We mentioned last week that enterprising locals are making bucks on the Michael Jackson trial renting out parking spaces and vantage points, and restaurants and stores are doing record business as well.
Specialists are also raking in the dough.
Sketch artist Bill Robles and two colleagues are providing the only visuals of the trial as no cameras are allowed in the courtroom. He is making $400 a day per media outlet from a collection of TV networks, the AP, and various foreign outlets on a case that may last up to five months:
- The pop star has proved challenging to draw. "He has a petite nose and prominent cheekbone alignment that comes down to the jaw. Fortunately, he has that big hair that almost covers it," Robles says. "If you don't hit him right on, people are going to say, 'Wow, that doesn't look like Jackson.' So there's a lot more pressure."
....Jackson's is just the latest high-profile case Robles has covered in his long career, which began in 1970 with Charles Manson's trial. He has sat and sketched during the trials of O.J. Simpson, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols and serial killer Richard Ramirez.
"What's amazing is that in this day and age of satellites, digital this and digital that, I still have my $20 drawing pad, my pen and my colored markers," says Robles, who lives in Los Angeles. He declines to give his age except to say he's "younger than Dan Rather," who is 73.
....[Robles] usually draws six sketches a day. He can be creative. "You can edit out what you don't want, slightly move things for the sake of composition."
But Nina Zacuto, who is producing the Jackson trial coverage for NBC News and has known Robles since 1979, says the artist is "very good at reproducing what you see in court. He's done a remarkable job of giving you a sense of what these people look like. He's really quick, and his style is very clean. I think everyone agrees that in terms of his sketches, he's the best in L.A."
Article comments
1 - RJ
"This reminds me of a Leno joke: Michael Jackson was talking on the phone to Martha Stewart - he wanted to know what it was like to be a white woman in prison."
Should Leno be held in contempt of court for this joke?
2 - Eric Berlin
I thought you might like to know that I get 100% of my Michael Jackson news from BlogCritics.org.
"challenging"... I'll say.
3 - Eric Olsen
thanks EB, we take the responsibility not lightly
RJ, apparently the lawyers think Leno can do Jackson jokes on the air and aren't much worried about it, but he has kept up the ruse of bringing in other comedians to do the MJ jokes for him - Monday was Dennis Miller - because he thinks it's funny.
4 - Dawn
I am a woman in my late 50's; I remember television & movies in which actors had to actually 'act' by using their faces, gestures & body movements to portray a particular emotion or response to a situation; in this world of 'special effects' the younger viewing audience has lost sight of what 'acting' really is--which is to 'emote'--to show emotions; I personally think the young man, Edward Moss, is doing an excellent job of portraying the 'emotional responses' of Michael Jackson during the daily court sessions; pay close attention to his eyes & his facial movements; you can clearly see displeasure for what is being said by the witnesses on his face; I am but one voice in the cyberspace world, but I felt that I needed to speak up; I find it a real joy to see someone show real emotions without words; go watch a Charlie Chaplin movie, or perhaps one of the Lon Chaney Sr. 'silent movies'; it was ALL facial expressions; I commend Mr. Moss & ANY actor who can still 'perform' the fine art of 'emoting' and 'acting'; thank you one & all
5 - sam fields
Somebody TRIED to rent the parking places. SomebodyTRIED a tour bus. Somebody TRIED to rent space across the street. All those tries failed. Just people sitting around all day, including two motorcycle policemen who
wave at people driving by. Acting human because they have NOTHING better to do.
6 - Eric Olsen
thanks Dawn, very nice to hear he is doing such a good job - I STILL haven't seen any of it