…as we were wondering one day on BTR Today, here’s your answer:

Voices of the Wild Foundation, a non-profit organization based in remote Page, Ariz.., that provides sanctuary to abandoned exotic animals, has adopted the bulk of Jacko’s zoo — including four giraffes, nine parrots and three giant pythons.

Two caymans and two anacondas (now living in Oklahoma) from the King of Pop’s pet collection are also set to join the herd in the coming months. (No [Bubbles] the Chimp, though — he, of course, passed away years ago.)

Apparently the animlas are living in temporary quarters now, but permanent homes are currently being built for them.  It seems they arrived healthy and not showing signs of mistreatment.  In 2006, the entertainer was cleared in an animal neglect investigation, after PETA lodged a complaint saying the animals were suffering.

Animal cruelty is one of my particular soapboxes, and I’m glad to hear that at least something that was in MJ’s care managed to emerge unharmed.

Word around the internets is that Michael Jackson, or more correctly, his lawyers, managed to pull Neverland Ranch away from the abyss:

The pop star has worked out a “confidential” agreement with Fortress Investment Group, LLC, that allows him to keep the famed property in Los Olivos, according to his attorney L. Londell McMillan.

Neverland and MJ are fine,” Mr McMillan said.

An auction date had been set for March 19 to pay $24.5 million (15.7 million pounds) the singer owed on the 2,500-acre spread northwest of Santa Barbara.

Yet, further in the article, it states that it still isn’t clear whether or not MJ will keep the famed property.  I wonder if that means he’s going to try and sell it to recoup some of his money?

Where are these people so willing to give money to a man with no job, no income, and who is zillions of dollars in debt?  I’d love for them to lend me about five grand, so I can get a sweet ride for out-of-state trips to family.  Oh wait, I’m just a non-child-molesting non-celebrity with a job who is trying to make a decent life, so why would anyone want to help me out?

I’m not sure why he would be interested in keeping the place.  He hasn’t lived there since he was acquitted of child molestation charges back in 2005, and from recent photos of Kiddie Bait Ranch it is falling deep into disrepair and decay.

He’d be better off to sell it to someone who would get some good out of it.  I’d personally like to see it turned into a camp for children dealing with serious and/or terminal illnesses.  At least that way it would be doing some good, instead of standing as a monument to loss of innocence.

Or go with my original idea and sell it to Britney Spears!

Whatever Michael Jackson is paying his lawyers must be worth it, because it’s coming out that he might be able to keep kiddie-bait Neverland Ranch after all:

“Michael Jackson’s ranch is not going to be auctioned off at the courthouse,” the Jackson insider said. “The financing is all being worked out.”

“There are plenty of lenders willing to work with him. The real estate market is very bad right now and Jackson is being affected just like many other Americans,” the source said. […]

The real estate source said other options are available to Jackson, including selling the ranch directly to another party or making a payment on his $24.5 million Neverland debt that would satisfy the trustee.

The recorder’s Web site also reveals there was a release of lien on Jackson on February 4, showing he paid off all or part of delinquent taxes to the state of California.

“It seems unlikely that someone would pay off back taxes, only to let the ranch go up for auction a few weeks later,” said the real estate source.

Jackson has not lived at Neverland since June 2005, after a Santa Barbara County jury found him not guilty of child molestation charges.

News is that he is also missing payments on his family’s Los Angeles home:

Public documents show Michael Jackson has repeatedly failed to make mortgage payments on a Los Angeles home that has been used for years by his family.

Documents filed with the Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office indicate the reclusive pop star was most recently in default last month on the property in Encino, an area in the San Fernando Valley.

The singer had $153,910 in missed payments as of Jan. 17 on a $4 million loan serviced by Pasadena-based mortgage lender IndyMac Bancorp. Documents dated Feb. 7 show the notice of default was withdrawn.

Documents also show Jackson previously faced possible default over missed payments on the home in April and August.

And even if he does find a way out of this, he’s still in deep doody:

According to experts, Jackson could be very much on the hook with the Internal Revenue Service for around $5 million in capital gains taxes. In other words: His home would be gone, but he’d still be significantly in debt.

The reason for this is: Jackson bought Neverland for between $12 million and $14 million back in 1988. If it sells for the full amount owed, $24.5 million, there’s a conceivable difference of $10 million.

According to California law, Jackson would then be taxed on that money as if he’d sold the property and it was income. According to a California state-sponsored Web site, www.ftb.ca.gov, Jackson would be liable for this money. A ballpark figure could be as much as $5 million.

To add insult to injury, the Neverland auction, as it stands, will take place on the steps of the Santa Barbara County courthouse. The auctioneer likely will be a representative from Financial Title Company of San Francisco.

Bidders will have to come with cashier’s checks for the amount they want to offer. Once the bidding begins, Fortress Investments — the original lender and beneficiary of the bid — can’t stop it. Someone will win Neverland.

The good news is that once a bid is accepted, Jackson is no longer the debtor. If Fortress accepts a lower bid than $24.5 million, Jackson is not liable for the balance. The debt is cleared. 

Neverland has been in default since October 19.  He had ninety days to fix this, but did not. 

So let me get this straight.  MJ doesn’t work, doesn’t want to work (among others, he recently turned down a series of concerts at London’s Millennium Dome for a reported $1M each), sales of his re-release of Thriller are off, he lives off the kindness of friends, and he has people lined up to loan him money?

