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American Morning
Fans Gather for Jackson's Memorial; Private Service for Jackson; Jackson Album Sales Surge; Palin Defending Her Decision to Resign
Aired July 07, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And so good morning, on this Tuesday. It's July 7th. And we are live outside of the Staples Center here in downtown Los Angeles for this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
And massive crowds are going to be gathering ahead of this morning's memorial service for the legendary singer and the pop culture icon, Michael Jackson. Now the LAPD prepared for a mob scene here, I guess you could say.
But they are also prepared for the possibility that perhaps they can, they can send their officers away as quickly as they ramped up if it turns out the people did listen and chose to stay at home if they did not have a ticket. 11,000 people allowed inside the Staples Center, but you have to have that gold wristband and you have to have that ticket to get here.
They've closed off the perimeter. They've tried to limit the amount of people. In fact, two big highway exits are closed off today, as well. They want to make sure that this scene doesn't turn into one that's out of control as people try to come here and pay their respects to Michael Jackson. But again, everything that's going on inside of the Staples Center today will be broadcast live.
People can sit at home and see it. It will be on CNN, on cnn.com today as well. And they expect it could be the largest audience worldwide watching today. But even after his death, Michael Jackson still certainly has critics. All of that though, today, is to be set aside for many. A lot of his fans say they don't care and they don't want to hear that today, at least, they want to remember Michael Jackson.
Our Kara Finnstrom a few blocks away talking with fans on the street about his legacy. She joins us live just a few blocks from where we are at the Staples Center. And the last time we checked in, there were people that were there, certainly not huge crowds. What's it like now?
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, still just some stragglers out here, Kiran. Not huge crowds. If we just pan to the side real quickly here, you can see that there are some folks bundled up in blankets alongside these buildings. Some of them have been out here, they say overnight, and then some of them just joining the crowds this morning.
I want to do a 360 here and just kind of give you a look at the scene. You can see also some vendors out here selling T-shirts already, and then also a hot dog stand set up, as well. The lady who is in charge there told us she brought out 1,000 hotdogs because she's expecting big crowds here today.
And I want to bring in, Guadalupe. She's one of the fans who has been out here this morning.
You slept out here, actually all night. Why was it so important for you to be out here today?
GUADALUPE, MICHAEL JACKSON FAN: Well, I grew up with the music of Michael Jackson. It wasn't really my time, but like my brother was a big fan since he was like 2 years old. So I grew up with his music. And since I live close by, I think it was an experience of a lifetime and I took it.
FINNSTROM: And you'll have plenty of company out here today.
Kiran, also, I want to flip around and show you the barricades that have been set up. That flashing red light is where you are. That's the Staple Center just down the street. Most of these barricades set up about a block away and created a complete periphery around Staples Center.
As you have mention, no one without wristbands or without tickets will be allowed in. And you could also see the police presence there.
Kiran, I will let you know real briefly that the police officers out here told us they have about 300 officers right now on the streets. But they say that should increase to about 3,000 by the time this memorial gets underway.
And just for a little context there, you know, we had 2,000 police officers on the street for that big parade that followed the L.A. Lakers' victory. So quite a police presence expected here today.
CHETRY: Right. Right, and they had about, what, 750,000 people out on the streets. That is what they were estimating. I talked to Bill Bratton, the police chief of the Los Angeles police department. He said that they haven't braced for this many people since -- or in terms of the mobilization efforts since the convention, the political convention back in 1980 -- or the Olympics back in 1984. So a lot going on today. They're ready.
And also, the other interesting thing is they're going to be ready for the situation around the private memorial, as well. They say that several thousand police and fire personnel are going to be assigned to duties there, as well.
They also issued what they called a tactical alert. And that allows the police department to hold officers for these 12-hour shifts and respond to high priority calls. So they're definitely ready for that. But before the public memorial at the Staple Center gets underway today, Michael Jackson's family and close friends will be gathering in Hollywood Hills at the Forest Lawn Cemetery and they'll be saying their private good-byes to Michael. In the meantime, a new mystery surrounding Michael Jackson's burial. Family members and a hearse spotted late last night at that cemetery. A woman in sunglasses that you're about to see believed to be Michael's sister, Latoya. And our Ted Rowlands is there right now, as well.
And we understand the Jackson Family is expected there less than three hours from now. What else do you know about what's happening for that private service this morning, Ted?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, the Jackson Family has been very tight-lipped about their private ceremony or service gathering there calling it here at the Forest Lawn mortuary. You saw the video of them coming here last night. And, again, they were private about that. Not saying publicly what the event was or what the gathering was, whether it was a viewing or not. There was a hearse here and members of the Jackson Family. And then this morning, we are expecting much of the same thing.
At 8:00 Pacific Time, after this gathering, the California Highway Patrol will be escorting the family from here to the Staples Center so that they can also take part in the very public memorial service.
