It is now confirmed by several sources, Michael Jackson is dead.  As the paparazzi searched for a Maria Belen Shapur photo and 70s icon Farrah Fawcett poster star and actress passed, the stunning news of Jackson‘s death overshadowed them all.

Media reports coming out of Los Angeles, California have said the star, 50, was taken to the hospital after he was found not breathing following a suspected heart attack in his Bel Air home earlier today. Celebrity website TMZ.com said 911 operators received an emergency call about 12:12pm local time.

“We’re told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back,” TMZ.com reported.

Once Jackson arrived at the hospital, staff again tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.

Michael Jackson is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.

Bodog says: our condolences to the entire Jackson family. May he rest in peace.

Eccentric and flamboyant sports handicapper Oscar Dooley called himself “devastated.”  

Further news is ex-husband of Fawcett, Lee Majors called her “an angel forever.”

The bigger Wimbledon betting matchups are on the horizon but, before we get there, there are some great baseball games to bet on this weekend. Let’s have a look at some key Friday contests.

Friday, June 26, 8:05 p.m. ET
Giants @ Brewers
Matt Cain (9-1, 2.28) vs Yovani Gallardo (7-4, 3.00)

What a different a little run support makes! Matt Cain picks up the “W” almost every time he takes the mound in 2009 after years of hard-luck losing. Allowing one or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts, he’s as hot as pitchers get. He’s undefeated on the road this season but was bombed in his only career start at Milwaukee, so what should you do when you make your MLB predictions?

Looking at counterpart and fellow ace Yovani Gallardo with your sportsbook software may help. While he has a poor track record against the Giants, he’s a monster at home in his career (8-4, 2.63 ERA, 107 K in 102 IP). The Giants’ Achilles heel is their offense whereas the Brewers strength is their offense, and Cain is susceptible to the long ball, so I like the Brewers to edge San Fran.

MLB betting pick: Brewers

Just as OffshoreInsiders.com is widely accepted as the top site for NBA betting picks, the top site for the NBA draft is NBAdraft.net

Though ESPN begins coverage at 7:30, the NBA draft time is 8:00 EST.

The only real shock would be if the LA Clippers draft anyone other than Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin with the No. 1 pick.

BetED has probably the best betting lines of any the recommended sportsbooks as NBA draftnicks can wager on how many players will be taken in the first round from the Big East, Pac 10, and ACC, not to mention the number of international players taken in the first round.

Who will draft Ricky Rubio? According to NBAdraft.net he’s going to Sacramento, so “any other team” besides Memphis at -310 may be a good bet.

Most projections see Hasheem Thabett going second, but if he’s leapfrogged by James Harden BetED will pay a hefty +255. 

Will Stephen Curry or Jonny Flynn be drafted first? Curry is -230.

In fact there are betting propositions on just about every player likely to get drafted in the first round: Tyler Hansbrough, Chase Budinger, Wayne Ellington, DuJuan Summers, Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday and more.

The sportsbook actually has Ricky Rubio projected to get drafted third, so James Harden at +190 is a sensational bet according to the NBA draft projections.

Bodog is also expected to post similar odds by 6:00 EST.

The NBA draft highlights Thursday night’s sports viewing and betting rundown.

After the one sure bet of Thursday’s NBA draft, Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin going to the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 1 pick, things continue to look unsettled.

As far as knowing which teams are going to take which players, it is one of the more screwy drafts in years.

Most years media and fans can at least nail down all but two or three of the lottery picks. Not this year.

The Memphis Grizzlies are still keeping it quiet whether they are going to take Connecticut giant Hasheem Thabeet or Spanish PG Ricky Rubio with the second pick.

Could it be that the Grizzlies are trying to dupe the media and actually want Arizona State shooting guard James Harden instead?

Once that is decided. It  will have a trickle-down effect through the remainder of the lottery.

The only thing you can expect is a lot of guessing from NBA teams in this very unpredictable draft.

