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The service began with [[Smokey Robinson]] reading statements from [[Diana Ross]] and [[Nelson Mandela]]. A gospel choir sang [[Andrae Crouch]]'s "Soon and Very Soon" as Jackson's casket entered, followed by statements from Pastor Lucious Smith. [[Mariah Carey]] and [[Trey Lorenz]] then sang "[[I'll Be There]]", a number one single for both [[The Jackson 5]] and Carey and Lorenz. This was followed by statements from [[Queen Latifah]], who also read "We Had Him", a poem composed by [[Maya Angelou]] for the occasion. [[Lionel Richie]], Jackson's friend and his co-writer on "[[We Are the World]]", performed the song "[[Heroes (Commodores album)|Jesus Is Love]]" by [[The Commodores]]. [[Berry Gordy]], founder of [[Motown Records]] where Jackson and his brothers began their career, called Jackson "the greatest entertainer that ever lived" which was followed by a great applause from the crowd.
The service began with [[Smokey Robinson]] reading statements from [[Diana Ross]] and [[Nelson Mandela]]. A gospel choir sang [[Andrae Crouch]]'s "Soon and Very Soon" as Jackson's casket entered, followed by statements from Pastor Lucious Smith. [[Mariah Carey]] and [[Trey Lorenz]] then sang "[[I'll Be There]]", a number one single for both [[The Jackson 5]] and Carey and Lorenz. This was followed by statements from [[Queen Latifah]], who also read "We Had Him", a poem composed by [[Maya Angelou]] for the occasion. [[Lionel Richie]], Jackson's friend and his co-writer on "[[We Are the World]]", performed the song "[[Heroes (Commodores album)|Jesus Is Love]]" by [[The Commodores]]. [[Berry Gordy]], founder of [[Motown Records]] where Jackson and his brothers began their career, called Jackson "the greatest entertainer that ever lived" which was followed by a great applause from the crowd.


A video montage of Michael Jackson performances followed, including [[Neverland Ranch]], when he met [[Ronald Reagan]], "[[Billie Jean]]", "[[Smooth Criminal]]", "[[Thriller (song)|Thriller]]", "[[Scream/Childhood|Scream]]," "[[You Are Not Alone]]", "[[We Are the World]]", and his appearance at [[Super Bowl XXVII]]. [[Stevie Wonder]] spoke and performed a version of his song "[[Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer]]" and "They Won't Go When I Go". [[Kobe Bryant]] then spoke about Jackson's humanitarian work, and [[Magic Johnson]] (who had appeared in the [[music video|video]] "[[Remember the Time]]") spoke of his memories with Jackson. Accompanied by a dancing chorus, [[Jennifer Hudson]] performed "[[Will You Be There]]" from Jackson's ''[[Dangerous (album)|Dangerous]]''. [[John Mayer]] performed on guitar an instrumental version of "[[Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)|Human Nature]]" from Jackson's ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]''. [[Brooke Shields]] then spoke about the personal time she spent with Jackson, read excerpts from ''[[The Little Prince]]'' and said, that his favorite song was [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s "[[Smile (Charlie Chaplin song)|Smile]]", which was performed next by [[Jermaine Jackson]], Michael's older brother.
A video montage of Michael Jackson performances followed, including [[Neverland Ranch]], when he met [[Ronald Reagan]], "[[Billie Jean]]", "[[Smooth Criminal]]", "[[Thriller (song)|Thriller]]", "[[Scream/Childhood|Scream]]," "[[You Are Not Alone]]", "[[We Are the World]]", scenes from his film ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]'', and his appearance at [[Super Bowl XXVII]]. [[Stevie Wonder]] spoke and performed a version of his song "[[Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer]]" and "They Won't Go When I Go". [[Kobe Bryant]] then spoke about Jackson's humanitarian work, and [[Magic Johnson]] (who had appeared in the [[music video|video]] "[[Remember the Time]]") spoke of his memories with Jackson. Accompanied by a dancing chorus, [[Jennifer Hudson]] performed "[[Will You Be There]]" from Jackson's ''[[Dangerous (album)|Dangerous]]''. [[John Mayer]] performed on guitar an instrumental version of "[[Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)|Human Nature]]" from Jackson's ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]''. [[Brooke Shields]] then spoke about the personal time she spent with Jackson, read excerpts from ''[[The Little Prince]]'' and said, that his favorite song was [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s "[[Smile (Charlie Chaplin song)|Smile]]", which was performed next by [[Jermaine Jackson]], Michael's older brother.