One thing we do know in all of this is that the investigation into Michael Jackson's death is still ongoing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: The investigation continues into why Jackson who apparently was healthy enough for concert rehearsals died at the age of 50. Monday we learned that three search warrants had been issued in this case, which is still being classified as a death investigation.
ALLAN PARACHINI, LA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT SPOKESMAN: There were three warrants signed by a judge. They are sealed.
ROWLANDS: According to the Associated Press, Diprivan, a sedative typically only used in hospital settings was found at Jackson's home. That's the same drug this nurse claims Jackson asked her for a few months ago.
The DEA is helping the Los Angeles police department.
JIM MCDONNELL, LAPD CHIEF OF STAFF: We routinely work with each other, you know, for anything that has to do with drugs. The DEA are the experts on that, you know. And if you're looking at the prescription issues, you know, where else would you go?
ROWLANDS: Meanwhile in court, a judge granted temporary control of the Jackson estate to his former Attorney John Branca who worked for Jackson when the will was written and the singer's music industry friend John McLane. Attorneys for Jackson's mother, Katherine, fought the ruling. She still has custody of the three children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: And another thing that is still a mystery here, Kiran, is Jackson's body. Will he be in turn buried here this morning at the family gathering? Or will it be possible -- the body possibly be taken to Staples Center? There are now reports this morning that that could be a possibility. Again, the Jackson Family being very tight- lipped, tight security, as well, just as you're experiencing at Staples Center. This entire area has been cordoned off to the public in anticipation of this morning's gathering of the family.
CHETRY: Yes. And, Ted, interestingly, I asked Reverend Al Sharpton about that. He joined us about 30 minutes ago. And I said, you know, there are these reports that Michael Jackson's casket may be brought here to the Staples Center. He said he couldn't give me any information about that.
But, again, that is some of the speculation this morning. We will find out soon, though. This is set to take place in just under five hours.
Ted, thanks so much.
And CNN is the place to see the Michael Jackson memorial. We have a team of correspondents and producers on the ground. Everybody also is keeping people informed up to the minute through Twitter, as well, blogging, cnn.com/amfix. You can follow us on Twitter.com/kiranchetrycnn and twitter.com/amfix, as well. CNN AmFIX.
Also starting at noon Eastern, 9:00 Pacific, we're going to begin our special coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial here at the Staples Center. And if you are away from your TV, you can watch all of it on the Web, as well, CNN.com/live -- Alina.
CHO: Kiran, thanks.
You know, fans call him the undisputed King of Pop. And even in death, Michael Jackson is setting records in the music business. We're going to have much more in just a moment.
Seven minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: You're looking live there, aerial shots courtesy of our affiliates KCAL and KCBS in Los Angeles. Just a gorgeous shot of Los Angeles as the sun comes up. And there you see it outside the Staples Center, where millions around the world will remember Michael Jackson today. The memorial service will get underway, the public at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time, 10:00 a.m. Pacific.
Our own Kiran Chetry is outside the Staples Center. We're going to be going to her throughout the morning.
And our special coverage right here on CNN continues throughout the day, and it begins led by our Anderson Cooper and a team of our other correspondents at noon Eastern Time. So stay tuned for that. Since Michael Jackson's passing, sales of his music literally have gone through the roof. His albums hold the top three spots on the Billboard charts right now. And more than two million Michael Jackson tracks have been downloaded. Just incredible.
Bill Werde is Billboard's editorial director. He joins me now to talk about all of this.
Bill, it's really incredible when you think about it. I mean, you're looking at -- you hear his music everywhere, first of all, on the radio. You can't turn on the radio without hearing him. And three of his albums right now, number ones, "Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller." Top three spots on the Billboard charts. I mean, this has never happened before.
How significant is this?
BILL WERDE, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, BILLBOARD: Well, I mean, you know, we're a 115-year-old brand and this is an unprecedented development. So that's really saying something.
I think this is the first time in history that an artist from the catalog charts, an album that's been out longer than 18 months has outsold the top-selling contemporary album. And in this case, Michael Jackson did it with three separate album. So it was really pretty startling feed.
CHO: Yes. You know, when I was reading it, I think it was eight platinum albums, six multiplatinum -- just incredible. "Thriller," the best selling album of all time as many of us have heard.
You know, when you read his list of accomplishments, it's really incredible.
Give us a sense, you know, because we call him the King of Pop. Why was he so significant? Talk about some of those records that he's broken.
WERDE: Well, I mean, I think for starters -- I mean, the guy sold more albums than anyone -- certainly more albums than any other pop star. More albums than anyone, but I think Elvis and The Beatles, Bill Crosby, and they are two on a global level. More number one singles than anyone other than I think Elvis.
CHO: Yes, we're looking at the -- yes, we're looking at "Billie Jean" video right now, which I was really fascinated to find out that that was the first video by a black artist to be on MTV's regular rotation. That's incredible.
WERDE: Well, that's right. Michael Jackson integrated MTV. And he really integrated the pop world in a way that I don't think have been done before.
