OT: Memorial For MJ at Staples Center on July 7

[portland]

reports are that the memorial will be televised worldwide.

wow thanks

I hope it is b/c I doubt I'll be chosen in the lottery pool but who knows? Voyager got his rejection letter already & I haven't gotten anything .... so fingers crossed.

I mentioned in another thread that there's rumors of continuing Michael's "This Is It" tour using replacement performers such as Usher, Chris Brown, .... & others all performing Jackson's music. The rumor is to incorporate other performers & put on a tour as a tribute to Michael's legacy. I hope it's more than just a rumor b/c I think that would be a fitting way to honor the man & his music.

So if you get a ticket, you will make the trip to LA?

Not me - I would make the trip to Ebay.

I can always count on you for the humor in the thread!

[strangegrey]

Even though I really didn't have any use for the 90's and up MJ, MJ in the 80's was one of the people I used to like listening to on the radio. With that said, I hope that Al Sharpton and/or Jesse Jackson don't make speeches during this event. Cause if they do, this event will turn from saying goodby to MJ into a racial event.

Too late for that. There isn't a single person attaching themselves to the pedo-predator's so-called 'legacy' for anything other than personal gain...
...a maggot feeding frenzy over whatever they can squelch out of tripple-J's dead body and net assets...

[bluejeangirl76]

Even though I really didn't have any use for the 90's and up MJ, MJ in the 80's was one of the people I used to like listening to on the radio. With that said, I hope that Al Sharpton and/or Jesse Jackson don't make speeches during this event. Cause if they do, this event will turn from saying goodby to MJ into a racial event.

Too late for that. There isn't a single person attaching themselves to the pedo-predator's so-called 'legacy' for anything other than personal gain......a maggot feeding frenzy over whatever they can squelch out of tripple-J's dead body and net assets...

You got that 100% right. It's gonna be a big racial preaching party.

[Voyager]

Even though I really didn't have any use for the 90's and up MJ, MJ in the 80's was one of the people I used to like listening to on the radio. With that said, I hope that Al Sharpton and/or Jesse Jackson don't make speeches during this event. Cause if they do, this event will turn from saying goodby to MJ into a racial event.

Too late for that. There isn't a single person attaching themselves to the pedo-predator's so-called 'legacy' for anything other than personal gain......a maggot feeding frenzy over whatever they can squelch out of tripple-J's dead body and net assets...

You got that 100% right. It's gonna be a big racial preaching party.

Yeah, Jesse Jackson will probably rant over Michael's white skin color, blaming it on the persecution of the black man by the white man.

[Ftloperry]

Let's hope it's better than the James Brown funeral that was held at the Appallo Theatre. That was a disgrace if you ask me. Anyone that does not have special credentials and their ticket won't be allowed anywhere near the vicinity of the Staples Center. It will be totally blocked off. The Nokia Center will hold 6,500 people and will have several large tv screens to watch the services. The Jackson's will hold a private service before the Staples Center event. Barry Manilow will escort Elizabeth Taylor and Quincy Jones said he is still heartbroken and very upset and can not bring himself to attend the event. CNN's coverage will begin at 12 pm tomorrow.

[bluejeangirl76]

It's going to be epic insanity in LA tomorrow.

The LAPD had a brief meeting to discuss their strategy in controlling the several hundred thousand fans that are set to attend the memorial on Tuesday.

Downtown L.A. will practically shut down due to the massive amounts of ticket holders and credentialed press, along with the thousands of non-ticket holders that will try to crash the event.

[Don]

The funeral is at 8am in Forest Lawn. It will be tough for the family to get to Staples from Hollywood Hills in a timely manner, even with a police escort.

[portland]

They should just give everyone the day off and tell them to stay home....people who are trying to go to work and carry on as normal are going to have a bitch of a day.

[bluejeangirl76]

They should just give everyone the day off and tell them to stay home....people who are trying to go to work and carry on as normal are going to have a bitch of a day.

