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Madonna is set to pay tribute to her late friend, Michael Jackson, during her concert stop in London over the week.

Madonna will debut a special song and dance in tribute to the late King of Pop, her rep, Liz Rosenberg, told the Associated Press.

Madonna has two concerts scheduled at the O2 arena – on Saturday July 4, and Sunday July 5, according to the singer’s Web site. The O2 Arena is the same venue Michael was due to kick off his comeback shows beginning on July 13.

On Friday, a photo was posted on Madonna.com shows The Material Girl and her dancers rehearsing with a man dressed up like Michael.

Madonna and Michael famously attended the Academy Awards together in 1991.

Sarah Palin is resigning as governor of Alaska.

The former Republican VP candidate says she’ll step down from office on July 26, raising speculation that she will focus on a run for the White House in the 2012 race, The Associated Press reports.

Palin made the surprise announcement from her home in suburban Wasilla on Friday morning, but didn’t announce her plans.

Photographs from reader Mike Murphy

After more than 35 years in business, quintessential greasy spoon Joe Jr. Restaurant on West 12th Street and Sixth Avenue will close this weekend. Devoted regulars and casual admirers were both dismayed at the news yesterday, and over 1,000 customers signed a petition begging the landlord to renew the lease, which expired June 30th. But 65-year-old owner Teddy Hondros seems resigned to his fate, and says an 11th hour overture from the landlord is too little too late; he's arranged to have the gas turned off and close after one more Saturday night.

Hondros's son Gregory, who manages the coffee shop, tells NY1, "It hurts right now. I'm trying not to cry because I grew up here since I was eight years old but it hurts me, it hurts my father, it hurts all of us." He says an electrical fire broke out in the basement of the building last month, and his father had been in a dispute with the landlord—also a father-son team—over who should pay for the repairs and renovation. Speaking to the Times, Gregory estimated that the work would have cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars." (Eater reports that figure at $750,000.)

Teddy Hondros tells Grub Street, "With the father I can agree all the time, but the son has new ideas. Maybe they want to clean this place, with all the smoke and oil. Young people don't want the flames, the cooking, all this stuff." While NY1 was on the scene, the elder landlord, Sal Iuso, showed up and promised to work out a solution to keep Joe Jr.'s alive. Gregory refused to believe him, insisting that Iuso's son wanted them out. Iuso replied, "Forget him altogether, forget him we'll rectify it that's it." But by all accounts, Teddy Hondros seems tired and absolutely committed to closing Sunday.

If you have the misfortune of being at work today, you're most likely dreaming of not working. Of laying in a hammock, sipping a frosty mug of Lowenbrau, and adjusting various body parts. Let's watch the professionals.

The Penguins Evgeni Malkin does not need a hammock, however. He prefers the classic beach chair. This one comes equipped with retractable back and a woman in a blue bikini to offer extra protection from UV rays.

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo also chose the retractable beach chair. He uses the classic "lurking fiddler crab" technique to keep his chest from being exposed. His chair also comes equipped with a woman in a bikini.

Former Pacers star Reggie Miller is a more active vacationer, but it's still safety first, as he keeps a bikini woman nearby at all times in case the sun shifts somewhere near his crotch.

Lebron James prefers yellow high-backed chairs and is very particular about the make and model. He doesn't like the constraints of full-bikni'd women, so he opts for the half-bikini'd. He passed along this wisdom to his son.

Tom Brady does it best: Full-recline, behatted bikini woman nearby for extra protection and not a care in the world about anything that has to do with strangers yelling at him. We should all be so at peace. That's it for the day. Be kind to Spud, I'll see you Sunday. This is Deadspin Up All Afternoon And Night. Let's all go outside. Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. Embrace the wasteland.

       

Yesterday the top dogs of competitive eating faced off at the scales. Reigning champ Joey Chestnut and six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi were weighed in prior to their annual July 4th Nathan't Hot Dog showdown tomorrow. Chestnut, 25, came in at 218 lbs, to his 31-year-old competitor's 132 lbs. The two have faced off four times, with each taking home the belt twice, so this year will be a tie-breaker. Chestnut currently holds the world record, with his 2007 performance of eating 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes

The Daily News reports that Mayor Bloomberg was on hand, and told the crowd, "July 4 isn't a holiday for these men. It's going to be a day of reckoning." There will be 18 other eaters in the contest, but who will take home the mustard belt?!

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is broadcast at noon on ESPN, but the fun on Coney Island's Stillwell Avenue starts at 10:30 a.m.

The Daily News' investigative team — also known as the people who helped buckle Roger Clemens' knees — are turning their attention to Barry Bonds, posting his grand jury testimony in 140-character chunks. The first tweet: "Confidential." Juicy. [BarryBondsGJ Twitter]

Everything bad that has ever happened to the Dodgers is the fault of evil, evil Scott Boras, up to and including that home run he hit off Ralph Branca in 1951. [NYT]

Kobe and Artest: The 'Lost' Trash Talk from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo.

The Lakers enlivened their defense and their personality with the acquisition of Ron Artest. The Rockets decided to take a chance on the hot-tempered and baggage-toting Trevor Ariza. [SKEETS]

Hot dogs, apple pie, fireworks and anti-patriotism— it's the perfect excuse for a July 4 gallery. Now go celebrate America!

Be honest: The only reason you remember Mahmoud Abdul Rauf — that's Chris Jackson, for those who knew him back in Mississippi — is because he was the guy who didn't stand for the national anthem back in 1995. Some people were not entirely pleased with his act of defiance.

Carlos Delgado believed the U.S. invasion of Iraq was the "stupidest war ever," and he chose to stage a personal protest and not stand when God Bless America played in the seventh inning at ballparks. Yankees fans weren't so accepting of his decision, and on one occasion, when he lined out in the top of the seventh, New Yorkers started their "U-S-A!" chants. Patriotism at its finest.

All it takes for ESPN to cover to finally give some press to the Manhattanville women's basketball team is a player turning her back to the American flag during the national anthem. She faced the other way for her "quiet, private expression to herself of her own thoughts, her own ideas and moral judgment." The uproar wasn't as silent.

Allen Iverson's charity flag football game. (Yep.) National anthem begins to blare. Josh Howard: "Star Spangled Banner's going on right now. I don't celebrate that shit, because I'm black."

From all accounts, Carl Lewis is a perfectly patriotic gentleman. He won 10 medals, nine of them gold, for the Red, White and Blue, and after all of those times he ascended the Olympic podium, he listened to Francis Scott Key's magnum opus. Chances are, he even memorized it. If only he could have hit the notes at a 1993 NBA game. His rendition is slightly offensive, and entirely enjoyable. Who said schadenfreude was German?