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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Michael Jackson Memorialized
Aired July 07, 2009 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening from Los Angeles.
As you know, it's been quite a day here. Michael Jackson was remembered, both simply and grandly. A massive memorial came off really without a hitch. We have new details tonight that came to light about Jackson's death. And the always private Jackson family is once again seeking privacy, plans, including burial details, at this point unknown.
But, at the end of it all, what lingers now for the people who watched it around the world is the memorial at the Staples Center downtown and the simply wrenching words of Michael's 11-year-old daughter, Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARIS MICHAEL KATHERINE JACKSON, DAUGHTER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: I just wanted to say...
JANET JACKSON, SISTER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: Speak up, sweetheart. Speak up.
P. JACKSON: ... ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: One of the writers of the hourly bulletins for CNN put it beautifully this evening: "An 11-year-old girl who lost her father made the world cry with her today."
Crushing moments, uplifting moments, an enormous production, and a simply family -- and a simple family funeral, all in this remarkable day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
QUEEN LATIFAH, ACTRESS: Somehow, when Michael Jackson sang and when he danced, we never felt distant. We felt like he was right there, right for us. You believed in Michael, and he believed in you.
(MUSIC) BERRY GORDY, MOTOWN FOUNDER: The more I think and talk about Michael Jackson, I feel the king of pop is not big enough for him. I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
STEVIE WONDER, MUSICIAN: I do know that, as much as we may feel -- and we do -- that we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more.
(MUSIC)
BROOKE SHIELDS, ACTRESS: Michael's favorite song was not one of the countless masterpieces that he gave us. But it was a song that Charlie Chaplin wrote for the movie "Modern Times." It's called "Smile."
And there's a line in the song that says, "Smile, though your heart is aching."
Well, today, although our hearts are aching, we need to look up, where he is undoubtedly perched in a crescent moon, and we need to smile.
(MUSIC)
USHER, MUSICIAN: We love you, Michael. You mean so much to us, especially me.
(MUSIC)
SMOKEY ROBINSON, MUSICIAN: He is going to live forever and ever and ever and ever.
(MUSIC)
MARLON JACKSON, BROTHER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: So, I thank you Michael. I thank you for all the smiles that you placed in many people's hearts.
And I thank you for everything that you have done for others across this globe in the lord's name.
And I have one request, Michael, one request. I would like for you to give our brother, my twin brother, Brandon, a hug for me.
I love you, Michael, and I will miss you.
(APPLAUSE)
P. JACKSON: Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much.
(APPLAUSE)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Paris Katherine Jackson, 11 years old, saying more in just a few words than all the stars in the auditorium could or, to her, the universe. She misses her daddy.
The Reverend Al Sharpton spoke earlier at the memorial, paying tribute to her and her two brothers. He also spoke of her dad's achievements as a social trailblazer.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: When Michael started, it was a different world. But, because Michael kept going, because he didn't accept limitations, because he refused to let people decide his boundaries, he opened up the whole world in the music world.
He put on one glove, pulled his pants up, and broke down the color curtain, where now our videos are shown and magazines put us on the cover.
(APPLAUSE)
SHARPTON: It was Michael Jackson that brought blacks and whites and Asians and Latinos together.
It was Michael Jackson that made us sing "We Are the World," and feed the hungry...
(APPLAUSE)
SHARPTON: ... long before Live Aid.
Michael rose to the top. He out-sang his cynics. He out-danced his doubters. He outperformed the pessimists.
Every time he got knocked down, he got back up. Every time you counted him out, he came back in.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SHARPTON: Michael never stopped. Michael never stopped. Michael never stopped.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Reverend Al Sharpton really electrifying the Staples Center earlier today.
He joins me now.
How do you feel it -- it went overall?
SHARPTON: I thought the whole service was almost flawless. I thought it was very inspiring.
I thought it was done very classy, something that, in my relationships with Michael over the years in interfacing with him, he always wanted perfection. I think he would have been very proud of how it was produced, how it was done, and how his family made sure it was done.
COOPER: I was listening to your speech, and it was incredibly rousing and -- and -- and powerful. And part of me was thinking, it is sort of bittersweet that, in life, often, we don't recognize those who are trailblazers.