Get your NBA Draft Odds in the Bodog Sportsbook!

But what may have an even bigger effect on the NBA odds this season is Shaquille O’Neal joining LeBron James in Cleveland.

n what is being called the making of yet another dynamic duo — think Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson and Kareem Addul-Jabbar — Shaquille O’Neal has reportedly been traded to the Cleveland Caveliers, where he’ll partner up with MVP LeBron James. (Sources close to the deal confirmed this with theAssociated Press

.)

Will Shaq and LeBron finally give the Cavaliers the championship they so desperately want?

In his first season with the Phoenix Suns, Shaquille O’Neal did nothing to help his team get past the first round of the playoffs. In his second season with Phoenix, the Suns — with stars Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Grant Hill — didn’t even make the playoffs.

So what can O’Neal possibly be expected to achieve as a Cleveland Cavalier? Well, maybe the difference here is LeBron James.

Get tonight’s sports picks.

As Philadelphians mourn the loss of Evil Irv Homer, people from all over the world will also mourn the passing of 70s cover girl Farrah Fawcett. She was given her last rites shortly before succumbing to the horrible disease.

She put up a good fight and kept her head held high through most of it, but in the end “it” won. Hollywood actress Farrah Fawcett died today of rectal cancer at the age of 62. She will be forever remembered for her strength and her courage. Her longtime partner Ryan O’Neal, who was about to marry the “Angel”, and her friend Alana Stewart, who filmed a documentary about her cancer battle, were by her side when she died at 9:28 a.m. at a Los Angeles hospital.

“Her big message to people is don’t give up, no matter what they say to you, keep fighting,” said Stewart.

Aside from her role as “Jill Munroe” in “Charlie’s Angels,” Farrah’s popularity was also catapulted as a result of the poster of her in a red bathing suit — with her huge smile and that gorgeous head of hair. That one poster sold millions of copies and is likely still in the hands of millions of fans around the world.

May she rest in peace.

Other Hollywood  news seems to hold less importance. Every paparazzi wants to be the first to get Maria Belen Shapur photos and there is the story of Jon & Kate Plus 8 divided by two.

When the summer rolls around, you really get a sense of how low television can get. You think reality TV is bad during the actual season? Just wait for summer.

There are shows combining dancing with weight loss, and shows that just put a bunch of C-list stars on the screen not really doing much of anything.

Yes it has jumped the shark, but the sad thing is, it does not matter. It is cheap to make and there are endless amounts of people willing to do it.

As long as shows like Jon and Kate Plus 8 keep bringing in millions of watchers, producers are going to continue to pump out horrible shows.

The reality is, Reality TV is not going anywhere, and it is only going to get worse.

Stick to the true Reality TV, which is sports. There is no fixing the outcome (we think) or editing to tell a certain story.

Get Hollywood and entertainment betting odds   on all your favorite Reality shows in the Bodog Sportsbook.

Dismiss the rumor that Justin Timberlake is cheating on Jessica Biel. Please. But consider this juicy tidbit of gossip straight off Page Six in the New York Post: Both Timberlake and Lindsay Lohan were spotted at Chelsea hot spot Avenue, Timberlake the drunker of the two. As the “spy” for Page Six tells it, “He was drinking tequila all night. At one point, he cleared out a little space and started break dancing. He was bumping into people and spilling drinks. It was hilarious.”

And then at one point, little miss Lohan approached J.T. for a dance but he “shooed her away.”

Appalled that anyone would dismiss her like that, Lohan posted a message on her Twitter page: “Where’s jb cheater?” And then the next day added, “Why do people cheat?”

Lohan claims someone hacked into her Twitter account and posted those messages, but we’re not buying it. What we are buying is the added tip that others at the club are saying that they did indeed see Timberlake getting up close and personal with a brunette that clearly was not Jessica.

