Book 5- 1969 (Michael Jackson)

Chapter 21- Hollywood Palace

Chapter 21- Hollywood Palace

Date: Saturday, October 18, 1969

Time: 9:17PM

MICHAEL'S POV

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Hollywood Palace. It's wonderful to return as your hostess again, especially tonight, while I have the pleasure of introducing a great young star.

I ran my fingertips over those two lines. Great young star, I thought to myself. Propping my body into a chair, I continued looking over those couple sentences. The great young star... Shortly scanning the dialogue farther down the paper, I chuckled. No, it's not Sammy Davis, not tonight. She, Diana, is talking about me. I'm that great young star. I'll be the one on that stage, introducing ourselves and giving the United States a look into the Jackson 5. I'll be the one lighting up the stage, making history. Yeah, that'll be me.

In a way, I couldn't believe what was going on. Yes, my brothers and Kayla and I had all performed together, and for about four years, now. We had gone from those little Gary gigs to Chicago, then on to New York at the Apollo. We had gone in front of critics and the CEO of Motown himself, and gotten a recording contract. However, this event seemed nearly unbelievable.

Yes, we were all gonna perform on live TV. It'd be broadcasted nationally, which meant that everyone had the chance to see it if they were watching. In several ways, I was bouncing off the walls wth excitement. My brothers and I, we'd make our father proud this one time. We would bring joy back to my sisters, Randy, and Kate back in Gary. We would bring our names out in the business.

However, I also felt scared, frightened, and even a little used. For one, Mr. Gordy and the others were telling the Jackson 5 and I how to act a certain way. Apparently, there were some rules and regulations that we had to conform to. Some of them, such as singing a certain way or lying about our ages, seemed absolutely absurd, yet they were the rules. I couldn't quite grasp why they were making us listen to those, but there was no way around it. Metaphorically speaking, we were tied to the chains of the Big Man, whoever he was.

There was something that made me feel uneasy about those rules, those guidelines. I couldn't question these things or ask Joseph, though.

In another aspect, I was scared. The Jackson 5 had gone in front of thousands of people at one time, practiced endlessly, and made our beats as close to perfection as we could, but I was still apprehensive about this performance. With it being our first nationally-broadcasted one, we could either make or break the luck of our band. I was previously confident about our performance, but now, I was starting to doubt myself. If I didn't pull through and make a spectacular performance, our future could be ruined.

That was a lot of strain on everyone, but me in particular.

Letting out an uncertain sigh, I set the dialogue papers on the table set before me. I looked up to see a vanity with a mirror. My reflection was one of a seemingly more mature Michael: I was wearing that outfit that Kayla had previously deemed as "garish"; my hair, which was now beginning to grow into a mini-Afro, was neater than usual; and my face had a small layer of makeup applied. I hadn't understood why I needed makeup, for I looked the same without it, but Diana and a few of those crew members had insisted that I wear it.

I figured that they had their reasons.

From beyond the wall, I could hear Diana's voice, as well and Cindy's and Mary's. The Supremes were just outside the door. They were singing one of my favorite hits, "Someday We'll Be Together", and boy, were they doing well. It sounded almost exactly like the album version, and it had me wondering whether or not they were actually lip-syncing at a few moments.