Lucky Few Score Jackson Memorial Tickets

Coveted Passes to Pop Icon's Memorial Service Doled Out; Odds of Getting One: 1 in 183

(CBS/AP)  Like a modern-day Willy Wonka tale, fans celebrated Sunday after beating the odds to win coveted tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service at Staples Center.

More than 1.6 million fans registered online for free in the random drawing of only 8,750 names. Each person selected will receive two tickets to Tuesday's memorial. The odds of getting a ticket were about 1 in 183.

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"I'm in shock that it has happened," said Deka Motanya, 27, of San Francisco. "It's surreal." She received an e-mail message at 4:35 p.m. notifying her, "Congratulations, your application was successful."

She immediately Twittered: "OMG OMG OMG OMG i got tickets to the michael jackson memorial service!!!"

David Gobaud, 25, who studies computer science at Stanford University, said he didn't believe his e-mail was real at first. "It's Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musical stars of all time," he said.

Another winner was Zach Moss, a 21-year-old Chicagoan working for the summer as a DJ in Las Vegas. He said clubgoers have responded strongly to Jackson's music since his death.

"You can play two, three Michael Jackson songs back to back and people are going to have this huge jubilation celebration," he said. "Everyone throws their drinks up and shouts, 'MJ!' It's extremely powerful."

The tickets will admit 11,000 people to the Staples Center plus 6,500 in the Nokia Theater overflow section next door. The streets around Staples Center will be closed to prevent those without tickets from trying to attend, police said Sunday.

The Death Of Michael Jackson, Full Coverage

Within minutes, vouchers for the memorial were already listed for sale on sites like eBay.

Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell warned the ticketless to stay away: "You'll be standing in the hot sun on a city street with a lot of other people ... but not within eyeshot of Staples."

The ceremony will not be shown on Staples' giant outdoor TV screen and there will be no funeral procession through the city. No details were available about the actual memorial events.

Jackson's family was planning a private ceremony at the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, McDonnell said. He did not provide further details.

At the Wilshire Grand Los Angeles hotel about a half mile from the Staples Center, more than 90 percent of the hotel's 1,000 rooms were booked for Monday and Tuesday night, up from about 60 percent last week.

"There's a lot of demand right now," said spokesman Marc Loge. "We are going to sell out."

Ticket winners said they received a unique code and instructions to pick up their tickets Monday at Dodger Stadium.

When they pick up their tickets, a wristband will be placed on each person's wrist. Organizers will check IDs to make sure those picking up wristbands are the same people who originally applied online, said Staples Center spokesman Michael Roth.

Fans must have both the ticket and the wristband to enter Staples Center on Tuesday. Wristbands that have been ripped, taped or tampered with will be voided.

But winners were permitted to give anyone their second bracelet, so "theoretically, the second wrist band can be sold," Roth said.

Organizers were considering how to distribute any unclaimed seats, but had not immediately decided on a plan, Roth said.

City officials are preparing for huge crowds. McDonnell would not say how many police would be on the job, but alluded to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the recent championship celebration for the Los Angeles Lakers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Jackson died at age 50 on June 25 after going into cardiac arrest in the bedroom of his rented mansion. The cause of Jackson's death has not been determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.

Also Sunday, a judge signed search warrants connected to the investigation of Jackson's death, Los Angeles County Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini said. The warrants were sealed and Parachini would not discuss any details.

Authorities are investigating allegations that Jackson had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. The powerful sedative Diprivan, which is usually administered by anesthesiologists in hospitals, was found in his home. It was not known what drugs, if any, Jackson obtained from doctors.

More than a week after his death, tributes and accolades keep coming. Madonna had a Jackson impersonator dance to "Wanna Be Starting Something" at her concert Saturday in the same London arena where he was to stage his comeback.

The Rev. Al Sharpton called for nationwide "love vigils" for Jackson, asking people to gather in schools, community centers and churches to watch the memorial service and talk about the pop star's "message" instead of the "mess" surrounding his death.

The memorial service will be broadcast live on five television networks.

Meanwhile, Jackson's planned summer concerts in London were just the beginning of a wholesale comeback, reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy.

Frank Dileo managed Jackson in his 80's heyday when the thriller and bad albums conquered the charts.

"He said, 'Frank this is our time again,'" Dileo recalls Jackson telling him.

Dileo says Jackson was ready to reassert himself in pop music.

"If London would have gone well, we talked about doing 40 stadium dates in Europe," Dileo told Tracy.

They also discussed a new studio album and in the months before his death, the "King of Pop" had been reassembling his court, reports Tracy.

In addition to Dileo, Jackson rehired John Branca, his former attorney who negotiated some of his most lucrative deals.

"He was trying to go back to the good ole times," said CBS News consultant J. Randy Taraborelli, a Jackson biographer. "He was hoping to reclaim his throne with these two guys masterminding his career."

[mrarsen]

Who'd want to see that creepy pervert stuffed into a hole in the ground? Weird folks out there.

<a href="http://www.google.com">google</a>
http://www.google.com
[URL]http://www.google.com[/URL]

[eldabarrett]

Its people like Enrique Gonzales that don't have their facts straight that go around saying things about others that are not true, see even in Death Michael is cut down. Can't anyone rest in peace. Don't you know thats probably why he died because of people ridiculing him. You should be a shamed of yourself

[wasrinrime]

EBay if in fact is allowing the reselling of these tickets should be SHUT-DOWN. EBays rules and regulations do not allow this with any other venue then they should not with this.

