In an auction featuring memorabilia from the Beatles, Madonna and Elvis Presley, it was Michael Jackson who proved to be king.

The red and black jacket, winged shoulders and all, that the late pop star wore during his zombie-ridden “Thriller” video fetched a $1.8 million bid at this weekend’s Julien’s auction in Beverly Hills, California, according to the auctioneer’s website.

The winning price was exponentially above the estimated bid of $200,000 to $400,000. Part of the proceeds will go toward the Shambala Preserve where Jackson’s two Bengal tigers, Thriller and Sabu, have been living the past five years.

The jacket had been given to Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, the singer’s longtime costume designers, to use as a reference for concert performances of the “Thriller” song. It includes an inscription to them on the jacket’s lining, and the sleeve is signed, “Love Michael Jackson.”

Its sale came exactly two years after the then 50-year-old Jackson was killed by a surgical anesthetic called Propofol, which a Los Angeles coroner ruled killed the singer in combination with several sedatives found in his blood.

The jacket wasn’t the only piece of history from the late King of Pop that was part of the auction. The signature fedora Jackson wore during his Bad Tour was sold for $16,250, a handwritten note to friend Elizabeth Taylor went for $5,625 and a signed pillowcase fetched $3,584. And a bidder paid out $330,000 more than 10 times what Julien’s had expected to get — for one of the famous, shiny, crystal-covered gloves that Jackson wore during the 1980s.

“Michael Jackson has an unbelievable fan base,” said Darren Julien, President of the auction house.

Those “Crazy Michael Jackson Fans:” Maybe we should listen?

Michael Jackson fans are grieving in a way that is not normal in an atmosphere that is not normal. Normally the deceased is eulogized in a reverent way, their contributions to others and the world highlighted. Their lives are celebrated and revered. Normally, they have some closure. There is no closure with the death of Michael Jackson. It is not a normal grieving process because the hype, reaction, media slant and opinions of those who didn’t know Michael taint the process. If the real Michael Jackson were globally exposed tomorrow and people would actually see how they have been duped and led by the nose into believing the tabloid version of the man, the fans could take a deep breath. If the real story were actually released into the culture and people started to understand this one they have believed an enigma, the fans would have some hope. If the whole sorry mess were exposed for what it was and the world was truly informed about the truth of this story, and an acknowledgement was made of the damage, the fans could begin normal grieving. And eventually they would heal.

So it is important to understand that those “crazy Michael Jackson fans” may be up to something important. While some are hostile and misguided and they act out their anguish in ways that are sometimes destructive and not always helpful or pretty, they really are trying… They are trying to save Michael and save themselves from a cruel world that mistreats really, really badly—its greatest treasures. They are trying to save the world from its delusions. They are trying to resurrect the truth. They are trying to construct an honest humanity because they are deconstructing tolerance for untruths and reconstructing humanity’s compassion. They are trying to prevent another human being from dismemberment for sport and for profit. They are trying to live Michael’s legacy—to heal the world and make it a better place. They are holding up a mirror to the world and saying: “look here: look what happened, look what was done to this human being; do you like what you see?” They do that for Michael because that is what Michael did. And he was crucified for it. They are trying to bring back humanity and are bringing salvation back. Maybe we should take into consideration what it is that they are actually grieving and maybe, if we can get past our judgment, we should listen

By Rev. Barbara Kaufmann

The King of Pop’s nephew, Taryll Jackson (part of the pop group form the 90′s, ’3T’) has recorded his own special tribute to his uncle, Michael Jackson.

Taryll has released via YouTube and Twitter, his version of “Much Too Soon”, taken from the Sony Michael Jackson album, “MICHAEL”.

It’s a beautiful tribute; catch it here

Cabaret star Liza Minnelli must be short on cash as she has sold a set of decorated shoulder pads given to her by Michael Jackson in a garage sale.

The 65-year-old singer and dancer hosted the sale at a friend’s Hamptons home, the holiday playground for the rich and famous, to sell some of her props, gifts and souvenirs from her extensive showbiz career.

Some of the pieces that were up for sale included a lampshade from the set of her Broadway show Minnelli on Minnelli, wine glasses, worn dance shoes and a set of epaulettes that were a gift from the late King of Pop.

The Hollywood icon, whose is one of the few entertainers to have won a Tony, Academy, Emmy and Grammy award, advertised the sale in a local newspaper.
“A truckload of celebrity-owned items… don’t bother coming early, entertainers sleep in,” the classified advertisement read.