You know, he meant a lot to people in that regard. Not only because he was able to sort of be a trail blazer like that, but his music also meant a lot. In a time before I think, you know, talking about love and children and these things took on any other connotation...
CHO: Sure.
WERDE: ...he really -- you know, he was a doer of good in the world. And he kind of behaved the way I think we all wanted to behave, and we reached that level today.
CHO: Yes. I mean, I grew up with a Michael Jackson poster on my bedroom wall.
WERDE: That's right. That's right.
CHO: I mean, I'll never forget watching him moon walked to "Billie Jean" you know. And it's just one of those iconic moments in pop history.
You know, the one thing I do want to talk about is that he really has developed a new fan base even in death interestingly enough. And I mean, the hits are going to keep on coming. I mean, there will be tribute albums, and tribute -- you know, the rehearsal performance is going to come out, as well, and that will sell too, right?
WERDE: Yes. I mean, when that rehearsal performance comes out, and I'm sure it will. There are some deals and, you know, to be worked out. But AEG has like hundreds of hours of footage by all accounts, including his final performance, his final rehearsal for this concert that these millions of people never got to see. That's going to sell through the roof. There's no question.
CHO: Yes. I mean, that rehearsal video was taken just two days before his death. Someone said, you know, he looks really, really thin there.
WERDE: Yes.
CHO: I mean, from your estimation, how do you think he looked?
WERDE: I thought he looked great. Honestly, I've seen some of this footage. He definitely looked thin.
CHO: Right.
WERDE: But as I've seen this footage, he clearly seemed able to perform and he seemed spot on with his dance moves and the choreography, it was kind of heartwarming, too.
CHO: Yes. I'm just curious. You know, you're a music buff. How are you going to remember Michael Jackson?
WERDE: Well, I mean, you know, my favorite album is "Off the Wall." I feel like you can play that beginning to end. I'll remember him for his performance. I think what's been great about the last week or so is watching sort of the whole world take this breath and kind of let go of any concerns they have, and just get back to enjoying Michael the Performer that they all once really loved.
CHO: Yes. I mean, I was talking earlier about you can't turn on a radio without hearing a Michael Jackson song.
WERDE: No.
CHO: I mean, it's such a somber and a solemn moment to remember him today. But, I mean, to hear his -- you know, I've been reliving the love I had for his music as a child, you know.
WERDE: That's exactly right. If you go back and you look at some of these YouTube videos that are out there, the famous Motown performance, where he moon walked for the first time, you know, some of the videos from "Off the Wall" or "Thriller." If you don't go back and really connect with those images, I think that you're just holding on to some anger or something. It's amazing. He's an amazing performer.
CHO: Bill Werde, Billboard's editorial director. Thank you so much for sharing some of those moments with us. We appreciate it.
WERDE: Great to be here.
CHO: Thank you.
You know, we want to hear from you, as well. Share your thoughts and memories of Michael Jackson, just head to our AM blog, cnn.com/amfix.
You know, we've been hearing from all of you throughout the past week or so.
Also, you know, a lot to talk about with respect to the investigation. What exactly caused Michael Jackson's death? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been looking into it. He's going to join us live next.
Fourteen minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: 5:17 in the morning here in Los Angeles. And it's eerily quiet. We're talking about this. They're expecting huge, huge numbers of people to come out today for this very public memorial for Michael Jackson. This is in addition to the just 11,000 that actually got tickets and will be inside the Staples Center, and then several thousand others who are going to be watching it right next door on huge screens of the Nokia Theater.
But, again, it's 5:15 here. This service is set to get underway in just under five hours. And we are pretty quiet out here today. But police here in Los Angeles are certainly bracing for a record turnout. They're closing down exit ramps in the vicinity of this area to try to keep traffic flowing. There's temporary parking signs everywhere.
Kara Finnstrom is on that, and she's going to be checking in with us in a few minutes here.
Meanwhile, the millions of Michael Jackson fans around the world are still wondering how the singer died.
Let's bring in our CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He has been working on this story all week.
And Sanjay, as we talked about before, we're still awaiting at least the public release of this toxicology report.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.
CHETRY: In the meantime, though, are investigators getting any closer to figuring out the official cause of Michael Jackson's death?
GUPTA: Well, the official answer is that they say things are still in process as far as the autopsy goes. But the reality is I can tell you, when it comes to the toxicology, which a lot of people are obviously focusing on as a result of this investigation, a lot of those answers probably already came back.
When this sort of testing occurs, you get some answers back very quickly within a day or so. And then there are more sophisticated tests to try and figure out if there were certain chemicals in the body, how high were the levels? Were they have therapeutic levels? Were they have toxic levels? Or were they potentially at lethal levels? But even those testing results should've come back by now.
I think what's happening, Kiran, is they're trying to complete the entire autopsy, which means looking at various tissue including the brain, the liver, various organs, and painting a complete picture of exactly what happened to him.
But, you know, from a medical examiner standpoint, you have certain ideas, certain clues that start to make more and more sense and you zero in on them, and I think that process is going in on now.
