When you’re on the hot seat, in deep sh**, or being accused of something, when is time to speak up? When is time to shut up?
For example, the recent Michael Jackson situation.
If I was being bitched out one-on-one, I’d let the other person say everything they needed to before I spoke, unless they were freaking out in which case I’d jump in and tell them to take it down a few decibles (sp?).
As for Jackson…hmmm…dunno how much he can say for himself. Granted, it seems like the reporter was being two-faced (praising Jackson with one mouth and dissing him with the other) but, really, why on earth would you keep a baby’s face covered while you were trying to feed him AND have little kids WHO AREN’T YOURS snoozing in your bed with you?
Patty
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Any relation to pairs skater Rocky? [/hijack]
I’d guess a lot would depend on the nature of the hot seat. Uncomfortable things, though, so a useful general rule is to avoid them in the first place.
Jackson, through insularity, arrogance or pure I-come-in-peace-to-your-planet weirdness, plonked himself right down onto one. Once there, his best tactic would have been almost complete unresponsiveness, just not offering any opening at all. It’d make for a lousy interview, i.e. drama, but great for self-preservation.
Actually under-playing often works quite well, even off-camera. I learned this one in the trenches of public service. Ranting and raving take energy. After a while, just listening silently denies the ranter the fuel they want. After a while the most detemined ranter starts to look and sound foolish. It takes timing, but when they start to run out of steam is your opening to apologize, re-cast the situation into a real discussion, whatever.
Mileage may and probably will vary widely.
Veb
Generally, whenever the chances of you making things better are lower than the chances of you making it worse, shut the hell up. Of course, I myself have never managed to get the hang of this 
In my own case, I always give whomever a chance to speak and then bust in O’Reilly style with my response(I also promise to give someone the last word, and then take it for myself:).
In Jackson’s case, he needs to say something. 1) He needs to address the fact that he’s a freak, at least in some way. 2) If someone says, “Hey Bob, I think you like to #%&* around with kids” you need to respond to that.
If he’d stop acting like everyone else in the world was weird and he’s the normal one, it’d probably really improve his image. Of course, to an extent we all feel that we’re normal and whoever else is a freak, but this has it’s limits.
The cowboy says “never miss a good chance to shut up”
Michael Jackson, I think he’s so accustomed to mannering everything he does to his “image” that he really isn’t very good at knowing what a good thing to go public is, and isn’t.
for instance, JUST FUCKIN ADMIT YOU’RE A DOOFUS for dangling the kid over the balcony already.
Just admit to having had multiple surgeries. Nobody really cares unless you keep lying
-Actually on that one, I side with the british guy. I think he’s not telling the truth so that people will keep paying attention to him. Lord knows we don’t care about his music anymore.