Michael Jackson on 'Face the Nation'

Michael Jackson was spotted on live television over the weekend. pic.twitter.com/Y9Cc3J3A89

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 11, 2022

Terrifying!

Barbra Streisand and Michael Jackson's Accusers

Barbra Streisand is weird, but she just got weirder.

Barbra Streisand is catching heat for her take on the sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson. https://t.co/9gcicz02C5 pic.twitter.com/fIfupG2VZm

— E! News (@enews) March 23, 2019

Michael Jackson and Katie Couric: Date?

When Katie Couric was a guest on Late Show with David Letterman, July 28, 2009, she told a rather strange story.

She rattled through it very quickly, time running short, though she did find time to mock the pronunciation of Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's last name -- twice.

Couric said that in 2000, Michael Jackson asked her to go out on date.

I found a report from Rolling Stone, posted January 17, 2001, that corroborates Couric's story.

Michael Hits on Katie

Michael Jackson wants to be starting something with Katie Couric. When the 42-year-old, twice-divorced pop star was recently in New York to help promote his charity, Time With Kids, he met the perky Today show co-host at the Four Seasons hotel to talk about the project. A few days later, one of Jackson's associates called Couric, 44, and asked whether she was seeing anyone, adding that Jackson would like to take her out on a date, sources tell Hot Stuff. Couric, who has been dating TV producer Tom Werner since last summer, politely declined the offer. Meanwhile, Jackson continues his quest to be taken seriously - he and Time With Kids president Rabbi Shmuley Boteach have been invited to several presidential inaugural events to talk about children's issues and Jackson's dream of establishing a new national holiday called Children's Day.

Couric was very interested in telling the Michael Jackson story. I don't know why. Letterman gave her another segment to do it.

By the way, since Couric went back to short hair, have you noticed how much she resembles Suze Orman, albeit with puffier cheeks?


_________________

Here's Rabbi Shmuley's statement on the passing of Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson and Louis Farrakhan

Louis Farrakhan is speaking out about Michael Jackson and racism and the media.

Transcript

DON LEMON: Michael Jackson belonged to black people, and that black people understood Michael Jackson in a way that maybe whites didn't. And the study showed, Pew poll shows that 8 out of 10 African Americans were following this closely. There were other polls that showed 2 out of 3 African Americans were following this very closely. How do you respond to that?

LOUIS FARRAKHAN: Well, black people understand me. And you can ask most black people that have ever heard me, know something about me. They understand me. They don't view me as the media has portrayed me.

And whenever you become strong, whenever your truth will undermine the falsehoods that the society seems to be built upon, you become a threat. So when you become a threat to the powers that be, they use the power of the media first to demagnetize you by making you appear as what you are not. And after they take you away from the magnetic appeal that you have with the people, then you are either assassinated or you're made poor and raggedy. So when you get back to your people, you have no growing power and you have no money.

So to strip Michael of his legacy, to strip him of the catalogue of The Beatles and Elvis, to strip him of the great financial strength that he potentially has is to give him back to us in his move toward self-awareness, self-love. He always loved humanity. The problem was he did not have that love so much of himself, but he was growing to see the beauty of himself.

LEMON: You said he didn't have that love of himself. Talk to me more about that.

FARRAKHAN: In this way... most black people, not only here, but in the Caribbean, in South America, Central America, in Africa, we have been the victims of the tyranny of white supremacy and black inferiority. So we're ashamed of the flatness of our nose, the thickness of our lips, the kinkiness of our hair.

So all of the pictures that I saw on CNN while I was in Africa, they showed Michael as a 9-year-old, a 10-year-old in his black color, his thick lips, his nose, his hair. And then they showed this gradual progression of Michael.

And the message, you don't have to say it, the message was that when he was young somebody told him he wasn't beautiful, and he wanted... when you have money, like most rich people in Hollywood or entertainers, movie actresses, business people who don't like their nose or their lips or their breasts or their behind, or whatever they want to improve on, money makes them able to do that. So he was improving, in his mind, on himself by changing his nose, his lips. But that's the journey outward.

LEMON: But are you saying that he didn't want to be black, that he wanted to be white or look white?

FARRAKHAN: Well, the evidence is there. That's the evidence of the outward journey. But the inward journey, that's the most beautiful journey of all. He was journeying toward himself, and he's journeying toward the unification of all human beings with mutual respect.

So when he made that song, 'doesn't matter if you're black or white,' because the outside lost its meaning. The real meaning is not the color of your skin. It's the spirit that energizes you and moves you to action. That's the real person. And that's why Jesus said, 'As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.'

LEMON: What was your relationship to the Jackson family, Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson?

FARRAKHAN: Well, I don't know the Jackson family as well as my children. My children grew up with the Jackson family. My children adored the Jackson family. They were... my son Mustapha, my son Joshua, my daughter, they were involved in many ways with the Jacksons.

I met Michael several years ago, and I loved him long before I met him. But after meeting him -- such a gentle spirit, such a beautful human being.

