Rodney King's Funeral Eulogized By Rev. Al Sharpton: R.I.P. My Courageous Brother

Rodney King Laid To Rest At Forest Lawn

One of Rodney King’s daughters remembered him not as a civil rights figure, but as a “gentle giant” of a father, as he was buried Saturday.

“I will remember his smile, his unconditional love,” said Laura Dene King, 28, to a phalanx of news cameras outside the Hall of Freedom at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, where her father was about to be interred.

“He was a great father, a great friend, he loved everyone. People will just have to smile when they think of him,” she said.

Rev. Jesse Jackson and other civil rights luminaries were planning to attend today’s funeral for King, whose beating at the hands of Los Angeles police in 1992 crystallized the nation once again over race relations.

King, 47, was found in cardiac arrest two weeks ago at the bottom of his swimming pool in Rialto.

He died at a nearby hospital.

Toxicology results are still pending.

At a pre-funeral news conference, MSNBC commentator Rev. Al Sharpton said King “bore his scars with grace and dignity, and he never showed bitterness to the officers who beat him.

“People should not be judged by the mistakes that they make, but by how they rise above them,” Sharpton said. “Rodney had risen above his mistakes, he never mocked anyone, not the police, not the justice system, not anyone.

“He became a symbol of forgiveness,” Shaprton said.

Donors large and small had chipped in for the funeral and other arrangements, and filed into the faux-colonial structure at the cemetery. TV producer Anthony Zuiker donated $10,000, and said he was at the funeral “to be with Rodney’s family.

“We lost a symbol, but they lost a loved one,” said Zuiker, creator of the “CSI” franchise. “Rodney was a healer.”

King’s longtime attorney, Steven Lerman, said most people made incorrect assumptions about King, not knowing his real background. King had grown up in a mixed-race environment in middle-class Altadena, Lerman said today.

King’s plaintive “can we all just get along” lament, at the height of the vicious L.A. Riots, was a direct reflection of that background, and of the tolerance taught to King by his mother, Odessa King, Lerman said.

“That didn’t just come out of the blue,” he said,.

“There was a certain playfulness in his spirit that always shined through,” Lerman said. He recalled his disbelief when King told him he had never seen the Watts Towers, a South Central L.A. landmark, and his joy at seeing them for the first time.

Today’s services were held nearly two weeks after King’s death, a delay that family members attributed to financial woes and disagreement about how it was to be handled. In the end, the family decided for a public ceremony, and allowed a pool TV camera inside.





Rodney King remembered at funeral as forgiving man

Rodney King was remembered in Los Angeles on Saturday as a forgiving man who bore the scars of his infamous beating with dignity.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered the eulogy at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, said before the funeral that King never showed bitterness to the officers who beat him.

"People should not be judged by the mistakes that they make, but by how they rise above them," Sharpton said outside the Hall of Freedom at the sprawling cemetery grounds. "Rodney had risen above his mistakes.

He never mocked anyone — not the police, not the justice system, not anyone."

"He became a symbol of forgiveness," Sharpton said.

The funeral came nearly two weeks after King was found dead at the bottom of the swimming pool at his Rialto, Calif. home on June 17.

He was 47.

Family members held a private service early in the day, followed by a public memorial and burial. Mourners signed a guest book and surveyed newspaper clippings from the days when King dominated headlines in 1991 and 1992.

A large photograph of a smiling King was set on an easel.

Daughter Laura Dene King, 28, said she was proud to have had her father in her life for as long as she did, especially considering she almost lost him when she was six years old.

"I will remember his smile, his unconditional love," she said.


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Brittany Murphy Laid To Rest Christmas Eve At Forest Lawn

Brittany Murphy To Be Laid To Rest In Christmas Eve Service At Same LA Cemetery As Michael Jackson


Tragic Brittany Murphy will be laid to rest on Christmas Eve in the same cemetery as Michael Jackson.

