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Fans Gather for Jackson Memorial; Family Has Small Service at Cemetery
Aired July 07, 2009 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It is Tuesday, July 7th, and here are the faces of the stories driving the headlines today in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Michael Jackson's fans, multitudes, jam downtown Los Angeles for the singer's memorial service in two hours.
The Jackson family -- a private funeral about to get started at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills.
And a superstar guest list. Michael Jackson's mentors and proteges prepare to take the stage at Staples Center in his honor.
Hello, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And today in the NEWSROOM we are celebrating the life of Michael Jackson. We now know that Michael Jackson's body will be taken to Staples Center today, where a spectacular memorial will play out as millions watch around the world.
The Jackson family will say their final good-byes this hour at Forest Lawn Cemetery. The family then heads to the Staples Center to join the fans.
Let's join our Ted Rowlands live now.
Ted, what do you have for us?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, we have seen a few people arrive here at Forest Lawn that are obviously invited guests, just a couple cars. And then we also understand that the family has left the Encino home, so we anticipate them arriving here very soon. It shouldn't take more than 10 to 15 minutes to get from the Encino home with a police escort here to Forest Lawn. So, we do expect their arrival very soon.
There is a massive police presence. The entire roadway feeding into Forest Lawn, the cemetery, which is a fairly large thoroughfare here in Los Angeles, has been closed off completely to the public. Only access is for police and for these invited guests with special placards.
So, we're awaiting the arrival of the family. Very intense security here. Still no sign of them, but we have seen some folks that appear to be invited guests who have come in with placards. They're getting their cards looked over, going through security, and then heading up towards the interior of the cemetery.
HARRIS: OK. Ted Rowlands, we'll be back to you shortly.
Ted, thank you.
Let's get to our Thelma Gutierrez right now, who is outside of the Jacksons' Encino home.
Thelma, if you would, describe the scene there.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, I can tell you it was a very impressive sight just a few minutes ago. There was a huge motorcade.
You saw 16 vehicles, including two limousine buses, a bunch of unmarked black SUVs, all leaving the Jackson family home. You take a look and you can see the aftermath.
This road right up to the entrance of the house was completely closed down. A very, very strong police presence out here. They have put barricades up along the road to keep this road open so that this motorcade could leave.
Now they have opened it up, and you can see all the fans who are now pouring into the area, waiting to sign cards and to leave flowers, that kind of thing, right in front of the family's house. But again, a very impressive sight, very well orchestrated, Tony.
We saw Jermaine Jackson, who pulled in, in one of the limousines. He waved to fans, and then that car pulled in behind the gates. We also saw La Toya Jackson pull in as well. But now all of those family members headed toward Forest Lawn, we're told.
They actually sent out advisories -- the family sent out advisories to all the neighbors in this very upscale but quiet Encino neighborhood. And they told people to expect this. They told them to expect the media, they told them to expect all the officers who are out here, and all the helicopters that were flying above, you know, to let them know that this was going to happen.
And they said that they would be here and that the California Highway Patrol would escort this motorcade all the way down to Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills. So, that's what they actually told the neighbors out here -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Thelma Gutierrez for us.
Thelma, appreciate it. Thank you.
And let's take you to the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Our Don Lemon is there.
And Don, as we just heard, the family is on its way to the private service.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Tony. The family is on its way. And we have live pictures of the family coming from Encino.
If we can show the video of the pictures of that family earlier, you saw the motorcade, all the black cars that were there. It's not exactly sure -- we believe that they are going to head to Forest Lawn, but have also been hearing from people who are close to the family saying that the Forest Lawn part of the gathering was last night, and whatever they do there will be short, or maybe they are going over to escort Michael Jackson's body.
Do we have the pictures? Can we get that up, please?
Going over to escort Michael Jackson's body here to the Staples Center, Tony.
We heard that Michael Jackson -- CNN has confirmed that Michael Jackson will, indeed, his body, be here at the Staples Center. There was Joe Jackson leaving earlier, the family patriarch, waving to the crowd and other -- several other members of the Jackson family as well, leaving the compound in Encino.
It has been a huge crush of people at that family compound in Encino, California, all week long trying to get a glimpse of anyone in the family, or to speak to anyone who might come out and talk. But again, we are hearing that the body of Michael Jackson will be here, and that it's going to be driven here.
It is believed that they were going to try to helicopter it in, but it was too dangerous, they couldn't get insurance, they didn't know exactly where they would land because of the closure and everything being blocked off here. But again, those are the pictures coming out of Encino.
Let's get you inside the Staples Center, Tony, where they are setting up inside here.
When we got here, there were just the people who were doing the setup inside of the Staples Center. All of the lights were on, but since we have been here for about 15 or 20 minutes now, you start to see more people who are coming in. I would imagine that they are going to start letting the people who got those tickets in here in just a little bit.
But on the stage here, there is a big monitor that says "In Loving Memory of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, 1958-2009." You see all the flowers that are out in front, and also the instruments that are set up on the stage for people who are going to be performing.
