The trouble with celebrity posses after Michael Jackson
: Michael Jackson was also charged with conspiracy yesterday and it strikes me that’s going to change the relationship of employees and posses to celebrities and the rich and powerful.
It’s not hard to imagine that if Jackson did what he’s accused of doing, one or more people who worked for him helped, knowing that he was up to no good but shrugging and figuring, hey, it’s his ass that’s on the line. But now they’re sitting on the line with him.
This is a prosecution tactic, clearly, to make sure that these people realize they, too, are liable for their actions and can go to jail and so they’d better testify against him and tell all.
Jayson Williams’ pals testified against him. So did Martha Stewart’s.
So looking forward, hangers-on and posses will have to be careful that they don’t help their star employers or friends do anything bad or else they could get in trouble, too.
And the stars will be careful for fear that the people around them will be able to testify against them in the future. There will be no secrets. There will be no protection. And so, we will see posse whistleblowers.
Stars won’t trust their posses, posses won’t trust their stars (and, of course, lawyers will be busy).
I find this fascinating from a sociological viewpoint; it changes the essential nature of sycophancy in the inner circle of entertainment or even business and government.
What we need is a gawker of Hollywood to chronicle this change in the post-MJ era.
