’s favorite characters. It was light brown, in a style of a jukebox with a snowglobe of Jiminy Cricket (from Pinocchio) in the center of it with other classic Disney characters all around it. I knew Michael would love it, it was so him….but it was over $100. I called some of my follower friends and asked if they wanted to chip in for a Christmas gift to Michael from all of us. I purchased it, wrapped it up beautifully and wrote a card from all of us. It was later delivered to him Christmas Eve.


<table class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo of the actual gift.

</td></tr> </tbody></table>&#65279;&#65279;Fast forward to New Year&#8217;s Eve&#8230;we get a call saying, &#8220;Michael is on his way to Hennessey + Ingalls Bookstore in Santa Monica&#8221;. Talin and I made it there just in time before it got crowded with people. There were not many people inside the store when we got there; only the few customers already inside the store before Michael and his security. We stayed far away and acted natural as he shopped&#8230;burying our faces in books and such. I think we are the only people in the world who would ignore Michael Jackson at a bookstore.

Well eventually he noticed us and started looking at books in front of us. I think it was getting awkward that we were ignoring him (he knew it was us) so he acknowledged us finally. He reached his hand over the books and said &#8220;Hey&#8221;. :)

We said our hellos and I wanted to engage in some brief conversation so I asked him about our Christmas gift and if he opened it yet as I&#8217;ve heard he kept a box of unopened gifts and letters at times.

&#8220;What was it?&#8221; he asked.

I was calm as usual but the mixture of people&#8217;s stares and other fans overflowing in got me tongued-tied and I gave a horrible description of the gift.

&#8220;It was a Gheppetto thing. A snowglobe&#8221;, I mumbled.

First of all, Gheppetto from Pinnocchio is nowhere to be found on it. But of course he knew what I was talking about.

&#8220;Oohhhhh. The one that lights up and plays music?! I love it. It&#8217;s in my bedroom now&#8230;thank you, I love it.&#8221;

I didn&#8217;t even know it played music! Later we checked the website and saw that it played "When You Wish Upon A Star". How wonderful and appropriate we thought. Michael had our Christmas gift sitting in his bedroom. It was a very beautiful feeling and it definitely made my holiday special that year. New Year&#8217;s Eve festivities felt especially magical that night.

I wonder where the snowglobe is now&#8230;I guess we will never know, at least for now.

XoXo
- Arus
Posted by Coffee With Michael at <a class="timestamp-link" href="http://coffeewithmichael.blogspot.com/2010/12/geppetto-snowglobe.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" title="2010-12-15T14:35:00-08:00">2:35 PM</abbr>

Friday, December 17, 2010

No Picture

I&#8217;d like to add to the New Years Eve story at Hennessy Ingalls Bookstore that Arus previously blogged about&#8230;

​


December 31<sup>st</sup>, 2008

So as mentioned before, we were inside the bookstore browsing for books and completely ignoring Michael. At this point there were no other fans inside the store (just a few random shoppers) and no one had bothered him yet. We came up to him at the end of one of the aisles. It was just us two, Michael, and his two security guys.

Having never asked Michael for a picture, a little voice in my head said &#8220;do it NOW&#8221;. For some odd reason I had my camera in my back pocket. This was unusual because when around Michael we never took out a camera. It was an unwritten rule. So I managed to spit the words out &#8220;Michael, can we take a picture with you?&#8221; He answered &#8220;Sure. Like this?&#8221; referring to the fact that he didn&#8217;t feel presentable. He was in his pajama pants, trench coat, a veil, surgical mask, and a fedora. But his amazing eyes were exposed through reading glasses. I&#8217;ll never forget looking into those eyes more than once that day.


​


Sensing his discomfort, Arus and I stood there being indecisive about whether to take the picture or not. And Michael and his two guards stood there confused. Arus finally said &#8220;no, it&#8217;s okay, next time&#8221;.

Needless to say a few minutes later strangers and shoppers in the store had hovered around him taking pictures and asking for autographs.

Are we the only fans who&#8217;ve had this opportunity and turned it down? Probably so! The next day I saw the two guards and puzzled by our decision they asked why we didn&#8217;t just take the picture.

Later that night I went to a New Years Eve party and my camera fell and broke. I used to joke around and say that it broke because it got mad at me for not taking that picture. For 5 months I was without a camera. A week after I finally got it fixed I got the rare opportunity (again) and I took my first and only picture with Michael.

-Talin

Posted by Coffee With Michael at <abbr class="published" title="2010-12-17T02:25:00-08:00">2:25 AM</abbr>

From the comments section:

Yah, I felt that it wasn't a good time to take a photo. All the many many times we saw him in 2008, we always said "there's always next time".

It's ironic because the very last time I saw Michael in person, was the day we took those beautiful photos in the car with him. I'm glad for once I didn't tell myself "next time"...because that next time would have never came for me. :sad:

Blessed.

- Arus

Cedric! I remember Cedric telling Michael, "Switzerland is here for you"....and Michael said back to him, "Who?!"