Yes, the tragedy is how Michael was portrayed. And I must respectfully say to the media, you as a media person, Mr. King as a media person, all of the people that are in media -- if the sins of any of those who are before the world were exposed, you would lose your magnetism.

My mother said, 'You don't have to lie about anybody because the truth about everybody is bad enough.' Nobody comes this way without sin. Nobody comes this way without fault. But the flesh, this, argues against the spirit. And the flesh ofttimes wins. But when death comes, the flesh and the veil that the flesh uses to hide the spirit is buried.

Mozart had a terrific life. Beethoven, Nat King Cole, you name it, all of us have problems. But when death comes, it puts a period to our life. The flesh goes back to the earth, but that essence that caused us to transcend time is what lives. Michael lives.

LEMON: Michael Jackson's children -- young. You heard his daughter, Paris, at the memorial service speak out about her father. What would you say to them? Any advice?

FARRAKHAN: I thought her words were so touching, because in the little that she said, and the way she said it, and the way the family formed around her and around each other, told such a beautiful story; because now we can see the humanity of Michael. He loved his children. He was a wonderful father. And then to see all of the family unite in a bond of love, isn't that what we want to see?

Translation: Michael Jackson was a victim of the tyranny of white supremacy.

When a black man becomes too powerful he's either assassinated or stripped of his wealth.

Clearly, Farrakhan's view of society is woefully outdated.

Bill O'Reilly, Al Sharpton: Michael Jackson Strange?

Yesterday, Bill O'Reilly had a discussion with Al Sharpton about Michael Jackson's "strangeness" and the accusations made by Rep. Pete King.

Video.



Transcript

BILL O'REILLY: The Michael Jackson situation yesterday at the memorial service in Los Angeles -- Al Sharpton said this:

AL SHARPTON: Michael made us love each other. Michael taught us to stand with each other... I want his three children to know, wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with.

O'REILLY: With us now is Reverend Sharpton. Nothing strange about Michael Jackson? All that plastic surgery, altering his face and all of that. The hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on prescription drugs. In vitro on white kids, you know, when you're black man. Nothing strange about it?

SHARPTON: Well, no.

O'REILLY: You don't think any of that's strange?

SHARPTON: First of all, you could probably have a large percentage of Americans that have had plastic surgery.

O'REILLY: Not like that.

SHARPTON: Well, maybe he had more resources. Maybe a lot of this is exaggerated. Let's deal with the issues. The issue is that it is totally irresponsible for a lawmaker to disregard the law. Charges were made against Michael Jackson. A mostly non-black jury... he talks about nine out of ten, let's try twelve out of twelve in a jury said he was not guilty of child molestation. That's all. And it's as reckless and irresponsible to say he's a child molester as it would be for me to come on here and say Dick Cheney shoots his friends hunting.

Pete King, Bill O'Reilly: Michael Jackson (Video)

Rep. Pete King is not backing down in any way from the extremely harsh statements he made about Michael Jackson, calling him a "pervert," a "child molester," and a "pedophile." He did, however, clarify that what set him off was the saturation coverage of Jackson's death.

Last night, King discussed his remarks with Bill O'Reilly.

Video.



Transcript

BILL O'REILLY: Now the top story tonight -- the growing racial controversy over Michael Jackson. While millions of Americans have watched the coverage of Jackson's death, millions of Americans are also fed up with the glorification of the man. Leading that charge is Congressman Peter King of New York.

(video clip)

PETER KING: This guy was a pervert. He was a child molester. He was a pedophile. And to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what's it say about us as a country? I just think it's too... We're too politically correct. No one wants to stand up and say, 'We don't need Michael Jackson.'

O'REILLY: Well, joining us now from Washington is the controversial Congressman King. All right now, ...Congressman Bobby Rush from Illinois, and Hazel Dukes, and NAACP officials imply you're a racist. What say you?

KING: That is absolute nonsense. I stand by everything I said. There's absolutely nothing racist or racial in any of the words I used. You know, Bill, I was on your show over seven years ago. I was the first Catholic politician in the United States to call for the resignation of Cardinal Law as archbishop of Boston because he had failed to go after the child molesters in the clergy in Boston. This past weekend Bob Herbert of the New York Times, an African American columnist, said that behind the facade of Michael Jackson is the horror of child abuse.

I don't see how pointing out a person's horrible record when it comes to misusing and abusing children, how that becomes racial in any way. And also, I'll say this, there's an ironic point. On Sunday, the New York Times editorial, which it's very seldom the Times has something good to say about me, where they praised me and John McCain because for five years we've had a bill in Congress, which looks like it's going to go through this year, to give a presidential pardon to Jack Johnson, the first African American heavyweight champion. And we're doing that because his prosecution was racially biased against him. It was racism. And John McCain and I have spoken out against that. I certainly get no votes in my district for that. So I think, you know, my record is clear. I just think that people raising this issue are absolutely phony. And it's really, it's wrong.

O'REILLY: It is wrong. I agree. I've know you for a long time. You're not a racist. And Mr. Rush and Ms. Dukes are cheap for playing that race card against you. But the timing of what you said, what you said was harsh. It was harsh, and you know, the man has died. He has people who love him. In hindsight, might you have waited a week?

