now on "showbiz tonight," a special report on michael jackson. how he turned into a suffering star. the painful confession. the childhood he cried over and the abuse he says he couldn't put behind him. michael's many faces. tonight, the turning point that sparked a shocking physical transformation. >> he stopped being a cure osity and started being a freak. >> how michael's rocket rise to stardom pushed him into darkness. and a fall from grace. michael's unbelievable child

molestation trial. the life-changing toll it took on the king of pop. a special edition of tv's most provocative entertainment news show starts right now. hello i'm a.j. ham were this special edition of "showbiz tonight," the life of michael jackson. there is no question michael was and will remain one of the biggest stars of all time. for all of michael's ups, there were downs as painful childhood and tormented relationship with his father, the plastic surgery, the child molestation charges. jackson's sudden death stunned the world leaving people everywhere looking for answers. how could the phenomenally-talented superstar end up as such a tragic figure? we begin with michael's confessions in his own words as he sheds some light on his troubled story when cnn presents "the man in the mirror," here is

don lemon, "showbiz tonight." ♪ where there is love ♪ i'll be there. >> when i first saw him i was amazed at his talent to be 10 years old. it was just incredible. >> reporter: from child prodigy to cultural icon. >> this man was the greatest recording artist of our time. this man, through his music, actually, like, made a change in the world. >> reporter: the king of pop. ♪ you are fighting for your life ♪ >> michael had an unseen magic with people, music and the culture would not be what it is without michael jackson. >> reporter: the soundtrack of a generation. ♪ billie jean is not my lover

>> michael jackson doesn't just come along once in a century or a lifetime. he only comes along once. >> reporter: falls silent at age 50. >> my brother, the legendary king of pop michael jackson, passed away on june 25th, 2009, at 2:26 p.m. >> reporter: as his life was controversial -- >> he raised the bar from image makeovers to the point where no one else wants to come close to it. >> reporter: so is his death. >> he was the victim of circumstances. he was the victim of his own body image. he was the victim of the media frenzy around him. >> reporter: millions in mourning.

they are mourning in gary, indiana, too, michael's hometown. he was the seventh of nine children. flags at half-staff, a memorial at his childhood home. this steel worker father joe turned five of his boys into a band with 5-year-old michael out front. one of the first venues, the auditorium of roosevelt high. here the jackson 5 won the talent contest and wowed the crowd. >> oh, it was just unbelievable because they were so young, yet they were so talented. they performed for years. we were so excited. >> reporter: from the high school auditorium to the big time -- >> let's go. >> reporter: media mogul suzanne dupass was there at the beginning. >> i had come to see this group.

>> reporter: she was starting at motown working with barry gordie. >> i saw these kids and they were unbelievable. i called mr. gordie and said i've just seen the most fantastic act. >> when she told me about another kids' group, i said i've got all these other stars. >> i went back one more time, mustered up all my courage and said, mr. gordie, you just have to see these kids. >> suzanne insisted that i meet with these kids and audition them. >> reporter: an audition seen in this video from a documentary produced by michael jackson. >> they were a sensation. they were tremendous. and the lead singer michael was just so incredible and immediately i was up all night trying to think of the type of song that would create excitement among people. >> reporter: motown gave the group a record deal, and the jacksons began their rocket ride to stardom.

>> from the time most kids were building treehouses, michael jackson was build building an environment. at 10 he was told to say 8. image was important. >> reporter: it worked. the jackson 5 exploded on the charts. their first three singles, "i want you back," "abc," and "the love you save," all hit number one. >> the crowd was incredible. the way he would sing. then he would dance. i mean, his brother are on stage with him. you couldn't stop him. >> reporter: but behind the image of a happy family and their rags-to-riches story, there was something else. incredibly hard work and a father who pushed his children. in 1993, jackson spoke about

both in this interview with oprah winfrey. >> he would tease you, make fun of you? >> yes. >> did he ever beat you? >> yes. >> he did. and that was difficult to take, getting beaten and going on stage and performing. >> yes. >> why would he beat you? >> because he saw me -- he wanted me to -- i guess, i don't know if i was the golden child or whatever it was. >> reporter: in a bbc interview, joe jackson admitted whipping michael with a switch or a belt, but denied ever beating him. beating, joe maintains, is something you do with a stick. success at such a cost left jackson with conflicted feelings for his father. >> on the one hand he would always complain, my father didn't love me enough. my father made me onto a performance machine. my father was too strict. he what rehearse me too much. i would see kids on the monkey

