Washington, D.C., April 1 – As if Washington, D.C. wasn’t already a freak show! Michael Jackson spent the week in the nation’s capital, and we zipped down on Thursday when an association of spouses of African Ambassadors presented Jacko with a humanitarian award for his work in the fight against AIDS in Africa. Jackson arrived an hour late at the Ethiopian embassy, where they kept the hundred or so guests entertained by screening a short video of Jackson in concert, and a live band played African music. Jackson entered to polite applause, and didn’t speak, but simply expressed his thanks, applauded enthusiastically to an African dance performance by children, occasionally flashed the peace sign or gave a thumbs up, signed a few autographs and swept out the back. We’re not sure if the heavy security surrounding the embassy was on account of Jacko, or due to the adjacent Israeli embassy and Secret Service office across the street.

Earlier in the week Jackson huddled with a few black legislators, although others declined to meet with him. Jackson wants to stage a concert tour in Africa to raise funds to fight AIDS, but would need permission to leave the U.S. from the California courts overseeing his child molestation case.