Janet Jackson has plenty of time on the set of her new video to talk--about Michael, LaToya and a favorite new subject: sex. That leaves her afternoon free. Jackson is 27, with a broken marriage behind her, but to millions she is still the little girl who grew up in the shadow of her famous brother s --the girl with the cutest dimples this side of Shirley Temple.
She used to be this innocent little girl. Jackson is radiant as she stands in the middle of the busy video sound stage, as workmen rush past her to put scenery in place. There was a time when she felt self-conscious around cameras because the baby fat in her face and figure could lead to unflattering photographs if taken from the wrong angle. The film is due July I want to do something like that.
Like Michael, Janet was soft-spoken, painfully shy and so deferential when meeting someone for the first time that it was hard to imagine her actually taking charge of her own career. For years, she found it hard to give orders because she was so timid. She also was uncomfortable talking about herself, especially her accomplishments, because it sounded too much like what her mother always hated: boasting. The hardest words for her, a longtime friend once said, are I and no. The Gary, Ind. Cynthia Horner, executive editor of teen-oriented Right On!
No one ever doubted that Michael Jackson had remarkable talent. He dazzled everyone with his singing and dancing with the Jackson 5 for years before his solo career made him the biggest-selling artist in the world. But the Singleton movie, which is a dramatic career stretch, and the album, with its sexy, adult tone, could finally find her the long-absent credibility. Many of the songs are set in a tender, romantic context.
This ease in talking about herself is another strong selling point in getting people to toss aside her old image. One longtime Jackson observer feels the pop star has worked hard at overcoming the family shyness to get to this point.
