Photo: Brown/Getty

Nearly eight months after Michael Jackson died due to “acute Propofol intoxication,” the singer’s personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office for his role in the King of Pop’s sudden death on June 25th, 2009, CNN reports. In a press release, the D.A.’s office writes that Murray “did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson … in the commission of an unlawful act, not a felony; and in the commission of a lawful act which might have produced death, in an unlawful manner, and without due caution and circumspection.” If found guilty, Murray faces a maximum four-year prison sentence.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Jackson’s death was ruled a homicide after a toxicology report discovered that the powerful sedative Propofol and other sedatives ultimately caused Jackson to go into cardiac arrest. Investigators have long accused Murray of using “gross negligence” in administering Propofol to Jackson, because the sedative is meant to be used strictly in hospital settings for patients recovering from surgery. In interviews with police, Murray admitted administering Propofol to Jackson after the singer himself requested the sedative, which he dubbed “milk” because of its cloudy white appearance, to help his insomnia.

Charges were expected to be filed last week in the case, but a conflict between the District Attorney’s office and the Los Angeles Police Department delayed the charges until today. Murray entered the Airport Court in Los Angeles to surrender to the LAPD just before 1 p.m. PST, where he was arraigned on the involuntary manslaughter charge. Murray pleaded not guilty to the charge. TMZ reports bail was set at $75,000, three times the usual bail in a case like this. Prosecutors originally sought bail of $300,000 because Murray was born outside the country and could be considered a flight risk. Murray was forced to give up his passport as part of the terms of his bail agreement. Members of Michael Jackson’s family were in attendance for the arraignment. According to the D.A.’s press release, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren will prosecute the case.

Related Stories:

• No Charges for Jackson Doctor Yet; Conrad Murray Expected to Surrender to Cops
• Source: Dr. Murray Likely to Face Manslaughter for Jackson Death
• Michael Jackson’s Death Officially Ruled Homicide

Photo: Mazur/WireImage.com

The FBI’s dossier on Michael Jackson — over 300 pages of files ranging from an alleged extortion plot against the King of Pop to documents concerning the FBI’s involvement in Jackson’s child molestation trial — were released today as part of the Freedom of Information Act, the New York Times‘ ArtsBeat blog reports.

The files reveal that in 1992, an unnamed man attempted to extort Jackson, threatening, “I will personally attempt to kill if he doesn’t pay me my money.” The man, who pleaded guilty to extortion and was sentenced to prison in 1993, also proclaimed, “I’ll commit mass murder at a Michael Jackson concert if necessary, in an attempt to murder Michael, then you will have to deal with my situation in the public eye.” Similar death threats were made to mob boss John Gotti and then-President George H.W. Bush.

As for the FBI’s documents regarding the child molestation trial, according to TMZ, local authorities in Santa Maria reached out to the FBI out of concern that the trial could be viewed as a “soft target” by terrorists, adding that the “worldwide media coverage” might appeal to terror groups. The FBI determined there was no terror threat in that case. The FBI was also involved in some regard into the investigation of Jackson’s child molestation charges, as local authorities reached out to the FBI to see if they were interested in “working a possible federal violation against Jackson concerning the transportation of a minor across state lines for immoral purposes.” Jackson was ultimately found not guilty of the charges.

Photo: Diamond/WireImage
Although the death of Michael Jackson has officially been ruled a homicide, investigators are still months away from filing any criminal charges in the case, a source tells the Los Angeles Times. Because of all the evidence gathered in the case as well as the toxicology reports and other “complex medical data,” the decision to file charges in the case are “months rather than weeks away.” Outside medical experts have reportedly been recruited to help with the investigation.

Look back at Jackson’s career, in photos.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, the person at the center of the investigation into Jackson’s death is the singer’s personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray, who allegedly administered the dose of propofol (a strong sedative strictly for hospital use) and other sedatives that ultimately led to Jackson’s cardiac arrest. The county coroner ruled that Jackson died of “acute propofol intoxication” and classified the death as a homicide. Even before the coroner’s ruling, search warrants of Murray’s home and offices revealed that the doctor was suspected in a manslaughter investigation.

Allegedly, the LA district attorney has already had Murray’s girlfriend Nicole Alvarez testify before a grand jury panel. Murray reportedly called Alvarez after he administered propofol to Jackson, leaving the star unattended. Murray then waited a long duration before calling paramedics after Jackson had stopped breathing. Murray has denied any wrongdoing in Jackson’s death.

Michael Jackson fans react to the star’s death: photos.

This isn’t the first time the Los Angeles district attorney’s office has hesitated before filing criminal charges in a high-profile case. According to the LA Times, music producer Phil Spector wasn’t charged with murder until a year after actress Lana Clarkson was killed by a gunshot wound in his mansion. Spector was found guilty earlier this year.

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Janet Jackson Blames Dr. Murray for Michael’s Death in Interview
Michael Jackson’s Death Officially Ruled Homicide
Conrad Murray’s Lawyer Disputes “Police Theory” in Jackson’s Death

The Michael Jackson concert rehearsal documentary This Is It is approaching the end of its theatrical run, but fans will only have to wait two months to bring the King of Pop to their home theater — the film’s DVD and Blu-ray will be released on January 26th, 2010. The bonuses on the This Is It DVD include an hour of additional footage not seen in theaters, two making-of documentaries and featurettes about the costuming, dancer auditions and memories of Jackson, Variety reports. And for those who wanted to give the gift of This Is It this holiday season, there’s also good news: Pre-orders for the DVD and Blu-ray will begin December 24th.