[[Martin Luther King, Jr.]]'s children [[Martin Luther King III]] and [[Bernice King]] then stated that Michael Jackson was the best at what he did. [[Sheila Jackson-Lee]] ([[Democrat|D]]-[[Texas's 18th congressional district|Texas]], Houston), representing the [[United States House of Representatives]], emphasized that in America, people are "[[innocent until proven guilty]]"<ref name="USlaw">
[[Martin Luther King, Jr.]]'s children [[Martin Luther King III]] and [[Bernice King]] then stated that Michael Jackson was the best at what he did. [[Sheila Jackson-Lee]] ([[Democrat|D]]-[[Texas's 18th congressional district|Texas]], Houston), representing the [[United States House of Representatives]], emphasized that in America, people are "[[innocent until proven guilty]]"<ref name="USlaw">

Revision as of 14:42, 8 July 2009

Template:Jackson timeline The Michael Jackson memorial service on July 7, 2009, in Los Angeles, California, consisted of a private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty in Hollywood Hills, followed by a public memorial at the Staples Center. After the public service, family members and close friends attended a Beverly Hills private gathering. The public memorial was broadcast live around the world, watched by up to one billion people.[1]

Jackson's closed, solid-bronze casket, plated with 14-karat gold and lined with blue velvet, was taken to the Staples Center in a motorcade via the Golden State and Harbor freeways, arriving just before 10:00 a.m. local time, where it was placed in front of the stage. The memorial began a few minutes after 10:30 a.m. with music and a eulogy from Pastor Lucious Smith. The stage was filled with floral arrangements, with photographs and film of Jackson and the Jackson 5 projected onto screens at the back. There were various music and video montages that followed Michael's life from the very beginning of his career to the very end. [2]

Jackson's brothers, sitting in the front row, each wore a single, white, sparkling glove. Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine Jackson, and Shaheen Jafargholi sang Jackson's songs, and John Mayer played guitar. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave moving eulogies, while Queen Latifah read, "We had him," a poem written for the occasion by Maya Angelou. "Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana’s Black Star Square/In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England/We are missing Michael/But we do know we had him, and we are the world."[3]

The Reverend Al Sharpton won a standing ovation when he told Jackson's children, "There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. What was strange was what your daddy had to deal with."[4] Toward the end, the family gathered on stage to offer the final eulogies. Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris Katherine, broke down as she told the crowd, "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine ... I just wanted to say I love him so much."[5] Marlon Jackson said, "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone."[6]

Background

The service was organized by Jackson's concert promoter, AEG Live,[7] the 17,500 free tickets given away through an online lottery that attracted over 1.2 million applicants in 24 hours.[8] Streets around the center were sealed off, and an extra 1,400 officers were on duty, at a cost of US$4 million to the city.[9]

Service

The service began with Smokey Robinson reading statements from Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela. A gospel choir sang Andrae Crouch's "Soon and Very Soon" as Jackson's casket entered, followed by statements from Pastor Lucious Smith. Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz then sang "I'll Be There", a number one single for both The Jackson 5 and Carey and Lorenz. This was followed by statements from Queen Latifah, who also read "We Had Him", a poem composed by Maya Angelou for the occasion. Lionel Richie, Jackson's friend and his co-writer on "We Are the World", performed the song "Jesus Is Love" by The Commodores. Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records where Jackson and his brothers began their career, called Jackson "the greatest entertainer that ever lived" which was followed by a great applause from the crowd.