And it's often just in death, once we get some perspective on their life. Michael Jackson, in life, really was not probably embraced as much as he is being now, in terms of -- of breaking the color barriers.
SHARPTON: I think that you are right. I think that is sad, because I think too many of us don't realize the kind of pain and -- and -- and courage it takes, a combination, to break those barriers.
And, then, when you do, to not even get credit for it, but when someone raises it, people say, yes, you're right. He was the first one MTV put on of an African-American. He was the one that "Rolling Stone" and others had to start putting on the cover.
And for him to have to do it almost like it was effortless...
COOPER: Right.
SHARPTON: ... and it wasn't, might explain some of the scars he achieved, as I said, as he was climbing these mountains that had not been climbed before.
COOPER: And you talked today also about how others ended up climbing on his shoulders. I mean, if it was not for Michael Jackson, there may not have been an Oprah Winfrey as quickly as there was, or a Tiger Woods, or -- or, as you said, even a Barack Obama.
SHARPTON: I think he helped created a cultural comfort. There were other elements, those in the civil rights movement...
COOPER: Right.
SHARPTON: ... those in politics. But the cultural comfort, Michael was the dominant one to do that.
COOPER: Globally, too, not just in the United States.
SHARPTON: Globally, all over the world. And I think that, when people learn to kind of culturally be comfortable with one another, you can talk politics then; you can talk sports then. And I think that that is what he did. People began to party and sing and dance together and say, well, maybe we are not that different.
And you grow up. And, at 40, if you grew up with people at 19 that were different than you and didn't seem that strange, you may vote for people differently...
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: It changes your eye.
SHARPTON: It changes your eye. It changes your biases. It changes your fears, because most prejudice is fear. You fear the unknown.
Well, if you are imitating someone that looks different than you, it is not as unknown to you, isn't as imitating to you. I think that is what Michael helped contribute.
COOPER: I want to show our viewers what you said. You spoke to -- to Michael's kids directly. I want to show what you had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARPTON: And I want his three children to know, there wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: You saw them on stage today. Obviously, you heard Paris. How -- how are they doing?
SHARPTON: Well, I visited the house the last several days with Mr. Jackson and -- and Mrs. Jackson.
They seem to be holding up well. The children seem to be comfortable at home. This is what they know. They're there with their grandparents. They're there in an environment they know that their father trusted.
So, I'm sure they are devastated. But I think they are copping well, because they are in this kind of web of love with their grandparents, with their aunts and uncles. And I think they will be all right, because they know better than anyone how to bring them through this environment this is bizarre to the average person, but is their reality.
COOPER: I remember my dad died when I was 10. And the initial shock is one thing, but I often that it's -- it's in the weeks and months afterward, when the crowds kind of go away, and regular life resumes for everybody else, but you are kind of left as this little kid, you know, without a father.
SHARPTON: You're left as this little kid without a father, with all kinds of sensational stories, pro and con, about the father.
And you're trying to, at some point down the road, figure out, OK, who he really was. And that is why I wanted to address that to them today. I want them to know, because, somewhere down the road, when all of this is gone, they are going to want to know their father.
And they need to know that their father should not be judged by his costume or by whatever he did to, in his way, sell his trade. The substantive things he did, he had to face some things that were very strange. And he faced them, and he made doors open for people by doing that.
COOPER: How long did it take you to write that today?
SHARPTON: Absolutely as long as it took me to say it.
I speak extemporaneously.
COOPER: Is that right?
SHARPTON: And I don't speak from script.
You know, I started preaching as a little boy. So...
COOPER: Yes. Yes.
SHARPTON: ... I speak from the heart. And today was all from the heart.
COOPER: Well, it -- it certainly showed.
Reverend Sharpton, appreciate it. Thank you very much.
SHARPTON: Thank you, Anderson.
COOPER: Appreciate it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, let us know what you think about today, so much to talk about. Join the live chat at AC360.com right now.
Larry King joins me next with his take on today. He was sitting with the family.
Also throughout the hour tonight and all the way through the next hour, extended passages of today's performances.
