Today will perhaps be the culmination of everybody remembering the life of Michael Jackson, who died on June 25 at age 50.  Setting aside all those questions about what killed him, what will happen to his estate, and who will get custody of his three kids, the whole world will remember the life of arguably the world's biggest musician in ceremonies this afternoon from 1pm ET.

Participants for the memorial service, which will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, include a who's-who from the world of entertainment, sports and politics.  So far, the list include musicians Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Britain's Got Talent's Shaheen Jafargholi, John Mayer and Usher; and athletes Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson.


Also participating in the memorial are Rev. Al Sharpton; former Motown Records head Berry Gord;, actress Brooke Shields; Martin Luther King Jr.'s children, Martin Luther III and Bernice; and family friends Ken Boyd and Pastor Lucious Smith.

The memorial will follow a private ceremony with the singer's family.  It will be held at the Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood Hills.  No further details were released.

The memorial is expected to be attended by around 17,500 fans who got tickets to the memorial through an online lottery, and also viewed by television audiences across the world.  In the United States, the memorial will be broadcast live by NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC and E!  Los Angeles police are preparing for an onslaught of fans, including those who don't have memorial tickets.  It is expected that authorities will close down the area surrounding Staples Center, and police will be deployed at strategic points.  Police also say the best view of the event would be on television.

Despite the surrounding hype, producer Ken Erlich--who has worked on the Grammys--promised that the event will be somber.  "It will be a celebration of Michael's life [but] we're not approaching it as a TV show," he told the New York Daily News.  "In the future, there maybe be a tribute to [him, but] this is really a memorial service.  It's not going to have all the bells and whistles.  We want to keep it low-key."

Recognizing the situation is Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, who announced through her attorney that she won't be attending the memorial.  "The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy," her statement said.

Also not attending is one of the singer's good friends, Elizabeth Taylor, the one who gave Jackson the "King of Pop" nickname.  While she's been asked to speak at the memorial, she felt the event is too public.  "I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others," she wrote on her Twitter page.  "How I feel is between us ... I certainly don't want to become a part of [the memorial].  I love him too much."



- Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Sources: Entertainment Weekly (1) (2), TMZ (1) (2), TVGuide.com, The Hollywood Reporter
(Image courtesy of WENN)