Two degrees of Michael Jackson

In every age since primitive humans began to notice that some of us are naturally faster, smarter, prettier and more talented than others, there have been individuals who rise from relative obscurity to tower above their peers.

For centuries, such individuals were labeled witches and sacrificed for the good of the tribe. Especially that show-off who first figured out how to make fire. What an egomaniac.

Some survived, however, passing their golden genes to generations of dreamers and doers who by sheer force of skill, will and charisma achieved a level of notoriety that defined their times. In a world of mere mortals, these blessed few became larger than life and allowed the masses to forget, at least for a brief, shining moment, that none of us is bigger than death.

We were all reminded of the profound impact such a superstar can have as word spread Thursday that pop icon Michael Jackson had been rushed to a Los Angeles hospital. The international media scrambled for access to a man renowned for living life on his own terms while sharing his considerable gifts with millions of people all over the world.

That man was Stacy Brown.

"Sorry I didn't answer," Stacy said when he called me back late Thursday afternoon. "I was on the phone with the Canadian Broadcasting Co. And then ABC called, and MSNBC and France. My phone is going crazy."

I was fairly sure it wasn't the Nation of France that called Stacy, but I asked, anyway. Turned out it was just the French media, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn he has French President Nicolas Sarkozy on speed-dial.

Stacy knows people. It's what he does.

Some of the people Stacy knows happen to be Jacksons. He's been an associate of the family for about 20 years, a relationship that became strained after he testified for the prosecution in Michael's 2005 molestation trial. I called Stacy minutes after the newsroom received the alert that the Gloved One might finally give up the ghost he had become over the past 15 or so years.

For the few on the planet who don't know, Stacy is The Times-Tribune's entertainment writer, and co-author of a biography titled, "Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask." He's worked for newspapers in Los Angeles and New York and as a reporter and analyst for television news networks, mostly MSNBC.

Stacy moved here with his wife, Shenay, after the Jackson trial in 2005, looking to build a quiet life in Northeast Pennsylvania. They're raising three children here, and a fourth splits time between California and Scranton.

Stacy's experience covering self-obsessed prima donnas gave him a natural advantage as our city government reporter. Now that he's in Lifestyles, his Hollywood connections give us a chance to cover national stories like local news, and allow staffers and editors to live vicariously through his experiences.

Back when Stacy was on the news staff, we often ended our morning meetings with "Stacy Brown's True Hollywood Stories."

STACY: "And that's when Madonna, Michael and Emmanuel Lewis climbed down from the mink trampoline and took a champagne shower so Springsteen could drive them all to the airport."

I made that up, of course, but Stacy's stories are just as juicy, and better because they're true. He has walked in the world of mink trampolines and champagne showers, and lived to tell about it.

Not that Stacy is the only Times-Tribune staffer with Hollywood connections. My friend George went to college with the guys who wrote the "Harold and Kumar" movies, and I once partied with Metallica back when they were a metal band and not a corporation. I interviewed several washed-up rock stars when I was an entertainment writer and once witnessed Gene Simmons of KISS rubbing Ben-Gay into his knees before a show on Montage Mountain. Yes, even the "God of Thunder" gets gimpy on rainy days.

While I've been granted the occasional peek behind the velvet curtain, I've never been to Neverland. Stacy has, and that's why he spent most of Thursday and Friday fielding interview requests from hundreds of news organizations from New York to New Zealand.

He was on ABC, NBC, CBC, CNN, FOX and a host of radio stations. He was interviewed by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and other national papers and Web sites. A Binghamton TV station sent a reporter down to interview him. Between interviews, he was covering the story for us.

Stacy was scheduled to appear on Friday's edition of "No Bias, No Bull with Campbell Brown (no relation)" on CNN, but he was "bumped" for another guest. He was bumped by MSNBC early Saturday, but if you did any channel-surfing this weekend, you likely came across file interviews and commentary featuring Stacy sharing his inside observations of the Jackson Family Circus.

I spent much of the weekend fielding questions about Stacy. If you are Someone Who Knows Stacy Brown, you routinely face queries like:

n What's Stacy Brown really like?

n Is he really as smooth and sweet as he seems?

n Do you think he looks more like Billy Dee Williams or Denzel Washington?

n Does he really sleep in a hyperbaric chamber?

No matter how many times I answer these questions, my wife keeps asking. She's a big fan. If I ever wanted to do something off-color, I could probably get away with it by simply adding a touch of Brown.

ME: "Honey, I was thinking about buying a motorcycle and riding it to Pittsburgh without a helmet. My high-school girlfriend just got divorced, and she's throwing a party with all her stripper friends."

MY WIFE: "If you so much as mention it again, you die."

ME: "Stacy Brown wants to go with me."

MY WIFE: "See you when you get back. If anything happens to Stacy, you die."

Of course, Stacy would never make such a trip. He's a family man and a true gentleman who has managed to build a career covering compromised characters without compromising his own. For all the time Stacy has spent in Neverland, he's as down to earth as anyone you'd ever want to meet.

Maybe that's why people like him so much. That, and the fact that he really does look like a cross between Billy D. Williams and Denzel Washington.

But only because he sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber.

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, really does know Stacy Brown. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com