And, later, the investigation -- we are learning more about the condition Michael Jackson was in during his final days, some troubling new details to tell you about -- that and more tonight on 360 live in Los Angeles.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We're back live in Los Angeles.
Some troubling new details tonight possibly involving how Michael Jackson died. We will have the complete and, frankly, unsettling report in just a few minutes.
But we also continue to bring you today's deeply moving memorial, including a powerful demonstration of just how completely Michael Jackson mastered the medium, a totally new medium not so long ago, of music videos.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: With us tonight now, a man who has known more megastars than perhaps anyone else on Earth. He got his start with Jackie Gleason and Frank Sinatra. And that was just the beginning.
Larry King joins me now.
You and your wife were sitting with the family three rows back.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Yes.
COOPER: What was it like, being up close like that?
KING: Well, it was incredible. The whole morning was incredible, Anderson.
And proud to be invited, to be there. And we sat right behind Berry Gordy, and that was the third row behind the family. And it was very emotional to see them react to what was going on, because we would -- we would constantly look at the stage and then the family. You had to.
COOPER: And the casket was right there.
KING: And that blew me away.
Did you know that the casket was coming?
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: We got word a little bit earlier before.
KING: Well, no one in the house knew it. And the hush that occurred when that was brought in was unbelievable. I did not expect that. You know, that is usually at a funeral, not at a memorial service. COOPER: We were -- we were -- Soledad O'Brien and I were watching when they brought the casket out this morning from the Forest Lawn. And both of us sort of had this intake of breath. When you actually first saw it, it sort of -- really, I mean, it obviously brings it all home.
KING: Yes. A body is in there.
COOPER: Yes.
KING: But why did they take it to Forest Lawn, if not to bury it at Forest Lawn?
COOPER: Yes. Well, I think they have not decided, or as far as...
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: They haven't announced yet.
KING: Where it's going to go, right.
COOPER: But they wanted somewhere to have a private -- a private service.
I...
KING: Yes. It was an incredible morning.
COOPER: You know, you were sitting close to -- to the three children. You lost your dad at age 9. I lost my dad at age 10.
It's -- it's impossible not to think about what they are going through tonight, and not just tonight, but in the weeks and months ahead, because, as I was saying to Reverend Sharpton a few moments ago, as a child, for me, it was the months afterward, when the crowds go away, and everyone else sort of returns to their life, as a child, your life changes forever.
KING: Yes, because death is cruel because it is so forever.
COOPER: Yes.
KING: I mean, it's -- there is nothing.
And I took it -- I don't know how you took it, I took it as leaving me. I was -- I was angry. And I think a part of me -- does it exist with you today?
COOPER: Oh, every single day.
KING: There is still part of me every single day...
COOPER: Yes.
KING: ... that something comes up that I know, in both our lives, something missed. We didn't have a daddy. And those children are going to miss something all their life.
COOPER: There's an author -- and I forget who -- said, a fatherless child thinks all things possible and nothing is safe.
And I was thinking about that today as -- as I saw those kids.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: And, yet, to -- to have Michael Jackson's daughter get up on that stage and -- and speak...
KING: Oh, that was -- that was obviously unexpected. I don't think she asked to speak. And, when they handed it to her, it was eloquent, in a way -- and in the way she looked.
And it was -- well, you see it there.
COOPER: Yes.
What do you make of -- I mean, there is still so much in this story that -- that is of interest to people. There's still so much, I mean, in the investigation. Have you seen anything like today, I mean, in terms of a -- a send-off, in terms of an outpouring?
KING: I'm trying to think of it. No. An outpouring, no.
I was at the Sinatra funeral. But he was in his 80s. It was not unexpected. It was at -- it was at the -- this old Catholic church in Beverly Hills. The casket was in the middle of the aisle, so that everyone felt close to it.
The cardinal of Los Angeles conducted the -- it was quite a thing. And his music played in the background, or something. And, then, they played "Put Your Dreams Away For Another Day" as everyone filed out past the casket. So, it was -- that was something.
But nothing -- there's nothing like this today. I -- you are never going to duplicate this. There will never be another Jackson.
COOPER: You -- you interviewed Jermaine Jackson the other day. How do you think the Jacksons -- I mean, they -- they are a family that have many divisions, that have had many ups and downs. And, yet, in grief they -- they certainly have come together today.
