STORIES THAT REALLY DID HAPPEN, RE-CALLED BY HARRY HARPER
The Ivy restaurant, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, March 15, 1991
As Madonna ponders who would be glamorous enough to join her at the Academy Awards, an idea strikes her.
“How about Michael Jackson? Oh my God, what a great idea!” she exclaims to her manager, who promptly organizes a dinner at The Ivy for the world’s two best-selling stars.
Jackson has always found Madonna to be somewhat perplexing. Despite being a savvy businessman, he struggles to understand her allure.
“What is it about her? She’s not a great dancer or singer.”
Two years prior, he felt somewhat slighted when Warner Brothers promoted her as the ‘Artist Of The Decade.’
“It makes me look bad,” he explained. “I’m the artist of the decade, aren’t I? Did she out-sell Thriller? No, she did not.”
At their table in The Ivy, Madonna sports a black jacket and hot pants paired with lacy stockings, a crucifix adorning her neck. Jackson dons black jeans with a red shirt and coordinating jacket, accented by a fedora and dark glasses.
“I’m sitting there, trying to be nice. Then suddenly, she reaches over, takes off my glasses… And then she flings them across the room, breaking them. I was shocked. ‘I’m your date now,’ she told me. ‘And I hate it when I can’t see a man’s eyes.’”
As dinner continues, Madonna thinks she notices Michael sneaking a glance at her breasts. With a grin, she grabs his hand and places it there. Jackson pulls back.
This is definitely not his style. Yet Madonna refuses to take “no” for an answer; later in the dinner, she teasingly drops a piece of bread down her cleavage, retrieves it, and pops it into her mouth.
Jackson’s reaction is one of immediate discomfort. While their dinner cannot be deemed a resounding success, it’s not disastrous enough to prevent them from attending the Academy Awards together.
They make quite the impression: Jackson in a dazzling white-sequinned suit with a large diamond brooch, complemented by gloves and gold-tipped cowboy boots, while Madonna stuns in a skintight, low-cut white-sequinned gown adorned with $20 million worth of jewels.
Following the ceremony, they proceed to Swifty Lazar’s annual Oscar night bash at Spago.
Once inside, Madonna soon drifts toward her former lover, Warren Beatty, leaving Jackson by himself. However, his old friend Diana Ross comes to his aid.
“Well, I just don’t understand it, Michael,” Ross states loudly.
“I mean, she’s supposed to be with you, isn’t she? So, what is she doing with him?”
“I don’t know,” Jackson whispers. “I guess she likes him better.”
“Well, I think she’s an awful woman,” Diana Ross responds reassuringly. “Tacky dress, too.”
by Harry Harper
