Michael Jackson Memorial Service

Michael Jackson Fans Share their Stories

By Jeannine Denholm — July 07, 2009 — 1 Comment

|Photo Gallery| One thing that quickly became apparent while walking around Downtown today following the Michael Jackson memorial service is that there were literally thousands of stories and that people were more than willing to open up. They wanted to be part of something, even if they were unable to get inside the official memorial service. — Continued Inside...

Emotional Crowd Inside Jackson Memorial Service; Few Outside

By Eric Richardson — July 07, 2009 — 24 Comments

Paul Buck / EPA

|Photo Gallery| (Last update: 1:10pm) A series of emotional speeches and performances brought out tears both on-stage and in the audience attending the Michael Jackson memorial service at Staples Center today, but a crowd that many expected to form outside the facility failed to materialize.

Thousands of LAPD officers were involved in today's deployment, which involved blocking off the area around L.A. Live. The city has estimated its costs for the service at nearly $4 million. — Continued Inside...

The Circus Rolls Into Downtown

By Eric Richardson — July 07, 2009 — 6 Comments

Eric Richardson

|Photo Gallery| The circus rolled into Downtown this morning, but it did so hours before the masses descend on the memorial service for Michael Jackson to be held at Staples Center.

The Ringling Brothers circus begins a five-day engagement at Staples Center on Wednesday, and this morning eleven Asian elephants, some horses, a crowd of trainers and two street sweeper trucks made their way from a rail yard at 25th and Alameda to the Convention Center. — Continued Inside...

Looking Down on the Nokia Plaza Media Zoo

By Eric Richardson — July 06, 2009

The open space of Nokia Plaza was transformed into a massive media center over the weekend, with tiered risers installed to accommodate the multitude of broadcasters converging on Tuesday's memorial service for Michael Jackson.

Logistics for Tuesday's Michael Jackson Memorial Service Published, but Uncertain

By Eric Richardson — July 06, 2009 — 7 Comments

Eric Richardson

Street closures for the Michael Jackson memorial service at Staples Center will begin at midnight tonight, but what exactly will be the case Tuesday morning is still unclear.

Much will depend on how many people ignore the city's requests and make their way to South Park to line up against the barricades that will seal off the L.A. Live area. — Continued Inside...

South Park Trash Cans Removed for Jackson Memorial Service

By Eric Richardson — July 06, 2009 — 2 Comments

Eric Richardson

The 27,000 friends and fans headed to Tuesday's Michael Jackson memorial service will find the streets of South Park strangely devoid of any trash cans. A city crew was making its way up Figueroa this morning, collecting the South Park BID-labeled receptacles. — Continued Inside...

Memorial for Michael Jackson to Bring Fans and Closures

By Ed Fuentes and Eric Richardson — July 03, 2009 — 27 Comments

Ed Fuentes

After days of uncertain and often conflicting information, plans were announced today for a Tuesday morning memorial service at Staples Center to honor Michael Jackson.

17,500 free tickets for the service, scheduled for 10am, will be distributed to the public via a lottery. 11,000 will be for seats at the main service inside the Staples Center, with the remaining 6,500 seats at the Nokia Theatre. The area around L.A. Live will be closed off to the public, and no outside viewing will be set up. — Continued Inside...