LMAO! Hilarious.

Yah I remember looking at some book about the Eiffel Tower and I liked it a lot, I asked Talin to buy it for me since I didn't have my purse on me...and she was like, "Ok, seriously? What are we doing right now?"

By then Michael was coming closer...

- Arus

Nessie:
I'm loving you're MJ memories! You guys seem so relaxed around him lol..cuz other fans would've jumpt all over him and screamed in his face LOL! And Switzerland is here for you?? Who!!... LMAO classic Michael!Arrr you guys are soooo lucky!

Back in 2005, when Michael stayed at the Dorchester, my cousin and I sent him a card that we made, sent him various wristbands and some random Disney and Studio Ghibli dvds... (Yah random I know) and we put my moblie phone number in the card not thinking for a second he would call us back! Anyway, long story short he left a voice message, cuz I stupidly missed the two calls! And we were proper freakin' out over it and all he had said was Thank u, I Love you!
But to be up close and personal with him must've been something special!xo

December 21, 2010 1:39 AM

BTW Arus, there was that photo of Michael leaving the clinic in 2009, holding a picture of you! And various fans on MJ boards an' twitter etc were asking who the girl in the picture was! I can't wait to hear the story about that!xo
December 21, 2010 1:48 AM

Wow Neesie!

What an amazing experience but I'm so bummed you didn't pick up your phone! Did you record the voice message? <3

Yes, we were pretty calm around Michael. Sometimes too calm...

I'll be posting the "story" about Michael holding the photo sometime soon. Maybe it will clear some very bad rumours about me on those stupid boards. :\

- Arus
December 21, 2010 9:36 AM

<a class="timestamp-link" href="http://coffeewithmichael.blogspot.com/2011/02/photo-of-girl.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" title="2011-02-08T13:47:00-08:00"></abbr>
 
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NEVERLAND

Monday, December 20, 2010

My First Time


Every Michael Jackson fan used to dream about visiting Neverland one day. For me this dream came true 7 years ago today…

 As a child I always wondered where Santa Ynez was located, and as an adult it never once occurred to me to look up the address and drive there. I assumed everything about Michael was top secret and confidential. Back then I was kind of clueless and not very active online and the only fan friend I had was my good friend Paul who I had met in 1993 at the super bowl. After the horror of the allegations in 2003, Paul called me one day to tell me about a party at Neverland. Didn’t know any other fans or how to get on the list, but still decided to drive up there for the first time.
Early Saturday morning, December 20<sup>th</sup>, 2003, I picked up Karin, my friend’s sister who I had just learned was an MJ fan, and we headed up north on the 101. After a two hour drive we reached the gates and saw a few parked cars and news vans. It was still early and no cars were going in yet. While waiting, we met a few other fans. None of us were “invited” so we stood around for hours while rows and rows of cars started showing up and driving inside. Traffic was backed up all the way down Figueroa Mountain Rd. with cars full of fans holding signs and banners and blasting MJ music. But of course not all of them were fans. Some friends, some locals and some miscellaneous people were there also to support Michael as he was getting ready to face some tough times.

Knowing that standing out there was pointless, I decided to try and get in. We got in line with the other cars and drove through the gates and pretended our names were on the list. It didn’t work and Violet asked us to pull over to the side and wait for her. Lucky for us this was a crowded situation. There were 5 or 6 rows of cars just past the brown gates, getting checked in and signing forms. Instead of pulling over to the side and waiting, we just moved a couple of lanes and continued forward until the next security came up to us with forms and passes. We were in!
We got our wristbands and passes and drove through the property for a little while then down the hill to the main gates. We parked on the left, went through a security check point by the NOI and picked up a t-shirt. Shirts were being given out near the big tent looking thing that read “Welcome to Neverland Valley Ranch”. Then finally, we walked through the main gates and we were INSIDE neverland! I wanted to scream and cry out of joy. I’d been dreaming about this moment for 15 years.

​


To the right of us some people waited for the little train. To the left of us some people were picking out ice cream from the ice cream cart which was placed outside of the little bungalow. We decided to walk instead of waiting for the train. I cannot even begin to explain the emotions that ran through me at that very moment. The view, the atmosphere, the air, the trees, the bronze statues of children, the “Caution: children at play” signs were some of the things that immediately took my breath away.

It was a long walk before we could really see anything. We came up to the lake on our left and then walked to the main house. In front of the house were 3 llamas and a giant snake. Later we also saw some elephants walking around.
Behind the main house and past the swimming pool is where the event set up was. The stage was facing the house and white chairs were placed in front of it in rows and sections.

We walked past the event set up and came up to the rides: carousel, spider, ferris wheel, zipper, swings, sea dragon, and some rides for younger kids. We wanted to get on the ferris wheel to see the view from up top but it wasn’t running. So we asked the staff and one of the other ride operators came over and turned it on for us. Just as we expected, it was absolutely magical.