Read our opening night review of This Is It.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, This Is It’s run in multiplexes was extended after theater owners afraid that a quick DVD release would diminish ticket sales put pressure on Sony to delay the DVD. The film has grossed around $70 million domestically and over $200 million worldwide. Instead of tying in the DVD release to the big Christmas sales, Sony will instead hitch This Is It to the surge of sales that follows the Grammy Awards, which will be broadcast five days after the disc hits stores, on January 31st, Variety reports.

Look back at Michael Jackson’s most memorable moments.

In case you needed more of a reason to put a Blu-ray player on your gift list this holiday season, the This Is It Blu-ray will house another 30 minutes of footage not available on the standard DVD, plus the “Smooth Criminal” vignette that was filmed for Jackson’s planned London O2 concerts. Portions of the “Smooth Criminal” video, which featured old school gangster clips of Humphrey Bogart and other black-and-white criminals, were shown in This Is It.

See photos from Jackson’s This Is It rehearsals.

As Rolling Stone reported, MTV locked up the rights for the television broadcast of This Is It starting in 2011.

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• Jackson’s “This Is It” Doc Grosses $200 Million Worldwide
• Michael Jackson’s Final Dreams Come to Life as “This Is It” Film Premieres
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An auction of Michael Jackson collectibles and other rare rock objects brought in $2 million this weekend at New York’s Hard Rock Café. The huge total far exceeded the estimated $120,000 the 80-plus items were expected to draw from bidders, who proved to be willing to throw down big bucks on storied items from the King of Pop’s past. The biggest item on the block was Jackson’s rhinestone-studded glove from the 1983 Motown 25 concert. The iconic glove was only expected to fetch between $40,000-$60,000, easily the highest estimate for any item at the auction. Instead, the glove sold for an astounding $420,000 to a buyer in Hong Kong, CNN reports.

• Rock on the block: check out prized MJ, Madonna and Kurt Cobain collectibles from the auction.

Jackson’s famed fedora, worn when he kissed then-wife Lisa Marie Presley during the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, had a pre-auction estimate of $6,000-$8,000; it sold for $73,800 at the Julien’s Auctions event. A drawing of Charlie Chapin by the King of Pop, estimated to sell for between $4,000-$6,000, went for a winning bid of $33,480. Other noteworthy MJ items on the block included handwritten “Beat It” lyrics and a Mickey Mouse drawing by Jackson featuring the Disney character on the cover of Bad.

Jackson memorabilia wasn’t the only thing up for grabs at the Julien’s Auctions Music Icons event, as items from the Beatles, Buddy Holly and Nirvana were also available to the highest bidder. To see some of the best items to go under the gavel this weekend, check out our gallery below:

• “Music Icons” Auction 2009: Michael Jackson’s Glove, Kurt Cobain’s Fingerprints Hit the Block

Related Stories:

• Cobain’s Bass, Dylan’s Lyrics Sell at Christie’s Rock Auction
• Michael Jackson Stops Neverland Auction, Will Reclaim 2,000 Items
• Neverland on the Block: Inside the Michael Jackson Auction

   AP Source:

Authorities are investigating Jackson’s June 25 death as a manslaughter and believe the anesthetic propofol he was given at his rented Los Angeles mansion was a major factor. Propofol normally is used to render patients unconscious for medical procedures and only is supposed to be administered by anesthesia professionals in medical settings.

As investigators build their case, a central issue is what drugs were in Jackson’s system when he died and how those medications were obtained. Jackson’s physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, is the focus of the investigation. He has told investigators he administered propofol and multiple sedatives to Jackson in the hours before he died, the law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Los Angeles and Las Vegas police and Drug Enforcement Administration agents served a sealed search warrant Tuesday morning at Applied Pharmacy Services in Las Vegas, which the official said legally sold propofol to Murray. Investigators discovered large amounts of the drug and other medications in Jackson’s home after his death. DEA agents were able to track the anesthetic back to the Las Vegas pharmacy.

Through a spokeswoman, Murray’s attorney Edward Chernoff said he had not seen the warrant and had no immediate comment.

Murray has talked to detectives but has not spoken publicly since Jackson died. Chernoff has said Murray gave Jackson nothing that “should have” killed him and specifically said the physician did not give Jackson the narcotic painkillers Demerol or OxyContin.

The cause of death for Jackson and details about what was in his system will be revealed in the final autopsy report prepared by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. It announced Monday that it has completed its work but won’t release findings while the police investigation is ongoing.

Weeks ago authorities served search warrants at Murray’s Las Vegas home and his businesses in Las Vegas and Houston, where they seized computer hard drives, medical equipment invoices, phone records and other items. Officials also sought evidence pertaining to the purchase of propofol in those warrants.

Investigators also are looking into Jackson’s interactions with at least six other doctors, court documents show.

Michael Flanagan, assistant special agent in charge of the DEA in Las Vegas, said Tuesday’s warrant was issued without incident at the single-story business in a strip mall with several other medical services and insurance offices on Flamingo Road, several miles west of the Las Vegas Strip.

The pharmacy staff was cooperative, he said, adding that authorities were searching for any and all paper documents and electronic records. He declined to provide any details.

Tuesday’s warrant remained sealed, and Clark County District Court spokesman Michael Sommermeyer said he had no information when it was issued or which judge signed it.

Investigators could take up to 10 days to submit documentation about what they sought and what was obtained. That information became available three days after authorities served warrants at Murray’s home and office on July 28.

A woman who answered the phone at Applied Pharmacy Services after agents left refused to identify herself and declined to comment on behalf of the store and its owner.

A telephone voicemail message said Murray’s Nevada medical practice, Global Cardiovascular Associates, was “temporarily” closed, effective Tuesday.