I registered online on Friday for the Michael Jackson Memorial Service lottery figuring I would never win. And when I heard that there were 1.6 million entries and only 8,750 were being selected for tickets (that’s a 1 in 183 chance), I forgot about it. But last night I got the email: I’d somehow been randomly selected.
This morning I woke up at the crack of dawn (make that 8 a.m.) and headed off to Dodger Stadium expecting a three-hour wait to claim my ticket. Instead, I was met by a couple hundred police officers and a couple hundred more personnel dutifully pointing me into the parking lot. And, as one woman said, it was “faster than a McDonald’s drive-thru.”
More after the jump. Follow us tomorrow live on Twitter from the memorial service.
It was true. I never had to leave my car. When I got to the front of the line, a woman stepped to my car window and placed a gold wristband on my wrist. “If you even try to take this off before tomorrow, we’ll see it in the wristband and you won’t get in.” She handed me a second wristband for my guest and a young man handed me two tickets to Staples Center: Section 16, Row 9, Seats 1 & 2.
It kind of feels like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with the eccentric, magical icon handing out golden tickets. I was just a 9-year-old kid in rural New England playing my first album, Thriller, over and over and over, learning the words to P.Y.T. and Human Nature, and somehow I got a pair of tickets and will be at Jackson’s memorial service. As long as the wristband doesn’t tear off during my Ultimate Frisbee match tonight. I’ll be Tweeting on Twitter tomorrow before, during and after the service, so join me there.
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 8:21 PM
I’ve got a golden tiiiiii-cket! WTG Cyd. Have fun!
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 10:49 PM
Congrats Cyd and I hope it’s memorable for you. But really, is this about gays or sports? It’s not. Don’t try to justify it … you are using this website as your personal blog. Stop it.
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 11:55 PM
Well, he DID have to go to Dodger Stadium.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 12:26 AM
And he’ll be at the Staples Center memorializing the guy who sang at Super Bowl 27 and his music video with Michael Jordan. And he’ll promise to wear a black jock if that makes you happy Mr. Tom. If that’s even your real name.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 12:28 AM
I meant to say …and “Don’t Forget” his music video with Michael Jordan.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 10:24 AM
I could understand someone attending a Michael Jackson tribute concert sometime in the future where various singers and musicians perform his songs. In other words, a tribute to his music.
But I don’t get this at all.
You’re excited to go to the memorial service of a pedophile you never met nor knew personally? There is definitely something wrong with that.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 12:10 PM
What I understand, Mike, is that you are just being a dick. While I am no big Jacko fan, he was never convicted and there was no real evidence he molested children, there was only word-of-mouth from kids with greedy-ass parents. And how about showing some respect for the man and his fans on the day he is buried, assface?!
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 12:57 PM
DruggyBear – go F yourself your stupid moron.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 12:59 PM
And there is more than plenty of evidence he molested several kids. You cannot be so naive or just plain stupid to think he never abused a kid.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 1:48 PM
oh ok mr. lawyer man what irrefutable evidence do you have then? besides the testimony of little liars coached by blood-sucking leeches, that is?
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 2:38 PM
Amazing that people can be as naive and clueless as you seem to be. There’s plenty of testimony from the kids plus members of Jackson’s own staff about inappropriate touching.
He even admitted to having kids sleep in his bedroom with him. If he (and apparently you) don’t realize how wrong it is for a 40-something year old man to have kids that aren’t his own children sleeping in his bed without any other adult present to supervise and protect the kids, then it pointless to continue this conversation. Even Oprah turned on him after that revelation.
Both he and the parents of those kids should’ve put away just for that fact (a fact he supplied).