bars and cry. >> reporter: rabbi boteach was a spiritual friend and advisor. >> because of that he became a big performer and maybe because he were not given the love as a child, maybe you wanted the world's love. and you became a big superstar and would you trade it? interestingly he would say, no, i wouldn't do that. >> reporter: jackson and his brother was become preteen idols, appearing in commercials and on magazine covers. ♪ i love you so >> reporter: however, jackson's teenage years were awkward. he suffered from bad acne and was self-conscious of his appearance. >> he said he was once on an airplane and his father said, you are nose isn't nice. generally he expressed to me he was made to feel that he was ugly. that he was not pretty. sadly, he really internalized that message. >> cnn john lemon for "showbiz

tonight." michael's painful childhood didn't seem to slow him down. after a dramatic split from motown records came an earth-the shattering match. tonight, when michael met quincy. coming up, quincy jones speaks out about his partnership with michael jackson. >> the most incredible part of that whole thing was on his being wheeled to the hospital, he's waving to his fans with the glittery glove. >> michael was on top of the world when a shocking onset accident changed everything. in a split second, his hair catches fire, but leaves a lifetime of physical and emotional scars. tonight, the inside story behind michael's reaction to the event that would change his life forever. then michael jackson the defendant. awful accusations. michael charged with molesting children. tonight, jackson's former attorneys open up with michael's devastating emotional roller coaster during the battle of his life. this is special edition of

"showbiz tonight" on hln, the life of michael jackson. >> god gives you certain gifts and some people he gives different gifts and some people he gives more gifts. this child was just an extraordinary child, touched by this ability to have people feel him and feel people and he just had that sense that you get and you don't get it from a living person.

♪ thriller at night ♪ you are fighting for your life ♪ inside a killer thriller tonight ♪

>> welcome back to this special edition of "showbiz tonight," the life of michael jackson. i'm a.j. hammer in new york. now, michael jackson, the superstar. michael was just 5 years old when he hit the big time with his four brothers. even as popular as he was as the lead singer of the jackson 5, i doubt anybody could have predicted what would happen next. a messy business break-up actually led to a partnership that would shift his career into high gear. michael linked up with then little-known music director by the name of quincy jones. quincy helps michael skyrocket to superstardom. the road was anything but smooth. a shocking accident left michael with a lifetime of physical and emotional scars. our showbiz special report continues as cnn presents "the man in the mirror," here is don lemon for "showbiz tonight." >> reporter: by 1975, the jackson 5 made a highly publicized split from motown.

jackson would turn to quincy jones, then musical director for "the wiz," now multigrammy winner arranger and composer. >> i said i would like to take a shot at producing your record. we started to get going and the record company said, no quincy is too jazzy. he is not the person to do this. michael and his managers fought them and said quincy's doing the record. >> reporter: legendary music producer quincy jones would produce his first adult solo album, 1979 "off the wall." the album was a smash with songs like "don't stop till you get enough," and "rock with you" reaching number one. >> this is the greatest moment that disco has in its entire history. ♪ don't stop till you get enough ♪ >> they are songs that still

hold up today. what none of us could have anticipated the album they would then produce after "off the wall. in. " >> reporter: that album was 1982's "thriller." it would catch fire when jackson unveiled and out-of-this-world dance move on a television special for motown's 25th anniversary. >> what a moment that was in pop culture history when he moonwalked across the stage there. >> so he's doing the moon walk, which when he first did it nationally, it was like, wait, is gravity being messed with here? special effects? within six months, every 10-year-old in dallas could do it. >> reporter: the transformation was complete. michael jackson was about to go from child pop star to the biggest star on the planet. ♪ thriller at night

>> reporter: in november 1982, 24-year-old michael jackson released thriller, and with that historic piece of vinyl, a phenomenon was born. >> the record flew out of stores. he could not be stopped. >> from the iconic look of the moon walk to the glove, the red jacket. >> and with the zippers and glasses and the white socks. >> reporter: r&b superstar usher. >> with his music, obviously his dance influenced us. >> reporter: sang "beat it" to the competition for 37 weeks the album sat at number one. and is, to this day, the top-selling album in the world. "thriller" broke records with seven top-ten singles and also broke barriers. >> to be the first black artist

to have ever a video played on mtv was pivotal for all of us. there would be no other form, honestly. there would be no b.e.t. there wouldn't be the mtv that is now. without michael jackson's influence. >> and of course it paid off for all of us. the idea of mtv without michael jackson's videos from "thriller" is almost unconceivable. >> reporter: fan club, trading cards, michael jackson dolls, the craze reached a fever pitch in 1984. when a pepsi commercial gone awry sparks even more frenzy. >> on the set and he is descending a staircase. there is a flash behind him and his hair catches on fire, but the most incredible part of that whole thing was that on his being wheeled to the hospital, you know, he's waving to his

