MICHAEL JACKSON29

Looking back on 2009, it's hard to believe that all the madness, sadness, scandal, success and mayhem was contained in a mere 365 days. This year we swung from the depths of grief with the death of Michael Jackson to the heights of history during President Barack Obama's inauguration and back down to the bottom thanks to the Tiger Woods scandal and Kanye West's VMAs bum-rush of Taylor Swift.

There were, of course, plenty of other high points, from the insanity surrounding the "Twilight Saga: New Moon" release and the breathless chatter about Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's alleged relationship, to the hilarity of the Eminem/Brüno incident at the MTV Movie Awards. The pulsing soundtrack to the whole maddening mess was provided, of course, by MTV News' Woman of the Year, Lady Gaga.

We tried to be everywhere for you this year, covering all the major events and news stories, offering the first peeks at videos and listens to the hottest albums while spending way more time than we would like to think about monitoring celebrity Twitter accounts. But, after careful consideration, we've boiled down the "Top 9 of '09" events that rocked our world this year.

Here's the countdown:

9. Miley Cyrus Quits Twitter
Where were you when you heard the news? No, not about MJ, but the bombshell that MTV's #5 Woman of the Year, Miley Cyrus, took leave of Twitter after months of furious updating. Her 2 million followers were stunned and complained that the micro-blogging service "sucks without Miley," but she softened the blow somewhat by posting a YouTube video in which she rapped her reasons for leaving.

8. Brüno Lands On Eminem
Not quite as earth-shattering but equally eye-opening was the surprise crash landing gay Austrian fashion correspondent Brüno made into Eminem's lap at the MTV Movie Awards in May. After nearly four years out of the spotlight, Eminem made his return to the limelight just in time to shake hands with Brüno's backside in one of the most talked-about awards show moments of the year, if not all time.

7. Lady Gaga Makes Her Mark
Nobody owned the airwaves and screens in 2009 like Lady Gaga. The high-concept dancing queen had one of the year's top-selling albums with The Fame and made a statement at every awards show on which she appeared, with high-tech costumes, theatrical performances and bizarre masks that failed to hide her sparkling persona. She saved some of the best for last with the November MTV debut of the mind-bending "Bad Romance" video, which featured razor-blade sunglasses and sparks-spewing underwear.

6. "New Moon" Fever Strikes
Aside from Gaga, the other obsession we couldn't shake in 2009 was the breathless wait for the release of the "Twilight" sequel "New Moon." From the slow reveal of the trailer to the details of the movie's smash opening weekend, we took you behind the scenes for every step of the journey, though even we couldn't unravel the truth behind the alleged relationship between co-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

5. Tiger Woods Falls From Grace
Celebrity scandals don't get much bigger than the Titanic Tiger Woods Meltdown. The world's #1 golfer and the highest-paid athlete in the history of the planet saw his closely guarded, private world blown to smithereens this year when a mysterious early-morning Thanksgiving car crash opened up a clown car worth of alleged girlfriends (14 at last count) claiming that they had been intimate with the married father of two. The cavalcade included a pair of porn stars, a former Playboy model, club hostesses, swimsuit models, a pancake-house waitress, a Trashy Girls Lingerie model and a pair of cougars. Woods announced he was taking a break from golf to try to repair his marriage, which appeared headed for divorce.

4. Barack Obama Becomes President
January started off the year with a positive bang, as former Illinois Senator Barack Obama became the country's first black president. MTV News was there on that cold winter morning when Obama took the oath of office on President Abraham Lincoln's bible (twice, actually) and was serenaded by the likes of U2, Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé, and we partied down that night at the Be the Change inaugural ball with Fall Out Boy, Kanye West and a special appearance by the new president himself.

3. Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift Onstage
It should go without saying, but it's never a good thing when the president calls you a "jackass." Yet that was Kanye West's fate after the rapper bum-rushed country cutie Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards with the now infamous rant, "Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!" The tipsy MC was asked to leave the event shortly thereafter, and despite a number of public and private apologies, he became the butt of innumerable jokes, parodies and skits at awards shows and on late-night talk programs. Following the deluge of bad press, MTV News' #7 Man of the Year took a breather from the spotlight, while our #2 Woman of the Year cemented her status as one of the year's breakout stars with her top-selling Fearless album and a slew of artist-of-the-year awards.