KING: They have. They have come together today.
They -- they -- that upbringing must have been incredible, the father's dominance, the very -- very poor aspect, the Gary, Indiana, that whole approach, which I can't conceive of what that must have been like.
Also, a family to have that much talent, I mean...
COOPER: Yes.
KING: ... that is a ton of talent. COOPER: And, at age 5, Michael Jackson starting to perform, age 10...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I interviewed him -- I interviewed the Jackson 5 when I guess he was 10 or 11.
COOPER: Is that right?
KING: They were in Miami...
(LAUGHTER)
KING: ... performing somewhere. And, I remember, the first thing I said was, when -- when it was over, that kid dominates this group.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Uh-huh.
KING: And he was up-front...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: ... shy before. In other words, when he was sitting there and they were going to come on, I remember looking down, saying, I'm going to have trouble with this kid.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: You know, the other four look OK.
COOPER: Right.
KING: Bam from the minute.
And that is still true. They say stories to this day...
COOPER: Yes.
KING: ... that he would sit on the side and be quiet, and all. And then the stage, bam, something happened to him.
COOPER: You see -- you see those old pictures of him on the stage, and he looked so happy. And, obviously, we know now there were -- there was a lot of stuff going on backstage.
KING: Yes.
COOPER: But to see the joy of Michael Jackson on stage -- and that is certainly something, those images, and -- and that sound lives on and live forever.
KING: I like that quote about the father. I'm thinking about that.
COOPER: Yes.
KING: Give it to me again.
COOPER: The fatherless child thinks all things possible and nothing is safe.
I think it's true.
KING: Well said.
COOPER: All right. Larry, thank you very much.
KING: Thanks, Anderson.
COOPER: Appreciate it.
Our extended coverage continues tonight with more of the moving performances today at length, including a tribute from Stevie Wonder. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVIE WONDER, MUSICIAN: This is a moment that I wished I didn't live to see come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Also tonight, compounding the tragedy, new details about how this moment may have come about and really should never have come about. We are learning more about Michael Jackson's medical condition -- that when 360 continues live in Los Angeles.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Coming up, much more from today's memorial honoring Michael Jackson's life and music, star-studded, tearful event.
But, first, Erica Hill has a 360 bulletin -- Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove deposed today by attorneys for the House Judiciary Committee.
The committee spokesman declined to provide any other detail, but the panel first subpoenaed Rove, you may recall, in 2007 as part of its probe into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys. At that time, the Bush White House did not make him available, citing executive privilege.
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, today calling last month's disputed election -- quote -- "the most free election anywhere in the world," and said it was a great event. He made the comments in a nationally televised address. Opponents charge, the election was rigged. At least 20 protesters died in the civil unrest that followed.
In Russia, President Obama meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on a day -- on day two of a trip the White House calls an effort to reset relations. Mr. Obama also gave a commencement speech at a Moscow graduate school, telling the students a strong Russia is good for the United States and how the two countries are not destined to be antagonists.
In an interview with CNN, President Obama was asked about Vice President Joe Biden's recent remarks on Israel, which appeared to leave the door open for Israel to attack Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Are you giving Israel a green light?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Absolutely not. And I think it is very important that -- that I'm as clear as I can be, and our administration is as consistent as we can be on this issue.
I think Vice President Biden stated a categorical fact, which is, we can't dictate to other countries what their security interests are.
What is also true is, it is the policy of the United States to try to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: President Obama's wife and daughters are traveling with him -- Michelle Obama and Sasha and Malia visiting the Kremlin, as well as other tourist sites. And they also attended the ballet -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right.
Coming up next, Erica, on 360, remembering Michael Jackson -- more of the musical tribute, as well as the latest on the investigation, including new details on Michael Jackson's condition in his final days, and new reports of dangerous drugs that were found at his home.
Also ahead tonight, a song for his hero -- we're back with Usher and his performance at the memorial, one of the emotional highlights from the Staples Center.
You're watching 360, live from L.A.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: At today's memorial, Berry Gordy called Michael Jackson the greatest entertainer who ever lived.
