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Lewisville woman met Jackson
She will speak at Beijing premiere
Photo Courtesy of Tabitha Messick
Tabitha Messick (left) and her cousin Heather Fields had their picture taken with Jackson at a restaurant.
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Published: October 27, 2009
Tonight, Michael Jackson fans around the world will be lining up to see his final performance.
The concert film Michael Jackson's This Is It begins its two-week run with midnight screenings.
At the Beijing premiere, a woman from Lewisville will talk about the time she met Jackson. Tabitha Messick, who now lives in Beijing, works as a freelance journalist and public-relations consultant.
Her encounter with Jackson was in 2002 in Orlando, Fla., when she and some family members were at a Benihana restaurant.
"While we were eating, our chef told us that Michael Jackson was eating here, too," she said in an e-mail interview. "And so we got up from our tables, and there he was. He was near the back of the restaurant, taking pictures and signing autographs."
Though she wasn't a big fan of Jackson's, she said that she could sense an "excitement that surrounded him that is hard to explain."
Her first impression of Jackson was how nice he was.
"He was patient and kind, laughing with everyone," she recalled. "He shook our hands and said, ‘It's so good to meet you.' His voice was so high and soft…. His hair was a bit frizzled, and every time he touched his hair it seemed to stay in that position, which was kind of funny."
Two of Jackson's children were there, wearing Spider-Man masks, standing nearby with Jackson's entourage.
Jackson "tried to give everyone a little attention and gave side hugs to most people," Messick said. "He stayed at the restaurant until everyone had a chance to get a photo."
Messick has written an iReport for CNN about the encounter, and the president of Jackson's Chinese fan club invited her to share her story at the Beijing premiere.
Midnight screenings of This Is It will be tonight at the Grand 18, Wynnsong 12 and Carmike 10 in Winston-Salem.
There will be additional screenings Wednesday.
tclodfelter@wsjournal.com.
727-7371
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