MICHAEL JACKSON29

Michael Jackson's stunning death made him the Internet's biggest star this year.

The quest to find out what happened to Michael Jackson in his final hours on June 25 and celebrate his legacy elevated the late entertainer to the top of the Internet's search charts for 2009. On Yahoo, it ended singer Britney Spears' four-year reign on top.

The annual lists released Tuesday were compiled separately by Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc., which combined handle two-thirds of the world's Internet searches.

Jackson also grabbed the top spot on the third-largest U.S. search engine, Microsoft Corp.'s Bing, which announced its rankings Sunday. AOL, which relies on Google's search technology, also had Jackson at No. 1.

The lists are meant to provide a reading on our cultural pulse.

As usual, people using Yahoo's search engine in 2009 seemed to be most interested in celebrities and other diversions, even against the sobering backdrop of the worst recession in 70 years.

Google's audience seem more interested in using the Internet to connect with friends and family.

The online hangout Facebook and Tuenti, a similar socializing site in Spain, both made Google's Top 10, as did the popular communications tool Twitter. Microsoft's latest Windows operating system also grabbed a spot. Singer Lady Gaga was the only other celebrity besides Jackson on Google's Top 10.

Google, which processes more than six times the search volume that Yahoo does, has had a more diverse mix in its annual search rankings. The self-proclaimed King of Pop follows former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (2008) and Apple Inc.'s iPhone (2007) in Google's top spot.

Besides Michael Jackson, the other new entrants on Yahoo's Top 10 list this year were: No. 2, "Twilight," the vampire story that has spawned two movies, including the recently released "New Moon," that are drawing hordes of teenage girls and their mothers; No. 4, Megan Fox, an actress who starred in the movie "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen;" No. 8, Kim Kardashian, part of a family with their own reality TV series; and No. 9, NASCAR, an automobile racing league.

"New Moon" also made Google's Top 10.

The other half of Yahoo's list consisted of 2008 holdovers. With the defending champion Spears dropping to fifth, the others were: No. 3, WWE, or World Wrestling Entertainment; No. 6, Naruto, a character created for the Japanese art form known as anime; No. 7, top-rated television series "American Idol;" and No. 10, RuneScape, an online video game.

Barack Obama made Yahoo's top searches list in 2008 as a presidential candidate and the President-elect, but fell off after he took office in 2009. The others falling out of the Top 10 were all actresses: Miley Cyrus, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan and Angelina Jolie.

Google also said Obama was among search requests that declined the most in 2009. Others losing steam included singer Amy Winehouse and actor Heath Ledger, whose January 2008 death triggered a searching frenzy.

Although the economy couldn't compete with entertainment in 2009, the hard times clearly weighed on people's minds. "Coupons" and "unemployment" were the most requested searches tied to finances, according to Yahoo.

Ask.com, another major search engine, focused its list on the most popular questions posed on its search engine. "How do I get out of debt?" was the second-ranking question of the year.

No. 1? "How much should I weigh?"
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Write

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MICHAEL JACKSON29

Artist Nate Giorgio recalls the last time he saw Michael Jackson, just days before the singer's death.

The pop icon wanted Giorgio to create dazzling murals of his children as well as artwork for his "This Is It" concerts, and Giorgio got out his pen during their talks.

"I was doing little drawings on the spot of him, and he loved it," says Giorgio of his black-and-white sketches. "He was great, he was really excited."

Those never-before seen sketches, as well as other rare artwork and photos of Jackson, are now part of a lavish new leather-bound book, "The Official Michael Jackson OPUS," out Dec. 7.

The book, the only publication officially sanctioned by Jackson's estate, not only contains unseen images of perhaps the world's most famous face, it also has essays about the superstar written by friends and those who worked with Jackson over the years, from Motown founder Berry Gordy and Paula Abdul to John Landis and David Blaine.

While many Jackson books have been printed since Jackson's June 25 death at age 50, Jeff Wald, president of OPUS Media Group, which published the book, says his stands out.

He and his team decided "this would not be a red carpet sound bite kind of a book," he says. "It wasn't about, 'Yeah, he's a great singer, a great dancer.' It was much more in depth about the human being that he was."

To that end, OPUS executive vice president Jordan Sommers elicited essays that weren't quite tributes, but personal reflections. Some talk about Jackson the jokester; others recall his artistic genius; still others reflect on his friendship.

"There's a lot of information from the book that comes directly from sources that will clear up a lot of misconceptions," he says. "There are stories told directly from the likes of Smokey Robinson (and others) that they've never told before."

