Elvis, Marilyn Treasures Up for Auction

Michael Jackson tops the list again

(NEWSER) - When you’re a celebrity, dying doesn’t have to mean you stop making money. Forbes offers up its annual list of the top-earning celebs of the past year:

1. Michael Jackson: The King of Pop is in the top spot for the second year in a row, earning $170 million thanks to music sales, his stake in the Sony/ATV catalog, and a new Cirque du Soleil tour.
2. Elvis Presley: The King of Pop is followed by the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, who earned $55 million, much of which came from Graceland admissions. A Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas didn’t hurt, either.
3. Marilyn Monroe: A resurgence in popularity is partly to thank for her $27 million in earnings; for example, she was featured in an ad for J’Adore fragrance, and soon she’ll be getting her own line of cafes.
4. Charles Schulz: The Peanuts creator earned $25 million as his creations found themselves coming into the digital age via a video game, e-books, and a Facebook app, among other things.
5. John Lennon: The Beatles sold 1.6 million albums last year after finally arriving in the iTunes Store, which may have something to do with Lennon’s $12 million in earnings. Also helping? Yet another Cirque show.

Iconic dress Marilyn Monroe wore in 'Seven Year Itch' sets record

(NEWSER) - Actress Debbie Reynolds decided to unload the 3,500 movies costumes she has amassed over the years, and one of the very first ones to sell brought in quite the price: $5.6 million. That was what one lucky bidder spent to acquire Marilyn Monroe's white "subway" dress, which she famously wore in the Seven Year Itch. CNN reports that Reynolds was in tears when the bidding ended after 20 minutes, with the buyer paying $4.6 million for the dress and another $1 million to the auction house. The dress was only expected to fetch $2 million; the previous record for a Marilyn dress was $1.26 million, for the gown she wore while singing "Happy Birthday" to JFK. More»

Could hit Vegas auction house by June with a price tag of $5M

(NEWSER) - Another piece of strange Michael Jackson memorabilia is going up for sale, but this one might win the prize for most disturbing: It is, allegedly, the syringe that administered a fatal dose of drugs. “This is one of the sickest lots ever put up,” a source tells the Mirror , adding that the bizarre souvenir is being shopped around Vegas auction houses with a price as high as $5 million. More»

Alexa Ray Joel took a homeopathic drug, source says

(NEWSER) - Alexa Ray Joel is out of the hospital and "is going to be fine," her father, Billy Joel, said last night. The 23-year-old singer-songwriter, reportedly distraught over a recent breakup, was treated at a New York hospital after overdosing on a substance a source identifies as a homeopathic drug. Her mother, Christie Brinkley, was with her at the hospital. Although she has had "moments of being despondent.” the source tells Entertainment Weekly , “Alexa is actually very happy and healthy." More»

(NEWSER) - Mesmerizing photos of Marilyn Monroe before she hit the big time have surfaced in the archives of LIfe magazine. The 1950 shots in Griffin Park in Los Angeles reveal a peaches-and-cream 24-year-old Monroe before the ultra-glam shots that would become a staple of her career. "I was amazed looking at her face," said an editor at Life.com. "Although she looks very innocent, there is something very sexy." Monroe would be dead 12 years later from an overdose. More»