We didn’t want to waste too much time in one place so that was the only ride we got on that day. We walked back and went up to the train station. I don’t even know if the big train was running that day but we didn’t have a chance to get on it. The train station was probably my favorite thing at Neverland. After a quick walk through, we came back down towards the guest house by the lake. We saw Rebbie outside and Katherine, who was standing in the doorway, greeted us as we passed by.

We made our way to grab seats for the event that was scheduled to start at 3pm. Tons of celebrities were there. The MC was Tommy Davidson and he first brought up Tisha Cambell who read a poem called “Footsteps in the Sand”. Then an orchestra started to play during which Michael made his appearance. He walked from the main house towards the event set up.

The crowd went crazy and everyone was trying to get close to him. He walked down the aisle closest to us as he was getting mobbed by the guests. As he passed us I managed to reach out and touch his hand. He was looking amazing in his light blue silk shirt (that he wore again for the Ed Bradley/60 minute interview).

Facing the stage, in the front were 3 beige leather couches. Michael finally made his way over and sat down on the middle couch. The orchestra at this point had left the stage and the MC was back up there introducing the Jackson family. The parents, most of the brothers and sisters and some of their kids and grandkids walked through the aisle and joined Michael on the couches. Katherine sat on his right and Joseph on his left. Karen Faye was also there sitting on the ground near Michael along with some of the nieces and nephews. People kept crowding around from behind to see Michael and security was trying to control the chaos.

Next on stage was the Andrae Crouch Choir and they sang “Will You Be There” and “I’ll be there”. The staff at Neverland came on stage and one of them gave a speech and the other recited the same poem as Tisha Cambell had, “Footsteps in the Sand”. This whole event was not meant to be entertaining so not very well planned. It was actually drawn-out and boring but in the presence of Michael it didn’t make a difference.

The emotional part of the night was when David Rothenberg gave a speech and talked about how Michael befriended him and employed him. He was the burn victim whose father had set him on fire at the age of 6. There was another guy that spoke who had a similar story but I don’t recall his name. Once they were done they both walked over to Michael and gave him a hug.

The show continued with Jermaine singing a song he had written for Michael called “The First Time”. Others gave speeches including Robert Townsend, Eddie Griffith, MC Hammer, Rodney Jenkins, Darryl Strawberry with his two pastors Paula White and Rob Mallan, and a few others I didn’t recognize.

Debbie Allan was there too with her dance crew. She said a few words then the kids went up on stage to dance. Michael absolutely loved this. Up until this point he was sitting very still with very little reaction to what was going on. But seeing these talented kids on stage made him smile, snap his fingers, and tap his feet.

At some point toward the beginning of the event we had left our seats and had ended up on the side of the stage facing Michael. He took a break halfway through the show during which we moved around and changed spots again so that we had a clear view of him and the stage.

At the very end when everyone was done speaking and performing, the MC introduced Michael and he got up to head for the stage. The screams and cheers were louder than usual. As Michael approached the steps on the side, security let us run up to the stage. Needless to say it was chaos and Karin and I were in the front, against the stage, being crushed. The choir started singing “You Are Not Alone” and Michael waited on the side. Once the song was almost over he made his way up the steps and grabbed the mic. He said “thank you” and “I love you” and that was pretty much it. Everyone that was on stage with him wanted to shake his hand and give him a hug. Since there were a lot of people up there, security slowly moved him off the stage. We ran to the side of the stage where 3 black SUVs were parked. He climbed into one of them with his parents and they drove off.

After Michael had left, we left that area to enjoy Neverland some more. Back towards the main house, we played on the trampoline that was near the pool. Then we headed over to the arcade, which was also by the pool. Karin and I played the pinball machine for a few minutes then went upstairs to the second floor. The arcade was too crowded so we left and headed back up to the train station. TJ was there hanging out near the video game/couch area. We walked up the narrow winding staircase to the cozy game room. It was like a tiny family room with a fire place, a Christmas tree, and board games on the coffee table. The windows overlooked the train tracks. There was no one there so we sat down for a moment and tried to take it all in.

After the train station, we walked back down past the main house and over to the bridge. We sat on the bridge for a little while and enjoyed the surroundings. The sun had set hours ago, sometime during the long event, so now it was dark and the gazebos and a few other areas were lit with white Christmas lights. My god Neverland was so magical and breathtaking. So unbelievably beautiful and impossible to put into words.

We slowly made our way towards the gates and left Neverland around 8pm. On our drive home, overwhelmed with everything that had just happened, we realized that we left voluntarily without anyone asking us to leave.
This support event at Neverland was called “You Are Not Alone”. It was the start of difficult times, but they were still beautiful memories.


If you were also there on this day, please feel free to share your story in the comments.
-Talin

Posted by Coffee With Michael at <abbr class="published" title="2010-12-20T21:00:00-08:00">9:00 PM</abbr>

From the comments section:
<dl class="avatar-comment-indent" id="comments-block"><dt class="comment-author " id="c3985330627909446305">Pete Carter said... </dt></dl> This party was my second time inside Neverland. I got a phonecall from a friend saying he put my name on the VIP guest list for a party at Neverland....tomorrow. I was in New Jersey!! I got on a plane and headed to LAX.

