Cirque du Soleil has announced plans to open a permanent Michael Jackson themed show in Las Vegas in 2012 after launching a road-show version in 2011. The new production will feature Jackson's songs and, reportedly, may feature the latest in cutting edge technology that could use holograms and 3-D graphics. A nightclub, restaurants, retail operations, and even a reality show have been mentioned as part of the package.

It had been rumored for years prior to his death in 2009 that Jackson was trying to launch a production of some kind in Vegas, with everything from a Cirque partnership to a show with a 50-foot, laser spouting, Michael Jackson robot wandering the desert mentioned at some point. Interesting that it took the singer's death to finally make the deal happen.

The big question is where the show will be. The deal is with MGM Mirage so that means one of their properties, which includes Aria, MGM Grand, Bellagio, Mirage, New York-New York, Monte Carlo, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur, but officials are not saying which hotel will play host. What they are saying is that the new show will not supplant any existing Cirque show, so that probably means either Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, and Monte Carlo. The Monte will not have a headliner past September with the closure of Lance Burton's show, but this feels too big of a deal for that hotel. Excalibur doesn't have a showroom that could support this kind of production. That leave Mandalay Bay, currently home to "The Lion King," which could be sent back to the jungle to make way for the Michael Jackson show.

Another option involves building a new theater at one of the properties (something they did at The Mirage for the Beatles themed "Love"), but the cost of that is probably prohibitive at this point so I'm guessing Mandalay Bay is the most likely option.