But the Motown Records founder also touched on the troubles that plagued Jackson for years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDY: Michael Jackson went into orbit and never came down.
Though it ended way too soon, Michael's life was beautiful. Sure, there were some sad -- sad times and maybe some questionable decisions on his part, but Michael Jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, he may have reached his dreams, but, at 50, Michael Jackson died far too young.
And it's his death, of course, that remains a mystery.
Tonight, investigators are stepping up their search for answers. And so are we.
Randi Kaye has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a -- a gentleman here that needs help, and he's not breathing.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN has learned disturbing new details about what precisely police investigators found when they answered the 911 call from Jackson's house 12 days ago.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, he's not conscious, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: A source involved with the investigation tells us, Jackson had -- quote -- "numerous" track marks on his arms, and those marks -- quote -- "could certainly be consistent with the regular I.V. use of a drug like Diprivan." Diprivan is the powerful sedative commonly used in anesthesia in a hospital. A nurse who had worked for Jackson told CNN, he had begged her for Diprivan a few months ago, so he could sleep.
Our source cautioned, investigators can't say right now if a Diprivan I.V. drip caused the track marks on Jackson's arms. Some of the marks, the source said, appeared fresh, others older. In fact, some of the newest marks could have been caused when emergency medical personnel rushed into the house and used their own IVs in an effort to save him.
The source would not confirm if Diprivan had been found with Jackson, but he told us numerous bottles of prescription medication had been found in Jackson's $100,000-a-month rented mansion. He described them as, quote, "dangerous drugs, similar to those found in a hospital setting." That's as far as he would go.
(on camera) As for Jackson's body, the source said he had never seen anything like it in decades of investigative work. He described it as, quote, "lily white from head to toe." Was it caused by the disease Jackson said he had? We don't know.
(voice-over) Another source with knowledge of the case described Jackson's body as having, quote, paper-white skin, as white as a white t-shirt. He also told me his scalp was bald, that the pop star had no hair. That may have been as a result of injuries Jackson received when his hair caught fire while making his Pepsi ad years ago.
This source also said Jackson's veins were, quote, collapsed in both arms, suggesting frequent intravenous drug use.
His final note: the body was emaciated, despite the vigor Jackson showed on stage during his final rehearsal just 36 hours earlier.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: So is this heading toward a criminal investigation?
KAYE: We spoke to the attorney general's office today, Anderson. And all they would say is they did confirm that they are investigating doctors who treated Michael Jackson over the years. They wouldn't name those doctors. But they did say that, until they interviewed those doctors, all of them, get the toxicology reports, they can't say whether or not there will be criminal charges. But they're certainly looking into it.
COOPER: There should be a number of nervous doctors in the Los Angeles area tonight...
KAYE: Absolutely.
COOPER: ... and perhaps elsewhere.
Do we know anything about the body? At this point, we haven't officially heard anything about burial. KAYE: No. We're still trying to get some answers on that. The family's lawyer said yesterday that there would be a funeral, a burial today. It still seems as though that will take place at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills where a lot of celebrities are buried, actually.
But there's also, from what we understand, media gathered at Neverland Ranch. Now, supposedly, they can't bury the body there but there is media there waiting just in case. We also know that the family is certainly looking for some privacy at this time. They had a very public memorial. So the details are very few and far between.
COOPER: Let's hope they get that. And the casket, a lot of people talking about that casket.
KAYE: It's sort of the Cadillac of caskets, if you will. I can give you some of the details. It's a bronze casket, 14-cart gold- plated handles. It's velvet lined. The interior has a mirror finish. This is all according to the manufacturer. You're looking at pictures of it right there. In fact, it's the same kind of casket that singer James Brown was buried in.
As far as the price tag, hard to really track that down, but it seems to be in the range of between $15,000 and $25,000.
COOPER: All right. Randi Kaye, appreciate all the latest. Thanks very much.
Tell us what you think of all of what you saw today and the latest on the investigation. Join the live chat right now at AC360.com.
Coming up next, more of the special moments from the memorial, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder singing and celebrating the life of Michael Jackson.