KING: No, Bill, because this had already gone on for nine or ten days. And I guess what put me over the edge was I spent the whole Fourth of July with veterans, and cops, firefighters at different parades in Wantagh and Massapequa Park, as you would say, being with the folks. And there was such a resentment building up, people saying, 'Why is this guy getting all this adulation?'

OK, he was a good singer. He was a good dancer. But why, why is he getting all this coverage? Why is the nation stopped for Michael Jackson? So I went to the American Legion hall on Sunday. I was with somebody on my staff. We had a video camera, and I said, 'Hey, I'm gonna say what's on my mind.' We posted it, and the reason I was harsh, if you want to call it that, is I had to cut through this ten day cacophony of glorification, this onslaught, where he was being made out to be a saint or a hero, whatever. So I wanted to get right to the point. That's why I said strip aside the psychobabble. This man was a child molester, and he was, by his own admission, he slept with young boys. I mean, you know you walk to a neighborhood and you say to someone, 'If a grown man sleeps with young boys in his bed, is he a pervert?' 99 out of 100 people will say yes.

O'REILLY: All right. Let me play devil's advocate here. Let me play devil's advocate here, because I want to be fair and I think that you know that we are fair here. Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges. He did settle a civil suit, but settling something doesn't mean you're admitting anything. It just means you wanna get it out, all right? You want to get rid of it. The people who know Jackson well say he is the product of an arrested development, that he is a child, or was a child, in his own mind. And I think that speaks to the way he conducted his life. He was not an adult in an emotional way. He himself says that he slept with children. He admits it, only because he loved them and wanted to be close to them, and that there was no sexuality involved. That's what Jackson is on the record as saying. So is it fair to say if he's not convicted in a court of law, is it fair to say he was a child molester?

KING: Bill, I would say an adult male who sleeps with young boys is a child molester. If nothing else, he's molesting and abusing their psyche. How are those children going to possibly grow up normal after spending nights in bed with Michael Jackson?

So, I would say also there's not a daycare center in the United States that would be allowed to hire him. Would anyone, and even of my critics, would they allow their child or their grandchild to be in the same room with Michael Jackson, to be alone with Michael Jackson?

You know, again, we have to strip away a lot of it. There's a difference between a criminal conviction and admitted conduct. I went back and I read all sorts of columns, those articles by Maureen Orth, detailing the way he had all these alarms in his bedroom in his mansion. And he had those alarms on when he was with these young boys. It was a deviant lifestyle.

And to, listen, if Michael Jackson had died and he got one or two days of coverage, that would have been fine. But the way it went on and on, with this wall-to-wall, round the clock coverage, and the same time we have Americans dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have the president in Russia trying to negotiate arms control, nuclear arms control.

To me, it was a real reflection on the culture of our country. And I really, you know, you talk about a culture war, Bill. This to me, I think the media and the political class and the elite class failed. They have... our culture... Pat Moynihan's book about defining deviancy down, there can't be much more down than what Michael Jackson did with young boys and yet we exalted that over the last ten days, two weeks, and it was wrong.

O'REILLY: Why do you think the media played him as a hero?

KING: Perhaps it was political correctness. They get caught up in this Hollywood swirl, and it just sort of fed on itself. And I guess no one wanted to just acknowledge the fact of what his record was all about. And so I just think that it was really a terrible failure by the media, by the elite. And I was saying what millions of Americans really felt.

O'REILLY: All right. Thanks for being a standup guy and coming in, Congressman. We appreciate it.

Sarah Palin, Michael Jackson, Al Sharpton: Conspiracy Theory

Callers to talk show radio shows can say crazy things.

When this happens, if the host has any credibility, he or she will immediately dismiss the wacky theories and statements as ridiculous.

When a woman called in to Al Sharpton's radio program, she had something crazy to say. Sharpton, however, let her statement stand as legitimate.

Brian Maloney, The Radio Equalizer, writes:

[A] caller to Al Sharpton's radio show yesterday appeared absolutely serious in suggesting a Palin-led plot to get Michael Jackson.

...Hey, there are always nutty callers out there, right? And occasionally, they sneak past call-screeners and reach the airwaves.

What's different here, however, is Sharpton's willingness to entertain the possibility, rather than dismiss it outright.

Transcript

FEMALE CALLER (31:50): He (Michael Jackson) is truly the soundtrack of my life. I also have a theory about Sarah Palin as well and I’m going to put it out there on radio, hopefully someone can investigate.

But, I think maybe she did something to Michael Jackson. Maybe there’s a scandal there. Maybe she’s stepping down because something’s about to come out. I don’t know, but I’m gonna just put it out there on your show so we’ll see.

SHARPTON: All right, thank you for your call, Ashley. That’s interesting. I’ll put it out, we’ll see. I don’t know.

Audio.



That is insane.

Sharpton should be ashamed of himself.

I know that's too much to ask.

