What better way is there to honor the passing of the King of Pop than attempting to make a quick buck on eBay? Truly, Swedish user “beosal” is the most respectful of all Michael Jackson fans as they are auctioning off what they believe to be the last unopened can of Jacko’s very own energy drink, Mystery, with a mere $50,000 starting bid.

The drink was created to be sold at the European leg of The Gloved One’s 1996 HIStory world tour. Mystery was promoted by Jackson with one request—that the drink should have no artificial ingredients.

Of course, another unopened can has already been sighted on Craigslist, available for a significantly lower price of $800. Beosal, as of this writing, has no bids.

Even if it only sells for $800, I think we can still call this the most expensive energy drink in the world.

In 2005, a couple named Mike and Liz started a blog about a special french fry they’d found at McDonald’s. The fry, which they had dubbed the Lincoln Fry, featured a near perfect profile of the sixteenth president as seen on the common penny. It was also seen in an “amateur” commercial during that year’s Super Bowl XXXIX.

Of course, the story was completely fabricated. It was concocted by McDonald’s as a viral marketing campaign and the Lincoln Fry itself was made from polyurethane plastic.

That didn’t stop GoldenPalace.com—an online casino that, for some reason, thinks I’m in Kentucky—from purchasing the 4-inch french fry for a nationwide tour alongside the “Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich.” The casino secured the world’s most expensive french fry at auction for $75,100.

Proceeds from the Yahoo! auction went to Ronald McDonald House charities.

Awhile back, we put together an inflation-adjusted list of the Most Expensive Movies Ever Made. Of course, it’s hard to call a $100 million film the most expensive movie ever made when movies regularly exceed twice as much nowadays. So, without further ado (or inflation adjustment), we present the top five most expensive movies ever made.

King Kong - $207 million

The iconic ape returned to the silver screen for the first time in nearly 30 years in this 2005 remake of the original 1933 film. The film featured Naomi Watts as Kong’s number one lady and Jack Black as the inscrupulous film director looking to bank on the prodigious primate. Universal Studios certainly turned a profit with over $500 million in gross revenue.

X-Men: The Last Stand - $210 million

The third installment of the X-Men series saw Brett Ratner stepping into the directorial shoes to replace Bryan Singer as the mutant misfits’ world is turned upside down by forces both internal and external. The film received mixed reviews, but earned higher than either of its predecessors with $459,359,555 gross revenue. It was followed in 2009 by X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest - $225 million

The sequel to Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl introduced the trilogy’s betentacled villain, Captain Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) of the Flying Dutchman. Actors Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom returned, of course, to reprise the roles that made the first movie such a hit. Dead Man’s Chest was a hit at the box office and earned over $1 billion.

Spider-Man 3 - $258 million

Director Sam Raimi’s third Spider-Man movie, featuring Tobey Macguire in the titular role and Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, boasted not one but three major villains—Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Venom (Topher Grace) and the New Goblin (James Franco). The film grossed nearly $900 million.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End - $300 million

The final installment in Disney’s Pirates trilogy, At World’s End resolved the stories of Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley). The most expensive movie ever made received mixed reviews, but won “Best Movie” at the People’s Choice Awards. It earned slightly less than its predecessor with a gross revenue of just under $1 billion.

While not yet on the endangered species list, the African Blackwood—or Mpingo, as the natives of Tanzania call it—is considered a threatened species. It is also the most expensive tree in the world.

Mpingo once grew in southern Ethiopia and Kenya, but can now only be found in Tanzania and northern Mozambique. It is a slow-growing tree that survives on little water, doesn’t compete with corn, coffee or bananas and even fixes nitrogen in soil.

A clarinet, sold by Musik Productiv, made of African Blackwood

African Blackwood is harvested for the dense hardwood it yields. The wood, once considered ebony, is primarily valued for use in woodwind instruments. The unsustainability of its harvesting can be attributed to both the tree’s 60-year maturation and the smugglers who illegally transport the wood into Kenya.

The world’s most expensive wood commands a price commensurate with its utility and rarity—$25,000 per cubic meter.

Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga
As much as I’d like to tell you about the most expensive assassin in the world, a notable lack of data prevents me from doing so. I can, however, tell you about the next best thing—the most expensive assassin in the world of James Bond.
Francisco Scaramanga, the titular character in The [...]

As the Dow Jones slouches toward 9,000, WinePrices’ has published their Fine Wines 100 Index for April of 2009. The Fine Wines 100 Index “is based on the most actively traded wines at global auctions as compiled by WinePrices.com.” We’ve pulled the top five best performing wines from the list to give you a taste [...]

Some may have you believe that the world’s most expensive mushroom is the white truffle. While that rare fungus is truly expensive, it lacks one important quality—it’s not a freakin’ mushroom. Now that we’ve cleared that up, Japan’s matsutake mushroom can take its place as the most expensive mushroom in the world.
The matsutake, or mattake, [...]

The most expensive hat in the world wants you dead.
Modeled by actress Alicia Witt at Christie’s in London, Chapeau d’Amour—the “hat of love”—was created by celebrity couture designer Louis Mariette. Made of woven platinum and covered in stunning diamonds, the hat was inspired by ivy and bluebells.
I’m not sure what inspired the antennae, but they [...]