A video montage of Michael Jackson performances followed, including Neverland Ranch, when he met Ronald Reagan, "Billie Jean", "Smooth Criminal", "Thriller", "Scream," "You Are Not Alone", "We Are the World", scenes from his film The Wiz, and his appearance at Super Bowl XXVII. Stevie Wonder spoke and performed a version of his song "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" and "They Won't Go When I Go". Kobe Bryant then spoke about Jackson's humanitarian work, and Magic Johnson (who had appeared in the video "Remember the Time") spoke of his memories with Jackson. Accompanied by a dancing chorus, Jennifer Hudson performed "Will You Be There" from Jackson's Dangerous. John Mayer performed on guitar an instrumental version of "Human Nature" from Jackson's Thriller. Brooke Shields then spoke about the personal time she spent with Jackson, read excerpts from The Little Prince and said, that his favorite song was Charlie Chaplin's "Smile", which was performed next by Jermaine Jackson, Michael's older brother.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s children Martin Luther King III and Bernice King then stated that Michael Jackson was the best at what he did. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas, Houston), representing the United States House of Representatives, emphasized that in America, people are "innocent until proven guilty"[10] (as the crowd cheered) then spoke about his "American story" plus his meetings with foreign diplomats, and that "Michael never stopped giving". She then went on to claim him as an American icon and world humanitarian (House Resolution 600[11]), closing her speech with a military salute as she said, "Michael Jackson, I salute you." Usher walked to the casket and then sang Larry Grossman and Buzz Kohan's "Gone Too Soon", which Jackson recorded as a tribute for Ryan White after his death. Following Usher, a clip from The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969 featuring the Jackson 5's rendition of The Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You". Following this, the song's author, Smokey Robinson, spoke about the Jackson 5 covering his song, and continued with a speech. Shaheen Jafargholi from Britain's Got Talent then performed the song. Kenny Ortega presented Jafargholi, honored Jackson, and introduced the chorus singers from the This Is It tour. The singers, together with some of the guests, plus his family and his children, performed "We Are the World" followed by "Heal the World."

The family escorted the casket out of the stadium while an instrumental version of "Man in the Mirror" was performed. Pastor Lucious Smith closed the service with a prayer at 12:48 p.m.[12][13][14]

Guest list

The participants were: Ron Boyd (family friend), Kobe Bryant, Mariah Carey, Andrae Crouch (choir), Berry Gordy, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Shaheen Jafargholi (a child finalist on Britain's Got Talent, who sang a Jackson song), Magic Johnson, Martin Luther King III, Bernice A. King, John Mayer, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Brooke Shields, Pastor Lucious Smith (family friend), Usher, and Stevie Wonder.[15]

In addition to the above persons, ABC News reported that Justin Timberlake, Lionel Richie's daughter Nicole, who was Michael's goddaughter, singers Akon, Sean Combs, and Beyoncé Knowles would attend the services.[16]

Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and mother of two of his three children, hoping not to be a distraction,[17] did not attend the funeral; nor did his first wife, Lisa Marie Presley.[18] Elizabeth Taylor, one of Jackson's closest friends, and another friend, Macaulay Culkin also did not attend.[16]

Casket

Jackson was presented in a gold-plated, 48-ounce, solid bronze "Promethean" casket, which costs roughly $25,000, similar to the one in which James Brown was buried.[19][20] Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, Jackson's costume designers, are believed to have made his final suit. Jackson's body includes his single white glove on his right hand.[16] The closed casket at the Staples Center was decorated on top by a large red roses flower arrangement.

Live broadcast

The Staples Center, where Michael Jackson rehearsed for the "This Is It" concerts on June 23, two days before he died.

