After passing away on June 25 of this year, the official death certificate of Michael Jackson has finally been filed and made available to public (the certificate was originally filed in July but had to be refiled after it was amended to list cause of death). Last week the LA Coroner’s Office announced that MJ‘s death has been ruled a homicide and his death certificate sustains that finding, listing the cause of death as lethal “injection by another”:

Michael Jackson’s death certificate has been amended to reflect his cause of death as a homicide, specifying “injection by another” as the fatal injury. The designation was not a surprise — coroner’s officials said last week that they believed Jackson’s death on June 25 was a homicide. Investigators have said a mix of the powerful anesthetic propofol and another sedative killed the pop singer. The new record lists “acute propofol intoxication” as the main cause of death and “benzodiazepine effect” as another significant contributor. The public copy of Jackson’s death certificate has not been changed to reflect his permanent resting place. Jackson is scheduled to be interred on Thursday evening at Forest Lawn Glendale. The document does not mention Conrad Murray, who was Jackson’s personal physician. He told detectives that he gave the singer a series of sedatives and propofol to try to help him sleep. The coroner’s determination of homicide makes it easier for prosecutors to seek criminal charges, but does not necessarily mean a crime was committed. Authorities investigating the singer’s death have served search warrants in at least three states, California, Nevada and Texas. No criminal charges have been filed over Jackson’s death.

While no criminal charges have been filed yet, you can be sure they are coming. It seems very evident that investigators are building a case against Dr. Conrad Murray and it’s only a matter of time before those charges are made and arrests are conducted. The net is closing in, surely, on Dr. Murray. MJ will be laid to final rest tomorrow … which is long overdue, IMHO. But even after he is buried in his final resting place, MJ will not be able to rest in peace until the matter of his murder is settled.

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Today would’ve been the late Michael Jackson‘s 51st birthday and in honor of that occasion, in remembrance, Google amended its logo today to pay tribute to the special day. Google is known to showcase special versions of their logos for holidays and other very special occasions and, clearly, marking the birthday of the late King of Pop is one of those occasions:

As you may recall, the LA Coroner’s Office released an official statement yesterday announcing that MJ‘s death has been ruled a homicide but no one has yet been charged or arrested for the crime. Altho there are still many unanswered questions concerning the loss of Michael Jackson, it’s nice that a company like Google (whose reach strethches around the globe) is giving fans something nice to remember MJ by today. Altho he didn’t live to see 51, there is no reason we shouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the day of his birth. So I’m sending Birthday Lurve to MJ today … wherever he may be moonwalking right now.

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Earlier this week we learned that the toxicology report in the death of Michael Jackson contained information that his death was ruled a homicide and today the LA Coroner’s Office has released an official statement confirming that finding. Altho the full report has NOT be released, the coroner has released a statement concerning the official findings of MJ‘s cause of death:

The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled that Michael Jackson’s death was a homicide involving a combination of drugs. “The drugs propofol and lorazepam were found to be the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson’s death,” said a news release issued Friday by the coroner. “Other drugs detected were: midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine and ephedrine.” The release said Jackson died from “acute propofol intoxication,” but it added “other conditions contributing to death: benzodiazepine effect.” Lorazepam, midazolam and diazepam are benzodiazepines. The full and final autopsy report and the complete toxicology report “will remain on security hold at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County district attorney,” the release said. “In accordance with this request, the Department of Coroner will not comment on its completed investigation.” Jackson was found dead on June 25.

The finding of the coroner’s office is that the manner of death is ruled: “HOMICIDE.” I mean, we learned this information earlier this week but hearing it in black and white in an official statement really drives the matter home. I suspect law enforcement officials are closing in on the person they believe is responsible for MJ‘s homicide … that shoe should be dropping any time now.

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New information has just been made available in the death investigation of Michael Jackson. According to toxicology findings determined by Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, the drug Diprivan (known by its generic name as propofol) was found in lethal doses in MJ‘s blood … which confirms pretty much what everyone believes killed the King of Pop:

Singer Michael Jackson had lethal levels of the drug propofol in his blood when he died, according to court documents. Los Angeles’ coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on Jackson’s blood, according to an affidavit. The drug Diprivan, known by its generic name propofol, is administered intravenously in operating rooms as a general anesthetic, the manufacturer AstraZeneca told CNN. A source close to the investigation told CNN that Dr. Conrad Murray is believed to have administered the drug to Jackson within 24 hours of his death on June 25. Investigators have searched Murray’s home and clinics for evidence related to the anesthetic propofol, according to documents filed in court. The drug works as a depressant on the central nervous system. “It works on your brain,” said Dr. Zeev Kain, the chair of the anesthesiology department at the University of California –Irvine. “It basically puts the entire brain to sleep.” However, once the infusion is stopped, the patient wakes up almost immediately. “So if you’re going to do this, you’d have to have somebody right there giving you the medication and monitoring you continuously,” Kain said.

