Michael Jackson hoax was ‘experiment,’ broadcaster says

A hoax video purporting to show Michael Jackson hopping out of a coroner’s van alive was produced by a German television station as an experiment, the broadcaster told CNN Monday. It was made to show how easy it is to spread rumors online, said Heike Schultz, a spokeswoman for RTL, the leading private broadcaster in Germany.

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In death, will Michael Jackson be more profitable?

Michael Jackson’s financial woes were well documented: Numerous lawsuits, loss of control of his beloved Neverland and reports that he was hundreds of millions of dollars in debt all point to a complex money mess that trailed the King of Pop as vigilantly as his most ardent fans. But might he find the financial success in death that eluded him in the last years of his life “A few years ago, a gentleman came along with the public company called CKX, and they purchased the intellectual property rights associated with Elvis Presley and that was in excess of $100 million,” said Mark Roesler, chairman and chief executive officer of CMG Worldwide, a business and marketing agent whose client roster boasts several deceased celebrities, including James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. “The most logical question is [whether Michael Jackson is] worth more than Elvis,” Roesler added.

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Birthday release pledge for Nigeria hostage

A Nigerian militant group said it plans to release a British oil worker Monday as a birthday "gift" to Matthew John Maguire, who was abducted last year. Talking exclusively to CNN on his return to Hong Kong, where he had been forging a career in the movies, Chen reveals his side of the scandal that broke in early 2008. It centers on sexually explicit photos of him with other celebrities that appeared on the Internet, leaked by a former employee of a computer repair shop.

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Exclusive interview: Edison Chen breaks his silence

He has been at the center of Asia’s biggest sex scandal, but now actor Edison Chen has broken his silence on the public episode that has ended careers and caused him to suffer death threats. Talking exclusively to CNN on his return to Hong Kong, where he had been forging a career in the movies, Chen reveals his side of the scandal that broke in early 2008. It centers on sexually explicit photos of him with other celebrities that appeared on the Internet, leaked by a former employee of a computer repair shop

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Joan Rivers becomes Trump’s new ‘Apprentice’

She’s been a comedian, talk-show host and feared red carpet fashion critic. Now you can add winner of "The Celebrity Apprentice" to Joan Rivers’ lengthy resume. After weeks of competition, the 75-year-old dynamo beat out 15 other contestants, including Dennis Rodman, Tom Green and Brian McKnight, to take the top spot in this season’s edition of the reality show hosted by Donald Trump

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The laws of sexual attraction

Physical attraction may be as old as time, but new studies are beginning to uncover the science behind sex appeal. Unexpected factors — like biochemical odors, face shape and voice pitch — just might have more to do with your choice of mate than anyone ever expected. Karl Grammer and Elizabeth Oberzaucher are leading the research on the human scent’s influence on sexual attraction.

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