Microsoft AOL

Lately I've been getting a lot of these junk emails in my inbox claiming that Microsoft and AOL have merged, and basically they are doing some stupid email beta where if i forward their emails i get money blah blah blah.

I don't believe that for a second, I've been around the net for a long time, and it's only the real stupid ones who continue those emails on.

I'm trying to get the real facts though about how this got started and no matter where I look I can't find out whether or not AOL and Microsoft did merge.

Everything I can find on the subject dates back to September 2005, and just says, that AOL is in "talks" about whether or not to sell out their company.
And depending on where you look it's either Google or Microsoft that wanted to do the buying.

So here's what I want to know....
Did AOL merge with Google?
Did AOL merge with Microsoft?

Please include a link for me on the topic if you can find one....
I'm trying to educate my dumb family and friends about these things and why they shouldn't buy into it and go on sending their personal email addresses halfway around the world and back three times, all on the chance that "Bill Gates is giving away his fortune". LOL.

Thanks in advance people.

Grumpapotamus Rex