Plus, the man, the music, and the fans. A tribute in pictures. That is tonight's Shot. And at the 11 p.m. hour, we are truncating the entire two-hour service down to an hour. The highlights, the most dramatic, and the moving moments. That's at 11 p.m. Eastern. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC: "Man in the Mirror")
COOPER: For nearly three hours today, tears, laughter, applause unfolded inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles. This is the program cover for the memorial, called the event a celebration of Michael Jackson's life. And it certainly was that.
The sheer star power on stage unlike anything seen at this type of memorial. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC: MARIAH CAREY, "I'LL BE THERE")
(MUSIC: LIONEL RICHIE, "JESUS IS LOVE")
BERRY GORDY, FOUNDER, MOTOWN RECORDS: He did have two personalities. Off stage he was shy, soft-spoken and child-like. But when he took the stage in front of his screaming fans, he turned into another person: a master, a take-no-prisoners showman.
In fact, the more I think and talk about Michael Jackson, I feel the King of Pop is not big enough for him. I think he is simply -- I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Man in the mirror, Michael Jackson.
(CROSSTALK)
MICHAEL JACKSON, POP STAR: I say thank you. Thanks to God. In the past I've gone from "Where is he?" to "here he is again."
ELIZABETH TAYLOR, ACTRESS: I love you, Michael.
JACKSON: I must confess it feels good to be thought of as a person, not as a personality.
(MUSIC)
MAGIC JOHNSON, FORMER NBA PLAYER: So I went over to his house to have dinner. The chef came out and said, "What would you like."
I said, "Some grilled chicken." So as we begin to talk about the video and what he wanted me to do, the chef brought me out the grilled chicken, but he brought Michael out a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. And I went crazy, like, wait a minute, "Michael, you eat Kentucky Fried Chicken?" That made my day. That was the greatest moment of my life.
STEVIE WONDER, SINGER: This is a moment that I wished that I didn't live to see come. And I do know that as much as we may feel -- and we do -- that we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more.
(MUSIC: "NEVER DREAMED YOU'D LEAVE IN SUMMER")
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: So many moments. Still ahead, we'll have much more from the Jackson memorial inside the Staples Center. We're devoting the entire next hour to it, moments including longtime Jackson friend Brooke Shields, taking the stage, fighting back tears. She knew Jackson, really, like few others did.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE SHIELDS, ACTRESS: It was the most natural and easiest of friendships. I was 13 when we met, and from that day on our friendship grew. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Also tonight, Sarah Palin speaking out about how she is wired and why quitting as governor doesn't make her a quitter.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We've yet to hear anyone who was inside the Staples Center today say they weren't moved. Michael Jackson's rose-draped casket resting in front of the stage, where friends and family paid tribute.
Less than two weeks ago, when you think about it, Jackson was deep into rehearsals on that very same stage, preparing for what would be his comeback -- comeback concert series in London. Today others stepped into the spotlight to give him his due.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC: JENNIFER HUDSON, "WILL YOU BE THERE")
SHIELDS: I was 13 when we met, and from that day on our friendship grew. Michael always knew that he could count on me to support him or be his date and that we would have fun, no matter where we were.
We had a bond, and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like being in the spotlight from a very, very young age. I used to tease him and I'd say, "You know, I started when I was 11 months old. You're a slacker. You were, what, 5?"
We never filmed a video or recorded a song, but what we did do was laugh. It was always a competition to see who could make the other one laugh more or be sillier. Michael loved to laugh. His heart would just burst out of him when he was laughing.
(MUSIC: JERMAINE JACKSON, "SMILE")
(MUSIC: USHER, "GONE TOO SOON")
(MUSIC: "WE ARE THE WORLD")
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: People remembering Michael Jackson across the world. Go to AC360.com to see Michael's Mecca (ph), places where fans are gathering to say their good-byes.
We're following other news, of course. Sarah Palin speaking out, defending her resignation. She responds to the accusation she's quitting as the governor of Alaska when she talks about whether she wants a future in public service.
Also, we'll have more on the King of Pop. Remember the fame, the fans and photos. It's our "Shot of the Day." And our next hour devoted to the memorial. The best moments truncated to an hour.
360 live from Los Angeles, next.
