No Lacko Of Jacko

Michael Jackson's ex-wife says she bore him two children as a present and "if he called me tonight and said let's have five more, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Taking the risk that it would make him appear even stranger, Jackson — television's favorite "sweeps" character — opened up his life even more Thursday for a special to counter a damaging portrayal earlier this month on ABC.

Jackson made available tapes taken by his own employee of the interviews conducted by British journalist Martin Bashir. The singer also enticed former wife Debbie Rowe, his makeup artist, parents and brother Jermaine to give interviews to Fox.

Fox won a bidding war to air Thursday night's two-hour "The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See."

"Bashirs will come and go," said makeup artist Karen Faye, "but Michael will live forever in everyone's hearts."

Rowe said he and Jackson "have a non-traditional family and if it makes people feel uncomfortable, it's a shame they're not more open."

She has little relationship with the children, Prince and Paris.

"My kids don't call me mom because I don't want them to," she said. "These are Michael's children."

Much of the special, narrated by Maury Povich, seemed designed to call into question Bashir's credibility by contrasting the journalist's damaging statements about Jackson's relationships with children to on-camera comments where he appeared to be buttering up his interview subject.

Bashir was not interviewed during the Fox special, and there was no mention of whether Fox offered him the opportunity.

The special briefly addressed Jackson's revelation that he sometimes lets children sleep in his bed. In 1993, Jackson was accused of molesting a boy who had stayed at his home. He denied the allegations, and no charges were filed.

Jackson's ex-wife said when she invites guests over, she sometimes has them lie on her bed and watch TV.

Rowe also said it was her, not Jackson, that was behind the decision not to let his children be seen in public without their faces covered by scarves. She and Jackson said they were scared about possible kidnapping.

"I don't want a Lindbergh baby," Jackson said.

Jermaine Jackson, seated next to his parents, complained about police insensitivity when they investigated his brother for child abuse. "What they need to do is leave him alone," he said.

No chance of that with the TV networks, considering the ratings Jackson specials have achieved.

The Bashir interview drew 27 million viewers when aired by ABC earlier this month. The network repeated it Monday to counter a two-hour "Dateline NBC" special on Jackson's changing face. The NBC News special drew a healthy 14.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Jackson, who says he's strapped for money, has been able to turn the spectacle of his life into cash. NBC reportedly bid $5 million for the latest footage, but Fox was said to win the contest even though it offered less money.

Jackson turned over several hours of video.

"They have no editorial control over this," Fox spokesman Josh Governale said. "We are simply presenting all of the information, a fuller story than what Martin Bashir did. It's not sympathetic."

The wooing of Jackson by NBC included a promise that the footage would pre-empt the "Dateline NBC" footage, according to a memo sent by NBC and reported in The Washington Post.

While NBC might have delayed the "Dateline NBC" special if it won the Jackson footage, the news show would not have been canceled, a spokeswoman said.