I also asked people about whether or not people will be talking or able to broadcast during this. They said, no. This is, indeed, just like a funeral for Michael Jackson. So, all of the same respects, everything that you do at a funeral, that is what they expect from people here. Again, a zero tolerance policy from the Los Angeles Police Department.
I just want to go over real quickly, Tony. The people you are going to see on the stage right there behind me, Ron Boyd, who is a family friend, is going to speak; Kobe Bryant, of course, a basketball player for the L.A. Lakers, Mariah Carey; Andrae Crouch -- you know Andrae Crouch and his choir. Berry Gordy, who is a friend; Jennifer Hudson; and also, the finalist from "Britain's Got Talent"; Magic Johnson; Martin Luther King III; Bernice King; John Mayer; Lionel Richie; Smokey Robinson; the Reverend Al Sharpton; Brooke Shields; and on and on and on -- Usher and Stevie Wonder.
And if you guys can -- I'm hearing Soledad O'Brien in my ear. If you could take her out, I would really appreciate that.
So, again, you're looking at the pictures there. That is the family, Tony, on the way here. And you see there's a helicopter shot from our affiliate KTLA, all either making their way down to the Staples Center, or either to Forest Lawn, so that they can pay tribute to their brother, their family member, their loved one.
We're here inside, and I think there's just a small number of media who are inside here. So, you can see it here on CNN.
And I'm not sure where you'll be able to get this sort of behind- the-scenes view of what is taking place at the funeral or at the -- that's what they're calling it -- at the memorial service, but here on CNN, Tony. So, this is really an amazing view that we have of history for the people who are -- not only for the journalists, but the people who are outside who are going to get to see it here, but people all over the world who are watching us.
HARRIS: OK, Don. Appreciate it so much.
Got to get to a little bit of business here before we turn it over to our friends in New York and back to you in Los Angeles.
First of all, let's get to the New York Stock Exchange very quickly here. We want to give you a quick look at how stocks are faring today.
Obviously, we won't be able to devote a lot of time to this because of the memorial service, but very quickly, as you can see, the Dow is in negative territory, down 72 points, just past 90 minutes into the trading day.
Again, family and friends gathering to say a final farewell to Michael Jackson.
CNN continues with live coverage from New York and Los Angeles and around the world in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live in Los Angeles, inside the Staples Center.
This is CNN's continuing coverage of the memorial and tribute to Michael Jackson, all the behind-the-scenes preparations happening inside the Staples Center right now.
I want to go outside now to my colleagues, Soledad O'Brien and Anderson Cooper, who are following things along the way out there.
Soledad and Anderson, this is really amazing, to see the number of journalists, the number of people. It is really quite a spectacle.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Don. The scene outside, as you well know, people really have not been admitted yet to the Staples Center itself. But if you look at the crowd shot, there are already probably several thousand people waiting to get in.
Slowly, they're being allowed in to the area. This kind of the innermost cordon that the crowds can get to. And you see there the white billboards that people have been signing now for several days.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's incredibly calm. I wasn't sure what to expect when we first came in, but with such a large crowd, what you see is a tone that is not particularly somber. Every so often you hear a cheer rise up from the crowd as people seem to really be celebrating his life, at least the folks here who are below us, as we are on a riser high above them. And then, also, very calm.
There's a whole system of wristbands and cordons so people get through. And police all over the place checking things, and what you see is very organized and calm and orderly, at least down here at the Staples Center.
COOPER: 1.5 million people applied online to get tickets, some 18,000 seats were available for the public. The Jackson family had about 9,000 seats for their family and friends and connections that they wanted to give tickets to.
There are, as I said, in that crowd probably several hundred people right now. And it was interesting. Occasionally, there is sort of a sense of some sort of momentum building.
You hear people talking to one another. Occasionally, somebody from the crowd will sort of let out a chant, and other people will join in and applaud. There's a lot of excitement building here.
The shot you're seeing right now is the Jackson family motorcade approaching Forest Lawn Cemetery. It's going from their private compound in Encino to Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills, what, about a 15-minute drive?
O'BRIEN: Yes, it takes about 15 minutes. And I think what's particularly interesting about this burial place is that it's shielded from the media.
They are able to pull a hearse inside there, and then everything that goes on really can be shielded from any media coverage, because, no shock here, to say that the number of people and the number of media cameras who are surrounding the fence right there, many. The interest has been huge, the interest has been global. In fact, there's a shot of just some of -- a very small portion of the satellite trucks who are taking part in all of this. So, really, we are seeing the beginning, the very beginning of this private service, this private ceremony.
COOPER: Ted Rowlands is standing by at Forest Lawn.
Ted, what do we know about the service that's going to take place?
ROWLANDS: Well, we don't know, Anderson, much in terms of detail, but we do know that it has been extremely private, and the details of what will actually go on there have been very well guarded by the family. We are seeing a large procession, as you can see here, of folks just arriving here.
