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In a city fabled for its televised car chases, bejeweled Oscar shows and boisterous Lakers parades, residents and visitors alike have grown accustomed to spectacle, planned and spontaneous.
But Michael Jackson's category-defying memorial -- part variety show, part teary service -- drew fans both giddy and sad from around the world, all compelled to bond with one another and take in the moment.
They left their cynical bones at home, for the most part. But they did bring their cellphone cameras.
The lucky 17,500 who had won, begged or bought tickets entered Staples Center sober about Jackson's death, but also thrilled to have secured a berth at a once-in-a-lifetime performance of some of the world's most famous pop artists.
"This is something we will tell our children about," said Lindsay Przybylowicz, 29, of Santa Monica. She and her friend Rebecca Regnier, 30, wore black attire and glitter-covered white gloves in honor of Jackson. "There's almost a calming energy in the air."
Indeed, police said there were no disturbances.
Some fans couldn't help but imagine that Jackson himself would have been thrilled. "If he's looking down on us," said Lisa Casillas, 46, of Cypress before she walked into Staples Center, "he's probably saying, 'Why couldn't it have been like this when I was alive?' "
In some parts of the city the memorial played without much fanfare -- or many viewers -- on TVs in restaurants and hotels. At the Montage Beverly Hills hotel, staffers paused periodically to watch the proceedings. As Stevie Wonder crooned, staffer Allan Hughes smiled ruefully. "He's going to make everyone cry," he said.
At Melrose Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, as the memorial was winding down and the lunch crowd coming in, some patrons avoided the TV in the bar area.
"For me, it's just overkill," said personal trainer Robert Lee of the continuing Jackson coverage. "How many days can you watch it?"
Outside Staples Center, there was no such ennui.
Few could match the exuberance of 17-year-old Tia Ralph of Long Beach. At the mere sight of Jackson's image, on a T-shirt or a helium balloon, she screamed: "Michael! Jackson!" then wiped away tears. "I love him so much I feel like fainting."
"We need a Michael Jackson holiday," cried out freelance writer Waset Regir, 38, drawing a laugh from the crowd. "I'd give back Presidents Day for Michael Jackson Day. The presidents never made me feel all warm inside."
In Leimert Park, a group gathered at Lucy Florence Coffee House to observe a moment of silence and watch the memorial on TV. For Kim Jackson-Blaylock, a 42-year-old nurse, Jackson's songs were hallmarks of her life.
"I didn't just want to sit in my house alone feeling sad," she said. "I wanted to connect."
Miles away from Staples Center, those who filled the seats of the Krikorian theater in Monrovia acted as if they too were at Jackson's memorial.
Watching the live screening while munching on popcorn, the audience of more than 150 laughed at Smokey Robinson's joke-filled tribute, sniffled through Brooke Shields' emotional eulogy and clapped along to the performance of "We Are the World."
Despite their casual attire -- flip-flops, jeans and shorts -- people treated the screening as if it were the actual memorial.
"This is the next best thing," Pamela Hung, 19, of San Marino said. "To watch it from home wouldn't have been as good."
Those fans who did get into Staples Center seemed awed by their proximity to the Jacksons and other celebrities.
But Michael Jackson's category-defying memorial -- part variety show, part teary service -- drew fans both giddy and sad from around the world, all compelled to bond with one another and take in the moment.
They left their cynical bones at home, for the most part. But they did bring their cellphone cameras.
The lucky 17,500 who had won, begged or bought tickets entered Staples Center sober about Jackson's death, but also thrilled to have secured a berth at a once-in-a-lifetime performance of some of the world's most famous pop artists.
"This is something we will tell our children about," said Lindsay Przybylowicz, 29, of Santa Monica. She and her friend Rebecca Regnier, 30, wore black attire and glitter-covered white gloves in honor of Jackson. "There's almost a calming energy in the air."
Indeed, police said there were no disturbances.
Some fans couldn't help but imagine that Jackson himself would have been thrilled. "If he's looking down on us," said Lisa Casillas, 46, of Cypress before she walked into Staples Center, "he's probably saying, 'Why couldn't it have been like this when I was alive?' "
In some parts of the city the memorial played without much fanfare -- or many viewers -- on TVs in restaurants and hotels. At the Montage Beverly Hills hotel, staffers paused periodically to watch the proceedings. As Stevie Wonder crooned, staffer Allan Hughes smiled ruefully. "He's going to make everyone cry," he said.
At Melrose Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, as the memorial was winding down and the lunch crowd coming in, some patrons avoided the TV in the bar area.
"For me, it's just overkill," said personal trainer Robert Lee of the continuing Jackson coverage. "How many days can you watch it?"
Outside Staples Center, there was no such ennui.
Few could match the exuberance of 17-year-old Tia Ralph of Long Beach. At the mere sight of Jackson's image, on a T-shirt or a helium balloon, she screamed: "Michael! Jackson!" then wiped away tears. "I love him so much I feel like fainting."
"We need a Michael Jackson holiday," cried out freelance writer Waset Regir, 38, drawing a laugh from the crowd. "I'd give back Presidents Day for Michael Jackson Day. The presidents never made me feel all warm inside."
In Leimert Park, a group gathered at Lucy Florence Coffee House to observe a moment of silence and watch the memorial on TV. For Kim Jackson-Blaylock, a 42-year-old nurse, Jackson's songs were hallmarks of her life.
"I didn't just want to sit in my house alone feeling sad," she said. "I wanted to connect."
Miles away from Staples Center, those who filled the seats of the Krikorian theater in Monrovia acted as if they too were at Jackson's memorial.
Watching the live screening while munching on popcorn, the audience of more than 150 laughed at Smokey Robinson's joke-filled tribute, sniffled through Brooke Shields' emotional eulogy and clapped along to the performance of "We Are the World."
Despite their casual attire -- flip-flops, jeans and shorts -- people treated the screening as if it were the actual memorial.
"This is the next best thing," Pamela Hung, 19, of San Marino said. "To watch it from home wouldn't have been as good."
Those fans who did get into Staples Center seemed awed by their proximity to the Jacksons and other celebrities.
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