Jackson Wanted to Be Fresh King of Bel Air

TMZ reported last week that before his death Michael Jackson was negotiating to purchase this 18,020 square foot 15BR/16.5BA home in Bel Air.  He apparently wanted to recreate Neverland.  Sadly, we believe that this ornate over-the-top mega mansion was more his style than the beautiful French country home located on Neverland Ranch.  Sigh.

For the rest of the story and to launch a video tour of the home, go to TMZ's site:
Jackson Wanted to Be Fresh King of Bel Air

Michael Jackson's Neverland Moving to Vegas?

SPECIAL LATE EDITION

Say it isn't so!

E! News and other sources are reporting that Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch may be disassembled and moved piece-by-piece to Vegas for reassembly as a tourist attraction.

We here at Celebrity Digs HQ have a special affinity for Neverland Ranch, despite that Graceland-ish front gate and Disney-ish train depot. The house itself is quite beautiful and was the subject of our very first post. Click here to view our post.

Let's hope it's just a rumor. We'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, here's the article from E! News:
The Next Big Vegas Attraction: Michael Jackson's Neverland?

Opposition Says "NEVER!" to Neverland as Tourist Spot

The Associated Press reports that the neighbors of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch have formed a group called "Never!" to oppose any attempts to turn the property into a tourist destination. Of course, no development has been proposed . . . yet.

CHOW & CIAO!

It was an eventful first week for us here at Celebrity Digs HQ! Lots of juicy bits on all sorts of famous folks and how they're livin'. We'll see you back here on Monday.

Before we go, we have to identify our first CHOW--Celebrity Home of the Week:

You guessed it! Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch! We love it and we love him!

Ciao!

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch: Underrated?

Photo: Jim Wilson/NY Times

R.I.P. MJ -- We always loved you and your over-the-top style! We all know the familiar photos of Neverland Ranch, like the Graceland-ish front gate and Disneyland-like train station. But the above photo from a recent New York Times article reveals the true Neverland, a gorgeous French country home in Santa Barbara County, California, that we bet interior designers would LOVE to get their hands on.

Exposed brick walls, oak floors, cedar closets, picturesque views of lovely grounds. The list just goes on and on. Just check out the Today Show's tour:

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Alas, Neverland will probably wind up as a tourist attraction a la Graceland.

In a perfect world, we would love to see an L.A. designer like Peter Dunham or Betsy Burnham take it on as a project. Okay, in a perfect world, we would love to see MJ come back to us. We miss you MJ!

More photos from the NY Times and other sources below.