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Mum happy for kids to stay with Jackson
By David Gardner in Los Angeles
09feb03
THE mother of the 12-year-old cancer sufferer who shares Michael Jackson's bed has revealed how he thinks of the singer as his father and even calls him Daddy.
Janet Arvizo says she is comfortable with her son Gavin and her two other children staying at the star's Neverland ranch.
"Michael has brought something special into our lives," she said.
Gavin, who was given only two weeks to live when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer two years ago, tells his mother: "I am living for my daddy, Michael."
The family has suffered so much hardship it is not surprising they see Jackson as a guardian angel.
Struggling to scrape together enough welfare cash to feed and clothe Gavin, his brother Star, 11, and sister Davelin, 16, Mrs Arvizo was once so poor that the family was forced to live in a stable.
Thanks to Jackson, they now have a car and live in a comfortable flat.
Mrs Arvizo said, "All of my kids have stayed over with Michael. I am comfortable with that.
"They are happy with him and have a lot of fun. They are hoping to travel the world with him. He is their angel."
Jackson's relationship with Gavin was revealed in last week's TV documentary about the singer .
Before meeting Jackson, now 44, Gavin was at the lowest point in his difficult upbringing in a rundown district of Los Angeles.
While Jackson would spend millions in a morning shopping spree on Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive, Gavin's mother was struggling to find a decent home.
"They were living in a stable with the hay and horses for a long time," said family friend Jamie Masada. "Another time they were all living in a tiny room in Compton that wasn't big enough for one person. They couldn't afford to buy clothes or food."
Ironically, it was Gavin's battle with kidney cancer that turned his life around.
Surgeons were forced to take out one of Gavin's kidneys and his spleen. Exhausting chemotherapy sessions made all his hair fall out and sapped his spirit.
Gavin, Star and Davelin had earlier attended a comedy camp that Mr Masada holds each summer for underprivileged children. Mr Masada kept in touch with the family, and after Gavin became ill asked the boy for a wishlist of celebrities he wanted to meet.
Jackson was Gavin's third choice, behind comedians Adam Sandler and Chris Tucker, Mr Masada said.
"I contacted Quincy Jones, who talked to Michael. He asked Gavin if he wanted to visit Neverland.
"Gavin and his brother Star went to Neverland and stayed for two days.
"No matter what people may say about Michael Jackson, he came in and has helped this boy to survive.
"Gavin said they had fun and played games. Gavin is not a naive kid. He would have said if something bad had happened."
Ten years ago Jackson paid $10m to settle a civil suit brought by 13-year-old Jordy Chandler, who alleged the star had sexually abused him.
But Santa Barbara County District Attorney Thomas Sneddon said yesterday that in Californian law, merely sleeping with a child was not a criminal offence.
© Mirror Australian Telegraph Publications
- The Sunday Telegraph
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mother complains over Bashir interview
By Chris Hastings and Elizabeth Day
(Filed: 09/02/2003)
The mother of the 12-year-old boy who admitted that he had shared a bedroom with Michael Jackson has defended the singer and reported Martin Bashir's documentary to the Broadcasting Standards Commission.
Janet Ventura-Arvizo said yesterday that Mr Bashir's interview with the 44-year-old American performer, entitled Living with Michael Jackson, was a "gross distortion of the truth" that breached broadcasting guidelines governing interviews with children.
She has now instructed Theodore Goddard, the London law firm, to lodge official complaints with the commission, which oversees British television, and the Independent Television Commission, the ITV watchdog. Both forbid interviews with children under 16 without the express permission of a parent or guardian.
In her first public comment on the ITV documentary, which was broadcast on British television last Monday, Mrs Ventura-Arvizo, who lives in Los Angeles, says she was appalled by the two-hour programme and the way it used her son, Gavin. She claims that Mr Bashir and his Granada team failed to obtain her written consent for the interview, in accordance with rules laid down by the BSC and ITC.
She also attacked the presenter's commentary, which alluded to previous child sex allegations made against the star. She claimed that those allusions distorted her son's relationship with the singer.
In a statement issued through Jackson's London representative, she said: "I am appalled at the way in which my son has been exploited by Martin Bashir and Granada Television. At no time did either I or Gavin's father sign a consent form for Gavin to be interviewed by Granada Television which I believe is a legal requirement both in the USA and in England, as Gavin is a minor."