It’s only available at Mélisse in Santa Monica, CA and even then only between October and December. It’s the most expensive macaroni and cheese in the world and it’s a far cry from Velveeta Shells and Cheese.
The decadent dish is just one example of Chef Josiah Citrin’s cuisine, blend of traditional French and modern American [...]

An Indian restaurant in London is celebrating the DVD release of Slumdog Millionaire in its own, special way. It’s called Samundari Khazana—“seafood treasure”—and, at £2,000, it’s the most expensive curry in the world.
Bombay Brassiere has packed this platter full of the most expensive ingredients they could find. Devon crab and white truffle and a half [...]

Russian billionaire Telman Ismailov opened a hotel this month that is being widely proclaimed as the most expensive hotel in Europe. As it’s situated along the Mediterranean Sea in transcontinental state of Turkey, there seems to be some confusion surrounding the hotel’s continental status.
That didn’t stop a gaggle of A-list celebrities—including Sharon Stone, Mariah Carey [...]

Knalihs Athem BlackBerry Bold
Limited Diamond Edition
RIM’s BlackBerry has come a long way in the years since its introduction as a two-way pager in 1999. Known for its push e-mail feature, the BlackBerry series held a place among the elite smartphones before anyone had even heard of an iPhone.
If that doesn’t scream “Cover it in diamonds,” [...]

How much would you pay for a tablespoon of dirt? Before you answer, you might want to ask about the quality of the dirt, what nutrients a hungry plant might extract from it. Those, as the world’s most expensive dirt will attest, are the wrong questions to ask. No, you need to know where it’s [...]

Airsoft is a sport much like paintball with its military simulations, replicas of real firearms, etc. The only thing missing, of course, is the pain—airsoft players must rely on the honesty of their opponents. Given the level of seriousness with which the game is taken, it’s no surprise that players are willing to dole out [...]

BusinessWeek has put together a list of fifty of “The Most Expensive Suburbs to Live in Now” for 2009. The list features the most expensive suburb in each state rated by median home price, median property tax and cost of living, each compared to the state average. Of course, “compared to the state average” doesn’t [...]

Netbooks, smaller and less powerful laptops meant to be used in conjunction with a host of web-based applications, entered the public consciousness with the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Association’s goal of distributing the ultraportable computers throughout developing countries. Now netbooks like Asus’ Eee PC and Acer’s Aspire One are starting to overtake the laptop [...]

Luxury designer Alexander Amosu, whose London-based design house is mostly known for gem-studded phones and accessories, has done something a little different this year—he’s created the world’s single most expensive suit.
The fabric of the single-breasted suit is made from vicuña wool, the most expensive wool in the world due to its scarcity and stringent regulations [...]

In its original form, the word “whisky” meant “water of life.” I’m sure some of you readers out there will agree with that sentiment. Luckily for you, there’s quite a variety of different whiskies (or “whiskeys,” if we’re talking about American or Irish liquors). Check out the most expensive whiskies in these popular varieties.

The Most [...]

When the heir of the Persse family estate, including the Nun’s Island Distillery in Galway, Ireland, decided to pursue racehorse training instead of continuing the family business, he probably didn’t realize he was creating what may be the world’s most expensive Irish whiskey—that is, if anyone ever buys it.
According to whisky seller Ken Thomas’ story [...]

Canadian rye whisky doesn’t quite have the prestige of its Scotch cousin, but it still has its moments. One such moment happened at the 2007 Kentucky Derby, when the attending Queen Elizabeth II was presented with the world’s most expensive Canadian whisky.
“Canadian whisky” refers to any whisky that is mashed, distilled and aged at least [...]

Bourbon whiskey, like Champagne, is named after the region from which it comes—Bourbon, Kentucky. Unlike Champagne, however, Bourbon’s production isn’t limited to its home region. While it is still made primarily in Kentucky, Bourbon can be distilled anywhere in the US.
Currently, the most expensive Bourbon is the 16 year old A. H. Hirsch Reserve. This [...]

September 9th, 2009 will see the release of The Beatles: Rock Band. The latest game in the Rock Band series of music video games, The Beatles will be a standalone game based on the band that started the British Invasion in 1964. It will also be the most expensive game on the Wii console—even without [...]

If you’re male and listen to hip hop, then you’ve probably considered getting a grill at one time or another. After all, what better way is there to show off your bling than to stick it to your teeth? Of course, if you want to put the most money where your mouth is, you’re going [...]

What better way is there to give your kids an early start on life than to get them their own kid-sized home? Sure it doesn’t come with a mortgage or monthly utility bills, but this Tudor House by Flights of Fantasy has a price to match some adult-sized houses.
The handcrafted two-storey playhouse is just over [...]

Unveiled at the Thailand Millionaire Expo, an event held in honor of that country’s King Bhumipol, the world’s most expensive saxophone is a hard one to miss. It was created by Diamonds in Glass, an aptly-named workshop that specializes in combining diamonds and glass.
This silica sax is made of glass plated with 2.82 ounces of [...]