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Neverland, The State Park?

The NAACP is backing a plan to turn Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch into a California state park.

As home to pop legend Michael Jackson, Neverland Ranch housed a working locomotive, a Ferris wheel and other amusement park rides, a 10,000-volume library and a zoo. But could the opulent Santa Barbara County estate become home to California's newest state park? A resolution is in the works to order state parks officials to study converting the roughly 2,600-acre property into a state park. The state NAACP is backing the idea, and a lawmaker has signaled he is on board to carry the legislation. "I think Michael's history is world history and I think it would become the No. 1 attraction for the state parks if we could pull it off," said state NAACP President Alice Huffman, who also serves on the state Parks Commission.

The state would have to pay Jackson's creditors an estimated $100M for the property, a seeming impossibility for a state near bankruptcy. But backers of the state park idea point to Elvis Presley's Graceland estate in Tennessee, which grossed $36M just last year for its private owners. An admission charge to a state-owned Neverland hasn't been discussed, but memorabilia sales alone could be considerable.

Michael Jackson's Billion Dollar Year

Michael Jackson died a year ago today, but his empire rolls on.

In the final years of his life, Jackson's finances were widely reported to be in chaos, with the singer facing foreclosure on his famed Neverland Ranch and struggling with debts of roughly $US500 million. However in the 12 months since Jackson's death on June 25 last year, the King of Pop's empire has witnessed a money-spinning resurgence, generating revenues estimated at more than $US1 billion. Jackson's estate has paid off more than half of the singer's debts and is likely to put his affairs back into the black in the coming year. The financial bonanza began almost immediately, with Jackson selling nearly 4 million records in the six weeks after his death. By June 2010, total album sales had swollen to 9 million in the United States alone, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan. Internationally, Jackson has sold 24 million albums.

Jackson's This Is It has grossed more than $300M worldwide, making it the most successful concert movie in history. Even though there was no audience at those concerts.

Beat It With A Real JO-Bro

This Craigslist ad comes via JMG staff photographer Dr. Jeff, who asks: "Real? Not real? Who cares, it's hilarious. Bedazzler!" We concur.

Janet Jackson - Nothing

Could this sound any more like Michael?

(Via - Rod 2.0)