She added: "I would never have given consent for Gavin to appear in Bashir's film which, in my opinion, is a complete distortion of the truth about Michael Jackson, as I know and admire him."
Two of Mrs Ventura-Arvizo's other children, Star and Davellin, have also stayed at the star's Neverland ranch. She claims that Jackson is like a father to them and has been a tremendous help to Gavin, who has been battling cancer.
She said: "At no time has Gavin ever been treated with anything other than love, respect and the deepest kindness by Michael. Michael has been so important in Gavin being able to recover from cancer. His constant support, both practical and emotional, helped give my beautiful little boy the strength to fight his cancer."
Jackson's aides hope that the complaint by Gavin's mother will stem a wave of criticism engulfing the singer a week after the film was aired. His admission that he continues to share his bed with children, a decade after he was embroiled in a child sex lawsuit, is threatening to destroy his career and could yet be the subject of a police inquiry.
Critics, however, are bound to question Mrs Ventura-Arvizo's motives, particularly after she admitted receiving gifts from the star. She was unavailable for comment last night after being moved by the singer's aides to a secret location.
At the centre of the dispute is the boy's disclosure to Mr Bashir that he has shared the singer's bedroom and even slept in his bed. In the documentary, which was watched by more than 35 million viewers when it was broadcast again on American television on Thursday, Gavin told the reporter how he had slept in the bed while Jackson had slept on the floor.
Mr Bashir's subsequent questions about the boy's parents suggest that the reporter might not have spoken to them about the sleepovers. At one stage he asks: "Were your parents happy that you were here with Michael? Did they come with you?"
In the commentary towards the end of the documentary that has infuriated Gavin's mother, Mr Bashir states that he "felt very uneasy after this conversation".
The complaint is the latest in a series of controversies involving Mr Bashir, who came to prominence when he interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales for the BBC's Panorama in 1995.
Granada Television insists that the programme was completed in accordance with proper procedures. A spokesman said: "We will be responding to the regulators when they raise these complaints with us. Until then it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."
The broadcaster refused to say last night whether permission had been sought from Gavin's parents but insisted that all proper procedures had been followed.
In 1994 Jackson was accused of molesting 13-year-old Jody Chandler. The star denied the allegations but paid the boy's parents £18 million to drop a civil case against him.
- Telegraph.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAVIN'S MUM HAS LOST PLOT
Feb 9 2003
EXCLUSIVE BY STEPHEN MARTIN
The father of the 12-year-old boy whose mother lets him share Michael Jackson's bed told last night how his "dumb wife had lost the plot".
David Arvizo said his son Gavin's mother allowed him to spend the night alone with the star because she was mesmerised by his fame.
Father-of-three David, 36, said: "It's obvious that Gavin shouldn't be up on Jackson's ranch on his own and unsupervised, but his mother doesn't care. She just sees prestige for herself from the connection."
Ex-wife Janet, 34, said this week she was happy for her children to stay with Jackson.
But warehouseman David said: "Janet always dreamed of being a celebrity. That's what she thinks she has become."
David and Janet split up a year ago amid claims he attacked her, since when David has been allowed no contact with Gavin, his sister Davelin, 16, or his brother Star, 11.
Jackson became a part of Gavin's life two years ago when the boy's battle against kidney cancer was highlighted on TV. The pair struck up a bizarre bond and 15million viewers saw the pair holding hands in Martin Bashir's TV interview. "Janet was desperate to send Gavin to stay with Michael on his own," said David. "She kept saying, ÔWe have to prove to Michael we trust him'. It was like she was worried he would drop us if we didn't.
"I ignored her. I made sure that I was with Gavin every time he went up there. It's not that I didn't trust Michael - it just seemed the right thing to do. I never thought for one minute that Michael posed any risk to my children at all."
David's mother Marlene, 68, says: "I don't want to do down Michael Jackson because he has been very generous to the kids. But he should not be sharing a room with them."
David claims his wife has mental health problems. "I had to get rid of all the knives in our house because she kept trying to stab me," he said. "I got used to it. I would come back from work and just think my dumb wife had lost the plot again.
"What really hurts is that she would rather the children were on their own at Michael's than spend any time with me."