CHETRY: And speaking of zeroing in on something, what about this drug Diprivan also known as Propofol that has taken center stage it seems in this story, this anesthetic.
Are they going to be able to find out whether that was in his system at the time of his death if indeed it was what contributed to his death?
GUPTA: It is a great question. I've got to tell you it's one of the most unusual sort of things that I've heard about as a physician. This idea of using Diprivan or Propofol in a non-medical setting; in a home setting, for example.
And no one knows if that's what happened. But we do know, for example, sources have told me that there was a doctor who traveled around with him and gave him some sort of anesthetic. And as you know, they took things out of his home that were likely Propofol or Diprivan, as well. So that's why the investigation is focusing on that direction. Here's the issue. It is a medication that lasts a very short time. It has what's called a very short half-life. In fact, just a few minutes. So are you able to test for it hours later or even days later?
And the answer, you know, it was really hard to come by. No one really knows. It's not part of formal toxicology testing, but some of the coroners have told me that you can test for byproducts of Diprivan and that you may find it in the liver, you may find it in the bloodstream. So it's going to be interesting to see how they sort of piece that together. It's not something that's normally routinely done -- Kiran.
CHETRY: And there was also private autopsy that was requested by the Jackson Family as well. Did they get the results of that? And when can we expect to hear publicly whether or not those -- that autopsy yielded any information.
GUPTA: Well, one thing about, you know, second autopsy or private autopsy in this case is the flow of information is completely controlled by the family. So they don't necessarily ever have to release that information, but much in the way that we're talking about the first autopsy. When it comes to the toxicology stuff, my guess is a lot of that information has already come back. So there's probably a lot of information already out there and people know this information, but are waiting to release it.
Quick example, when you look at someone's strands of hair, for example, you may know that they had a certain chemical in their body at the time of death, but how long had that chemical been around? Like had they been, you know, using it chronically over years or months. Looking at hair millimeter by millimeter, you can sort of get an idea of just when the use started and how long it'd been going on. So that's sort of the detailed level of testing that was probably occurring even today, Kiran.
CHETRY: Sanjay Gupta for us, continuing to follow the latest on this medical angle. What did eventually kill Michael Jackson?
Still a lot of questions to be answered there.
Thanks, Sanjay -- Alina.
CHO: Kiran, thanks.
You know, she calls it the right move, not a comfortable one. She said she's a fighter, not a quitter.
Our Drew Griffin tracked down Sarah Palin. He went one-on-one with the Alaska governor, and we'll have that interview next.
Twenty-two minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin wants everyone to know she's a fighter, not a quitter. This is the first time that she's answering questions about her bomb shell resignation.
Special Investigations Unit correspondent Drew Griffin live in Anchorage for us this morning.
Drew, you actually tracked down the governor while she was on a fishing trip with her family. What did she say to you?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATION'S UNIT CORRESPONDENT: You know, first of all, she and her attorney trying to make clear there is no shoe about to drop, no scandal, no IRS, no FBI, no nothing. So the question is, why, governor, did you quit? She wants to get across the point, Alina, that this is about governing in the State of Alaska. She says she's become a distraction because she's been a lightning rod for a lot of ethics complaints that are dragging down the state business. She says she's been planning this for a while. July 3rd was deliberately set as her independence day.
But in the end I asked her, you know, she was the pit bull with lipstick during the campaign. I asked her if in the end it just became too tough for her?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: Tough. No, I'm not going to take that comfortable path, I'm going to take the right path for the state. I'm going to let the state progress, and then, I'm going to be able to get out there and help people, help effect change in our state and positive change in our nation, that is my goal. Helping to work for other people to do such a thing. And I don't need a title to do that. And they don't need titles either to effect change, but I want to help people who want to fight for the right things.
GRIFFIN (on camera): But, governor, if that is the right road for Alaska...
PALIN: Yes.
GRIFFIN: ...is it the dangerous road for you to be labeled in this land of tough people, a quitter?
PALIN: I'm certainly not a quitter, I'm a fighter. And that's why I'm doing this. To go out there and fight for what is right without the constraints that have been surrounding me in these final months. And anybody who lives in Alaska will tell you, of course, our administration has been paralyzed. We spend most of our day fending off frivolous lawsuits.
So, no, it's not a matter of retreating or quitting, it's a matter of progressing and forwarding a good positive agenda in an unconventional way. And I think that's what caught people off guard, "wait a minute, that's kind of out of the box and unconventional," well, that is who we are as Alaskans. That's certainly how I am as a public servant, as a person very proud of my state, seeing great potential in my state, unconventional in the way that we're getting things done, but we certainly are getting those things done.
GRIFFIN: Is this your unconventional way of announcing you're going to run for president in 2012.
PALIN: As I said, I don't need a title. Nobody does to effect positive change.
GRIFFIN: Are you out of politics? Political office?
PALIN: I can't see me being totally out of public service because that is within me. It is the way that I'm wired is to desire to help.
