Million-Dollar Michael Jackson Domain Names for Sale On eBay

Michael Jackson fans searching online for memorabilia in the wake of the pop icon's death have no doubt turned to eBay, where hundreds of thousands of Jackson-related items are up for auction. Buttons, posters, autographs, LPs, ticket stubs, magazines, tapestries, and more are up for grabs, but the highest-priced King of Pop items on eBay aren't keepsakes — they're domain names, sold in bundles of 12, 20, 50, and even 72, or, if you're like "nini4me2003" and you're hawking a name as strong as OfficialMichaelJacksonMemorial.com, as single sites.

A seller with the handle "corvette2006," who has a perfect feedback rating and was called by one customer a "first-rate eBayer," is trying to unload KingofPopsDeath.com, along with MichaelJacksonDied.com, MichaelJacksonArtist.com, RestInPeaceKingofPop.com, and a host of morbidly-titled domains. Meanwhile, "bobinrobinbur" is selling seven domains, including MoonwalkingMichael's .com, .info, .net, .org, and .us. The seller bought the domain, initially, "as a tribute to him because he is now really walking on the moon." For $21 million, "you can now own a piece of history in his honor."

The strange thing about these listings is how similar they all sound. All pretty much bear the same unusual starting bid: $21 million. Of course, most sellers admit they'll entertain all serious offers in their actual listings, some won't. A few sellers are offering a "Buy Now" option. That price tag? A cool $100 million. All of them, too, are either "One-Of-A-Kind" or "Great investments" with "MASSIVE $$ POTENTIAL!" And most, but not all, offer free shipping.

If you're in the market for Jackson domains, you can own 12, being sold by one eBayer who claims in his listing that if he doesn't sell them, he'd like to launch MJsMemorial.com as a social-networking site, with the help of the Jackson family and Sony Records, of course. Again, he'll part with it for $21 million. Also on the market are NeverlandRanchAndMuseum.com, TheCompleteMichaelJackson.com, MichaelJacksonTop10.com, TheMichaelJacksonThriller.com, and MichaelJosephJacksonTributeTour.com. More disturbing titles like MichaelJacksonsAddiction.com and MichaelJacksonDrugProblem.com are also available.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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