Sony (NYSE: SNE) closed at $25.51. Five of Michael Jackson's solo Albums -- "Off the Wall," "Thriller," "Bad," "Dangerous" and "HIStory," all with Epic Records, a Sony Music Label -- are among the top-sellers of all time. SNE July option implied volatility of 42 is below its 26-week average of 53, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Vice-President Dick Cheney, he of the fourth branch of government, may be getting a new neighbor at his St. Michaels, MD estate -- he of the second branch of homo sapiens, Michael Jackson.

The Washington Post confirmed yesterday that that Thriller has been shopping the tony East Coast for a possible holiday home, a place to get away from the stress of Dubai. The St. Michaels area is already home to another public pariah, Donald Rumsfeld, who owns the all-too-appropriately named estate Mt. Misery (aka Guantanamo North).

I expect the local residents would open up their arms to Jackson and his entourage, if only to hold him securely while they apply New Jersey boots (the cement kind) to his feet. (And his little monkey, too). If that doesn't work, look for the Vice-President to invite him out for a little hunting.

Probably not coincidently, Jackson is due to release a new album later this year, his first in many years, under his own label.

Perhaps Jackson would be better advised to build his own gated community so he can hand-select his neighbors. I'd think O.J., Robert Blake, and Gary Glitter would be up for a time-share.

Other news from the Milken Conference: AOL Chairman and Chief Exec Jonathan Miller let the cat out of the bag that AOL is considering an online model that makes content -- such as television reruns from Time Warner sister company Warner Bros. -- available for an extended period to let the audience accumulate.

While you may think of Warner Bros. as that benign force that brought us ER, Friends, and The O.C., don't forget that we also owe Warner Bros. for such made-for-TV movies as Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!  and Terror in the Mall, as well as the sitcom Full House.

As for prospects of looking deep into my computer monitor and seeing Bob Saget reprise his Full House role as cherubic widower Danny Tanner -- something I thought I'd left, along with my "Members Only" jackets and Thriller cassette, safely in the 1980's -- well, Minesweeper is looking better and better...