Should Michael Jackson's estate go public?

Meanwhile, the administrators are also looking to streamline efforts to cash in on the demand for Jackson memorabilia. In a filing, they wrote that "The Special Administrators believe that it is in the best interest of the Estate for all book publishing agreements to be entered as soon as possible, as sales of the book and profits for the Estate will be maximized the sooner the book is released due to the notoriety surrounding Michael Jackson's unexpected death and the resulting heightened demand for such products."

That gave me an idea: The wind-down of Jackson's estate is extremely complicated because of the huge amount of debt backed up by assets that can't be quickly liquidated. So why not spin the entire mess into the hands of outside investors who can wait patiently for the long-term income stream that will be produced by the estate -- and give Jackson's family some cash and give the creditors shares in a company that they can either sell on the open market now or hold on to for long-term gains.

Given the outpouring of support there has been for Jackson since his death, it seems like a good bet that demand for a Michael Jackson Estate IPO would be strong -- and the value of the catalog would provide it with the potential for strong long-term returns.