The Neverland Story

[MsCassieMollie]

http://www.michaeljacksontributeportrait.com/magazine.php

It all started in 2003. I had wanted to move to Los Angeles (L.A.), California, for a very long time. I finally got enough courage to do it, and pursue a career in the film industry. Film is my passion.

Living in L.A. was a struggle. L. A. has its difficulties, and it was very hard to find work. I found work, but it was never enough. I rented a room in Glendale, California, for US$400 a month, which really is not bad for L.A.

Michael Jackson is always on my mind, and I play his music all of the time, I always have. MY first near encounter I had with him came in June of 2003. I had heard about the BET Awards, and I had always wanted to go to one of those award shows to hang out by the red carpet. They have gates set up on Hollywood Boulevard, so you can get pretty close to the stars as they go inside. The BET Awards were at the Kodak Theater that year. I had never done this before, and I just wanted to see what it was all about. I saw many stars arrive, including Michael's sister, LaToya. There were scalpers outside selling tickets, but I just could not afford to buy one. I did not have much money that summer.
The limos were done arriving and all the stars had entered the building; so, figuring that there was nothing left to see, I went home. I did not have cable so I couldn’t even watch the show on television. I simply forgot all about it.

I always had my clock radio set to 100.3 FM, which used to be a R&B station back then. Steve Harvey had his morning show on that station before he moved to New York. The next morning, when my alarm went off, I heard Michael’s voice. Steve kept playing an excerpt from the Awards show the previous evening. I kept asking myself, “What the heck is that? What did I miss?” Finally, Steve told us about the surprise appearance on the BET Awards by Michael Jackson during the show's tribute to James Brown. By the time I figured out what had happened, I wanted to kick myself for not getting a ticket from one of the scalpers. I really regretted it. I could have at least been close to Michael Jackson, the person whom I had been following my entire life.

I tried not to let it bother me for too long, because I figured that if I could have gotten that close one time, then maybe I could find him again at some other time during my stay in L.A. Michael was not the recluse that so many people made him out to be, so after the BET Awards, I told myself that I was going to find him! When I was be driving around, I would actually say these words aloud, “I am going to find you, Michael Jackson. Where are you?” This became my catch phrase for the entire summer.

I also used to check the MJ websites and fan pages each day. I always wanted to know where he was and what he was working on. Even if there was a simple sighting somewhere, it made me happy and hopeful. The news stations in L.A. would always report an MJ sightings if they got a tip on one.

I remember one time it being reported that he was supposedly spotted at a Taco Bell wearing a Spider Man costume. Michael also attended an event in Las Vegas where he received the key to the city.

One day, while looking at the websites, I came across an invitation to all fans to attend a birthday party in Michael’s honor at the Orpheum Theater in L.A. It was confirmed that Michael would be there. If I remember correctly, the invitation went out in July, and all anyone had to do to go was purchase a ticket, available at Ticketmaster. I was low on cash back then, but there was no way that I was going to miss this. Ticket prices were between $30 and $100, so I found an outlet in Santa Monica, California, and purchased the least expensive ticket. I cherished it. The event was weeks away, but I was so excited!

I recall talking to my mom the night before, and telling her how thrilled I was to be going to the party. I had not seen Michael in person since the Victory tour in 1984. That was nineteen years ago. Can you believe it?

August 30, the day of the party, finally arrived and I got to the theater early. It was turning into an amazing event even before the doors opened. There was a parade of nations; people from all over the world had come to participate. They were holding banners of the countries from which they came. And there were Michael Jackson impersonators everywhere. Look-a-likes from every MJ era attended. I was totally blown away. There were men and women there who looked just like Michael. I had my video camera rolling the whole time, forgetting that I only had one blank video.

The doors opened and we all went inside. There was still time before the show was to start, so I hung out in the lobby looking at the merchandise that was for sale. It was here that I met a very friendly woman who shared some of her MJ experiences with me. One thing is to be said about true MJ fans: they are all very friendly. This woman was very pretty, and she had her daughter with her. We began to talk about our shared love for Michael and the magic we feel through his music. She told me that she had been to Neverland Ranch not once, but several times. I wasn’t sure if I should believe her at first, because I was always under the impression that it was nearly impossible to get into Neverland, but there was something in this woman’s spirit that told me she was telling the truth.

It was announced on the radio that Michael was hosting a party at the Ranch on Sunday, the next day, and even though it was a private event, the whole city was talking about it. The woman I had been talking to told me about how she got inside the gates of Neverland. She said, “Whenever there was any type of event going on, I would just go and hang around at the gate. If you hang around long enough, they'll eventually open the gate and let everyone in.” She also told me, “The first thing you will see is other fans. There are fans hanging out at the gate constantly. They bring flowers and posters, and some bring gifts. They just hang out!” It seemed like she was really trying to persuade me to go. She told me that the only reason she was not going was that she had another engagement.