- Sunday Mirror (Mirror.co.uk)
By David Gardner in Los Angeles
09feb03
THE mother of the 12-year-old cancer sufferer who shares Michael Jackson's bed has revealed how he thinks of the singer as his father and even calls him Daddy.
Janet Arvizo says she is comfortable with her son Gavin and her two other children staying at the star's Neverland ranch.
"Michael has brought something special into our lives," she said.
Gavin, who was given only two weeks to live when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer two years ago, tells his mother: "I am living for my daddy, Michael."
The family has suffered so much hardship it is not surprising they see Jackson as a guardian angel.
Struggling to scrape together enough welfare cash to feed and clothe Gavin, his brother Star, 11, and sister Davelin, 16, Mrs Arvizo was once so poor that the family was forced to live in a stable.
Thanks to Jackson, they now have a car and live in a comfortable flat.
Mrs Arvizo said, "All of my kids have stayed over with Michael. I am comfortable with that.
"They are happy with him and have a lot of fun. They are hoping to travel the world with him. He is their angel."
Jackson's relationship with Gavin was revealed in last week's TV documentary about the singer .
Before meeting Jackson, now 44, Gavin was at the lowest point in his difficult upbringing in a rundown district of Los Angeles.
While Jackson would spend millions in a morning shopping spree on Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive, Gavin's mother was struggling to find a decent home.
"They were living in a stable with the hay and horses for a long time," said family friend Jamie Masada. "Another time they were all living in a tiny room in Compton that wasn't big enough for one person. They couldn't afford to buy clothes or food."
Ironically, it was Gavin's battle with kidney cancer that turned his life around.
Surgeons were forced to take out one of Gavin's kidneys and his spleen. Exhausting chemotherapy sessions made all his hair fall out and sapped his spirit.
Gavin, Star and Davelin had earlier attended a comedy camp that Mr Masada holds each summer for underprivileged children. Mr Masada kept in touch with the family, and after Gavin became ill asked the boy for a wishlist of celebrities he wanted to meet.
Jackson was Gavin's third choice, behind comedians Adam Sandler and Chris Tucker, Mr Masada said.
"I contacted Quincy Jones, who talked to Michael. He asked Gavin if he wanted to visit Neverland.
"Gavin and his brother Star went to Neverland and stayed for two days.
"No matter what people may say about Michael Jackson, he came in and has helped this boy to survive.
"Gavin said they had fun and played games. Gavin is not a naive kid. He would have said if something bad had happened."
Ten years ago Jackson paid $10m to settle a civil suit brought by 13-year-old Jordy Chandler, who alleged the star had sexually abused him.
But Santa Barbara County District Attorney Thomas Sneddon said yesterday that in Californian law, merely sleeping with a child was not a criminal offence.
© Mirror Australian Telegraph Publications
- The Sunday Telegraph
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mother complains over Bashir interview
By Chris Hastings and Elizabeth Day
(Filed: 09/02/2003)
The mother of the 12-year-old boy who admitted that he had shared a bedroom with Michael Jackson has defended the singer and reported Martin Bashir's documentary to the Broadcasting Standards Commission.
Janet Ventura-Arvizo said yesterday that Mr Bashir's interview with the 44-year-old American performer, entitled Living with Michael Jackson, was a "gross distortion of the truth" that breached broadcasting guidelines governing interviews with children.
She has now instructed Theodore Goddard, the London law firm, to lodge official complaints with the commission, which oversees British television, and the Independent Television Commission, the ITV watchdog. Both forbid interviews with children under 16 without the express permission of a parent or guardian.
In her first public comment on the ITV documentary, which was broadcast on British television last Monday, Mrs Ventura-Arvizo, who lives in Los Angeles, says she was appalled by the two-hour programme and the way it used her son, Gavin. She claims that Mr Bashir and his Granada team failed to obtain her written consent for the interview, in accordance with rules laid down by the BSC and ITC.
She also attacked the presenter's commentary, which alluded to previous child sex allegations made against the star. She claimed that those allusions distorted her son's relationship with the singer.
In a statement issued through Jackson's London representative, she said: "I am appalled at the way in which my son has been exploited by Martin Bashir and Granada Television. At no time did either I or Gavin's father sign a consent form for Gavin to be interviewed by Granada Television which I believe is a legal requirement both in the USA and in England, as Gavin is a minor."