The first lead car going into Forest Lawn had Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson's father, in it, we could see. Otherwise, it's been difficult to see who has been in these vehicles. But clearly, we expect that this ceremony will take in excess of an hour, and then this same procession, and most likely with Michael Jackson's body will then head down to the Staples Center.
COOPER: So, Ted, Michael Jackson is already at Forest Lawn. We believe he was brought there last night. Is that correct?
ROWLANDS: Yes, we believe he was brought here last night. And family members were here last night.
A small group of family members came out here to Forest Lawn last night. We're not sure if it was a viewing or if it was just sort of preparation, but there were a few family members, including La Toya Jackson, Michael Jackson's sister, and there was a hearse as well, which we believe contained Michael Jackson's body.
COOPER: Then, as far as we know, the service at Forest Lawn will take place around 8:00 a.m. Pacific Coast Time. We don't know how long it's going to be, because we frankly don't know much about what the service will entail.
Will Michael Jackson's body be brought to the Staples Center?
ROWLANDS: Yes, that's what we have confirmed, that Michael Jackson's body will be at Staples Center for the public memorial, which is scheduled to start at 10:00 Pacific, but as you mentioned, you know, this was supposed to start at 8:00 Pacific. So, it will most likely be fluid, depending on the length of this private ceremony, as to what time the actual public ceremony gets under way. But we believe Michael Jackson's body will be part of this motorcade that leaves Forest Lawn Cemetery and heads to Staples Center at the conclusion of the private family gathering.
O'BRIEN: I believe there are five Forest Lawn cemeteries in the area.
Why -- do you know why, Ted, they would pick the Hollywood Hills one particularly? I believe this is the one where Lucille Ball is buried, this is the one where Marvin Gaye is buried. Is it because of the extra security, because of the extra privacy?
ROWLANDS: Yes, most likely. You are right, there are several Forest Lawn cemeteries. And, you know, that was sort of one of the bigger things as this started to emerge, the plans. You know, which Forest Lawn and where?
And the other question here that still hasn't been answered, the family has kept guarded, is, where will Michael Jackson's final resting place be? Last week, on Thursday evening, Jermaine Jackson said he was still holding out hope that Michael Jackson could be laid to rest at Neverland, but local laws at this point don't allow that.
They are trying to work those out. They were, at least, the family. And there has also been speculation that Jackson will be laid to rest here, at Forest Lawn, with those other folks that you mentioned. And this would be the logical place, if indeed that was the family's plan.
But that's the big question. We really don't know what the family has come up with in terms for a final resting spot for Michael Jackson.
COOPER: Ted, I want you to stand by there at Forest Lawn as we -- well, let's take a look at maybe who is getting out. And Ted, I don't know if you can see this picture as well, if you can identify anyone along the way.
Obviously, there are other problems for any kind of burial at Neverland. Michael Jackson -- there's a great amount of debt on Neverland. It's actually co-owned -- or an investment company actually owns a lot of the debt on it.
Is that not correct, Ted?
ROWLANDS: Yes, absolutely. This investment company says it was hoping to talk to the folks up there last week, go into partnership with Michael Jackson.
You'll remember they had that planned auction of all of Michael Jackson's goods. Well, they stopped that auction, and those items were purchased. And the plan was that Michael Jackson would sort of be a partner with them as they decided what to do with Neverland.
But I can tell you this, Anderson, that, clearly, there is a large camp of folks within the Jackson family and within this investment group that would like to see Neverland turn into a greater scenario, if you will.
COOPER: Ted, I want to tell our viewers that's Katherine Jackson there walking. Katherine Jackson, who had polio as a child, still, all her life, has walked with a slight limp, really the matriarch of this family.
We're also joined by Bryan Monroe, former vice president and editorial director of "Ebony" and "Jet" magazine. This is remarkable family in many ways. I mean, they have had their ups, they have had their downs. There is, obviously, lots of tension and drama as there is in many families. But there are really few families on the public stage that are like this.
BRYAN MONROE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: They have come together at this really tragic event. And they go back to their time in Gary, Indiana. Remember, Joe Jackson started as a steel worker. And Katherine, who has been the rock of the family, there for Michael at every turn. And having them come back together at this moment is solemn, but also symbolic.
COOPER: Katherine Jackson now the custodian -- the guardian for Michael Jackson's three children. We have not yet seen them emerging from the vehicles, but we anticipate not only will they be at this ceremony right now, but also here at the Staples Center.
O'BRIEN: Bryan, has the family held tight together? Obviously, I mean, Anderson talked about the ups and the downs, and all of them, we should mention, very much in public view. Are they still all very close?
MONROE: They are, indeed. You have got -- in addition to Michael, you have Janet, you have Randy, Marlon, Tito, Jermaine, and then the sisters, La Toya and Rebbie, have all come together. And throughout those years, the music careers -- they each have had single careers.
Tito plays bass and does jazz music. Janet, of course, is a star in her own right. Jermaine has had a recording contract. But all of them have music in their veins, but also the love for the family in their veins.
