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Investors Throw Dice on Jacko's Vegas Comeback

Investment firm pushing for a start to Michael Jackson: the Vegas Years

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 13, 2008 8:46 AM CDT

(Newser) – A Las Vegas comeback could be in the cards for Michael Jackson if a private equity firm has its way, the Wall Street Journal reports. A firm that owns the Las Vegas Hilton and a big stake in a casino company bought $23 million of Jackson's debt last month and is now in talks with the singer about an Elvis- or Celine-style residency on the Strip.

The company wants the exiled King of Pop, now holed up in rural Nevada, to ditch the image-tarnishing Neverland ranch and consider comeback options—including performing up to 180 gigs yearly in a purpose-built theater or building a Vegas show around his tunes. If the singer, who has shunned the spotlight since his 2005 child-molestation trial, consents to the plans, a Thriller Casino could be on the way, the firm tells the Journal.

Michael Jackson delivers his speech to fans during a  Fan Appreciation Day in Tokyo Friday, March 9, 2007.
Michael Jackson delivers his speech to fans during a "Fan Appreciation Day" in Tokyo Friday, March 9, 2007.   (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
Sheet music and pictures signed by Michael Jackson are on display at Guernsey's Auction House in New York, Thursday, April 5, 2007.
Sheet music and pictures signed by Michael Jackson are on display at Guernsey's Auction House in New York, Thursday, April 5, 2007.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The entrance to pop star Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch home is seen in this Dec. 17, 2004 photo, in Santa Ynez, Calif.
The entrance to pop star Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch home is seen in this Dec. 17, 2004 photo, in Santa Ynez, Calif.   (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
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