2. Chris Brown Assaults Rihanna
They were the glamorous R&B couple who seemed to have it all: love, success, beauty and talent. But in February, it all came crashing down when singer Chris Brown brutally assaulted former girlfriend Rihanna in a rented Lamborghini on the eve of the Grammy Awards. Brown avoided trial by pleading guilty to felony assault and was sentenced to 180 days of labor service and five years' probation, while Rihanna went into seclusion after graphic photos of her battered face were published. Both singers released new albums in late 2009, with Rihanna having modest success, while Brown appeared to be struggling to regain his pre-arrest footing.

1. Michael Jackson Dies
There are few moments in life when you can remember exactly where you were when you heard the news. Michael Jackson's death on June 25 was one of them. MTV News' Man of the Year was on the cusp of what might have been the comeback of the century when he died of cardiac arrest at age 50 in a rented Los Angeles mansion after taking a lethal dose of a surgical anesthetic. The world grieved, celebrated his storied career and watched teary eyed as his 11-year-old daughter bid an emotional farewell at his memorial ceremony. Fans didn't forget the King of Pop, flocking to screenings of a documentary, "Michael Jackson's This Is It," cobbled together from his final rehearsals, which grossed more than $100 million internationally on its opening weekend.

This report is from MTV News.
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MICHAEL JACKSON29

Nine months after his untimely death, Michael Jackson has secured the biggest record deal in history.

The singer's estate has signed a £132 million, seven-year contract with Sony Music for ten projects, including an album of never-before-heard songs, a video game and the re-release of his hugely successful album 'Off The Wall'.

The deal may also include a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas based on the king of pop's hits.

Since he passed away last June, 31,000,000 of his albums have been sold, earning more than £165 million.

'This Is It', a feature film of rehearsal footage from his London concert, has also taken £160million at the box office.(hellomagazine.com)
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MICHAEL JACKSON29

Plans to honor late pop icon Michael Jackson and his family's Gary roots have expanded to possibly include a golf course and an amusement park with characteristics of Jackson's Neverland Ranch and the former Riverview Park amusement park in Chicago.

The latest addition to plans that already include a Jackson family museum, a performing arts center and a 300-room hotel is slated to be built on about 100 acres of city-owned vacant land along I-94, said Odie Anderson, who is president of the project.

The museum, performing arts center and hotel likely will be built on 10 acres of city-owned land downtown, Anderson said.

"Everything is in the planning stages at this point, but we're moving on a fast track and we're looking forward to actually breaking ground sometime in 2010," Anderson said.

The project likely will be built in phases, with the museum, arts center and hotel first, followed by the golf course and theme park.

Private donors would foot most of the bill, but Anderson said he's looking to Gary for tax incentives. By Kristen Schorsch / Chicago Tribune
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MICHAEL JACKSON29

The tribute show Jermaine Jackson had been organizing for his late brother Michael has been canceled for the second time. And this time it’s for good.

The event organizers, World Awards Media, canceled the first show, which was supposed to be held in Vienna, Austria, in September 2009 due to promoters having issues securing big name stars to perform at the event. The show had since been rescheduled for London was supposed to be held in the summer of 2010, but a decision was made last month to dissolve the company behind the project.

Martin Schneider, liquidator for the organizers, said: “The company cannot sign any new contracts and will certainly not plan any new events.”

Jermaine had been trying to get big names like Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, and Natalie Cole to perform at the Vienna concert, which was canceled shortly after the King of Pop’s brother began organizing it. No names had been announced for the London concert, which has also been canceled. (gossiponthis)
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MICHAEL JACKSON29

Plans to honor late pop icon Michael Jackson and his family's roots in Gary have expanded to possibly include a golf course and an amusement park with characteristics of Jackson's Neverland Ranchand the former Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago.

The latest addition to plans that already include a Jackson family museum, a performing arts center and a 300-room hotel are to be built on about 100 acres of city-owned vacant land along Interstate Highway 94, said Odie Anderson, a Tinley Park resident who is president of the project.

The museum, performing arts center and hotel likely will be built on 10 acres of city-owned land in downtown Gary, Anderson said.

"Everything is in the planning stages at this point, but we're moving on a fast track and we're looking forward to actually breaking ground some time in 2010," Anderson said.

The project likely will be built in phases, with the museum, arts center and hotel built first, followed by the golf course and theme park. Then developers might build a monorail system to connect the two areas, Anderson said. If the monorail system was built, he estimates the entire project would cost $1 billion over a 10-year construction period.

Private donors would foot the bulk of the bill, but Anderson said he's also looking to Gary for tax incentives. He would not say how much money has been raised since Gary Mayor Rudy Clay in October announced two foundations created to raise money for the project.

