The Jackson family supported 11-year-old Paris as she spoke

[Liebling:-)))]

Emotional farewell to King of Pop

The Jackson family supported 11-year-old Paris as she spoke

Michael Jackson's family and fans have said farewell to the pop superstar at an emotional memorial service.

Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, fought back tears to describe him as "the best father you could ever imagine".

The singer's coffin was placed in front of the stage during the event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles after an earlier private funeral.

Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey paid tribute before the family joined a sombre finale on stage.

Jackson's siblings, children and parents took part in a chorus of We Are The World and Heal the World.

His family, with the brothers each wearing a single jewelled glove in Jackson's honour, then took to the podium.


Michael Jackson's brothers wore his trademark single gloves
Comforted by aunts and uncles, Paris stepped up the microphone. "I just wanted to say, ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," she said.

"And I just wanted to say I love him so much."

Marlon Jackson spoke of the troubles his brother faced. "We will never, never, understand what he endured," he said.

"Not being able to walk across the street without a crowd gathered around, being judged, being ridiculed. How much pain can one take?

"Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone."

'Nothing strange'

Jackson's brother Jermaine earlier took to the stage to perform the song Smile. It was said to be the King of Pop's favourite song, featuring the lyric: "Smile though your hearts are aching."

At the start of the service, Jackson's brothers carried the golden flower-draped coffin into the arena to the strains of a choir singing "Hallelujah, hallelujah, we're going to see the King" from the song Soon And Very Soon.

Mariah Carey was among the artists paying tribute, performing I'll Be There and ending with the words: "We miss you."

Stevie Wonder said: "This is a moment I wished I didn't live to see come. Michael I love you."

Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton gave a fiery speech, telling Jackson's children: "There weren't nothing strange about your daddy.

"It was strange what your daddy had to deal with but he dealt with it."

Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life in a way that I can't seem to find words to express

Diana Ross

Motown boss Berry Gordy, who signed the Jackson Five, ended his tribute with the words: "Michael, thank you for the joy, thank you for the love. you will live in my heart forever."

Actress Brooke Shields, who first met Jackson when she was 13, broke down in tears as she took to the stage.

Describing Jackson as "pure", she said: "He was often referred to as the King but the Michael that I knew was always the little prince. Michael saw everything with his heart."

The 17,500 people in the arena cheered as clips of Jackson's life and music were played on big screens.

Messages were read from absent guests including former South African President Nelson Mandela, poet Maya Angelou and singer Diana Ross.

Images of Jackson flashed on screens as Stevie Wonder performed
The message from Ross was read by Smokey Robinson. "I'm trying to find closure," it said.

"I want you to know that even though I am not there at the Staples Center I am there in my heart.

"Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life in a way that I can't seem to find words to express.

"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."

Other people taking part include Usher and Britain's Got Talent finalist Shaheen Jafargholi, who has played the young Michael Jackson in the musical Thriller - Live.

The stage was adorned with the star's image, alongside a mural carrying the words: "In Loving Memory. Michael Jackson King of Pop - 1958-2009."

'Everybody cried'

Speaking after the event, one fan, Marianne Green, told the BBC the memorial was "heart wrenching".

"It was really beautiful. A lot of people got up and said wonderful things," she said.

Pamela Green added: "We laughed at some jokes, but everybody cried. I've never seen anything like that, ever."

Millions of fans around the world watched on TV.

Roads were closed off and concrete barriers erected outside the Staples Center, where Jackson had been rehearsing a comeback show before his sudden death aged 50 on 25 June.

More than 1.6 million fans applied to attend the memorial event, with 8,750 people chosen at random to receive a pair of tickets.

Family members earlier attended a short funeral service at the Forest Lawn cemetery.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Emotional farewell to King of Pop

View the video in that link... Caution: It´s emotion to view the video of Michael´s daughter Paris spoke. She love her father very much... I feel bad for MJ´s children.

 

[Babyblue]

It is heartbreaking. These kids lost their Dad.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

In pictures: Michael Jackson memorial

BBC NEWS | Americas | In pictures: Michael Jackson memorial

German TV cancel some programs to respect MJ. We watched. It´s very sad.

 

[Steel X]

It appears that the kids love Jackson very much as it shows that he was a loving father to them.

 

[Cheri]

I've watched the memorial service yesterday on CNN. It was a very touching memorial service for MJ.

 

[moonflower]

it was hearbreaking and very touching

 

[o0obluemoon0o0]

Does anyone know where I can find captioned video of MJ's memorial? I only saw last 10 minutes of it. I missed entire thing but last 10 minutes.