So now we know how he died, next we need to find out if anyone (*cough* Dr. Conrad Murray *cough*) will be held criminally responsible for his death. No matter what, none of this is of any comfort to MJ‘s family, friends or fans. While this news confirms what we’ve been hearing for the past few weeks it does not really do much to heal any wounds. It’s just another piece in a very tragic puzzle.

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Those of you planning to head out to theaters this November to see the film This Is It that sold for $60 million to Sony Pictures last month and is made up of concert rehearsal footage of the late Michael Jackson prepping for his This Is It Tour had better make your plans now because Sony has announced that the film will run in theaters for a limited 2-week run only!

The film about Michael Jackson’s final three months, which uses video of rehearsals for his concert comeback, will run in theaters worldwide for two weeks only beginning October 28, according to Sony Pictures. Tickets for “Michael Jackson: This Is it” go on sale Sunday, September 27, Sony said in a news release Thursday. “Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, and genius as he creates and perfects his final show,” Sony said. Kenny Ortega, who was working with Jackson to create the “This Is It” concert, is also directing the documentary. “As we began assembling the footage for the motion picture, we realized we captured something extraordinary, unique and very special,” Ortega said. “It’s a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius’ world.” Ortega said “This Is It” “may go down as the greatest concert that no one got a chance to see,” since the pop singer died three weeks before it was to debut in the O2 Arena in London, England. “But with this film, we get a rare portrait of Michael as he prepares for his final curtain call and what I believe was going to be his master work.” Sony began editing the film last week after concert promoter AEG Live handed over about 100 hours of video it shot during April, May and June 2009. The initial release date was set for October 30, but Sony said it decided the “special, limited, two-week engagement worldwide” would be moved up two days. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved the deal last week to allow the special administrators of Jackson’s estate to sign a contract with Sony and AEG Live to allow the production. The judge has yet to decide on a deal that would allow AEG Live to conduct a three-city tour of a Michael Jackson memorabilia exhibition to coincide with the film’s release.

HMMM. Color me suspicious but methinks this limited “2-week engagement” is just a ploy to promote the film. I find it very hard to believe that Sony Pictures would want to limit how much money they could make from a film like this. By telling fans you have a limited time to see the film, perhaps they are banking on 2 weeks of sold out showings rather than, say, 4 to 6 weeks of sparsely attended showings. I’d bet good money that if the film does very well in the “2-week limited run” they’ll extend the run for longer … and can still have a DVD/CD combo ready for sale by Xmas.

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GQ magazine has put a younger Michael Jackson on the cover of their new issue in tribute to the days, as they put it, when he was cool. Here is MJ on the cover of GQ along with a portion of the coverstory article titled Back in the Day:

Begin not with the miniseries childhood of father Joseph’s endless practice sessions but with the later and, it seems, just as formative Motown childhood, from, say, 11 to 14—years spent, when not on the road, most often alone, behind security walls, with private tutors and secret sketchbooks. A dreamy child, he collects exotic animals. He likes rainbows and reading. He starts collecting exotic animals now. His eldest brothers were at one time children who dreamed of child stardom. Michael never knows this sensation. By the time he achieves something like self-awareness, he is a child star. The child star dreams of being an artist. Alone, he puts on classical records, because he finds they soothe his mind. He also likes the old southern stuff his uncle Luther sings. His uncle looks back at him and thinks he seems sad for his age. This is in California, so poor, brown Gary, with its poisonous air you could smell from leagues away—a decade’s exposure to which may already have damaged his immune system in fateful ways—is the past. He thinks about things and sometimes talks them over with his friends Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross when they are hanging out. He listens to albums and compares. The albums he and his brothers make have a few nice tunes, to sell records, then a lot of consciously second-rate numbers, to satisfy the format. Whereas Tchaikovsky and people like that, they didn’t handle slack material. But you have to write your own songs. Michael has always made melodies in his head, little riffs and beats, but that isn’t the same. The way Motown deals with the Jackson 5, finished songs are delivered to the group, from songwriting teams in various cities. The brothers are brought in to sing and add accents. Michael wants access to the “anatomy” of the music. That’s the word he uses repeatedly. Anatomy. What’s inside its structure that makes it move? When he’s 17, he asks Stevie Wonder to let him spy while Songs in the Key of Life gets made. There’s Michael, self-consciously shy and deferential, flattening himself mothlike against the Motown studio wall. Somehow Stevie’s blindness becomes moving in this context. No doubt he is for long stretches unaware of Michael’s presence. Never asks him to play a shaker or anything. Never mentions Michael. But Michael hears him.