I can't recall specific details but a news station that was trying to get us to record stuff inside Neverland and make phonecalls to them while we were inside actually sent a nice car to pick me up at the airport- and we never followed through with the "exclusives" for them ofcourse...but thanks for the ride haha.

I clearly remember pulling up the the first gates, I saw the fans and media waiting outside. I felt bad for the fans that weren't invited...cause I know how it is to stand outside events and WISH I could get in. They were trying to give us signs and letters through our SUV window to "bring to Michael".

As Violet walked up to our window I still had this nervous feeling in my stomach that my name wouldn't really be on the list. She started to hand us our wristbands and then gave me and my friend a different color then she was giving everyone else?? We really were somehow on the VIP list.

Drove down the long driveway to the parking area. I remember looking at my camera sitting in the backseat thinking...should I risk it and just bring it in? I didn't. We hopped on the small train and got off at the main house. My first time at Neverland earlier that year- I didnt get to go anywhere near the main house so I spent some time snooping around and looking in every window. I remember seeing alot of pictures of Michael and the kids that had never been seen before at that point. I saw the little "parking lot" for all the kids bikes, power wheels, tricycles. I said hi to MC Hammer, E`Cassanova, and Mark Geragos. Then I walked up to the Giving Tree, climbed a few steps and hopped down. And who was standing there but Michu. The little guy from the Dangerous album cover....in full Dangerous costume with top hat and all. I shook his tiny hand and moved on......only in Neverland hahaha.

We literally explored everything we could- Tee Pee village, water baloon fort, petting zoo, arcade, rides, movie theater. I wanted to see EVERYTHING- cause who knows if I would ever have this opportunity again.

Then me and my friend walked over to the guest house where I met Joe and Jermaine. Joe told us to go say hi to Katherine inside. So we walked into the guest house. This is still one of the most surreal moments...not involving Michael. I am sitting on a bed with Katherine. Randy and Tito are in the room discussing old Motown stuff- and I am sitting there just thinking to myself how the hell did I get here. Little white boy from New Jersey sitting in a beautiful bedroom with the Jackson family. I needed to call my mom- so I was trying to use the phone but you have to dial a code to make any outgoing calls- so Latoya comes over and helps me do that. I walked into the bathroom of the guest house and just looked in the mirror still asking myself if I was dreaming. I was so tempted to take a towel, or toilet paper, or soap...all with the golden "Neverland Valley" logo on them. But I didn't.

Alot of the fans and celebs were starting to take their place by the stage out on the lawn- but I knew I was sticking around the Jackson family for as long as I could. Katherine and Joe ate BBQ chicken by the pool. I played on the trampoline a little bit. I walked over to the train station which nobody else was in at the time. I walked up the spiral staircase and was up in the cozy little room all by myself- surrounded by the things Michael had collected from around the world. I was in heaven.

I walked back by the main house where a huge tour bus was now parked. Michael came out surrounded by NOI. He was whispering to a few people but was being very over protective and guarded, As he started to walk towards the couches to sit. I just calmly walked with him and the security guards as if I was part of the entourage. This is footage I would love to see. My face trying to act cool and calm was probably priceless.

Like Talin said the "show" was a disorganized mess- but I was just watching Michael. He sat little Michu on his lap at one point and I just put my hand over my face thinking of that picture being in the press the next morning. When he got up to run to the house- I followed. It was only a few of us running with Michael a she jumped over the little streams. Security trying to keep up with him. He came back out with a black velvet jacket with red armband. After he got in the SUV by the stage- we went back by the main house where he stopped and opened the window. We all started singing D.S. but clearly saying TOM SNEDDON IS A COLD MAN, and he was getting so into it, and bouncing and dancing in the SUV.

At that point it was getting late and everyone was clearing out- but we were trying to find a way to spend the night. Talking to Michael's cousins and stuff. We gave up around 11pm and finally left. And as I looked at that sign lit up in the darkness "Goodbye For Now" I hoped I would be back very soon and see that sign many times again. Unfortunately, the next time I would see all of that stuff would be at the auction in Beverly Hills in 2009.

No one could ever explain or put into words how magical Neverland was. When I tell people these stories, I think some people might think I'm crazy and making it all up cause it sounds SO unbelievable. I am so thankful that some of us got to live inside his dream world for a few moments.
December 29, 2010 1:13 AM


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Discovering Neverland - Part 1


People always find it hard to believe when I say that I became a fan in 2003 (when I was 18 years old) and have been one for only 7 years. I was never exposed to Michael as a child and didn’t know much about him until the Living With MJ documentary. I know it was a bad documentary that portrayed him in a very bad light but during one March afternoon with nothing else to watch on TV, I tuned in and became instantly hooked. Something about him during that interview really enticed me and I had never seen a more interesting person in my life. Where was this magical place he lived in? Was it possible to meet him? Did he have many fans left? I needed to know more about him and in that week I joined various MJ forums, found fan websites and participated in MJ fan chatrooms. I bought all of his music and while he quickly became my favorite musical artist, I did and always will love him more as a person…as simply just Michael.

