Michael Jackson Forums

Archive for June, 2009

Fans who bought tickets for Michael Jackson's London concerts have been told they can have a full refund - or instead receive their actual ticket as a souvenir.

[Now THERE'S some marketing genius at work... -ed.]

Some of the most over the top coverage of Michael Jackson's death from the media collected by Gawker

Michael Jackson claimed to have a net worth of $236 million as of March 31, 2007, according to financial documents obtained by The Associated Press that shed light on the late pop star's murky finances and prodigious borrowing.

The five-page report says Jackson had debts of $331 million, leaving him with a net worth of $236.6 million. Highlighting his shaky financial health, the singer known for his lavish shopping sprees had just $668,215 in cash, according to the report, which is dated June 12, 2007.

The report says the accounting of Jackson's finances is "based on information produced by his advisers." It paints a pictures of Jackson's tangled finances and the mountain of debt he left behind.

Michael Jackson's body will return to his Neverland Ranch on Thursday morning for a public viewing on Friday, CNN has learned.

"I believe that his body will lie in state in Gary, Indiana," Mayor Rudy Clay said Tuesday. "Now, it may not happen, but I believe it will."

["Lie in state"?? Oh, dear. How distasteful... and *fragrant* after a few weeks above ground after death. -ed.]

Yesterday, parents Joe and Katherine Jackson sought control of Michael's estate, claiming in court documents that the King of Pop died without a will. Hours later, one drafted in 2002 surfaced.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the document-which will no doubt be the centerpiece of a lengthy and ferocious legal battle in months to come-divides the superstar's estate among his mother, his three children (Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II) and at least one charity.

It's unclear what custody arrangements, if any, Jackson made for his three children. But a court ruling yesterday gave temporary guardianship to Katherine.

At least one aspect of the will does appear to be clear: Joe Jackson wasn't named as an heir.

Media coverage of Michael Jackson's death began receding following an extraordinary worldwide outpouring, with the shock wearing off and the pace of new developments slowing.

[That's why the family is delaying the funeral, silly! They want to drag out the coverage as long as humanl... er... corpsily possible. -ed.]

TMZ has that learned Michael Jackson was not the biological father of any of his children. And Debbie Rowe is not the biological mother of the two kids she bore for Michael. All three children were conceived in vitro -- outside the womb.

[I would have guessed that Debbie WAS the biological mother because Paris looks eerily like her. Oh, well, I guess that's the minor surprise in all this. -ed.]

Singer Michael Jackson departs the courthouse after listening to closing arguements in his child molestation trial at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse June 2, 2005 in Santa Maria, California.

Oxman tells British newspaper The Sun, "During Michael's court trial he was taking 40 Vicodin a day, and this may have even increased. It's an insane amount of drugs to be given, and to be taken."

[I *love* Brian Oxman. He just talks and talks and talks and talks... -ed.]

Questions have been raised about the physical condition of Michael Jackson in the days leading to his death.

The Los Angeles coroner's office said reports Jackson was almost bald, emaciated and that his hips, thighs and shoulders were riddled with needle wounds did not come from its pathologists. Assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said: "I don't know where that information came from, or who that information came from. It is not accurate. Some of it is totally false."

Bags of pills and other medicines were seized from the star's rented mansion on Monday as his personal physician continued to insist that the singer had not taken an overdose. Mr Winter said the substances were being seized following information from the police investigation and questions raised by the coroner's office.

It took up to a half-hour for paramedics to be called to Michael Jackson's home after the singer was found stricken in the bedroom of his rented mansion, an attorney for the firm representing the pop icon's doctor said Monday.

Matt Alford, a partner in the Houston law firm representing Dr. Conrad Murray, said the physician was unfamiliar with his surroundings and that delayed the call.

"He didn't know where he was, didn't know the physical address," Alford said in an interview with The Associated Press. "There was no land line, no phone in Jackson's room that would have allowed him to call. It was all happening so fast."

[In-between CPR breaths, why wasn't he screaming for help? -ed.]