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: Governor, I'm asking you, are you ever going to run for president? Are you ruling it out?
PALIN: All options are going to keep on, continue to be on the table as they have been for me my entire life. I'm not going to close any door that may be open for me out there so all options are on the table.
GRIFFIN: July 3rd was deliberate?
PALIN: July 3rd was deliberate. That's a good catch, because that was the eve of Independence Day.
Yes.
GRIFFIN: I'm told by your attorney that was your declaration of independence.
PALIN: Well, it was a declaration of, come on, Alaska, let's move forward. I am willing to step aside and allow our state to progress. I love Alaska that much. I don't want to hamper its progress and its potential, and our path on reaching our destiny. Our destiny is to contribute more to the U.S., to provide that energy independence and that national security aspect.
I don't want to get in the way of that. And I'm willing to step aside and fight for what's right on a different path. So it's not retreat, it's progress.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Alina, even in that setting with the hip waiters on, I felt like she was still on the campaign trail talking, but I must tell you, she did seem very much at ease, very comfortable with the decision she made even though here in Alaska many people believe she's committed political suicide.
CHO: Interesting. Fascinating interview, Drew.
Drew Griffin live for us in Anchorage, Alaska.
Drew, as always, thank you.
Of course, the other big story we are watching today, the star- studded memorial service for Michael Jackson. And out there in Los Angeles covering it all from outside the Staples Center, our own Kiran Chetry.
Hey, Kiran, good morning again.
CHETRY: Hey, there, Alina. Yes, 29 minutes past the hour. We're here outside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. And, again, we said it's eerily quiet. I mean, they expected these massive crowds out here today. So far, though, well, you hear some helicopters overhead. I'm sure you can hear that and all of the camera crews are set up outside to cover this live. And inside, of course, they're also are going to be feeding live to broadcast in cable CNN.com and CNN, of course, our network, is going to be broadcasting this event live.
Meanwhile, they were hoping that many who wanted to come out and didn't have tickets would stay home to watch it. So far even though they've set up a big perimeter barricaded, some of the streets, put up temporary no parking signs and closed off exits. Right now there are not huge crowds. But, you know, we still have hours to go so that could happen.
Meanwhile, as we know, Michael Jackson died after cardiac arrest on June 25th. And since then, these arrangements have been made for some sort of memorial, some way for thousands of loyal fans to join in saying good-bye, and that's what we have here today.
He is, of course, the most successful recording artist in history. And there are so many who say they don't know why, but Michael Jackson touched them in such a unique way that they will always remember him, and that they wanted to have a chance to say good-bye.
Erica Hill is taking a look now at who will be paying tribute.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A final tribute to the King of Pop. The man who forever changed the way the world experiences music and firmly altered an industry.
SMOKEY ROBINSON, SINGER: I think that all of the young men singers and some of the young ladies who have come behind him have in some way mimicked him.
USHER, SINGER: This man was my inspiration. I would not be the entertainer I am today had he not been who he was. You know, culture and music would not be what it is without Michael Jackson.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Both Smokey Robinson and Usher will take the stage at Tuesday's memorial in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Jackson, bridging generations and boundaries. Also slated to appear, John Mayer, American Idol Jennifer Hudson, pop star Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HILL: Industry greats dwarfed by the occasion.
EMIL WILBEKIN, MANAGING EDITOR, ESSENCE.COM: This memorial is going to be very, very emotional. It will also be something that everyone will always be able to remember because it's going to be a trip down memory lane. A lot of the stars and celebrities will put their egos away.
HILL: Stars like Sean P. Diddy Combs who confirmed to CNN he will be attending. Brooke Shields, a fixture with Jackson at award shows in the 80s will also be at the memorial along with the Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, NBA great Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, and Barry Gordy who signed the Jackson Five to Motown Records.
Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe, the mother of his two oldest children will not be attending, nor will his long-time friend dame Elizabeth Taylor who tweeted today she didn't believe Michael would want me to share my grief with others.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HILL: Lionel Ritchie co-wrote "We are the World" with Jackson. They first met when Michael was singing with his brothers in the Jackson Five.
LIONEL RICHIE, SINGER: Probably the largest, largest singer/song writer artist I should say, dancer, performer in the world, ever. And now he will be the king of pop forever.
ROBINSON: His legacy is that he was an innovator. His legacy is that he was Michael Jackson.
HILL: A complicated life, but an undeniably gifted soul. Erica Hill, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: You know, the other interesting thing, Alina, as we know, there are so many that are going to be coming out there to pay tribute, possibly to participate, perform, and when I talked to Reverend Al Sharpton about an hour ago, he said that there's word that Muhammad Ali may be making his way here to the Staples Center to be able to join in the public memorial today.
CHO: Just incredible. And Kiran, you know, two people, three people, actually, notable exceptions that people who won't be going, Elizabeth Taylor, as you well know, who said that Michael Jackson would not want her to mourn in public and also his former wife, Debbie Rowe, and Lisa Marie Presley. We'll be going live to you throughout the morning. Kiran, thank you.
