It's been a full 12 years since the self-styled King of Pop went on tour, but not the last time he performed onstage. In 2006 I was lucky enough to be a guest at the World Music Awards in London when MJ took to the stage for a highly anticipated performance. Unfortunately, what was billed as the singer's comeback performance was actually MJ singing just a few lines of "We Are the World." It was quite an anticlimax, leaving many fans with mixed feelings. Yes, people were thrilled to see MJ back onstage, but singing just a few lines — with no dancing whatsoever — just didn't cut it.

So last week, when MJ held a press conference in London announcing that he would be making a full-on return to the stage this summer — for what is now 50 dates, stretching from July into next February — ticket-sale hotlines were gridlocked with requests within minutes. The O2 arena is no small venue — only the biggest, most in-demand acts in the world play there.

Michael Jackson still fits that bill, and obviously his drawing power can't be underestimated: Organizers told the BBC that the shows are the fastest-selling in history.

The "This Is It" shows — an odd name, since Jackson hasn't clarified whether these are his last shows or just his last shows in London — are nonetheless history in the making. In his press conference MJ promised fans that he would be performing the songs that his fans want to hear — so what are the best Michael Jackson songs? Let us know…

Have you ever wished that, while practicing the Moonwalk in your bedroom, you had Michael Jackson's magical white glove to complete your best "Billie Jean" performance? Well, now you can — provided you can pony up the estimated starting bid of $6,000 to $8,000.

Today, Julien's Auctions, the "premier auction house in high-profile celebrity and entertainment auctions" and the folks behind last year's Osbourne auction, announced that it will auction off more than 2,000 pieces of Michael Jackson memorabilia in April of next year. From April 14 to April 20, items will be on display at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Then, starting on April 21, the gavel will fall.

Which means that, if you've got the loot, the entry gates to Neverland Ranch (estimated starting bid: $10,000 to $20,000) can soon keep the paparazzi away from your front door. This potential sale begs the question: Who or what will then keep the riffraff out of Neverland, considering Jacko saved it from foreclosure last May?

Other items up for bid include "an astounding array of Fine & Decorative Art items and life-size bronze and marble sculptures ... amusements, arcade games [will they have 'Moonwalker'?] and 'Disneyana.' "

Start saving those pennies now, because even though Billie Jean isn't your lover, in order to even stand a chance, you'll have to pony up some serious dough. According to Julien's Auctions President Darren Julien, the auction house has in the past sold one of Jackson's white gloves for $35,000, as well as a pair of the star's white sparkly socks (worn onstage!) for $15,000.

And while the auction is slightly creepy, it's also for a good cause: A portion of the proceeds will benefit MusiCares, the Recording Academy organization established in 1989 that helps musicians in need. The other (presumably larger) portion will benefit the King of Pop's ongoing battle against bankruptcy.

Sitting in the room where they decide who will be nominated for the annual World Music Awards must be awesome.

"Michael Jackson for zee best Pop Male Artist!"

"Vy viss the Michael Jackson again? Alvays viss the Michael Jackson!"

"We shall give zee award to zee Kid Rock, not that Enrique Iglesias. Hees mole makes me sheever. And if Jovanotti does not win the award for Italy, zere is zomezing rotten in Denmark! Haw-haw!"

OK, maybe that's not exactly how it went, but you really gotta wonder what the people behind the awards — based on international sales figures provided by the London-based IFPI — were thinking when they came up with this year's winners. Coldplay snagged the World's Best-Selling Recording Act honor for their album Viva la Vida at the annual awards show in Monaco over the weekend. They also snagged the Rock Group trophy, winning out over such actual rock bands as Metallica, Kings of Leon and R.E.M.

The World's Best Pop Female Artist is apparently Ms. "Bleeding Love" herself, Leona Lewis. So take that, losers (by which we mean such nobodies as Madonna, Mariah Carey and Rihanna). Kid Rock beat out such heavy-hitters as Enrique Iglesias, James Blunt and Michael Jackson for World's Best Pop Male Artist, an award he's sure to put on display in his bathroom. Rock had slightly meatier competition in the Pop/Rock Male Artist race from Lenny Kravitz, Jack Johnson and Blunt, another three-on-one cage match we'd like to see, and one in which we'd bet big money on Rock.

