Alberto Alvarez, who worked as Jackson's logistics director, told investigators that after receiving a distress call from another worker June 25, he rushed up the stairs of Jackson's home and entered a bedroom to find the singer lying on a bed with his arms outstretched and his eyes and mouth open.

At his side, Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was administering CPR with one hand.

"Alberto, Alberto, come quickly," Murray said, according to a statement obtained by The Associated Press. "He had a reaction, he had a bad reaction."

Two of the star's children, Prince and Paris, came in the room and cried as they saw Murray trying to save their father. They were quickly ushered away.

The account and other statements obtained by the AP depict a grisly scene in Jackson's room in the final minutes before paramedics arrived.

Jackson's death at age 50 was ruled a homicide caused by an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol and other sedatives.

The possibility that Murray may have tried to hide evidence is likely to be a focus as prosecutors move ahead with their involuntary manslaughter case against him.

Alvarez told police he arrived at Jackson's home around 10:20 a.m. He was awaiting instructions for the day in a security trailer outside Jackson's rented mansion when, at 12:17 p.m., his phone rang. It was Jackson's personal assistant Michael Amir Williams, who said Jackson was in trouble.

Alvarez said he was "frozen and stunned" when he saw Jackson on the bed.

Murray then grabbed a few vials with rubber tops and told Alvarez to put them in a bag, Alvarez told investigators. Alvarez picked up a plastic bag from the floor and Murray put the bottles inside, then Murray told Alvarez to put that plastic bag inside a brown canvas bag, according to the account.

Alvarez said Murray then told him to remove an IV bag from a stand and put it in a blue canvas bag. He did, and noticed the bag had a connector with a milky white substance in it. Alvarez didn't say what happened to the bags, nor did he identify what was in the vials.

Two days after Jackson's death, under several hours of questioning by police, Murray eventually directed them to a closet in Jackson's bedroom. In it, they found propofol and other sedatives in a bag.

Murray's lawyer, Ed Chernoff, rejected the notion his client tried to hide drugs. He also noted Alvarez was interviewed twice by police and gave different accounts of what happened in Jackson's bedroom. During the first interview, Alvarez did not mention being told to tidy away medicine vials.

"He wasn't putting bottles in a bag and trying to hide them," Chernoff said. "We are confident that a fair trial will ferret out the truth."

On the day Jackson died, Murray waited until the bags were filled before telling Alvarez to call 911, according to Alvarez's statement.

The documents also detail an odd encounter with Murray after Jackson was declared dead at a nearby hospital. Murray insisted he needed to return to the mansion to get cream that Jackson had "so the world wouldn't find out about it," according to the statements, which provide no elaboration.

Alvarez and the others who gave the statements, Williams and driver/bodyguard Faheem Muhammad, could be key witnesses should Murray go to trial. Except for the brief appearances by the nanny and the children, Alvarez and Muhammad were the only others in the room with Murray as he tried to save Jackson before paramedics arrived.

Murray, 57, a cardiologist licensed in Nevada, California and Texas, has acknowledged briefly leaving Jackson's bedside the day he died but maintained from the outset that nothing he gave the singer should have killed him. It wasn't illegal for him to administer propofol, though whether he followed proper procedures while Jackson was under the influence is a key part of the case.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown's office has asked a court to suspend Murray's license pending the outcome of criminal proceedings against him.

Lionel Richie, who wrote the original charity anthem with Jackson, says the King of Pop can be seen in the new video for the track, singing with his sister Janet.

"We left the original footage of that part, but now he is singing with his sister," Richie said.

"It's something we wanted to see, but his mother requested it too, for Janet to sing with Michael," said Quincy Jones, who produced the original track and helped orchestrate the re-recording. "It was perfect. It was meant to be."

The video is set to make its debut Friday during coverage of the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics. "We Are the World _ 25 for Haiti" features 80 artists, including Pink, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Kanye West and Jennifer Hudson.

Proceeds from sales of the song will benefit earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti.

Dr. Conrad Murray is set to be arraigned at a courthouse near Los Angeles International Airport, the person, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation, told The Associated Press Wednesday. The possible charge was not disclosed.

However, two law enforcement sources have told the AP that prosecutors plan to charge Murray with involuntary manslaughter. The officials also requested anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

Los Angeles County district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said she could "neither confirm nor deny" that Murray would appear Friday afternoon at the LAX courthouse.

She noted that the office has a policy of filing charges in the court district where the alleged crime occurred. Jackson died June 25 at a rented mansion on the west side of Los Angeles. The LAX courthouse handles criminal cases in the western portion of LA.

Murray, who has a practice in Houston, came to Los Angeles last weekend and has been strategizing with his team of defense attorneys. Lead attorney Ed Chernoff said his client was ready to surrender to authorities in the event a charge is filed.

