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Um! wtf

Michael Jackson preferred an audience while pissing in jars

So apparently Michael Jackson liked to pee in jars while people watched. Why not? TMZ reports:

TMZ first published the autopsy findings yesterday. Among the items found in the bedroom where Dr. Conrad Murray was treating Michael Jackson -- "a closed bottle of urine atop a chair."

Back in November, we posted a story about Dr. Arnold Klein, who told us that Michael Jackson had a habit of peeing in cups and other objects, often in front of others.

Dr. Klein told TMZ today Jackson would pee in any object that was available and it all stemmed from necessity. "That's how he peed," Klein said.

I don't know about you, but this is the first news item about Michael Jackson that actually makes him sound normal to me. No, really, he's basically a slight variation of that guy who randomly starts talking to you at the urinal. Sure, they're complete strangers, but their dicks are out so why not talk about the weather? You really can't argue with that logic

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Um! wtf

Michael Jackson preferred an audience while pissing in jars

So apparently Michael Jackson liked to pee in jars while people watched. Why not? TMZ reports:

TMZ first published the autopsy findings yesterday. Among the items found in the bedroom where Dr. Conrad Murray was treating Michael Jackson -- "a closed bottle of urine atop a chair."

Back in November, we posted a story about Dr. Arnold Klein, who told us that Michael Jackson had a habit of peeing in cups and other objects, often in front of others.

Dr. Klein told TMZ today Jackson would pee in any object that was available and it all stemmed from necessity. "That's how he peed," Klein said.

I don't know about you, but this is the first news item about Michael Jackson that actually makes him sound normal to me. No, really, he's basically a slight variation of that guy who randomly starts talking to you at the urinal. Sure, they're complete strangers, but their dicks are out so why not talk about the weather? You really can't argue with that logic

sounds like bull. i think the pee is from when his doctor was putting him in a coma every night...

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Michael Jackson doctor pleads not guilty to manslaughter

By Lorena Blas, USA TODAY

Conrad Murray, the physician who was with Michael Jackson when he died June 25, is due back in court on April 5 after pleading not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the case.

Murray, 56, and his defense team, including Houston-based attorney Ed Chernoff, appeared at an arraignment hearing in a Los Angeles courtroom Monday afternoon. Members of Jackson's family, including mother Katherine, father Joe, sister LaToya and brother Jermaine, also were there.

Prosecutors say the doctor "did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson … in the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony; and in the commission of a lawful act which might have produced death, in an unlawful manner, and without due caution and circumspection."

The charges could bring up to four years in prison. As he walked to the courthouse, Jermaine Jackson looked at cameras and said, "It's not enough." Joe Jackson said that he is "looking for justice."

During the hearing, the California Medical Board announced that it would be filing a motion to have Murray's license revoked. Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz told Murray he was restricting his practice of medicine, barring him from using any anesthetic agent, specifically the drug Propofol, which a coroner's report found was the cause of Jackson's death, with other drugs as contributing factors.

"I don't want you sedating people," the judge said.

Prosecutors asked that bail be set at $300,000 for Murray, who was taken into custody by sheriff's deputies but not handcuffed. However, Schwartz set bail at $75,000, which is three times what people charged with involuntary manslaughter face.

After the arraignment, LaToya Jackson issued a statement saying she believes that others besides Murray were involved in her brother's death. "I will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served," she said. That sentiment was echoed by Joe Jackson in an interview Monday night on CNN's Larry King Live.

In August, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said that the specific cause of Jackson's death was "acute Propofol intoxication," and the office declared the death a homicide.

Early in the investigation, Joe Jackson said his son's death was the result of foul play, and at the time of the coroner's ruling, the singer's family issued a statement. "The Jackson family has full confidence in the legal process," the statement said. "The family looks forward to the day that justice can be served."

Murray told investigators that he gave Jackson a series of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic Propofol to help him sleep.

According to a court affidavit unsealed after a search of Murray's offices in Houston last summer, the doctor told investigators that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for several weeks with 50 milligrams of Propofol every night via an IV drip. But Murray said that he worried that Jackson was developing an addiction to the anesthetic and that he was attempting to wean his patient by lowering the dose to 25 milligrams and adding the sedatives Lorazepam and Midazolam.