Project officials still are considering whether to build a replica of the Jackson family home or have a bus tour of the Jackson family's former haunts.

In addition to having some of the characteristics of Neverland Ranch in California, the theme park's design also would be influenced by the former Riverview Park amusement park on Chicago's Northwest Side. The park would have roller coasters, trains and other rides familiar to anyone who sought thrills at Riverview or Neverland, Anderson said.

"We're trying to extract the best and come up with a combination that made Riverview so attractive for kids of all ages as well as (have) special themes of Neverland that would be reminiscent of the Jacksons," Anderson said.

Some Gary City Council members say they have yet to be briefed on the latest plans.

kschorsch@tribune.com
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MICHAEL JACKSON29

Police concerns about a terrorist attack stemming from the 2003 arrest of Michael Jackson led to a request for federal help, according to FBI files kept on the late pop star.

The Santa Maria Police Department in California asked for FBI "involvement" after Jackson was arrested for child molestation. Police, according to the FBI, said they believed the court case would be a "soft target" for terrorism because of "worldwide media coverage."

The FBI concluded there were no threats, but did note the presence in an early court appearance of "The Nation of Islam, represented by its security unit Fruits of Islam," and of a "New Black Panther Party" member whose name was left blank in the files.

The documents, more than 300 pages and dating from 1992 to 2005, were released Tuesday through a Freedom of Information Act request from The Associated Press and other media.

The documents include death threats against Jackson by a man who also cited
then-President George H.W. Bush and mob boss John Gotti as possible targets.

A letter obtained by the FBI, dated July 6, 1992, states: "I decided that because
nobody is taking me serious, and I can't handle my state of mind, that I am going to
Washington D.C. to threaten to kill the President of the United States, George Bush."

The letter also says, "Michael (Jackson) I will personally attempt to kill, if he
doesn't pay me my money." One of the documents, written by the L.A. City Attorney's
office, indicated on June 22, 1992, the author of the letter "arrives in Calif." and
"Threatens to kill."

The FBI said the person who wrote the letter was charged with extortion, pleaded
guilty and was sentenced to prison in 1993.

The files also show that the FBI's legal office in London assisted local authorities
with a child molestation probe in 1993 and in 1995, U.S. customs officials asked the FBI to analyze a VHS videotape as part of a child pornography investigation.
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MICHAEL JACKSON29

Michael Jackson's Thriller video, with that unforgettable graveyard dance, will rest among the nation's treasures in the world's largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings.

The 1983 music video directed by John Landis, though still the subject of lawsuits over profits, was one of 25 films to be inducted Wednesday for preservation in the 2009 National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

It's the first music video named to the registry. It had been considered in past years, but following Jackson's death, the time was right, said Steve Leggett, coordinator of the National Film Preservation Board.

"Because of the way the recording industry is evolving and changing, we thought it would be good to go back to the development of an earlier seismic shift, which was the development of the music video," he said.

Joining the King of Pop in the 2009 class will be the Muppets from 1979's The Muppet Movie— the first time on the big screen for Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy — and the 1957 sci-fi classic The Incredible Shrinking Man, among other titles.

The library works with film archives and movie studios to ensure original copies are kept safe. It also acquires a copy for preservation in its own vaults among millions of other recordings at the Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in the hills near Culpeper, Va.

"By preserving the nation's films, we safeguard a significant element of our cultural patrimony and history," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.

Congress established the registry in 1989, which now totals 525 films. They are selected not as the "best" American films but instead for their enduring importance to U.S. culture.

The library selects films that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant after reviewing hundreds of titles nominated by the public and consulting with the National Film Preservation Board.

In The Muppet Movie, Kermit leads his fellow TV characters on a road trip to Hollywood where they meet Steve Martin, Mel Brooks and other actors with the magic of creators Jim Henson and Frank Oz.

Other notable titles include Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), directed by Sergio Leone, representing the "spaghetti western" genre that helped propel such rising stars as Clint Eastwood. The list also includes Bette Davis' Oscar-winning performance in Jezebel from 1938.

The oldest film inducted was Little Nemo from 1911, a mix of live action and animation adapted from Winsor McCay's comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland. The film, highly advanced for its time, influenced future animators, including Walt Disney.

Regardless of ongoing legal disputes over rights to Jackson's Thriller, the library holds a copy submitted in 1984 for copyright purposes and will seek to acquire another for preservation. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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