"We are prepared for whatever occurs," Chernoff said. "We have time to meet and strategize for possible scenarios, but in reality we've had eight months to do that."

The arrival of Murray and Chernoff in recent days from Houston led to a new round of speculation that a charge could be announced this week. Camera crews and reporters converged on a downtown criminal courthouse Tuesday morning awaiting word of possible charges, although Gibbons said she had no word on when any developments were likely.

Chernoff was waiting for news in a Los Angeles-area hotel, while Murray was at a friend's house in Santa Monica, where a crowd of paparazzi was waiting outside.

"There's no joy in representing someone who shouldn't be charged in the first place," Chernoff said. "There's some truth to the proposition that the waiting is the hardest part."

Police have been investigating Murray since Jackson's death at age 50. The doctor told detectives he'd given the singer a powerful anesthetic and other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac star to sleep. Jackson died soon after and investigators have been gathering evidence to try to show Murray was negligent in administering the drugs.

Murray maintains nothing he gave Jackson should have killed him.

Meanwhile Wednesday, a judge in Las Vegas found Murray in default on a nearly $132,000 debt related to office medical equipment and services.

Murray had no lawyer in the case. He has long-standing personal and professional debts, and faced near foreclosure last summer on his Las Vegas country club home.

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Associated Press Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch in Los Angeles and Writer Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

But while Michael Jackson won a record four posthumous awards, he couldn't beat Taylor Swift for top honors at Sunday night's American Music Awards.

The 19-year-old was named the year's favorite artist, giving Jackson his only loss of the night, and giving her five trophies in all.

"Music has never been ultimately about competition," she said as she accepted the top prize via satellite from London, where she is to perform Monday. "To even be mentioned in a category with Michael Jackson, who we will miss and love forever, is an unimaginable honor."

The victories came during a performance-filled show that closed with an S&M-themed, sexually charged performance by Adam Lambert.

Swift was also named favorite female pop/rock and country artist and favorite adult-contemporary artist. Her album, "Fearless," won favorite country album. Jackson was voted favorite male artist in the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories. His 2003 greatest-hits album, "Number Ones," also won favorite album in both categories, bringing his career AMA total to 23, making him the most honored artist in AMA history.

Jackson's victories were among the highlights of the evening, which also featured an eye-popping performance by Lady Gaga, a special award for Whitney Houston and that jaw-dropping number from Lambert, who traded in his "American Idol" image for sex, leather and chains Sunday.

On an elaborate set filled with stairs and platforms, Lambert fondled a female dancer, kissed an androgynous band mate and led two leather-clad men across the stage on leashes as he sang the title track from his new CD, "For Your Entertainment," out this week.

Lady Gaga, wearing a "Alien"-inspired headdress and vest filled with lights, performed songs from her new album, "The Fame Monster," also due in stores this week. She used her microphone to break into a glass case where a grand piano stood. It caught fire when she sat down to play.

Whitney Houston made a resplendent return to the AMA stage with an elegant performance of "I Didn't Know My Own Strength." The 46-year-old entertainer also received the International Award of Excellence for her musical and philanthropic contributions. She dedicated the honor to her daughter, music mogul Clive Davis and "everybody who supported me."

Jackson's trophies were accepted by his brother Jermaine, who paid tribute to his late brother by wearing glittery white glove. He thanked "Allah for blessing my entire family" and named each of his brothers and sisters.

He said the message of Michael, who died in June at age 50, is more important than any award.

"The message that Michael had will live on forever," he said. "He saw good in everyone and he wanted everyone to do good. He always started with love."

The American Music Awards honor the year's top-selling artists in eight popular genres, and fans voted for the winners online. But even more than awards, the AMAs are about performances, and more than a dozen of them filled Sunday's show.

The Black Eyed Peas, voted favorite pop/rock band, energized the crowd when they performed two of the year's most popular hits: "I Got A Feeling" and "Boom Boom Pow."

Rihanna returned to the AMA stage, sporting blonde hair, a skintight, white peek-a-boo bodysuit and a tattoo down the front of her neck that read "Rated R," the name of her new album, out this week.

Janet Jackson opened the show with a medley of some of the biggest hits from her long career _ all tracks that appear on her new greatest-hits collection, also called "Number Ones."

Alicia Keys and Jay-Z dueted on their ode to New York City. Shakira was flanked by a dozen dancers in tiny black bodysuits as she sang her new single. Kelly Clarkson performed a stripped down version of her hit "Already Gone," backed by a string quartet.

Jennifer Lopez added a boxing motif to her dance-filled performance, but she slipped during a tricky move and landed on her bottom.

Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong confessed backstage that the show left him star-struck.

"When you see all the talent that's in the room" like Jay-Z and Lady Gaga, he said, "it's like holy moly, these are huge people."