Magic Johnson, Michael Jackson, and Kentucky Fried Chicken

At the memorial service, Magic Johnson shared a funny story about Michael Jackson.

Johnson went to Jackson's home to discuss being in a video, "Remember the Time."

MAGIC JOHNSON: So I went over to his house to have dinner. The chef came out and said, 'What would you like?'

I said, 'Some grilled chicken.'

So as we begin to talk about the video and what he wanted me to do, the chef brought me out the grilled chicken. But he brought Michael out a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

And I went crazy, like, 'Wait a minute! Michael, you eat Kentucky Fried Chicken?'

That made my day. That was the greatest moment of my life. We had such a good time sitting on the floor, eating that bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Al Sharpton: Michael Jackson and Obama

Obama can thank Michael Jackson.

Without Jackson, Obama wouldn't be the president of the United States.

At least that's the way Al Sharpton sees it.



From Politico:

Speaking at Michael Jackson’s memorial service Tuesday, the Rev. Al Sharpton gave the entertainer credit for creating an environment in which Barack Obama could be elected president.

“It was Michael Jackson that brought blacks and whites and Asians and Latinos together. It was Michael Jackson that made us sing ‘we are the world,’” said Sharpton.

“It was that comfort level that kids from Japan and Ghana and France and Iowa and Pennsylvania got comfortable enough with each other so later it wasn't strange to us to watch Oprah on television,” the reverend continued. “Those young kids grew up from being teenage comfortable fans of Michael 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,” Sharpton said. “Michael made us love each other.”

Michael Jackson's Daughter (Video)

Michael Jackson's Daughter, 11-year-old Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, addressed the audience at the end of the memorial service for her father.

Because of the media circus surrounding Jackson's life and death, the cult of celebrity, and fame and notoriety and all that stuff, I think that what's lost in all of the coverage is that Jackson was a human being -- a son, brother, and father.

He leaves behind family and friends who love and miss and mourn him.

His daughter's words and tears served to humanize the "event" of Jackson's death.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

"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."

Whatever you think of Michael Jackson, I don't see how you can't be moved by this little girl who lost her daddy.

Michael Jackson and "7"

From TMZ:

Get ready to have your mind blown. Ready? Here we go ...

-- Michael Jackson signed his will on 7/7/02.

-- Michael Jackson's memorial was on 7/7/09 ... exactly 7 years after the will was signed.

-- Michael Jackson's two biggest hits -- "Black & White" and "Billie Jean" -- were each #1 for 7 weeks.

-- Michael Jackson's three biggest albums -- "Thriller," "Bad" and "Dangerous" -- each produced 7 top 40 hits.

-- Michael Jackson was the 7th of 9 children.

If you're looking for lottery numbers tonight, we recommend something with the number 7 in it.

Michael Jackson Memorial Service: Quotes

Here are some quotes from the Michael Jackson Memorial public service at the Staples Center today:

(Reuters) -- Pop star Michael Jackson, who died on June 25, was remembered at a public memorial service on Tuesday at the Staples Center sports arena in downtown Los Angeles, featuring performances by Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder.

Here is a sampling of quotes from the service:

* Motown Records founder Berry Gordy:

"Michael Jackson went into orbit and never came down. 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."

"The more I think about Michael and talk about Michael the more I think that 'King of Pop' is not good enough. I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived."

* Singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson:

"I never thought I'd be here today. This is my little brother over there (in the casket) and you just don't think that you're going to ... live to see him gone. But he will never really be gone. He is going to live forever and ever and ever and ever.

"The world will never, ever forget Michael Jackson. I love you my brother. I celebrate your life. I'm proud I had the chance to know you."

* Actress Brooke Shields, a longtime friend of Jackson:

"Whenever we were out together and a picture was taken there would be caption of some kind, and the caption usually said something like, 'an odd couple' or 'an unlikely pair.' But but to us it was the most natural and easiest of friendships."

"I was 13 when we met and from that day on our friendship grew. Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date, and that we would have fun no matter where we were. We had a bond."

* Martin Luther King III:

"On June 25th, because he was the best, I believe heaven and earth did pause indeed to say of Michael Joseph Jackson, 'Here lived a great entertainer who did his job well."

* Rapper and actress Queen Latifah:

"Somehow when Michael Jackson sang, when he danced, we never felt distant. Michael was the biggest star on Earth."

* Civil rights activist Al Sharpton:

"I want to say to Michael's children, there wasn't nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with. He dealt with it anyway. He dealt with it for us."

* Singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder:

"This is a moment I wished I wouldn't live to see ... As much as we may feel that we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more."

* Former basketball great Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who spoke alongside Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant:

"I want to thank Michael for opening up so many doors for African Americans, to be on daytime shows, late night shows. He allowed Kobe and I to have our jerseys in peoples homes across world, because he was already there and he opened all those doors for us."

Pete King and Michael Jackson (Video)

New York Congressman Pete King does not think too highly of Michael Jackson. He's definitely not a fan.

King also has a problem with the media's blanket coverage of Jackson's death.



