Jacko's in court looking pasty and more freakish than ever. If the metamorphosis continues at its current rate, in 20 more years Jackson will be an albino Chinese girl. Joal Ryan reports from the scene:

the King of Pop has regained his regal stride, testifying in his $21 million breach of contract civil trial that he is a "visionary" who has "so much stuff going on [in his life] that is astounding."

Friday marked Jackson's third day on the stand in a Santa Maria, California, courtroom. The entertainer is being sued by a promoter over two millennium eve concerts that failed to materialize. Marcel Avram claims that Jackson put him in a bind, pulling out of the shows, both scheduled for December 31, 1999, in Hawaii and Australia, just two months before the big night. Jackson has said it was Avram who nixed the shows due to slow ticket sales.

....Perhaps to drive home the point of astounding responsibilities, Jackson asked the judge to excuse him from court appearances early next week so that he could fly to Germany and accept an award.

"It's philanthropic," he explained. "I've done a lot of work for children."

Jackson's plate is so full that, on Thursday, he testified that he has little time for matters such as money.

"There's an overview [that I receive] of what's going on financially, but I'm in the creative department," he said.

"I'm a visionary," he added.