(MUSIC: "THRILLER")
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Still to come, the memories, the music. A photo tribute to Michael Jackson. That's tonight's "Shot."
First, Erica Hill has a "360 Bulletin" -- Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, former U.S. figure skating champion and Olympian Nicole Bobek out on bail tonight. This is her mug shot. She is charged in Hudson County, New Jersey, with conspiracy to contribute -- to distribute, rather, methamphetamine as part of a drug ring. Bobek made a court appearance by video today, entering a not guilty plea. She made bail last night. If convicted she faces up to ten years in prison.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today clarifying her resignation announcement from last Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: I'm certainly not a quitter. I'm a fighter. And that is why I'm doing this, to go up there and fight for what is right without the constraints that have been surrounding me in these final months.
I can't see me being totally out of public service, because that is within me. It is the way that I'm wired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Governor Palin speaking to CNN there at the end of a weekend fishing trip with her family. She returns to work today.
South Carolina's cheating governor, Mark Sanford, censured today by fellow Republicans for visits with his Argentine mistress. Twenty- two members of the state GOP voted to reprimand him. Ten others wanted him out entirely.
Governor Sanford says he intends to serve the remainder of his term.
And apparently, the buck really does stop here. Just watch. No one, of course, expecting this customer at a hardware store in upstate New York. The video. There we go. Here he comes, charging through the aisles.
He finally comes to a stop after leaving skid marks in front of -- get this -- five deer heads mounted on the wall. Poor guy.
COOPER: Aw. HILL: The locals believe this guy took it as a sign that perhaps he didn't want to stay in the store, because he probably didn't want to join them on the wall.
COOPER: Aw.
Haven't we seen a rash of, like, deers [SIC] and animals entering stores?
HILL: Honestly, I think -- I was thinking the same thing.
COOPER: Maybe they're shopping for something.
HILL: Maybe they are shopping.
COOPER: Maybe all the animals are uniting to -- I don't know -- do something to us. Maybe they're shopping for supplies.
HILL: OK, Anderson Cooper. May they're just upset that Amber is stuffing squirrels in her bosom. I don't know.
COOPER: That's true, too. Amber last night. Oh, Amber. Do I have a picture of Amber?
HILL: I think we could find one eventually.
COOPER: All right. Coming up, our "Beat 360" winners, our daily challenge to viewers, a chance to show up our staffers by coming up with a better caption for a picture that we post on our blog every day.
Let's take a look at the picture, shall we? On Capitol Hill, Al Franken sworn in as the junior senator from Minnesota after winning an eight-month recount battle.
Staff winner tonight is Joey. His caption, "Because I'm good enough, smart enough and, gosh darn it, Minnesota likes me."
(SOUND EFFECT: GROANS)
HILL: Oh, Stuart Smalley.
COOPER: Great minds think alike, apparently. But it actually took two viewers, Brandy and Lauren from Atlanta, to match Joey tonight. Their winning caption: "I am good enough. I am smart enough. And dog gone it, the state supreme court likes me."
(SOUND EFFECT: "Ooooh!")
COOPER: Congratulations. "Beat 360" T-shirt is on the way.
HILL: Very nice.
COOPER: Coming up next tonight -- yes, very nice -- the music and the memories. In song and pictures, we look back on today's emotional farewell to Michael Jackson. That's our "Shot." And at the top of the next hour, AC360 special, "Michael Jackson Memorial," extended highlights from the star-studded tribute at the Staples Center and the words from his daughter that had so many people moved to tears. We'll have that for you when we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Erica, tonight's "Shot," a tribute in pictures to Michael Jackson, from the memorial at the Staples Center to the millions who watched around the world. Images of the singer and the fans who mourn his death tonight. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Some of the many images we saw. A lot of tears shed around the world today, throughout the day. You can see all the most recent shots at our Web site, AC360.com.
And Erica, at the top of the hour, a special hour devoted entirely to bringing you more of the tribute of the best moments we saw over the two hours of the ceremony today at the Staples Center. That continues right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Good evening again from Los Angeles, where an emotionally-draining day is ending. A powerful and moving tribute to Michael Jackson is over. The expected crowd control nightmare ended before it began. The crowds were somber. The Jackson family, always private, now back to grieving privately.
