HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (6-29-09)

AN AUTOPSY WAS PERFORMED ON MICHAEL JACKSON . . . BUT A SECOND ONE MAY BE ON THE WAY:

An autopsy has been performed on MICHAEL JACKSON . . . but, as usual, the results are inconclusive at this time. -A spokesman for the L.A. County Coroner's Office said they'll know more when results from the toxicology tests come back . . . which will take four to six weeks. But there are no signs of foul play or, quote, "external trauma."

-The spokesman added that Jackson WAS taking unspecified prescription medications at the time of his death. --But the Jackson Family is having a SECOND autopsy done . . . because they want to know what really happened the day Michael died.

There's been talk that Michael passed out right after receiving a shot of the heavy-duty painkiller Demerol. And if that did happen, it would stand to reason that the shot was administered by Michael's doctor, one CONRAD MURRAY. (--Supposedly, Michael referred to these Demerol injections as his, quote, "health tonic" . . . which is kind of like how he referred to wine as "Jesus Juice".)

Murray has already been interviewed by police, and they do NOT consider him a suspect. At least not at this time. --And Dr. Murray's attorney issued a statement saying that Murray did NOT inject Michael with painkillers on that day. --He added, quote, "[My client] never prescribed nor administered Demerol to Michael Jackson. The doctor was surprised when [Michael collapsed]. He didn't know why Jackson stopped breathing." -Murray's attorney said that any drugs his client prescribed to Michael Jackson were for specific health reasons. -But REVEREND JESSE JACKSON . . . who has been in close contact with Michael's family . . . had this to say over the weekend . . . quote, "There is a concern about what happened the last 12 hours of Michael's life. The doctor has shown some bizarre behavior."

-Dr. Murray was one of the few people who were with Michael at the time of his death. He attempted CPR until paramedics arrived . . . and he rode in the ambulance with Michael to the hospital. While the LAPD won't say publicly that they're investigating potential criminality in regards to Michael's death, Jackson Family attorney BRIAN OXMAN has told Britain's "Sun" tabloid that they ARE doing just that.

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THE JACKSON FAMILY'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT:

The JACKSON FAMILY issued their official statement over the weekend. Here it is . . . --"In one of the darkest moments of our lives we find it hard to find the words appropriate to this sudden tragedy we all had to encounter. Our beloved son, brother and father of three children has gone so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and much too soon.

-"It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point, where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times. --"We miss Michael endlessly, our pain cannot be described in words. But Michael would not want us to give up now. So we want to thank all of his faithful supporters and loyal fans worldwide, you . . . who Michael loved so much.

-"Please do not despair, because Michael will continue to live on in each and every one of you. Continue to spread his message, because that is what he would want you to do. Carry on, so his legacy will live forever.

-"In addition, Joseph Jackson wishes to personally convey: 'My grandchildren are deeply moved by all the love and support you have shown for them and their father, Michael Jackson.'"

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WILL MICHAEL JACKSON BE BURIED AT THE NEVERLAND RANCH???

There's still no word on a memorial service for MICHAEL JACKSON . . . but there's some talk going around that it'll happen Wednesday at the Neverland Ranch. Supposedly, there's at least one proposal on the table to have Michael BURIED at Neverland . . . and to turn the place into another Graceland.

This proposal has been put forth by a guy named Tohme Tohme. He was Michael's manager at one point, and he works with Colony Capital LLC, which holds the Neverland mortgage.

There's no word how Michael's family feels about any of this. But at the same time, it's not really clear how much of that would be their call. --Supposedly, Michael last updated his will in 2002, after his youngest son, "Blanket" was born. There's no word what provisions are in it . . . or if the family has even seen it yet.

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ELIZABETH TAYLOR HAS FINALLY SPOKEN ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON'S DEATH:

ELIZABETH TAYLOR was one of MICHAEL JACKSON'S closest friends. And when he died on Thursday, she was too crushed to comment. But over the weekend, she issued a statement on her Twitter account.

She said, quote, "My heart . . . my mind . . . are broken. I loved Michael with all my soul and I can't imagine life without him. We had so much in common and we had such loving fun together . . . My life feels so empty. I don't think anyone knew how much we loved each other. The purest most giving love I've ever known. Oh God! I'm going to miss him . . .

". . . I keep looking at the photo he gave me of himself, which says, 'To my true love Elizabeth, I love you forever.' And, I will love HIM forever."