O'BRIEN: It's so interesting to watch as a large number of these SUVs and black town cars have pulled up at the Forest Lawn Cemetery to begin this private service. It was supposed to start at 8:00 in the morning West Coast Time, so they are really just running a few minutes behind schedule.
At the same time, where we are, you have thousands of people. And that number actually has really grown, even in the few minutes that we have been on talking about it.
Behind us, the number of people who have come out to the Staples Center, you'll see that they're really not getting in. They are still at the front of the doorway. And every so often a cheer will go up. Someone will something like a chant, and then a cheer will go up from that crowd there.
We know that Don Lemon is inside the Staples Center. He'll be reporting for us live from there, as we also continue to watch what's happening at the Forest Lawn Cemetery
It's interesting that the hearse, when it went in, there's, I guess, this 1,200-seat auditorium where you can pull a hearse in and people can have a viewing at the Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery. COOPER: Yes. Let's go back to that.
O'BRIEN: So, potentially, the casket can be unloaded, not seen by the media. And you can even see -- it's difficult to see. It is a massive -- there we go.
MONROE: Jermaine there.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COOPER: Jermaine Jackson, who has really been the most vocal in the last week or so. Does that surprise you?
MONROE: Well, he has always been one of the key spokesmen for the family, and was the first to actually split from the original Jackson 5, back when they were a group, to have his own single recording career. But he has always been the voice and, in fact, we have seen him do interviews recently talking about how he wishes that Michael would be interned at Neverland.
O'BRIEN: And you were mentioning Neverland. The Colony Group, I believe, owns that, Neverland, with a big, giant mortgage on it, something like $23 million. All of those things will play a role in whether or not Michael Jackson will end up being interned at Neverland, as Jermaine would like.
MONROE: They came in at the last minute to save it. Remember, it was about to be foreclosed.
O'BRIEN: Right.
O'BRIEN: There had been an effort in the last several days by the Jackson family to try to take over more control of Michael Jackson's estate. They had contested in court the provision in Michael Jackson's will naming two executors, both sort of industry experts, people very respected in the music industry, who had really shepherded Michael Jackson's career for much it, and they helped him make -- or at least was present when he made a lot of the business decisions which are often credited with getting him so much money. Initially, it was particularly of the Beatles album.
But the Jackson family lost that effort in court. The will remains just as Michael Jackson wanted it, with the two executors that he wanted.
MONROE: Yes, the co-executors, John Branca and John McClain, are longtime friends and associates of Michael. McClain had known him since he was 10 years old. Branca -- Michael was Branca's best man at his wedding in 1987.
And so the connection is there. Branca was his lawyer up until 2006, and then just rejoined him again back in June. And oddly enough, they go back together.
You mentioned the ATV catalog with the Beatles music. When Michael brought that in 1985, I believe, for $47.5 million, it was Branca that negotiated that deal. And, in fact, just after that, Michael and Branca went to Little Richard -- Little Richard's music was very deep inside that catalog -- and offered to give him back his music.
COOPER: This is a family which in grief has rejoined together. As news of Michael Jackson's death spread, Janet Jackson flew in. She was out of California. Jermaine Jackson said he heard about it actually from CNN.
He was driving. He got a call from a producer saying that Michael Jackson had gone into cardiac arrest, had been taken to the hospital. He then called his sister, called his mother to find out more details and rushed to the hospital.
But the father, who lives, actually in Las Vegas -- Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine, lives in Encino, California, the father lives in Las Vegas, though they are still married, but they have been separated for many years.
MONROE: Separate homes. Yes, they have maintained separate homes. And, in fact, people would see Joseph a lot in Vegas at grocery stores and at various events.
O'BRIEN: We're watching family members and friends come into the Hall of Liberty at Forest Lawn, where there's really seating for well over 1,000 people who will come in. We know that the Jackson family has many thousands of tickets here later for the memorial that would be held here behind us at the Staples Center, so we know that a number of people will be coming in for this first part, the private family and friends gathering to remember Michael Jackson.
You know, you were talking about John Branca and John McClain. They've been named special administrators, and that runs out on August 3rd, I believe. It's a temporary position. Their job, they've said, is really just to protect against losses for the estate sort of right away.
MONROE: A lot is going to happen in these next few days with not only increased sales from Michael's own catalog, and the music and "Thriller" and "Off the Wall" and all those albums, but also what's going to happen with perhaps a possible DVD that will come out of the rehearsal. You saw the video earlier from AEG.
COOPER: Right. AEG Live says that they have more than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage. I interviewed Randy Phillips from AEG. They are ready to go. They clearly want to do something. And they also want to somehow kind of salvage the show that they have already put together and make some sort of a tribute concert to Michael Jackson.
MONROE: Yes, they have done a lot of work. And they were almost ready to go for that July 13th performance.
I talked to some of the folks who were part of the show, part of the band, and the energy in that rehearsal was phenomenal. Everyone said Michael was on it, he had his A game, he was energetic, the dance moves were there. And so, if they are able to salvage any of that, it could be great viewing.
O'BRIEN: They have to return the money, of course, from the ticket sales, clearly. And so AEG -- it wouldn't be a surprise as they turn to turning all those things out to recoup some of that money.