 

[sara1981]

i watch CNN on my directv dvr but its so sad!! and Michael Jackson's daughter really heartbroken on loss dad..

but i little cried also

 

[sara1981]

POLL: The Best Part of Remembering Michael
POLL: The Best Part of Remembering Michael - Tributes, Michael Jackson : People.com

With 18,000 people inside Los Angeles's Staples Center and millions more watching the event on TV and computer monitors around the world, emotions ran high during Tuesday's remarkable tribute to Michael Jackson.

There were songs, there were speeches, there was spontaneity and there were film and video clips of the late King of Pop.

But the tribute, though public, was also personal and, at times, extremely touching.

vote please on websites..

 

[sara1981]

updates:

Paris Jackson's Speech Was Not Planned
Paris Jackson's Speech Was Not Planned - Michael Jackson : People.com

Carefully laid out as it was, Tuesday's public memorial for Michael Jackson was indisputably stolen by the impromptu moment when the late pop star's 11-year-old daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson, took to the stage of Los Angeles's Staples Center and emotionally declared her love for her father.

Paris's brief appearance "was not planned," Ken Ehrlich, producer of the tribute, tells CNN. "A lot of the show was not scripted. Music was laid out, but most of the speakers really spoke from their heart – people who knew Michael well – and I think that's what gave the show its heart."

Barely able to eke out the words as she trembled in front of the microphone, the tearful child said before being enveloped in the embrace of her aunts and uncles, "Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say that I love him so much."

Ehrlich also said that going into the tribute the Jackson family's request had been that "we don't want to do a TV show, we want to do a memorial service." The producer added, "We hope you got the feeling you were watching a memorial service."

 

[sara1981]

updates:

Michael's girl Paris tells the world of love for 'the best father you could ever imagine'
Michael's girl Paris tells the world of love for 'the best father you could ever imagine' - hellomagazine.com

Her voice quivering with emotion, a little girl who has until now been sheltered from the public bravely took the spotlight to pay tribute to her "Daddy" Michael Jackson.

Millions around the world watched as 11-year-old Paris Jackson haltingly took the microphone at the Thriller artist's memorial concert in LA, flanked by her brothers Prince Michael I, 12, and Prince Michael II, who's seven.

Fighting back tears, comforted by her uncles and aunts, she 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 children's appearance on stage - during an all-star rendition of their dad's hit We Are The World - was the culmination of a service that was part celebration, part a portrait of a family in mourning and, most memorably, a history lesson by a succession of Motown titans.

Berry Gordy, founder of the famous Sixties record label, spoke of his first meeting with the former child prodigy.

Then ten, the boy wonder blew him away with his achingly mature rendition of Who's Lovin' You.

"He studied the greats and then became greater. He raised the bar, and then he broke the bar," he said. "It was kill or be killed. The more I talk about Michael Jackson, the more I feel 'the king of pop' is not big enough for him".

"I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived."

Later Smokey Robinson, the writer of Who's Lovin' You, joked that, unable to believe a youngster could be so gifted, he asked to see Michael's birth certificate.

Actress Brooke Shields, at times struggling to contain her emotions, remembered the friend she knew since the age of 13.

She shared her memories of giggling with the singer as they crept into Elizabeth Taylor's room on the night before the leading lady's wedding at Neverland to catch a glimpse of the dress – and finding her asleep on the bed.

Their relationship was characterised by a lot of laughs and teasing she told the 17,000-strong audience of fans. "What's up with the glove?" she once ribbed him.

Another speaker, sports hero Magic Johnson had the crowd creasing up as he recalled being served grilled chicken by Michael's personal chef, while the star himself ate Kentucky Fried Chicken.

"That was the greatest moment of my life", he chuckled.

The musical performances by some of the best in the business were, as was only fitting, unforgettable. Mariah Carey kicked off the concert in moving style with I'll Be There, her 1992 cover of one of the artist's tunes.

Another spine-tingling moment came courtesy of Jennifer Hudson, now pregnant with her first child. Looking radiant her bump shown off in a stunning white dress, the Oscar-winner brought the house down with her gospel rendition of Will You Be There.

Usher crooned Gone Too Soon, while Stevie Wonder sang: Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer. "This is a moment that I wish I didn’t live to see coming," he said.

Other performers included Lionel Richie, Britain's Got Talent sensation Shaheen Jafargholi and Jennifer Aniston's ex John Mayer playing another Michael hit Human Nature.

