This Day In History

Aug 29 1958

Michael Jackson born in Gary, Indiana.

...Coincidentally,

Aug 29 1996
California becomes the first state in the nation to require the surgical or chemical castration of persons who have committed two or more sexual assaults on minors.

Aug 29 2005
Category 3 storm Hurricane Katrina attacks the Gulf coast with 145-mph winds. Cities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi are declared disaster areas. Parts of New Orleans are submerged, some residents are left to scramble to their rooftops awaiting rescue. News organizations report widespread panic and looting, crowds abandoned on elevated freeways, and rumors of rape in the Superdome.

(Amazing pictures here...)

Documents: Marijuana Found in Search of Jackson's Bedroom

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The first search of Michael Jackson's bedroom a day after his death found marijuana, skin-bleaching and hair-growing ointments, anti-insomnia pills and empty bottles of several anti-anxiety drugs, according to court documents unsealed Thursday.

A substance initially suspected to be tar heroin proved not to be a narcotic, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

An affidavit, written by Los Angeles Detective Orlando Martinez, was used to outline probable cause for a warrant to search Jackson's Holmby Hills, California, home on June 26. Martinez filed his report on what was found in the search five days later.

While the documents may provide some insight into Jackson's life, they appeared to contain nothing that would lend new insight into his death.

Another sworn statement written by Martinez several weeks later -- and made public earlier this week -- provided a more extensive list of drugs found by investigators at Jackson's bedside.

That document also revealed that toxicology tests led the Los Angeles County coroner to a preliminary conclusion that Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, a powerful sedative he had been given to help him sleep.

The latest release refers to suspicions by some members of Jackson's family in the hours after his June 25 death that heroin might have been involved.

"During the course of the investigation, family members of the decedent notified [coroner investigator] Chief [Ed] Winter that they located a quantity of tar heroin in a bag in the decedent's bedroom located on the second floor of the residence," Martinez wrote.

He used this statement to justify a search of Jackson's home because "there may be additional medications and/or narcotics at the location as well as the necessity to confiscate these items for the safety of the minor children."

A source with knowledge of the probe told CNN Thursday that a test later showed that a brown, sticky substance found in the search was not heroin. The source asked not to be named because the source was not authorized to speak about it publicly.

In addition to listing two Baggies of marijuana, the detective's report of what was found in Jackson's home listed three vials of Latanoprost Plus Solution liquid. An online search found medical journal references to this glaucoma medication also used to stimulate hair growth.

Jackson suffered permanent hair loss when his scalp caught fire while taping a Pepsi commercial in 1984. He was known to wear wigs in public after the mishap.

Also listed on the detective's report was Benoquin ointment, a medication used to lighten skin pigmentation in people with vitiligo, a skin condition.

Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, said on CNN's "Larry King Live" last month that he had treated Jackson for the condition, which causes irregular patches of white skin. "His was bad because he began to get a totally speckled look over his body," Klein said.

The coroner announced two weeks ago that the report on Jackson's death was completed, but that police asked for it to be withheld until completion of the criminal probe.

Why Can't They Just Lay Him To Rest?

Jackson burial moved to September 3

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The date of the funeral for pop legend Michael Jackson has been changed to September 3, the singer's spokesman said Friday.

Jackson originally was scheduled to be laid to rest August 29, on what would have been his 51st birthday.

The private ceremony will still take place at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, according to a statement from Ken Sunshine.

No reason was given for the change in date.

The ceremony "will be limited to family and close friends," the statement said.

Jackson died June 25 of cardiac arrest. The famed entertainer was 50.

The release date for the movie drawing on Jackson's rehearsal footage was announced Thursday. "Michael Jackson: This Is It" will run in theaters worldwide for two weeks only beginning October 28, according to Sony Pictures.

Tickets for the film go on sale Sunday, September 27, Sony said in a news release Thursday.

"Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, and genius as he creates and perfects his final show," Sony said.

Kenny Ortega, who was working with Jackson to create the "This Is It" concert, is also directing the documentary.

Michael Jackson Will be Buried on His 51st Birthday

Took them fucking long enough..