Propofol is used in hospitals for medical procedures such as heart surgery, Christopher Gharibo, medical director of pain medicine at New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases, told USA TODAY in August.

Jackson was laid to rest Sept. 3 in a marble mausoleum at Forest Lawn Glendale cemetery near Los Angeles. Family members were joined by the Rev. Al Sharpton, actress Elizabeth Taylor, singer Gladys Knight and others at the private funeral ceremony.

In November, Murray returned to work at his cardiology practice in Houston. He had taken a leave from the practice in April, when he became Jackson's personal physician.

At the same time the charge was filed Monday, the coroner's office released its autopsy report on Jackson. The document, previously obtained by The Associated Press, found the singer was in relatively good health and confirmed that he died from acute Propofol intoxication.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2010-0...on-doctor_N.htm

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Official Reopening Date Set for Captain EO Featuring Michael Jackson

captain_eo_poster-196x300.jpg

Since we first announced the return of Captain EO on the Disney Parks Blog, there has been an incredible response from fans, and weve received many enthusiastic emails and phone calls asking exactly when the classic Captain EO attraction featuring Michael Jackson will reopen.

Today, we are excited to give you an update on the Captains return!

On Tuesday, February 23, as a tribute to the magic, music and messages of Captain EO, the 3-D musical adventure is returning to the Tomorrowland theater in which it debuted. While its not possible to replicate some special effects elements from the original presentation, it will boast a new 70mm print of the film, and it will sound better than ever thanks to acoustic enhancements made to the theater since the film last played there in 1997.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010...ichael-jackson/

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Um! wtf

Michael Jackson preferred an audience while pissing in jars

So apparently Michael Jackson liked to pee in jars while people watched. Why not? TMZ reports:

TMZ first published the autopsy findings yesterday. Among the items found in the bedroom where Dr. Conrad Murray was treating Michael Jackson -- "a closed bottle of urine atop a chair."

Back in November, we posted a story about Dr. Arnold Klein, who told us that Michael Jackson had a habit of peeing in cups and other objects, often in front of others.

Dr. Klein told TMZ today Jackson would pee in any object that was available and it all stemmed from necessity. "That's how he peed," Klein said.

I don't know about you, but this is the first news item about Michael Jackson that actually makes him sound normal to me. No, really, he's basically a slight variation of that guy who randomly starts talking to you at the urinal. Sure, they're complete strangers, but their dicks are out so why not talk about the weather? You really can't argue with that logic

That sounds like the most ridiculous story ever! you just gotta laugh at this stuff :laugh: May i make a suggestion to the recruitment dept of tmz that they incorporate a section on personal fetishes in their applications :whistle:

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Famous Crime Scene: Ep. 103 "Michael Jackson"

Follow LAPD detectives in their investigation of the sudden and shocking death of the King of Pop. Toxicology reports confirm he died from a combination of prescription medications and a heavy-duty anesthesia drug called Propofol, all administered by a mysterious physician who was treating Jackson at home in the last month of his life. But other doctors were also giving Michael drugs up until his final days, some administered through his various aliases. Will this ongoing homicide investigation turn into a criminal case? Who will be responsible for this music legend's tragic and controversial death?

Friday, February 26 at 9:00 PM ET/PT ON VH1

http://www.vh1.com/shows/famous_crime_scen...pisodeID=164803

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AP Source: Jackson in $200M-plus recording deal

By RYAN NAKASHIMA (AP) – 48 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES — The estate of Michael Jackson has landed the late King of Pop the biggest recording deal in history: a $200 million guaranteed contract with Sony Music Entertainment for 10 projects over seven years, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The record-breaking contract through 2017 could be worth up to $250 million if certain conditions are met. One of the albums will be of never-before-released Jackson recordings that will come out in November, the person said.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement is expected Tuesday.

Future projects may also include a DVD compilation of videos and a re-release of "Off the Wall," Jackson's fifth studio album, which first came out in 1979, accompanied by some unreleased material. Before his sudden death in June at age 50, the pop star had wanted to re-issue the album, people familiar with the deal said.

One of the projects already counted in the contract was the two-disc album that accompanied "This Is It," the film based on footage of concert rehearsals for what was to have been Jackson's comeback at London's O2 arena.

Including the more than 5 million copies of that special release, Jackson has sold some 31 million albums since his death in June, about two-thirds of them outside the United States.

