Fans go wacko for Jacko
Barely four months ago he faced virtual ruin - his career seemingly in tatters.
Now the Michael Jackson circus is back as the star visits London to produce a song to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.
It is the first time he has been seen in public since June when he was cleared of molesting a child after a lengthy trial.
The astonishing furore that surrounds Jackson, 47, proves his fans are as devoted as ever. Crowds surge outside the Dorchester hotel, where he is staying, day and night.
Chanting his name and waving banners, the crowd - mostly in their twenties and thirties plus some children - hoped for a glimpse of Jackson. They were finally rewarded when he appeared at his suite window and waved. Minutes later, a bulk delivery of pizzas arrived outside, ordered by the singer for his fans.
Jackson, who is accompanied by his children Prince Michael Jr, eight, Prince Michael II, four, and Paris, seven, has enjoyed a tour of tourist attractions.
He sparked pandemonium at Madame Tussaud's. Minders carried the children from a people carrier with blacked-out windows, their faces masked by blankets.
Jackson, wearing a black suit, matching shirt and dark glasses, then walked through the crowds.
"They stayed for about an hour and had a whirlwind tour of all the waxworks," said an insider.
The fuss was repeated at a matinée of West End musical Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace theatre and he was knocked to the ground by crowds eager to touch their idol. There were chaotic scenes inside and outside Harrods last night when Jackson and his three children-arrived.
He was mobbed by fans in the DVD department where he bought dozens of documentaries including the BBC's award-winning series Walking With Dinosaurs.
He met Harrods owner, Mohamed Fayed, and shopped in private for two hours. Sources said he was particularly interested in the plasma screen televisions.
Jackson was also besieged by fans at a studio in Chiswick where he is said to have begun work on the charity song From The Bottom Of My Heart. It is being made by 2SeasRecords, a label co-owned by his brother Jermaine and Bahrain's Prince Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Jackson has said: "It pains me to watch the suffering taking place in the Gulf region."
He had been in hiding in Dubai since his California court case ended. He is expected to return to Bahrain to record this week.