MONROE: Although, several folks have said that they want to keep their tickets as a souvenir.
O'BRIEN: That, too.
A memorial, of course, a physical memorial. And we'll see that again as today, as people are signing behind us here at the Staples Center, signing these big -- I guess you'd call them big white boards that have Michael Jackson's name. And people are really taking a moment as they head into the Staples Center, or get ready to head in to sign their names and be part of this massive tribute to Michael Jackson.
And what a lucky bunch of folks. I mean, think about it. You had well over 1.5 million people online who were trying to get these very tickets.
For these folks to be here, you have to get through several cordons. You have to have a special wristband. They are the chosen few who really are part of a remarkable -- going to be part of a remarkable tribute today.
COOPER: This view taken from the Ritz-Carlton hotel right across the street from the Staples Center, very close to where we are. It's a really remarkable complex all owned by AEG Live.
They created this. It's really kind of a destination spot in downtown Los Angeles.
We have a number of reporters standing by all over the place, and they're going to have remarkable coverage all throughout the day on this event, what may be sort of the largest sendoff Los Angeles certainly has ever seen for a celebrity. Still, some people milling around outside Forest Lawn, outside the area where the service is going to be taking place.
Ted Rowlands is standing by there for us live.
Ted, I know you are -- are there many people assembled there? I mean, just crowds who wanted to kind of witness the passing of Michael Jackson and see, get a glimpse, maybe, of his hearse or the family?
ROWLANDS: No. And the reason is, Anderson, is that there was so much speculation on exactly where Michael Jackson's body was, where any ceremony would take place, that only over the last couple of days was it certain that this, indeed, was the spot where the family would gather. And since then, the Los Angeles police have been very sure to block access.
There's a lot of -- in fact, the main road outside here is completely blocked off to public traffic, so if people were going to come down here, they would have to do so on foot and travel -- and it would be a good quarter to a half-mile from the nearest parking spot. So, for that reason, we have seen very few fans, if you will, or onlookers. It's mainly just media and police outside the Forest Lawn Cemetery.
COOPER: Yes. Ted, last night, I think it was around 9:00 or 9:30 or so, we were watching on a live feed as a hearse came to Forest Lawn. There were assembled a number of people just kind of wanting to get a glimpse. Not sure exactly who was coming and going, but they were able to see I think, at least, La Toya Jackson.
There are the doors about to close at Forest Lawn Cemetery as the private service begins.
Our coverage is going to continue all throughout the day here.
In a moment, we're going to take you inside the Staples Center and show you where we believe the body of Michael Jackson will lay throughout this entire performance and throughout this entire remembrance and celebration of the life of Michael Jackson.
Our own Don Lemon is inside and he'll give you that view in a moment.
We'll take a short break and be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
COOPER: All throughout this day, we'll be playing, of course, some of Michael Jackson's most memorable songs, and even some you may not know, as well. Bryan, we're already hearing some reports about the ceremony, the performances that we're going to be hearing, some of the songs that we're going to hear.
MONROE: We understand we may hear Jermaine Jackson do a rendition of the Charlie Chaplin song "Smile." Lionel Richie may lead a grand "We Are the World" towards the end. Jennifer Hudson is scheduled to perform. So, it's going to be exciting to see.
COOPER: John Mayer, also.
MONROE: John Mayer, yes.
COOPER: A lot of different performances. Let's go inside, where Don Lemon is standing by again. Again, the picture you're seeing right there is Forest Lawn Cemetery, where a service is now under way. We're not sure exactly what sort of a service. Michael Jackson's body we believe is present there. Family members, we saw Katherine Jackson and others.
O'BRIEN: I believe it was Michael Jackson's children who were going in the Hall of Liberty as well with Katherine Jackson, getting out of those big, what I think was maybe Rolls Royce sedans. COOPER: Obviously, Katherine Jackson now has custody of those three children. That may change down the road depending on what Debbie Rowe decides to do, what sort of a court filing she decided to make or push for visitation. But right now, this is the scene inside the Staples Center, where the -- "In Loving Memory," you see there, "The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, 1958-2009." Don Lemon is standing by inside there.
O'BRIEN: And they just opened the doors.
COOPER: Yes, Don, they're just starting to let people in, right?
LEMON: Yes, they're just starting to let people in, Anderson. And people are actually being very cordial, very quiet. Doing a sound check, so I just want to warn our viewers, if you hear, you know, anything that's sort of loud and out of the way, they're doing a sound check and a lighting check.
But just to talk about, you know, all of those things that you guys were talking about earlier, Anderson, as you know, I had a very long conversation with you about John Branca yesterday. I was the only reporter to even talk to John Branca, who is the executor of Michael Jackson's assets and will. John Branca was really -- he managed Michael Jackson's career at the height of his success.
And, you know, many believe the only reason that Michael Jackson even had anything to leave to his mom and to his children and charity is because of John Branca and the deals that they made for Michael Jackson back in the 1980s. You know, Anderson, that Sony/ATV deal. Michael has 50 percent stake in that. It is valued at either from $1 billion to even up to $2 billion.