Earlier 200 family and friends said farewell intimate service at Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, in accordance with their Jehovah's Witness faith.

Then highways were closed as the golden casket was conveyed to the Staples Center. Adorned with red flowers, the coffin was borne into the auditorium at the start of the memorial by Michael's brothers, wearing one jewelled glove.

For the children the day had begun in a light-hearted way with a game of water pistols at the family compound. Then their grandmother dressed them in sombre black outfits, telling them: "Today we say goodbye to Daddy".

 

[sara1981]

updates:

Message from Diana Ross and Mariah Carey's touching performance kick off Michael's memorial
Message from Diana Ross and Mariah Carey's touching performance kick off Michael's memorial - hellomagazine.com

It was the moment Michael Jackson's countless fans around the globe had been waiting for – the star studded memorial concert to celebrate the life and achievements of the king of pop.

Millions were watching – the tribute was being beamed around the world free of charge – as Smokey Robinson took to the stage to begin proceedings.

In the venue 20,000 fans – including 9,000 of Michael's friends and family – hung on the singer's every word as he read out notes of condolence from Nelson Mandela, and Diana Ross, who didn't attend the tribute.

"I want you to know that even though I am not there at the Staples Centre I am there in my heart, the note said. "Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my world, part of the fabric of my life in a way that I can't seem to find words to express.
"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."

An audio problem halted proceedings at that point, but after a delay of roughly 20 minutes a gospel choir took to the stage and began singing as Michael's golden casket - laden with red roses - was brought up to the stage.

Many of the exact arrangements for the tribute had been shrouded in mystery. It was unclear just how long the tribute would last, or who exactly would be speaking or performing.

The first to perform was Mariah Carey, who gave a moving rendition of Michael's hit I'll Be There with as childhood pictures of the singer with The Jackson Five were displayed on giant screens behind them.

Other performers who followed included Lionel Richie, Usher and Stevie Wonder.

Queen Latifah gave the fist eulogy, "representing the fans," she said. "I loved him all my life, said the singer and actress. One the first records me and my brother ever bought was Dancing Machine. Michael was the biggest star on earth."

 

[sara1981]

updates:

Michael's remains travel to concert venue as stars and fans take their seats
Michael's remains travel to concert venue as stars and fans take their seats - hellomagazine.com

Despite earlier reports there wasn't to be a funeral procession, Michael Jackson's remains were taken to the public memorial following the private family service in LA.

The gold-plated bronze coffin, covered in red roses, was taken out of the Forest Lawn Memorial park and put into the back of a black hearse.

It then began the journey to the Staples Centre, where the Billie Jean singer had been rehearsing a comeback show before his death on 25 June.

Roads were closed off and concrete barriers erected outside the venue in an effort to keep crowds under control. Earlier reports that there was to be no funeral procession turned out to be wide of the mark.

Inside the venue, which was decorated with flowers, fans and stars began to filter in. Among the first inside included actress Brooke Shields, who was romantically linked to Michael when she was a teenager, and basketball star Magic Johnson.

Wesley Snipes was also snapped at the venue, as was R'n'B star Usher, who was expected to take to the stage to give a poignant rendition of the star's 1993 hit, Gone Too Soon.

 

[sara1981]

updates:

Family and close friends of Michael gather to bid him farewell at private service
Family and close friends of Michael gather to bid him farewell at private service - hellomagazine.com

"To you, Michael was an icon. To us, Michael is family." Those words spoken by Janet Jackson last week rang true on Tuesday morning as the Jackson family gathered to say their farewells at a private funeral ahead of the huge tribute memorial.

A fleet of four black Rolls-Royces and a half dozen black Cadillac Escalades arrived at the Jackson compound in Encino, LA to shuttle guests across the San Fernando Valley for the service.

A five-lane motorway was closed amidst early morning rush hour traffic to make way for the motorcade, which travelled to the the Forest Lawn Memorial Centre

The Hollywood Hills cemetery is the resting place of such names as Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Sammy Davis Jr, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye.

Rev Jesse Jackson said the funeral would be small religious service in accordance with the family's Jehovah's Witness beliefs.

The Forest Lawn Cemetery was just 11 miles away from the Staples Centre, where a memorial concert - featuring performances by Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Usher and Jennifer Hudson - was due to start at 10am local time.

Michael's casket was to be taken from the private service to the public memorial, with a burial expected to take place later in the day.

"Mr. Jackson's remains will be going to the Staples Center. We're not giving any details," Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton confirmed.

