Jackson admitted to hospital

Michael Jackson was admitted to hospital today after his convoy was suddenly diverted as it drove to a California court for jury selection in the singer’s child molestation trial.

Judge Rodney Melville told prospective jurors that Jackson was on his way to court when he was taken to the hospital emergency room instead. He later told them Jackson was to be admitted.

But Melville did not give any details about the illness and said he was awaiting word on Jackson’s condition before deciding whether jury selection would resume.

The judge made the announcement 15 minutes after Jackson was scheduled to appear in court at 8:30am. A call to the Marian Medical Centre in Santa Maria, where Jackson was taken, was not immediately returned.

Yesterday, questioning of jurors got under way, and Jackson’s lawyers announced they may call Elizabeth Taylor, Jay Leno, Quincy Jones and Kobe Bryant to the witness stand.

The list of possible witnesses sounded like coming attractions for a major Hollywood spectacle.

But Melville dimmed that prospect, saying not all of the celebrities would necessarily testify.

Lawyers are in the process of selecting 12 jurors and eight alternates who will decide whether Jackson molested a teenage cancer patient at his Neverland Ranch and plied the youth with alcohol.

During the proceedings, Jackson smiled and nodded at potential jurors. At one point he picked roughly at a fingernail, and later wrapped it in a napkin.

Names of defence and prosecution witnesses were revealed to prospective jurors Monday so lawyers could find out if any of the more than 240 members of the pool had associations that may be important in jury selection.

Defence lawyer Thomas Mesereau also named two of Jackson’s children, Paris and Prince Michael. Possible prosecution witnesses included Debbie Rowe, their mother.

Other possible witnesses included Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Chris Tucker, former child actor Corey Feldman, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and younger brother Aaron, CBS correspondent Ed Bradley, CNN’s Larry King, Fox broadcaster Rita Cosby, New Age guru Deepak Chopra, psychic Uri Geller, illusionist David Blaine, Las Vegas tycoon Steve Wynn and relatives of the late Marlon Brando.

Prosecutors also listed the family of a boy involved in 1993 molestation allegations against Jackson. The judge has not yet ruled whether that incident can be mentioned in the trial. The accuser received a multi-million-dollar settlement and no criminal charges were filed.

Both sides listed former Jackson attorney Mark Geragos, and the defence list included Jackson’s chief prosecutor, District Attorney Tom Sneddon.