We found our seats and the party started. MJ walked in, took his seat in the balcony, and the crowd went wild!

Editors note: The event, which was lovingly created and coordinated by the MJ Fan Club (MJFC), boasted participation from Michael Jackson fan clubs from around the world, making it a truly special evening—one based on love, unity, and the spirit of gratitude for this amazing man and all that he has given to the world for so many years!

Many stars came to celebrate Michael—among them, Brian McNight, who sang "Happy Birthday." Steve Harvey was the emcee for the evening. I spotted Debbie Rowe in another part of the balcony, but noticed that she was not sitting with Michael. My video camera continued to roll.

The chanting is a sound that I will never forget. I still cannot get it out of my head…MICHAEL! MICHAEL! MICHAEL! You could hear his name being chanted during the parade outside, you could hear it being chanted before we walked in, we chanted his name between acts, and we chanted his name after the show ended. He would always respond with a wave or the peace sign. This would make the crowd go even crazier. The chanting never stopped. I always wondered how he dealt with this kind of fame, but it seems that he simply responds with love.

The acts were wrapping up, and suddenly Michael disappeared. We all could guess what was about to happen, but we were not positive. Steve Harvey did his best to keep the crowd somewhat calm, but we were antsy and super excited…then…He appeared!

Michael Jackson walked onto the stage at the Orpheum Theatre in that cool way that only he can do. Steve Harvey greeted him. Michael had an entire crew of bodyguards with him. The crowd went berserk at this point. I took my camera and ran to the front of the stage. Everyone was standing, and I found an empty seat up in front. I didn’t just stand on the seat to try to get a good shot; I stood on the arms of the chair so I could be higher than everyone else. It wasn’t too long after that, that Michael started his speech, and to my horror, my video tape ran out. I had a huge decision to make. Either I could skip taping the speech, or I could rewind it and tape over what I had already recorded.

I figured that getting a Michael Jackson speech on tape was more important than impersonators dancing, so I rewound all the way back to the beginning of the tape and hit "record."

(Special thanks to MJFC for the transcript

What a performance...this is amazing—don’t you think?

I would like to thank my wonderful fans so very much for this event. I cannot believe what enormous effort you have put into this. Thank you for putting together this fabulous party and for traveling from over 30 countries. I am deeply moved and touched by your love.

I want you to know that I appreciate my fans not just on occasions like this—but every day of my life. It is your presence, your faith and your loyalty that has given me great strength during difficult times, and it was you who inspired me to work hard and deliver; I owe you.

Over the years, we became a family. You are all my family. My children are your children, and all children of the world are our children and our responsibility.

This is a time when a person reflects on the child that will always live inside him, but more importantly, the grown man that continues to emerge intellectually, but never lost his child-like innocence.

A lot of what you'll be seeing from me in the future will celebrate the youthful imagination that has always been a part of who I am, but also the adult perspective of a father and artist and member of our community.

My birthday wish is that you, my fans, will join me in some new undertakings and that we all travel into a bright future together.

I feel young enough to look into the future with great optimism: I have assembled a fresh team of good-hearted, loyal and competent people from quite different backgrounds.

They are working in great harmony and with a true team spirit. And they have you, the fans, on the top of their list.

Give them some time and you will see:
A new official website, a variety of official merchandise, an "MJ" clothing line for all ages, a fan communication center and—perhaps a surprise.

We promise to make Neverland"more accessible to the fans and to work something out so we can stay in touch.

We also want your input, ideas and criticism.

Whenever there was injustice to me, you were always there and I love you forever for this.

A few hours ago, I left the studio. I am working on new music ...and new short and feature films ...and ...you'll see! All I can promise you is that I will make you all proud of being a Michael Jackson fan.

Before I say good-bye, I wish to tell my fans about a new philanthropic project that is close to my heart: It is aimed to help young people; it is about mentoring. Today's world has many problems. Many of them are hard to solve. They require money, manpower, expertise, equipment and so on, but what they require most is people who have the will to take them on. People that will not give up until the job is done.

I trust the young generations (those way below 45) to address those problems and to find solutions. Solutions nobody ever thought about before. That is why I urge all young people to 'go for their dreams.' If they do, many problems will be solved.

In partnership with several highly accomplished people, we will—before year-end—launch a new philanthropic organization.

While I am not yet able to give you more details, I can tell you its name:

GO FOR YOUR DREAMS! I am telling you first, because I hope that you will join me and make this undertaking a worldwide success. It would make me extremely proud if you, the fans, would become ambassadors for Go for your dreams! all over the world.

But now, I hope you all enjoy the party and have fun.

Life is terrific!

You are the best—but remember the best is yet to come!

