What better way to celebrate the first anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death than with an auction of his things!

And–even things he never saw or touched.

Julien’s Auctions of West Hollywood has just announced a three day auction beginning on June 25th in Las Vegas. Most of the items, they say, are furniture that was commissioned for the house when Jackson was supposed to live outside London while doing his “This Is It” shows at the O2 Arena.

However, Jackson didn’t live long enough to sit on the couches and chairs. So Julien’s will recreate, they say, what might have been. Julien says the furniture was never paid for. Jackson ordered it over the phone. The furniture designer didn’t want to pursue getting its money back from the estate.

There are also 200 other items including gloves, jackets, shoes, outfits, etc that are supposedly from Michael ’s estate. The jury’s still out on that one. Julien’s says two charities will get a percentage of the take. The objects come from friends like Corey Feldman who’ve decided to cash out of trinkets Jackson gave to them over the years.

Last year around this time, Jackson fought a Julien’s auction of his memorabilia and belongings that was set up his erstwhile manager, Tohme R. Tohme. That auction was aborted. Mr. Tohme has not been heard from since last summer, after Jackson died. But a warehouse of Jackson objects was supposedly returned to the Jackson estate by Tohme after his death.

“Everything we have comes from legit sources and has been verified,” says Darren Julien.

It’s no surprise to some insiders that Michael Jackson’s kids are being investigated by the Los Angeles Department of Family Services.

Remember the YouTube video I showed you a couple months ago? It showed the Jackson kids romping around a luxurious suite at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving.

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Michael Jackson’s family can’t wait anymore. They’re starting to plan events to cash in on Michael’s memory.

First, eldest sister Rebbie planned a tribute to Michael in Scranton, Pa., with a second-tier lead singer from the Temptations. It was too sad for me to write about.

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The new version of “We Are the World” went up on iTunes last night, and you can see it everywhere at 2 p.m. Saturday. Get all the info at www.world25.org.

Justin Bieber opens the song, but is followed in quick succession by Jennifer Hudson – who just about steals the whole recording. Quickly we see and hear Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, and of course Barbra Streisand.

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Tonight everyone will get to hear the new edition of “We Are the World,” 25 years after Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and Quincy Jones made history.

It’s an ironic moment for Michael Jackson, whose alleged murderer was arraigned this week. It’s ironic especially since it features Celine Dion.

Dion was one of the singers whom Jackson enlisted in October 2001 for his “What More Can I Give” single. With a panoply of stars, Jackson tried to re-create the “We Are The World” vibe for the people who’d been affected by Sept. 11.

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Less than 48 hours before “We Are the World 25″ premieres on the Olympics, I can tell you that the finished version has a duet of sorts with Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.

It comes at the midpoint of the Quincy Jones produced record. Just like in the original version from 1985, Michael sings the bridge, with Janet joining in. The vocal and the video of Michael are taken from the original version of the record. On the new video, Michael’s image pops up from the old video, followed by Janet’s from the new one.

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As the world knows, Dr. Conrad Murray was arraigned yesterday and set free on $75,000 bail. The government wanted $300,000. Dr. Murray’s lawyer thought he should just go free. The judge found a middle ground.

Now the case moves to downtown L.A. on April 5 for a preliminary hearing. But my sources say that we won’t have a trial before September, and it could be as long as a year before Dr. Murray has to face a jury of his peers.

Meanwihle, the government scored a point: Dr. Murray, while he waits for his medical license to be revoked, can no longer administer anesthesia. He won’t be putting anyone else out or under. That’s a good thing. You may recall a story I did last summer: Dr. Murray’s late doctor father also had problems giving patients such drugs. He was suspended for two years. The Murrays apparently like knocking out their patients. A lot.

TMZ’s long week of predicting, nay, demanding, the arrest and arraignment of Dr. Conrad Murray has come to an end.

Despite the Web site’s wacky hourly announcements about Dr. Murray’s legal situation, Michael Jackson’s alleged killer will actually be formally charged on Monday in Los Angeles.

How do we know? Because the LAPD and District Attorney have each sent out a press release with the info. That takes the mystery out of it! Dr. Murray will be arraigned at the Airport Court on So. La Cienega on Monday after charges are filed with the DA.

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Dr. Conrad Murray will be arrested this afternoon for the murder of Michael Jackson on June 25. The charge, sources say, will be involuntary manslaughter.

And then the fun begins.

We can expect that within hours of the arrest a civil suit will be filed against Dr. Murray by Michael Jackson’s family. This should kick off internal squabbles among the avaricious Jacksons like never before.

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For so many reasons, Michael Jackson must have been spinning in his million-dollar mausoleum last night.

His kids, Prince and Paris, whom he draped in bee keeper’s hats and masks to keep them out of the public, took center stage and accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards.

Yes, they were poised and articulate. That certainly shows that Jackson’s parenting was better than anyone could have guessed.

But their remarks were scripted. And when Prince Michael, Jackson’s 12-year-old son with Debbie Rowe, spoke, it was worth examining what he said. He acknowledged both his “grandma” — Katherine Jackson, his legal guardian — and his “grandpa,” Joe Jackson, whom Michael hated. Joe Jackson is currently suing Michael’s estate to get a $20,000-per-month allowance. Read the rest of this entry »