These days Michael Jackson is much more popular on TV than he is on record. Why? Because the general populace still can't quite believe what a freak of nature Jackson has become, so he has great oddity appeal, but he hasn't recorded anything very good since "Black and White" over ten years ago.

As a result, NBC's Dateline is airing a special on Jackson's face in two weeks, and now ABC has paid a reported $4-5 million for a documentary on Jackson that it is going to air in a week:

The documentary, "Living with Michael Jackson," features "unprecedented and exclusive access to Jackson's private life," ABC promised.

British journalist Martin Bashir spent eight months with Jackson and was with him when Jackson horrified onlookers by dangling his baby from a hotel balcony in Berlin, the network said.

Jackson is no longer, as he calls himself, the king of pop music. But he has a proven track record as a television draw.

Some 25.7 million viewers tuned into "Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special" on CBS in November 2001; viewership increased every half-hour for the program, culled from tapes of a Madison Square Garden tribute concert appearance. Previous interviews with Oprah Winfrey and Diane Sawyer also attracted big audiences. [AP]

(singing) "The freaks come out at night, the freaks come out at night." In Jackson's case, he has paid a very high price for his great talent: he is one of the strangest people on the planet.