Michael Jackson still has Neverland, having cut an 11th-hour deal Thursday to keep it off the auction block. But the magic that once made the financially troubled entertainer's 2,500-acre paradise in the rolling hills of central California's wine country one of the most talked-about places on Earth seems to have vanished along with its reclusive owner.
Jackson hasn't been seen in this bucolic area of oak-studded hills since he was acquitted in June 2005 of molesting a 13-year-old visitor to his estate, and his absence leaves the future of Neverland, a sort of Hearst Castle for 12-year-olds, in doubt.
"We're all, of course, wondering what's going to happen. We've heard rumors but we don't know anything," said Kim Morrison, one of the administrators of a private school located just across the road from Neverland.
One of those rumors has soccer star David Beckham interested in the property.
"I wouldn't mind having a new neighbor. It would be nice to have Beckham there," laughed Morrison, although she quickly added that Jackson "was always a good neighbor."
The pop star's attorney, L. Londell McMillan, told The Associated Press his client has worked out a confidential agreement with Fortress Investment Group LLC allowing him to retain ownership of the estate.
source:global-report.com
