By Tanyanika Samuels and Christina Boyle
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Rev. Al Sharpton (r.) presents an award to Joe Jackson at the National Action Network headquarters.
Sunday, October 25th 2009, 10:20 AM
The Rev. Al Sharpton believes the world needs more fathers like Joe Jackson - a man the King of Pop said routinely beat him and his siblings when they were children.
The civil rights leader heaped praise on the dad's parenting skills at the National Action Network in Harlem Saturday.
"The arrogance of [people] attacking a man for being a stern father," Sharpton said. "I wish we had more stern fathers - then we wouldn't be shooting each other up."
Jackson said he was honored to be recognized by Sharpton.
"This feels great," he said. "I feel like I'm someone very special."
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Joe Jackson will receive Humanitarian Award on behalf of Michael Jackson
Joe Jackson will accept the festival's Humanitarian Award at Pocono Mountains Film Festival closing banquet Saturday night. Jackson will be accepting the award on behalf of his son Michael.
The Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will join Michael Jackson's father at Saturday's awards presentation for the Festival, organizers said Thursday.
Festival founder Bridget O. Davis of Tannersville said she was contacted late Wednesday with Sharpton's request to present the Humanitarian Award the festival will give to Joe Jackson on behalf of his late son. Sharpton made the offer because of his friendship with Joe and Michael Jackson, Davis said.
Jesse Jackson will accompany Sharpton and Joe Jackson, she said.
Joe Jackson also will receive a Lifetime Achievement award for his role as the founding force behind the Jackson 5 and Michael's career. The presenter for that award had not been chosen, Davis said.
"When they found out that Joe was receiving the award, they had been wanting to come to the Poconos anyway, to meet with me because they heard a lot about this event," Davis said.
She said they were impressed with how the seven-year-old festival has attracted high-profile entertainers and, while run by a black woman, includes all races and ethnicities.
"It's not a black film festival, it's a film festival opened to all," she said.
Joe Jackson will stay at the Meadowbrook Inn in Tannersville, but Jesse Jackson and Sharpton will travel from New York City on Saturday, Davis said.
The film festival was in negotiations to bring Michael Jackson to this year's event when the singer died in June, Davis said. Instead, Joe Jackson agreed to appear at the four-day festival, which includes independent film screenings, panel discussions and presentations at Pocono Community Theater in East Stroudsburg.
The banquet is being held Saturday at Peppe's Ristorante in East Stroudsburg at 6:30 p.m.
By Michael Sadowski
Pocono Record Writer
October 23, 2009
The Pocono Mountains Film Festival received another jolt Thursday when organizers were informed two outspoken and prominent civil rights leaders plan to attend Saturday's awards banquet.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson have told festival officials they plan to be at the festival's awards banquet Saturday night at Peppe's Ristorante in East Stroudsburg.
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The banquet starts at 6:30 p.m.
Festival founder and organizer Bridget O. Davis said she was told the two would be there to support Joe Jackson, the father of the late Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson is posthumously receiving the festival's Humanitarian Award. His father is accepting the award on his behalf.
Sharpton is a well-known Jackson family friend who spoke at Jackson's memorial service in July.
"He's going to introduce Joe Jackson," Davis said. "That's what we were told. They've been friends for a long time."
It was not explicitly explained why Jesse Jackson would be at the festival.
Joe Jackson also will be accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Actress Jessica Biel, who originally was scheduled to receive the Humanitarian Award, will appear via satellite to accept the festival's New Emerging Artist honor. She had to cancel her appearance because she's shooting the 2010 movie "The A-Team" in Canada.
The seventh annual Pocono Mountains Film Festival got under way Thursday with an exclusive showing of the new animated family film "Astro Boy" at the Pocono Community Theater in East Stroudsburg.
As part of the festival, the theater was permitted to be one of 10 theaters in the country to premiere the movie one day before its wide release today.
The show was free, and donations to the nonprofit theater are being collected.
The festival — which includes eight features from local and regional filmmakers — begins in earnest today at the Pocono Community Theater and runs through Sunday afternoon.
For a full listing of the movies playing at the festival and the workshops of the event, visit www.poconomountainsfilmfestival.net.
PMFF HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Michael Joseph Jackson
PMFF LIFETIME CAREER
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Joseph Walter Jackson
http://www.poconomountainsfilmfestiv...honorees2.html
I am speechless
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