Meanwhile it is 33 minutes after the hour.
We're going to fast forward now to stories that will be making news later today. Today it will be official, Minnesota's senator- elect Al Franken will officially become Senator Franken. When Vice President Biden will swear him in at noon Eastern Time today.
Also on the hill today, Rhode Island Representative Patrick Kennedy. Congressman Kennedy will return to Washington today after spending nearly a month in a drug treatment center. Kennedy checked into the center last month but says he's now feeling healthy and strong.
And President Obama continues his trip in Russia this morning. At 10:30 Eastern time, he's going to be attending a reception with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It comes just hours after he spoke with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who some say is the real man in power there. It was an important conversation, which President Obama talked about with our own Ed Henry earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: I found him to be tough, smart, very un-sentimental. I think he's a practical person, and to the extent that there are common interests, like fighting terrorism, potentially nuclear proliferation, where he believes that working with the United States advances Russian goals. I think he can be a potential partner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: President Obama speaking to our own Ed Henry. We'll have much more after the break. It's 35 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHETRY: And there it was. That was the final dress rehearsal that was shot two days before the death of Michael Jackson. That was shot on June 23rd. He was prepping for the big performances, he was going to be giving in London.
Welcome back to the most news in the morning. We're live from the Staples Center this morning. And for more than 25 years, my next guest had access to Michael Jackson. Access that very few people enjoyed. He was Michael Jackson's celebrity photographer.
Kevin Mazur is the co-founder of wireimage.com, and later today Mazur is going to be photographing Jackson's memorial service. He joins me now to share his memories of Michael. Thanks so much for being with us, Kevin.
KEVIN MAZUR, CO-FOUNDER, WIREIMAGE.COM: Thank you.
CHETRY: So you were at that rehearsal, as well, snapping photos of Michael as he prepped to go back on stage and to do this "This is it" series of concerts. How did he look to you?
MAZUR: He looked like the same Michael Jackson that I've photographed through the years. He was in perfect health from what I saw. He was jumping around, having a good time, very upbeat, enjoying himself with the dancers and the dancers are all in their 20s and he was keeping up with them, going toe to toe.
CHETRY: He was and you can imagine what it must have been like for them about to embark on the opportunity of a lifetime and then have it cut short. You said you were in London and shocked to hear about Michael's death on the 25th.
MAZUR: Yes, I was photographing Elton John's White Tie and Tiara AIDS Foundation Ball, at his home in Windsor and Elton told me that Michael died and I didn't believe it at first. I was saying there's always so many rumors around Michael. And then later on someone came up to me and said CNN has confirmed that Michael died. And I was like CNN saying it, I better call back to L.A. and find out.
CHETRY: We look at him, he seems to be full of energy, and he seems to be as precise as he ever was. I mean, you watch some of his concert footage. What did you make of some of the talk by those around him that he had suffered from severe insomnia. That he was really suffering with that and was looking for any way to try to get some sleep. Did you see that, you know the type of pressure before you're about to embark on something so physical as a concert?
MAZUR: I didn't see that. You know, I was at the rehearsal and he was full of energy, full of life. Ready to work. He was really into the show. They put together - Michael Jackson, Kenny Ortega put on this amazing production, I couldn't wait to see it at the O-2 arena with all the fans. I mean they were going to do "Thriller" in 3-D, which has never been done. Michael always threw some element in the show to do something different. You know, from doing his cherry picker bit, going over TO the crowd -
CHETRY: Right.
MAZUR: To him shooting up out of the floor, you know, the stage.
CHETRY: And now it's just what people do at concerts, but you forget that he pioneered a lot of that stuff.
MAZUR: Oh, yes.
CHETRY: But Kevin, what do you think he would make of this? I mean, there are a lot of people making a lot of money off the death of Michael Jackson? And today's memorial service while many will be remembering him, it is a humongous media event.
MAZUR: Yes. I was shocked too. To see all of the guys selling merchandise and bootleg shirts and photos when I was driving here.
CHETRY: Would it bother Michael Jackson?
MAZUR: I really I don't know. I couldn't tell you. CHETRY: What did he think about the enduring fame that sort of surrounded him? The fact that there was so much interest in his personal life and the fact that there were so many around him who some say wanted something from him.
MAZUR: Well, I really didn't know him on a personal level like that. It was always a working relationship with me and him. But the one thing is, he was total perfectionist, one of the greatest entertainers in the world, and he loved his fans. He was always all about his fans. He would take so much time out with his fans. We did a record signing in the Virgin mega store in New York once. And he would stop for all the fans and he would like, Kevin take a picture of me with this fan. And he was very, very into his fans.
CHETRY: And as we said, you're going to be taking pictures today at that memorial service. What type of images are you looking to capture?
MAZUR: I'm here to help out and just document everything for the family. And it's going to be an amazing service, I can't wait.
CHETRY: Kevin, thanks for joining us this morning. And we look forward to seeing those photos after today's service. Thanks.