The funeral was broadcast live by several American television networks including CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX and Fox News Channel. Several entertainment networks such as MTV, VH1, BET, TV Guide Network and TV One included live broadcasts. International stations aired the memorial live as well and repeated later morning in Asia. The funeral was also broadcast on many other broadcasters around the world, including but not limited to Channel [V], BBC World News/BBC News Channel,[21] BBC Two,[21] CTV (including sister cable networks CTV News Channel, MuchMusic, and MuchMore) in Canada, RTÉ Two[22] TV3,[23] TVN 24,[24] Sky News,[21] NET TV (Malta), Sky Arts[21] and Five, as well as many European networks like DR1 and TV2 of Denmark,[25] RTL-TVI, RTBF, MCM, and PLUG RTL of Belgium; Euronews TF1 and France 2 of France; TVN24 and Polsat News of Poland; NTV Turkey of Turkey; Reflektor TV of Hungary;[26] Pro TV and Antena 1 of Romania; ČT24, Z1, Óčko (music channel) of the Czech Republic[27] and STV2,Joj, TA3 of Slovakia.[28] The funeral service was also broadcast live on the two major networks of the Philippines, GMA Network and ABS-CBN,[29][30] and also on several German televison networks: ARD, ZDF, N24, N-TV, and Phoenix[31] while the music channel VIVA showed documentaries and music videos of Jackson. In Brazil, the funeral was broadcast live on all the five major Brazilian terrestrial TV networks (TV Globo, TV Record, SBT, TV Bandeirantes and RedeTV!).

The event was televised on several websites[32] such as TVGuide.com[33] and through Apple.com.[34] It was also streamed live in HD via Silverlight[35] Fans in countries such as Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand stayed up into the early hours of the day to watch live broadcasts of the service.[36] Before the event, the overall audience was anticipated to be over 1 billion.[9]

CNN.com's webcast of the funeral drew at least 9.7 million streams, CBS News's feed on Ustream drew at least 4.6 million streams, and MSNBC's feed via Justin.tv drew 3 million streams.[37]

Public events and screenings were planned in Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Gothenburg, Lisbon, London, Malmö, Oslo, Paris, Milan, Stockholm, Tallinn and 37 American cities.[38] Several Australian television channels broadcast it live, with a giant screen being erected in Melbourne at three in the morning.[39]

The public memorial is the most watched event in online streaming history, it had more online viewers than the President Obama's inaugration.[40][41]

Burial

No information was released about the disposal of the body. The Daily Telegraph writes that the family would like to have the casket and remains entombed in concrete because of fears it may be interfered with, and later moved to the Neverland Ranch, next to the train station, which Jackson used every day to reach his private zoo. As burial outside a cemetery is illegal in the state of California, the family will have to petition for a change in the law.[42] A bill to change the existing law could not be introduced until January 2010, unless the state legislature suspended its rules.[43]