And then in perpetuity, Michael Jackson's image and merchandising in the future will be worth much more than that. John Branca's message to Michael Jackson's fans, to his family, to his mother and to his children yesterday is that Katherine Jackson and the family had nothing to worry about, that the will and the trusts would be administered just as they were specified. And that those people will be taken care of, really, for the rest of their lives.
Michael Jackson was John Branca's best man at his wedding back in 1997. And so, they are really good friends. And that's the person who is in charge of his will. Getting to the body, really quickly, we learned that Michael Jackson's body will be here, and the family may be bringing that body with them in a procession. It had been said that there wouldn't be a procession because they didn't want to cause any sort of chaos, but we're hearing that Michael Jackson's body is going to be here.
And again, Anderson and Soledad, there was a private gathering last night as well, and family members decided then that they wanted to pay tribute to Michael, and they wanted the fans to see Michael Jackson. And so they decided to bring that body here. And then another private service will be held after this at an undisclosed location. So, lots of different facets to this story. They are preparing the stage now as we speak, and Michael Jackson fans are gathering inside here at the Staples Center to start to pay tribute to him -- Anderson and Soledad.
COOPER: Don, when we look at the stage, what are we looking at? It's a little hard to tell from the vantage point we see. We see a number of flowers at the front of the stage. Is that where we believe Michael Jackson's casket will be?
LEMON: Yes, every funeral I've ever been to, and then that's what the family and friends say, this is really a funeral for Michael Jackson, a mass funeral. They usually have the coffin right in front there, and so there is an opening, if you see in the middle. David, you can push into that. There's an opening right in the middle where you see all those flowers and bouquets. And it is believed that's where Michael Jackson's casket is going to be.
Here's a question that some are concerned about, even people, you know, people who are close to him, is whether or not it will be open. And a lot of people are hoping that it is not open, but that the casket will be here, the body will be here, just so they can be close to Michael Jackson. So, yes, Anderson, you called it. That's where it is believed that Michael Jackson's body will be, right there in the front with all those flowers.
O'BRIEN: So, the preparations there. And when you come outside into the Staples Center, also flowers. You can see a massive heart that says "We Love You" right out here. And again, the white walls up, where people are also writing tributes. This is probably a good opportunity to remind people we'd love to hear about their Michael Jackson remembrances at CNN.com.
"BLACK IN AMERICA," our homepage, also, we've had hundreds of people really writing in their stories, their remembrances, their favorite music from Michael Jackson, but that "We Love You, Michael" you can see on the right side of the screen, that's made up of red flowers. And it's massive.
To give you a sense of the scope here, you just saw about two dozen mounted police officers. They'll be doing crowd control, obviously. The perimeter issue always a concern. It's been very calm, certainly, so far, but they've really had it, Bryan, set up brilliantly. I mean, every step of the way, every block you move in, you need to have a special kind of wristband. The people who've come this far are those who will be the ones who get into the service.
MONROE: Yes, they did a great job. If you look around the Staples Center-Nokia Center complex, they cordoned off Pico, Flower, Olympic, the four blocks around the whole facility, and you could not get through unless you had both a ticket and the proper wristband. There was fear earlier about people perhaps scalping the tickets and wristbands. We haven't seen a lot of that happening so far, but as we're hearing around us, the helicopters are flying, there is a dozen or so giant television screens flashing images of Michael as a boy. O'BRIEN: That's been one of the more remarkable things, and we haven't mentioned that yet. They have these massive screens, some of them. And some of them are just very, very big, and some are absolutely massive. You can see one on the right side of your screen. They're showing pictures of Michael in all the stages of his life. Michael with the giant afro, Michael with Dionne Warwick, Michael with Oprah, Michael with Nelson Mandela, Michael with Ronnie and Nancy Reagan. I mean, really gives you in pictures a sense of the scope of his career and the scope of his presence as a pop sicon.
COOPER: It is interesting, Bryan. When you talk to people in the crowd, they are all races from all over the United States, and a huge variety in ages. And each of them sort of remembers a different Michael Jackson. Each of them has a particular touchstone in the life of Michael Jackson that means something to them.
MONROE: It is really fascinating. Me, personally, I know my sister and I, when we grew up, we fought over the first album we bought, which was "ABC." And we bought it with our lunch money. And there was a different -- you know, for my kids, it's discovering a whole new Michael Jackson.
O'BRIEN: And everyone, I think, remembers Michael differently in terms of what Michael they fell in love with. Was it "Thriller," the album you bought when you were in high school? Was it the little Michael Jackson, who maybe you saw "The Jacksons" TV show, or was it the older Michael Jackson? Too, I think a lot of people -- who sometimes was unrecognizable. By then, his skin tone was different, he'd had clearly plastic surgery on his face, and he was sort of morphing into a different, more androgynous-looking human being. And of course, with all of that came a lot of problems and issues.