Thank you so much again. I love you from the bottom of my heart."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qb76wD4oGY

During the speech, he mentioned that he was going to make Neverland more accessible to the fans. He told us that he would love to see us up there more often. He was inviting the whole world, in my estimation.

He ended his speech, and they rolled out a giant birthday cake for him. All of the performers who were there came on stage with him, and we all sang “We Are the World.” The very last thing that Michael said to us was, “I’ll see you at Neverland”. He walked out to his right, and the entire crowd came down to the stage and walked in the same direction as he did. I found myself outside at the back of the Orpheum.

There was a huge crowd out there. I was standing by a gated staircase. After several minutes, a door at the top of the staircase flew open. It was Steve Harvey and Michael. Michael had this look on his face like,” Whoa, where did all these people come from?” He looked very surprised. He started to go back in the door, but quickly turned around and then slowly came down the stairs.

I was standing next to the stairs and he was walking directly toward me. My only thoughts were, “Oh my God, he’s coming right to me!” By this time, it was pure chaos. People were pushing, shoving and screaming. Some were being crushed as it turned into a wild mob scene. I was somehow able to stick my hand up toward him and, after a while, he grabbed it! It was a very light, friendly squeeze. His hands are big and soft. Two words crossed my mind as we shook hands: gentle and peace. I can’t tell you why, but this is what I got from his spirit and his handshake.

The crowd calmed down, and Michael and Steve walked back up the stairs and went inside. The crowd broke up and I made my way to the after-party a few blocks away. I met up with the same woman I had spoken to at the Orpheum there, and she was still trying to get me to go to Neverland. She said something to me that has stuck with me all these years: “Michael always means what he says, and when he said, 'I’ll see you at Neverland,' that was a sign that you need to go…and you need to go tomorrow!” I wish that I had gotten that woman’s name. I never saw her again.

All of us danced the night away, and we got to eat Michael’s birthday cake. We were even encouraged to take some home if we wanted. I couldn’t believe it, I was able to take home some of Michael Jackson’s birthday cake! I know, it sounds silly, but I was so excited.

I left the party and went back to my home in Glendale. I just laid there on the floor looking at the ceiling, and thinking about the night and what had happened. I debated all night long whether I should make that drive up north the next day. I could not sleep. I was in another world. When I woke up, I had made the decision to just do it.

I filled up the gas tank, and the next thing I knew, I was on the 101 heading north from L.A. The drive up the coast is beautiful. You can see the ocean almost the whole way. It takes just a little over two hours to get to the Ranch. I found exact directions on MapQuest, and drove directly to Michael's house.

My Orpheum friend was right—there were fans hanging out at the gate just as she said there would be. I parked my car and began to mingle. Everyone was so friendly. I even saw some of the people who were at the party the night before. I asked someone at random if anyone had been let in yet, and this person told me, “Not yet!” I was also told that Michael was not there that day, at least he wasn't at that moment.

I walked around some more, and then after only ten minutes, someone came out and said, “Ok, we’re going to let you in." I could not believe it. I was like, "Are you serious?" Yes, they were serious.

We all gathered around and had to sign releases before we could go in. I was the first to have to sign, and if you know me, you know that I have to read everything before I sign it. I was holding up the line, and someone behind me yelled, “Hey buddy, just sign it!” We all laughed. It wasn’t like I was NOT going to go in because of what the paper said, right? We then were told to get in our cars and pull up to the gate. We were not allowed to take any cameras inside the gates (Michael’s rules), so I left both my video camera and my still camera with security.

I drove in not knowing what to expect. I was told to follow the road and park my car in the lot. You cannot see it from the front gate. I drove down a long road and then curved back up to a small hill. This is where the parking lot was. There were two huge buses parked there already. On the other side of the parking lot was the real Neverland Gate, the one with the huge crown on the top and the words "Michael Jackson’s Neverland" written across it. The gate was connected to two long brick walls. Just inside of the gate was a small building and the train. For some reason, seeing that train made me feel so welcome. I didn’t know it yet, but that train was for us.

The small building was a lounge with one of those small portable ice cream freezers just outside. People were helping themselves, but I didn’t feel right about doing this, so I asked one of the workers if it was okay to have some. He said, “Of course, it’s for you guys. Help yourself”.

Inside the little freezer I found a supply of Haagen Dazs, not the inexpensive stuff that I was used to, and it was all free. I went inside the small building, and there was one of those big refrigerators like you would see at a QuikTrip. It contained all of the “good” soda pop like Coke, Sunkist and Welch’s. I was going nuts over all of the different flavors; again, it was all free for the taking. There was quite a lot of artwork on the wall. I had remembered seeing the photo of the butler statue with the tray. I grabbed a drink and an ice cream, and waited for the train.

