Traffic:   26 Incidents
Weather: 54°F Go
  02:47pm, 11/21/09
Search:      wwj.com  Web  Audio
Local News
Text Size:   A   A   A

Posted: Monday, 06 July 2009 6:13PM

Jackson Memorial Guest Lineup Unveiled



(CBS/AP)  Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Kobe Bryant and Brooke Shields are slated to be part of the all-star tribute at Michael Jackson's memorial Tuesday.

The representatives for Jackson's family released a list of participants Monday. Also on the list are Motown founder Berry Gordy, Lionel Richie, John Mayer, Usher, Jennifer Hudson and Martin Luther King III and his sister Bernice.

The memorial is set for the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

An attorney for Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe will not be there, saying her attendance would be "an unnecessary distraction."

WWJ Newsradio 950 and CBS News will provide live coverage of the memorial service starting Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. ET. 
Click here for more on Jackson's death.  Those who can't make it can watch the service at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History.  Click here for details.

Meanwhile, the ticket hand-off for Jackson's memorial service in Los Angeles has been going smoothly at Dodger Stadium.

Winners of an Internet ticket lottery began exchanging vouchers for tickets in a drive-through process Monday in the stadium parking lot.

Each winner gets two tickets, and are free to give anyone their second one.

The LAPD says 2,500 vouchers (two tickets per voucher) have been issued thus far, CBS News has learned.

Organizers made tickets available free of charge for 11,000 seats in Staples and 6,500 in the adjacent Nokia Theatre.

Police say anyone caught scalping the tickets faces arrest.

Throughout Monday, both eBay and Craigslist removed posts on their respective sites that attempted to sell tickets to the memorial service.

On eBay, bids were reaching as high as $3,000, though it was impossible to verify the seriousness of those offers. On Craigslist, asking prices also were in the thousands. Some unable to attend simply wanted to give away their tickets as one post read "to only true fans."

The Staples Center is a 20,000 seat venue that is normally home to the L.A. Lakers and star-studded events. But on Tuesday, friends and family, along with thousands of Jackson fans, will flood the area for the memorial service for the King of Pop.

And in this city, no stranger to massive public events, officials say they're prepared for anything -- from street closures to barricades to manpower, police are mounting a major security effort.

Click here for complete coverage of Jackson's death

City officials are also preparing for upwards of half-a-million fans without tickets, who may converge on the area despite repeated pleas that they watch on TV from home.

"You'll be standing in the hot sun on a city street. Watch this in the manner that it should be watched with friends at home or somewhere else where you have access to a TV," suggested LAPD Chief of Staff Jim McDonald.

For Jackson's family and close friends, the day will begin at Forest Lawn Cemetery, where they will gather for a small private ceremony before making the 13 mile trip to the Staples Center.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, in an appearance Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America," made no mention of whether the Jacksons would help the city with some of the expected costs.

"The city is trying to do what it should do to secure people," said Sharpton, a family friend. "That's what cities do. Clearly, no one in the family are happy that the city is incurring any expense at all. You're talking about an historic figure that will have an historic celebration, probably one that we would not see similar in this generation."

 


© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 
 
ADVERTISEMENT
Print Page Email This Page
Top News

Senate Health Bill Faces Crucial Vote



LISTEN LIVE! U.S. Senate Debate

Motown 50th Anniversary Celebration


Detroit Council Approves Bond Sale


Stocks Fall For 3rd Day As Dollar Strengthens


Arrest Made In 16 Year Old Murder Case


Attempt To Ban Guns In Council Fails


 
 
ADVERTISEMENT
 
 
Recent Podcasts
Economic Forecast for Michigan-part2 11/21
WWJ’s Matt Roush talks with University of Michigan economist Don Grimes about the 2010 economic forecast for the State.
What's Hot Around Town 11/20
WWJ's Roberta Jasina talks about some of the latest things to see and do around town
Making A Difference 11/21
Bill Stevens talks to those in metro Detroit who are making a difference in our community.
Republican Weekly Address 11/21
In this weeks Republican address, Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho criticizes the Democratic Health Care reform bill.