 Over the summer I looked up the address to Neverland and made several visits outside the gates to just hang out. I had heard of magical stories of Michael letting fans into Neverland and dreamed that someday it would be me. I felt that as long as I tried and put my mind to it, it would eventually happen. This was the advantage of living in Los Angeles…that we could drive to Los Olivos on weekends and make nice trips out of it. Nothing happened all summer long and I missed out on all the days (i.e. his birthday) that he let fans inside the gates. I was disappointed.

 On September 9, 2003, I read a post at the old MJJFORUM (now MJJC) saying that they were giving away free tickets at 102.7 KIIS FM to go to Neverland for a charity after-party on September 13, 2003. I immediately got a hold of all the phones I could find in my house and began dialing. After trying for about an hour, I finally got through. When I got through they told me that they already had a winner. I told them that it was my dream to visit Neverland and started talking about what Michael meant to me and I believe the operator truly heard the sincerity in my voice and put me on hold. I was put on hold for about a half hour and was told that I might soon be getting some good news. The next thing I knew I was on air being granted 4 free tickets to Neverland. In my mind, I thought this day was the luckiest day of my life. Little did I know that the luckiest day was yet to come…

 September 13 came and we were told to meet at the KIIS FM studios in Burbank and we were driven to Los Olivos in a huge bus. When we got there, we had to sign several contracts, and then we were finally let into those big, beautiful, golden, stunning gates of Neverland that I had only dreamt of seeing. We then sat in the little train, grabbed some ice cream and were on our way to the amusement park. On our way there, we encountered some beautiful scenery. There was a huge lake in the middle of everything, with fields of large trees and vibrant flowers at every angle. There were little sculptures of children...and even classic Disney theme songs playing in the background of every corner. It was like I entered a sweet fairytale.

<table class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos: Jim Wilson/The New York Times

</td></tr> </tbody> </table> We then arrived to the amusement park area and realized everything was free. Popcorn, cotton candy, ice cream, soda and drinks, snow cones, cookies and baked desserts, candy and chocolate, games and prizes to win, caricature drawings and rides. I was in awe and couldn’t believe I was actually there. We walked over to the movie theatre and found ourselves in front of a concession stand filled with every type of candy and popcorn. Inside were beautiful red velvet seats and a good sized movie screen. We stayed for just a few minutes and left to explore more of Neverland.

<table class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos: Jim Wilson/The New York Times

</td></tr> </tbody> </table> &#65279;We made our way to the dance club tent and just as we got there the host announced that Michael would shortly be coming out. The tent seemed to be filled with obnoxious drunk people and definitely not fans of Michael (there were very few real fans that day) so we easily worked our way up to the front row of the mini stage. He finally came out and he had never looked so good. He was wearing a black button down shirt and black sparkly pants. He made a very brief speech in which he said:
"Thank you all for coming tonight. For in my opinion, in my opinion, this is a very special cause and the cause is our future and the future is our children. I will continue to fight for them for the rest of my life.”​
Since his birthday was two weeks ago, they bought out a cake and we sung Happy Birthday to him. A few celebrities jumped up on the stage and had a little cake fight with Michael. It was adorable but before we knew it he got off stage and was escorted to his black Bentley. I managed to slip a little letter I had prepared inside his window before they drove off. I didn’t go to Neverland expecting to see Michael but seeing him and knowing he was there made me want to get closer. As I stood there watching the Bentley speed down the dirt road I wondered what we should do next...

Part 2 coming soon.

XoXo,
- Arus

Posted by Coffee With Michael at <a class="timestamp-link" href="http://coffeewithmichael.blogspot.com/2010/12/discovering-neverland-part-1.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" title="2010-12-22T10:37:00-08:00">10:37 AM</abbr>

Monday, December 27, 2010

Discovering Neverland - Part 2


We walked passed his large beautiful pool and finally came upon his "main residence", which was guarded by security. It didn't look like what I expected it to be. It was no modern mansion...even though it was quite big; it resembled a cozy cottage. We walked a bit more trying to discover the special parts of Neverland (at this particular visit we had full access to almost everything). We came upon a beautiful little Train Station in which I like to call "the Bakery.”

I automatically recognized the Peter Pan and Captain Hook mannequins up in the ceiling from the "Living With Michael Jackson" special. It was unbelievable to actually see them in person finally. Especially when you have seen this stuff before on TV...finding yourself standing in front of it staring at it with your own two bare eyes is simply magical. I also noticed a very narrow flight of stairs, which we did not climb yet. There were other various mannequins as well a huge Christmas tree. Someone told me that Michael loves to keep the whole Christmas theme year round. Being a Christmas lover myself, I just loved the idea.