Insiders say a funeral for the actress - who died on Sunday at the age of 32 - will take place tomorrow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Los Angeles Hollywood Hills.

The service is listed as 'strictly private'. According to reports, Murphy's body has now arrived at the cemetery in preparation for the service.

The Clueless star died on Sunday morning after collapsing at her Los Angeles home and suffering a cardiac arrest.

News of her funeral comes as pictures emerged of the actress on the set of what will be her last film - psychological thriller Abandoned.

In the movie, which she only finished shooting in the late summer, Murphy, 32, stars as Mary Walsh, a woman who believes her husband has vanished and is fighting not only to find him but to counter threats to her own life and sanity.

Meanwhile producers behind another movie the actress was set to star in have decided to recast her role.

Shrinking Charlotte producer Darren VanCleave has told celebrity website TMZ that he has decided to forge ahead with the project, and will dedicate the movie to the late actress.

VanCleave hasn't thought about who will be replacing Murphy yet, with the film put on hold until the new year.

Shrinking Charlotte is romantic comedy about three single men who stalk and date a woman in therapy in order to learn about honesty, fate, and eventually love. It was expected to be released in 2010.

It emerged on Tuesday that ten different types of medication were found on Murphy's bedside table by an officer from Los Angeles County Coroner's department, according to reports.

They contained anti-depressants, anti-convulsants, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics.

A post-mortem examination was carried out on Monday but it will take several weeks before the results of toxicology and neurological tests are revealed.

But Mr Monjack, who was questioned about his wife's death yesterday, insisted she had not died of a drugs overdose and revealed they planned to start a family next year.

She was an only child,' he said. 'She wanted a baby. Her dream next year was to have a child, and we talked about how he or she would look. She'd say, "They'd better have your eyes and lips and my hair".'

Although he initially opposed a post-mortem examination, he was over-ruled by the coroner.

'My initial reaction to the autopsy was they are going to cut her open,' Mr Monjack said. 'I could not bear it. That would break her mother but we realised we needed to know.'

In an interview with U.S. magazine People, he revealed his wife of almost three years had suffered from a heart murmur, which causes fatigue, dizziness and irregular heartbeats.

The condition is not life threatening and she was not taking any medication to treat it. The actress had also been suffering from laryngitis in the days leading up to her death.

'She was on herbal remedies that wouldn't speed up her heart,' Mr Monjack said. 'There was nothing here that could endanger her; there was prescription medication in the house for her female time and some cough syrup. That was it.'



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Michael Jackson's Private Funeral Was Fit For A King...Criminal Charges Are Still Pending

Michael Jackson's Funeral: Paris Weeps, Macaulay, Liz Taylor, Chris Tucker, Corey Feldman All Mourn

(Little Michael performs "Who's Loving You" with his brothers on the Ed Sullivan show.)



(Michael Jackson is finally laid to rest. MSNBC reports.)

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(Michael Jackson's casket arrives for his final private service.)



Paris Jackson wept as she stepped into the mausoleum where her father, Michael, was to be entombed. Katherine Jackson, overcome by sorrow, turned back when she was faced with her son's final resting place.

On a sultry Thursday evening, amid a sea of white flowers and with a bejeweled crown placed atop his casket by his children, the King of Pop was given an intimate, private version of the lavish public memorial held shortly after his death in June.

Gladys Knight performed the hymn "Our Father" (The Lord's Prayer) and moved many to tears, according to one guest who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the day.

When it was over, many of the the 200 mourners hugged each other. Among them were Elizabeth Taylor, Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, Barry Bonds and Macaulay Culkin.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who gave a eulogy at the public event and at Thursday's service, also extolled Knight's earlier performance of "His Eye is on the Sparrow."

"Gladys Knight sang her heart out. Now we prepare to lay him to rest," Sharpton posted on his Twitter account during the service that was held outside and then within the marble mausoleum.