 

[KarissaMann05]

Yeah... I watched some video of their songs. It's pretty sorrowful...

 

[shel90]

I feel that the media shows that part of the service over and over again too much. Ok, the kid loved her daddy and broke down. It doesnt need to be rehashed again and again.

 

[KarissaMann05]

And it had been for a couple of weeks since MJ's death! It's pretty annoying... I want to watch something interest in news but all I keep seeing so many stories about MJ. It made me want to punch my TV! =/ I do understand how fans feel about his death, espeically MJ's family... still, geez, why not can't someone put a show about MJ on another channel so I could watch some news...

Hell, it'd been a couple of weeks they babbled about MJ... It just brought some depressing a little on me.

Sighs..

 

[Steel X]

It will wear off eventually...just be patient. I still hear abt that alot on the internet too so I just find something else to keep me busy as drawing, playing games and talking/hanging out with friends.

 

[sara1981]

updates:

Michael Jackson memorial cost LA $1.4 million
Michael Jackson memorial cost LA $1.4 million - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles spent $1.4 million to provide security, traffic control and other services for Michael Jackson's memorial service, city officials said as they looked for ways to have others help the financially troubled city pick up the bill.

The amount included $1.1 million in overtime pay for the 4,173 officers who worked to secure Staples Center, Forest Lawn cemetery and other areas that attracted fans and members of the media, the Police Department said in a statement.

City officials said Wednesday that the remaining amount covered traffic control, cleanup and other costs related to Tuesday's public memorial service, which was attended by a total of more than 17,000 fans and watched by tens of millions of people around the world.

Matt Szabo, a spokesman for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, hailed the tally a success. He said it was "far less" than the initial estimate of $4 million.

Nonetheless, city attorney Carmen Trutanich said his office was investigating how the city can legally press third parties to pick up at least some of the tab.

Trutanich aims to have a report ready for the City Council by Friday, said spokesman John Franklin.

The city has also set up a Web site urging fans to make tax-deductible donations through credit cards, PayPal or check to help defray costs.

Fans have thus far donated $17,000, but contributions have been hampered by technical problems, Szabo said in a statement.

The site received so many hits that the servers crashed Tuesday night and several times Wednesday, Szabo said. The city's information technology department is working to rectify the problems.

Anticipating about 250,000 people would converge on downtown streets for the service, the Police Department deployed 3,240 officers starting at midnight. When only about 1,000 fans showed up, police brass let about 1,000 officers go early.

AEG Live, the owner-operator of Staples Center, has not committed any money to the Jackson memorial, which it organized and promoted. Company spokesman Michael Roth did not return messages on Wednesday.

City Controller Wendy Greuel called on the City Council to create a policy declaring who should pay for city services associated with such events.

In a letter to the emergency management department, Greuel criticized the nearly $49,000 expense for police officers' lunches, which were ordered from a restaurant located 80 miles from Los Angeles.

Greuel said her office called a local sandwich shop that could have provided box lunches for less than $17,500. The purchase would have had the added benefit of supporting a local business, she said.

The Jackson memorial was the second recent event that resulted in extraordinary costs at a time when the city is a half-billion dollars in debt and facing employee layoffs.

Last month's victory parade for the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers cost an estimated $2 million.

AEG Live gave $1 million to the city for that event and other private donors stepped in.

 

[sara1981]

updates:

Week Ending July 5, 2009: All Michael, All The Time
Week Ending July 5, 2009: All Michael, All The Time - Chart Watch

Michael Jackson has three of the five best-selling albums in the U.S. for the second week in a row. Number Ones sold 339,000 copies this week and would have held at #1 on The Billboard 200 if catalog albums were eligible to compete on that chart. (The 2003 compilation sold a little more than twice as many copies this week as NOW 31, the album that holds the #1 spot.) Thriller sold 187,000 copies and would have jumped from #3 to #2 if catalog albums were invited to the party. The Essential Michael Jackson sold 125,000 copies and would have dropped from #2 to #5. (Billboard excludes catalog albums from the big chart on the theory that new albums need the spotlight the chart provides more than past hits do.).

Jackson's catalog of solo albums sold 800,000 copies this week, up from 422,000 copies last week. (This was the first full week following Jackson's death on June 25. Last week's total reflected just four days of sales.) Billboard reports that 82% of the Jackson albums sold this week were CDs (vs. digital downloads). Last week, 43% of the Jackson albums sold were CDs. I think this shows that on a special album, people want the CD as a keepsake. (What a retro concept!).

