Jackson's Back in the U.S.A.
by Gina Serpe
Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:21:00 PM PST

Apparently Michael Jackson just can't beat it.

After more than a year of living abroad following his acquittal on child-molestation charges, Michael Jackson has returned to his homeland.

Following his June 2005 acquittal, Jackson, 48, has bounced around from Bahrain to Ireland to France, only twice making public appearances, picking up lifetime achievement awards from the MTV Japan Video Music Awards in Tokyo and the World Music Awards in London.

Late last month, Jackson, 48, resurfaced for the first time on his native soil as one of the eulogists at James Brown's final memorial service Dec. 30 in Augusta, Georgia.

Now, publicist Raymone K. Bain says that Jackson plans to finally stay put, but she declined to elaborate on where exactly he was setting up shop.

Last year, he laid off a major percentage of his staff and closed down the main house at Neverland Ranch.

News of Jackson's return was first reported Friday by the Associated Press and came after a conference call in which Jackson announced plans to appear at two "fan appreciation events" in Japan in March.

"I look forward to visiting Japan again in March," he said in a statement. "My friends and fans in Japan have been so supportive of me and my family for many, many years and I thank them for their love and support."

The events were originally scheduled to take place in late December in recognition of the 25th anniversary of Thriller, though Jackson canceled the event at the last minute, after tickets, going for as much as $3,300 a pop, failed to sell as well as expected.

On Mar. 8, a VIP party will be held in Jackson's honor, in which well-heeled guests will share dinner with the Gloved One, get an autographed photo and be allowed to meet and greet the entertainer for between 30 and 60 seconds.

But Jackson's cash-starved fans won't be completely out in the cold. As previously announced, a less pricey to-do is scheduled for the following day.

Jackson won't perform at either event, leaving his long-plotted comeback up in the air.

The performer never managed to get his all-star Hurricane Katrina benefit single into stores, and last year, he parted ways with the Bahrain-based record label, Two Seas, with whom he had been prepping—at least in theory—an album aiming for release later this year.

However, Jackson has recently logged studio time with Black Eyed Peas rapper-producer-mastermind Will.I.Am, with the two reportedly collaborating on several new tracks.