She added: "I would never have given consent for Gavin to appear in Bashir's film which, in my opinion, is a complete distortion of the truth about Michael Jackson, as I know and admire him."
Two of Mrs Ventura-Arvizo's other children, Star and Davellin, have also stayed at the star's Neverland ranch. She claims that Jackson is like a father to them and has been a tremendous help to Gavin, who has been battling cancer.
She said: "At no time has Gavin ever been treated with anything other than love, respect and the deepest kindness by Michael. Michael has been so important in Gavin being able to recover from cancer. His constant support, both practical and emotional, helped give my beautiful little boy the strength to fight his cancer."
Jackson's aides hope that the complaint by Gavin's mother will stem a wave of criticism engulfing the singer a week after the film was aired. His admission that he continues to share his bed with children, a decade after he was embroiled in a child sex lawsuit, is threatening to destroy his career and could yet be the subject of a police inquiry.
Critics, however, are bound to question Mrs Ventura-Arvizo's motives, particularly after she admitted receiving gifts from the star. She was unavailable for comment last night after being moved by the singer's aides to a secret location.
At the centre of the dispute is the boy's disclosure to Mr Bashir that he has shared the singer's bedroom and even slept in his bed. In the documentary, which was watched by more than 35 million viewers when it was broadcast again on American television on Thursday, Gavin told the reporter how he had slept in the bed while Jackson had slept on the floor.
Mr Bashir's subsequent questions about the boy's parents suggest that the reporter might not have spoken to them about the sleepovers. At one stage he asks: "Were your parents happy that you were here with Michael? Did they come with you?"
In the commentary towards the end of the documentary that has infuriated Gavin's mother, Mr Bashir states that he "felt very uneasy after this conversation".
The complaint is the latest in a series of controversies involving Mr Bashir, who came to prominence when he interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales for the BBC's Panorama in 1995.
Granada Television insists that the programme was completed in accordance with proper procedures. A spokesman said: "We will be responding to the regulators when they raise these complaints with us. Until then it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."
The broadcaster refused to say last night whether permission had been sought from Gavin's parents but insisted that all proper procedures had been followed.
In 1994 Jackson was accused of molesting 13-year-old Jody Chandler. The star denied the allegations but paid the boy's parents £18 million to drop a civil case against him.
- Telegraph.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAVIN'S MUM HAS LOST PLOT
Feb 9 2003
EXCLUSIVE BY STEPHEN MARTIN
The father of the 12-year-old boy whose mother lets him share Michael Jackson's bed told last night how his "dumb wife had lost the plot".
David Arvizo said his son Gavin's mother allowed him to spend the night alone with the star because she was mesmerised by his fame.
Father-of-three David, 36, said: "It's obvious that Gavin shouldn't be up on Jackson's ranch on his own and unsupervised, but his mother doesn't care. She just sees prestige for herself from the connection."
Ex-wife Janet, 34, said this week she was happy for her children to stay with Jackson.
But warehouseman David said: "Janet always dreamed of being a celebrity. That's what she thinks she has become."
David and Janet split up a year ago amid claims he attacked her, since when David has been allowed no contact with Gavin, his sister Davelin, 16, or his brother Star, 11.
Jackson became a part of Gavin's life two years ago when the boy's battle against kidney cancer was highlighted on TV. The pair struck up a bizarre bond and 15million viewers saw the pair holding hands in Martin Bashir's TV interview. "Janet was desperate to send Gavin to stay with Michael on his own," said David. "She kept saying, ÔWe have to prove to Michael we trust him'. It was like she was worried he would drop us if we didn't.
"I ignored her. I made sure that I was with Gavin every time he went up there. It's not that I didn't trust Michael - it just seemed the right thing to do. I never thought for one minute that Michael posed any risk to my children at all."
David's mother Marlene, 68, says: "I don't want to do down Michael Jackson because he has been very generous to the kids. But he should not be sharing a room with them."
David claims his wife has mental health problems. "I had to get rid of all the knives in our house because she kept trying to stab me," he said. "I got used to it. I would come back from work and just think my dumb wife had lost the plot again.
"What really hurts is that she would rather the children were on their own at Michael's than spend any time with me."
- Sunday Mirror (Mirror.co.uk)
En su día alabamos a Gavin y su madre y nos reímos del padre. Hoy la situación ha dado la vuelta. 
