US: During his 14-week trial for child molestation, Michael Jackson began many mornings with a call to the Rev Jesse Jackson.
First, they would pray. Then the singer often would talk of his future. Should the jury find him not guilty, he told the civil rights activist, there was much he wanted to do.
"Michael wants to continue to produce music and write," said Mr Jackson, adding that the 46-year-old entertainer had other dreams, too. He wants to build a theme park in Africa, "where children from all over the world can come to play and learn."
Monday's across-the-board acquittals are no guarantee, however, that the self-proclaimed King of Pop, whose career has been faltering for years, will ever become a chart-topping artist again. The jury's verdicts, moreover, cannot erase the more than $270 million in debt that he's carrying, most of which comes due in December.
"Michael Jackson's career is beyond rehabilitation," said Northeastern University professor Murray Forman, who studies popular music. "Pop albums are bought by parents for their kids, and no parent will feel comfortable with a tainted figure like Jackson."
Other stars have achieved commercial success after confronting criminal charges. The R&B singer R Kelly, for instance, released some of his best-selling albums after his arrest in 2002 on felony child pornography charges stemming from a videotape that allegedly showed him engaged in sex acts with a female minor.
Advisers hope Monday's verdicts will pave the way for Jackson to get a similarly fresh start.
"Trials are about proving that the past shouldn't matter anymore," said Debra Opri, an attorney for Michael Jackson's parents. "For years, rumours have chased him, and they've all been swept away."
But in some ways the trial may have made rehabilitating Jackson's public image even harder. Already tarnished by past allegations of child molestation, Jackson was portrayed yet again as an oddity - a grown man who spends much of his life sequestered in an estate modelled on an amusement park where young boys and their families are frequent sleepover guests.
"Michael Jackson may be declared not guilty, but that's not the same as innocent," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the concert trade magazine Pollstar.
"When a singer gets busted for drugs or having sex with a minor, it's different than accusations of child molestation. A sizable portion of the population will always think Jackson is guilty and never forgive him."
If Jackson could tap back into the creative brilliance that produced hits like Billie Jean, he might have an easier time diverting attention from his personal life.
"What saved Robert Kelly was that he buckled down and made great music," said attorney Gerald Margolis, referring to his client, R Kelly. Since his arrest, Kelly has released two albums that sold a combined 3.6 million. "Michael Jackson has to make the best music of his career."
Barring that, there could be a market for a tell-all autobiography. But publishers say they think it is unlikely Jackson would produce a sufficiently candid account of his life.
"If Michael Jackson was to write honestly about his childhood or his relationship with his father or discuss his ambiguous sexuality, the public would want to read that," said Josh Behar, a senior editor at Harper Entertainment, publisher of biographies of Tatum O'Neal and the band U2. "But he'll never deliver that. Instead, he'll demand millions of dollars and complete control. Michael would never share himself with the public."
One thing is clear: Jackson needs to find some way to make millions of dollars in a hurry. The Rev Jesse Jackson said that in their frequent phone calls the star had acknowledged that he was strapped for cash. During the past year he was sued at least four times for allegedly failing to pay $3.3 million in overdue bills.
During the molestation trial, accountant John Duross O'Bryan testified that financial documents suggested Jackson spent up to $30 million more per year than he earned.
Among his expenses are upkeep of his 2,800-acre Neverland Ranch and an enormous staff of security personnel, personal assistants and animal-handlers.
Now, in addition to the $200 million he owes Fortress Investment Group LLC by the end of the year, he will have legal bills that some have estimated will top $10 million.
Jackson is not without assets. His 50 per cent stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which owns 251 Beatles tunes and other songs, as well as a valuable catalogue of his own work and the Neverland ranch, is worth more than $500 million, some say.
But music executives familiar with Jackson's contracts say the complexity of his finances makes it difficult for him to sell anything quickly.
Were he to sell his half-ownership in Sony/ATV, for instance, those executives say, the transaction could take months to complete and might net Jackson less than anticipated. Such a sale could result in a tax bill of $40 million, according to trial testimony.
Jackson's financial troubles have worsened as his popularity has declined. His 1982 album, Thriller, is the second-best seller in US history, shipping 26 million copies since its release, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
But Jackson's last album of new material, 2001's Invincible, sold only 2.1 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, far below the sales achieved by his previous releases.
Another factor complicating his ability to map out his future is the constant flux in his management team. Once represented by established career-builders such as Sandy Gallin and Jeff Kwatinetz, Jackson has in recent years had an ever-changing circle of advisers, many with little experience in the music business.
Perhaps his greatest hope to rebuild his creative and financial health lies in his continued popularity outside the US, where audiences seem to care more about his celebrity than his peccadilloes.
Another idea that has prompted some speculation is the possibility of a Las Vegas act. Celine Dion's three-year contract with Caesar's Palace in 2003 reportedly paid her $45 million for 200 performances a year.
But even Las Vegas may prove too prudish.
"You want somebody who brings in the right audience for the hotels and casinos," said Erika Yowell of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority. "You want big rollers, older people. I'm not sure those people want to see Michael Jackson."
And Jackson's dream of an African theme park? Experts say it is unrealistic, particularly since a 1996 deal Jackson struck with Saudi prince Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to build theme parks never yielded results.
Fundamentally, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of a comeback may be Jackson himself. One close current adviser said that, while his talent is undeniable, Jackson does not seem to grasp how his unconventional behaviour and free-spending ways have limited his options.
"The number one problem is Jackson's refusal to face reality," said this adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "He could be huge again." - (LA Times-Washington Post Service)