References

  1. ^ Bucci, Paul and Wood, Graeme. Michael Jackson RIP: One billion people estimated watching for gold-plated casket at memorial service. The Vancouver Sun, July 7, 2009.
  2. ^ TVGuideNews (7 July 2009). "Top Moments: Michael Jackson Memorial". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  3. ^ Allen, Nick. Michael Jackson memorial service: the biggest celebrity send-off of all time, The Daily Telegraph, July 7, 2009.
  4. ^ Video of Sharpton's eulogy, Macleans, July 7, 2009.
  5. ^ /07/michaeljackson Liveblogging Michael Jackson's funeral and memorial service, The Guardian, July 7, 2009.
  6. ^ Fans and family remember Jackson, BBC News, July 7, 2009.
  7. ^ Tim Parks, "AEG to release Jackson memorial tickets," Digital Spy 3 July 2009.
  8. ^ Allen, Nick. Thirteen applications per second for Michael Jackson memorial tickets , The Daily Telegraph, July 6, 2009.
  9. ^ a b Singh, Anita. Michael Jackson funeral to take place in Los Angeles, The Daily Telegraph, July 7, 2009.
  10. ^ Under U.S. law, a deceased person cannot be convicted of a crime or misdemeanor, even if the evidence is invented or doctored to seem totally conclusive. Hence, Michael Jackson can never be convicted of crimes in the U.S.
  11. ^ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.RES.600:
  12. ^ "Entertainment | Reporters' log: Jackson memorial". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  13. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (2008-09-17). "Live Blogging the Jackson Memorial - ArtsBeat Blog - NYTimes.com". Artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  14. ^ Geoff Boucher and Cara Mia DiMassa, Michael Jackson hailed during emotional memorial service, Los Angeles Times, July 7, 2009
  15. ^ Jackson Memorial Guest List Released, KNX 1070 Newsradio, July 6, 2009
  16. ^ a b c Luchina Fisher and Sheila Marikar, Michael Jackson's Memorial Lures A-List Attendees, Participants, ABC News, July 7, 2009
  17. ^ Larry King Live. July 6, 2009.
  18. ^ Debbie Rowe Says She'll Forgo Michael Jackson Memorial, ABC News, July 6, 2009
  19. ^ John Harlow, "Police target 30 in hunt for Michael Jackson’s drug suppliers", The Sunday Times, July 5, 2009.
  20. ^ Promethean Bronze, Caskets by Batesville.
  21. ^ a b c d [1] Michael Jackson: BBC2 clears schedule to screen memorial
  22. ^ [2] RTÉ Two screening Jackson memorial
  23. ^ [3] TV3 News@5.30 Special - The Michael Jackson Funeral. entertainment.ie
  24. ^ [4] Michael Jackson - Ostatnie Pożegnanie
  25. ^ "Programoversigt". dr.dk. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  26. ^ "Tv műsor keresés cím szerint". PORT.hu. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  27. ^ "Pohřeb Michaela Jacksona odvysílá ČT 24, Óčko i Z1". DigiZone.cz. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  28. ^ Web design © 2004-2009 by Tomáš Abaffy, www.abaffydesign.com. "Mediálne.sk - Televízia - Správy - Z Jacksona dnes naposledy vyťažia STV, Ta3 i Joj". Medialne.etrend.sk. Retrieved 2009-07-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "Jackson memorial to air live on GMA 7 tonight - Entertainment - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News". GMANews.TV. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  30. ^ http://abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/07/07/09/anc-broadcast-michael-jackson-memorial-live
  31. ^ "Trauerfeier: Jackson soll aufgebahrt werden - Boulevard - FOCUS Online". Focus.de. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  32. ^ "UTV News - Michael Jackson fans descend on Los Angeles for memorial service". U.tv. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  33. ^ Mickey O'Connor (07 July 2009). "Watch the Michael Jackson Memorial Live on TVGuide.com". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2009-07-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ 1 billion expected to watch Michael Jackson memorial
  35. ^ Michael Jackson Memorial Concert
  36. ^ Asia says farewell to 'King of Pop'
  37. ^ Ostrow, Adam (July 7, 2009). "CNN Live Stream of Michael Jackson Memorial: 9.7 Million Views". Mashable. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  38. ^ "Broadcast of Jackson Memorial Service to Mann Chinese Six Theatre in Los Angeles, CA to Be Cancelled at Request of Los Angeles Police Department", Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., 7 July 2009.
  39. ^ Jackson's world fans mourn idol before memorial. LONDON (AP) By JILL LAWLESS
  40. ^ http://www.thestreet.com/story/10536659/1/jackson-ceremony-pops-web-traffic-record.html
  41. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/07/07/michael.jackson.web.traffic/
  42. ^ Allen, Nick. Michael Jackson's family 'want him buried in concrete' to protect his grave, The Sunday Telegraph, July 4, 2009.
  43. ^ http://www.assembly.ca.gov/clerk/BILLSLEGISLATURE/2009AssemblyCalendar.pdf


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