Jackson's total song download sales this week, including hits with his brothers, stand at 2.2 million downloads, down just a little from 2.6 million last week. A total of 47 songs that feature Jackson are listed on the Hot Digital Songs chart. (This is down just a bit from last week's eye-popping total of 50.)

Number Ones racked up the biggest weekly sales total in Nielsen/SoundScan history for a catalog album (excluding Christmas albums). Jackson also held the old record, which he set in February 2008, when Thriller 25 sold 166,000 copies in its first week. Number Ones also posted the biggest one-week sales tally for an album by a deceased performer since the Notorious B.I.G.'s Duets: The Final Chapter debuted in December 2005 with first-week sales of 438,000..

Number Ones has sold 564,000 copies so far this year, which puts it at #18 on Nielsen/SoundScan's running list of the best-selling albums of 2009. If it keeps going like this, it could topple Taylor Swift's Fearless as the #1 album for the year-to-date. (Fearless has sold 1,352,000 copies since Jan. 1.) This will (in all likelihood) be only the third time in Nielsen/SoundScan history that an album by a deceased performer has ranked among the year's top 10. 2Pac's All Eyez On Me was the #6 album of 1996 (he died on Sept. 13 of that year). The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death was the #6 album of 1997 (he died on March 9 of that year).

Number Ones holds at #1 on the Catalog Albums chart. (Catalog albums are albums that are more than 18 months old, have fallen below #100 on The Billboard 200 and don't have a current radio single.) Jackson owns the entire top 10 this week, counting a Jackson 5 album. The Essential Michael Jackson holds at #1 on the Digital Albums chart. The collection sold 53,000 digital copies this week.

This is the third time that Thriller has posted sales of 100,000 or more units in a week in the Nielsen/SoundScan era (which dates to 1991). As noted above, the album sold 166,000 copies when a 25th anniversary edition was released in February 2008. It sold 101,000 last week, in the aftermath of Jackson's death. Thriller is the only the second catalog album (again, excluding Christmas albums) to top the 100,000 sales mark more than once since 1992. It follows the Grease soundtrack, a 1978 blockbuster that came back strong in the mid-1990s. The John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John tune-fest topped the 100,000 sales mark twice in December 1996 and again in April 1998, when the movie was re-released theatrically..

Jackson has five songs in the top 10 on Hot Digital Songs this week: "Man In The Mirror" at #2, "Billie Jean" at #4, "Thriller" at #5, "The Way You Make Me Feel" at #7 and "Beat It" at #10. Later today, I'll post a Chart Watch Extra in which I count down Jackson's 40 most songs with the most cumulative paid downloads. The list shows which of Jackson's songs have best stood the test of time-and which haven't..

Pop Quiz: To get you in the mood, here's a good (but seriously tough) Jackson trivia question. What do these three songs have in common: "Rock With You," "Human Nature" and "Man In The Mirror." Answer below.

Jackson is selling around the world. In the U.K., The Essential Michael Jackson moves up to #1, dethroning Number Ones (which drops to #3). In Japan, King Of Pop vaults from #43 to #6.

In a Chart Watch Extra (here's the link), I told you that Michael Jackson has had 17 #1 hits on the Hot 100 (combining Jackson 5 and solo records). Let me add that he has also had five #2 hits. Twice, he peaked at #2 behind hits that went on to be Billboard's #1 single of the year. That was the fate of the J5's "Never Can Say Goodbye" (which got stuck behind Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World," the top hit of 1971) and his own "Rockin' Robin" (which ran up against Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," the top hit of 1972). The J5's "Mama's Pearl" peaked at #2 behind the Osmonds' "One Bad Apple," which was created in the mold of the early J5 hits. His other #2 hits were the J5's "Dancing Machine" and his duet with Paul McCartney, "The Girl Is Mine.".

Quiz Answer: Those were the first "outside songs" (songs that Jackson didn't write) to be released as singles from his three most famous albums, Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad. (I told you it was tough!)

In non-Jackson news (there actually is such a thing!), the Black Eyed Peas this week becomes the first act to hold the #1 spot on Hot Digital Songs for 14 consecutive weeks since the inception of the chart in 2004. The Peas surpass Flo Rida featuring T-Pain, who held tight for 13 straight weeks in 2007-2008 with "Low." The Peas, of course, needed two records to break Flo Rida's record. "Boom Boom Pow" was #1 for 10 weeks, followed immediately by "I Gotta Feelin,'" which sits tight in its fourth week at #1. The song sold 215,000 downloads this week, bringing its four-week total to 899,000..