MAZUR: Thank you.
CHETRY: We also want to hear from you. We want you to share your thoughts, your favorite memories of Michael Jackson. Head to our show blog. Where to find it, well it's cnn.com/amfix. We'll be right back.
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CHO: He died on June 25th, but the king of pop will be remembered today in a star-studded memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Our Kiran Chetry will be there. And we'll be getting back to her in just a moment. But first, welcome back to the most news in the morning. Our correspondents covering all sides of Michael Jackson's memorial this morning, including our very own Jason Carroll who is live in Gary, Indiana. That's where Jackson was born. He's actually at the singer's childhood home.
And Jason, I know you're taking a look back at his early rise to super stardom. You even tracked down his elementary school principal who is 93 years old. Just incredible. What did she say, Jason?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She was - Gladys, an incredible woman. She had so many little anecdotal sort of little stories about Michael Jackson from back in the day. First let's get to where I am right now. We are right here in front of the Jackson home. This is where it all started.
Alina, you can see the cards, the letters, the flowers, everything that the fans have left here. You know when Michael Jackson grew up here, it wasn't about the controversy, it wasn't about all the problems, it was about the music this young man created right inside this home.
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CARROLL (voice-over): One thing about child prodigies, when it comes to their talent, signs of greatness often show up early. In Michael Jackson's case, it was way before the "Ed Sullivan Show," it was in kindergarten.
GLADYS JOHNSON, FORMER GARNETT ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL: He was brought to my attention because he wanted to sing the Christmas song for his class.
CARROLL: Gladys Johnson, now 93, was Jackson's principal at Garnett Elementary School in Gary, Indiana. To this day, she still remembers the young Michael.
JOHNSON: You didn't even know he was there. If he hadn't raised such a ruckus in the kindergarten about singing the kindergarten song, I wouldn't have known Michael was there.
CARROLL: Jackson joined his brother's musical group at age five, practicing at their home in Gary, winning talent contests, and catching the eye of Gordon Keith.
GORDON KEITH, FORMER STEELTOWN RECORDS OWNER: This kid is really super.
CARROLL: Then owner of Steeltown Records who signed the group to their first record deal.
(on camera): I know throughout your time you've come across a lot of talented singers
KEITH: Right.
CARROLL: Why was Michael Jackson special?
KEITH: Better than James Brown.
CARL That's why you signed him?
KEITH: That's right.
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CARROLL (voice-over): Under Keith's label, the Jackson's released their first regional hit "Big Boy."
KEITH: This is a box of records. The way it was back in the day.
CARROLL: The group stayed with him for five years before Motown called. Shelly Berger, their first manager at Motown saw the two sides of Michael, then nine years old. SHELLY BERGER, FORMER JACKSON 5 MANAGER: Off stage, you would think this was just a little boy doing his coloring, watching his cartoons, and when he got on stage, he - he was incredible.
CARROLL: In 1969 appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show," Michael capturing the spotlight with "I Want You Back." Off stage, even then his manager saw signs of what Jackson would become.
BERGER: You know, when people talk about "Billie Jean" and the moonwalk and "Thriller," he was doing this kind of stuff when he was 10 years old.
CARROLL: That was Jackson before he left the group and would go on to show mortals how to moonwalk, before thrilling music television or being the king of pop, he was the quiet little prince of the playground, who wanted his spot in the kindergarten show.
JOHNSON: One of the sweetest things you ever saw. You just wanted to go up and hug him.
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CARROLL: Well, a lot of his fans wish they could do just that, Alina, give Michael Jackson a hug. You know, the mayor of Gary, Indiana, wants to turn this home into a museum. And later this week on Friday, they're going to be having a memorial service right here in Jackson's hometown at a stadium not too far from here. Some 5,000 people expected to pay tribute to their hometown hero. Alina?
CHO: Jason Carroll live for us, outside the childhood home of Michael Jackson in Gary, Indiana. Jason, thank you. 49 minutes after the hour.
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CHO: Welcome back to a very special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. We're going to get to Kiran Chetry outside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles in just a moment, where really in just a couple of hours the memorial for Michael Jackson will be held. It could be the most watched media event in history when you consider since Elvis Presley died, you know, there was the advent of the internet.
Certainly 17,500 lucky fans will be there too. They were the ones who got tickets to the Staples Center today. In life, wherever Michael Jackson went, a horde of media was sure to follow. So it's not really surprising that the media has converged in Los Angeles for Jackson's final act, a massive public memorial to be broadcast around the world.
Our A.J. Hammer is looking at how our CNN and others in the media will get it done.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) A.J. HAMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Outside of L.A. Staples Center, where the Lakers and Clippers play, the global media is in a full court press.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's big. It feels like in some ways like Princess Diana's funeral. I mean, there's this worldwide imprint.
HAMMER: CNN producers, reporters, and crews, and their colleagues from around the world have their game face on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since he died, we have been making lives on every newscast. We never stop.
