*The 10th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death is Tuesday, June 25, 2019 and to celebrate his life, the book, “Michael Jackson: World’s Greatest Philanthropist Deja Vu Diary: Thrilling Moments” was released just days ago. Buy it here.
The book, by Dr. Michelle A. Beneby, features interviews with three women – Janis Dasilva, Bridget Collins, and Star Janel – and is about how they met Michael Jackson and remained friends with him for years to come.
“(Dr. Beneby) just sat there and did her little thing on the computer while we talked,” said Dasilva in a phone interview with the EUR. “She said, ‘Just act like I’m not even here.’ Then we helped each other refresh each other’s memories about things that had happened.”
According to Dasilva, this release is a continuation of the book “Thrilling Moments” that she wrote years ago and Jackson liked it so much it was sold for seven years in the singer’s international fan club.
“The book was published by Michael,” “I showed him a copy of it back in ’89 and he went crazy. He loved it. He just couldn’t believe that someone finally took the time to write something good about him.”
Dasilva recalls when she attended Jackson’s funeral service that Jackson’s camp remembered her and the book and welcomed her with open arms.
“I ran into one of the head people of MJJ Productions (Michael Jackson Productions) after his funeral and he was like, ‘OMG! You know what he did when he got that book? He came in the office bouncing off the walls. He was so happy and said, ‘help her, help her.’ Then he ran to the estate to the attorneys and said, ‘help her.’ Somebody’s finally writing something good about me.’ So, he got behind it 100 percent, published it himself basically, and (sold) it in his international fan club all over the world.”
Dasilva continued, “This was before Amazon and I tried to get it into bookstores, but they wouldn’t take it because they wanted me to put something in there about him (being) bad and about little boys. They were almost trying to force me to lie and I’m like, ‘What? Are you crazy?’”
No, you will not find anything about the allegations of child molestation that have plagued Jackson since the early 1990s in this new book. Dasilva just does not believe the allegations.
“It’s just so crazy that all these stories come out about him that are just not true,” said Dasilva. “And the people that know him, they just know that he was a great person not only onstage. He was such an amazing person. I know you’ve heard that before. It’s so cliché but it’s true.”
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What you will hear in the book are retellings of how Dasilva and her childhood friend Bridget Collins got to know the Jackson 5. Apparently, the famous Motown group traveled to Chicago many times where Dasilva and Collins were from and through those visits they were able to gain entry into Jackson’s world and befriended a young Michael Jackson.
“He really considered me a true friend,” said Dasilva. “We had known each other since I was about 14 or 15. There were never any problems with us. We were always cool.”
Conversations with the young singer at the time were not about his superstar status but more about what was going on at the girls’ school.
“All we did was talk about high school, boys, teachers, and homework,” said Dasilva. “He wasn’t getting all of that. He was with all of the rich kids and getting dropped off in limousines and this ‘n that. So, he wanted to know what it was like for us just going to school every morning. He wanted to know every detail of what we were doing, ‘Did this guy like you or did this girl hate you because you know me?’”
Dasilva did not comprehend why he did not want to discuss his fame until one of his famous brother’s invited her and Collins to a press event.
“Tito invited us to a press party that they had and that’s when I (understood) what was really going on,” said Dasilva. “The press party was crazy. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t even sleep from one press party. So, I can imagine what they were going through as children to be thrust into that type of lifestyle.”
Dasilva added, “(At one hotel) they had the 14th floor filled with reporters, lights, and cameras. You couldn’t see. There wasn’t any air. And they were just going through the motions and we were like, “How can they go through this in every city?’”
She continued, “When people think about their childhood, they’re like get over it, but they had to be men in front of the cameras. Can you imagine at 13 or 14 answering questions about things you shouldn’t even be thinking about?”
According to Dasilva, she is believed to be Michael Jackson’s “first girlfriend.”
“That’s what everybody says,” Dasilva said. “Because when I was younger everybody used to get in my face and tell me that I looked like Diana Ross. Everybody. I was super skinny, had a head full of hair and that’s what Bridget said, ‘You’re a baby Diana.’”
Dasilva added, “At first I didn’t see it, but he used to pull my hair and would always come and stand right next to me. Bridget was like, ‘He likes you.’ I really didn’t see it. I think it was more like my mom said, ‘a puppy love crush’ because we were both shy, skinny, scared to talk, and we had this thing going on.”
To find out more about Janis Dasilva’s time with Michael Jackson, you can pick a copy of “Michael Jackson: World’s Greatest Philanthropist Deja Vu Diary: Thrilling Moments” here.
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