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There's talk in the World Wide Web of Misinformation that JANET JACKSON and the rest of the JACKSONS may launch a tribute tour to celebrate MICHAEL JACKSON'S life. (--Obviously, we'll let you know if we hear more.)

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We don't have any numbers yet, but Michael Jackson may very well have stormed his way back onto the album charts. A lot of music retail outlets are running out of his stuff. The most popular discs are the expanded, remastered version of "Thriller", "Number Ones" and "The Essential Michael Jackson". His tracks and albums are also topping best-seller lists on iTunes and Amazon's online music store.

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JUST DANCE!

Remember those prison inmates in the Philippines who became YouTube sensations by doing the "Thriller" dance in their prison yard??? Well, after Michael died, they worked up a tribute dance for him. You can watch it here . . .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK25cfzdTTg

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LAST NIGHT'S "BET AWARDS" WERE TURNED INTO A TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON:

Organizers of last night's "BET Awards" spent the weekend re-tooling the show, in order to turn it into a tribute to MICHAEL JACKSON. --Host JAMIE FOXX opened the show with some Michael Jackson dance moves . . . and pretty much everybody who took the stage to present or receive an award gave props to Michael and sent their love out to his family.

Michael's father, JOE JACKSON, was seated in the front row along with REVEREND AL SHARPTON . . . and at the end of the show, JANET JACKSON made a surprise appearance and issued a brief statement.

With her voice on the verge of cracking, she said, quote, "To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in all of our hearts. --"On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much, thank you so much." (--Here's a video clip of Janet's speech . . .)http://weblogs.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities_blog/2009/06/janet_jackson_speaks_at_the_be.html

JAMIE FOXX and NE-YO then closed the show with a duet on "I'll Be There", while a montage of Michael Jackson pictures flashed across the screen behind them. --Elsewhere in the show, NEW EDITION performed several hits by the JACKSON 5 . . . Ne-Yo sang Michael's lesser-known ballad "Lady in My Life" . . . and CIARA did "Heal the World".

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DEATH COMES IN FOURS . . . OR FIVES . . . PROFESSIONAL PITCHMAN BILLY MAYS HAS DIED:

You know that whole "Death comes in threes" theory you were probably pimping on Friday, following the rapid-fire demises of MICHAEL JACKSON, FARRAH FAWCETT and ED MCMAHON???

Well, professional TV pitchman BILLY MAYS just blew it out of the water by passing away yesterday. He was only 50 years old. --You know Billy Mays. He's that burly, bearded guy who sold all manner of products . . . including Oxi Clean and Kaboom. He started most of his commercials by saying, "Hi, Billy Mays here . . ."

He was also one of the stars of the Discovery Channel series, "Pitchmen". Well, Billy went to bed Saturday night at his home in Tampa, Florida and never woke up. His wife found him unresponsive at 7:45 A.M.

There's no word yet on a cause of death . . . but foul play is NOT suspected. --On Saturday, however, Billy apparently suffered a blow to the head while on a flight from Philadelphia . . . (--Where he'd just shot a new Oxi Clean commercial.)

The plane had a rough landing, because the two front tires blew as it hit the runway. --Billy told a local TV station, quote, "All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head." --Right after the incident, Billy "Tweeted", quote, "Just had a close call landing in Tampa. The tires blew out upon landing. Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air."

Billy wasn't feeling well when he went to bed Saturday night at around 10:00 P.M. (--Obviously, people are speculating that Billy died from a subdural hematoma . . . which is bleeding in the brain, often caused by head trauma. That's what killed actress NATASHA RICHARDSON . . . after she bumped her head in a skiing accident.) (--It's all speculation, though, until an autopsy is performed and the findings are released.)

Billy's wife Deborah issued the following statement . . . quote, "Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times." --In addition to Deborah, Billy is survived by a 3-year-old daughter and a stepson in his 20s.

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ED MCMAHON'S FUNERAL SERVICE WENT DOWN YESTERDAY:

ED MCMAHON'S memorial service was held yesterday in the Hollywood Hills. (--Ed passed away last Monday. He was 86.) According to "Entertainment Tonight", about 200 people attended the service . . . including JIMMY KIMMEL, TONY DANZA, and JOANNA CARSON, who was JOHNNY CARSON'S third wife. (--They were married from 1972 to 1985.) --NATALIE COLE also performed her song, "Smile". --Sources say that the guests also gave Ed a loud standing ovation during the service.