"During his life, Michael's contracts set the standard for the industry," said John Branca, the co-administrator of the Jackson estate, in a statement prepared for release Tuesday. "By all objective criteria, this agreement with Sony Music demonstrates the lasting power of Michael's music by exceeding all previous industry benchmarks."

Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony Music's Columbia Epic Label Group, said in prepared remarks, "We're dedicated to protecting this icon's legacy and we're thrilled that we can continue to bring his music to the world for the foreseeable future."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...zFEDXgD9EFERS03

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Witness: Michael Jackson doctor interrupted CPR

By THOMAS WATKINS (AP) – 1 hour ago

LOS ANGELES — As Michael Jackson lay dying in his bedroom in a rented mansion, his doctor stopped CPR on him and delayed calling paramedics so he could collect drug vials at the scene, according to an employee of the pop star who called 911.

Alberto Alvarez, who worked as Jackson's logistics director, told investigators that after receiving a distress call from another worker June 25, he rushed up the stairs of Jackson's home and entered a bedroom to find the singer lying on a bed with his arms outstretched and his eyes and mouth open.

At his side, Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was administering CPR with one hand.

"Alberto, Alberto, come quickly," Murray said, according to a statement obtained by The Associated Press. "He had a reaction, he had a bad reaction."

Two of the star's children, Prince and Paris, came in the room and cried as they saw Murray trying to save their father. They were quickly ushered away.

The account and other statements obtained by the AP depict a grisly scene in Jackson's room in the final minutes before paramedics arrived.

Jackson's death at age 50 was ruled a homicide caused by an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol and other sedatives.

The possibility that Murray may have tried to hide evidence is likely to be a focus as prosecutors move ahead with their involuntary manslaughter case against him.

Alvarez told police he arrived at Jackson's home around 10:20 a.m. He was awaiting instructions for the day in a security trailer outside Jackson's rented mansion when, at 12:17 p.m., his phone rang. It was Jackson's personal assistant Michael Amir Williams, who said Jackson was in trouble.

Alvarez said he was "frozen and stunned" when he saw Jackson on the bed.

Murray then grabbed a few vials with rubber tops and told Alvarez to put them in a bag, Alvarez told investigators. Alvarez picked up a plastic bag from the floor and Murray put the bottles inside, then Murray told Alvarez to put that plastic bag inside a brown canvas bag, according to the account.

Alvarez said Murray then told him to remove an IV bag from a stand and put it in a blue canvas bag. He did, and noticed the bag had a connector with a milky white substance in it. Alvarez didn't say what happened to the bags, nor did he identify what was in the vials.

Two days after Jackson's death, under several hours of questioning by police, Murray eventually directed them to a closet in Jackson's bedroom. In it, they found propofol and other sedatives in a bag.

Murray's lawyer, Ed Chernoff, rejected the notion his client tried to hide drugs. He also noted Alvarez was interviewed twice by police and gave different accounts of what happened in Jackson's bedroom. During the first interview, Alvarez did not mention being told to tidy away medicine vials.

"He wasn't putting bottles in a bag and trying to hide them," Chernoff said. "We are confident that a fair trial will ferret out the truth."

On the day Jackson died, Murray waited until the bags were filled before telling Alvarez to call 911, according to Alvarez's statement.

The documents also detail an odd encounter with Murray after Jackson was declared dead at a nearby hospital. Murray insisted he needed to return to the mansion to get cream that Jackson had "so the world wouldn't find out about it," according to the statements, which provide no elaboration.

Alvarez and the others who gave the statements, Williams and driver/bodyguard Faheem Muhammad, could be key witnesses should Murray go to trial. Except for the brief appearances by the nanny and the children, Alvarez and Muhammad were the only others in the room with Murray as he tried to save Jackson before paramedics arrived.

Murray, 57, a cardiologist licensed in Nevada, California and Texas, has acknowledged briefly leaving Jackson's bedside the day he died but maintained from the outset that nothing he gave the singer should have killed him. It wasn't illegal for him to administer propofol, though whether he followed proper procedures while Jackson was under the influence is a key part of the case.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown's office has asked a court to suspend Murray's license pending the outcome of criminal proceedings against him.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...zFEDXgD9EKAJPG2

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Documents: Anesthetic found in Jackson home

By THOMAS WATKINS (AP) – 25 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES — Unsealed search warrants in the Michael Jackson case reveal large quantities of general anesthetic and dozens of tubes of skin-whitening creams were among items found in the singer's home after his death.

