• Michael Jackson's autopsy will be performed today. [TMZ]

• Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine said that a team of doctors tried to resuscitate Michael for an hour. [TMZ]
• This report claims that Michael Jackson had been given an injection of Demerol before he collapsed. "Shortly after taking the Demerol, he started to experience slow, shallow breathing. His breathing gradually got slower and slower until it stopped," a source says. [NY Post]
• Michael Jackson died $500 million in debt. [NY Post]
• Michael Jackson's kids are "very upset" but "fine," whatever that means. [The Sun]
• Michael Jackson has reportedly left The Beatles catalog to Paul McCartney. [Spinner]
• Elton John was in the middle of his annual White Tie and Tiara Ball when he found out about Michael Jackson's death, and dedicated "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" to him. [TMZ]
• Lou Ferrigno had been working as Michael Jackson's trainer for the upcoming tour, and Ferrigno's wife says: "he's in total shock ... he thought he was going to be training Michael tomorrow." [TMZ]
• Liz Taylor is "too devastated" to comment. [E!]
• "The saddest aspect to this tragedy is that so many watched it happen and few did anything to stop it. I pray that Michael's death will not be in vain and that we see a return, even among Hollywood celebrities to the spiritual and family values that are life sustaining." — Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who worked with Michael Jackson on a charity called Heal The Kids. [Extra]
• Madonna had planned to make surprise appearances at Michael Jackson's 50-date shows in London. [Daily Express]
• "I can't stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless." — Madonna. [People]
• "I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on The Wiz and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the '80s. To this day, the music we created together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all…talent, grace, professionalism and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him." — Quincy Jones. [ET]
• "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music but of all music. He has been an inspiration to multiple generations, and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones." — Justin Timberlake. [People, TMZ]
• "I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him, and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me." — Lisa Marie Presley. [People, Extra]
• Priscilla Presley says: "I'm in shock, as I know everyone must be." [Extra]
• "When we worked together on 'Bad,' I was in awe of his absolute mastery of movement on the one hand, and of the music on the other. Every step he took was absolutely precise and fluid at the same time. It was like watching quicksilver in motion." — director Martin Scorcese. "Dazed in the studio. A major strand of our cultural DNA has left us. RIP MJ." — John Mayer. Many more quotes from stars at the link. [AP]
• Twitter tributes here, including quotes from Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Mariah Carey and Kim Kardashian, who had her 14th birthday party at Neverland Ranch and had known Michael Jackson her entire life. [Mirror]
• More quotes from stars here, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jaime Foxx and Dionne Warwick. [NY Post]
• "Just as there will never be another Fred Astaire or Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley, there will never be anyone comparable to Michael Jackson. His talent, his wonderment and his mystery make him legend." — Steven Spielberg. [EW]
• "I was so excited to see his show in London. We were going to be on tour in Europe at the same time and I was going to fly in to see him. He has been an inspiration throughout my entire life and I'm devastated he's gone!" — Britney Spears. [E!]
• Will Justin Timberlake step in and do concerts in London to replace some of MJ's O2 gigs? [The Sun]
• Yesterday, a bus full of tourists were driving by Michael Jackson's house to see his front gate — instead they saw paramedics rushing away from the scene. [TMZ]
• Heavy volume — caused by people searching for information about Michael Jackson's death — caused the internet to slow down yesterday. [BBC News]
• Tippi Hedren will take Michael Jackson's tigers. [Extra]
• Somehow this paper has a shot of the paramedics' monitor, which reads: "50 year old male — not breathing at all." Michael Jackson's mom Katherine and his close friend Elizabeth Taylor were among those who rushed to the hospital. [The Sun]
• Flavor Flav showed up to the Jackson family estate and sent regards to Katherine Jackson via intercom, because he was not let in. [TMZ]
• Bands at the Glastonbury Festival this weekend will pay tribute to Michael Jackson — playing covers and talking about the star in their sets. [BBC News]
• Sacha Baron Cohen makes lots of jokes about Michael Jackson (and LaToya) in Brüno. Will the scenes be cut? [The Daily Beast]
• The LaToya/Michael scene was cut for a screening of Brüno last night — but will it be deleted in the film when it hits theaters nationwide? [PopCrunch]
• Online sales of Michael Jackson's hits are soaring. [CBS News]
• Farrah Fawcett died yesterday with longtime love Ryan O'Neal at her side. [NY Daily News, NY Post]
• Rihanna and Chris Brown think "it's ridiculous" that they have to stay 50 yards away from each other, since they are "becoming friends." [Gatecrasher]
• Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have checked out of an Ohio hospital with their new twins. Though security at the hospital was tight, a source said "even the nurses" were trying to get a glimpse of the babies. [People]
• Contrary to rumors, Jeff Goldblum and Harrison Ford are not dead. [NY Daily News]
• Despite the divorce developments, Christian publisher Zondervan is still planning on releasing a book by Kate Gosselin titled Love is in the Mix: Making Meals into Memories. [USA Today]
• "Kate Gosselin Of Jon & Kate Singing The Blues - In Hot Blue Bikini; Jon Gone, She Shows Off Bod." [NY Daily News]
• Um, Woody Harrelson and Zoe Kravitz hang out? [Page Six]
• Chloe Sevigny wore that "Free The Beatrice" shirt in part because her brother owned the club. [Page Six]
• Rod Stewart was seen rubbing Penny Lancaster's tummy, so clearly she could be expecting a child. [Daily Express]
• Was Men At Work's '80s hit "Down Under" plagiarized from a 1934 children's song? [Mirror]
• Blind item! "Which rocker is back on drugs? Although she claims to be clean, when she checked out of a Manhattan hotel recently, the maid found the room littered with dirty needles. [Page Six]
• "I was raised in a very grounded family that came from the South, and I was never much of a party girl. I'm a very low-key person so I like to stay at home and bake, or just walk around the city. I'm addicted to cooking. So I haven't felt tempted [to be a party girl] but if I were to I would think of the obligation I have to the young girls that look up to our show. I feel like there isn't too many great young role models in our business." — Blake Lively. [Independent]
• "Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, and in particular, thank you for giving your aggressive, emotional comments. A blog is meant to get people worked up, and obviously mine is working. Let me clear up a few things..." — Bethenny Frankel is still blogging. [E!]
• "I think it's normal for people to ask my views on motherhood, especially someone my age, because it seems the obvious thing: 'Why haven't you done it yet?' Those questions don't bother me. I force things into shape. I feel fulfilled and loved, and I get to nurture the people in my life. If having children is something that's going to happen in my life, I welcome it. If it doesn't happen, then it wasn't meant to be. I don't declare either way that I will or I won't." — Cameron Diaz. [Daily Mail]
• "Jack Kennedy was one of the handsomest men I have ever laid eyes on. No picture does him justice. I totally regret not having had an affair with him. Who wouldn't? It wasn't up to me, of course." — Oscar-nominated writer-director Nora Ephron, to More. [Page Six]
• "I didn't set out to shock people. I set out to do something different from Potter. If I had wanted to shock people I would have played, you know, a gay drug dealer" — Daniel Radcliffe in Parade on his nude scene in Equus. [Page Six]
• "We thought we'd see him moonwalk one more time." — Reverend Al Sharpton [NY Daily News]

