POP/ROCK - Feb. 18, 1992

Nose to Nose: Michael Jackson’s non-singing African tour moved to Tanzania on Monday, with aides saying a dispute over the singer’s nose was exaggerated. Jackson’s five-day visit to the Ivory Coast narrowly skirted a public-relations disaster because he kept touching his nose. Newspapers on the Ivory Coast suggested that Jackson, on tour to shoot scenes for his new “Return to Africa” video, found the smells of Africa offensive. Jackson aide Bob Jones tried to set the record straight, describing the habit as a “nervous twitch.” After Tanzania, Jackson will go to Kenya and Senegal.