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The famous Neverland Ranch, which has hosted thousands of children in the past, was set to be auctioned off on March 19th. But yesterday, Michael Jackson made a deal with the company he owed $24.5 million to, avoiding the auction and the rumors that David Beckham was going to buy into the property according to an Associated Press news report.
150 miles north of Los Angeles in Los Olivos, the ranch is a 2,500 acre property within wine country and lately, Jackson has not been around. "[He] is said to be living in various places, including overseas, and his family has said that when dozens of sheriff's deputies raided the place in 2003 they destroyed the fond feelings he once had for Neverland."
Despite his absence after the trial over child molestation in which Jackson was not convicted, neighbors noted that he was a good neighbor, even if the home was an attraction, complete with a roller coaster, arcade, bumper cars, merry-go-round, ferris wheel and a train. The community seemed to embrace the pop star as he pitched quite a fair share:
When a rattlesnake would get into a classroom at The Family School, Morrison said, a call to Neverland would bring the snake handler over to dispose of it. If a child got hurt on the playground, the ranch doctor and Neverland's own fire department would arrive sooner than the local paramedics.
As to how much longer Jackson will be keeping the property, Associated Press' report feels skeptical: "Whether he'll keep it for long, however, remains to be seen." To that, one neighbor speculated that maybe Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will buy it for their kids.
Neverland Ranch Photo: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
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I actually went to Neverland Ranch on January 16th, 2004 when MJ first got arraigned and jumped on top of the SUV and danced. I was going to UCSB at the time and was watching CNN at 730am where they said people were invited to Jackson's house afterwards to party. Needless to say we got really wasted beforehand and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly as the only people between the ages of 12 and 38.
Free ice cream, catered fried chicken meal, petting zoo, rides, a constant loop of Peter Pan in the custom movie theatre. The guy was obviously not guilt.
Crazy times and yes, I did take something with me.
i attended the boarding school directly across the street from Michael's ranch (it's adjacent to The Family School, i know some kids who went there) and having visited a few times, since he invited my school every year, i have to say the place is pretty amazing. initially, it's a little creepy to see life sized bronze statues of kids at play everywhere, or disney music everywhere you go (little rock speakers are cleverly hidden just about everywhere), but once you get over that, it's truly a surreal and heartwarming experience. i could write pages and pages about my experiences there, because each one was truly memorable. the place is beautiful, with deer running about. and you cant go ten feet without a candy station or a popcorn machine or a snow cone machine or a cotton candy machine. i swear, the place is a river of sugar, and it's all free. but the arcade, the ferris wheel and the bumper cards, the zoos (yes, there are two), the trains, the movie theater, the trampoline, i could go on and on (and video games on the 64 foot outdoor tv? mario kart will never be the same). it's a shame he doesnt have the affection for it that he used to, and i will be sad to see it go. it was a wholesome quirk to a nice, sleepy small town, and i think the townspeople really liked it. and the hikers definitely liked his private ambulance service (about half a dozen times a year they have to airlift some bozo out of the backcountry. and they even service my high school and the surrounding area, just becuase he's a nice guy). so, farewell Neverland. it was all it was promised to be.
The foreclosure crisis is invading us, as well as Michael Jackson. As we see it no one is immune to this kind of situation. It seems that even people as well off as Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, could use a payday loan himself in these times. He has been getting a lot of coverage of his legal and financial troubles, and it apparently has come to a head. It has just been announced that Jackson will hold a 5-day auction in April of 2009, selling off various personal items. Among the lots for sale are the gates to his Neverland Ranch, and the white glove he wore in the video to his smash hit "Billy Jean." Since his eccentric behavior has gotten more and more high profile, some members of the press have taken to labeling him "Wacko Jacko." Jackson also recently settled a lawsuit brought against him by a member of the Bahraini royal family, out of court, who claimed that Jackson owed him money for not delivering a book and an album that Jackson agreed to produce in exchange for living expenses while he stayed in Bahrain for a few months. A spokesman for the Beverly Hills auction house said that it is not a forced sale, though sources close to Jackson say he ahs been living beyond his means for some time. If you don't to want to have to sell your stuff during a sudden dent into your budget, you can always look into options like payday loans. Click to read more on Payday Loans.