The mourners followed the crowned, lushly flower-draped casket as Jackson's five brothers – each wearing a bright red tie and a single crystal-studded glove – carried it into the mausoleum. The 11-year-old Paris cried as the group entered the imposing building and was comforted by her aunt, LaToya.

Paris and brothers Prince Michael, 12, and Prince Michael II, 7, known as Blanket, began the service by placing the crown on their father's golden casket. They were composed through most of the hour-and-a-half ceremony.

As it ended, Katherine Jackson appeared extremely weary and had to be helped to her car, according to the guest. Earlier, she had a difficult time going into the mausoleum; she was overcome, turned back, and it wasn't clear if she went in at all, the guest said.

The Jackson family's tardy arrival delayed the service for nearly two hours; no explanation was given to mourners. The invitation notice indicated the service would begin promptly at 7 p.m.; it began closer to 8:30.

The 77-year-old Taylor and others were left waiting in the late summer heat, with the temperature stuck at 90 degrees just before sunset, and some mourners fanned themselves with programs for the service. As darkness fell, police escorted the family's motorcade of 31 cars, including Rolls-Royces and Cadillacs, from their compound in Encino to Forest Lawn, about a 20-minute journey, with the hearse bearing Jackson's body at the end.

About 250 seats were arranged for mourners over artificial turf laid roadside at the mausoleum, and a vivid orange moon, a mark of the devastating wildfire about 10 miles distant, hung over the cemetery.

There were two over-sized portraits of a youthful, vibrant Jackson mounted next to the casket amid displays of white lilies and roses. At Jackson's lavish public memorial, red roses covered his casket.

A large, blimp-like inflated light, the type used in film and television production, and a boom camera hovered over the seating area placed in front of the elaborate marble mausoleum. The equipment raised the possibility that the footage would be used for the Jackson concert documentary "This Is It," or perhaps the Jackson brothers' upcoming reality show.

More than 400 media credentials were issued to reporters and film crews who remained at a distance from the service and behind barricades. The few clusters of fans who gathered around the secure perimeter that encircled the cemetery entrance struggled to see.

Maria Martinez, 25, a fan from Riverside, Calif., who was joined by a dozen other Jackson admirers at a gas station near the security perimeter, gave a handful of pink flowers she had picked at a nearby park to a man with an invitation driving into the funeral.

"Can you please put these flowers on his grave?" she told him. "They were small and ugly, but I did that with my heart. I'm not going to be able to get close, so this is as close as I could get to him."

The man consented, adding, "God bless."

Glendale police said all went smoothly and there were no arrests.

Jackson will share eternity at Forest Lawn with the likes of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and W.C. Fields, entombed alongside them in the mausoleum that will be all but off-limits to adoring fans who might otherwise turn the pop star's grave into a shrine.

The closest the public will be able to get to Jackson's vault is a portion of the mausoleum that displays "The Last Supper Window," a life-size stained-glass re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. Several 10-minute presentations about the window are held regularly 365 days a year, but most of the building is restricted.

The Jackson family had booked an Italian restaurant in Pasadena for a gathering Thursday night, and family members and guests were seen coming and going late into the night.

"I feel like I watched Michael finally given some peace and I made a commitment to make sure his legacy and what he stood for lives on," Sharpton said outside the restaurant around midnight. "So at one level we're relieved; another level we're obligated."

The ceremony ends months of speculation that the singer's body would be buried at Neverland Ranch, in part to make the property a Graceland-style attraction. An amended copy of Jackson's death certificate was filed Thursday in Los Angeles County to reflect Forest Lawn as his final resting place.

In court on Wednesday, it was disclosed that 12 burial spaces were being purchased by Jackson's estate at Forest Lawn Glendale, about eight miles north of downtown Los Angeles, but no details were offered on how they would be used.

The King of Pop died a drug-induced death June 25 at age 50 as he was about to embark on a comeback attempt. The coroner's office has labeled the death a homicide, and Jackson's death certificate lists "injection by another" as the cause.

Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told detectives he gave the singer a series of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic Propofol to help him sleep. But prosecutors are still investigating, and no charges have been filed.


CNN Coverage Of Jackson's Private Funeral----

Seventy days after his sudden death, Michael Jackson will be interred in what may or may not be his final resting place Thursday evening.

Only his family and closest friends will attend the private burial starting at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) inside the ornate Great Mausoleum on the grounds of Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California.

They'll then drive to an Italian restaurant eight miles away in Pasadena, California for "a time of celebration," the nine-page engraved invitation said.

The first page inside the invitation holds a quote from "Dancing the Dream," a book of essays and poems published by Jackson in 1992:

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." Gallery: Invitation for Jackson's service »

The news media -- which have closely covered every aspect of Jackson's death -- will be kept at a distance, with their cameras no closer than the cemetery's main gate. The family will provide a limited video feed that will only show mourners arriving.

Little is known about the planned ceremony, though CNN has confirmed that singer Gladys Knight -- a longtime friend to Jackson -- will perform. Her song has not been disclosed.

The massive mausoleum, which is normally open to tourists, was closed Wednesday as preparations were completed for the funeral. A security guard blocking its entrance said it would reopen to the public on Friday.

Fans of Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and dozens of other celebrities buried on the grounds have flocked to Forest Lawn-Glendale for decades, but Jackson may outdraw them all.

It is unclear how close tourists will be allowed to Jackson's resting place. Security guards -- aided by cameras -- keep a constant vigil over the graves and crypts, which are surrounded by a world-class collection of art and architecture.

The Forest Lawn Web site boasts that the mausoleum, which draws its architectural inspiration from the Campo Santo in Italy, "has been called the "New World's Westminster Abbey" by Time Magazine.

Visitors will see "exact replicas of Michelangelo's greatest works such as David, Moses, and La Pieta" and "Leonardo da Vinci's immortal Last Supper re-created in brilliant stained glass; two of the world's largest paintings," the Web site says.

Jackson's burial has been delayed by division among Jackson family members, though it was matriarch Katherine Jackson who would make the final decision, brother Jermaine Jackson recently told CNN.

He preferred to see his youngest brother laid to rest at his former Neverland Ranch home, north of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County, California.

That idea was complicated by neighbors who vowed to oppose allowing a grave in the rural area -- and by Jackson family members who said the singer would not want to return to the home where he faced child molestation charges, of which he was ultimately acquitted.

The mystery of where Michael Jackson would be buried became a media obsession in the weeks after his death.

After his body was loaded onto a helicopter at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center hours following his June 25 death, it stayed in the custody of the Los Angeles County coroner for an autopsy.

It was only later disclosed that Jackson's corpse was kept in a refrigerated room at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn cemetery until his casket was carried by motorcade to downtown Los Angeles for a public memorial service in the Staples Center arena.

Again, speculation about Jackson's whereabouts grew when the media lost track of his casket after his brothers carried it out of sight inside the arena. Though the family has not publicly confirmed where the body was taken, most reports placed it back at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn while awaiting his family's decision.

Though Thursday's interment may settle one Michael Jackson mystery, a more serious one remains. The coroner announced last week that he had ruled Jackson's death a homicide. A summary of the coroner's report said the anesthetic Propofol and the sedative lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for the singer's death.

Los Angeles police detectives have not concluded their criminal investigation and no one has been charged.



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Mystery Surrounding Where Michael Jackson's Body Will Be Buried.... Criminal Investigation Into His Cause Of Death Continues

(MSNC reports on the mystery of where Jackson's body is located. Meanwhile the LAPD continues its investigation into his cause of death.)

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Highlights From Michael Jackson's Public Memorial Service...1 Billon Plus Viewers Tuned In To Watch (Images, Videos)

MSNBC----


(Michael Jackson career highlights video.)