Transcript

REP. PETE KING: Hi, this is Congressman Pete King. Yesterday, I marched in two Fourth of July parades in Wantagh and Massapequa Park. Today I was taking a walk through Wantagh, here at the American Legion hall, fire house down the street, a fire memorial a few blocks from here. And it really reminded me of the great men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country -- people fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan today, cops, firefighters, teachers -- none of whom really get much credit.

And yet for the last, I don't know how long now, this lowlife, Michael Jackson -- his name, his face, his picture -- is all over the newspapers, television, and radio. That's all we hear about is Michael Jackson.

And let's knock out the psychobabble. This guy was a pervert. He was a child molester. He was a pedophile. And to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what's it say about us as a country? I just think it's too... We're too politically correct. No one wants to stand up and say, 'We don't need Michael Jackson.'

You know, he died. He had some talent. Fine. There's people dying every day. There's men and women dying today in Afghanistan. Let's give them the credit they deserve.

So I really think the media has disgraced itself. I think too many people in public life have made fools of themselves by talking about Michael Jackson as if he's some kind of hero. There's nothing good about this guy.

He may have been a good singer, did some dancing. But bottom line is: Would you let your child or grandchild be in the same room with Michael Jackson? What are we glorifying him for.

So, anyway, let's take some time out to really look to the people that do make us a great country -- the men and women of the Armed Forces, the police, firefighters, teachers who work in really rough neighborhoods, people who volunteer with dying cancer patients, people who work in AIDS clinics. They're the ones we should be glorifying, not some pervert, like Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson Staples Center Memorial Service: Live Coverage

You don't need a ticket to see the Michael Jackson memorial service from the Staples Center on Tuesday. There will be plenty of live coverage.

NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC executives changed their minds Sunday and decided to join other networks that will televise Michael Jackson's memorial service live this week.

NBC joins ABC, CNN, MSNBC and E! Entertainment in offering the ceremony live. It's set for 10 a.m. PDT at Los Angeles' Staples Center.

NBC had initially planned only a one-hour prime-time special on Tuesday night, but said Sunday it would also cover the event live. It was not immediately clear who would anchor.

Charles Gibson will anchor coverage for ABC, which is setting aside its typical daytime programming.

CBS anchor Katie Couric will be at the Staples Center, although the network had not yet said whether it was offering live coverage of the memorial.

CNN has seen its ratings soar with the Jackson story, and it will show the memorial on the main network and HLN (formerly Headline News). CNN International will air the ceremony to the rest of the world. Anderson Cooper, Larry King and Don Lemon are the anchors for CNN coverage. Robin Meade, A.J. Hammer and Jane Velez-Mitchell will anchor at HLN. CNN en Espanol also will cover it.

Chris Jansing will anchor live coverage of the memorial on MSNBC. Shepard Smith will anchor live coverage of the ceremony on Fox News, with Megyn Kelly anchoring coverage of the event on the Fox network.

E! Entertainment and TV Guide will cover the ceremony on their television networks and Web sites.

Amazing. When was the last time a funeral received this sort of coverage?

Was it Pope John Paul II?

Michael Jackson: Staples Center Tickets

UPDATE: Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service, ticket information and details.

From TMZ:

Michael Jackson's memorial service will be held at two separate venues on Tuesday morning -- the main event will be at the Staples Center and a simulcast will play at the Nokia Theatre.

A lottery has been set up for fans to obtain the free tickets -- and they can sign up for random drawing on the Staples Center website ... good luck logging on.

17,500 tickets are available for the event -- 11,000 for Staples and 6,500 for Nokia -- which will be divvied out 2 per person. If you are one of the 8,750 people selected, you will then be alerted on Sunday with further instructions.

Oh yeah ... only U.S. citizens can apply.

Also, the family wouldn't say if Michael's body would be at the memorial.

_____________________

Initial reports claimed that tickets to attend the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center would cost $25.

Fans who wish to attend Michael Jackson's star-studded memorial service at Staples Center will have to shell out $25 to sit in the stands, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.

Family, friends and VIPS will have seats on the main floor for The Tuesday, July 7th Staples service, first reported by RadarOnline.com, while the general public will be plucking down $25 to sit in the stands.

The memorial service will feel like a concert production featuring guest speakers, a lot of music and video screens inside and outside of Staples, a source close to the planning tells RadarOnline.com.

Michael Jackson's close friend Elizabeth Taylor is expected to attend, along with Diana Ross.

T-shirts that were going to be sold on Michael's upcoming "This Is It" tour will not go to waste. They will be sold outside Staples to people entering the service.

The service will be held between 10am PST and noon PST.

Public reaction to the news that it would cost $25 to attend was not positive. Many fans and non-fans were disgusted by the crassness of charging to attend a memorial service.

Was the story completely false, or was the $25 charge leaked and floated out there as a trial balloon?

In any event, there will be no charge to attend.

According to TMZ:

AEG and reps for the Jackson family just announced a memorial service for Michael Jackson will take place at the Staples Center on Tuesday at 10:00 AM.