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson will be buried Saturday, August 29, on what would have been the singer's 51st birthday, according to a statement from publicist Ken Sunshine.

The private ceremony will take place at Holly Terrace in The Great Mausoleum at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, and "will be limited to family and close friends," the statement said.

Jackson died June 25 of cardiac arrest. The famed entertainer was 50.

Other Jackson plans have moved sluggishly. Monday, a judge delayed his approval of the exhibition agreement between concert promoter AEG Live and the Jackson estate until Friday, when he will hear testimony about why Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, thinks it should be renegotiated.

The three-city exhibition of Jackson memorabilia could be derailed, as relations between Jackson's mother, the men Jackson named as executors of his will and the promoter of his planned comeback concerts have been challenging.

Questions surrounding Michael Jackson's death and AEG Live's role in his last days are an "obvious source of tension" as Katherine Jackson objects to the agreement, Jackson attorney Burt Levitch said.

Michael Jackson's family has "floated" the possibility of filing a wrongful-death lawsuit against AEG Live because of its "very, very active role in Michael's life during the last six months," Levitch said Monday.

Levitch said AEG Live "apparently paid for the services of Dr. Conrad Murray, who we're told is under criminal investigation in connection with the decedent's death."

Warrants used to search Murray's home and clinics indicated police were investigating his role in Jackson's June 25 death. A source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that Murray gave the anesthetic propofol to Jackson in the 24 hours before he died.

"There's an obvious link between AEG and concerns that we have about the decedent's demise," Levitch said. "So, that's one obvious source of tension right now."

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff set a November trial date to hear Katherine Jackson's potential challenge of John Branca and John McClain, who were named as executors in Michael Jackson's 2002 will. Katherine Jackson has proposed that she or one of her children be added as an executor.

"We think it's important for the family to have a seat at the table," Levitch said. "It's not just a matter of making a quick buck here." A Jackson family member would be in the best position to guide Michael Jackson's legacy, he said.

Beckloff delayed a decision until Friday on Katherine Jackson's objection to the agreement made by Branca and McClain, who are serving for now as special administrators of the estate, to allow AEG Live to produce a Michael Jackson exhibition.

Jackson lawyers argued in Monday's hearing that the 50-50 split of profits for the exhibition was too generous to AEG Live, but estate lawyers said they negotiated the best terms possible.

AEG Live lawyer Kathy Jorrie said any further delay in approval would cause the company to abandon the deal and the company would not renegotiate.

AEG Live would hold the exhibition just as a documentary about Jackson's last months hits theaters at the end of October.

"It's important to the world that we present them with the memorabilia at the time the movie is released," Jorrie said.

The judge has approved a merchandising agreement and the movie deal, both of which were adjustments to the contract Jackson signed with AEG Live earlier this year for a string of 50 comeback concerts that were to start last month in London, England.

Estate lawyer Howard Weitzman said canceling the exhibition deal could cost the Jackson estate $5 million.

Michael Jackson Craziness: Horror story Wrote for Kids

I am 99.9% sure this is media trash, but interesting none-the-less that they're reporting this over in the U.K.:

News of the World- "TORMENTED Michael Jackson wrote a chilling horror story about a CHILD ABUSER and SERIAL KILLER starring HIS OWN KIDS.

The sickening tale - called Kids on Swings - is a nightmare vision of Prince Michael II and Jacko's daughter Paris falling into the clutches of a fiend who slaughters children with a 'sling blade'.

He stabs Prince, sending him into a coma as they try to escape his clutches.

The King of Pop penned the story when he visited the UK in 2006 - a year after he was acquitted of child abuse charges.

It gives a warped insight into the tormented mind of the entertainer who suffered repeated beatings at the hands of his own violent father Joe.

The story is written in a childlike scrawl in black and blue pens on the back of letters and pictures of an Irish Georgian Castle.

It was found among documents and memorabilia handed to the News of the World.

Written as a play, it tells how Paris, 11, and seven- year-old Prince Michael II are playing on swings until the boy becomes 'disinterested' and runs off.

He runs to the brook skipping past rocks silhouetted against a crystal lake," Jacko wrote.

A pack of wild dogs then chase the pair as Paris screams for her 'DAD.'