fans with the glittery glove. to the end, a showman. >> that was don lemon. some say that burning incident led to michael's use of painkillers. even that scary accident wasn't enough to derail michael's incredible career. one month later, michael jackson went on to win eight of this is 13 grammy awards. later, music's music took a back seat to devastating accusations involving children. and michael jackson was forced to defend his reputation. >> i ask all of you to wait and hear the truth before you label or condemn me. don't treat me like a criminal because i am innocent. >> michael fights back against child molestation charges, charges that haunted him for years. coming up -- michael the defendant, a very bizarre trial pushed michael towards an emotional barackdown. his former attorneys open up about what really happened behind the scenes. also, the king of pop marries

elvis' daughter. michael's shocking wedding to lisa marie presley. they said it wouldn't last and it didn't, but boy, did michael give us all something to talk about. tonight, never before heard details about his relationship with lisa marie. did michael really predict his death? and the many faces of michael, the startling story behind his countless plastic surgeries. you are watching a special edition of "showbiz tonight." >> i grew up with him. watching him as a 4 and 5-year-old, my first record was "abc." and how much he changed all of our lives then to stand up with as the consummate performer of my lifetime and learn from him. there is no way to express how amazingly talented this person was.

♪ if you are my baby ♪ it don't matter if you are black or white ♪

♪ all night ♪ dance you in the day ♪ i'm going to rock you too all night ♪ we are going to rock the night away. >> welcome back to this special edition of "showbiz tonight," the life of michael jackson. there is no doubt he was one of the greatest entertainers ever. was he the best of all time? better than the beatles or elvis? our showbiz phone lines have been lighting up. deborah says, michael is the king of kings. >> i truly believe he is the greatest of all time. there is no comparison to elvis

or the beatles because he really made a difference with his music. with that being said, i miss him and we love him and he will be greatly missed. >> thank you, deborah. we heard from pam calling from texas. pam says, the beatles and elvis made michael jackson possible. >> the whole debate about who is the better artist, it's ridiculous because while they are all great artists in their own time, michael wouldn't have been where he was in beatles and elvis hadn't bafbed the way. >> thanks, pam. we heard from janice in california. janice thinks there is only one entertainer that will forever live on as the number one legend in this world and that is allies presley. long live the king of rock and roll. sherwin in florida says, no entertainer in the history of the business was a better showman than mike. his performances were monumental. thanks so much for your e-mails and phone calls. you can always e-mail us at

showbiz tonight at cnn.com or get in touch with us on our facebook page. go to cnn.com/showbiz tonight. and call 1-888-sbt-buzz. leave a voice mail and we'll play some of your calls here on "showbiz tonight." and your calls are also now online on our home page cnn.com/showbiz tonight. here what's coming up at the bottom of the hour on this special edition of "showbiz tonight," the many faces of michael jackson, the countless surgeries, his skin condition. tonight we have the the truth behind his unbelievable physical transformation. ahead the two kings, the stunning similarities between michael jackson and elvis presley. two superstars, two shocking deaths. also this -- ♪ i'm marching with the man in the mirror ♪ i'm asking him to change his

ways ♪ >> meet the woman behind michael's hit song "man in the mirror. ." >> my heart is just hurting. it's hard to explain the words. when i first heard the news, i was just shocked. as you watch television and you field all the old videos. this man was the greatest recording artist of our time. ñ

>> reporter: jackson's follow-up to "thriller" hit stores in 1987. simply tiedled, "bad." the pop star's eccentric behavior hardly deterred the album's record-breaking five number ones. spawning iconic music videos and a soldout world tour, "bad" went on to sell 8 million copies and jackson went on to change his image once again, taking a cue from "bad's" title, he became a crotch-grabbing guy. yet the money kept rolling in. in march 1988, jackson finalized the purchase of a 2,600 acre ranch. the cost, $19 million. he built the property with an

moussement park, a private zoo and dubbed it neverland. >> there is a reason it's called neverland valley, you know? fixation on the "i won't grow up," i'm a lost boy, i'm peter pan. >> reporter: and with neverland came the children. >> michael began to surround himself with young boys. much, too, i remember the chagrin of people working for him. >> reporter: three years later in the fall of 1991, "dangerous" was released. long-awaited. the buzz was big. as a result its lead single "black or white" shot to number one. coincidentally, fans were wondering about michael's much lighter skin tone, from black to white. why? jackson told oprah he suffered from a rare skin disease. >> if you believe the fact that he has this congenital and that

is why, fine. other people thought he bleached his skin. with michael jackson, you never know what the truth is. >> reporter: in 1993, disturbing allegations surfaced concerning jackson's association with children. a 13-year-old boy filed a lawsuit accusing the singer of sexually molesting him. jackson vehemently denied the accusations on national tv. >> i ask you to wait and hear the truth before you condemn me. don't treat me like a criminal for i am innocent. >> reporter: the case was eventually settled for $20 million and the suit was dropped in 1994, but jackson's reputation was seriously damaged. less an year later he made press when he married elvis' daughter lisa marie presley. >> it was a sham, a publicity stunt and disgusting and silly.

