Michael Jackson's 'ghost' caught on camera. Photo / AP
Michael Jackson
fans have whipped themselves into a frenzy over video footage they claim shows the late singer haunting his Neverland home.
Footage of Jackson's 'ghost' has been posted on YouTube after fans spotted a shadowy figure caught on camera during a TV crew's tour of the late star's Neverland ranch.
The spooky spectre appeared on CNN's
Inside Neverland
live broadcast, which featured an interview with
Larry King
and
Jermaine Jackson
, from the now deserted home.
Neither the presenter nor the cameraman noticed the spectre while they were filming. But after it was posted on YouTube fans quickly spotted the shadow and rumours spread across the internet like wildfire, reports Britain's
newspaper
Do you believe?
Slowed down footage appears to show a shadowy image move across a deserted corridor, before vanishing into thin air.
Internet chat rooms and forums have since been buzzing with fans debating the legitimacy of the footage and whether the shadow is their dead idol Jacko.
One YouTube user said: "Yes, that is MJ, even the hair style silhouette everything..!! Immortal!"
"That is so weird. I have played it over five times now and I have to admit that it does resemble MJ. I can't believe I am saying that actually. It's his image," said another.
But to seasoned skeptics, the vision is merely a shadow likely cast by a crew member on the scene during the shoot.
Rumour central
The apparent supernatural sighting is the latest in a number of oddball rumours to emerge following Jacko's death. Which figures. This is Michael Jackson we're talking about. What far-out wacko things he did in life echo for all eternity...
Let's recap on what's been feeding the rumour mills:
*
No brainer
. Several news reports claim that Jackson will be buried...without his brain. Following an autopsy at the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office, Jackson's brain was removed so that neurological tests could be performed - to determine what drugs he had taken.
Jackson's family faced the grim option of waiting up to a month for the results to come back, before burying him, or go ahead with the funeral plans and bury the star without it. They chose the latter. Read all the grim details
We did and it
put us right off our BLT and G&T we'd lined up for lunch.
Verdict : Probably true.
*
Hologram
. There are also wild internet reports that Jacko will indeed be touring the world and appearing on stage posthumously...as a 3D hologram. The
News Of The World
claims that "footage of Michael from his past group and solo tours" will be projected at gigs next year.
Verdict: Cobblers. Textbook case of "Wish you were still here!"
*
Barking
. Oh, and there's the family who claim the gloved one
the day he died. Like the "Virgin Grilled Mary" or "Cheesus," the U.S. family believes Jacko's spiritual image appeared right before their very eyes on a birch tree stump in their front yard.
Meanwhile, back on earth...
* Memorial
. Plans for Jackson's memorial are all set and 17,500 lucky fans are about to descend on Los Angeles' Staples Centre to
to pop's Peter Pan. And the big fella looks set to go out in style, with the likes of
Mariah Carey
,
Stevie Wonder
,
Usher
and
Lionel Richie
lined up to participate in the event.
Visibly absent from the big wave-off will be Jackson's gal pal
Elizabeth Taylor
. She said via Twitter: "I cannot be part of the public whoopla. And I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word.
"I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others," she wrote.
Jackson's career mentor
Quincy Jones
will also give the shindig a wide birth. He doesn't do funerals. "I won't go to any more funerals as long as I live," he told
Entertainment Tonight
. "I can't handle it."
But most importantly, Jacko's ex-wife,
Debbie 'I want my kids back' Rowe,
won't be trotting over to the memorial after all.
"The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy," Rowe's alwyer said in a statement. "Debbie will continue to celebrate Michael's memory privately." Wise move. The last thing we want is a repeat performance of this:
That's one scary broad you wouldn't want on the other side of your lens in a dark alley.
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