<table class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos: Jim Wilson/The New York Times

</td></tr> </tbody> </table> After being treated to a few sweets, we walked to the amusement park by foot since the little train wasn’t working at the moment. While walking…we came upon a cute little playhouse. We walked up to it and read a sign saying something along the lines of, “Paris and Prince's House: Daddy loves you very much." Inside the playhouse were several bins of toys. I was surprised at how unguarded it all was, the entire ranch was a free-for-all. We continued walking towards the rides and started to enjoy some of them. One of the best feelings is riding the rides at Neverland while Michael’s songs are being blasted in your ears. That was truly memorable and my favorite ride was the Sea Dragon. We rode all of them except for the little kiddy ones.

After a good hour of fun, we walked around some more and found the Giving Tree. It was absolutely amazing to see it especially knowing all of the history behind. Yet again, another magical experience being right in front of something so special that Michael keeps close to his heart. We also spent a few minutes sitting on the same bridge that Michael has featured in his “Gone Too Soon” video. While we sat there, we talked about how much we loved him and tried to take the whole experience in.

<table class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos: Jim Wilson/The New York Times

</td></tr> </tbody> </table> We got in the mood for snacks so we went back to the Train Station/Bakery. This time we did go up the little swirly stairs. Up there we found boxes of brownies, a TV, a comfy couch, a sculpture of Michael and some children in a glass case, and several board games and video games lying around. The whole experience seemed surreal as we found a comfortable couch and made ourselves at home while enjoying some milk and cookies.

After a while, we noticed that we had better get going so we wouldn’t miss our buses, which were scheduled to leave at 2:00 am. We started to get going…but just before we made our way out, my friend found a small white teddy bear sitting on the train all alone and gave it to me. By then, it had already become the most special stuffed animal to me. Little did I know that in a matter of minutes, the bear would be in my arms, as I would be hugging Michael...

 As we were walking across the dark road back our buses, we noticed the same black Bentley pass us by with something very sparkly inside. It had to be Michael. We started following it as it went to the Main Residence Garage. We stood around waiting…staring at the black car. After a few minutes of waiting, Michael finally came out but we kept our distance. It all seemed to be so surreal…all of it in slow motion. As Michael walked away, we heard him say, “I love you…” As we continued walking, we came upon Michael opening a door (to what we found out later was his office). He saw us and stepped away from his door and…gestured for us to follow him. I stood there staring at him and not believing my eyes. I noticed he had no shoes on; only white socks. I thought it was adorable. I had seen Michael a week earlier at the Celebration of Love but I had yet to see him up close and meet him. He began making more “come here" hand motions for me to come closer. I was finally going to meet Michael.

 [FONT=&quot]I walked up the little steps to his porch, he came closer, reached his hand over to me…grabbed my head and pressed it against his shoulder. He then gave me the most beautiful, strongest, tightest, most loving hug I ever received in my whole life. Resting my head on his shoulder was true bliss. Nothing that came out of my mouth was making any sense but I managed to tell him that I loved him and thanked him. He was so adorable and so SHY…giggling. He was so unbelievably shy; he was just mumbling, “I love you”. A few of my friends took turns hugging Michael but I didn’t notice anything. No one was in my vision at that moment except for Michael. [/FONT]

 [FONT=&quot]We slowly walked away from the porch and said our goodbye's to him and went back to our bus and gave one[FONT=&quot] final look at the beautiful, golden, stunning gates of Neverland…in hopes of one day seeing it again and experiencing all of the magic again. [FONT=&quot]That night...I held the little white teddy bear tightly in my arms as I laid in bed and thanked God for the wonderful experience he had given me.[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
XoXo,
- Arus

Posted by Coffee With Michael at <abbr class="published" title="2010-12-27T16:04:00-08:00">4:04 PM</abbr>

From the comments section:

1) YES...I swear until this day it still smells like "the bakery" at NL to me but that's probably just my imagination. LOL :)

2) Pao...the experience Talin posted was a day created for Michael by his family and friends to "cheer" him up after the allegations and to let him know that he is not alone and we are there for him.

The one I just posted was a charity event hosted by a popular radio station here in LA. It was a very expensive event and tickets could be bought, but they were in the thousands I believe. I was lucky enough to win these tickets to the "after-party".

- Arus
December 27, 2010 4:50 PM

<a class="timestamp-link" href="http://coffeewithmichael.blogspot.com/2011/02/photo-of-girl.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" title="2011-02-08T13:47:00-08:00"></abbr>
 
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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

To Believe or Not To Believe


It was a Friday night sometime in the spring of 2009. Somehow I came across an article by Robin Leach saying that Michael would be headed to Vegas the next day to see the Chris Angle/Cirque du Soleil show “Believe”.