In the next disturbing scene, the infants spot a man working in a field with a sling blade. "We see him working but we can't see his face," Jackson wrote.

The badly spelled story then takes a sinister turn as the identity of the fiend is revealed.

The character of Prince tells his sister: "He murdered his wife and no one ever sees his kids cause he keeps them tied to the bed like his wife, before he murdered her. He starves them FIRST then he murdered them, Paris."

His terrified sister admits to being scared before asking how he killed them. "He did it with a sling blade Paris," he adds. The 13-page story is believed to have been written while the eccentric entertainer was doped up on a cocktail of powerful narcotic pain killers.

The handwriting has been verified as Jackson's by top graphologist Erik Rees who has been observing the star's writing for 30 years and says it shows signs of a "split personality".

The tale was penned at a time when Jacko's behaviour became increasingly erratic and fears were raised for the safety of his three youngsters.

In the next scene Prince and Paris are in bed - too frightened to sleep. A twisted passage then describes how the monster got a facial scar.

"He starved a man for 2 weeks," it reads. "Just before killing him they had a fight. The guy he was trying to kill grabbed the knife to attack him. And he cut him over the eyes.

"He then got scared and ran into what they call the endless BLACK FOREST . . . he was never found again. Because they say there is no way out of the endless Black Forest."

The bizarre tale - which may have been read to Jacko's kids as a bedtime story - sees the two youngsters venture into the 'Black Forest' to visit the 'crazy man.'

Shaking with fear, the children peer through the window of his cottage before a spine-tingling scene in which he creeps up behind them.

(rest here)

Jackson's Mother Awarded Guardianship of His Children

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A Los Angeles judge granted temporary guardianship of Michael Jackson's three children to Jackson's mother, a court official said.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued the order Monday morning, soon after Katherine Jackson filed a petition in Los Angeles Probate Court seeking legal guardianship of the children.

The family also filed a petition asking that Katherine Jackson be named administrator of Michael Jackson's estate and that the children be named his sole beneficiaries.

The filing did not estimate Jackson's estate.
See the court papers (PDF file)

"Given the nature and extent of the descendent's assets, it would be difficult if not impossible to quantify their value at this time, so the calculation of bond would be speculative at best," the petition said.

The guardianship petition said the grandmother should be named guardian because "the minors have no relationship with their biological mother" and they are "currently residing with paternal grandmother."

"They have a long established relationship with paternal grandmother and are comfortable in their care," the petition said.

The two oldest children -- Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson, 11 -- were born to Debbie Rowe, who was briefly married to the singer.

Rowe gave up parental rights to Jackson in 2001, but she changed her mind more than two years later and sought temporary custody of the children. A California appeals court later ruled her rights were improperly terminated, opening the door to a possible custody battle.

There has been no public indication that Rowe is planning to challenge the grandparents for custody of the two children.

The mother of the third child, 7-year-old Prince Michael Jackson II, was never publicly identified. The guardianship petition listed the mother as "none."

Jackson died Thursday afternoon. An autopsy was performed on the entertainer Friday.

Toxicology reports from his body will disprove rumors that the singer's personal physician injected him with powerful painkillers, the attorney for Dr. Conrad Murray said Monday.

"Dr. Murray never prescribed Demerol, never administered Demerol, never saw him -- Michael Jackson -- take Demerol," attorney Edward Chernoff told CNN's "American Morning."

"And that goes as well for OxyContin. I think those are just rumors. When toxicology comes back ... that's going to be all cleared up," Chernoff said.

Murray met voluntarily for several hours with detectives over the weekend, the Los Angeles Police Department said late Saturday.

"We've let them know we're available to them any time they need us, any questions they have," Chernoff said. "We have told them that the medical examiner is free to call us. We'll be available to them. If they have any questions once toxicology comes out. I expect they will have some questions, and we'll be ready to answer them."

Murray found Jackson not breathing in bed when he entered the 50-year-old singer's estate on Thursday, Chernoff said. Jackson did have a slight pulse when Murray found him and tried to resuscitate the singer as he awaited paramedics, a representative with Chernoff's Houston, Texas, law firm said Sunday.