Somehow, nobody informed the folks at the show that Amy Winehouse has spent most of the past year collapsing, fighting nasty skin infections and dealing with a horrible lung disease her father said she contracted from smoking crack and cigarettes. No bother, she still beat out such hard-working ladies as Pink, Duffy and Katy Perry for the World's Best Pop/Rock Female Artist award.

But they got one award right, handing Lil Wayne the Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist trophy over stiff competition that included Kanye West, T.I. and T-Pain.

And, because it's not an awards show unless Celine Dion gets some hardware, the Canadian warbler took home a Best Canadian Artist trophy. Scroll down the first page of the awards show's site and please tell us if you know anything about Philip Kirkorov, because all we know is that he looks awesome and he supposedly had his bodyguards rough up Russian rock band DDT's singer after the rocker made some cracks about Kirkorov's alleged lip-synching. We totally have to go to this show next year.

"My brothers and sisters have my full love and support, and we've certainly shared many great experiences, but at this time I have no plans to record or tour with them," MJ said in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Dr. Tohme. "I am now in the studio developing new and exciting projects that I look forward to sharing with my fans in concert soon."

Given her ongoing problems, we're going to go ahead and doubt Jermaine's claim that "Janet's going to open ... [and] we're in the studio, we're planning on being out there next year."

Can't wait to see what Tito, Marlon and Randy look like these days!

· Mötley Crüe shout at ... their former manager. The band has filed a suit against Burt Stein and his companies, alleging that Stein screwed them out of lots of cash.

· It's the battle of the century! Perez Hilton has been saying mean things about Lily Allen, and she's pissed! Go, Lily go!

· Michael Jackson might be coming out with his own clothing line. Blah, blah, blah, designer surgical mask joke.

So how does it work? Big Stage, which licensed part of their technology to SonyBMG to make MyThrillerVideo, is launching as a company later this spring. For now, you can sign up for the beta version at their website. Once Big Stage launches, you'll be able to create and store a lifelike 3D version of you -- simply by taking your picture. Using what started as CIA surveillance technology to catch "bad guys," they now catch you, mapping the contours of your face -- and eventually more, like your voice and your gestures. The idea is, they can then drop this digital version of you -- your @ctor -- into music videos, movies, games, anything. So you can play Grand Theft Auto, for instance, and instead of playing as a character, you can play as yourself. Or watch "Speed Racer," and instead of Emile Hirsch, it could be you in the driver's seat. And when you watch music videos, instead of Mariah singing "Touch My Body," it could be you playing frisbee with Jack McBrayer. Eventually, it could also be you and all your friends taking the different parts, shoving the actors and singers out of the picture altogether.

Sound incredibly narcissistic? Of course. But it could also be a lot of fun, as our staffers discovered when they were turned into zombies in the beta version. If you want to do it yourself, just follow the instructions here.

· Britney Spears was busy on the Century City set of the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" today. "Working on 'How I Met Your Mother' has been so terrific," the singer said in a statement. "Everyone, including the cast, the crew and the producers, has been wonderful, and Abby is such a fun girl to play. I'm having a blast!" She'll continue shooting her scenes on Friday for an episode airing March 24. In the meantime, Britney's next video premiered on BlackoutBall.com, featuring an animated version of herself. Best described as a cross between her "Toxic" video and "Mission Impossible," the video shows an anime heroine crashing a black-tie party to stop a Brit-cloning villain by giving him a poisoned kiss.

· The bank told Michael Jackson to "Beat It," but the formerly gloved singer has struck a "confidential" deal with Fortress Investment Group to retain ownership of his famed Neverland Valley Ranch. Jacko's attorney told The Associated Press that the public auction for the Los Olivos, California, property is now off.

· The brat pack from "Beverly Hills, 90210" may be coming back. The Hollywood Reporter is, er, reporting, that the CW Network is developing a spin-off of the famed Fox hit and that characters from the original show might make the transition to the new show. Bring back Nat!

· North and South came out to applaud Terror Squad don Fat Joe last night in the Bronx. Joey Crack hosted his own album-release party for The Elephant in the Room, and not only did he party, he jumped onstage. Besides performing his own tracks, Joe brought out fellow Bronx legends KRS-One and Slick Rick. The South was in the house as well, when Miami's Rick Ross dropped by.