11,000 tickets will be distributed free of charge to the general public -- a press conference will be held tomorrow morning to address the situation further.

According to CNN:

Fans wishing to attend singer Michael Jackson's memorial service next week will have to register for the 11,000 free tickets, organizers said Thursday.

Details on how to register for the 10 a.m. (1 p.m. ET) service at the 20,000-seat Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Tuesday are to be announced Friday.

Jackson's family will hold a private ceremony before the public memorial service, his brother said Thursday.

Speaking to CNN's Larry King, Jermaine Jackson said the ceremony will be held Tuesday morning, but he did not say where.

Jackson rehearsed at Staples Center two nights before he died, and he appeared healthy in a video clip of the rehearsal obtained by CNN. Jackson died June 25 after collapsing at his rented home in Los Angeles.

AEG, promoter of Jackson's planned London, England, shows, released the short video of Jackson rehearsing in the arena on June 23.

Jackson sang "They Don't Care About Us," a song from his "HIStory" album, as he danced along with eight male dancers.

Here's the video.



It's pretty sad that the Staples Center was the site of Michael Jackson's last time on stage, and now it's where a memorial service for him will take place.
________________

The Los Angeles Times discusses the cost of the memorial event to taxpayers.

[E]ven before plans had been finalized Thursday, city leaders were raising questions about who would pay for the city resources needed to pull off a memorial to the singer.

The law enforcement deployment would involve thousands of officers -- more than were present for last month's Lakers victory parade, according to sources familiar with the planning, who were not authorized to speak publicly.

City officials debated whether taxpayers should pay all or part of the $2-million cost of the Lakers' parade from Staples Center to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and various business leaders, mindful that the city was weighing layoffs and furloughs, raised enough money privately to pay that tab.

City officials are unclear on just how large the turnout might be for Jackson's memorial service -- or whether it would spill into nearby L.A. Live or surrounding parking lots.

"There's no precedent for this," said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who represents downtown and is serving as acting mayor because Villaraigosa is on vacation in Africa and City Council President Eric Garcetti is in Japan.

Councilman Dennis Zine said he was concerned about whether the LAPD would have time to plan for an event of that scale, particularly since many officers will also be working overtime during the Fourth of July weekend.

"You don't have a lot of time to work up a tactical plan and notify the officers," Zine said.

Michael Jackson: Tribute Event, Staples Center

UPDATE: Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service, ticket information and details.

From TMZ:

Michael Jackson's memorial service will be held at two separate venues on Tuesday morning -- the main event will be at the Staples Center and a simulcast will play at the Nokia Theatre.

A lottery has been set up for fans to obtain the free tickets -- and they can sign up for random drawing on the Staples Center website ... good luck logging on.

17,500 tickets are available for the event -- 11,000 for Staples and 6,500 for Nokia -- which will be divvied out 2 per person. If you are one of the 8,750 people selected, you will then be alerted on Sunday with further instructions.

Oh yeah ... only U.S. citizens can apply.

Also, the family wouldn't say if Michael's body would be at the memorial.

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A week ago this afternoon, Michael Jackson died.

Although no funeral or memorial plans have been made public, there is information about a tribute event.

From FOX News:

An event honoring Michael Jackson is set for Tuesday morning at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, FOX News has learned.

Sources close to the dicussions tell FOX News that a Jackson even will take place at 10 am at the downtown arena where the Los Angeles Lakers play.

It wasn't immediately clear if a funeral or a public memorial was being discussed for the entertainer — or both, a source told the Associated Press. The person said all talks are preliminary, and no decisions have been made.

Speculation about the potential location of a memorial had ricocheted during the day from the Staples Center to the Los Angeles Coliseum to the Nokia Theater. Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said a public memorial was in the works but that it wouldn't be at Neverland.

Jackson's older brother Jermaine Jackson expressed home in an interview early Tuesday morning that Michael would be buried at his Neverland Ranch north of Los Angeles. The elimination of the proposed Neverland memorial came as a blow to many Jackson fans who had already descended on the estate in hope of attending a public viewing.

...Many of Jackson's die-hard fans refused to believe that the family would bury their most famous son without acknowledging the supporters who helped propel him to superstardom.

"I can't believe they wouldn't do something for his fans," said Rosie Padron, who had roped off a spot just outside the Neverland gates. "Michael loved his fans."

I'm sure this tribute event will be filmed and will be available for sale.

I just hope they don't make it a pay-per-view.

I can't help but think that Joe Jackson and the various handlers are thinking of ways to profit.

I sincerely hope that's not the case.

It must be so difficult for the family to agree on an appropriate, respectful way for the public to take part in remembering Michael Jackson.

As Janet Jackson said at the BET Awards, Michael isn't an icon to them, he's family.

He's a brother, son, uncle, and father above all else.

It must be a painful burden when private grief has to be played out in public.

Katie Couric, Michael Jackson, 9/11: Picking Up the Pieces

Last night, CBS aired a 48 Hours special, "Michael Jackson: Picking Up the Pieces."

It was anchored by Katie Couric.