The next morning, before heading out to Carolwood, I threw a couple of things in an overnight bag and filled up my tank just in case there was any truth to the article. While waiting outside the house, both escalades and another SUV drove out of the gates. I don’t remember if anyone saw Michael or talked to him in the car but we were all certain he was in there with his entourage. There were a couple of paparazzi guys there in addition to a handful of fans so a long line of cars started to follow the SUVs (that was the norm, more or less). Shortly after leaving the house, everyone got trapped in a side street and we all lost the escalades in the “chase”. We all scattered and took different routes but no one was able to find them. I decided I would continue driving towards Vegas anyways. I called Arus and told her the story and she quickly packed her overnight bag and decided to come with me. She was on the way so I picked her up and we headed towards Vegas.


We hopelessly drove up the 15 Fwy not knowing if Michael was even headed there or if we would be able to find him. An hour or so before reaching Vegas, Arus miraculously spotted the two blue escalates just ahead of us and we started screaming like it was our first time seeing his cars.



​

At some point we pulled up next to him with this sign that Arus had quickly scribbled.

​


Others who were on the road were informed about our location and everyone caught up with us and followed until we reached the Wynn Hotel. Michael, his kids and staff got out and went into the Tower Suites at the Wynn. We all valeted our cars and checked in to the same hotel. There was 8 of us and we shared one very expensive suite.
Shortly after arriving Michael went to eat at Wing Lei (at the Wynn) with I Kenny Ortega. Some of us missed him as he went into the restaurant but we saw him when he came out. He was looking absolutely amazing (but I can’t remember what he was wearing). At this point a small crowd had built up but he saw us and as he walked into the lobby area we followed and someone (I think Andres) asked “Are you going to the show” and he replied “ya, right now” while pointing in the direction he was walking in.

Silly us, we ran out and jumped in cabs and off we went to the Luxor where Believe was playing. We bought tickets and went inside assuming he’s on his way. Arus chose to just wait out in the back. The show went on and no Michael. We left to go out back and join Arus and no sign of Michael. Later we found out that he had gone to see La Reve at the Wynn. We were complete idiots because he was walking towards the show while he pointed in the direction of the theater and said he was going there “right now”, but somehow we all believed the article and went to the opposite end of the strip assuming he was headed there too! Needless to say we did not see him that night.


​

Next morning he left to go somewhere and a couple of the guys were downstairs and saw him leave but Arus and I were not there. After he left we spent the ENTIRE day in the Tower Suites lobby waiting, assuming he would show up at any time. The afternoon turned into evening and evening turned into night. We couldn’t wait anymore, we had a long drive home and work/school the next day. At 9:30pm we said bye to everyone and headed out.

​


Angry, frustrated, tired, and disappointed, we walked outside and I handed my ticket to the valet guy. We glanced to our left and about 50 feet away from us Michael had just gotten out of the car and was walking towards the other entrance. I snatched my valet ticket from the guy’s hand and we turned around and walked back inside the door we had just come out of. In the hallway we spotted Michael walking with Amir and Alberto. Faheem had come in through our entrance. There was no one else in that entire hallway. No one. We said “hi” as Michael walked in our direction to get to the hotel lobby. I don’t remember the short exchange of words but I’m glad I managed to spit out “Can I give you a hug?” And so I hugged him then Arus did the same.

He walked through the doors into the lobby area. Because I’m stupid, I was about to turn around and walk back out to the valet when Arus said “let’s go see him greet the others”. So we walked behind him and I’ll never forget everyone’s faces as they first noticed him. Everyone quickly greeted and hugged him and someone handed him a letter that we had written earlier that day.

No amount of vegas winnings could bring me the amount of joy and excitement that this trip brought me. Arus and I drove home after that but it was more like we floated home on a cloud.

-Talin
Posted by Coffee With Michael at <abbr class="published" title="2011-01-19T19:07:00-08:00">7:07 PM</abbr>

From the comments section:

Alejandra said...
I do remember what he was wearing that saturday! A black velvet jacket, black jeans and that red shirt he wore last time he went to London.
January 20, 2011 8:12 AM

Yah I remember a black jacket for sure. God I'm so glad I didn't pay for that useless Chris Angel show...it all seemed weird to me and figured I would see him "outside in the back" anyway. What idiots we were that he pointed to exactly where he was going and we went the opposite way! LMAO Unforgettable.

- Arus
January 20, 2011 10:09 AM

<a class="timestamp-link" href="http://coffeewithmichael.blogspot.com/2011/02/photo-of-girl.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" title="2011-02-08T13:47:00-08:00"></abbr>
 
Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Photo of a Girl


In April of 2009, you might have seen Michael coming out of a building with a photo of a girl in his hand. It was on fan message boards for a while&#8230;and the question of who the girl is came up a lot. Well that girl was me and at the time I found it VERY embarrassing&#8230;but of course now I cherish it. People on the internet came up with different things like &#8220;It&#8217;s his girlfriend&#8221;, &#8220;It&#8217;s Blanket&#8217;s mother&#8221; and one gossip site even said it was a photo of the new face he wanted after surgery.