The photos, some of which were provided by friends like Gordy, range from Jackson's childhood to his many transformations as an adult.

"Our mandate ... was to have most of the photos either not be seen ever before or never ever seen in the format in which they had been (shown)," says Wald.

There are also drawings of Jackson done by Giorgio and other artists. Giorgio says Jackson was a voracious art collector and was very specific about the kind of imagery he wanted of himself, jotting down instructions, some of which are included in the book.

While Wald talked about the book (which costs $249) benefiting the Jackson children and his mother, the Jackson family did not play any role in the creation of the 400-page, 26-pound book.

"We just decided this would be something apart from the family," Wald said. "It was about Michael... We really stayed narrowly to that."

Jackson's continuing appeal is highlighted by the success of the film "This Is It," which has become the all-time top-grossing music documentary, and the honors that still arrive, such as Jackson posthumously winning four American Music Awards on Sunday night.

Wald first met Jackson as a teen and stayed in touch with him throughout the years. Jackson reached out to him earlier this year because he was a fan of the OPUS books and wanted two done on him: one based on the "This is It" concerts and another chronicling his career.

Wald said Jackson, who at times had battled an addiction to prescription drugs, was lucid and energetic when they met for two hours at his home.

"He seemed clear eyed, not drugged... he was in great spirits," he says. "He was just happier than hell, he had a sense of humor about him... it was nothing like you hear on all those breathless reports on television."

Giorgio, who illustrated the book's cover sketch, recalls Jackson being anxious for him to start work on huge murals he planned to put in his Las Vegas residence: He wanted a painting of himself and his children walking through a forest.

"He kept telling me, come on, we gotta start on this — the kids are growing, and they are changing," he says.

While Giorgio drew elaborate, fantasy images of Jackson for the legend, he says the quick sketches he took of Jackson just before he died reveal the most: "They really capture more of the essence of him." By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer

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MICHAEL JACKSON29

A casino in the Chinese gambling haven of Macau will open Asia's first Michael Jackson shrine after its owners bought the late King of Pop's iconic white rhinestone glove for $350,000 at a U.S. auction.

The shrine will be located in the lobby of the casino-resort Ponte 16, adding to Macau's attractions which already include the world's largest casino, The Venetian.

"MJ's distinctive musical sound, vocal style and choreography inspired numerous pop, rock, R&B and hip hop artists," said Hoffman Ma of Success Universe Group, who has teamed up with Macau gaming tycoon Stanley Ho in the Ponte 16 venture.

"We aim to create a rendezvous to reminisce this great performer of the 20th century," he added in a statement.

During Saturday's auction of Jackson memorabilia in New York, Ma's firm paid $350,000 for the glove, almost eight times the pre-sale estimate amid stiff bidding.

Ponte 16 also snared nine other items that were owned by Jackson, which will also be housed in the "MJ Gallery," including a signed drawing of Charlie Chaplin, a pair of acrylic tube socks, Jackson's "zombie" shirt which he wore in the video of "Thriller" and a platinum record awarded for the album "Bad"

"These precious items can revitalize MJ's legendary career to all his fans, providing them another place to house MJ memorabilia besides the Neverland Ranch in California," the resort said in a statement, without giving an opening date.

The white glove, which auctioneers Julien's Auctions, called "the Holy Grail of Michael Jackson," was worn by the performer when he first staged the famous moonwalk dance at the 1983 Motown 25 television special.

Made of cream leather and studded with hand-sewn rhinestones, the left-handed glove is considered an iconic accessory by Jackson fans.

(Reporting by James Pomfret, editing by Miral Fahmy)

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MICHAEL JACKSON29

The glove Michael Jackson wore during his legendary performance at "Motown 25," can now be found at the Ponte 16 Resort Hotel in Macau.

The glove was sold over the weekend to a bidder from Hong Kong, who paid $350,000 for it ($420,000, plus taxes and fees). The bidder, like many others, attended the Michael Jackson auction, held by Julien's Auctions Saturday at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York's Times Square. Profits from the event totaled a whopping $2 million.

"The glove" as many people simply coined it, was worn by Jackson during his performance at Motown's 25th anniversary TV special in 1983, where Jackson debuted the moonwalk. It was originally owned by Walter "Clyde" Orange of The Commodores. According to CNN, Orange asked for Jackson's autograph at the taping, but instead Jackson generously gave him the glove.

