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

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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.

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(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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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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Jackson Memorial Tickets Already On Ebay...Colin Powell, Major Networks Prepare, Investigation Continues

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(TODAY’s Meredith Vieira talks with Rob O’Sullivan, who is one of only 8,750 people to win tickets to Michael Jackson’s memorial service in Los Angeles.)

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(As many as 750,000 people are expected to turn out in Los Angeles tomorrow for a public memorial service honoring Michael Jackson. Only 17,500 tickets are being distributed for the event. NBC’s Jeff Rossen reports.)

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LOS ANGELES - Listings for tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial service at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Tuesday appeared on eBay and Craigslist as soon as winners were notified on Sunday.

One eBay listing asked for a Buy It Now price of $20,000, while other prices varied. Buyers and sellers must act fast, as ticket winners received a unique code and instructions to pick up their tickets Monday at Dodger Stadium.

When they pick up their tickets, a wristband will be placed on each person’s wrist. Organizers will check IDs to make sure those picking up wristbands are the same people who originally applied online, said Staples Center spokesman Michael Roth.

Fans must have both the ticket and the wristband to enter Staples Center on Tuesday. Wristbands that have been ripped, taped or tampered with will be voided.

But winners were permitted to give anyone their second bracelet, so “theoretically, the second wrist band can be sold,” Roth said.

Organizers were considering how to distribute any unclaimed seats, but had not immediately decided on a plan, Roth said.

Meanwhile, former Jackson business associate Marc Schaffel told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children, was confirmed for VIP seats at the memorial service on Tuesday.

OMG OMG OMG!

On Sunday evening, fans around the world started posting Twitter messages about receiving tickets.

“I’m in shock that it has happened,” said Deka Motanya, 27, of San Francisco. “It’s surreal.” She received an e-mail message at 4:35 p.m. notifying her, “Congratulations, your application was successful.”

She immediately Twittered: “OMG OMG OMG OMG i got tickets to the michael jackson memorial service!!!”

Soon after receiving his invitation, David Gobaud, 25, who studies computer science at Stanford University, was scrambling to find his way down to Los Angeles.

“It’s amazing. It’s quite a surprise. I didn’t believe it was real in the beginning,” he said. “It’s Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musical stars of all time.”

Another winner was Zach Moss, a 21-year-old Chicagoan working for the summer as a DJ in Las Vegas. He said clubgoers have responded strongly to Jackson’s music since his death.

“You can play two, three Michael Jackson songs back to back and people are going to have this huge jubilation celebration,” he said. “Everyone throws their drinks up and shouts, ’MJ!’ It’s extremely powerful.” More than 1.6 million fans registered online for free in the random drawing of only 8,750 names. Each person selected will receive two tickets. The odds of getting a ticket were about 1 in 183.

No ticket? Stay away:

The tickets will admit 11,000 people to the Staples Center plus 6,500 in the Nokia Theater overflow section next door. The streets around the stadium will be closed to prevent those without tickets from trying to attend, police said Sunday.

The ceremony will not be shown on Staples' giant outdoor TV screen and there will be no funeral procession through the city. No details were available about the actual memorial events.

Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell warned people without tickets to stay away: “You’ll be standing in the hot sun on a city street with a lot of other people ... but not within eyeshot of Staples.”

At the Wilshire Grand Los Angeles hotel about a half mile from the Staples Center, more than 90 percent of the hotel’s 1,000 rooms were booked for Monday and Tuesday night, up from about 60 percent last week.

“There’s a lot of demand right now,” said spokesman Marc Loge. “We are going to sell out.”

Investigation into singer’s death continues:

Jackson died at age 50 on June 25 after going into cardiac arrest in the bedroom of his rented mansion. The cause of Jackson’s death has not been determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.

Also Sunday, a judge signed search warrants connected to the investigation of Jackson’s death, Los Angeles County Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini said. The warrants were sealed and Parachini would not discuss any details.

Authorities are investigating allegations that Jackson had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. The powerful sedative Diprivan, which is usually administered by anesthesiologists in hospitals, was found in his home. It was not known what drugs, if any, Jackson obtained from doctors.

Jackson’s family was planning a private ceremony at the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, McDonnell said. He did not provide further details.

More than a week after his death, tributes and accolades keep coming. Madonna had a Jackson impersonator dance to “Wanna Be Starting Something” at her concert Saturday in the same London arena where he was to stage his comeback.

The Rev. Al Sharpton called for nationwide “love vigils” for Jackson, asking people to gather in schools, community centers and churches to watch the memorial service and talk about the pop star’s “message” instead of the “mess” surrounding his death.

Colin Powell said in an interview aired Sunday that Jackson had controversy in his life, but in death his art should be celebrated.

“Yes, there were some challenges in his life,” the former secretary of state told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Yes, there was a great deal of controversy about him. But he’s now passed on. Let’s celebrate his art.”

Service will be broadcast live:

The memorial service will be broadcast on five television networks, after NBC executives changed their minds Sunday and decided to air the service live. NBC joins ABC, CNN, MSNBC and E! Entertainment.

City officials are preparing for huge crowds. McDonnell, the assistant police chief, would not say how many police would be on the job, but alluded to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the recent championship celebration for the Los Angeles Lakers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.


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524,000 Jackson Fans Want Tickets To See Public Memorial Service...Private Funeral Planned

(LA Officials are concerned about the large emerging crowds and the cost of Jackson's planned Public Memorial service.)

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(MSNBC Reporters discuss Michael's amazing last rehearsal footage. He looked very fit and well.)

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LOS ANGELES - More than half a million fans from around the world applied for 17,500 free tickets to Michael Jackson's public memorial service next week, organizers said on Friday as a massive security operation got underway.

The life and music of the self-proclaimed "king of pop," who died of sudden cardiac arrest last Thursday, will be celebrated on Tuesday at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Officials on Friday unveiled an online lottery that will allow fans to attend either the televised service at the arena or watch the proceedings on a big screen at the nearby Nokia Theater.

But within minutes, the staplescenter.com server crashed. More than 524,000 applications had been received by 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

A wide area around the venues in downtown Los Angeles will be blocked off for the event. Both local and state law-enforcement agencies have been marshaled for duty.

The ceremony will also streamed online.

"You might want to consider watching this from the comfort of your own home," said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who is doubling as the city's acting mayor.

A Jackson family spokesman declined to provide details of the memorial service, but said there would not be a funeral procession and Jackson's body would not be at the memorial.

Los Angeles city officials are preparing for massive crowds downturn during the event.

Sealed-off streets:

A local news-radio station reported that more than 1,400 officers from the Los Angeles Police Department alone have been asked to volunteer for duty on Monday and Tuesday. The LAPD, which has about 9,000 officers in total, declined to comment on the report or to reveal a staffing number.

Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger says anywhere from a quarter-million to 700,000 people may try to reach the arena, even though a wide area around Staples Center will be sealed off to those without tickets.

But public safety officials appeared to assume their requests to stay home would have little effect. Since Jackson's death, fans have flocked to Jackson sites from Los Angeles to his Neverland Ranch in rural Santa Barbara County.

Tim Leiweke, CEO of AEG Live, announced Friday that 17,500 tickets will be made available to fans via a Web lottery to attend the service. Eleven-thousand tickets will be issued for the Staples Center and an additional 6,500 will offer seats to watch a live simulcast at the nearby Nokia Theater.

Registration began at 10 a.m. PT on Friday and will continue until 6 p.m. PT on Saturday.

A computer program will randomly select 8,750 names to receive two tickets for one venue or the other, Leiweke said. Those selected to receive tickets will be notified between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday. They will be given a code to use at the Ticketmaster.com Web site, which will give them further instructions on where to go Monday morning to get the tickets and wristbands enabling them to enter the venues, Leiweke said.

Meanwhile, Jackson’s brother Jermaine told CNN’s Larry King that there will be a private ceremony for family and some special guests before the public memorial.

Access Hollywood confirmed Friday that the private funeral will be held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.


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Sources: MSNBC, The Wrap, AEG Live, Google Maps