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 2:48 PM
having other children sleep in his bed was inappropriate, sure, but that doesn’t mean anything sinister took place. where is the DNA evidence? was there a “blue dress”? no, just the testimony of a bunch of greedy liars, eaten up by sheep like yourself.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 3:48 PM
Ridiculous that you think anyone would care about this crap. Stop using this as your personal blog, unless it really is just that.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 5:17 PM
While I think all this endless Michael Jackson stuff has gone beyond obnoxious, since Cyd FOUNDED and OWNS Outsports (along with Jim) I don’t think he needs to be told how to use the blog. If you’re unhappy with the content of this FREE site, feel free to stop visiting.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 5:23 PM
Lol. This site is first and foremost a sports blog. From time to time, like with gay marriage, 9/11, and yes Michael Jackson’s death, Jim and I have agreed that we can venture briefly away from sports. Hell, ESPN Radio had me on to talk about it. EVERYONE, love him or hate him, is talking about Michael Jackson. And a rare, brief diversion from sports is OK with us as it continues to engage our community.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 5:24 PM
Congrats Cyd, seems only those of us who appreciate MJ understand the loss. Sorry you never got to see him perform. Take care and go mourn this loss for both of us!
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 5:27 PM
We do venture away from sports once in a while and had any of our readers scored tickets to such a huge event, we would run something on it.
The beauty of the Internet is that you can simply not click on a link for a subject you are uninterested in; it’s not like a magazine where something gets held to make room for something else.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 8:06 PM
The Michael Jackson story is newsworthy even on sites that normally don’t carry that type of news, and the fact that Cyd got tickets to the memorial makes it worthy of a post on this blog. Those who are crying about this are…well, I don’t know what to think of them.
I have more of a problem with that recent “Athletic model” post that promoted some guy on a website that sells underwear (I don’t care to repeat his name or the website. Y’all know which post I’m talking about.) He isn’t gay or bi (presumably, since the article mentioned he broke up with a woman); he has nothing to do with any sports — only a couple out of a dozen questions touched on what sports he played or plays personally, and he’s never been an athlete in any professional or quasi-professional or Olympic-style setting); he isn’t campaigning for gay rights or same-sex marriage or anything like that; and the interview wasn’t even conducted by Outsports.
Someone in a comment asked, perhaps sarcastically, if it was a paid advertisement. Even though it wasn’t, it might as well have been, because it served no other purpose whatsoever.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 9:48 PM
In Cyd’s defense, considering that the MJ thread is alive & well on this site…
HE wanted to attend the memorial service of an artist–regardless of the accusations–whom he has loved 4 many years…
Good 4 u Cyd! Post away.
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 9:58 PM
& I must add, do I think that MJ is guilty of the charges he was accused of? Yes! Do I have proof? Of course not!
So…
on Jul 7th, 2009 at 11:14 PM
A couple of things….
1. As has been mentioned, if you don’t like a story or have no interest in reading about it, then don’t read it. No one is holding a gun to your head. This website is still and always will be the premiere destination for gay people and athletes to visit to read about other gay athletes, sports, events and yes, good looking guys. Given the amount of inspirational stories that this site has produced over the last 12-months let alone in its existance, I have no problem whatsoever when they venture outside of the sporting world.
2. Michael Jackson may have been guilty in the court of public opinion by some – but in the eyes of the law, he was found NOT GUILTY of child molestation. It’s terrible to think that we live in a world where if someone gets wrongfully accused of something, they’ll have to live with that forever.
3. What an amazing Memorial service! Cyd you are so lucky to have been there and I hope you’ll put up a post detailing your experience. Watching it from home I had goosebumps with some of the songs and speeches. My heart went out to Usher during his performance and I haven’t yet met anyone who didn’t tear up when Michael’s daughter Paris gave her short speech. Unbelievable. Heartwrenching. Emotional.
on Jul 8th, 2009 at 7:11 AM
Way to go, Cyd. Thanks for the tweets. I watched the service on TV, and was very moved.
As to sports relevance — in the ABC post-event coverage, one commenter talked about how athletic Jackson was, as a dancer, especially when he was at his peak.
And who can forget him playing basketball with Michael Jackson in the music video “Jam”??