Other items auctioned off included a signature black jacket from Jackson's "Bad" tour, which went for $270,000. A Jackson drawing of Charlie Chapin sold for $33,480, and the fedora Jackson rocked at the 1995 MTV Music Awards where he kissed ex Lisa Marie Presley, went for $73,800. -- Linda Hobbs. Share

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Michael Jackson's doctor returned to work at his Houston medical clinic on Monday for the first time since the pop star's death and his patients welcomed him back without reservation.

Dr. Conrad Murray was greeted by several patients and the pastor of his church when he arrived at the Armstrong Medical Clinic. One church member held up a handwritten sign that read "Welcome Back."

Patients later praised Murray's work as a cardiologist and called him a community role model, saying they have no concerns about being treated by the man under investigation in Jackson's June 25 death.

The doctor has been the focus of a Los Angeles police homicide investigation since telling investigators he administered propofol, a powerful operating room anesthetic, to Jackson to help the pop star sleep. The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Jackson's death a homicide, caused primarily by propofol and another sedative.

Murray, who was with Jackson when the 50-year-old singer died, has not been charged with a crime.

"He's a good doctor, he's a kind man," Ransom Craddock, 81, said as he sat outside the clinic, a nondescript brown brick building next to a supermarket in a lower-income area of north Houston. "We all in this community welcome him back. We need him in this community."

Ruby Mosley praised Murray for providing care to low-income patients and said she believes very little about what the media has reported about his possible role in Jackson's death.

"I can't tell you the joy. We were proud to see him," Mosley, 80, said of the visit she and a group of patients had with Murray at the clinic on Friday. "I see him as a physician and a friend."

Murray, who was scheduled to see six patients on Monday, didn't speak with reporters before entering the clinic.

But on Sunday, while attending services at Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, Murray stood before parishioners and told them he returned to serve his community.

"I am taking my life back step by step. I wanted to come home," Murray said in video shot by Houston television station KPRC.

Murray has been primarily living in Las Vegas, where he also has a clinic. His attorney, Edward Chernoff, said the cardiologist has been unable to earn a living since Jackson's death.

"His legal fees are enormous and his debts have mounted to the point where it is unclear whether he will be able to keep his house or support his family," Chernoff said. "His intentions are to attend to these patients who have continued to support him, despite the attention and despite the threats."

Murray, who wore sunglasses as he spoke to parishioners on Sunday, did not mention Jackson or the investigation directly, only saying "It appears I was at the wrong place at the wrong time" and "I know what trouble is."

Murray, licensed in Nevada, Texas and California, was hired to be Jackson's personal physician during a world tour.

Authorities searched Murray's Houston clinic and a rented storage unit on July 22 and conducted searches later at Murray's home and office in Las Vegas, at properties in Los Angeles and at a Las Vegas pharmacy where police say Murray bought five 100-milliliter bottles of propofol.

Chernoff said Murray has been followed and threatened since Jackson died and felt he had to close his Las Vegas office because patients were being harassed as they came and went. Chernoff said Murray will eventually reopen that office.

Associated Press Writer Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

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MICHAEL JACKSON29

Grieving La Toya Jackson claims to be talking to her dead brother Michael – from beyond the grave.

She says: “When I go to his house I say, ‘Hello, Michael. How are you? If you’re here, please, please let me know’. And the lights start blinking. I can feel him.

“I can smell his Tom Ford cologne and I’ve felt him brush past me. It’s the most wonderful feeling and the biggest smile comes over my face.

“I tell him I love him so much and ask him to show me he’s here again. The lights blink again.

“I know he’s there, answering me and knowing he’s watching me is a huge comfort. I never believed that people could speak, hear and communicate in that sense. But I’ve witnessed it several times now and I want to investigate it further. I am certainly open-minded to speaking to a medium.

“No other members of the family have experienced it. Just me.”

La Toya has also witnessed Michael’s pet macaw, now with mother Katherine and the children at the family compound in Encino, conversing with the Thriller star.

She says: “Michael had a macaw and he was saying, ‘Everything’s OK, Michael. Everyone’s fine, don’t worry. The kids?

How are the kids doing? Well, see

how the kids are playing. They’re playing and they’re having fun’.”

La Toya also believes Michael is helping the police investigate his death. She says: “I ask Michael to help me understand what took place. I’ve told him to find a way to let me know. A person’s name will pop into my head out of the blue, I’ll call them, they give me information and I’ll find the connection I’ve been looking for. It’s amazing.”

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