It took a little while to check everyone in, so I tried to strike up conversation with the guy sitting next to me. I asked him if this was his first trip to Neverland. He told me, No, this is my third trip; I've come a couple of years before this. I asked another girl who looked to be about 20 years old if this was her first visit, and she told me that this was her seventh time! I began to think that perhaps getting inside Neverland was not as hard as I had always believed, and that Michael really must be one extremely cool dude who wanted to share his generosity with his fans. I recalled watching old interviews where MJ had always been consistent when speaking of his love for his fans. This just confirmed what I had heard about him that he always meant what he said.

Finally, everyone was on the train and it began to move. Neverland is absolutely beautiful! There were small ponds at the Ranch, and they had real birds in them. All of the trees were surrounded by flowerbeds, and the grass was freshly cut. It was about a four-minute ride from the train station to the area where the rides were. I remember seeing a teepee set up with Native American statues outside of them.

The train came to a stop, and I waited for someone to tell us some kind of instructions or rules. I quickly learned that there weren’t any. The only rule was to have fun. One of the first things to catch my eye upon disembarking the train was the popcorn maker. I asked one of the workers if it was okay to have some and, once again, I was told to help myself. I got behind the maker and started serving popcorn to people. It made me feel like I worked there for a short time.

There were plenty of rides: bumper cars, one of those circular swings and octopus ride to name a few. There were even go-karts, but I was told that they were not working that day. I rode a few of the rides, then decided to walk around and explore.

There was poetry everywhere the eye could see, and there was music blaring all around the place. It was really loud! I didn’t hear any of Michael's music, although I did hear a song by Janet. The speakers were all hidden in the plants, or disguised as rocks. I found a full basketball court with a working scoreboard and bleachers; I shot a few baskets. Unfortunately, the zoo was also closed that day, so I didn’t get to see any of Michael’s animals.

I went inside a building and discovered that it was a movie theater. It had a lobby with a candy counter, just as you would see at the movies. It was stocked with all of my favorites: Snickers, Reese’s and Kit Kat bars. Behind the counter was a soda pop refrigerator full of the best brands. I had my wallet out, expecting to pay for the items I chose, but the two ladies working there handed me my items and told me, “No pay, no pay”. They giggled when they saw me take my wallet out, because everything was on the house.

In the lobby was a huge glass box that contained a statue of Mickey Mouse. The engraved plate on the box read, “To Michael Jackson from the cast of Disney World”. Another glass box had a statue of E.T. wearing a bathrobe and holding a flowerpot. That one was from Universal Studios.

I decided to go have a seat in the theater. They were showing all of Michael’s videos. They also showed all of the Pepsi commercials back to back, and Michael's Super Bowl performance. The last video that I watched was a short film, the full version of BAD.

One of the things that I took note of while I was in the theater, was that it seemed that everyone who was there was in a group of two or more. I never saw a child unaccompanied by an adult. The bathroom that I went into was very nice. It had black tile and a shiny black sink with a black toilet. I know that pointing this out may sound strange, but the design of the bathroom was beautiful. It was very modern looking.

Above the toilet was an original Star Wars poster in a frame. Jermaine once said that there are no stairs at Neverland, and I noticed this. Everything was wheelchair accessible.

When I left the theater just about everyone was getting loaded back onto the train, so I joined them and we headed back to the parking lot. I stopped by the security hut to get my cameras; all the employees were so friendly.

Reluctantly, I drove my car outside the gates and saw the next group of fans waiting. As I drove past them, some of them waved at me. I felt like one of the Jacksons.

Love to all MJ fans,

Brian Rainey

 

[CherubimII]

Thanks ever so much for sharing your Neverland experiences with us. :flowers:

 

[CaptainEoLove85]

Great story, thanks for sharing. I love the way he described Neverland, like a dream come true.

 

[StephluvsMJ]

Thanks for sharing. Wonderful story!

 

[Ape]

Beautiful story. I loved it. I had tickets to that birthday party and was supposed to be there. Had my plane ticket and everything (except passport which I thought I just needed my ID) so I drove down with my brother and dad but only made it to Oregon I think. Not quite California. I was heartbroken and really regret not being able to get the whole way there, but reading this makes it better. What a wonderful time it would have been. How generous he is. It reminds me of the stories of when he was a child and bought candy to give to the kids in the area (that happened right? or am I remembering wrong?). He never stopped giving his entire life. :")

 

[MsCassieMollie]

You're welcome

 

[bgz]

What a wonderful story, and so happy that you were able to experience Neverland. There are many older members of this board that were there on that day as well (many from MJJF and other forums), and everything you described is so spot on to what Neverland was like at that time. It truly was a magical place, thank you so much for sharing such an accurate and loving description of that day and the Opheum Theater and after party events.

:flowers: