Michael Jackson, the 'King of Pop,' Dies at Age 50

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Jackson memorial performers announced as LA braces

By JESSE WASHINGTON, AP National Writer AP - Tuesday, July 7

LOS ANGELES - The stage was set Monday for Michael Jackson's final act as the world capital of make-believe braced for what could be the biggest, most spectacular celebrity send-off of all time.

Ecstatic fans who won the lottery for seats at Tuesday's memorial received the tickets and spangly wristbands that will get them into the 20,000-seat Staples Center downtown. The family announced the participants will include Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III.

As night fell, a local TV station reported activity at the Forest Lawn Cemetery that appeared to involve Jackson's family. That is the location where the family was expected to hold a private funeral at some point.

KCAL-TV showed helicopter footage taken at sunset Monday of a hearse backing up to a building inside the grounds. It also showed footage of a woman in sunglasses and a hat who appeared to be LaToya Jackson entering the cemetery. Representatives for the Jackson family reached Monday night did not comment.

A small handful of cars was shown coming and going from the Hall of Liberty, a circular building at the cemetery that contains a 1,200 seat auditorium.

The legal maneuvering that marked Jackson's extraordinary and troubled life also continued on 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.

More than 1.6 million people registered for free tickets to the 10 a.m. memorial, which will be broadcast live worldwide. A total of 8,750 people were chosen to receive two tickets each. The lucky ones picked up their passes Monday at Dodger Stadium amid heavy police presence.

"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.

"My mother loves Elvis. This is my Elvis," said ticket winner Mynor Garcia, 29.

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.

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.

"I think this is America's version of Princess Diana. People want to be in the vicinity. People from the UK and elsewhere want to share their emotions together," Charles said.

About 50 theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, Kan., to Washington, D.C., were planning to broadcast the memorial live, said Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. spokeswoman Suzanne Moore. Admission will be free _ first-come, first-served.

Jackson's friend Elizabeth Taylor will be mourning in private. She said on her Twitter feed Monday that she would not attend the memorial.

"I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others," she tweeted. "How I feel is between us. Not a public event."

In Los Angeles Superior Court, meanwhile, 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.

Mrs. 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.

Another one of her attorneys, Burt Levitch, told Judge Mitchell Beckloff that Branca had previously been removed from financial positions of authority by Jackson. Branca's attorney said he was rehired by Jackson on June 17, days before Jackson's death.

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.

On eBay, bids for memorial tickets were reaching as high as $3,000, and prices on Craigslist were in the thousands, although both sites were removing postings attempting to sell memorial tickets.

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 to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy," her attorney Marta Almli said in a statement. "Debbie will continue to celebrate Michael's memory privately."

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, Calif. "He brought people together, helped express something that's in us all."

In a symbolic convergence of events, however, the circus will be there.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey starts a run at Staples Center on Wednesday. In the predawn hours before Jackson's memorial, the elephants will walk from the train station to the arena.

Associated Press Writers Anthony McCartney, Danica Kirka and Michelle Rindels contributed to this report.

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Dame Liz Taylor Boycotts Jacko Memorial

3 hours 46 mins ago

©Sky News 2009

One of Michael Jackson's closest friends, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, has dismissed his memorial service as "public whoopla" and refused to attend.

Writing on her Twitter page, she also revealed she had refused to speak at the Staples Centre.

The Oscar-winning actress, a long-term friend of Jackson's, wrote: "I said I wouldn't go to the Staples Centre and I certainly don't want to become a part of it. I love him too much.

"I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us. Not a public event.

"And I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word."

Revealing how she had been asked to speak at the service, she added: "I cannot be part of the public whoopla."

Speaking of her sadness, she sent her love to Jackson's family, saying: "My love goes out to Katherine and Michael's beloved children."

Guttman Associates, Dame Elizabeth's PR agency, confirmed the blog was attributable to her.

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Daughter pays tearful tribute to Michael Jackson

3 hours 3 mins ago

Michael Jackson's daughter paid an emotional tribute to her father at his star-studded memorial service in LA.

Paris Michael Katherine said: "Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine and I just wanted to say I love him so much."

The 11-year-old was then embraced by her aunt Janet Jackson as tears rolled down her face.

Paris had earlier been joined by her brothers Prince Michael, 12 and Prince Michael II, 7, on stage with the rest of the Jackson family for a final tribute to the King of Pop, singing along to his charity single, We Are the World.

The trio have rarely been seen in public over the past decade, and when out with their father they wore masks or veils to shield their faces from photographers.

Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and Usher led the emotional service for Jackson as the music world and thousands of fans joined his family to say farewell.

Jackson's brothers, each wearing a single sequined glove in homage to his signature look, carried the singer's gold-trimmed casket into the Staples Center sports arena, where the Thriller star had rehearsed the day before his death for a highly-anticipated series of comeback concerts at London's O2 Arena.

Carey performed Jackson's 1970 ballad I'll Be There and singer Smokey Robinson read out tributes from former South African president Nelson Mandela and singer Diana Ross.

Praising Jackson for triumphing over tragedy in his life, Mandela said: "Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry and we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide.

"We also mourn with his friends and his family for the loss of our dear friend who we will miss and memories of him cherish for a very long time."

The message from Ross said: "Michael wanted me to be there for his children and I will be there if they ever need me - I hope today brings closure for all those who loved him. I send my love and condolences to the Jackson family."

Around 18,000 fans, who won tickets in a web lottery, crowded into Staples for the two-hour ceremony honouring Jackson, who died aged 50 on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest at his mansion in the city.

When it was Wonder's turn, he said: "This is a moment I wished I had never seen come. Michael, I loved you and I told you that many times, so I'm at peace with that."

He dedicated his songs Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer and They Won't Go When I Go to Jackson, and was rewarded with a standing ovation inside the auditorium.

In a lighter moment, US basketball star Magic Johnson revealed to the crowd that Jackson had a soft spot for Kentucky fried chicken.

RnB singer Usher identified Jackson as his greatest inspiration and was the first artist to touch his coffin. After breaking down in tears singing Gone Too Soon, he was embraced by members of the Jackson family as he was led away from the stage.

Police had estimated that more than 250,000 people would gather outside the arena but the orderly crowds were much smaller than expected.

Family members had held a private funeral service earlier at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

The ceremonies come as the courts untangle the future of Jackson's estate and police investigate the circumstances of his death.

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Michael Jackson's daughter takes centre stage

3 hours 15 mins ago

Dan Whitcomb

In a memorial to Michael Jackson on Tuesday that featured superstars singers Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder, the moment that may be best remembered came when his 11-year-old daughter Paris spoke a few heart-wrenching words.

Paris was quietly ushered onstage with her brothers as the nearly two-hour event wound down to the strains of Jackson's charity single "We Are the World", then she appeared to catch even members of her family offguard by addressing the hushed crowd at Staples Centre.

Embraced by her aunt, Janet Jackson, who held back her long brown hair and urged her to "speak up," Paris stepped to the microphone, tears streaming down her face, as some in the audience were already filtering out of the sports arena.

"I just want to say, ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine, and I just wanted to say I love him so much," Paris said, sobbing.

To gasps from the throng of about 18,000 people, she then turned and buried her face in Janet Jackson's arms and was hugged by other family members.

Coming at the end of a largely scripted tribute to Jackson that included such orators as civil rights activist Al Sharpton, observers quickly predicted that Paris' brief, impromptu eulogy to her father would be long remembered.

"Nobody was prepared for that. That will be one of the iconic moments from today's service," said media historian Ron Simon, who compared it to the salute to slain President John F. Kennedy by his son John during his 1963 funeral.

Paris and her brothers, Prince Michael Jr. and Prince Michael II, have rarely been seen in public, their faces typically shielded from photographers by masks or veils when they accompanied their famous father. Jackson, who felt hounded by paparazzi, closely guarded his childrens' privacy.

"This kid in an odd sort of way has been liberated," Syracuse University media scholar Robert Thompson said. "Literally, the veil has been dropped from her, and one gets the sense that this liberation will be a good thing. But then she opens her mouth and reminds us that she's lost her daddy."

(Additional reporting by Steve Gorman, editing by Philip Barbara)

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Tears and tributes mark Jackson's farewell

3 hours 6 mins ago

Rob Woollard

A gold-plated casket bearing Michael Jackson took center stage Tuesday as hundreds of millions worldwide bade farewell to the King of Pop in the final curtain call of his glittering career.

Tears and tributes flowed as mourners including rock stars and athletes gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for a star-studded but somber celebration of the music icon's turbulent life and times.

Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris tearfully addressed mourners in the heart-breaking last act of the two-hour service.

"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much," she said before dissolving into tears and being comforted by Jackson's sister, Janet.

Jackson's poignant journey began with a private service shortly after 8:15 am (1515 GMT) as family and friends gathered at the picturesque Forest Lawn mortuary high in the Hollywood Hills.

Jackson's golden casket, swathed with red flowers, then emerged and was loaded into a black hearse under the watchful eye of 20 media helicopters hovering overhead.

A motorcade of luxury vehicles then made a stately procession to the 20,000-capacity arena, where family, friends and celebrities rubbed shoulders with ordinary fans who had won tickets via an online lottery.

Jackson's casket was placed at the front of the stage as the service began with singer Smokey Robinson reading letters of condolence from those unable to attend, including a tribute from former South African president Nelson Mandela.

"Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry. And we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide," Mandela's tribute read.

Motown diva Diana Ross -- named by Jackson in his will as an alternative guardian to his children -- meanwhile said she had chosen to mourn privately.

"Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life," Ross's tribute said. "Michael wanted me to be there for his children, and I will be there if they ever need me."

Ross was one of several notable absentees, with Jackson's long-time friend Elizabeth Taylor also opting to stay away.

"I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us. Not a public event," Taylor said in a message on the Twitter micro-blogging site.

Tributes to Jackson from friends and associates were punctuated by performances from Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson amongst others as Jackson's family looked on approvingly. Jackson's brothers all wore matching suits and their sibling's signature solo sequined glove.

One of the biggest ovations came after rousing remarks by reverend Al Sharpton who told Jackson's children to disregard the lurid stories that often swirled around their father.

"I want his three children to know -- there weren't nothing strange about your daddy," Sharpton said. "It was strange what your daddy had to deal with but he dealt with it."

The service drew to a close with a performance of Jackson's clarion call to end global suffering, "Heal the World," before members of the star's family offered individual tributes.

As the service ended it was not immediately clear where Jackson was to be buried.

Fans meanwhile were left praising the execution of the memorial service, saying it had struck the right tone.

"It was very fitting. It was a celebration, yet it was humble," said Wayne Darrington, 20.

Streets surrounding the Staples Center had been sealed off before dawn where thousands of police officers were deployed to guard against large crowds of ticketless fans.

A live feed of the service was made available free to television networks, while the event was being streamed via social networking websites Facebook and MySpace, officials said.

Fans gathered to sing Jackson's greatest hits and watch his videos ahead of the event in cities across the globe such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Berlin.

US President Barack Obama meanwhile told CNN in an interview from Russia that Jackson was "one of the greatest entertainers of our generation."

"I think like Elvis, like (Frank) Sinatra, like the Beatles, he became a core part of our culture," Obama said, acknowledging the "tragedy" that was a part of the singer's life.

Jackson sold more than 750 million albums during a four-decade career that was ultimately overshadowed by repeated allegations of child abuse, his startling physical transformation and eccentric behavior.

Local and federal law enforcement agencies continue to probe the circumstances of his death on June 25 at the age of 50.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office has said it will not issue a final cause of death for "several weeks" when the results of exhaustive toxicology tests are known.

Lawyers meanwhile are busy untangling the labyrinth of legal issues that have emerged in the aftermath of Jackson's death.

On Monday, a Los Angeles judge replaced Jackson's mother as temporary administrator of his estate with two of the pop icon's business associates, as instructed by a 2002 will.

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Stars sing for Jackson in emotional farewell

Reuters - Wednesday, July 8By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES - Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and Usher led an emotional public memorial for Michael Jackson on Tuesday as the music world, the Jackson family and thousands of fans bade farewell to the "King of Pop."

Jackson's brothers, each wearing a single sequined glove in homage to his signature look, carried the singer's gold-trimmed casket into the Staples Center sports arena, where Jackson had rehearsed the day before his death for a highly-anticipated series of comeback concerts.

Carey performed Jackson's 1970 ballad "I'll Be There" and singer Smokey Robinson read out tributes from former South African president Nelson Mandela and singer Diana Ross.

But it was Jackson himself who loomed larger than life over the 18,000-plus arena crowd, shown in old concert footage, music videos and news clips, singing, dancing his signature moonwalk and surrounded by adoring crowds.

"The more I think about Michael, and talk about Michael, the more I think that 'King of Pop' is not good enough," said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, who signed The Jackson 5 in 1968. "I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived."

Jackson's sudden death from cardiac arrest in Los Angeles on June 25 at the age of 50 prompted a worldwide outpouring of grief and sent sales of his biggest hits back to the top of the music charts.

President Barack Obama, on a visit to Russia, said he was "one of the greatest entertainers of our generation, perhaps any generation," and added: "I think like Elvis, like Sinatra, like The Beatles he became a core part of our culture.

Tuesday's two-hour memorial focused on Jackson's 45-year music career, his charity work for childrens' groups and his role in opening the mainstream pop and celebrity world up to African-Americans.

Gordy was among the few who referred obliquely to the darker side of Jackson's life, which in the last 10 years had come to overshadow his prowess as a performer and his 13 Grammy awards.

"Though it ended way too soon, Michael's life was beautiful. Sure there was some sad times and maybe some questionable decisions on his part, but Michael Jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of," said Gordy.

"NOTHING STRANGE" ABOUT DADDY

Jackson was on the eve of a comeback after his career collapsed despite his acquittal in a humiliating 2005 trial on sex abuse charges.

Civil rights leader Al Sharpton, angrily denouncing the media focus on the bizarre aspects of his life, said he had a message for Jackson's three children.

"Wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with," he said to cheers.

Jackson's three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11 and Prince Michael II, 7, appeared with the family on stage at the end of the performances. Paris, in tears, took the microphone to say: "Ever since I was born my daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine and I just want to say I love him so much."

R&B singer Usher's voice cracked as he sang "Gone Too Soon" while actress Brooke Shields, who briefly dated the singer, remembered his laugh as "the sweetest and purest of anyone's I had ever known."

Jackson's family and close friends held a brief private ceremony earlier on Tuesday at a Los Angeles cemetery before unexpectedly bringing the singer's body to the memorial.

Fans watched from bridges as the funeral procession made its way along freeways cleared of traffic for one of the biggest celebrity events ever seen in a city accustomed to living with superstar citizens.

Police had estimated that more than 250,000 people would gather outside the arena but the orderly crowds were much smaller than expected. Many fans and downtown office workers appeared to have stayed at home to watch the ceremony live on national TV networks or on the Internet.

At the Staples Center, Los Angeles resident Parisa Ebraihimi, 28, said she had been a Jackson fan since she was five years old. "For me, his dance moves and his music -- all his songs were about a better world. He'll live on for generations," she said.

Police, security, escorts and sanitation for the memorial ceremony are expected to cost cash-strapped Los Angeles city council nearly $4 million. The city council on Tuesday launched a web site asking for fans to make donations toward the cost of hosting Tuesday's events.

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Jackson's kids emerge from behind the veil

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer - Wednesday, July 8

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson's three young children, after a lifetime of fierce protection from the prying eyes of the world, came out into the open Tuesday for the most public and heart-wrenching debut imaginable.

Before an audience of thousands at the Staples Center and millions more around the globe, 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael; 11-year-old Paris-Michael; and 7-year-old Prince Michael II, known as Blanket, sat in the front row, taking in their father's memorial service at Staples Center.

Gone were the veils, the party masks and the guarded gates and walls that kept the Jackson children hidden from view for more than a decade.

Those were replaced with images of their young faces up on stage as the ceremony came to a close, comforting one another and fidgeting as kids will: Prince chewed gum and toted the memorial service program; Paris turned a small patent-leather purse over in her hands; and Blanket held his program and clutched a Michael Jackson doll.

And in a moment of almost shocking openness, Paris went to the podium to address the crowd, fighting back sobs in the ceremony's defining moment.

"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," she said, her tiny voice cracking. "And I just wanted to say I love him _ so much."

Photos of the children's faces, which eluded the paparazzi for years, had leaked out recently, and were widely circulated in the days after Jackson's death June 25. But the live images of the children _ Paris in a black dress with white trim and the two boys wearing the same dark suit and yellow tie as the rest of the men in the Jackson family _ represented their first true coming-out for the youngest generation of Jacksons.

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Poignant Goodbye to an International Superstar

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Poignant service says goodbye to M.J., the man

AP, Jul 7, 2009 10:55 pm PDT

Michael Jackson was an entertainment phenomenon both triumphant and troubled, a dazzling performer who transcended barriers, transformed the music world and transfixed fans and non-fans alike in every corner of the Earth.

But Tuesday's memorial was not for that Michael Jackson.

Instead, those closest to the legend gave us a glimpse of Michael Jackson the man.

In a poignant and serene service, the portrait they painted was of a human just as remarkable, making his loss doubly painful to bear for those who truly loved him.

"I just wanted to say ... ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him — so much," said Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris-Michael, before dissolving into tears and falling into the embrace of her aunt Janet.

It was a deeply emotional moment, the most profound part of a memorial that accomplished what Jackson could not in life: humanizing a man who for so long had seemed like a caricature.

How could someone who moved like he moved, sang like he sang, and reached musical heights no person has ever touched be as human as the rest of us? How could a man who threw a wedding for Elizabeth Taylor, had a chimpanzee as a companion, and wore masks to cover his surgically altered face be any part normal?

How can a man who admitted he shared his bed with boys — though he maintained it was never sexual, as others suggested — be a decent man, closer to saintly than devilish?

It took those closest to him, from his brother Marlon to his old friend Brooke Shields, to explain Michael Jackson to those who saw him as a talented freak — an image that deeply pained Jackson.

So while Motown founder Berry Gordy talked about the child prodigy he signed at age 10, and pronounced him not just the King of Pop, but "the greatest entertainer who ever lived," he also talked about the little kid who played catcher during family softball games against the Gordys, who cracked jokes and frolicked in the pool. Magic Johnson talked about the perfectionist who made him achieve higher heights as a basketball player, but also told of sitting around and eating KFC at his home. And Shields talked about a friendship in which laughter was central to it all.

"We had a bond, and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age," Shields said, fighting back tears. "Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. ... M.J.'s laugh was the sweetest and purest of anyone I've known."

For Jackson's family and the organizers of the memorial, it was a successful rehabilitation of the image of a superstar who had been derided for so long. The words "sweet" and "pure" had rarely been used to describe Jackson in the last two decades of his life, marked by allegations of child abuse, an ever-changing face, multiple lawsuits, eccentric behavior and what seemed to be one bad career move after another.

Only true Jackson fans, a number that seemed to be dwindling year after year, seemed to remember the man who dazzled us with "Thriller," made us swoon with delight with infectious grooves like "Rock With You" and "Remember the Time," and conversed with presidents, kings and queens.

Tuesday's memorial reminded us of that Michael Jackson, too. The universally revered and admired former South African President, Nelson Mandela, offered words of condolences and love for Jackson in a statement read by Smokey Robinson.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, talked about how Jackson held court with African leaders in his bid to help slow the spread of AIDS there.

And Maya Angelou, who was also represented by her words instead of her presence, offered a loving tribute for the entertainer in remarks read by Queen Latifah.

"He took a pose on his toes for all of us," Angelou wrote, remarking on his worldwide influence from "Birmingham, Ala., to Birmingham, England."

For an entertainer known for his amazing music, song took a backseat to sentiment at the service. But when it was used, it was to great effect. His very biggest hits were not part of the program.

Instead, what we heard were the songs that reinforced Jackson outside of entertainment. Longtime friend Stevie Wonder — who summarized the thoughts of many when he said, "This is a moment I wished I didn't live to see" — sang his own "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer," originally intended as a bitter breakup song but repurposed as a sad goodbye.

Lionel Richie, Jackson's collaborator on the anthem "We Are the World," sang a gospel classic, "Jesus is Love." Another gospel hymn heralded the arrival of Jackson's casket when a choir sang the lines, "Hallelujah, hallelujah, we're going to see the King."

Two of Jackson's songs underscored his humanitarian side — the closing numbers, "We Are the World" and the anthem for his charity, "Heal the World."

Usher's heartbreaking rendition of "Gone Too Soon," which Jackson wrote as a memorial for Ryan White, one of the early public faces of AIDS, captured the pain not only of his fans and friends, but of his family, as the Jackson brothers came together and gripped a sobbing Usher in their arms afterward.

And Jermaine Jackson's version of "Smile," which Michael Jackson had often used as a metaphor for his own tragic life, was a fitting epitaph for his brother.

But perhaps no one lifted up the image of Jackson more than the Rev. Al Sharpton, in rousing, church-like sermon that took Michael Jackson back from the tabloid headlines. Sharpton looked at Jackson's children and declared: "Your daddy wasn't strange — what he had to deal with was strange."

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Quotes about Jackson on day of memorial service

By The Associated Press The Associated Press – Tue Jul 7, 6:36 pm ET

Comments on Michael Jackson on the day of his memorial service:

"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him — so much." — Jackson's daughter, Paris-Michael, who broke down in tears.

___

"Michael, when you left us, a part of me went with you. ... I will treasure the good times, singing, dancing, laughing. ... We will never understand what he endured ... being judged, ridiculed. How much pain can one take? Maybe, now, Michael, they will leave you alone." — Marlon Jackson.

___

"Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date. ... We had a bond and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age. I used to tease him and say, `I started when I was 11 months old. You're a slacker. You were like 5?' Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. ... M.J.'s laugh was the sweetest and purest of anyone I've known." — Brooke Shields.

___

"He created a comfort level, where people that felt they were separate became interconnected with his music. ... Those young kids grew up from being teenage, comfortable fans of Michael's to being 40 years old and being comfortable to vote for a person of color to be the president of the United States of America. Michael did that. Michael made us love each other. Michael taught us to stand with each other." — The Rev. Al Sharpton.

___

"I'm here representing millions of fans around the world who grew up listening to Michael, being inspired and loving Michael from a distance. ... Somehow when Michael Jackson sang and when he danced ... we felt he was right there. ... He made you believe in yourself." — Queen Latifah.

___

"When he did his iconic moonwalk, I was shocked. It was magic. Michael Jackson went into orbit and never came down. Though it ended way too soon, Michael's life was beautiful." — Motown Records founder Berry Gordy.

___

"This is a moment that I wish that I didn't live to see come. But as much as I can say that and mean it, I do know that God is good and I do know that as much as we may feel — and we do — that we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more." — Stevie Wonder.

___

"Michael was a personal love of mine. A treasured part of my world ... " — Smokey Robinson, reading a note from longtime Jackson friend Diana Ross at Tuesday's memorial service in Los Angeles.

___

"You don't think you'll live to see them gone. ... He is going to live forever and ever and ever and ever." — Smokey Robinson.

___

"We miss you, Michael." — Mariah Carey, after singing "I'll Be There" at Jackson's memorial service.

___

"There are certain people in our popular culture that just capture people's imaginations. And in death, they become even larger. Now, I have to admit that it's also fed by a 24/7 media that is insatiable." — President Barack Obama, who was asked about the outpouring of emotion related to Michael Jackson's death during an interview with CBS while he was in Moscow.

___

"They're holding up well in part because they're a strong family ... a big family, religiously devout family. Therefore, they have a sense of insulation of their faith." — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, on how Michael Jackson's family is coping.

___

"He was a true gift and there are very few that have come to the magnitude of influence that he had on the world." — Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

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Michael Jackson won't fade from limelight soon

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney – 28 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – The public mourning of Michael Jackson may be done, but the saga that was his personal life is far from over.

Nothing made that more clear than the one surprise of Tuesday's memorial service, watched by millions around the world: the emotional speech by Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris-Michael.

"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father I could imagine," she said, dissolving into tears and turning into the arms of her aunt Janet. "I just want to say I love him so much."

Custody of Jackson's three children is one of the biggest legal issues still in play. In his 2002 will, Jackson made his wishes clear — his three children should remain under the care of his mother, Katherine.

Debbie Rowe, the biological mother of Paris and her 12-year-old brother, Prince Michael, has indicated she may seek custody. The surrogate mother of Jackson's youngest child, 7-year-old Prince Michael II, is unknown. A custody hearing was scheduled for Monday.

As the world paused to remember Jackson, authorities released his death certificate, which did not list a cause of death. The official determination will likely wait until toxicology results are completed, which could be weeks away.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Jackson's brain, or at least part of it, was still being held by investigators and would be returned to the family for interment once neuropathology tests were completed.

Investigators have honed in on drugs that were administered to the insomniac Jackson. The powerful sedative Diprivan, which is usually administered by anesthesiologists in hospitals, was found in his home, according to a law enforcement official.

Jackson's final resting place was another unknown. Some have suggested burying him at his former home Neverland Ranch but special permission is needed. A private memorial was held at a cemetery in the Hollywood Hills that is the resting place of many stars, but it does not appear Jackson will be buried among them.

No plans have been announced for Neverland, but it's already drawn comparisons as a potential West Coast version of Graceland.

Then there's Jackson's money. He died deeply in debt, but with tremendous star power, earning potential and an estate potentially worth $500 million.

Former Sony Music chairman and CEO Tommy Mottola has said Jackson left dozens of songs that included newer material and leftover works from some of his biggest albums. Mottola predicted the potential playlist was bigger than the one left behind by Elvis.

The singer also left behind an elaborate production dubbed "The Dome Project," which could be Jackson's last complete video piece. Little is publicly known about the production, but its existence has been confirmed by two knowledgeable sources who spoke to The Associated Press on condition they not be identified because they signed confidentiality agreements.

There also is more than 100 hours of footage of preparations for his London concerts, which were canceled because of his death. Randy Phillips, president and CEO of concert promoter AEG Live, said last week that the company also has enough material for two live albums.

On Tuesday, about 20,000 people gathered inside the Staples Center on Tuesday for a somber, spiritual ceremony, watched by untold millions more around the world.

Crowds gathered outside Harlem's Apollo Theater in New York to soak it in. In Santiago, Chile, national police band played "We Are the World" during the traditional guard change at the presidential palace. About 50 fans lit candles and laid flowers in the main square in Stockholm, as "Billie Jean" and "Earth Song" poured out of a small stereo.

In London, dozens of fans sheltered under umbrellas against the rain as they watched the event on a big screen outside the 02 Arena, where Jackson was to have performed 50 comeback shows starting next week. Many more stayed dry at home after the BBC announced it would cancel scheduled programming and show the ceremony live.

"His whole life was a global broadcast in a way, so I suppose it's fitting that his death also is," said barista Robert Anderson, 26, in London.

Calculating just how many people in total watched the ceremony — around the world and across all platforms — will take several days and even then will likely have to resort to an approximation, given the huge variety of outlets.

In Los Angeles, a star-studded lineup of performers closely linked to Jackson's life and music remembered Jackson as an unparalleled singer, dancer and humanitarian whose music united people of all backgrounds.

"Don't focus on the scars, focus on the journey," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose fiery eulogy was one emotional high point of the service.

"There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with!" he said to Jackson's three children in the front row, drawing the longest ovation of the service.

Unlike Jackson's life, the ceremony was not spectacular, extravagant or bizarre. Outside the arena, however, the celebrity-industrial complex that Jackson helped create was in full swing.

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 the 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 an enormous video image of a stained-glass window with red-gold clouds blowing past that was projected behind the stage.

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.

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."

Deficit-ridden Los Angeles asked Jackson fans to help pay the bill for police and other public servants needed for the entertainer's memorial service.

A Web site was posted Tuesday seeking donations to cover the costs, estimated at between $1.5 million and $4 million, according to Matt Szabo, a spokesman for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

But Jack Kyser, founding economist of the Kyser Center for Economic Research of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, estimates the city could rake in $4 million from the event, thanks to the throng of media and other visitors who stayed at hotels, ate at restaurants and shopped in Los Angeles.

Kyser believes the city also got a major image boost because the memorial service went off without any major problems. "This thing went off very smoothly," Kyser said. "I think you had some good exposure for downtown and for the entire city."

[kueytoc]

Michael Jackson's final resting place a mystery

By MARK KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer Mark Kennedy – 41 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson's glimmering casket took center stage at the Staples Center, sitting for more than two hours as celebrities memorialized the King of Pop under the watchful eyes of millions. And when the ceremony was over, it was gone.

By law, the golden casket that presumably held Jackson's body should be exactly where his death certificate says it is: back at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery, the site of a private family memorial service held before the Staples ceremony. Los Angeles County records show the cemetery as the temporary location, where it must stay until those records are officially updated.

But where Jackson's body will eventually be laid to rest remained a mystery, fed by the same level of rumor and speculation that surrounded much of his life. Will he be interred at Forest Lawn? Is Neverland Ranch still a possibility?

What if he's not buried at all, but cremated? The family isn't talking — and may not even have decided yet.

The casket was first seen leaving the mortuary at Forest Lawn, where it got into a hearse for the 10-mile trip to the Staples Center. But before the service even started, the hearse was seen leaving the facility — empty — and wasn't spotted again.

But to keep in good standing with the law, the casket would have needed to return to Forest Lawn at some point, presumably after the crowds went home and the television cameras were long gone.

Robert J. Biggins, a former president of the National Funeral Directors Association, said Jackson's body is likely in his casket which he identified it as a custom-made, top-of-the-line coffin made by the Indiana-based Batesville Casket Company that is called a "Promethean." The casket is probably in a temporary holding area — perhaps a mausoleum — pending a final location, he said.

"This happened so quickly that it's something that has to have an awful lot of thoughtful consideration," said Biggins, who is the owner of Magoun-Biggins Funeral home in Rockland, Mass. "This is bigger than your average burial."

Conjecture about Jackson's final resting place has been as fraught as the rumors about where his memorial service would be held in the days before the Staples Center was announced. His 5-page will, signed in 2002, does not include final wishes for his body.

Forest Lawn is one likely possibility. If Jackson is buried there, he would join other celebrities such as Liberace, Gene Autry, Bette Davis and Andy Gibb. Recently deceased actor David Carradine and "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon also are buried there.

The Jackson family seems divided over whether the body should go to Neverland, which would surely turn the Santa Barbara County ranch into a West-coast Graceland. But Jackson abandoned the 2,500-acre estate after going into seclusion following his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005, and many of the things that made it unique — the merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and zoo — are gone.

Billionaire Thomas Barrack, who owns Neverland in a joint venture with Jackson, has expressed an openness to the idea of having the singer's body buried at the ranch. The family would need to get permission from local land-use officials to bury Jackson on private property, then submit an application and paperwork with the state Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.

The state application would then need to be approved by the funeral board, a process that could take anywhere from seven to 30 days.

Beyond that, accessibility remains an issue at Neverland. A single two-lane highway leads to the property about 130 miles north of Los Angeles, and infrastructure changes would likely be necessary to accommodate the additional traffic.

Another possibility is cremation. State law requires that the person who has control of the cremated remains obtain written permission of the property owner or governing agency to scatter on the property.

Funeral experts said the delay in Jackson's funeral may be due to the fact that such celebrity deaths create logistical, security and legal headaches.

"One of the issues you're going to run into with any high-profile name, whether it be a former president of the United States or somebody of Michael Jackson's stature, is what does the cemetery — if it's to be a burial — do to establish security, to protect the remains, to protect the privacy of the family during the service, to protect remains afterward and what kind of built-in overhead comes with it," said Paul Elvig, former president of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.

Experts said even a two-week delay between death and funeral is not unusual. The body of singer James Brown was kept in a sealed gold casket inside his South Carolina home for more than two months before being interred in 2007 at the home of one of his daughters.

"You're probably talking more about an impatient public and an impatient press wanting to know what's going to happen and that impatience needs to be understood," Elvig said. "If a body's been properly prepared by an embalmer, it can be held for a considerable period of time with minor touchups to it."

Biggins said he is even encouraged by the delay.

"I think the fact that there's this pause is a wonderful thing because it's being given thoughtful consideration," he said, "to make sure this is done right and this is done in a way that honors his legacy."

[kueytoc]

Jackson doctor denies drug link after tributes

AFP - Thursday, July 9

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - - A dermatologist linked to the investigation into Michael Jackson's death has denied giving the star dangerous drugs as mystery shrouded the King of Pop's final resting place.

As the dust settled on an emotion-filled Los Angeles memorial watched by up to one billion fans worldwide according to some estimates, attention returned to the role of drugs in Jackson's tragic demise.

Investigators are reportedly looking into five doctors who treated the superstar in the past and have zeroed in on a powerful sedative -- Diprivan -- discovered at Jackson's rented mansion after his death.

Diprivan is commonly used to induce unconsciousness in hospital patients ahead of major surgery and experts say it should only be administered by a trained anesthesiologist.

Jackson's long-time dermatologist Arnold Klein on Wednesday denied he was the source of the drugs found but said he had often been concerned that other medical professionals were supplying the singer with medications.

"I didn't give him this crap that they're talking about," he told ABC television's Good Morning America. "How am I going to prescribe Diprivan when I don't understand how to use it?"

However Klein later told CNN in an interview he had been aware that Jackson had used Diprivan in the past.

"I knew at one point he was using Diprivan when he was on tour in Germany," he said. "He was using it with an anesthesiologist to go to sleep at night and I told him he was absolutely insane."

Klein, who said he treated Jackson three days before his mysterious death on June 25 at age 50, believes that any doctor found to have supplied the star with drugs should be prosecuted.

"I say that anyone who makes someone an addict or gives a person potentially dangerous substances directly to them to use, like propofol is a criminal," Klein told ABC, referring to the generic name for Diprivan.

Klein revealed that Jackson appeared to be in good health a few days before his death. "He was not in terrible pain when I saw him. He danced in the office. He was very happy and dancing," he said.

"I saw nothing at that point in time that would make me worry whatsoever but I always was concerned about him because I always worried about other doctors," Klein said.

"Here's the problem with Michael: no matter what he wanted, someone would give it to him," added Klein.

Meanwhile Klein gave a cagey denial when questioned on CNN about a report that he was the biological father of Jackson's two eldest children with ex-wife Debbie Rowe. "To the best of my knowledge, I'm not the father," he said.

Meanwhile unidentified sources close to the investigation told CNN and ABC Wednesday that Jackson's body had been riddled with needle marks and collapsed veins consistent with intravenous use of a drug like Diprivan.

The Los Angeles coroner's office has said no final cause of death will be revealed until results of exhaustive toxicology tests are confirmed in the next four weeks.

A gold-plated coffin bearing Jackson's body took center stage at a star-studded but somber send-off at the Staples Center on Tuesday.

However the whereabouts of Jackson's body remained a closely guarded secret on Wednesday, with uncertainty likely to fuel speculation that the singer's remains may yet end up at his beloved Neverland Ranch northwest of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Times reported on its website the body was in safekeeping and no final decision had been made about a time or place for burial.

Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, grabbed international attention with her heartbreaking comments at her father's memorial on Tuesday.

"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much," Paris said before dissolving into tears and being comforted by Jackson's family.

Television ratings released Wednesday by media group Nielsen revealed 31.1 million Americans tuned in for the memorial, making it the third-most watched funeral in US history.

Only the funerals of former President Ronald Reagan in 2004, seen by 35 million and Princess Diana in 1997, (33.2 million) attracted higher numbers.

Jackson sold more than 750 million albums during a four-decade career that was tainted by repeated allegations of child abuse, his startling physical transformation and his eccentric behavior.

Nielsen: 30.9 million watched Jackson memorial

AP - Thursday, July 9

NEW YORK - Just under 31 million people in the United States watched the Michael Jackson memorial on television.

Nielsen Media Research says that's a smaller audience than for Princess Diana's funeral or President Barack Obama's inauguration _ but it's still impressive in today's TV world. Millions more watched video streams on their computers.

The Jackson memorial on Tuesday afternoon was carried live on some 19 different networks, including all the big broadcasters and cable news stations.

By comparison, President Obama's inauguration in January had an audience of nearly 38 million. Nielsen says 33.2 million people in the U.S. watched Princess Diana's funeral in 1997.

[kueytoc]

Resolution honoring Jackson faces GOP opposition

Associated Press - July 8, 2009 1:50 AM PDT

WASHINGTON - Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee may have trouble keeping the promise she made at Michael Jackson's public memorial for a House resolution that "forever" honors the late pop star.

Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, took the stage Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and hoisted a framed copy of the resolution, embossed with a gold seal. The measure will be debated on the House floor, she said.

For that framed, embossed resolution to be completely legit, it must first get past some opposition.

Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who called Jackson a "pervert, child molester, pedophile" in a video he posted on YouTube this week, vowed Tuesday to do "whatever I have to do" to oppose honoring Jackson.

Without mentioning King by name, Jackson Lee noted at the memorial that Michael Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges. She blasted critics who "don't understand the hearts of entertainers" and "don't know how they heal the world on behalf of America."

"We understand the Constitution. We understand laws and we know people are innocent until proven otherwise. That is what the Constitution stands for," Jackson Lee said, clutching the framed resolution in front of her shiny white suit.

Her legislation, House Resolution 600, lists several charitable acts by Michael Jackson over his long career and proclaims him as an American legend, musical icon and world humanitarian. He is, Jackson Lee said, "someone who will be honored forever and forever and forever and forever and forever."

In the House, non-controversial resolutions honoring a person who has died or carried out a noteworthy accomplishment normally move quickly from committee to the House floor and then pass on a voice vote. The Michael Jackson resolution, introduced June 26, is awaiting action in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, of which Jackson Lee is a member and King is not.

An opponent could ask for a recorded vote, which then requires a two-thirds majority for passage. So far, Jackson Lee's resolution has just one co-sponsor, Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif.

Jackson Lee hosted a 2004 meeting in her Capitol Hill office that brought Michael Jackson together with ambassadors to the U.S. from African countries. At the time, Jackson was considering a tour to raise money to fight AIDS. However, he was also facing child molestation charges and was unable to leave the country without court permission.

Even so, Jackson was greeted by screams, applause and flashing cameras.

Jackson also visited Iraq veterans at Walter Reed Hospital while in Washington.

[kueytoc]

Michael's Golden Casket

by Mike Krumboltz

13 hours ago

Michael Jackson's memorial was anything but subtle. Anyone who watched the touching yet bizarre event is bound to have a lot of questions. Among the most popular queries currently in Search: Was MJ's golden casket really, well, made of gold?

The answer: Sort of. A company named Batesville constructed the casket. According to its official site, the casket is "solid 48 oz. bronze with 14k gold hardware." Batesville made a similar casket for James Brown back in 2007, and has also constructed caskets for Wilt Chamberlain and Bob Hope. Perhaps that's why Batesville, Indiana, is also known as "Casketville, USA."

The level of interest in Michael's particular casket, the "Promethean" model, is tremendous. Since yesterday, queries on "gold casket," "michael jackson's casket," and "how much did michael jackson's casket cost" have all hit high notes. Oh, and about that cost...according to WTHR.com, the velvet-lined vessel sells for around $25,000. Even in death, the King of Pop was an extravagant guy.

Interestingly, while we know a lot about the casket, Mr. Jackson's final resting place remains something of a mystery. E! Online speculates that because the Jackson estate filed for a burial permit in Los Angeles and not Santa Barbara, home of MJ's Neverland Ranch, the odds of his being buried on his property are slim.

One thing is for sure—wherever Michael's final resting place may be, his golden casket will likely inspire many visitors. We're guessing security will be tight.

[kueytoc]

LIFTING THE VEIL ON JACKO'S KIDS

INSIDE THEIR STRANGE & AMAZING FANTASY LIVES AT NEVERLAND

By DAVID K. LI and LACHLAN CARTWRIGHT IN LOS ANGELES AND CHUCK BENNETT IN NEW YORK

Last updated: 11:20 am, July 9, 2009

Michael Jackson's sudden death may give his three beloved children something he could never provide -- a chance to be themselves.

The King of Pop devoted his life to creating a fairy-tale Never Neverland for his three young heirs, a world where the reality around them was hidden behind masks or the burly frames of professional bodyguards.

Prince Michael Joseph, 12, Paris Michael, 11, and Prince Michael II, a k a "Blanket," 7, have never attended a day of school. They've never known a neighborhood friend. They sleep together in the same room. And the only outsiders they know are strangers their father would bring in to entertain them.

Last Christmas Eve, Jacko and his dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, -- the suspected father of the two oldest children -- arranged for Carrie Fisher to surprise the kids by reprising her role as Princess Leia in "Star Wars" at their rental mansion in Holmby Hills, Calif.

"Michael brought the kids down in their pajamas and said, 'This is Princess Leia,' " said family friend Stephen Price. "They were so excited! She did her famous speech for them -- the 'Help me, Obi-Wan' speech."

"They are the greatest kids you'll ever meet," Price told Us Weekly of the Jackson kids. "They didn't act like they had silver spoons in their mouths. They are nice and not Hollywood brats. Paris is very polite, a little reserved. Prince is the most outgoing. And Blanket is a sharp kid, but also pretty quiet. When I asked what he wanted for Christmas, he said, 'I just want a stuffed animal.' "

To entertain his kids, Jacko would often take them on midnight shopping sprees in stores specially opened just for them. They hopscotched around the globe from California to Las Vegas to Bahrain to Ireland to New Jersey to Switzerland.

He showered the children with indulgences. In 2007, he shut down parts of the New York, New York Hotel in Las Vegas so he and the kids could play video games and ride the roller coaster. And the kids would show up bleary-eyed at bookshops and toy stores around the world for private shopping sprees at 2 or 3 a.m.

They ate Jackson's favorite -- KFC -- for lunch and dinner.

"Prince I, Paris and Prince II were his life," Michael's longtime pal Dieter Wiesner told Life & Style. "He made breakfast for them -- a lot of people don't know this side of Michael."

Perhaps best of all from a child's perspective -- no school.

"I'm going to build a computer school on the grounds [of Neverland]," Jackson said in an interview. "How can they go into society? He's Prince Michael Jackson. She's Paris Katherine Michael Jackson. It would be too difficult."

He also fathered by example -- and showed them how to take responsibility for themselves, one record producer told Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli. Prince Michael once spilled popcorn on the studio floor, and the producer bent over to clean up the mess, fearing Jacko would have a diva-like tantrum.

Instead, the megastar apologized.

"He's my kid. I'll clean up after him," Jackson said, according to Taraborrelli.

The producer recalled, "I looked down and there's Michael Jackson on his hands and knees picking up his son's popcorn. I'm not sure you would see Madonna doing that."

Jackson did his best to prevent his kids from becoming brats, friends said.

"He wanted them to have a chance at a childhood which he never had," friend Price recalled. "He wanted to make sure they played, because they are kids first and foremost. He made sure they were taken care of, but he understood the difference between a need and a want. He knew to give them a solid foundation to be good people, and that's what I saw in these kids: bright, intelligent, good people."

Others in Jackson's inner circle agreed.

"He wasn't a disciplinarian but he didn't let the kids run the roost or be spoiled rotten," Stuart Backerman, a former adviser and publicist for Jackson from 2002 to 2004, told The Post.

He recalled a moment in 2004 when he walked through Neverland's kitchen and a 6-year-old Paris spit out her food -- drawing a quietly stern reaction from Jackson.

"Michael looked up and told her, 'We don't spit out food and we don't talk badly about other people in this house, and we have good manners,' " Backerman recalled.

"It didn't mean anything to me at the time, but now as I look back, it reminds me what kind of parent he was."

Jackson insiders say their eccentric father did his best to instill a steely self-confidence in his children.

Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris Michael, exemplified that strength when she took the microphone at his memorial service on Tuesday to say before a crowd of 20,000 -- and millions watching worldwide -- "Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine."

"Without getting over-mushy about it, it might have shown Jackson did a pretty damn good job raising those kids," Backerman said. "She's no shrinking violet, this kid, as you saw. She might have been hidden by veils and skulking around because of the privacy issues all these years, but she showed herself to be a maturing preteen girl."

Still, there was much to be concerned about.

Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, was Jacko's first wife and refused to have his babies.

She said that the King of Pop was too emotionally immature to raise a child. The two were divorced within two years of their marriage.

Prince Michael Joseph and Paris Michael were born after Jackson's second wife, Debbie Rowe, the nurse at his dermatology clinic, was artificially inseminated.

Rowe played no part in the children's lives, but she has hinted at a custody challenge in the wake of Jackson's death.

News reports have said the sperm donor may well have been Klein, Rowe's boss who has been oddly close to the children, although he denied those reports yesterday.

"We never saw [Rowe]," a Neverland staffer told Jackson biographer Taraborrelli of life after Prince Michael was born in 1997.

"The baby was cared for by a team of six nannies and six nurses, who worked in shifts so that there were always two nurses and two nannies by his side. They were kept under constant video surveillance, which was monitored by members of Jackson's security team.

"The day team did exercise drills with the baby to build up his strength. The night team read and sang to him. But it was as if he had no mother," Taraborrelli reported.

Another nanny said the air quality in Prince Michael's room was measured hourly, all utensils were thrown away after every use, and toys were tossed each night to be replaced the next day.

Next Monday, Judge Mitchell Beckloff of Los Angeles Superior Court will hear Michael's mother Katherine Jackson's petition for permanent custody of the kids.

[Achilles Tang]

I've met never met the Legend but I did meet his dad, Joseph Jackson. Wish it was the other way around.

[kueytoc]

Jackson 'This Is It' waxwork on show in London

AFP - Friday, July 10

LONDON (AFP) - - A waxwork of Michael Jackson made to mark his planned "This Is It" London comeback concerts went on show in the British capital on Thursday.

The US singer, who died on June 25, had been due to play 50 gigs at London's O2 Arena from July 13.

The depiction of Jackson at Madame Tussaud's waxwork museum shows him in his prime in a classic performance pose, matching the "This Is It" concert posters.

Only Queen Elizabeth II, who has been replicated 20 times by Madame Tussaud's, has been depicted more than Jackson.

"As the response to his tragic death has shown, Michael Jackson was one of the most powerful forces in contemporary music and culture and he has remained one of the most popular personalities at Madame Tussauds throughout his career," said spokeswoman Liz Edwards.

"We enjoyed a very special relationship with Michael and this is the 13th time we have portrayed him, a reflection of that popularity.

"It was always our intention to make this figure a celebratory one, signalling his much-anticipated return to the stage but also acknowledging all of his incredible achievements.

"We hope it will still be a celebration."

Jackson's new figure was created using information gathered at a sitting the singer gave in 1989, together with extensive photography and research to reflect the "This is It" image.

The star is dressed in a black Fedora hat, white v-neck T-shirt, sparkly black jacket, white glove, black ankle-length trousers, white socks and black loafers.

"I have produced 100 waxworks but they don't come any tougher than Jackson's," said the sculptor Stephen Mansfield.

One of the first fans in, Mark Crew, 29, from Yeovil in southwest England, wore a Jackson-style outfit in tribute.

"I am absolutely thrilled by this new version... there is something timeless about this waxwork," he said.

"I was concerned about which version of Jackson they would choose to imitate -- I don't think fans would have wanted him symbolised in his latter years."

Matt Blank, spokesman for the World Michael Jackson Network, said: "The new waxwork will undoubtedly be very popular. It is in this sad time that people need to share their grief, not just through tears but also through celebrating the life and legacy of the 'King of Pop'."

[kueytoc]

Jackson, healthy or not? Depends on who's talking

AP - Sunday, July 12

LOS ANGELES - In his final days, Michael Jackson was robust and active. Or dangerously thin and frail. Begging for access to powerful prescription drugs. Or showing no signs of ever having used them.

It depends on who's talking.

A dizzying collection of puzzle pieces about Jackson's health and habits has come to light since his death on June 25. With as much as a month before a toxicology report determines the cause, more are sure to emerge.

Each is likely to fuel further speculation. None is sure to produce a satisfying conclusion.

Some who knew him even seem to contradict themselves.

Here's what's known so far:

* During his final rehearsal at the Staples Center, Jackson was captured on video doing his signature moonwalk and dance spins. Randy Phillips, CEO of concert promoter AEG Live, told CNN he was "a healthy, vibrant human being."

* Phillips later told ABC concert organizers feared that Jackson was losing weight and showing signs of wear and tear. He said he hired a staffer whose purpose was to remind Jackson to eat.

* Dr. Arnold Klein, Jackson's dermatologist, who said he last saw Jackson less than a week before he died, told CNN's Larry King that the singer was in "very good physical condition," in "a very good mood," and "was very happy."

* Klein also told CNN that he had given Jackson the painkiller Demerol but warned him about using the powerful sedative Diprivan. He also confirmed that Jackson was a former drug addict who went to rehab in England.

* "The Incredible Hulk" star Lou Ferrigno, who was helping Jackson prepare for a planned series of London concerts, told The Associated Press that he never saw Jackson take drugs, act aloof or speedy, and the singer wasn't frail when he last saw him at the end of May. "I've never seen him look better," he said.

* Two of Jackson's former confidants, medium Uri Geller and ex-bodyguard Matt Fiddes, said they tried in vain to keep the pop superstar from abusing prescription drugs. Geller said he suffered a terrible falling-out with Jackson over the issue, but not before he had to "shout at Michael, to scream at Michael" in an effort to confiscate the singer's stocks of medication during his travels in England.

* The drug Diprivan, an anesthetic widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness, was found in Jackson's residence, a law enforcement official told the AP. Also known as Propofol, the drug is given intravenously and is very unusual to have in a private home.

* Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse, told the AP she repeatedly rejected his demands for Diprivan. But a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep.

* Akon, the Senegalese R&B singer and producer with whom Jackson recently recorded songs, told Billboard.com that "Michael is just one of the healthiest people that I know. He was pressuring me to stay healthy, like, 'Akon, eat right. What are you doing out there on the road? Are you eating? Are you exercising? Are you drinking a lot of water?'"

* Klein said Jackson had been suffering from lupus _ a chronic disease where the immune system attacks the body's own tissue _ and a skin disorder known as vitiligo.

* Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, administered CPR on Jackson's bed, rather than a hard surface, "with his hand behind his back to provide the necessary support" because the singer was so frail, the doctor's attorney, Edward Chernoff, said.

* Chernoff also told the AP that Murray never gave or prescribed Jackson the painkillers Demerol or OxyContin, and said the doctor didn't give the pop star any drugs that contributed to his death.

* Among other things, Murray's lawyers have acknowledged it took up to 30 minutes for paramedics to be summoned to Jackson's home after he was found unresponsive.

* Jackson's family requested a private autopsy in part because of questions about Murray's role, the Rev. Jesse Jackson has said.

* Kevin Mazur, a photographer documenting the Staples Center rehearsals for a tour book, told the AP that Jackson looked in perfect health. "He was very upbeat, very happy, having a good time with the dancers," Mazur said.

* Spiritual teacher Dr. Deepak Chopra told the AP he had been concerned since 2005 that Jackson was abusing painkillers and spoke to the pop star about suspected drug use as recently as six months ago. Chopra said Jackson, a longtime friend, personally asked him for painkillers in 2005; Chopra said he refused.

* Los Angeles police chief William Bratton said detectives are looking at his prescription drug history and trying to talk with his numerous former doctors. He also says police are waiting for the coroner's report before ruling out any possibilities in their "comprehensive and far-reaching" probe, which includes the Drug Enforcement Agency and the state attorney general's office.

Associated Press writer Michael R. Blood contributed to this report.

[kueytoc]

"It's Going to Be a Disaster": Associate Says Jackson Was Too Weak for Major Comeback

Whitney English and Natalie Finn – Sat Jul 11, 1:28 pm ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) – One of the dreamers who tried to reboot Michael Jackson's career says the late King of Pop wasn't fit enough to hit the stage for the "greatest comeback show ever" two years ago, let alone this summer.

"It would have happened had I assessed that Michael was capable mentally, emotionally, vocally to do it. At the end of it, we decided no, he wasn't," Jack Wishna, president of consultancy CPAmerica and the orchestrator of Jackson's return to the U.S. after a year spent living abroad, exclusively tells E! News.

The idea that they danced around from mid-2006 to mid-2007, and again earlier this year, was to have Jackson in residence at a Las Vegas hotel, where he'd star in a concert spectacular called Michael Jackson Presents that would also feature guest appearances by the latest R&B hitmakers.

"Michael says, 'I have this huge statue of me in full regalia, moon boots,'" Wishna recalled. "I want the hotel to encase it in the wall and the nights I'm in performance the statue comes out to the center of the strip so the world knows that I'm here," Jackson said, according to Wishna. "It would come out on a conveyor belt."

But though concert promoter AEG Live said that Jackson passed a physical with flying colors earlier this year, Wishna maintains that the 50-year-old artist had been in a "weakened state" and wasn't able to do three shows a month in 2007, much less maintain a more rigorous schedule now.

"He would get hurt if he had to do a regimen of performances," Wishna said. "You really have to be fit to go up on stage to do that."

So, earlier this year, he and Jackson instead discussed creating a show in the guise of LOVE, Cirque du Soleil's ode to the Beatles, that the King of Pop would not actually be in.

But then, Wishna said, he found out Jackson had hooked up with AEG for his London engagement.

"He said it should be fine," Wishna recalled. "In my heart I knew he didn't get better from the time I was with him. He was thin and weak. It's going to be a disaster. I would never put him into a show that way. I don't know who the doctor is that certified him for it. I didn't think [Jackson] was capable of doing it."

Wishna said he never saw Jackson using drugs, but that he wouldn't have had any trouble obtaining whatever he wanted—oftentimes from people who didn't have his best interests at heart.

"There were so many people around him that were enablers," the exec said. "It was one thing after another that just made it very bizarre."

"Michael has a lot of people around him that cut deals and sometimes Michael doesn't even know what those deals are," he added. "So many people have been around him. At every turn it's like he's his worst enemy because of the people that are around him."

"If you opened your mouth he'd alienate them and get rid of them," Wishna said of the members of Jackson's entourage who failed to acquiesce to his demands. "Nobody told him 'don't do this, don't do that.'"

Sadly, Jackson isn't around to tell anyone to do anything on his behalf anymore. But Wishna feels that he knows what the Thriller purveyor would say about one thing.

"In Ireland, when I spoke to Michael, I said, 'Come back and go back to Neverland.'" And Jackson said, "I never, never, never want to go back to Neverland. Never."

"My thought is if someone buries him in Neverland he will come up out of the ground like in Thriller and strangle them," Wishna said, referring to rumors that Jackson's family is still considering a bid to inter Jackson on the grounds of his once-beloved ranch.

"I tried to get rid of Neverland for him. He would never set foot back on Neverland. He never wanted to go there, never wanted to sleep there— never, never."

[kueytoc]

Michael Jackson's sister La Toya says he was 'killed'

Sun Jul 12, 1:33 am ET

LONDON (AFP) – Michael Jackson was killed by a band of greedy hangers-on , his sister La Toya alleged in interviews with British Sunday newspapers.

The King of Pop's sister spoke about her younger brother's death and the aftermath with The Mail on Sunday and the News of the World weeklies.

"I believe Michael was murdered, I felt that from the start," the 53-year-old said.

"Not just one person was involved, rather it was a conspiracy of people. He was surrounded by a bad circle. Michael was a very meek, quiet, loving person. People took advantage of that.

"Less than a month ago, I said I thought Michael was going to die before the London shows because he was surrounded by people who didn't have his best interests at heart.

La Toya said she had ordered a private autopsy.

Jackson, one of the world's most popular entertainers, died on June 25 at the age of 50.

"Michael was worth more than a billion dollars. When anyone is worth that much money, there are always greedy people around them. I said to my family a month ago, 'He's never going to make it to London'. He was worth more dead than alive."

Murder under Californian law can include killings that are not premeditated.

La Toya accused a "shadowy" group of cutting her sibling off from his family and friends and forcing him to sign up for 50 comeback concerts at London's O2 Arena, shows billed "This Is It".

They saw him as a "cash cow" and "got him hooked on drugs... I think it shocked his system so much it killed him," she claimed.

"I am not going to stop until I find out who is responsible. Why did they keep the family away? It's not about money. I want justice for Michael. I won't rest until I find out what -- and who -- killed my brother."

La Toya said Jackson was found in the bedroom of his physician Doctor Conrad Murray.

"Michael walked from his room to Doctor Murray's room. What happened in there we don't know," she said.

La Toya said she was driving to see Jackson in hospital when her mother screamed down the phone: "He's dead!".

"I nearly crashed my car," she said. "My legs went weak... They took me up to the area where Michael had been taken. Mother was crying and Michael's kids were crying."

She also claimed jewellery was missing from his house and no cash was found, despite the fact he regularly kept more than a million dollars around.

La Toya said the family had an open coffin viewing before the public memorial in Los Angeles' Staples Center arena.

She put one of his sequined gloves in the coffin, while his daughter Paris, 11, put a one half a heart-shaped "mood necklace" around his wrist, keeping the other piece.

La Toya said it was Paris's idea to speak at the memorial.

Of Jackson's children, she said Paris wanted to be an entertainer, Prince Michael was "assertive", while Blanket was "very funny, a real prankster like his father."

La Toya said her brother would "absolutely not" be laid to rest at his Neverland ranch and added that Jackson's brain, removed in the autopsy, had been put back in his body.

La Toya said Jackson wanted to give up music and become a film director.

"The first one was to be a horror film called 'Thriller'," she said. "'This Is It' really was the end. He didn't want to perform any more."

She said Jackson updated his will roughly every five years, "so we expect another one to emerge from 2007".

[kueytoc]

Burying Michael at Neverland a Never-Ending Story

Thu., Jul. 9, 2009 11:10 AM PDT by Whitney English, Ashley Fultz and Breanne L. Heldman

We may not know exactly where Michael Jackson's body is, but we do know at least one place it isn't—Neverland Ranch.

Santa Barbara County Communications Director William Boyer tells E! News that the Jackson family has not applied for a permit to do anything at Neverland Ranch and has not been in contact with the county for any reason.

"We haven't had any formal contact with the Jackson family or their representatives about any aspect of a burial, funeral, memorial service, nothing regarding Mr. Jackson at Neverland Ranch," Boyer says. "The important thing to note here is there has been no contact with the county about any aspect of this. There's been no formal application, no request, nothing."

Should the family decide the famed grounds be the star's final resting place, the process to bury his remains there would be considerably lengthy and involved.

Kim Brown, spokesperson for the California Department of Consumer Affairs, tells E! News the Jackson family would first have to obtain a "certificate of authority" from the California Funeral and Cemetery Bureau in order to bury M.J. on private property. This certificate allows a private property to "operate as a cemetery."

So far, "one has not been issued," Brown says. If it were (or when it is), it would be public record.

To obtain a certificate of authority, one must submit a variety of documents, including a zoning permit in Santa Barbara, a deed to the property, a map of the proposed cemetery site and several other applications.

Brown tells E! News it's up to a family how long it takes to gather the necessary requirements.

"It really depends on going to the county to get those zoning permits," he says. "And then they have to get a cemetery manager, somebody appointed as that."

Once all the documents are set, Brown claims it takes the state about "seven to 30 days" to process.

"Once you get all of that and submit it to the state, then the state works as rapidly as possible to issue a certificate of authority," he explains. "It's not an overnight process."

Planner Kimberley McCarthy of the Santa Barbara Planning and Development Department also confirms to E! News, "At this time, I do not know of any application that has come in concerning Neverland Ranch."

An employee at the Los Angeles County Public Health office also tells E! News that an amendment to Jackson's death certificate has not been issued.

Reports say La Toya Jackson will be issuing a statement Friday about their plans for the burial. Her rep has not returned a request for comment.

As for turning the space into a type of Graceland-like attraction, Boyer claims the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors would be the ones to approve it.

"Many of the people that live here in Santa Barbara County look upon Santa Barbara County as paradise," he says. "The quality of life here, protecting the environment, protecting public safety, are very important issues for the county. Something like that would definitely change the land use from the agricultural land use that it's currently zoned for, to a different type of zoning. That type of the use would be a policy decision that our Board of Supervisors would need to take care of."

While the King of Pop may not be buried (at least not right away) at his fabled abode, at least one of his most famous symbols will follow him to the grave: his sparkly glove.

Jeffrey Relf, a rep for Gaspar Gloves, confirms to E! News that they designed a Swarovski crystal white "kidskin" leather glove for the star's final outfit.

According to Relf, M.J.'s stylist of 24 years, Michael Bush, and sister La Toya were both very involved in dressing Michael and making him "look amazing and appropriate" when he was laid to rest.

"La Toya wanted to make sure Michael Bush styled Michael in the way that people know him as looking," he tells E! News. "Within that, they were going over what gloves, because you know Michael had tons of gloves and some of the gloves were custom, which is what my client Dorothy [who owns Gaspar Gloves] did for him. La Toya wanted the glove to look luxury enough, so Michael Bush looked through the archive and found the one that Dorothy designed for him 10 or 12 years ago, and that’s what they chose."

The Thriller had worn Gaspar Gloves for more than 20 years.

As for who would actually see Michael in his last outfit, that remains unknown. Relf says he doesn't know if there was an open casket, but says some people probably saw him since there was such an emphasis on making him look "appropriate" for the occasion.

[kueytoc]

Michael Jackson family says concert plans too much for him

Reuters - Tuesday, July 14By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson's father said the King of Pop was not ready perform 50 shows in London, in a TV interview that aired the day the singer was scheduled to start his long-awaited comeback.

Joe Jackson told ABC News that his son told him that he only agreed to perform 10 shows in London, but that the concert promoter booked more shows to bring the total to 50.

"I was worried about his health, because all the shows that I'm seeing, no artist can do that many shows back to back like that," Joe Jackson told ABC News in an interview broadcast on Monday. "So I knew Michael couldn't do all those shows without some rests in between."

In a statement, Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of concert promoter AEG Live, acknowledged on Monday that the number of shows was originally lower, but said Jackson had agreed to perform more.

"Our original agreement with Michael Jackson called for 31 shows," Phillips said.

When the response to the initial announcement of 10 shows was so overwhelming, AEG Live went to Jackson's then advisor, Dr. Tohme Tohme, and asked if the singer would be willing to do more, Phillips said. The first show was scheduled for July 13 with the remainder were spread out until February 2010.

Tohme told AEG Live that Jackson would perform 50, and Jackson himself said he was motivated to embark on a record-setting run of concerts, Phillips said.

The singer, 50, had previously passed a lengthy physical head of his first live concert series in 12 years and was rehearsing in Los Angeles the day before his death.

Jackson died of cardiac arrest on June 25, after he stopped breathing and paramedics were called to his Los Angeles home.

In a separate interview, Michael Jackson's sister, La Toya Jackson, told British newspaper The Daily Mail that her brother was "murdered" by a conspiracy of people around him.

La Toya Jackson said she believes her brother was overworked to rehearse and prepare for the concert series, and that he was intentionally separated from his family.

After the L.A. Coroner examined Jackson's body, his family ordered a second, private autopsy on the singer.

"He had needle marks on his neck and his arms and more about those will emerge in the next few weeks," La Toya Jackson told the Daily Mail.

"I cannot discuss that any further as I may jeopardize the investigation," she said. "I can, however, say that I have not changed my mind about my feeling that Michael was murdered."

La Toya Jackson also said her suspicions were raised by medical equipment, including oxygen tanks and a stand with a cord hanging down, in a room at her brother's home.

Media reports have said that the dangerous sedative Diprivan -- normally used in hospitals by anesthesiologists -- was found at the singer's home.

Los Angeles police have revealed few details of their investigation, and the L.A. Coroner said it will release the results of its autopsy within weeks.

[kueytoc]

Fans gather in London where Jackson was to perform

Reuters - Tuesday, July 14

LONDON - Hundreds of Michael Jackson fans gathered outside London's O2 Arena on Monday to pay their respects to the entertainer on the day he was to have opened a run of 50 concerts at the venue.

Jackson died on June 25, just weeks ahead of his eagerly awaited comeback following years of living as a virtual recluse.

The London concerts sold out in record time and some of the 750,000 tickets sold traded hands at hugely inflated prices on the Internet.

Underlining fans' devotion to the "King of Pop", hundreds turned up to the venue anyway, determined to celebrate their favorite musician.

"This was going to be the best summer of my life," said fan Michael. "I was going to go to five shows altogether, it would have been fantastic. I can't believe rather than coming here to see him perform I'm here to mourn ... It's devastating, it really is."

Some fans sat quietly beneath a large screen with a picture of Jackson and the words "Michael Jackson 1958-2009" reflecting on what might have been.

Others, including several Jackson impersonators, led sing-a-longs of his greatest hits.

Will, another fan, said: "We've come here today even if there's no gig tonight. We're making our own gig, our own carnival atmosphere, we're making this what it would have been if Michael had been here."

The man behind chart-topping songs like "Thriller," "Billie Jean" and "Man in the Mirror" has been mourned the world over since his sudden death at the age of 50, and sales of his records have soared.

AEG Live, promoters of Jackson's planned comeback "residency" in London, have offered fans either full refunds for the canceled shows or the option of keeping their commemorative tickets as keepsakes.

Jackson died while rehearsing for the concerts, and AEG has said it hopes to stage a tribute including elements of the This Is It spectacle. Several reports have said organizers are aiming for a date in late August.

[kueytoc]

Judy Chou invited to HK Michael Jackson tribute service

Xin.sg - Tuesday, July 14

Judy Chou, who was discovered through Taiwanese TV singing competition, One Million Star, was invited to Hong Kong as special guest in Michael Jackson tribute service.

A fan of the late King of Pop, Chou sang the song "You Are Not Alone" for his EP So What which was released last year, and rapped for S.H.E's "Bi Ni Jian", which is a spin off from "Billie Jean".

"I'm very upset and full of regret over MJ's death," she said. "10 years ago when MJ held his concert in Taiwan, I was too young to know who he is. But I've been hoping to witness his moonwalk when I found out how great he was, and in fact I was looking forward to his world tour. It's a pity that there is no chance now."

Chou was excited to see a Michael Jackson wax statue backstage and started posing for photos together.

On stage, the Taiwanese singer appeared in classic MJ style - black suit, white shirt, matching black pants, white socks and black leather shoes - and sang a medley of MJ's classics including "You Are Not Alone" and performed the moonwalk along with other Michael Jackson signature dance movements, winning an ovation.