MONROE: But the one thing through all of that has been the music. The music -- and Michael at 8 years old during the Jackson Five times, during The Jacksons, whether he was doing "Ben," about -- the song about the rat, or "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough," the music throughout the ages was consistently strong, even towards his later years where he got a little bit angry, a little bit -- had a kind of a harder edge, none of his work was considered -- if you look at today's music with the lyrics and some of the profanity, he didn't go there. He refused to go there.
COOPER: We're getting a first look at the program for this event today. Don Lemon has that. Don, what does it look like? What do you see?
LEMON: It's quite an impressive book here. And so I'm going to do a little bit unorthodox because I have to have this for the noise, so I'm going to just guide you through it a little bit, put it here in my pocket. It's gold. It says "Michael Jackson, King of Pop, A Celebration of Life of Michael Jackson, 1958-2009." You see this great picture on the front.
By the way, one of the people who got tickets brought this up to me. His name is -- we want to thank Carlos for that. And then there's a nice picture of Michael Jackson as he I would imagine is directing one of his videos. It's him behind the camera. Can we see this, Dave? Is there a reflection?
And then a long -- you know, it talks about Michael. Then there's a message from La Toya, one from Jeffrey Phillips (ph) inside of the program. Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five here, an older picture. Color picture below. And then it shows the guys during their Victory tour, their comeback.
And they said, Michael Jackson, the world. "I love him. Michael is with me always. We will carry the light and make the light shine again for Michael and the world." That is Tito. That message from his brother right there right there inside.
Look at this. Beautiful pictures of Michael Jackson with dignitaries here from George Bush, the first George Bush president, his mom, the matriarch, here, Katherine Jackson, former President Bill Clinton, the secretary of state now, Hillary Clinton, Nelson Mandela in here, there's Joan Collins, La Toya Jackson, there's one with former President Ronald Reagan, of course, his friend and buddy, Liz Taylor, who said that she would prefer to respect and pay tribute to Michael Jackson in private. There's one with Cary Grant in here.
So, all of these things here. There's one with Janet as a kid. Janet, Reba (ph), La Toya, all of the brothers. And I'm going to get through this really quick to show you. Just really great shots of Michael Jackson.
I have to point this out. His sister Rebbie put a quote in here from Psalms 37:29 for her brother. Also another quote from the Bible, John 5:28-29. Let me get through these pictures really quick. There's one from his -- Taj and T.J., his nephews. One from Thomas Mesereau, his former attorney. And then also, one from Grace in Rwanda.
So, a lot of people paying tribute to Michael Jackson here. This is a first look at the program. Really, a beautiful, beautiful book here, Anderson and Soledad. And to get your hands on one of these for many Michael Jackson fans is really just an honor and a thrill.
O'BRIEN: You're absolutely right, Don. It looks beautiful from here, certainly. And you're absolutely right. It's a collector's item, for sure. Let's take you back quickly to the Hollywood Hills' Forest Lawn Cemetery. That's where we've seen family members go inside. Right now, a private family gathering as they say goodbye to Michael Jackson inside.
You can see there's an auditorium inside that holds roughly 1,200 people. The cars parked out front while they wait for that service to end. After that service, they'll be coming here for the memorial that will take place inside just where you saw Don Lemon just a few moments ago.
You have seen consistently in all the shots police officers. The security presence here is massive. Massive at Forest Lawn, massive here behind us at the Staples Center, and I can guarantee you massive every step of the way along the path that will bring those family members and friends here to the Staples Center as we continue to remember the life of Michael Jackson. Stay with us. We're back in a moment.
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COOPER: The music of Michael Jackson, which lives on even though the man himself is gone. And today, the remembrance for the life and a celebration of the life of Michael Jackson. That's the view outside the Staples Center here, where thousands have gathered, slowly getting themselves into the auditorium for an event, which is supposed to take place at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time, though it is likely it may be delayed because the service, which is happening right now, we'll take you over to Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills about 20 minutes from where we are downtown in the Staples Center.
Private ceremony under way now as we speak. We saw members of the Jackson family, we saw Katherine Jackson, the children, Jermaine Jackson, the entire family inside with friends. That service under way now. Michael Jackson's body is there. Then there's going to be a procession from there, we believe including the body of Michael Jackson will be brought to the Staples Center where the performances will be under way.
We have reporters all across. Ted Rowlands is at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Kara Finnstrom is down in the crowd. We're joined by Stuart Backerman, a former spokesperson, publicist for Michael Jackson. You worked with him from, what, 2002?
STUART BACKERMAN, JACKSON'S FORMER PUBLICIST: Early 2004, yes.
COOPER: As you -- I mean, your thoughts on today, as you see this service under way.
BACKERMAN: On a certain level, I think it's a beautiful thing because he sort of deserves, and this is a tribute to his great career, notwithstanding all the other stuff that has come out. And I'm proud of it.
COOPER: Do you think -- I mean, when you think about your time with Michael Jackson, when you think about Michael Jackson, the trajectory of his career, what happened? I mean, what happened to Michael Jackson? We hear that little boy singing at age 10, so full of hope and so alive onstage. What happened to Michael Jackson?