[quapawsix]

Can we hurry up and and plant this guy I tired of hearing about this person
and again the Media is distracting the Masses with the B.S.what does this have to do with the rape of America by the elitists. Way to go CBS you are doing a great job for the ministry of propaganda.

[eldabarrett]

Oh you poor baby, Don't you know how to change the channel if you don't wanna hear about it.

[harpoot]

Who'd want to see that creepy pervert stuffed into a hole in the ground? Weird folks out there.

[eldabarrett]

Michael was not a pervert Jerk, get your facts straight, whats the matter with the world today who are we to Judge one another. Can't you let the man Rest in Peace.

[nishaboston]

Wow the power of accusation is amazing. Especially when your famous and rich. Michael Jackson never was convicted of child molesation and never paid anyone off. His insurance company paid the first accusers off. The second victim family has a history of lying and suing and only months before accused JC Penny security cards of molestation. People need to do there own research!

[nishaboston]

Again if you study this case in 1993 Michael Jackson did not pay a dime to the Chandler Family, his insurance company settled with this family and MIchael Jackson and his lawyers did not want to do this. Also the Chandler family refused to bring this whole matter to justice and file charges against a so called child molester. They even refused again to testify in 2003 when Michael Jackson was accused again of child molestation. I know if my child was molested no money could bring justice. I would file charges and maybe even hurt the person. Again people need to do their research regarding these cases.

[violist47]

Michael Jackson was judged not guilty by his peers. The rest is up to God. We can't hurt him with our words anymore (but we can and do still hurt his family and friends). Like many another genius, he was a tortured soul, but he gave our world much more than he took. I think we should be very grateful that he lived and wrote and sang.

[SteelersWinAgain]

Michael Jackson had his place in the world, but I'm tired of hearing about it now. Too much media exposure. Too many people trying to make a buck from his passing. Just let the man rest in peace. It is obvious he had many demons, perhaps percipitated because the man never had a normal childhood. Still, he was a great talent, and should be memorialized properly, but I'm not sure paparazzi should be part of that. Let the man go in peace, please.

[erasmus111]

by taebok July 5, 2009 10:43 PM PDT
by erasmus111 July 5, 2009
Michael Jackson was not found guilty.
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So was OJ Simpson


Yes, but there was a lot of evidence that wasn't seen. That case was botched from the beginning.

[erasmus111]

I do not believe for one moment that Michael Jackson was a pedophile. I believe that Michael Jackson was a child, himself. And because of his lack of childhood, he wanted to surround himself with children. I have said it before, I think that seeing everything through the children's eyes gave him a bit of the childhood he missed. He liked having sleep overs with the kids. Was it right? No. He should never have put himself in that position, but he was a naive child.

The stupid ones were the PARENTS, for allowing their children to stay there. Why would they put their child in that position?

[tmittelstaed]

Most children are molested by someone they know and are around regularly, who the parents trust. And a sickeningly large number are molested by adults in their family.

These days most childcare facilities protect themselves by use of cameras and simple rules such as not permitting children to be supervised by fewer than 2 adults at any given time. Michael Jackson could have easily done the same at Neverland Ranch and it's surprising he didn't do so.

[erasmus111]

by spiritwalk July 5, 2009 9:02 PM PDT
Sure hope there never comes a time when you or your husband are accused of something you never did. Can you imagine what a nightmare that would be?

If they were sleeping in the same bed as your children you wouldn't wait for a trial you would lynch them yourself. Unless they had a song you really liked.


Actually, I'm not an idiot. I would never put my children in that position to begin with. Even if I thought the person could be trusted.

[erasmus111]

by cathfrommn July 5, 2009 7:57 PM PDT
My husband and I just don't get it. This love-fest for a pedophile...the worst scum of the earth. We can appreciate his immense talent and his impact on pop culture but c'mon. Have we forgotten the children he victimized?


Personally, I think it is you and your husband that are scum. Michael Jackson was not found guilty. There is no proof that any child was victimized. The boy who was supposedly molested, and is now grown, has said that Michael Jackson did NOT molest him. He greatly admired Michael Jackson. His mother, at the time, couldn't even keep her story straight! I can assure you that with all the children that have been around Michael Jackson, if he was a pedophile, there would be many more that would have come forward by now.

Sure hope there never comes a time when you or your husband are accused of something you never did. Can you imagine what a nightmare that would be?

[cathfrommn]

My husband and I just don't get it. This love-fest for a pedophile...the worst scum of the earth. We can appreciate his immense talent and his impact on pop culture but c'mon. Have we forgotten the children he victimized?

[eldabarrett]

Michael was not a pedophile and he was far from being a scum you need to get your facts straight and God can't anyone rest in peace, no wonder our world is going to hell to many idiots.

[Resin-Smoker]

Really who cares!!!

Most of us despised him during the last couple of years of his life because we all thought of him as a pedophile. Let the man be at piece and stop feeding the media.

****, he's only been on every news channel continuiously since he died and most of us are sick to death of seeing it on TV.

[John_Merritt]

What is really interesting, is that there were 500 million hits on his site. There are 250 million people in the US and 1.6 million put a 'bid' (draw)in on the tickets which is approximately 6.4% of the population.

Based on what we know about people, approximately 50% of 'his fans' would either scalp these tickets, or hold them as a collectors item and then sell them. Isn't love grand? Maybe 3.2% of the population adored 'the king'.

[eldabarrett]

Michael Jackson was a great person! and he will go on being the King of Pop, and his music will live on!