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(MSNBC reports on the full events of Michael Jackson's Public Memorial Service Center. Observers said it hit all the right notes.)

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(MSNBC's Brian Williams' coverage of Michael Jackson's Public Memorial. Michael's casket arrives at the Staples Center.)

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(Michael's brothers and daughter bids him a tearful farewell.)

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(Lionel Richie performs "Jesus Is Love".)

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(Singer Jennifer Hudson performs "Will You Be There".)

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(Mariah Carey performs "I'll Be There.")

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(Celebrities sing "We Are The World" at his Public Memorial Service.)

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LOS ANGELES - It was not spectacular, extravagant or bizarre. There were songs and tears but little dancing. Instead, Michael Jackson’s memorial was a somber, spiritual ceremony that reached back for the essence of the man.

Singer, dancer, superstar, humanitarian: That was how the some 20,000 people gathered inside the Staples Center arena on Tuesday, and untold millions watching around the world, remembered Jackson, whose immense talents almost drowned beneath the spectacle of his life and fame.

If there was a shocking moment, it came in the form of Jackson’s daughter, Paris-Michael, who made the first public statement of her 11 years.

“Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine,” she said, dissolving into tears and turning into the embrace of her aunt Janet. “And I just wanted to say I love him — so much.”

Outside the arena, the celebrity-industrial complex that Jackson helped create ground on. More than 3,000 police officers massed downtown to keep the ticketless at bay. Helicopters followed the golden casket as it was driven over blocked-off freeways from Forest Lawn cemetery to Staples Center. A bazaar of T-shirts, buttons, photos and other memorabilia sprouted in the blocks around the memorial. Movie theaters played the service live and people paused around the world to watch.

Inside, however, the atmosphere was churchlike, assisted by the enormous video image of a stained glass window, with red-gold clouds blowing past, that was projected behind the stage.

Stars come out for Jackson:

The ceremony began with Smokey Robinson reading statements from Jackson’s close friend Diana Ross — “Michael was part of the fabric of my life” — and then Nelson Mandela — “Be strong.”

A lengthy silence of several minutes followed, punctuated only by a steady twinkle of camera flashes. The thousands of mourners spoke softly to those in neighboring seats or contemplated their private thoughts.

Celebrities made their way to their seats in front of the stage: Kobe Bryant, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Lou Ferrigno, Don King, the Kardashian sisters, Magic Johnson, Brooke Shields, Larry King. While Jackson was among the most famous faces in the world, today’s megastars were largely absent. Those present mostly reflected some connection to Jackson’s life or work.

Among those conspicuously not in attendance were Elizabeth Taylor, Ross and Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s ex-wife and the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children.

Many vehicles left Staples in a long motorcade that ended up in a Beverly Hills hotel. Record producer Jimmy Jam told AP Television that he was headed for a gathering for friends and family, but he won’t give details.

The fans, clutching tickets that 1.6 million people had sought, were a visual representation of Jackson’s life: white, black and everything in between; from Mexico, Japan, Italy or America; wearing fedoras, African headdresses, sequins or surgical masks. Actor Corey Feldman showed up fully costumed as Michael Jackson.

“Words can’t express how I feel,” said Dani Harris, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom from Los Angeles.

“You think about one person, larger than presidents and kings and queens,” Harris said. “People in countries you can’t even see on the map know his face, his music.”

The pre-ceremony stillness was broken by the organ strains of “Soon and Very Soon,” a gospel hymn by Andrae Crouch. “Hallelujah, hallelujah, we’re going to see the King,” a choir sang. The crowd cheered and rose to its feet.

The Rev. Lucious W. Smith of the Friendship Baptist Church in Pasadena gave the greeting, standing on the same stage where Jackson had been rehearsing for a comeback concert before his death on June 25 at age 50. Then Mariah Carey sang the opening performance with a sweet rendition of the Jackson 5 ballad “I’ll Be There,” a duet with Trey Lorenz.

