Michael Jackson

[Raineyrocks]

I think this is so crazy!   Of course the police must serve & protect a dead person, makes all the sense in the world!

Fans gather for Michael Jackson memorial   
updated 9 minutes ago

By Todd Leopold and Lisa Respers France
CNN

(CNN) -- As Tuesday dawned in downtown Los Angeles, some fans waiting to get in for the Michael Jackson memorial service were surprised at their good fortune.
Michelle Mann, left, and Basra Arte received tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial from a stranger.

Michelle Mann, left, and Basra Arte received tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial from a stranger.

Michelle Mann and Basra Arte, both 18, flew in from Vancouver, British Columbia, to honor Jackson. They stood outside the Staples Center, brimming with excitement ­ and celebrating the generosity of a complete stranger.

"It's overwhelming," Mann said. "We can't believe that we're here."

The two had appeared on Canadian television and said they planned to fly to Los Angeles for the memorial service -- even though they had no tickets. Six hours before their flight, 15-year-old Karlo Karanan, who'd seen them on TV, tracked them down and gave them his.

"I'm looking forward to being in the presence of other fans," Arte said. "The energy is going to be amazing." iReport: Watch another person give away a ticket

Gates to the Staples Center were opened about 6 a.m. PT (9 a.m. ET) in advance of the 10 a.m. start time for the Jackson service. Some fans were excited, others somber, as they entered the arena.

Jackson's body will be brought to Staples for the service, according to a CNN source.

Thousands of fans appeared to be on hand, but the atmosphere was peaceful, almost festive. People waited patiently, talking to each other, taking pictures and singing Jackson songs.
Michael Jackson: The Memorial
On Tuesday, join CNN, HLN and CNN.com Live for all-day coverage as the world celebrates the life of a worldwide pop icon, and don't miss our prime-time coverage starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Police and security officers kept a close watch.

Some fans wore their very best. Chu Nguyen and Eriko Nakayama both came dressed in black in honor of the occasion.

"It's for him, just to be respectful," said Nguyen of his black suit and tie.

"We feel like it's a real privilege for us to be here," Nakayama said.

She was excited to learn Jackson's body would be present at the memorial. "I just want to see his face," she said.

Don Watts and Danny Torres were doing brisk business selling black memorial ribbons for fans to pin on. Torres said the pair made about 1,000 of them to sell for $1 each.

"It's part of the Mexican tradition to have these memorial pins," said Torres, who described himself as a "diehard fan." "This is how we're choosing to honor Michael Jackson."

Watts said the pair aren't trying to make a major profit. They just wanted to show their love for the singer.

    "I just think it would be cool if everybody was wearing one of these," Watts said.

On Monday night, more than 12 hours before the service, fans lined up around the block to sign the memorial wall.

Some in line gathered around Barbara Delorm, who toted a thick photo album that contained a collection of all of her -related items. It was decades in the making, she said.

Delorm grew teary-eyed as she showed off photos of herself at age 14 when her parents surprised her with a trip to visit the outside of the Jackson family home in Encino, California.

"It's not about being inside the Staples Center," said Delorm, who scored a ticket to attend the memorial. "It's about everyone being here together like this to celebrate Michael's life."

The singer had a strong influence on her life, Delorm said.

"I just loved him, all of my life," she said, her voice beginning to break. "I never did drugs, and I never got involved with bad stuff because he was such a great role model."

Leobarda Grijalva carried an acrylic painting she had made of a sparkling-gloved Jackson. She said she planned to watch the memorial service on television before heading to Neverland Ranch to pay her respects.

"I came here to share my love for Michael Jackson with the world, and what better place to do that than here," she said, gesturing toward the Staples Center.

CNN's Jacque Wilson and Paul Chase contributed to this report.

[Lloyd Danforth]

[Friday]

Aw, leave the kids alone, Llloyd.   

This whole MJ phenomenon is freaking me out.  Has there ever been so much media coverage for the death of ANYONE in the U.S.?  I was only 8 or 9 when Elvis died; was it this bad then?  Or when JFK died?

Honestly, it's just bewildering.  I owned a few MJ albums, but... come on.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Elvis died?

[AntonLee]

I watched 5 minutes of this funeral and it reminded me of the Blues Brothers movie.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Couldn't have been that funny.

One of the Mark Twain characters from VT said that because his body was 99% plastic, they are going to melt him down and make Legos out of him so kids can play with him for a change.

[freeborn]

Elvis died?

Impossible. I saw him in the supermarked yesterday.

[AntonLee]

update:  Michael Jackson. . . still dead

[Kat Kanning]

update:  Michael Jackson. . . still dead

The little boys of the world:  still rejoicing.

[Raineyrocks]

Elvis died?

Impossible. I saw him in the supermarked yesterday.

[Raineyrocks]

Here's a new conspiracy theory that I haven't heard yet.  If I can do a youtube directly I will; otherwise just click the link that will be posted here.  It's about MJ around the 5 minute marker.   

[Raineyrocks]

Yahoo!  I did a youtube video correctly! 

[Friday]

For sale soon on eBay...

Report: Michael Jackson's Prosthetic Nose Is Missing

[Tom Sawyer]

For sale soon on eBay...

Report: Michael Jackson's Prosthetic Nose Is Missing

Somewhere a collector is negotiating for the nose to mount beside John Bobbitt's penis in a "Infamous Appendages" gallery (I wonder if Van Gogh's ear and Venus De Milo's arms are there also?).

[Bill St. Clair]

I'm reminded of Woody Allen threatening to shoot the president's nose in "Sleeper".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb0Jq9Sysws (4:40)