Fans Clamor for Jackson Memorial Tickets

One Web Site Calculates There's a Higher Chance of Getting Struck by Lightening than Getting a Ticket

(CBS)  So many fans want to come to the Michael Jackson memorial service that one web site calculated they have a 0.04 percent chance of getting a ticket, which means they are more likely to be struck by lightning.

Just the chance to register online for a ticket to Michael Jackson's memorial service could make your day.

"I kept kitting submit, submit, and I got on to it," one excited fan said. "Let's go baby!"

But more likely, it ruined your day.

"I'm calling everyone I know to please register for me," sad another fan. "I have to be there. I have to be there. He meant so much to me."

There are 11,000 tickets to attend the tribute at the Staples Center Tuesday with Jackson's family and famous friends like Diana Ross and Elizabeth Taylor - 6,500 more fans get to watch on screens at the Nokia Theater next door, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker.

When the Web site opened yesterday, it was inundated -4 million hits in the first hour and a half - so many, it crashed.

Fans are crying, but city officials show little sympathy.

"If you do not have a ticket, not only will you not be allowed at these venues, you will not be allowed in these areas," said Earl Paysinger, an assistant chief with the Los Angeles Police Department. "You must have a ticket."

Predictably, if tacky, the tickets are the hottest items in town, going for up to $10,000 on eBay, even though the memorial site clearly states tickets are nontransferable and resale is not permitted.

Police plan to cordon off the Staples Center and urge non-ticketed fans stay home. But just in case, this cash strapped city will tap emergency funds to pay for police and crowd control. Some maxed-out taxpayers are asking why the public must pay for a private service.

"I did place a call to try to speak to some representative of the Jackson family to see if I could reach out to their family and friends to see if there were people there interested in making a contribution," said Jan Perry, the acting mayor.

Nature abhors a vacuum - and so do Michael Jackson fans. In the absence of real information about the King of Pop's burial, reporters and satellite trucks line the road to Forest Lawn Cemetery, where rumor and tabloid chatter claim his final resting place will be.

Meanwhile, the investigation into Jackson's death is taking a sharper focus. The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday investigators are looking at five doctors who prescribed drugs to the pop star. Bags of prescription drugs were taken from Jackson's mansion after his death. Some bottles were made out to Jackson, some to fake names, some with no labels at all.

[sillyme2]

..."one web site calculated they have a 0.04 percent chance of getting a ticket, which means they are more likely to be struck by lightning."


There are 1,600,000 applicants for 8,750 (pairs) tickets.


I guess it depends on what you think your chances of being struck by lightning are.

[sillyme2]

..."one web site calculated they have a 0.04 percent chance of getting a ticket, which means they are more likely to be struck by lightning."


There are 1,600,000 applicants for 8,750 (pairs) tickets.


I guess it depends on what you think your chances of being struck by lightning are.

[scabbard2]

Anyone can have my ticket.

[t0384mp]

I didn't even read the article and won't. People are morons. He was pure and simple a flipping freakzoid. I won't pay a dime for ANYTHING regarding him.

[nishaboston]

Did someone ask you to pay a dime? Did someone even force you to waste your time and click on this article? Get a life!

[rebeccaelizabethdalton]

Re: this article's subhead:
One can be "lightening" one's skin, but one is struck by "lightning".