Minnelli was there on the day to sign goods as she sold them off.

Curious shoppers, including The View host Joy Behar, browsed through a selection of the entertainer’s jewellery, costumes, couture clothing and furniture.

She was also happy to part with a book called Total Hip Replacement that was signed by her surgeon telling bargain hunters of her two hip replacement surgeries, “you’ve got to keep on trucking, folks, keep on trucking!”

The icon, who has more recently starred in Sex and The City 2 and Arrested Development, will be travelling to the UK in July to promote her new album Confessions.

She is also set to be honoured at the upcoming Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards when she is awarded the Investec Icon Award. Annie Lennox and R&B star Tinie Tempah will also receive awards at the ceremony.

Nordoff Robbins is a charity group that uses music and musical services to transform the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people.

“What a great honour it is to receive this prestigious award. The work of Nordoff Robbins helps so many people, and I am truly delighted to be invited to the Silver Clef Awards this year.”

Michael Jackson’s iconic red jacket from the “Thriller” video is hitting the auction block in Beverly Hills in a few weeks — and it could be yours … if you’ve got a spare $400,000 to blow.

The jacket — which MJ personally autographed to his former costume designers — is expected to fetch between $200k and $400k … though we wouldn’t be shocked if it soared past half a mil.

The jacket is one of several MJ items featured in the Julien’s Auction event on June 25 and 26. Among the more interesting pieces — the wig Michael wore at his “This Is It” news conference in London and a glove he wore at the American Music Awards.

The wig is expected to haul in between $4,000 and $6,000 — and the glove is valued between $20k and $30k.

Source: TMZ

JLS member ASTON MERRYGOLD, celebrated by getting a tattoo of MICHAEL JACKSON on his pumped bicep.

He said when asked about the new tat;

It’s musical influences really. I might get the whole arm but I couldn’t get the other arm.

Source: NoTW

THE WORLD UNITES ON NEW MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEO “BEHIND THE MASK”

Groundbreaking “Crowdsourced” Video to Debut on June 14th on Facebook.com/MichaelJackson

New York, NY – This spring, the Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music gave everyone around the world the opportunity to be a part of Michael Jackson’s video legacy with The Behind the Mask Project.  This groundbreaking, global online casting call prompted people in all corners of the planet who love Michael Jackson’s music to shoot, upload and submit their own unique performances for inclusion in the video; the project elicited an unprecedented response from 103 countries in the world.  And on June 14th, The Behind the Mask Project will be unveiled on www.Facebook.com/MichaelJackson .

Led by the creative team at @radical.media and acclaimed director Dennis Liu, The Behind the Mask Project launched in March 2011 with a state of the art website http://behindthemask.michaeljackson.com loaded with simple tools that defined the different roles one could play.  Upon entering the site, users selected an action like playing an instrument, singing a lyric, acting out a crowd reaction or demonstrating a classic MJ dance move.  Then, using the site’s split-screen template, contributors were able to shoot their move right on the website or with their web cam and upload the clip at the precise time it occurred in the video.

Dennis Liu comments, “This has been the most exciting and fun project I think I’ve ever been involved in. It’s been such a privilege, and was incredibly moving to see so many people from all over the world join as one, their creative voices, dance and musical talents bound together by Michael Jackson’s spirit and incomparable artistry.  We received submissions from the Sahara Desert to Venice Beach, from mountaintops to suburban backyards, with some shots featuring well over one hundred people apiece. All who participated delivered brilliantly.”

After submissions poured in from all over the globe they were carefully edited down by the director to the best 1600 submissions (including 50 kids and 36 animals). On June 14^th, the 35 million Facebook fans of Michael Jackson will get the first look at this landmark video.  New fans can log on to www.Facebook/MichaelJackson and click “Like” to view the video.

Technology journalist Natali Morris comments, “Michael Jackson was crowdsourcing his videos before crowdsourcing even existed. This project is a perfect way to honor his connection with his fans.”

The song “Behind the Mask” is a critic and fan favorite from MICHAEL – the unique collection of songs featuring Michael’s performances completed posthumously and released in December by the Michael Jackson Estate and Sony Music. MICHAEL was the #1 global album upon its release in December and has shipped over 3 million units worldwide making it one of the biggest albums of 2010.  The album’s success continues to underscore Michael’s importance as a global icon and superstar, transcending cultures and languages.