Investigators went to Jackson's rented mansion June 29 following a lengthy interview with his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who told them he had placed a medical bag in a cupboard in a closet.

At the home, detectives found 11 containers of the powerful anesthetic propofol, some of them empty, as well as a range of sedatives and various medical items including a box of blood pressure cuffs, according to the warrants, which were redacted and unsealed Friday after The Associated Press filed a legal motion.

Jackson's June 25 death at age 50 was ruled a homicide caused by an overdose of propofol and other sedatives. Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

During their search, detectives found 19 tubes of hydroquinone and 18 tubes of Benoquin, both of which are commonly used in the treatment of a skin condition Jackson had called vitiligo. The disease creates patches of de-pigmented skin, and creams can be used to lighten skin that has retained its color to give a more even appearance.

The discovery of medical creams in Jackson's home dovetails with an odd remark Murray reportedly made soon after Jackson's death.

According to police statements obtained by the AP, Jackson's personal assistant, Michael Amir Williams, told detectives that in the hospital where Jackson was pronounced dead, Murray told him he wanted to return to Jackson's house "so that he could pick up some cream that Mr. Jackson has so that the world wouldn't find out about it."

Alberto Alvarez, Jackson's logistics director, who was summoned to the stricken star's side as he was dying, told police Murray interrupted CPR on the pop star to collect drug vials. He gave the vials and an IV line with a milky substance resembling propofol to Alvarez, according to the statement Alvarez gave police, and told him to put them in bags that were similar in description to those later found in the closet.

The skin cream was not listed as a factor in Jackson's death nor was it detected in a toxicology report. What killed Jackson, according to the autopsy report, was an overdose of propofol, an anesthetic normally used for surgery. Murray told police he gave it to Jackson to help him sleep, a use anesthesiology experts have said is grossly improper.

Dr. Zeev Kain, anesthesiology department chair at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center, said he was surprised by the amount of propofol detectives found. Among the 11 containers police said they found were three 100ml vials, which Kain said could be used as general anesthesia for several hours.

"A doctor should not use propofol at home to start with," Kain said.

The warrants also show Murray shipped propofol and other medications to his girlfriend Nicole Alvarez's house in Santa Monica. It's unusual to send propofol to a private residence but not illegal.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...Vr1FfQD9EMSTV01

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Attorney: Michael Jackson had heartbeat at hospital

By Alan Duke, CNN

March 24, 2010 7:49 a.m. EDT

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Medical records showed that Michael Jackson's heart beat briefly at a hospital emergency room, but he was "long gone" by then, a lawyer for Jackson's father said.

Joe Jackson's lawyer mailed a notice over the weekend to Dr. Conrad Murray saying the elder Jackson would file a wrongful death lawsuit against him in 90 days, attorney Brian Oxman said.

"The bottom line is, had [paramedics] gotten there earlier and had they been called right away, chances are he could have been revived," Oxman said.

Jackson's father's lawsuit will accuse Murray, the pop star's personal physician, of causing his death by delaying the call for an ambulance, Oxman said.

Oxman said records showed that Jackson was "long gone, 20 to 40 minutes before the paramedics got there."

Jackson, 50, was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center two hours after he arrived there by ambulance from his Holmby Hills, California, home.

The Los Angeles coroner concluded that Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, was from "acute propofol intoxication." The autopsy revealed that Jackson's blood had a level of propofol, a powerful anesthesia, equal to that used in major surgery.

Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter by acting "without malice" but also "without due caution and circumspection." He was freed on $75,000 bail.

California law requires medical wrongful death lawsuits to be filed within a year of the death, Oxman said. Since a doctor must be given 90 days notice, Saturday's mailing was timed to meet the deadline, he said.

A prosecution report leaked to the media last week included a statement from a witness who said Murray stopped resuscitation efforts on Jackson so he could collect propofol bottles.

Oxman's notice to Murray called that delay "an outrageous departure from the standard of care."

Oxman said the lawsuit will really put "this whole blasted thing together from top to bottom, from top to bottom. It identifies what happened by time, by date and by place."