Absolutely. On one hand, people shouldn't be forced to accept an unpaid day or use a personal/sick day to avoid the mass chaos, or be docked for arriving late, but employers shouldn't have to take a hit giving people a paid day off either, since this is really out of anyone's control.

I once had a boss who would have said "So what, leave your house early to make sure you get to work on time." Nothing was ever an acceptable exception to the rule or an acceptable excuse for being late. I remember once the subway broke down in the damn tunnel for nearly 1/2 an hour (back in the day before cell phones, etc, not that I'd have been able to call froma tunnel anyway). When I explained why I was late he said, very grouchily, "So? Leave earlier and that won't happen."

Know what my present boss says if I'm delayed for whatever reason? "Ok, no problem, just be safe and I'll see you when you get here."... and that's why she is awesome. She's someone who recognizes that, you know, shit just happens sometimes.

And tomorrow falls under that category for the workers in LA. Stuff just happens, and that's the way it is. Can't be faulted for it.

[jrnyman28]

They said over a million people registered to receive tickets!

[steveo777]

At his memorial his band will come on and you'll see the coffin lid swing open. Michael will take the stage with his glove and perform his final and most memorable concert. The stage presence will bring out goosebumps. This world class gig will be known as "Chiller".

[Don]

People just have to avoid using the 110 freeway. There are a lot of alternate routes to get to down town L.A. The Staples Center is a bit further south then were most people work. They just had the Lakers Parade a few weeks ago and that involved more people than this. I don't see it being uncontrollable or effecting millions of people in their commutes.
Los Angeles isn't built like other major Cities, it is sprawled out for miles and miles. There are shortcuts aplenty if you're a resident and need to get some where. I'm sure that won't stop people from making excuses about not making it in to work.

[JasonD]

I feel special now, I've been rejected too. Not that I'd have gone even if I got the tix. Just the thrill of the chase I guess.

Like a modern-day Willy Wonka tale ...

Thank you for your registration.

Sorry, we regret to inform you that your registration to attend the Public Memorial Service for Michael Jackson was not selected.

What's that Wonka song? .... "I got a Golden Ticket...."

Mine says, "Congratulations, Mr. DeConcini for being one of the elite chosen few invited to attend...."

NOT!!!

I have officially joined the ranks of the rejected. Where do I register?

[Voyager]

I feel special now, I've been rejected too. Not that I'd have gone even if I got the tix. Just the thrill of the chase I guess.

Like a modern-day Willy Wonka tale ...

Thank you for your registration.

Sorry, we regret to inform you that your registration to attend the Public Memorial Service for Michael Jackson was not selected.

What's that Wonka song? .... "I got a Golden Ticket...."

Mine says, "Congratulations, Mr. DeConcini for being one of the elite chosen few invited to attend...."

NOT!!!

I have officially joined the ranks of the rejected. Where do I register?

You can register through one of our recruiters - either Mr. Steve Augeri or Mr. Jeff Scott Soto. They will take your membership dues and fill you in on the rollercoaster of emotions that you will be experiencing over the next few weeks and months as a result of your rejection trauma.

[Jana]

I feel special now, I've been rejected too. Not that I'd have gone even if I got the tix. Just the thrill of the chase I guess.

Like a modern-day Willy Wonka tale ...

Thank you for your registration.

Sorry, we regret to inform you that your registration to attend the Public Memorial Service for Michael Jackson was not selected.

What's that Wonka song? .... "I got a Golden Ticket...."

Mine says, "Congratulations, Mr. DeConcini for being one of the elite chosen few invited to attend...."

NOT!!!

I have officially joined the ranks of the rejected. Where do I register?

You can register through one of our recruiters - either Mr. Steve Augeri or Mr. Jeff Scott Soto. They will take your membership dues and fill you in on the rollercoaster of emotions that you will be experiencing over the next few weeks and months as a result of your rejection trauma.

[Don]

A Los Angeles judge has ruled that Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, should be replaced as temporary administrator of his estate.

