In Estate Planning, Take a Lesson From MJ

Two sedatives blamed for entertainer's demise

(NEWSER) - Confirming reports leaked Monday, the LA County coroner's office said today that Michael Jackson's death was a homicide. The ruling means someone else caused the death but does not assign blame or even necessarily mean a crime was committed, MSNBC reports. The official cause of death is "acute intoxication" with the powerful anesthetic propofol, which Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, has acknowledged administering. The full autopsy report was not released. More»

(NEWSER) - The House of Representatives will not consider a resolution praising Michael Jackson’s humanitarianism, the Boston Globe reports. “A resolution, I think, would open up to contrary views to—that are not necessary at this time to be expressed in association with a resolution whose purpose is quite different,” Nancy Pelosi explained. Sponsor Sheila Jackson-Lee, who spoke warmly of MJ at his memorial, says she isn’t giving up. More»

For Calif. community, King of Pop not bigger than Jesus, but 'about even'

(NEWSER) - A California family says Michael Jackson’s likeness appeared on a tree stump in their yard the day the pop singer died, CBS 13 reports. Some neighbors say the stump looks more like the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, or like Jesus. One neighbor finds the latter comparison fitting: "Michael Jackson was an icon to us," the neighbor explained. "To Stockton, Michael Jackson meant more to us than Jesus, to some people. I think they're both about even." More»

(AP) - Michael Jackson fans began to celebrate tonight after beating the odds to win coveted tickets to Tuesday's memorial service at the Staples Center in LA. "I'm in shock that it has happened," said Deka Motanya, 27, of San Francisco. "It's surreal." More than 1.6 million fans registered online the random drawing of only 8,750 names—a 1-in-183 chance. Each person selected will receive two free tickets. More»

If it's truly the kids she's after, she's only hurting them

(NEWSER) - After Debbie Rowe announced she wanted custody of Michael Jackson’s two older children, her lawyer “scrambled to say she had reached no final decision,” writes Michael Daly for the New York Daily News. Which means she could probably still be persuaded to, say, accept another big payment to relinquish her parental rights for the third time. So far she’s received more than $4 million, plus a house. More»