Steven MikulanForget Bahrain. Forget Europe. Santa Maria? — a distant memory. The trainwreck-in-progress known as Michael Jackson has taken a lease on a mansion in L.A.'s very own Bel Air. The Associate Press reports that the King of Pop has been ensconced in the seven-bedroom, 13-bathroom Xanadu for a month now. The lease is reportedly for one year, but then again, it's a lease. The precise location of the home within heavily secured, super-gated Bel Air is unknown, although we're sure Jackson's neighbors know. The 50-year-old Jackson's sprawling Neverland Ranch, which he occupied until just after his 2005 acquittal on child sexual abuse charges, lay deep in a parched, rustic valley, far from prying eyes and complaining neighbors. Now he's within range of stalking paparazzi should he ever venture forth beyond Bel Air's guard posts. At least he'll be keeping warm this winter — his new estate has 12 fireplaces.
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