The judge in Michael Jackson's child-molestation case said Friday that he plans to seat 12 jurors and eight alternates for the singer's upcoming trial.

The 20 jurors in the case will be northern Santa Barbara County residents chosen during a selection process that starts Jan. 31 and could last several weeks.

The 46-year-old singer has pleaded not guilty to four counts of engaging in lewd acts with an unnamed 13-year-old boy and four counts of administering alcohol to help him with the alleged molestations. Jackson also has pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy charge involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion, and a count of attempted child molestation.

Jackson, who has skipped many of the routine hearings in his case, will be present at jury selection and all subsequent court hearings, his lawyers said.

An estimated 750 panelists will appear before Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville over three days to inform the court if they can serve on a trial that could last five months, the judge said at Friday's hearing.

Once Melville dismisses those unable to serve for hardship reasons, the remaining jurors will complete a seven-page questionnaire.

The judge noted that the original questionnaire compiled by prosecutors and the defense was too long, adding that he "gutted it" so it wouldn't intrude as much on jurors' personal lives.

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Once results of the questionnaire are available, prosecutors and the defense likely will agree to eliminate some potential jurors based on the replies, Melville said.

Those remaining in the jury pool will be called back for further questioning on Feb. 8.

Also at Friday's hearing, Melville ruled that a prosecution expert on child abuse could testify at trial.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen said the expert could explain why the accuser reported the alleged incident late and in a piecemeal fashion, and why he continued to show affection toward Jackson, Zonen said.

Defense Attorney Thomas Mesereau, Jr. saw another reason for why the child and his family didn't report the incident right away.

"What if they're flat-out lying?" he said. "The (witness) shouldn't be allowed to just bolster a lack of credibility."

Also at the hearing, the judge announced he would hold court during the trial from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with three 10-minute breaks, from Monday through Friday most weeks.

Defense attorney Mesereau provided some levity as Melville was offering suggestions on how to accommodate 20 jurors in a space that can only accommodate 16.

"If there's any problem with seating, your honor," Mesereau said, "They can join us on the defense side."

The next hearing in the case is set for Friday, during which both sides will further discuss jury selection, and argue over what evidence is admissible at trial.

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

Jan. 22, 2005