Toward the end of the hour, Couric made a bizarre, and I think highly inappropriate, connection between Michael Jackson and America on 9/11.

Apparently referring to the dramatically lower sales of Jackson's 2001 album, Invincible, compared to his previous releases, Couric said something to the effect that neither Michael nor America could live up to the "invincible" billing anymore.

An image of the North Tower of the World Trade Center crumbling into a cloud of dust was shown.

It's true that Michael Jackson was not invincible. Sadly, his life would take some bad turns and eventually he did fall apart.

But America not invincible?

Does Couric believe that America was conquered by the terrorists? Did 9/11 mark the defeat of America?

I don't think so. The towers falling didn't symbolize America's destruction.

I think it's wrong to compare the 9/11 attacks in any way to the many attacks on Jackson, his self-destructive spiral and downfall.

Very, very inappropriate.

John Yarmuth and Michael Jackson

Ed Morrissey, Hot Air, posts that not all Democrats felt good about the moment of silence on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for Michael Jackson.

On his KGIL 1260 AM radio show, John Ziegler interviewed Rep. John Yarmuth, DEMOCRAT - Kentucky. Yarmuth was unflinchingly honest.



TRANSCRIPT

JOHN ZIEGLER: On a normal day, would have been considered beyond extraordinary and incredibly outrageous, but because of all the other news, didn't get that much coverage. What were your thoughts when you were on the House floor, the floor of the House of Representatives, and you saw that some of your Democratic colleagues were calling for a moment of silence because of the death of Michael Jackson?

JOHN YARMUTH: Um..., I was close to nauseated by it. I thought it was outrageous. In my two and a half years, we've never done it for anybody else who's a celebrity. We've done it for former members, and that's about it, former members who've passed away. And I, I basically got up and walked back to the cloakroom and got off the floor, because I, I just thought it was totally uncalled for and over the top.

ZIEGLER: And were you alone in that feeling?

YARMUTH: I know the cloakroom was pretty well packed. So, I think there were a lot of people who were disgusted by it.

ZIEGLER: So that's where, that's where people go when they get disgusted by what's happening on the floor, they go to the cloakroom?

YARMUTH: They go there... Well, that's not the only reason they go there. You know, the U.S. Open was on there. We went to watch the U.S. Open, but...

ZIELGER: But this time it was mostly because you were nauseated.

YARMUTH: I think it was people who just thought that it was totally inappropriate and over the top, and didn't want to be associated with it.

ZIEGLER: And that's why we love you, John. You're honest, like me, to a fault, although it's done you a heck of a lot better in your career than mine. And we're glad about that, glad it's working out for somebody.

Michael Jackson: The Will

All this talk about Michael Jackson's will is sickening. People are jockeying for control of his estate and the man's funeral hasn't even taken place.

From the Wall Street Journal:

A will drafted by Michael Jackson in 2002 which divides the singer's estate among his mother, three children and one or more charities could play a central role in determining how his tangled financial relationships will be unwound.

Several people close to the late Mr. Jackson said that a lawyer for the pop singer could submit the will, believed to be his last, to Los Angeles Superior Court as soon as Thursday. That filing would cap a tense period in which relatives and advisers of the late singer debated what document, if any, was valid.

One or two other earlier wills have emerged since Mr. Jackson's death last Thursday, according to people familiar with the situation. The Associated Press reported that Mr. Jackson's parents, Joseph and Katherine Jackson, said in a Monday court filing that they believed the singer had died without a valid will. Joseph Jackson isn't believed to be included in the most recent will.

In an email message, a lawyer for Mr. Jackson's parents said neither he nor his clients had seen the 2002 will. "No will has been presented to family or us," wrote the lawyer, L. Londell McMillan, who also once represented Michael Jackson. "We will review any will when we see it."

...Unwinding Mr. Jackson's estate is likely to be a thorny challenge, given the size and complexity of both the assets and the debts involved. In all, Mr. Jackson died with around $500 million debt, but the value of his assets probably outweigh that, possibly by $200 million or more, according to people familiar with the matter.

...Apart from the wrangling over the will, funeral arrangements also remained a subject of debate among family members, with logistical and other issues contributing to apparent gridlock in planning, according to people familiar with the situation.

At a news conference Monday morning outside the family's home in Encino, Calif., Joseph Jackson was asked whether funeral arrangements had been made. "We're not ready for that yet," the elder Mr. Jackson said, repeating the words of Rev. Al Sharpton, who stood at his side.

This is going to be such a circus, and the media will be there to report on every detail, rumored or confirmed.

As far as entertainment goes, it will be the biggest blockbuster of the summer.

Very, very sad.
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Wesley Pruden does a good job of summing up the situation in "America's Princess Di moment."

The death of Michael Jackson, with its unanswered questions and the exposure of the smarmy troupe of freeloaders, hangers-on and cockroaches crawling out of the dark places of his life, make this the perfect Hollywood tale of sex, money and sudden death. The media, including even newspapers that once could be counted on to put events in proper context, are throwing one long, drunken, inky bacchanalia, endlessly indulging round after round of trivia and manufactured sensation. P.T. Barnum lies green (with envy) in his grave.

