3/10/05 The 15-year-old boy accusing Michael Jackson of child molestation took the witness stand Wednesday afternoon, testifying that the singer showed him Internet pornography on his first visit to Neverland Ranch.

The boy said the incident happened after, at Jackson's urging, he and his brother got their parents' permission to sleep in the singer's bedroom.

A Jackson associate allegedly surfed pornographic Web sites for 15 to 30 minutes while the singer made off-color comments in front of the accuser, the accuser's brother and Jackson's two young children.

Clean-cut and dressed in a blue shirt and dress pants, the soft-spoken boy took the stand for what was the first of several days he was expected to testify.

The boy said that he was a 10-year-old cancer patient when Jackson called a hospital to wish him well and invite him to the ranch.

More than 20 phone conversations followed before the boy finally met the singer at Neverland, the witness testified.

The boy said he visited Jackson about seven times. He testified that Jackson called him one of two common nicknames he gives to children: "Doo-doo head" or "Applehead."

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Though the witness met celebrities from Chris Tucker to George Lopez to Kobe Bryant during his battle with cancer, the boy said that Jackson was his favorite.

"I thought, like he was the coolest guy in the world," the boy said. "Like, he was my best friend ever, you know what I mean?"

Jury members, who looked bored during previous witness testimony, vigorously took notes and listened intently to the boy.

Testimony concluded for the day as Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon questioned the boy about a conversation he had with Jackson before taping a segment of a documentary with journalist Martin Bashir.

The boy testified that, before the taping, Jackson coached him to say nice things and categorized the interview as an audition.

"He told me to say that he helped me and that he pretty much cured me of cancer," the boy said. Jackson also allegedly told the boy to call him "daddy" or "daddy Michael" on camera.

Though the boy credited Jackson in the interview with aiding his recovery, he testified that he no longer believed that.

Aired in February 2003, Bashir's "Living with Michael Jackson" depicted the boy and the singer holding hands, and included comments by Jackson admitting he shared his bed with children.

Prosecutors allege that after the documentary aired, Jackson and five others plotted to abduct and falsely imprison the family until they filmed a "rebuttal" video praising the singer and denying anything inappropriate occurred between them.

Before the family broke off contact with Jackson in March 2003, the singer allegedly plied him with alcohol and molested the boy.

The boy was not questioned about the alleged molestations during his hour on the stand Wednesday. He is expected to continue his testimony today.

Earlier on Wednesday, the 14-year-old brother of the accuser ended his stint on the stand.

During his three days as a witness, the boy testified he peered into Jackson's bedroom and saw the singer masturbating while groping his brother's genitals. Two days later, the boy said he observed a similar incident.

Defense attorneys worked to raise doubt's about the brother's credibility.

For example, the accuser's brother identified certain adult magazines in court as those shown to him by Jackson. However, defense attorney Thomas Mesereau, Jr. indicated that the magazines the accuser's brother testified he saw were not published until after he and Jackson parted ways.

The witness also admitted on the stand that he lied during a deposition given in an unrelated civil case.

Jackson, 46, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of molestation and four counts of administering alcohol to help him with the alleged lewd acts. He also has pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy charge involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion, and a count of attempted child molestation.

Because the boy is the alleged victim of sex crimes, the Record, following its established policy, is not identifying him or members of his family, even though they are being named in court.

Staff writer Quintin Cushner can be reached at 739-2217 or by e-mail at qcushner@pulitzer.net.