Dennis Liu is an award-winning digital filmmaker at @radical.media.  Dennis quickly made a name for himself winning awards for clients that include Apple and Microsoft and being honored in the renowned “Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase”.   @radical.media is a global transmedia company that creates some of the world’s most innovative content and the home to @radical.media design+digital. @radical.media’s award-winning projects include the Academy Award®-winning documentary “The Fog of War”; the Grammy®-winning “Concert for George”; the Independent Spirit Award-winning “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster”; the award-winning digital experience “The Wilderness Downtown” for Google Creative Lab and Arcade Fire; the Grammy-nominated “The Johnny Cash Project”; the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning pilot episode of the hit series “Mad Men”; the Emmy®-winning “10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America” for the History Channel; and five seasons of the critically acclaimed Sundance Channel series “Iconoclasts,” among others.

Source : MJOnline – The Official Team of the Michael Jackson Estate

Lloyd’s of London has gone to court… asking a judge to let the company off the financial hook, claiming it doesn’t owe the Michael Jackson Estate $17.5 million on grounds MJ was a fraud.

The company issued the multi-million dollar policy to cover the doomed “This Is It” tour for losses.

But Lloyd’s claims it doesn’t have to honor the policy for 2 primary reasons:

1. Michael Jackson and AEG allegedly lied about Michael’s medical history — specifically, MJ said he had not seen a doctor other than a cosmetic MD since June, 2005.

2. Michael did not disclose he was taking prescription drugs prior to and at the time of his death -including Propofol.

Lloyd’s is asking the court for a declaration that the policy is null and void as a result of the alleged fraud.

Source: TMZ

Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, owned by Sony Corp. (SNE) and Michael Jackson’s estate, submitted a bid for Warner Music Group Corp. (WMG) ahead of yesterday’s deadline, two people with knowledge of the auction said.

Sony/ATV made a joint bid with billionaire Ronald Perelman and Guggenheim Partners LLC, said the people, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Warner Music yesterday called a board meeting with the aim of picking a buyer in 48 hours, people said then.

The entry of Sony/ATV increases the number of known bidders to three after billionaire investor Ron Burkle decided to walk away last week. Len Blavatnik, a former Warner Music director, and brothers Tom and Alec Gores also submitted bids ahead of the deadline, people familiar with the offers said yesterday.

Sony/ATV’s bid is in the $3 billion range offered by Blavatnik and the Gores brothers, one person said. The company, headed by Martin Bandier, is interested Warner Music’s publishing business, while its partners are focused on recorded music, one of the people said.

Will Tanous, a spokesman for New York-based Warner Music, and Liz Young, a spokeswoman for Sony Music in New York, had no comment. Christine Taylor, a spokeswoman for Perelman’s MacAndrews & Forbes in New York, didn’t respond to requests for comment. Jeffrey Kelley, a spokesman for Guggenheim in Chicago, declined to comment.

Warner Music, which began seeking offers in January, fell 3 cents to $7.37 at 4:15 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has climbed 31 percent this year.

Ownership Breakdown

The record company, home to artists including Cee Lo Green and the Black Keys, has long-term debt of $1.94 billion, according to company filings.

Eight of Warner Music’s 13 directors are executives of Thomas H. Lee Partners LP and Bain Capital LLC, two Boston-based private-equity firms that together hold 51 percent of the company’s shares, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Providence Equity Partners owns 8.3 percent and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Edgar Bronfman Jr. owns about 7 percent.

Source: Bloomberg

One judge will handle both lawsuits filed by Michael Jackson’s parents over their son’s overdose death two years ago.

L.A. Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos was already handling the lawsuit by Michael Jackson’s mom against AEG Live – the promoter of her son’s planned comeback concerts in London. Court rules gave Judge Palazuelos the option of also hearing the lawsuit by Jackson’s dad against Dr. Conrad Murray – and the judge has decided to take that one, too.

This doesn’t mean there’ll be one trial; it only means one judge will hear both lawsuits. Joe Jackson’s lawsuit claims Dr. Conrad Murray shouldn’t have given his son the powerful sedative propofol – and should have told paramedics that he did.

Katherine Jackson is suing AEG Live; she claims the concert promoter is responsible for Dr. Murray’s medical decisions because it hired him to care for her son.

Dr. Murray is also charged with involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson’s death. That trial’s been pushed back to September.

Source: Southern California Public Radio

With Katherine Jackson ratcheting up the debate about her son Michael Jackson’s relationship with children by saying he was no child molester, a well-placed government source says: she’s right.

“The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services absolutely agrees with Katherine that her son never molested any child in cases the department investigated,” a source said.