 Just to give a little background, followers often gave photos of themselves to Michael. We gave Michael a lot of photos of us all posing together, alone, with him, etc. The more Michael saw you, the more he remembered who you were and your name and things you told him about yourself. I remember one of his bodyguards telling me, &#8220;Always include a photo with your letters. He likes photos and he remembers you that way.&#8221; I always carried stationary, pens, markers, stickers, gifts and photos in my trunk to always be prepared with something to give to him.

On this particular day I had emptied my stuff out for some reason and only had a few developed photos inside my car. I just really wanted to always give him something so I quickly wrote a note on the back of one of the photos and gave it to him when we saw him inside. We said our hello&#8217;s and parted different ways so I didn&#8217;t see him exit out the building.

 After that he went shopping to a few stores including Off the Wall on Melrose and the Ed Hardy store. I don&#8217;t remember if it was during the drive to the Ed Hardy store or when I was done and going home but I got a call.
 &#8220;Oh my God! There are photos of Michael holding your photo!&#8221;

 I quickly went online to try and find it and sure enough it was all over the internet already. I got red in the face and was so embarrassed&#8230;and I got made fun of for it by my friends for MONTHS. But of course, now it is something I treasure. <3 So there it is, there is no real &#8220;story&#8221; behind the photo. Fans have fantasized some really weird theories about the incident. LOL I wanted to tell Michael about the photos and how funny it looked but I never got the chance to because I started seeing him less and less&#8230;I&#8217;m sure at some point I wrote about it in my letters but it wasn&#8217;t ever discussed. And I&#8217;m okay with it being that way&#8230;



​

Posted by Coffee With Michael at <a class="timestamp-link" href="http://coffeewithmichael.blogspot.com/2011/02/photo-of-girl.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" title="2011-02-08T13:47:00-08:00">1:47 PM</abbr>
 
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Aw cutest thing! :blush: Thank you so much for sharing us your great moments beside Michael. You almost got me in tears. If I were you I would thank God everyday for Him had given this unique opportunity.

Lovely post. Thanks again.
God bless you :)
 
I couldnt go abroad because they wont let my wheelchair on the plane:sad: But I did go to London once and I got an autographed picture from Michael's Bodyguards and I got to talk to Michael on the phone:wub:
 
I can't read all of it now, but it's wonderful what I've managed to....

And sad to hear that about Arus and how some.. excited people tend to be at drawing their own instinctive conclusions. ... That always happened was far as Michael's life was concerned, he couldn't make a move without it being interpreted and exhausted.


Thank you for posting all this..
 
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Thank you so much for sharing these stories..I cannot top smiling....Michael was such a beautiful person...:love:
 
You're all welcome :) you're very nice. I have to say though, that these are not my personal experiences, sorry if I didn't make it clear. :flowers:
 
im sorry i dont mean something meen by it, but
stalking michael like that to another state? Im not sure if michael liked that always? I mean you want your space right? The party storys in neverland i like, but following him to vegas sorry but maybe im to european like but that is crossing my line..

He could not go anywhere and was always followed.. some of that included the pers and then you get ugly storys..

Edit: I went downstairs and i was thinking i didnt see it correctly *also because im not english* i must see that I would not follow him but i hope that when you did that you notice that he was ok with it. I believe my reaction is like this because i want to protect him *how stupid..... his gone* so i want to see dont read it the wrong way..

X
PS: you all write really nice and maybe think of publicing a book, you have writers skills.!!
 
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I know what you mean:yes:but the more you followed him the more he would have got to know you:yes:
 
I love their stories, and very friendly girls too :yes: I'm happy for them that they had these wonderful experiences. I just wish I could have been there :)

Ingelief said:
im sorry i dont mean something meen by it, but
stalking michael like that to another state? Im not sure if michael liked that always? I mean you want your space right? The party storys in neverland i like, but following him to vegas sorry but maybe im to european like but that is crossing my line..

He could not go anywhere and was always followed.. some of that included the pers and then you get ugly storys..
Click to expand...

I'm Dutch and I flew out to London a couple of times to see him, so your comment somewhat offends me. I did not fly out to 'stalk' him, but simply to try and see him and show my support. Maybe you spoke out of jealousy, or maybe simply misunderstanding what these fans were doing but it's hurtful.

Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted, obsessive attention by individuals (and sometimes groups of people) to others. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation. The word "stalking" is used, with some differing meanings, in psychology and psychiatry and also in some legal jurisdictions as a term for a criminal offense. It may also be used to refer to criminal offences or civil wrongs that include conduct which some people consider to be stalking, such as those described in law as "harassment" or similar terms.

Though I personally do not agree with fans standing outside Michael's house every single day, Michael did not seem to mind and was always friendly and sweet to these people. Also, they did not harass him. And, it was mostly the same fans so I'm sure he realized they were not there to harm him in any way (hence him taking pics with them, he wouldn't have done it if he felt threatened). Also I think that if he didn't want them there, he could have asked them to leave.
 
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I really enjoyed these stories and I hope that they keep updating the blog.
 
beautiful stories... those fans are very lucky to have such amazing memories....
 
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