...The inevitable reverends, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, have landed and even now are erecting competing circus tents. Rev. Al, always on the scout for the racial slight, says, "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah, way before Barack Obama."

Mr. Jesse hints at what's coming next. "The family has questions ... There is concern about what happened the last 12 hours of Michael's life ... the doctor did not confer with the family ... he was missing in action ... he surfaced with a lawyer ... No one is in a position of accusing the doctor ... There may be plausible answers, but we don't know ... ."

Unanswered questions there may be, but it's not too soon to wake up and smell the money. There's got to be some dollars scattered around here somewhere. What we do know is that the ghouls have just begun. The television camera misleads the masses to think they're buddies with the objects of their fantasies. Princess Diana became "the people's princess" because London shop girls imagined that "she's just like us." Hank Williams' widow recalls how the death of the country-music legend became a circus when Nashville twinklies showed up with guitars and "everybody who could croak a note wanted to sing at his funeral."

Stevie Wonder's Michael Jackson Tribute - Summerfest

Stevie Wonder and John Legend were Sunday's Summerfest headliners at the Marcus Ampitheater.

Dave Tianen reviewed the show. From his account, it was a rather bizarre performance, becoming a tribute to Michael Jackson, at times highly emotional.

Tianen writes:

One thing can be said with utter confidence. Summerfest will not witness another concert like Stevie Wonder's performance Sunday at the Marcus Amphitheater for a very long time.

It was an evening filled with genuine emotion. It was also spontaneous, unpredictable, confusing, a bit sloppy, loving - and for a few moments, quite alarming.

Wonder essentially turned his concert into a tribute to Michael Jackson. He opened his set with a little speech telling people to celebrate the joy and magic in Michael's music and ignore all the gossip and scandal.

At one point, he brought opening act John Legend on stage to join him on a duet of "Get It," one of Wonder's songs that Jackson had recorded. When they were finished, they played a tape of Jackson's hit "The Way You Make Me Feel."

Suddenly, Wonder slumped over at his keyboard. It was hard to tell what was happening. Was he ill? Was he sobbing? Even the band seemed confused and unsure of what to do.

After some long moments, Wonder's daughter Aisha Morris came over and appeared to comfort him. It seemed as though the concert might be over.

But then Wonder rallied and plunged into a rhythm number without explaining exactly what had happened.

Perhaps 20 minutes and several songs later, he stopped and told the audience: "I am not ashamed to express my heart. Don't be afraid to express your heart."

How creepy! That's really disturbing.

Wonder slumping over at the keyboard is not a scene I would have wanted to witness. I think that would have been frightening. I would have been tempted to call 911.

It appears that Wonder is really grieving and having difficulty going ahead with his concert schedule.

The show must go on, but not if Wonder is incapable of delivering the sort of show that concertgoers put out good money to see.

He then brought Legend on again to join in a new song he had just written and planned to donate to the Jackson family. The title, apparently "In the Arms of God," is a celebration that Michael is now at peace.

From there, the set segued somewhat awkwardly into a medley of greatest hits such as "My Cherie Amour," "Uptight," "For Once in My Life" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours." When the set list got to "Superstition," Wonder changed the chorus to lead a sing-along of "We love you, Michael, We'll see you in heaven."

Critically, what can you say about a performance like that? Anyone who witnesses Wonder for even a little while realizes he is a truly sweet, tender-hearted man. He is also sometimes seems almost childlike in his naiveté. Without in any way minimizing the tragedy or sadness of Jackson's life and death, there were troubling aspects to his life that go beyond gossip-mongering.

Tianen doesn't say how the audience responded to all this mourning and preaching.

If people were caught up in Wonder's emotion, it could have all been very moving. If they were hoping for more of an upbeat concert, they must have been disappointed.

It is naive for Wonder to tell people to ignore "all the gossip and scandal" in Jackson's life.

The child molestation charges weren't gossip. That's the unfortunate reality. Asking people to focus on Jackson's talent and his musical contributions is fair. Telling them to ignore the dark stuff is unrealistic. In effect, he's asking them to buy into a lie.

I understand that Wonder must really be hurting and he was honest about it. But he's a professional entertainer. If concertgoers were unhappy with the show, I think that would be a legitimate reaction. At least according to Tianen's review, Michael Jackson and grief took center stage last night rather than Stevie Wonder.

If I had to choose, I suppose I'd prefer a Michael Jackson tribute to Wonder spending the evening singing the praises of Obama and making political speeches.

In any event, whatever one's reaction, it sounds like it was an unforgettable concert.
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More, from TMJ4:

Stevie Wonder talked about how much he missed his friend during his concert at Milwaukee's Summerfest, the world's largest music festival.

"I'm just so sad to know that he was never able to live to be old and gray," said Wonder on stage during his show at the Marcus Ampitheater.

"I have peace in knowing that a man with the spirit of Michael Jackson is safe now in the arms of his God."

Video.