After a certain point, the marginal utility of extra money on a micro level is going to be almost nil because you'll just be keeping up with the Joneses and buying more crap and remaking yourself to try and externally approximate happiness or what you looked like when you were happy once without actually doing anything about being happy. It holds true on a macro-level, too. But, because this is marginally an article about economics, the economist in me would like to point out that there are government policies (other than increasing GDP) that can make a difference in a country's subjective happiness levels "such as maintaining stable families and friendly communities, reducing joblessness, providing adequate health care, and guaranteeing more personal freedom." But we don't like to do that because we're a nation of bootstrappers and DIYers and we're not a welfare state so, hooray for increasing GDP and getting ourselves happy on our own.

By the way, on a completely unrelated note, Americans spent more than the GDP of Bolivia on plastic surgery last year alone ($13.2 billion). In a more unrelated note, sales of antidepressents in 2006 in the U.S. were $20.6 billion. I'm not sure that our plans to find happiness in money or consumption are working, but whatever. I'm sure Priscilla can tell us. She looks happy enough.

Happiness Is ... [Portfolio]
Americans Putting Up The Dough For Plastic Surgery [Houston Chronicle]

Earlier: Are You Sick Of Ladies On TV Looking Jacked Up?

[Los Angeles, June 3. Image via Bauer-Griffin]

Well, other people are saying something. Yesterday, McNamara wrote a follow-up to her article, claiming that "E-mails have been pouring in from frustrated television viewers grateful for the chance to talk about this 'elephant in the living room.'"

