The media never gave him credit for anything. I remember he appeared at the World Music Awards in 2006 and the crowd went crazy, chanting his name (Beyoncé included), Paris Hilton was taking pictures, Chris Brown jumped on the stage with him when he was done, fans were crying, roses were thrown on stage etc. I've never seen anything like it.
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The next day, I read (American) news reports saying he was booed off stage and was so upset about this that he got drunk -_-
Although I sometimes get really frustrated and upset with the horrible media treatment Michael has gotten for most of his life, I also take pride in knowing that despite the constant bashing, he still has millions of loyal fans all over the world that were ready to support him wherever he went. I honestly think Michael Jackson has the best fanbase in the world. Michael Jackson does not need the media to sell records like most other artists, and that's what's so frustrating to them. They tried so hard to kick him off his throne but they just couldn't succeed. Whenever there was a new flavour of the month crowned as "the next King of Pop" (Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown and now Justin Bieber) most of the general public just laughed and shook its head, whether they liked MJ or not. Some thought MJ would be finished after two years of cruel and merciless bashing by both mainstream and tabloid media during the trial, but the 2006 WMA appearance proved that he came out victorious. How many artists would be able to survive 20+ years of relentless jokes, accusations, insults, rumours and backstabbing and still have millions of fans left? Other acts that are considered 'greats' such as Elvis and the Beatles were given a free ride by the MSM and are still the media's darlings. It is considered acceptable and even "cool" to be a Beatles/Elvis fanatic, whereas MJ fans are often portrayed as weird and delusional by the media. I am not taking anything away from the Beatles or Elvis as artists, I am just trying to say that they were given an unfair advantage with regard to the media.