After a lengthy trial, Dr Conrad Murray has been sentenced with committing the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson. But what’s the difference between voluntary and involuntary, asks Harrison Polites?
Michael Jackson
Conrad Murray court case: the (non) trial of the year
The trial of Michael Jackson’s former doctor is taking the American media by storm but many of the defense’s key witnesses have been blocked, which calls into question its legitimacy, writes Amy Ephron.
Media briefs: Jacko death bed … Australia Network decision … Assange’s book fail …
In today’s Media Briefs: Michael Jackson death pic … Kwark still saving the old world … Australia Network contract decision imminent … Assange misses chart and more …
What if a newspaper died and nobody cared?
So commodified is the news business that from a consumers’ perspective, a closed newspaper is more like a brand of chewing gum that’s disappeared, to be easily substituted for another brand, writes Jonathon Oake, of blog The Spongeist.
Stars who perform for dictators
Singer Nelly Furtado recently admitted that she got paid US$1 million to perform for Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s family a few years ago. Furtado isn’t alone: Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Usher have all performed for the Gaddafi clan.
Memo to Hollywood: don’t remake Thriller. Ever.
The recent announcement that This Is It director Kenny Ortega plans to remake Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller music video into a feature length movie is very ominous news. Don’t do it, says Stuart Heritage.
The Media Monitors' Top 20: 2009: a merry media year for the PM
Who were our biggest media hogs this year? Kevin Rudd’s dominance of media coverage was slightly less than last year, even if he did come out on top.
revealed 
Read the FBI’s Michael Jackson files
The FBI has released 300-odd pages of its files on Michael Jackson. Read them all — or just get the highlights here.
Film review: This Is It
The documentary of Michael Jackson’s concert-that-never-was, This Is It might be smashing box office records around the world, but the film’s lack of commentary, insight and context will make it a struggle for most to sit through, says Luke Buckmaster. One for the fans.
Which dead celebs earn the most from beyond the grave?
Too bad you can’t spend it when you’re dead, because Forbes have released their annual top earning dead celebs list. It’s a surprise number one this year with Yves Saint Laurent beating out the likely favourite Michael Jackson. Well, Le Smoking, is a classic.
Michael Jackson’s This Is It: the reviews are in…
With the release of the much (over?) hyped doco of Michael Jackson’s final concert, This Is It, MTV has a roundup of some of the world’s most critical reviews. Is it a Thriller, or just plain Bad?
Fight the war on drugs or make the world’s biggest taco?
Mexico may have some problems — a violent drug war, economic issues — but they are winners when it comes to Guinness World Records. Michael Jackson dances, world’s biggest meatball, longest catwalk, the list goes on…
Video of the Day: A Thriller of a new world record
Following weeks of rehearsals, 13,957 people in Mexico have broken the world record for the most people dancing Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ dance.
Examining the man in the mirror
So you’re probably sick of hearing about Michael Jackson by now, (did you hear he was murdered?). But, check out Lisa Robinson revisiting her numerous interviews with Jackson, starting when he was just 12 years old.
The musical history of the mp3
This decade will go down in music history, not for the tunes created but for the technological changes. Mp3s have reaffirmed that the music industry is about more than just capitalism, writes Eric Harvey.
Crikey Clarifier: How did Michael Jackson die?
What was the cause of Michael Jackson’s death and why was it ruled a homicide? Crikey intern Emily Finlay digs for clues.
Read the search warrant for Jacko’s doctor [PDF]
A coroner has ruled Michael Jackson’s death as a homicide. Read the search warrant and affidavit for the offices of the singer’s doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, which states the singer died with “lethal levels” of the powerful anesthetic Propofol in his system.
2009: The Summer of Death
Forget the deaths of Kim Dae-jung or Baitullah Mehsud. So many celebrities have died lately — think Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett — that New York Magazine is dubbing it the ‘Summer of Death’.
The Media Monitors' Top 20: Stephen Smith in top five
The Airlines PNG crash and icy diplomatic conditions with China took Stephen Smith up ten places to a rare appearance in the top five, while Wayne Swan dropped off.
How Jacko helped bring down the Wall
An uncovered internal Stasi file from Michael Jackson’s 1988 concert outside the Reichstag building in West Berlin reveal his East German fans, listening from the other side of the Berlin Wall, planned to riot and “test the limits of the security organ”.
Tips and rumours: Building classrooms to destroy them
Tipsters tell of classroom-building chaos, the Michael Jackson msuci store cash grab, price fixing and the new head of FremantleMedia.
Michael Jackson: was he a castrato?
Michael Jackson a castrato? It sure would explain a lot, writes Jack Ellis.