HAMMER: 11 days after news first trickled out of an ambulance call to Michael Jackson's home.
TONY POTTS, "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD": It's been pretty much 24/7. If I haven't actually been on the job, I've been on the job through twitter, or you know people twittering me, tweeting me, it's been nonstop since June 25th. As you can tell with the helicopters above.
HAMMER: News coverage of Jackson's sudden death hits its crescendo Tuesday with the public memorial. And Team CNN is racing against the clock to be ready.
JASON HOCHHEIMER, CNN LIGHTING DESIGNER: We started putting out trusses around midnight last night and moved forward from there. Started hanging our lights, choosing our background, trying to pick what's going to be the best shot for us. And then it's a lot of sweat and labor from there.
ALEC MIRAN, CNN SPECIAL EVENTS PRODUCER: They've already started, you know, making us wear these wristbands. Do we have enough wristbands? What if somebody loses their wristband.
HAMMER: Veteran CNN special events producer Alec Miran is finding this one a particular challenge.
MIRAN: This event is different than a lot of others because usually we just have a clue as to what - I mean we don't know right now, we don't know how long it's going to be. We don't know very much, and we're going to be tap dancing a lot.
HAMMER: The only sure thing is almost 27,000 Jackson fans, friends, and family will be on hand for the memorial and CNN will be sending it to millions around the globe.
HOCHHEIMER: Sleep, right. I don't see that in my future.
HAMMER: A.J. Hammer, CNN, New York.
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CHO: A moment in history. 55 minutes after the hour. We're back after this.
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CHETRY: All right. Welcome back. We are live outside the Staples Center this morning. Michael Jackson's memorial service set to take place. Huge public memorial just hours from now. And here is the scene as the sun is coming up now. It's nearly 6:00 out here L.A. time. So in four hours, this is when the service gets underway.
And joining me now Michael Eric Dyson. He is a sociology professor at Georgetown University, culture critic and somebody who met Michael Jackson a few times. You met him actually at Johnny Cochran's funeral.
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, HOST OF "THE MICHAEL ERIC DYSON SHOW" ON PUBLIC RADIO: Right.
CHETRY: And I'm sure that this is one of the things that you'll probably talk about with your students is what determined who makes such a cultural impact on our society? I mean, for better or for worse, whatever your personal feelings are about Michael Jackson -
DYSON: Right.
CHETRY: There's no doubt the impact he's made on American pop culture. Why?
DYSON: Well, I think first of all, he had an extraordinary genius. At six or seven years old, this young man already understood that he loved Jackie Wilson, he loved James Brown. He loved William Hart, yes, a lead singer for the group, Delfronics. Who knows that at six or seven? Who knows it at 50 for some of us.
So the reality was he was a musical genius who was able to channel both that boyhood voice. It was drenched in blue like Otis Redding. He was channeling him. He was channeling Sam Cook, but he also tapped into the vulnerability of his humanity and I think the globe has responded with such an outpouring of love because they felt the fragility of Michael Jackson's genius and they felt his humanity at the same time when he struggled with the inner demons.
CHETRY: When you look around today, what motivates people to fly from all over the world, take off from work -
DYSON: Right.
CHETRY: Come to a place where they're not even guaranteed to get anywhere near - to be part of remembering publicly this singer?
DYSON: Isn't something? In a world of cyberspace where people can just, you know, tap in on-line, they still want to be there. That's old school. They're analog in a digital world. They want to be up close to Michael Jackson.
They want to feel the needle on the record as opposed to listening to the download. They want to be here with the body, be here with the person, be here with where his memory was located, and therefore feel that they've touched something of a phenomenon, something of a legend.
CHETRY: Will we ever see a pop icon like this again in our lifetime?
DYSON: Never again. It's not even possible. In the world in which we live, media is so fragmented, things are so I think spread out, that Michael Jackson was a unifying figure in such a fundamental fashion and gave the world a global icon of overcoming divisions of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and the like.
CHETRY: Very interesting. And how fitting that the most watched television performance was his performance of the Super Bowl in 1993.
DYSON: Yes.
CHETRY: And today could overshadow that.
DYSON: Oh yes.
CHETRY: And is to be the most watched event in television history.
DYSON: Bigger than ever in death than the was even in life.
CHETRY: Well -- all right, Michael Erik Dyson, our time is up. Great to have you this morning. Thanks for being with us.
DYSON: Thanks for having me.
CHETRY: And that is going to do it for us. We are going to say good-bye here on AMERICAN MORNING. But please keep it on CNN. Our coverage continues now and throughout the day as well as on CNN.com. Thanks so much.
And Alina, I'll see you back in New York tomorrow.
CHO: I know you're going to get on a flight very soon, but you're going to be watching that memorial service. Great to have you out there, Kiran. And for everyone here at CNN, for Kiran Chetry in Los Angeles, I'm Alina Cho.
We'll be back here from New York tomorrow. Thanks so much for joining us on this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
CNN's special coverage continues now with Heidi Collins.