"There was cardiac activity, electrical impulses, and he did have a cardiac rhythm which they got going through their resuscitation," Oxman said of Jackson. "But he could not sustain it on his own."

A spokeswoman for Murray's criminal defense lawyer said he has not received the notice from Oxman.

"It's like a bucket of water thrown on a man drowning in the ocean," said Miranda Sevcik, a spokeswoman for defense lawyer Ed Chernoff.

The California state medical board will ask a judge to prevent Murray from practicing medicine in California while he is being prosecuted in Jackson's death, according to documents filed last week by California Attorney General Jerry Brown.

Brown said in his filing that Murray, who was the pop star's personal physician, "administered a lethal dose of propofol, as well as other drugs, to Michael Jackson."

"We will argue in court that Murray was reckless in giving Jackson such a dangerous drug and has demonstrated a serious lack of judgment that should prohibit him from practicing medicine," Brown said.

Los Angeles County Judge Keith Schwartz refused a prosecution request to suspend Murray's California medical license as a term of his bail last month, but he did order him not to use any anesthesia on patients.

"I don't want you sedating people," Schwartz told Murray.

Chernoff said nothing has changed since then. Murray has no office or patients in California, he said. Murray resumed his medical practice in Texas and Nevada last fall.

The next hearing date for the criminal case is April 5.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/29/michael.jackson.lawsuit/

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Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin to Be Named Apollo Legends

Date: 01-Apr-2010

Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin are to be inducted into the Apollo Theater's Hall of Fame in New York. The late King of Pop and the Queen of Soul will be named Apollo Legends at a gala on June 14.

Jackson launched his career with the Jackson Five at the Apollo's Amateur Night in the late 1960s. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony will also be honored with Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis Arts and Humanitarian Award at the event for their humanitarian work.

For the June 14 gala, Jamie Foxx is tapped to serve as the host. The event is scheduled to begin at 6.30 P.M. with a star-studded red carpet and then followed by the Benefit concert and awards ceremony at 7.00 P.M.

http://showbiz.peacefmonline.com/music/201004/41199.php

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Jackson doctor's case assigned to LA trial judge

By LINDA DEUTSCH (AP) – 5 hours ago

LOS ANGELES — With Michael Jackson's mother, father and three siblings looking on, Dr. Conrad Murray began a slow process toward trial with the appointment of a judge and the setting of another hearing to handle pending matters in his involuntary manslaughter case.

Murray made quick back-to-back appearances in separate courtrooms Monday.

First, Supervising Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza assigned the matter to another judge for all further proceedings. Then, spectators, media and fans followed Murray down to a lower floor where he appeared before Judge Michael Pastor.

Abiding by ethics requirements, Pastor disclosed he had written a recommendation for Deputy District Attorney David Walgren, the prosecutor in the case who has applied for a judgeship.

Pastor said they are not personal friends, and he would not have a conflict in trying the case.

Pastor also said that 27 years ago he was appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, who is now California's attorney general. Brown's office is seeking to revoke Murray's medical license pending trial.

"This will in no way affect my ability to be a fair and impartial judge in this case," Pastor said.

Lawyers have 10 days to file a challenge against Pastor if they choose.

A large contingent of Jackson family members had been expected but only five appeared. Jackson's mother, Katherine, his father, Joe, and siblings Janet, Jermaine and Randy sat quietly in the spectator section and made no comments to the press.

Trina Saunders, a representative of the attorney general's office, asked that the hearing regarding Murray's medical license be held sooner than June 14, but the judge rejected her request and said all pending matters would be handled on that date.

Earlier, about 50 Jackson fans waved signs and chanted outside the courthouse.

The fans sang "We Are the World," wore T-shirts emblazoned with Jackson's picture and the slogan, "Justice 4 Michael," and carried placards demanding stronger charges against Murray.

Fans in a courthouse hallway called out "Hi Janet" as Janet Jackson arrived.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

Normally, such a procedural hearing would draw few spectators.

But with Jackson's death as the backdrop, crowds of fans and media were expected, and Jackson family members have committed to attending all court proceedings against Murray.

Murray's attorneys contend the license issue is critical to his ability to pay for his defense.

The doctor has a history of serious financial problems and his attorneys, Ed Chernoff and Joseph Low, said in a recent court filing that the effect of losing his license would be devastating to Murray.