Those darn kids. When will they learn? You never, EVER send drunk (email, Twitter or Facebook) messages, no matter how damn much you want to. Never. And you just don’t dance with Lindsay Lohan. Period.

All this Hollywood news is brought to you by Bodog sportsbook, the source for MLB odds and Hollywood bets alike.

Popular sportsbook Bodog has offices in beautiful Vancouver and eclectic Montreal. One of their top writers states the fairly obvious: that Canada is still the world’s best in hockey, but not so great in basketball.

Now if you are from Canada, you are probably wondering to yourself why this is even a topic.

But over the years the rest of the world has been catching up, and when you look at who is winning awards each year you really have to wonder if the kids from Canada are still No. 1.

Don Cherry would beat you down for saying it, but clearly the players from the former Soviet Union are right there in terms of the best players.

But Canada is still regarded as having the best, and will continue to do so simply because Canada is the birthplace of hockey.

Sidney Crosby is the latest in a long line of great Canuck players and he will be the star attraction when Canada takes on the world at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Heart and toughness has always been Canadian players’ calling cards, and that is what makes Canada’s hockey players the best.

Get our NHL Odds in the Bodog Sportsbook! Of course in making sports picks it’s about covering the point spread.

It is a little harsh to say Canada sucks at basketball, but when you compare it to the United States that really is the only conclusion you can make.

Canada has a lot of kids playing basketball at a grassroots level but so many of them don’t follow through.

It is not the dream of a Canadian kid to make the NBA. They grow up wanting to play hockey.

Steve Nash is an exception, but even he had to make it happen himself. He had to play collage ball in the US just to get noticed.

Canada only has the Toronto Raptors, so it is hard to grow a basketball culture. Until that happens, the money needed to develop young players will never be there.

College ball north of the border looks nothing like what the average American fan is used to; there is no glamour or betting on the college basketball betting odds

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Cards and Mets finish off their series, the Yankees take on the Braves, and the PGA Tour goes to TPC River Highlands. Shaquille O’Neal has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Cardinals and Mets will both send their aces to the mound on Thursday afternoon when the teams close out their four-game series in New York. St. Louis will go with Chris Carpenter (5-1, 1.53 ERA), who has given up three or fewer earned runs in each of his nine starts so far this season; the righthander beat the Royals last time out. New York’s Johan Santana (8-5, 3.22 ERA) has been tagged with the loss in his last two starts, surrendering 11 runs in 10 1-3 innings.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox will send John Smoltz (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound on Sunday to take on the Nationals and Jordan Zimmerman (2-3, 5.03 ERA). Righthander Smoltz will be brought back from the disabled list to make his Boston debut in that contest, having spent the last few months recovering from shoulder surgery. Righthander Zimmerman has given up just two earned runs over 10 2-3 innings in his last two starts, but settled for a no-decision both times.

Mark Sanford mistress is Maria Belen Shapur, but it’s gotten to the point was the sportsbooks are the mistress of Grandmaster sports handicapper Joe Duffy. His GodsTips baseball betting is winning at a rate 95 of gamblers will never achieve without his advice.

We told you in no uncertain terms, that our rare bad nights are always, always, always followed by serious payback. But not just one night’s worth. Last night’s 4-1 including a Wise Guy sweep is just the beginning.

We have two day Wise Guys then two more at night. Four Wise Guys in the same days is extremely rare, so this is a huge day for sharp bettors.  Oh and we have three night Majors in MLB from Grandmaster sports handicapper Joe Duffy.  Do you want to be on the outside looking in? Click now to purchase

GodsTips is no Joanna Philbin or Google Voice come lately, having first hit the scene as a scorephone handicapping legend, JD of the ACC.

Also on the MLB slate for Thursday: the Dodgers at the White Sox, the Cubs at Detroit, Kansas City at Houston, Minnesota at Milwaukee, San Diego at Seattle, Cleveland at Pittsburgh, Cincinnati at Toronto, Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, Texas at Arizona, and the Yankees at Atlanta. That last matchup will see New York’s Andy Pettitte (7-3, 4.26 ERA) battle with the Braves’ Derek Lowe (7-5, 4.09 ERA).