Queen Latifah read a special poem composed by Maya Angelou. Lionel Richie sang gospel, “Jesus Is Love.” Berry Gordy remembered the prodigy of young Michael, drawing a standing ovation when he said the title King of Pop would no longer suffice: “He is simply the greatest entertainer who ever lived.”

Emotions peaked when the Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a fiery eulogy highlighting all the barriers Jackson broke and the troubles he faced. “Every time he got knocked down, he got back up,” Sharpton said, and the applauding crowd again jumped to its feet.

Sharpton rode the moment, building to a crescendo. “There wasn’t nothing strange about your daddy,” he said later, addressing Jackson’s three children in the front row. “It was strange what your daddy had to deal with!”

Jubilation erupted, with the longest standing ovation of the day. It seemed as if Sharpton broke through some sort of wall, freeing shouts from the from the crowd of “We love you Michael!” After he left the stage, chants of “Mi-chael! Mi-chael!” filled the arena.

The parade of famous names continued: Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Usher, Martin Luther King III and his sister Bernice, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Kobe Bryant.

For a performer who smashed the race barrier on MTV and did as much as anyone to make black music mainstream — not to mention was accused of trying to turn himself white through skin treatments and plastic surgery — the ceremony had a remarkably black cast. John Mayer and Brooke Shields were the only white celebs with major roles.

700,000 gawkers? More like 1,000:

Another unexpected aspect was the logistics. The mayhem and traffic snarls that had been feared by city officials never materialized. The thousands of ticketholders began filing in early and encountered few problems, and traffic was actually considered by police to be lighter than normal. An estimate of up to 700,000 gawkers turned out to be about 1,000.

The city of Los Angeles set up a Web site to allow fans to contribute money to help the city pay for the memorial, which was estimated to cost $1.5 million to $4 million. AEG, the event promoter behind the memorial, has not addressed whether it will give money for the effort, but did contribute $1 million to the city after it staged a victory parade for the Los Angeles Lakers last month.

It was not clear what will happen to Jackson’s body. The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery, where a private service was held, is the final resting place for such stars as Bette Davis, Andy Gibb, Freddie Prinze, Liberace and recently deceased David Carradine and Ed McMahon.

But Jackson’s brother Jermaine has expressed a desire to have him buried someday at Neverland, his estate in Southern California.

The ceremony ended with Jackson’s family on stage, amid a choir, singing “Heal the World.”

“All around us are people of different cultures, different religions, different nationalities,” Rev. Smith said as he closed the service. “And yet the music of Michael Jackson brings us together.”


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Michael Jackson's Last Big Act...His Public Memorial Serivce...R.I.P.

MSNBC----

Watch LIVE
Msnbc.com presents a special look back at Michael Jackson’s life and career from noon to 1 p.m. ET, leading up to Brian Williams’ special coverage of the memorial service, starting at 1 p.m. ET.

Discuss on Twitter
Discuss the memorial on Twitter using hashtags #MJ and #msnbc.

(As crowds swarm to give Michael Jackson his final sendoff, the Los Angeles police department is preparing for a busy day of crowd control. Msnbc.com's Courtney Hazlett reports from outside the Staples Center.)

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(Jackson’s final resting place.)

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LOS ANGELES - The curtain is slowly rising on Michael Jackson’s last show.

As in Jackson’s life, Tuesday’s public memorial at the downtown Staples Center includes the spectacle surrounding the show — legal drama, screaming fans, star power, live worldwide broadcast, unsavory accusations, even a parade of elephants — all adding up to what could be the biggest celebrity send-off of all time.

On the eve of the memorial, activity was spotted late Monday at the Forest Lawn Cemetery involving the Jackson family. The cemetery is the location where relatives were expected to hold a private funeral.

La Toya Jackson, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, was seen being driven away from the cemetery. KCAL-TV showed helicopter footage of a hearse backing up to the Hall of Liberty — a circular building at the cemetery that contains a 1,200-seat auditorium — to deliver a casket.