Jackson was rushed to a Los Angeles medical center, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy performed by a county medical examiner was inconclusive, although officials said there were no indications of external trauma or foul play. The Los Angeles County coroner's office has said toxicology results are needed before a cause of death can be determined. That could take four to six weeks.

Detectives impounded Murray's car, which was parked at the singer's rented home. Authorities said the vehicle may contain evidence related to Jackson's death, possibly prescription medications. Police have released no information on what they may have found.

Chernoff said there was nothing in Jackson's medical history that Murray was aware of "that would lead him to believe he would go into sudden cardiac arrest or respiratory failure."

"There was no red flag available to Dr. Murray, which led him to believe he would have died the way he did," Chernoff said. "It's still a mystery how he died to Dr. Murray.

"It was Dr. Murray ... as you know, that requested that the family ask for an autopsy, because he needed to know as well as his physician what caused Michael Jackson to stop breathing."



Watch Jackson's doctor denies prescribing Demerol »

Police take drugs from Jackson home »

Jackson's 'Missing' Doctor To Speak To Police

Sky News- The doctor who was with Michael Jackson when he suffered a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles has returned to the city, say reports.

Celebrity website Tmz.com says Dr Conrad Murray is preparing to speak to police investigating the star's death.

Officials were reportedly keen to interview him after Jackson's family suggested he died because of a drug overdose.

Tmz.com said Jackson had been receiving a daily injection of Demerol, a synthetic narcotic similar to morphine, and may have been given "too much" on Thursday.

Dr Murray lived with the singer and administered his injections but police were initially unable to trace him, Tmz reported.

Following his cardiac arrest, the self-proclaimed King of Pop was taken to the UCLA medical centre where he was pronounced dead. He was 50.

A recording of the 911 emergency call has shown Jackson was not breathing or responding to CPR when it was made.

The caller said he needed an ambulance "as soon as possible" and only the star's personal doctor was with him when he fell ill.

During the call to the Los Angeles Fire Department the man said: "Sir, we have a gentleman here that needs help and he's not breathing.

"He's not breathing and we're trying to pump him, but he's not ... he's not breathing. He's not conscious, sir."

Jackson's body was flown by helicopter from the hospital to the LA coroner's office for a post-mortem examination.

It is reportedly being performed by Dr Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, who was a star witness in the O.J. Simpson trial.

Brian Oxman, a lawyer for the Jackson family, said the singer's relatives had been concerned about his health for some time.

"Michael appeared at rehearsals a couple of times, he was very seriously trying to be able to do those rehearsals," he said.

"His use of medications had gotten in the way. His injuries which he had sustained performing, where he had broken a vertebra and he had broken his leg from a fall on the stage, were getting in the way."

The Michael Jackson 911 Call

Courtesy of TMZ.com

- Take A Crack At A Dead Man -

Immediately following Michael Jackson's death, an influx of shameless pedophile-related jokes emerged!

Here is a taste of some.. If you have any you would like to add, feel free.

"Due to the fact that MJ is mostly plastic his body will be melted down and molded into legos so kids can play with his bits for once."

"Hot off the presses: MJ got food posining...He ate 12 year old nuts..."

"MJ has died, and children all around the world can now breathe a sigh of relief"

"June 25th, 2009: Two celebrity white women have died on the same day."

"Farrah went to heaven and God asked her her final wish, she said I want the world to be a better place....he killed MJ."

"The national security level was just lowered to orange by the Boy Scouts."

Cops Seeking MJ's Doctor

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Police are looking for Michael Jackon’s personal physician but have been unable to contact him, they said Friday.

The doctor’s car was towed from Jackson’s home Thursday and impounded, authorities said.

The car may contain “medications pertinent to the investigation” into Jackson’s death, said Detective Agustin Villanueva of Los Angeles Police Department said.

Police did not release the doctors name.

They Say Death Comes In Threes..

They Say Death Comes In Threes...

Well, here there are.

Remember Where You Were- Michael Jackson Dies At Age 50

TMZ.com - We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived. A cardiologist at UCLA tells TMZ Jackson died of cardiac arrest.

Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.

We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.

La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.