Superior court judge Mitchell Beckloff said the estate should be administered by Jackson's lawyer, John Branca, and music executive John McClain in accordance with the singer's will.

The judge last week gave temporary control to Mrs Jackson before the 2002 will surfaced. Her lawyer had expressed concerns about Mr McClain and Mr Branca's financial leadership.

The will says the $500m (£303m) estate will be left to a trust benefiting the singer's three children, his mother and charities.

[steveo777]

Hope these executors don't cook up ways to steal the money. Hell there might not be any, once the creditors get their claims in. Good thing for royalties that will continue to stream in for some time.

[Don]

Hope these executors don't cook up ways to steal the money. Hell there might not be any, once the creditors get their claims in. Good thing for royalties that will continue to stream in for some time.

There is 5 million dollars there that is untouchable by the creditors and will be coming in annually for a minimum of 30 years.

[johnroxx]

Out of curiosity, I checked eBay for auctions of the so-called "golden tickets" to the MJ memorial at Staples tomorrow.

eBay has been pulling them from the site as fast as they can be listed, but there were a couple up when I checked just now. One, with a high bid over $60 million (good luck collecting THAT, scumbag seller, lol!), purported to offer the buyer the chance to accompany the seller, who claims to have "full press access."

In the listing, this fine "journalist" notes "I'll except cash or PayPal."

Looks like Mr. Writer has some literacy issues goin' on there, lol!

;^)

[Voyager]

(CNN) -- Despite efforts to keep people from profiting from Tuesday's public memorial service for Michael Jackson, scalpers online Monday were asking as much as $9,000 per ticket to the free event.

Free tickets to Tuesday's memorial service for Michael Jackson have appeared for sale online.

Dozens of listings selling vouchers for Jackson tickets appeared Monday on auction site eBay and Craigslist, the classified ads site, prompting complaints from Jackson fans and others who felt the sales were inappropriate.

"You people trying to sell these tickets should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves," said a Craigslist user in a post Monday morning. "Please flag all of these money-grabbing opportunists...if you're a true MJ fan you won't give money to these parasites."

Organizers of the public memorial service, scheduled for Tuesday morning at the Staples Center arena in downtown Los Angeles, made 8,750 pairs of tickets available through an online lottery. But demand far outstripped supply, as about 1.6 million fans registered for a chance at the tickets.

Winners received an e-mail Sunday directing them to print vouchers and bring them Monday to Dodgers Stadium, where they were to receive tickets and have a nonremovable wristband placed on their arms. Those entering the Staples Center on Tuesday must have wristbands to match their tickets.

But that didn't stop some people from trying to sell their vouchers to anyone who could make it to Dodgers Stadium by 7 p.m. Monday.

One pair of tickets attracted a bid of $275,000 on eBay before the listing was removed. It was difficult to tell whether the offer was serious.

Both eBay and Craigslist took steps Monday to thwart the ticket sellers.

"eBay will not allow Michael Jackson memorial service tickets to be listed on the site," the company said in a statement. "If found, eBay will remove them from the site immediately."

By Monday afternoon the number of listings for "Michael Jackson memorial tickets" on eBay had dropped to a handful, and the site was removing them shortly after they appeared. Learn more about plans for the memorial »

Craigslist allows its users to flag ads they find inappropriate, and ads receiving enough negative flags are automatically removed from the site. Many ads proffering Jackson memorial tickets were removed shortly after they were posted Monday.

Among those was a listing posted by a man who identified himself only as Peetey, 29, of Venice Beach, California. He was asking $8,000 for a single ticket; the winning bidder would accompany his girlfriend to the service, he said.

The ad was removed within 15 minutes, he said, but that was enough time for five people to call with interest.

When contacted by CNN, Peetey said he sees nothing wrong with selling a free ticket to a memorial service.

"We live in a capitalist society where money is what really speaks," he said. "I'm not trying to make a huge profit. I'm not trying to take advantage of anybody."