"He is, without fear of overstatement, hanging on by a thread," the attorneys wrote. "His ability to pay for his own defense depends almost entirely on his ability to continue to treat patients."

Murray, 57, a cardiologist, has clinics in Las Vegas and Houston and also has a license to practice in California. Should his California license be lifted, his lawyers suggest there would be a "domino effect" with other states moving to do the same.

Already, Nevada authorities have filed a formal complaint against Murray saying he twice failed to mention delinquent child support payments on applications to renew his medical license. Miranda Sevcik, spokeswoman for Murray and Chernoff, says Murray's legal team hopes to resolve the complaint in a way that allows the doctor to keep his license.

As a condition of his $75,000 bail, Murray has been ordered not to administer any anesthetic.

Jackson was 50 and about to launch a series of comeback shows in London when he died last June after being rushed to a hospital from his rented mansion. Murray, who signed on in May at $150,000 a month to keep Jackson healthy through the comeback tour, told police he had been treating him for insomnia.

The pop star was found to have died from acute intoxication with the hospital anesthetic propofol and other sedatives as a contributing factor.

Chernoff has said that nothing Murray gave the singer should have killed him.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil Show Details Revealed

'The entire catalog is open to us ... [his unreleased songs] could also be a part of our new shows,' Cirque CEO Daniel Lamarre says.

By Larry Carroll

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Since his shocking death, Michael Jackson's estate has seen an unprecedented level of earning, putting the King of Pop on a trajectory that rivals music's all-time greatest entertainers. Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil has spent the last few years staging elaborate tribute shows to the likes of Elvis and The Beatles. If any doubt remained that MJ belongs on that legendary level, the two entities are now joining forces for a series of groundbreaking shows that will entertain, embrace and establish the iconic superstar.

"We came to an agreement with Michael Jackson's estate to create and produce two shows," Cirque du Soleil President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Lamarre revealed to MTV News. "One show is going to be an arena show at the end of 2011 and will tour for one year in North America and then tour around the world for many years to come. At the end of 2012, we'll also open a permanent show in Las Vegas."

The overall effort is referred to only as the "Michael Jackson projects" for the time being, and as anyone who has seen such Cirque shows as "Ka," "Love" or "Viva Elvis" will tell you, the company isn't lacking when it comes to production spectacle. The Estate of Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil will each own 50 percent of the projects, sharing equally in the cost of creating, developing, building and producing the shows; the Michael Jackson estate will also receive royalty payments for the King of Pop's music.

"The entire catalog is open to us ... we don't know [which songs we'll use] yet, but obviously all of the people will be looking for the big hits of Michael Jackson; we don't want to avoid that," Lamarre said of plans to incorporate not only classics like "Thriller," but also never-before-heard tunes. "We want to make sure that we will meet musical expectations from the fans. At the same time, [Michael Jackson estate executors] John McClain and John Branca are also that they want to make with Sony music — and that could also be a part of our new shows.

"There will be two different approaches," he explained of the distinction between the MJ/Cirque shows. "For the arena show, there will be a simulation of a concert of Michael Jackson, and we will use some technology to make sure that people feel and see the presence of Michael Jackson.

"The new technology that we want to bring to [the permanent] Vegas [show] will be more theatrical," he said, adding that although the show doesn't have a home yet, it will be in one of the MGM Mirage (Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo) hotels, which will likely be retro-fitted with Michael Jackson-themed elements within its hotel and casino. "They will see Vegas become the home of Michael Jackson and people will come from all over the world to experience the uniqueness of the technology that we want to bring there."

Some might wonder how anyone could hope to revive such a unique performer onstage — Lamarre said the answer is to simply bring back the man himself.

"I think we can use some 3-D technologies and hologram technologies to allow people to see Michael Jackson onstage," he said of Cirque's intriguing idea to put Michael alongside the living, breathing Cirque performers. "If you are an MJ fan, you want to see him, and we have to find the best, most innovative way to bring Michael onstage."

As for the plot or theme of either show, Lamarre said, "We're not there in terms of the creative process, but normally we don't like to be literal," shooting down any notion that the show would play like a biopic or narrative about MJ's life and death. "I would like to think it would be more of a theatrical tribute to Michael. We don't necessarily think of chronology or story lines or anything. It will be more of an extravaganza-type of show, like Michael used to do."

Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil Show Details Revealed - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News

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