even from the beginning when they are nervously holding hands at mtv and he said nobody thought this would last and he goes to kiss her. she's clearly like, whoa, what are you doing? >> reporter: the marriage collapsed, less than two years after the wedding, presley filed for divorce in 1996. on the day after his death, presley wrote on her blog that jackson always thought he would die early like her father. as jackson's marriage began to crumble, so did his career. >> that was don lemon for "showbiz tonight." a couple of years later, michael's life was turned upside down. it was the trial of his life. michael the defendant stood accused of molesting children, and even though he was acquitted, michael would never be the same again. tonight, his former attorneys open up about michael's devastating emotional roller coaster. also tonight, the two kings. the stunning similarities between michael jackson and

elvis presley. two superstars, two shocking deaths. we'll also have this -- ♪ i'm asking the man in the mirror ♪ i'm asking him to change his ways ♪ >> "man in the mirror" was one of michael's biggest hits. the amazing story you haven't heard about the woman behind "the man in the mirror." this is a special edition of "showbiz tonight" on hln, the life of michael jackson. >> he was a wonderful man, a really nice, wonderful man. he was a lovely man. and he was a genius talent, absolutely genius. and i will miss him until the day i go.

♪ i want to rock with you ♪ all night ♪ dance you in the day ♪ sunlight ♪ i want to rock with you welcome back to this special edition of "showbiz tonight," the life of michael jackson. i'm a.j. hamner new york. now michael jackson's fall from grace. just when it seemed like his

life couldn't get anymore controversial, there was the child molestation trial. those closest to michael at the time say it was one of the most trying times in his life. he raised eyebrows not only because of the accusations, but the bizarre behavior caught on tape each day as he arrived to the trial. arriving to court in his pajamas, a frail and frightened shell of a man we all knew as the pulse-pounding pop phenomenon. this was another shocking factor in the king of pop's unpredictable life." here is cnn's don lemon for "showbiz tonight" >> reporter: it seemed like another classic michael jackson performance, surrounding by screaming fans. this time jackson's stage was the roof of an suv outside the santa barbara county courthouse. after nearly a decade of being suspected of child molestation, the king of pop was about to face the music.

>> i was trying my best to get him down. i knew it wouldn't look right. i knew it wasn't appropriate. >> ben brothman was one of jackson's attorneys. >> he recognize this is michael jackson, 12-year-old superstar with thousands of people shrieking and screaming. he is not trying to affect the legal proceedings in any way. i think he was responding to his fans by showing them his face. >> reporter: bravman says the superstar was terrified. >> we were alone in a room. it was the first time i really had an opportunity to be completely alone with him. all other meetings there were the whole entourage present. dozens of lawyers and bodyguards. without warning he just broke down and began to sob. we were sitting very close. he actually collapsed on my shoulder. he was sobbing. >> reporter: it would take a year before a jury was seated and the trial began.

the circus surrounding the trial seemed more than jackson could bear. the superstar seemed to be fading in front of the world's eyes. >> he was emaciated. he didn't exchange words with his lawyers very often. as the trial progressed, he got weaker and weaker, including that one bizarre day when he called in sick and the skw said come in anyway and jackson showed up in court in his pajamas. >> reporter: it was march 10, 2005, the second day of testimony by jackson's teenage accuser. >> i feared for michael jackson, not that the trial was going to end badly, but that something would happen to michael. when i saw that spectacle i realized my concerns about his frailty, about his school issues and emotional instability were even more well-founded. >> reporter: it was june 13, 2005, after more than two months

of testimony, 135 witnesses and seven days of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict. followed by news helicopters and a convoy of cars, jackson rushed from neverland ranch to the courthouse. he was greeted by a crush of reporters and fans. it was a kind of attention and screams he was accustomed to, but his face was expressionless. >> the people of the state of california plaintiff versus michael joe jackson defendant, not guilty of a lewd act upon a minor child. >> reporter: with each not guilty verdict, the crowd outside cheered. >> i just looked at him and hugged him and he said, thank you, thank you. he was very placid. he was very, very controlled. he sat there on a daily basis watching accusations hurled at him, suggesting that he was an insensitive monster. i know it tore him to pieces.

