Did Mexico beat it? Fans go for Thriller record

MEXICO CITY (From AP and CS) -- They say they beat it. Thousands of Mexicans claimed they broke the record for most people dancing to "Thriller" simultaneously in one place on Saturday, which would have been Michael Jackson's 51st birthday....

But thousands allowed America's cultural hegemony to seep in on Saturday, as Mexicans from all walks of life gathered to retrace the dance steps in Michael Jackson's hit 1983 video "Thriller" to mark what would have been the pop star's 51st birthday.

In doing so they claimed to break the Guinness Book of World Records for number of people dancing to Thriller in a single gathering, surpassing attempts in both Spain and England. (The previous record was apparently set by a mere 242 students from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. in May. Guinness will make a final determination later.)

Part homage, part Halloween, the event drew more than 50,000 people (including over 12,000 dancers), according to city officials.

Grown Mexican women got their faces painted as zombies (some paid an extra $1 to have a scar or wound added for ghoulish effect). Kids donned sunglasses, hats, and white gloves, running around as miniature Michael Jacksons in a sea of dancers carrying out the zombie moves of the hit video and belting out lyrics in English. All this in front of Mexico's iconic Monument of the Revolution, no less.

MJ's special status

This might be sacrilege for any other star, but not Michael Jackson.

"He transcends borders," says Fabiola Aguilar, decked out in the red get-up that Michael Jackson wore in the original video. She crouched over, next to her 9-year-old son in an identical outfit, and both simulated arising from the dead, as they rehearsed moves they'd practiced for two weeks. "Dancing brings us all together."

Birthday celebrations and memorials across the globe came as Jackson's June 25 death was officially ruled a homicide.

Mexico City's event had the full backing of the capital, which marveled at the spontaneity of a grassroots effort turned mega. "Many of these kids weren't even alive when Thriller came out," says the head of the city's youth institute, Javier Hidalgo, sporting a white glove.

Facebook's role in the record

Record-breaking was helped by the phenomenon of social networking. The day after Jackson's death, Mexico City resident Carlos Contreras was talking with his friends about a birthday tribute on August 29. "We thought we'd be 20 people," he says. But thanks to Facebook, word spread, choreographers were brought on board, and Sunday rehearsals leading up to the event drew as many as 2,500 people.

Michael Jackson mania was a balm to a city battered by swine flu and its reputation for violence, one so desperate for tourists that it has offered them free health insurance on visits here. "It shows we are a city that is tranquil, full of life, one that wants to have fun," says Alejandro Rojas, the city's tourism director.

Yet as city officials celebrate – finally – some fun news out of Mexico, not all viewed the event as pure fiesta. Hector Jackson, Mexico's premier impersonator who led the choreography, reminded solemnly: "This is first of all an homage to the king of pop."

Second Michael Jackson Doctor Facing Heat

California - The heat is on for Michael Jackson’s longtime friend and dermatologist Arnold Klein who investigators believe facilitated the years-long drug abuse that could have caused the death of Jackson. According to the warrant and affidavit for the on Mickey Fine Pharmacy in Beverly Hills investigators were searching for records of medication Klein allegedly prescribed to himself then gave to Jackson. More…
Twitter Political Roast---Domain Names

The Final Moments Of Michael Jackson

Doctor tells police about Jackson's final moments

LOS ANGELES – The cardiologist who was with Michael Jackson during the pop star's final moments sat down with investigators for the first time to explain his actions — and left three hours later as a witness, not a suspect.

Dr. Conrad Murray "helped identify the circumstances around the death of the pop icon and clarified some inconsistencies," Murray's spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik said in a statement Saturday. "Investigators say the doctor is in no way a suspect and remains a witness to this tragedy."

Murray, a physician with a tangled financial and personal history who was hired to accompany Jackson on his planned summer concert tour, reportedly performed CPR until paramedics arrived. The pop star was declared dead later at UCLA Medical Center.

Police confirmed that they interviewed Murray, adding that he was cooperative and "provided information which will aid the investigation."

The interview took place on a busy day when one of Jackson's lawyers was chosen to represent the family's legal interests and celebrities descended on Los Angeles for a star-studded public celebration of the King of Pop's life.

L. Londell McMillan, who represented Jackson last year in a breach of contact lawsuit and has advised high-profile clients such as Prince, was picked to help the family by Katherine Jackson, the singer's mother, said a person who requested anonymity because the matter is private.

The legal move came as the Rev. Jesse Jackson revealed that Michael Jackson's family wants a second, private autopsy of the pop superstar because of unanswered questions about how he died.

"It's abnormal," Jesse Jackson said from Chicago a day after visiting the Jackson family. "We don't know what happened. Was he injected and with what? All reasonable doubt should be addressed."

People close to Jackson have said since his death that they were concerned about his use of painkillers. Los Angeles County medical examiners completed their autopsy Friday and said Jackson had taken prescription medication.

Medical officials also said there was no indication of trauma or foul play. An official cause of death could take weeks.

There was no word from the Jackson family on funeral plans. Many of Jackson's relatives have gathered at the family's Encino compound, caring there for Jackson's three children.

It remains unclear who Jackson designated as potential guardians for his children. Those details — likely contained in the 50-year-old singer's will — have not been released.

An attorney for Deborah Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, issued a statement Saturday asking that the Jackson family "be able to say goodbye to their loved one in peace."

Sisters Janet and La Toya arrived Saturday at the mansion Jackson had been renting and left without addressing reporters. Moving vans also showed up at the Jackson home, leaving about an hour later. There was no indication what they might have taken away.

The Jackson family issued a statement Saturday expressing its grief over the death and thanking his supporters.

"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," said the statement made through People magazine. "We miss Michael endlessly."

There was no immediate word on whether the second autopsy was being performed right away. Jesse Jackson described the family as grief-stricken.

"They're hurt because they lost a son. But the wound is now being kept open by the mystery and unanswered questions of the cause of death," he said.

Organizers of the annual BET awards show — which recognizes the best in music, acting and sports — scrambled to revamp Sunday's show to honor Jackson and his legacy.

Previously announced acts, such as Beyonce and Ne-Yo, hoped to change their planned performances to honor Jackson, said producer Stephen Hill. Other artists who hadn't planned to attend the ceremony, including Usher and Justin Timberlake, tried to catch last-minute flights to Los Angeles to participate.

Associated Press writers Anthony McCartney; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Juan A. Lozano in Houston; and Gillian Flaccus, Brooke Donald, Beth Harris and Mike Blood and AP Global Media Services Production Manager Nico Maounis in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

King of Pop Michael Jackson is dead

King of Pop Michael Jackson is dead: report
By Bob Tourtellotte, Reuters


LOS ANGELES — Pop giant Michael Jackson, who took to the stage as a child star and set the world dancing to exuberant rhythms for decades, died on Thursday after being taken ill at his home, the Los Angeles Times said. He was 50.

"Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times," the newspaper reported on its website.

The paper's report followed news of Jackson's death first reported by the TMZ entertainment website.

There was no immediate comment from spokespersons for Jackson, who was known as the "King of Pop," for hit albums that included "Thriller" and "Billie Jean."

He had been scheduled to launch a comeback tour from London next month.

TMZ said on its website that "Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back."

Earlier, the Los Angeles Times said the singer had been rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by fire department paramedics who found him not breathing when they arrived at the singer's home.

The newspaper said paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene before taking him to the UCLA Medical Center hospital.