After the jump, read the rest of this excerpt …

Back in July we learned that Sony Pictures decided to shell out $60 million to purchase the hours of rehearsal footage from Michael Jackson‘s This Is It Tour rehearsals with plans to produce a movie that would be shown in theaters. Just yesterday, a California judge OKed the deal and ruled that the studio can move forward with production of the film and within moments of that ruling, Sony Pictures released a press release officially announcing the film’s release date and deets about the film itself … and it sounds like a grand extravaganza. Here are excerpts from that press release:

MICHAEL JACKSON’S “THIS IS IT” TO BE PRESENTED IN THEATERS AROUND THE WORLD BY SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT AND SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Film Drawn From Legendary Entertainer’s Last Rehearsals and Behind-The-Scenes Footage Will Be Released October 30th in High Definition with Digital Sound

CULVER CITY, Calif., August 10, 2009 – Beginning October 30th, the world will have a front-row seat for Michael Jackson’s final concert, as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment release Michael Jackson’s This Is It.

This Is It is being produced with the full support of The Estate of Michael Jackson and will be drawn from hundreds of hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage, captured in high definition with state-of-the-art digital sound as the late singer was preparing for his concert series in London. The film, which will also offer select sequences in 3-D, will provide a unique career retrospective and feature interviews with some of Jackson’s closest friends and creative collaborators.

The rights to the exclusive footage were acquired from AEG Live and The Estate of Michael Jackson. Sony Pictures and Sony Music will co-produce with AEG Live and the Estate, and Sony Pictures will distribute the film worldwide. Randy Phillips and Paul Gongaware of AEG Live will serve as producers of the film.

The majority of the film’s footage was shot in June, 2009 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, and The Forum in Inglewood, California, as Jackson prepared for “This Is It,” the series of fifty concerts Jackson planned to present at the O2 Arena in London.

This Is It will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer, his career, and the stage spectacular that would have been. The film will provide moviegoers with an unforgettable front row experience compiled from extensive footage that shows Jackson’s meticulous preparation for his 2009 London shows.

Said Branca, “Our goal is to work with partners who treat Michael’s legacy with dignity and respect, while allowing us to substantially build the value of his estate for the benefit of Mrs. Katherine Jackson, Michael’s three children and the charitable causes that meant so much to him during his life. We are confident we found the right partners for this project in Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment. Sony and Michael enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial history together, and it’s only fitting that the relationship continues.”

Said McClain, “This film is not only a tribute to an artist who created excitement every moment he was on stage, but also is a fitting gift to the millions of fans worldwide who loved him and who he devoted his professional life to entertaining. John and I are thrilled to be working with Sony to build on Michael’s musical legacy in a way that will generate significant proceeds for his family and for children in need.”

“People who have seen this footage are astounded by the amazing quality of Michael Jackson’s performance,” said Lynton. “This historic recording of the last time he sang and danced on stage shows the legendary artist in an incredibly powerful way, with crystal clear images and sound. We understand the importance of producing a film that pays tribute to Michael as an artist, and are honored to work with the Estate of Michael Jackson to give audiences the gift of his final performances. I know this film will serve as further proof that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest entertainers who ever graced a stage.”

“Michael lives on through his songs, his creative genius, his body of work and his passion for his art,” said Rob Stringer. “He was a perfectionist on stage and through this unique film, audiences will be able to see, many for the first time, how much Michael poured into making his performances as special as they were perfect.”

Said Kenny Ortega, director of and Jackson’s creative partner on the This Is It concert, “The world will see what our team was so fortunate to experience, which was the full commitment, passion and creativity that Michael put into this project. He was the architect of This Is It, and we were his builders. The footage that was captured from the early stages of the production to our technical rehearsals at the STAPLES Center in L.A. will show Michael as he truly was, creatively involved with every aspect of the production, from the staging and choreography, to the music, lighting, production design and conception of the original short films and video backdrops. It will also show Michael as one of the greatest entertainers in the world and one of the industry’s most creative minds. This Is It was Michael’s last theatrical work and although it was still a work in progress, I think the footage will show that the process was something that Michael deeply enjoyed and that it was clear that he was on his way to another theatrical triumph.”