Peetey, who did not want his last name used for fear of backlash from Jackson fans, said he would go to the memorial service if he can't get at least $5,000 for the ticket. His girlfriend won the lottery-issued tickets, he said, and will attend the event.

"I want to go, and I have a large desire to go, but if I can get a lot of money, especially in this economic climate, it doesn't seem wise for me to sit there for two hours if I can get $10,000 for the ticket," he said.

Daniel Moreno, 33, of Murrieta, California, said people trying to sell the tickets are disgracing Jackson by trying to capitalizing on his death.

"That kind of sucks, you know. The guy's dead," said Moreno, who posted a statement on Craigslist vowing to flag any listings selling Jackson memorial tickets.

Moreno said those with tickets should give them away if they don't want to attend the service.

"I don't have $1,000 to spend on this ticket and wouldn't want to spend $1,000 on this ticket," he told CNN. "And I wouldn't want to be in the presence of someone who's trying to sell the ticket because I'd be arrested for battery."

By 2 p.m. (5 p.m. ET), organizers had handed out more 6,400 pairs of tickets.

Los Angeles police Capt. Bill Murphy said the distribution process was going smoothly as of early Monday afternoon. One person tried to pass off a photocopied voucher and was ejected, Murphy said.

[Ftloperry]

Seems that Elizabeth Taylor has now decided she will grieve and mourn in private and will not attend the memorial service tomorrow. "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." Elizabeth Taylor twittered.

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.

[Ftloperry]

Yeah I know hard to believe.

[Playitloudforme]

From LATimes.com:

"What was easy to predict was that downtown traffic would be disrupted. Not only was the area around Staples being sealed off, but the California Department of Transportation said it would close several ramps on the 110 and 134 freeways to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible. At the least, Caltrans said, it would close two ramps on the 110 (southbound at Olympic Boulevard and northbound at Pico) and three on the 134 (eastbound at Riverside Drive and both directions at Forest Lawn Drive)."

Greeaaaat.

Gonna have to leave 1/2 hour earlier (praying that's enough) to go up and over hill. Hopefully, I'm at work 1/2 hour early. Gaaah. As a point of reference, I was one hour late to work the day of the Laker's parade due to traffic when I left at normal time (forgot about the damn parade). Joys. Won't do that again if I can avoid it, as I hate working late.

[Arkansas]

Is Eminem gonna be there?
And what about that Rep from NY?

This is all such a joke...when's the DVD coming out?

(yes, I'm jealous because I'm 2k miles away...not. )


later~

[The Sushi Hunter]

Is Eminem gonna be there?
And what about that Rep from NY?

This is all such a joke...when's the DVD coming out?

(yes, I'm jealous because I'm 2k miles away...not. )


later~

Ebay supposedly is removing all those MJ tics. And the rep from NY pretty much said what some on this board has said about this deal. This MJ deal spells out disaster. Tuesday's going to be quite interesting.

[bluejeangirl76]

I'm sorry, but this made me laugh... Ringling Brothers opens tomorrow at LA Staples Center, and most of the circus arrived there this morning...

"Like Michael Jackson's memorial couldn't get any crazier -- Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey continued an L.A. tradition this morning by parading their elephants through downtown ... to the Staples Center.

11 elephants, seven horses, tigers, zebras, ponies and dogs are being stowed in a back lot behind Staples for a five-day Ringling event this week."

Sounds about right.

[Marabelle]

The animals are for a circus performance at another event at the Staples Center.

[bluejeangirl76]

The animals are for a circus performance at another event at the Staples Center.

Um... yeah, dur. That's why I posted the bit about Ringling Brothers.

[Don]

My office is probably about 4 miles from Forest Lawn. The 134 freeway is pretty light despite a few exits blocked off. Downtown is probably a different story, though I didn't see much traffic coming into L.A. from the north as I was leaving for work.

[stevew2]

My office is probably about 4 miles from Forest Lawn. The 134 freeway is pretty light despite a few exits blocked off. Downtown is probably a different story, though I didn't see much traffic coming into L.A. from the north as I was leaving for work.

You work??