A few hours later, the casket was reloaded into the hearse and delivered to another nearby building, this time covered in a blue cloth.

It wasn’t immediately known if the casket would be at the memorial service. Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said Tuesday on NBC’s TODAY show that the family would not comment on it, however, NBC News confirmed Tuesday that Jackson's casket would be at the memorial service.

‘Golden ticket’
More than 1.6 million people registered for free tickets to Jackson's downtown memorial. A total of 8,750 people were chosen to receive two tickets each.

"I got the golden ticket!" one fan screamed out of his car window in a Willy Wonka moment as he drove out of the parking lot.

The family announced that participants will include Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III. Sunshine told ABC that Queen Latifah also will be performing.

The legal maneuvering that marked Jackson's extraordinary and troubled life also continued Monday, with his mother losing a bid to control his enormous but tangled estate. And in one of the few reminders of Jackson's darkest hours, a New York congressman branded Jackson a "pervert" undeserving of so much attention.

British Airways reported a surge of bookings as soon as the memorial arrangements were announced. Virgin's trans-Atlantic flights to San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles were all packed with fans and VIPs, spokesman Paul Charles said.

About 50 theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., were planning to broadcast the memorial live, for free.

Court battles:

In Los Angeles Superior Court, a judge appointed Jackson's longtime attorney and a family friend as administrators of his estate over the objections of his mother, Katherine. Attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain had been designated in Jackson's 2002 will as the people he wanted to oversee his empire.

Katherine Jackson's attorneys expressed concerns about McClain and Branca's financial leadership. "Frankly, Mrs. Jackson has concerns about handing over the keys to the kingdom," said one of her attorneys, John E. Schreiber.

Branca and McClain will have to post a $1 million bond on the estate, and their authority will expire Aug. 3, when another hearing will be held.

"Mr. Branca and Mr. McClain for the next month are at the helm of the ship," the judge said.

Jackson died at age 50 with hundreds of millions in debts. But a court filing estimates his estate is worth more than $500 million. His assets are destined for a trust, with his three children, his mother and charities as beneficiaries.

Ex-wife won't attend:

Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, had planned to attend the memorial but backed out Monday. "The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction," her attorney Marta Almli said in a statement.

In New York, Republican Rep. Peter King released a YouTube video calling Jackson, who was acquitted of child molestation charges, a "pervert" and a "low-life."

But the memories of Jackson's problems were far from the minds of fans preparing to say goodbye.

"It's the passing of a great soul," said Matt Tyson, 31, of Ojai, California. "He brought people together, helped express something that's in us all."

Downtown hotels were quickly filling. Police, trying to avoid a mob scene, warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get close to the Staples Center.

All those involved say the heart of Los Angeles will become a circus. In one way, that characterization will be literal.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey starts a run at Staples Center on Wednesday, a long-planned booking.

On Tuesday, 11 Asian elephants and seven horses from the circus lumbered from Union Station toward the Staples Center.

The elephants are set to arrive at the arena some five hours before the memorial. Some elephants and early arriving Jackson fans could come face-to-face, but circus spokesman Andy Perez says the animals are quite comfortable with crowds.

Perez says the pre-dawn pachyderm march is a decades-old tradition for the circus.


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Michael Jackson's $25,000 Custom Made Casket...Private Service, Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

TMZ----

A $25,000, solid bronze, 14-karat gold plated, custom casket has been ordered for Michael Jackson.

The casket -- ordered Wednesday night from Batesville Casket Company -- is called a Promethean and will feature a flame blue velvet interior and a hand-polished, mirror finish.

This is the same casket used to bury James Brown... and is extremely rare.

(MSNBC reports: The Jackson family prepares for Michael's private funeral and public memorial. More than 1 million fans have applied for tickets to attend his public memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Michael's private service for family and close friends only, will be held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.)

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