Michael Jackson was investigated by DCFS on and off for at least 10 years. The department undertook a first extensive investigation of allegations made by an underage accuser in 1993.

“Michael was fully cooperative during all of his interactions with DCFS,” the source said. “Michael was interviewed for hours without his lawyer. He held nothing back. He couldn’t understand why these allegations were being made against him. DCFS cleared him on any wrongdoing in ALL investigations.

“Did Michael put himself in precarious situations that most normal people wouldn’t? Absolutely . . . The questioning was very, very hard on Michael, he just couldn’t fathom that anyone could accuse him of being a child molester.”

Another accuser, in 2005, “had absolutely no credibility,” the source said. “There were differing accounts of what happened from the accuser and his family members.”

Los Angeles’ DCFS also investigated claims of abuse last year involving Michael Jackson’s three children. Michael’s nephew, Jaafar, allegedly used a stun gun on Michael’s son, Blanket. After an extensive investigation, DCFS again took no action in the 2010 stun gun incident.

“Katherine was questioned by officials from the department, and as always, she was cooperative but saddened,” the source said. “Katherine feels that her family has been targeted by opportunists over the years, and she just hopes that was the last time she ever has to go through that.”

Source: Radar

Klein had said that Jackson was gay but that Jason’s alleged relationship with the singer was the only gay relationship MJ ever had.  Klein told us Jason was “the love of Michael’s life.”

But now on his Facebook page, Klein says “Allegations about … Jason being Michael Jackson’s lover are ridiculous.  That story was made up … ”

Klein also scoffs at allegations he contributed to MJ’s death, saying, “I made two interventions on Michael’s Propofol Abuse myself …”

Source: TMZ

According to the docs, Dr. Murray was on the phone with a cocktail waitress whom prosecutors say was his girlfriend … minutes before the 911 call was made.

Prosecutors say the woman, Sade Anding, was in Houston where she met Murray while working as a cocktail waitress.  Prosecutors say the call proves Murray was paying attention to his girlfriend, and not MJ, during the critical period before Michael’s death.  And, prosecutors want to admit a $500 check that Murray wrote to Anding “after the two came back from a social outing.”

Prosecutors also say Murray had communications with 2 other women on the day Michael died, one of whom is a stripper at Spearmint Rhino Gentleman’s Club in Las Vegas.  Prosecutors want to admit text messages between Murray and stripper Michelle Bella sent on June 25, 2009 at 8:30 A.M.  Prosecutors also want the jury to see a receipt for $1,100 — showing what Murray paid for at the Spearmint Rhino the day he met Bella.

A third woman — Bridgette Morgan, also called Murray on June 25, to ask about a plane ticket he said he was purchasing for her so she could fly out to see him.

Source: TMZ

Michael Jackson has been named the most popular act of the digital age.

Information collected from Gracenote, which compiles its data from billions of searches on services such as iTunes, Google lyrics and through Sony products, has indicated that Michael Jackson is the most looked-up, reports Music Week.

Other artists who follow Jackson on the list include Bob Marley and Tupac Shakur.

Gracenote added that The Beatles rank highly in Europe and North America, but do not appear in the uppermost parts of the data in other territories.

Source: Digital Spy

Michael Jackson’s one-time manager Frank Dileo is in a Los Angeles hospital fighting for his life after having heart surgery and subsequently experiencing complications.

Sources close to Dileo say he had bypass surgery on his heart last week and then suffered from complications the next day. Dileo is currently at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, but the status of his recovery is unknown.

“Frank scheduled his bypass to be at Cedars, but after suffering the heart attack, he’s taken a turn for the worse,” the source said.

“Much of his family is in town right now to be there for him. They’re worried, but of course hoping for the best.”

In August 2010, concert promoter Citadel Limited sued Dileo on accusations that the King of Pop’s manager had kept $300,000 the company paid as a fee for performances Jackson was supposed to make in Trinidad and Tobago just months after his June 2009 death.

Citadel Limited claimed Dileo personally accepted fees, which Citadel Limited paid via wire from April 2009 through June 2009.

Sadly, Michael Jackson died weeks later on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.

The 63-year-old manager was the executive producer for Jackson’s full-length movie Moonwalker as well as eight music videos including Grammy winner Leave Me Alone. He also managed Jackson’s Bad World Tour and the Jackson family Victory Tour.

Dileo has also managed the careers of Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, Taylor Dane and Jodeci as well as worked with Prince on numerous projects.

Source: Radar Online