Michael Jackson Puppet Theatre

Michael Jackson Puppet Theatre, shown on the TV news show Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, was a recreation of the day's event in the related Michael Jackson trial using puppets made of popsicle sticks. Sometimes, they used content that actually occurred in that day's testimony, and at other times they used information that was known via the press. Episodes were satirical and ended with one of the characters (usually Michael) exclaiming "WOO HOO HOO!", used as a dry satire of Michael's eccentricity.

History
Michael Jackson Puppet Theatre premiered late 2004 around the time testimony in the Michael Jackson trial began.

eBay
In May 2005, one set of the puppets went up for sale on the internet auction site eBay. The proceedings for the auction went to a foundation for celiac disease. The puppets sold for $15,099 to the internet casino site Goldenpalace.com

The future
Michael Jackson Puppet Theatre has made brief returns to Countdown. The first was during the June 30, 2005 episode when it was discovered Jackson was vacationing in Bahrain, the next episode was on April 17, 2006 when there were false reports of Jackson's death, and the most recent episode was on January 27, 2007 when it was reported that "Jacko" had returned to the USA. Puppet Theatre has also been used to cover many separate events:

* Adult movie actress Mary Carey's visit to a Republican fundraiser;
* Actor Burt Reynolds striking a CBS producer;
* The College of Cardinals selection of a new Pope;
* An "editorial" from the fictional Puppet Television Network about former CBS newsman (now working for CNN) John D. Roberts being nominated for the Supreme Court of the United States, when in fact it was justice John G. Roberts;
* The developments into Karl Rove's connection to the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative;
* White House ethics classes;
* The details of an scuffle between Robert Novak and a airplane passenger;
* The trial of Saddam Hussein;
* What would happen (and then what had happened) if Anna Nicole Smith would testify in front of the Supreme Court thrice;
* Two editions involving Paris Hilton: A reenactment of a defamation deposition in which she was involved, and her sentencing to jail time for violating her probation;
* Spoofing the trials and tribulations of the Mel Gibson DUI incident;
* A parody of Fox News and most notably, Olbermann's nemesis, confronting Senator Barack Obama on the 2008 New Hampshire Presidential Primary campaign trail;
* The extra marital affairs of James McGreevey, the former governor of New Jersey and his menage-a-trois with his wife and his limo driver after a visit to T.G.I. Friday's and a visit to a nearby motel;
* Made fun a Polish water throwing holiday called "Dyngus Day" by merging them into the 2008 Presidential Campaign in the USA involving Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea as they were campaigning for Hillary in South Bend, Indiana;
* The most recent edition featured the meeting two days following Obama's nomination (mathmatically) for the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States with Ms. Clinton.

Trivia
*The puppets were handled by various members of the Countdown crew.
*The voices for the puppets were provided by Keith Olbermann himself, while an unknown voice provided the voice of the Puppet TV Network executive in the "SCOTUS Puppet Theatre" episode.
*When Olbermann was on vacation, substitute anchor Alison Stewart provided the voices. (Episode 8, Spiritual advisor)
*Celebrities that appeared on puppet theatre were: Jay Leno, Kevin Eubanks, Larry King, Dan Abrams, Jesse Jackson, and Elizabeth Taylor.
*On the final episode of MJPT, the Jackson puppet tore off a "mask" and revealed himself as O'Reilly.

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