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover is pegged as 20/1 odds to claim back-to-back victories this week at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. Sergio Garcia is listed as the 8/1 Vegas favorite for the tournament, with David Toms at 10/1, and Kenny Perry at 12/1. Stewart Cink, who won the Travelers Championship last year, is tied with Zach Johnson, Justin Leonard, and Anthony Kim at 15/1 odds. Hunter Mahan and Vijay Singh are with Glover at 20/1 to win.

Finally, the lone WNBA game on the Thursday schedule has Phoenix at Washington. The Mercury are coming off a 91-87 loss in San Antonio on Tuesday night, with Cappie Pondexter pouring in a game-high 26 points for Phoenix in that win. The Mystics pulled out an 81-72 win over Chicago in their last game; Washington received 31 points from Alana Beard in that home victory.  

As far as bettors are concerned, poker is the ultimate fan and participation sport. Whether it’s playing online at Bodog or wagering on the WSOP 2009 Vegas odds, there is no need to wait until it’s NFL picks season.

Here are the latest World Series of Poker updates.

At his fourth final table so far of the 2009 WSOP, poker pro Jeff Lisandro ran over the competition to capture his astounding third bracelet of the summer. What makes this accomplishment even more incredible is that they were all won in stud events –$1,500 Seven Card Stud, $10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo and, now, $2,500 Seven Card Razz – making him arguably the best stud player in the world.

On top of his four WSOP final tables this year, Lisandro has cashed in two other events to bring his winnings so far to $807,491. Not bad for a few weeks work. While he doesn’t have the WSOP Player of the Year honors wrapped up quite yet (it seems there’s still a mathematical possibility that Phil Ivey could overtake him), he is definitely the front runner for the award.

This is the fourth bracelet for the native-born Australian, who now calls Italy home, and his 31^st total WSOP cash. He finished 17^th in the Main Event in 2006 and has just cracked the $4 million mark in career poker tournament earnings. Wow.

The 2009 WSOP and the Bodog Poker pros out in the field seem to have settled in for the long haul, especially Jean Robert Bellande. Bodog is more than just the sharpest NFL point spread.

According to PokerNews, he has one of the biggest stacks in the field right now and got some of those chips from bidding adios to Phil Hellmuth. Here is how it went down:

Just before a multiway limped pot, Phil Hellmuth shouts to Annie Duke, “Watch how I play this one…”

They see a A-6-3 flop and it’s checked to Hellmuth who bets 450. Jean-Robert Bellande check-raises all in and Hellmuth quickly calls with 7-7, ahead of Bellande’s J-6. The turn is a K but the river is a devil for Hellmuth, another 6 to eliminate him.

So, it looks like Bellande is now sitting on about 40k in chips and is still next to Maria Ho (some guys have all the luck).

David Williams and Justin Bonomo both look equally as comfortable at the table, if not as stacked. Well, we would be too if we were getting a massage like Bonomo is right now, but that’s beside the point (don’t think they come up to media row, maybe it’s the guy next to us who smells like he may not have showered …. ever). Williams is just hanging out and texting/tweeting and chatting with Erick Lindgren, who is across the table from him.

Also Bodog Poker pro Evelyn Ng has a new toy and his name is Stevie. This isn’t a boy toy, or even a new Rock Band guitar (although good guess), it is her brand new shiny Vespa that she purchased just over a week ago. While her experience on Stevie had solely been in parking lots, she ventured out into traffic recently with the friend who inspired her purchase – Maria “maridu” Mayrinck – to go to the salon to ger her hairs did. As Maria is capturing her WSOP experience on camera for PokerRoad, they posted it for all to enjoy. So….. enjoy.