BACKERMAN: Simply, he couldn't overcome his demons. He couldn't overcome the insecurities that he had, basically from childhood. Now, he had a very difficult childhood. He had an abusive situation, and he was a very sensitive kid, so he internalized a lot of that.
And you know as well as I, when you're a kid and you go through stuff, often it stays with you for the rest of his life. And that's what was Michael. He was never able to really, you know, get it out, and he internalized it, and I think, you know, that was the thing. O'BRIEN: As his spokesperson, were you -- was he intimately involved with strategizing, I mean, or was that something where he was in his own sphere and that was sort of your job? Did he care about his public perception of him to the point where he said, Stuart, do this, and this is what I need and this is what I want and do it this way?
BACKERMAN: Yes, he was.
O'BRIEN: He was involved?
BACKERMAN: Yes. He was sly as a fox. I mean, there were times that he would go out dressed up in a certain costume and people thought he was being weird. But the reality of the situation is, he was creating attention and he wanted the press to see him, just like a lot of other celebrities.
So, he knew. He wanted to keep that image alive in a sense, even though it was a kind of a contradiction because on the other hand, he was a very private person. He had anxieties about the press also. So, it was kind of a ying and yang situation, was really interesting to observe.
COOPER: How difficult was -- I mean, at the time you were involved with him -- the prescription drugs? I mean, how difficult -- or how big a role did that play in his life?
BACKERMAN: It certainly started off a little more slowly from the Pepsi commercial on. It wasn't an habitual situation.
COOPER: The Pepsi commercial is where his hair went on fire and his scalp was badly damaged.
BACKERMAN: Right, the 1984. And his scalp was, you know, scalded badly. And over the next number of years, it was really just to mitigate pain. It particularly became a problem after the Martin Bashir interview. He died that night, he really did. Because he knew he shot himself in the foot.
COOPER: He knew he had made a mistake.
O'BRIEN: What was your job as the publicist to manage his perception? I mean, did you have an easy job? Did you feel you had an incredibly challenging job?
BACKERMAN: I had an incredibly challenging job. I happened to come on the scene, my luck, but I enjoyed it very much, during the baby-dangling incident...
O'BRIEN: Right.
BACKERMAN: ... the Martin Bashir fiasco...
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
BACKERMAN: ... the rebuttal film that we put out with Maury Povich.
O'BRIEN: So, what did he say to you after the Bashir interview? What did he tell you?
BACKERMAN: He didn't have very much to say, to tell you the truth. He was...
O'BRIEN: Was he in anguish?
BACKERMAN: ... he was in deep anguish because he knew, like I said, he shot himself in the foot. Remember, Martin Bashir had packed up his gear and was leaving Neverland. He insisted on bringing over Gavin Arvizo, mistakenly thinking that he was doing a good thing, that he was showing Martin Bashir and the world that he loved children. Because that was his intent. He really was a sweet man, but he was naive at a certain level about the reaction to some of his stunts in a sense. And so he realized, oh, my God, I shot myself in the foot, and he never recovered.
COOPER: It must have been difficult for someone who worked him and cared about him to also see him surrounded by other people who perhaps did not have his best interests at heart.
BACKERMAN: And there were a lot of those. Let me tell you something, you know, with a star of his celebrity, with a lot of money rolling around, a lot of people come on the scene that weren't -- had their own personal agendas and really didn't care for Michael, really didn't look out for his interests. And that was difficult, because sometimes they were able to sort of like end-run his management and kind of influence him in a sense. And that was very frustrating, to tell you the truth.
O'BRIEN: How do you explain those contradictions? I mean, you have a guy who's incredibly private and yet goes out in order to seek public attention. You have a guy who is incredibly sensitive and yet puts himself out there all the time. A guy who's incredibly smart and savvy about businesses and finances and drives himself into debt. It seems like there were these completely contradictory human beings in the shape of one person.
BACKERMAN: It's true. He was a contradiction in terms, just as you say. And I think on the down side, let's say, it was basically the demons from the time that he was a little boy. Like I said before, he really never was able to have the inner strength to overcome those demons. He tried, but it was difficult for him.
And so that overshadowed some of the times, the real person that he was, which really was a very good person. He was very good to me. He was very good to the people around him. But unfortunately, he didn't have that inner strength to be able to overcome things that he had from when he was a little boy.
COOPER: So many people certainly felt that, even just watching him from a distance. And yet as we see today, so much love pouring out for Michael Jackson. It is a bittersweet day, no doubt about it. As we listen to some of the music of Michael Jackson, we are going to take another short break. We'll be back. Stuart Backerman will continue to be here.
We'll also check in with Tom Foreman, take a look at who else is buried our at Forest Lawn Cemetery, if, in fact, that turns out to be the final resting place of Michael Jackson. Our coverage also continues online right now at CNN.com. There's the service. We're keeping tabs on everything. We're going to bring you all the latest developments. We'll be back in a few seconds.
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