In the coming weeks, additional information about the film will be available at www.michaeljackson.com.

And there you have it folks … less than 2 months after his death, a movie deal has already been struck, OKed and announced. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if this film generates more than $60 million in its opening weekend. Demand for this film is world wide and it will make money, I’m sure of it. I ain’t gonna lie, I am very curious to see this film and David and I will most likely be there to see it on opening weekend. 3D elements? Oh yeah, I’m curious as hell. Mark your calendars, make your plans … the MJ movie is on the way. How many of y’all are planning to be there opening day?

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Vanity Fair magazine is paying tribute to the late Charlie’s Angel Farrah Fawcett and the late King of Pop Michael Jackson on the cover and in the pages of the September issue of their mag (on newsstands August 11). Both Farrah and MJ will share equal coverage on the magazine cover as 50% of the printing run will feature Farrah on the cover and 50% will feature MJ on the cover, subscriber copies are also split 50/50 with random covers arriving subscriber mailboxes:

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson are getting equal attention in September’s Vanity Fair. Half of the copies will feature a cover photograph of Fawcett by Bruce McBroom; the other half will feature a cover photograph of Jackson by Annie Leibovitz. Subscribers will get one of the two at random, but the magazines, which will include the same content, will be on newsstands nationwide Aug. 11. USA TODAY runs down talking points from the articles on the two celebrities, who died June 25.

Here is Farrah‘s VF magazine cover along with excerpts from the coverstory:

Love. About her relationship with longtime companion Ryan O’Neal: “She’s always been the real love of his life and he’s always been the real love of her life. She never stopped loving him.” — BFF Alana Stewart

Fame. About that 1970s’ hair: “She said, ‘I can’t see to the right or left, and that way I don’t have to see people looking at me.’ ” — O’Neal recounting Fawcett’s response when he asked

Career. “Careers have to be very carefully plotted, but she was not driven by that singular focus on the next step and the next step.” — Leonard Goldberg, who co-produced Charlie’s Angels, which Fawcett left after one season

Odd behavior. On her appearance with David Letterman in which she sounded incoherent: “I was the pothead; she’s one of those people who flossed every night and took care of herself. When I saw her on Letterman, I thought she was acting. She was selling Playboy magazine, and she thought she was being Playmate-ish.” — O’Neal

Family. On O’Neal’s “devotion” to Fawcett: “My dad’s only goal was to make sure he would be in the will. It was so disgustingly transparent as soon as she found out she was terminal. I consider him a vulture presiding over a carcass.” — Griffin O’Neal
“I hate him! He knows I have money. I made a tremendous amount of money on real estate, more than I deserve.” — Ryan O’Neal’s response

After the jump, check out Michael Jackson‘s VF coverphoto and read some excerpts from his coverstory as well …

In a new interview with the tabloid news show The Insider, crappy designer Christian Audigier reveals some of the costumes he co-designed with the late Michael Jackson which he was supposed to wear on stage during his comeback This Is It Tour. Additionally, Audigier reveals some of the concert merchandise t-shirts that he claims he designed for sale at the shows. Here are a few screencaps from this new interview:

Not only are Audigier‘s designs truly fugly but “his design” of the Beat It jacket t-shirt is a straight RIP OFF of a t-shirt that was created and is already available for sale at Threadless.com. Funny enough, I own this t-shirt and I was WEARING it yesterday when I first saw this interview (I’m still wearing it now because I slept in it — it is the EXACT same design as the one that Audigier claims he created):

Christian Audigier is a hack and a thief. Click HERE to see and order your own Michael Jackson Beat It t-shirt right now!! After the jump, check out this Insider interview in full …

Last week we learned from Jermaine Jackson that it is very possible that Michael Jackson fathered a lovechild in the 80′s and that boy, Omer Bhatti, was welcomed into the Jackson family. The young man is so close with the Jacksons that he sat with them in the front row of MJ‘s memorial service at the Staples Center on July 7. While Jermaine claims that is is possible that Omer is MJ‘s firstborn child, he insisted that he did not know for sure if he really was MJ‘s son. In a new interview with MJ‘s father Joseph Jackson, TV One managed to get a straight answer on the paternity of Omer Bhatti. According to Joe Jackson, MJ was his father:

In the wake of Jermaine‘s comments last week, Omer Bhatti went on the record to DENY that MJ was his father but in this new interview with TV One, Joe Jackson makes no qualms about revealing that MJ did father Omer Bhatti. After the jump, check out short video of Joe making his comments to TV One …