Michael Jackson’s Impossible Mission

Ben Ratner, the director of the film Rush Hour starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, was a close friend of Michael Jackson. Ratner has many memories of Michael. On Wednesday, in a conversation with Jimmy Kimmel, he shared a very funny story about Michael Jackson’s unusual pranks. Watch the video of this event by downloading.

Ben said he had gotten to know Michael through Rush Hour. He added that most people don’t know Michael the way he did, and that he was very witty and funny, and had a habit of joking with people and messing with them. Ben and Chris spent a lot of good times with Michael on the Neverland ranch. Elizabeth Taylor had a dedicated suite at Neverland, but when she wasn’t there, Ben would spend the night in that suite.

The story went like this...

“I was sleeping in Elizabeth Taylor’s suite. And then I heard some sounds. Michael was saying, ‘Brett! Are you asleep?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m asleep!...’ He said, ‘Get up! I’m sending Kito to pick you up.’ Kito was his short Japanese man and the driver of his limousine. He wore a tuxedo, put on a hat, and drove the longest limousine I’d ever seen in my life.

Michael said, ‘You don’t need to change your pajamas.’ So I got into the limousine in the pajamas I was wearing. I asked, ‘Where are we going?’ Michael said, ‘We’re going to 7-Eleven.’ I said, ‘Huhhh?!’ (7-Eleven is a chain store.)

Michael put on his “Hulk” mask. I said, ‘No, Michael, I don’t need a mask.’ At 4 a.m. in Santa Barbara, we went into a limousine to 7-Eleven to buy a few balloons. He said, ‘Come into the bathroom.’ I said, ‘Oh no, things are going to get messed up.’ In the bathroom, he filled the balloons with water, and then we got back into the car. I said, ‘Michael, what’s going on here?’ He said, ‘You’ll see!’”

Michael asked his driver, Kito, to take them for a ride around the Neverland ranch. Michael and Ben sat in the car with water-filled balloons. Ratner continues:

“We were driving down a quiet road when suddenly we saw a man passing by like a homeless person. Michael yelled, ‘Kito! Hit the brakes!’ The man thought that some people were about to attack him. Michael suddenly stuck his head out from the limousine’s ceiling with the Hulk mask on. Imagine how scared that man was. He didn’t know which direction to run. He started running in the opposite direction from us. Michael shouted, ‘Kito! Turn the wheel!’ We caught up to the man and he stopped right there. Michael threw the water balloons at him and yelled, ‘Kito! Go!’

I don’t know what would have happened if the police had caught us! Michael Jackson with the Hulk mask and water balloons inside the limousine... We laughed all night. I couldn’t sleep anymore. It was one of the strangest nights.”

Jimmy Kimmel confirms with laughter: “That’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened!”

Source: eMJey.com / contactmusic.com