Where can I get these people?  Because where I come from (hereafter to be known as “The Real World”), if you refuse to work and have no money, people do not stand in line to give you more money.  If you do not have money to pay off your bills, then you don’t go shopping for new things until the bills are paid off.  I need a vehicle to drive out-of-state, so do I now march down to the bank and ask for more money, borrow more than I can reasonably make payments on, conveniently forget to pay it back, and when they turn up wanting their money I just go to a different bank and take out more, starting the whole cycle over again?  If I did that for long, I’d be homeless, broke, and probably in jail.

Let’s face it…all Michael has his lawyers do is shuffle papers around.  There’s no real money, just papers with figures.  I mean, there are decent, hardworking people all over America losing their homes to foreclosure through no fault of their own, but rather to a sagging economy or layoffs or illness…if they could work to pay off their debts, they would.  And then you have this guy.  Let’s let Joe Schmoe try showing up at the local credit union with some papers detailing his “financial assets,” or let him go to the local bank and tell them he doesn’t have a job, he doesn’t want to have a job, he is living in a house loaned to him, but he wants the bank to give him a bunch of money, and see what happens.  Fun for the whole family!

I still say he should sell it to Britney Spears.  Two problems solved with one fell swoop!

Michael Jackson’s famous kiddie bait ranch may be up for sale next month if he doesn’t pay the more than $24M he still owes on the joint:

The fact is, if Jackson can’t sell more than 200,000 copies of a special edition “Thriller” in two weeks, he’s not going to be selling so many concert tickets after all.

And that may be an essential part of the equation as Jackson’s lawyer, Peter Lopez, makes a last-ditch attempt to refinance the $24.5 million loan needed to keep Neverland. Jackson is already leveraged to the hilt. He has assets on paper, but he doesn’t work. He doesn’t tour, and he’s not releasing records. Why would anyone in this economy lend him any more money?

It seems that MJ won’t work, won’t make an effort, and wants everyone to give him everything on a platter without having to do anything for it:

One of Jackson’s biggest problems is that he won’t return to remunerative work. I told you two weeks ago that he recently was offered a great gig: 10 shows minimum, 30 max, at $1 million apiece to perform the “Thriller” album at London’s Millennium Dome. It was a solid offer from AEG Live. But he wouldn’t do it.

He also wouldn’t appear at the Grammys. He also refused to pitch in on “Thriller” publicity — most of it was done by producer Quincy Jones. It seems no one has ever told Jackson the old adage that 99 percent of life is just about showing up.

That’s completely ridiculous…any entertainer knows you can’t bask in the glory of your past successes for the rest of your life, without actively becoming part of your own money-making machine.  There are plenty of entertainers doing their same old shlock, but they get their butts out there and do it…they don’t send someone else or, worse, hide in the shadows while expecting the money to still roll in.  But maybe Michael has finally figured out that his views on life are not the same as, oh, most of the population, and he knows that whatever he says in interviews and on stage will be dissected by everyone.  That, and oh yeah…he’s a pedo, so coming out in front of the cameras is a huge risk for him.

It’s sad, too, because Thriller was such a great album.  I’d buy the remastered version, but I know the money is going to go to Michael, so I’m loath to do so.  Maybe I’ll wait a bit and buy it on eBay.  I did get bored a while back and looked up Neverland on Google Earth…it looks pathetic now.

So if you want some Michael memorabilia, now’s your chance, because not only is the house being sold, but all the things inside it are part and parcel of the deal (I don’t know if they’d have a seperate auction or if the possessions go with the house).  Since the house is in foreclosure, he might not be able to get inside to retrieve his stuff, so if you have money sitting around to blow, you might just have an eBay bonanza on your hands.

Britney Spears should buy Neverland.  It’d be great!  Think about it…she could have her own personal Starbucks, Rite-Aid, Taco Bell, gas station, whatever she wanted.  She could call it Britneyland and she could run around commando to her little heart’s content.  She wouldn’t be a danger to anyone, and I’m sure the boys would love it when they come to visit.  Put in a Chuck E. Cheese and it’ll be perfect.  Of course, she’d have to hire some paps to chronicle her every move, but doesn’t she already have some on the payroll anyway?

Wow.  I can remember staying up late, waiting to catch the video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller on Friday Night Videos (some of us were too poor for MTV).

And now there’s news that MJ is going to re-release Thriller, with some added bonuses:

A 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” will be released on Feb. 12 by Epic/Legacy Recordings.

Recognized as the world’s biggest-selling album of all time, the deluxe edition will include the original album plus eight bonus tracks and a DVD featuring the short films/videos of “Thriller,” “Beat It,” and “Billie Jean” and his breakout performance of “Billie Jean” at the “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” TV special.

Five of the new tracks have never been released: a Kanye West remix of “Billie Jean”; a new 2008 version of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” with Akon and will.i.am; will.i.am remixes of “The Girl Is Mine” and “P.Y.T.”; and “For All Time,” newly mixed and mastered by Jackson. The other bonus tracks are “Someone In The Dark,” “Carousel,” and the demo recording of “Billie Jean.”

Are you going to buy it?  I’m loath to give Michael any money, but the nostalgia factor alone makes it tempting.

Here’s a blast from the past for you…well, for those of you old enough to remember.  For those of you too young, sit back and watch MJ as he was cruising down the straghtaway just before he went round the bend.  Some sources cite November 30, 1982 as the release date, others cite December 1, 1982 (michaeljackson.com says December), but regardless of release date it remains Michael’s most popular album.

Just when you thought he couldn’t get any paler…

 Is it just me, or does he look like he ought to have Oompa-Loompas dancing around him?

And has it really been twenty-five years since Thriller?  Gah….I remember staying up late to watch the premiere of the video on “Friday Night Videos”.