When we see bad things happen to good faces, when cosmetic decisions interfere with performances, I think we need to speak out. Otherwise the younger generation will think that a fish-mouth smile and those shiny cheeks are normal and that the Posh Beckham look is something to aspire to ... I wish everyone would stop not only because the sight of some ill-advised surgery or injection can wreck a perfectly OK television show, but also because I am afraid we will forget what normal looks like.

On TV: Botox. Face-Lifts. Reconstructive Surgery., Cosmetic Surgery Freaks Out L.A. Times Readers Too, Critic Finds [LA Times]
Happy Birthday Botox [Daily Mail]
A New Reason to Frown [Newsweek]

• Kate Moss emerged from a bar, giggling and a little tipsy, and announced: "I'm getting married!" Jamie "Hotel" Hince of The Kills is the lucky guy. [The Sun]
  
• Is Britney's paparazzi moment finally over? "Over the weekend, there were less than a half dozen covering Britney," says an agency head. Yet there were 30 in the pack covering Miley Cyrus. Most of them were Britney regulars, but they want something new and fresh. It's moved on to Miley." Oh, dear. [Rush & Molloy]
  
• The New York Times on Britney's appearance on How I Met Your Mother: "Ms. Spears showed that for a few minutes she can play someone else. But she was not entrusted with an opportunity to show she is herself again." [NY Times]
  
• Tyra Banks isn't getting along with ANTM photo shoot creative director Jay Manuel, only wants to show up on judging days and could leave the show altogether — she wants to put all of her energy behind her talk show. [MSNBC]
  
• Amy Winehouse: Going back to rehab? A source says there are too many temptations in London and her management considered flying her to a clinic in Israel, or maybe one in Cape Town, South Africa. [The Sun]

• A new poll has named Ellen DeGeneres the top TV host — over Oprah. Ms. Winfrey, you better start dancing! [Yahoo News]
• Michelle Williams' father is urging Heath Ledger's father to be honest about Heath's finances. "Come clean," Larry Williams says. "Say where the income went and where the assets are." [Mirror]
• Usher's new wife: Seen "guarding" her man "like a watchdog" from the other sexy women on the set of his new video. [Page Six]
• Fergie is not pregnant, says her modeling agent. Gee, thanks, and we know it's not at all in your best business interest to say otherwise. [Page Six]
• If Axl Rose releases his long-awaited album, Chinese Democracy this year, Dr. Pepper will give everyone in America a free can of Dr. Pepper. Or you could just buy a can and listen to "Patience." (I been walking the streets at night, just tryin' to get it right...) [Page Six]
• In New York City, Lower East Side bar crawlers are dodging the Olsen twins' black Escalades. [Page Six]
• After seeing her on Dancing With The Stars, a top cosmetic surgeon is claiming Priscilla Presley's botched face job could have been avoided: "There is no movement at all in her face, no expression. No expert in Botox would leave you like that. Her mouth is uneven. It's almost like a Bell's palsy on one side, as if there's been nerve damage." Another writer says Presley looks like "a bulldog bitten by wasps." Ouch. [Rush & Molloy]
• Apparently the "doctor" who injected Priscilla used industrial-grade silicone used to lubricate auto parts. Larry King's wife and Lionel Richie's wife also saw this phony doc. [TMZ]
• Famous Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme has been shot! Except the bullet did no damage — it just grazed his skin. The chef was cooking at a Louisiana golf course at the time of the incident, and there's no information as to where the .22 bullet came from. [TMZ]
• Singer Nate Dogg has pleaded guilty to aggravated trespassing and battery and can not own a gun for 10 years. Bad for his image, good for the world at large. [TMZ]
• Ryan Phillippe says seeing ex-wife Reese Witherspoon with new man Jake Gyllenhaal is "bizarre" but he tries to avoid looking at pictures of the two together. [People]
• Renee Zellweger moves so often she feels like a gypsy. "I'm never bored. The whole world is home. It's my playground. I can go and play anywhere and I love it. I like to move along. I had a really nice house in Bel Air and I was paying this huge mortgage for my cat." [Mirror]
• JK Rowling may be forced to defend her ownership of Harry Potter — she wants to block the publication of a Harry Potter encyclopedia; her publisher says her intellectual property rights do not exend that far. Banisho competiva titlo! [Mirror]
• Helen Mirren has won an award for "promoting healthy nudity" from the USA Naturist Society. She appeared naked in Calendar Girls and sunbathes naked at home. [Mirror]
• Brooke Burke's son was born March 5, but she still hasn't decided on a name. Her other kids are named Rain, Neriah, and Sierra. Any suggestions? [People]