he survived it with 14 acquittals, but was damage done to his soul, to his spirit, to his gentle, kind way of looking at the world? i suspect so. >> reporter: that was cnn's don lemon for "showbiz tonight." after jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges, he deemed his home at neverland ranch tarnished and took his kids and moved to the country of bahrain in the middle east. michael jackson was known as the king of pop and shared startling similaritys to another king, elvis presley. to eerily similar stories. they share a family connection, but will michael and elvis share the same legacy? here is keira phillips with the two kings for "showbiz tonight." >> reporter: you can't help but wonder if we've been watching history repeat itself all this time. from humble beginnings in

tupelo, mississippi, and gary, indiana, to iconic mega stardom. moves and music to scream for. to cry for. the powerful reaction of fans around the world made it clear. these guys were not your average pop stars. they were game changers. the king of rock and roll, the king of pop. one goes into movies, the other makes thrilling music videos. one becomes a sad, unrecognizable caricature of his former self. the other comes to look like a totally different person. his appearance and a litany of personal drama as upstage his career. one isolates himself at graceland, prescription pills and a questionable doctor in the mix, tabloid fodder. the other becomes an isolated mystery at neverland, even

moving overseas, then coming back to california. prescription pills and a doctor who is being asked a lot of questions in the mix. tabloid fodder. one makes a comeback. ♪ i'm so lonely i could die but can't sustain it. the other is on a verge of one, but lossn't live to make it. one dies at 42, the other at 50. screams from the glory years become cheers, tributes, you can see and hear. families left behind to deal with complex estates and children, and the tangible link elvis and michael share, lisa marie. one king's daughter, the other king's one-time wife. death made a lot of people forget what elvis became, the sad, fallen icon, transformed

into a cultural touchstone found more riches in death. one lasted longer than the living legend did.it? go to graceland on august 16th. will michael jackson's legend find the same kind of redemption in death? is this how our children and grand kids will know him? perhaps the show isn't over, yet. >> by the way, in the week after his death, michael outsold both elvis and john lenin in the weeks after their deaths. fascinating. tonight, we've got the amazing story behind the woman who wrote "man in the mirror. ♪ >> this is one of my favorite michael jackson songs. tonight, i've got the amazing story you haven't heard about the "man in the mirror" songwriter. this is a special edition of

"showbiz tonight" on hln "the life of michael jackson." ♪

welcome back to this special edition of "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer. now, one of michael's most popular and meaningful songs is "man in the mirror" off of his "bad" album. the song also received a long of the year grammy nomination. tonight, i've got an amazing story behind that song. a song about taking a good long look at yourself to make the world a better place. here's cnn's thelma gutierrez with the woman behind "man in the mirror" for "showbiz tonight." ♪ to make a change for once in my life ♪

♪ i'm talking with the man in the mirror ♪ ♪ and i'm asking him to change his ways ♪ >> reporter: she wrote "man in the mirror" 21 years ago. >> quincy jones, i was with his publishing company and he wanted a song to finish out the "bad" album. i wanted to write a song that made him feel like he had something to say important to the world. and i think he let me know that i did exactly that. >> reporter: what did he say to you? >> he said "man in the mirror" is one of my favorite songs of all time. >> reporter: what was it like when you actually heard him sing your words? >> i remember the first time i heard the song on the radio. i got goose bumps. i pulled over to the side of the road on the freeway and i turned up the radio as loud as it would go and sat there with tears streaming down my face. it was such a moving, emotional movement.

>> reporter: what will you miss the most? >> his voice, his laughter. >> reporter: what has the world lost? >> music. we lost the music. >> reporter: so she sang as a tribute to her friend at the agape church in los angeles. ♪ i'm talking to the man in the mirror ♪ ♪ i'm asking him to change his ways ♪ >> that was cnn's thelma gutierrez for "showbiz tonight." that is it for this "showbiz tonight" special report. thanks for watching. i'm a.j. hammer in new york. ♪

registration is over for the lottery to get tickets to michael jackson's memorial at staples center tuesday. well over 1 million people signed up, hoping to be among the 11,000 people allowed to attend. winner notifications go out sunday by e-mail. politicians and pundits are still trying to figure out why sarah palin is resigning as alaska's governor. some say it eliminates her from serious consideration as a presidential candidate in 2012. but palin's spokesman says we should not expect this to be palin's political finale. tourists are climbing the 354 states to the statue of liberty's crown. it was closed nearly eight years ago after the terror attacks on the world trade center. y8b