http://www.vegaspopular.com/2007/03/30/mic...ia-goes-whacko/
Michael Jackson to Dig a Second Grand Canyon: News Media Goes Whacko Over Jackson Rumours
Posted Mar 30th 2007 11:35AM by Fletch
The Grand Canyon headline is intended to highlight the frenzy in one of the strangest and certainly most active days of celebrity news reporting about Michael Jackson in quite some time so Fox, MTV, please don't reprint this story as an actual goal of Michael Jackson to to plan a second Grand Canyon.
Tabloids, paparazzi sites and even mainstream news outlets jammed their pages with stories that had the King of Pop and Vegas resident performing everywhere from Luxor to Caesar Palace to his pneumonia deathbed in the hospital.
The day began with a Page Six report that business associates of MJ are planning to build a 50 ft. robot on the Strip that would be visible from airplanes landing at McCarran International Airport complete with laser beams as part of the production of one of the rumoured shows he is planning on the Strip.
Even though the only quotes were fourth party from Mike Luckman in regard to his business partner and '*****bot' designer Andre Van Pier who said that Michael has 'seen the sketches and likes them,' everyone from Yahoo! to Engadget labeled the idea as Michael's dream.
Regardless of whose PR stunt this is, does anyone think the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security will let a gigantic robot with laser beams be constructed near an airport? We still have to take off our airport friendly shoes to board a plane here in Vegas.
Then came the pneumonia stories. Just as Michael Jackson's press rep was confirming the he was ill, yet recovering at home from pneumonia, she was denying that he'd been rushed to hospital by ambulance in an emergency as Fox News reported. Fox News then slammed Nancy Grace for taking their unconfirmed story and 'mix it up in a Cuisinart until several people were all talking at once and making no sense.'
Simultaneously, another rumor leaked that 'Live Forever,' a Michael Jackson and Jackson family concert tour would kickoff here in Las Vegas from the Luxor resort casino hotel where Criss Angel's Cirque du Soleil show will be based and where Liza Minnelli celebrated her birthday recently. TMZ.com published the invite (below) which was 'first obtained by Michael Politz with TheVegasEye.com' in a 'Exclusive Breaking Story.'
Vegas Pop readers can draw their own conclusions from the invite as to the validity of the event based solely on the quality of graphic design of invite for a concert of that magnitude at a very brand-aware resort like the Luxor. TMZ published an invite retraction in which Fox News even jabbed at them, 'It took TMZ a little time to figure it out. Oh well, maybe it was a slow night.'
Felix Rappaport, Luxor's President, referred all inquiries to MGM corporate headquarters who responded they had no knowledge of any such plans or dates involving Jackson or his family stating that the Luxor Theater hadn't been booked past the current Spotlight Series of concert engagements as it will be shuttered in preparation for the new Cirque magic show with the 'Mindfreak' magician Criss Angel.
And earlier in the week, a Michael Jackson rumor floated that early 2008 Caesar Palace concerts with Bette Midler and Cher (who are replacing Celine Dion) might go on hold because he would launch a new worldwide tour from there!! Again, that rumor seemed to have no foundation.
Stay tuned. If I see Michael heading out into the desert with a shovel and a dream, I'll send out a 'Breaking News' alert.