The band was voted favorite alternative artist. Other winners Sunday included Jay-Z, wife Beyonce, Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts.

___

On the Net:

http://ama.abc.com

"I wish he could answer this question for you and not me," she told ABC's Robin Roberts. "I felt that he was in denial."

She blames Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician, for his death June 25.

Prosecutors in Los Angeles are weighing charges against Murray, who told police he administered a powerful anesthetic to the singer shortly before he died.

During the interview, the 43-year-old Janet Jackson spoke of her upcoming diet book, "True You," which chronicles her lifelong struggle to control her weight.

She has gained some mastery over her self-image, she said, after years of "just picking yourself apart all the time because you're so used to being kind of picked apart."

She said she hasn't seen "This Is It," the new documentary film spotlighting her late brother as he prepared for the concert tour that would've taken place last summer.

"I definitely won't, not right now," she said. "I don't know if I will ever see it."

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ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co.

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On the Net:

http://www.abc.com

The film was the No. 1 Halloween thriller domestically with a $21.3 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Paramount's low-budget horror sensation "Paranormal Activity," slipped to No. 2 with $16.5 million, lifting its total to $84.8 million.

"This Is It" raised its domestic total to $32.5 million. The movie pulled in $68.5 million overseas, including $10.4 million in Japan, $6.3 million in Germany, $5.8 million in France and $3.2 million in China.

"He's just loved everywhere on the planet," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It doesn't matter if it's Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South America. Every continent in the world loved him and his music."

In Great Britain, where Jackson had planned a marathon series of 50 London concerts starting last July, the movie earned $7.6 million.

"This Is It" captures Jackson in behind-the-scenes performances in the weeks before his death last June, as he rehearsed his biggest hits for the London shows.

"This Is It" originally was scheduled for a theatrical run of only two weeks. The studio has extended it a few more weeks domestically, leaving it in theaters through Thanksgiving weekend, one of the year's busiest moviegoing times.

Sony plans to extend the run of "This Is It" overseas on a country-by-country basis, with most territories probably getting one to three weeks of extra playing time, Bruer said.

The studio paid $60 million for film rights to Jackson's rehearsal footage, an investment the movie recouped in days.

"They bet $60 million on this and got $101 million in just five days," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It was a gamble and a bet that paid off."

The movie fell far short of last year's $31.1 million opening weekend domestically for "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert." But Bruer said "This Is It" has a shot at surpassing the $65.3 million domestic total during the entire run of Cyrus' movie, which tops the all-time charts for music documentaries.

Worldwide, "This Is It" already has shot past Cyrus' concert film. Cyrus mainly appeals to American teens, and her movie got only a limited release overseas, where it took in about $5 million to give the film a global total of just over $70 million.

"This Is It" played in 3,481 theaters domestically, about five times the number for Cyrus' movie. But "Best of Both Worlds" ran in 3-D, for which theaters typically charge a few dollars more.

And Cyrus' young fans are an audience segment that tends to rush out to see movies over opening weekend, the movie doing nearly half its business in the first few days.

Sony hopes for a longer shelf life for "This Is It," which drew older crowds that catch movies on their own schedule, with less regard for the opening-weekend frenzy. Fans older than 25 accounted for 62 percent of the audience, according to Sony.

While "Paranormal Activity" led Halloween's scary movies, an established horror franchise lost its fear factor as Lionsgate's "Saw VI" fell sharply in its second weekend after an anemic debut.

"Saw VI" came in at No. 5 this weekend with $5.6 million, raising its total to just $22.8 million after 10 days. Previous sequels in the serial-killer series all had topped $30 million during opening weekend alone.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com; final figures will be released Monday:

1. "Michael Jackson's This Is It," $21.3 million.

2. "Paranormal Activity," $16.5 million.

3. "Law Abiding Citizen," $7.3 million.

4. "Couples Retreat," $6.1 million.

5. "Saw VI," $5.6 million.

6. "Where the Wild Things Are," $5.1 million.

7. "The Stepfather," $3.4 million.

8. "Astro Boy," $3.04 million.

9. "Amelia," $3 million.

10. "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," $2.8 million.

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On the Net:

http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice

___

Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue Pictures is owned by Relativity Media LLC; Overture Films is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp.

The film, which opened around the globe Tuesday and Wednesday has already earned rousing praise from fans and critics, who say it restores Jackson's reputation as a world-class entertainer.

Director Kenny Ortega, a longtime Jackson collaborator who was overseeing his London concert comeback, crafted the nearly two-hour film from more than 100 hours of footage recorded during rehearsals for the London shows, which were to have begun in July. Jackson died June 25 at age 50.

"What we did here was focus on telling a good story and creating a film for the fans really enabling them to understand what Michael Jackson had dreamed for them," Ortega said Wednesday.

He added it was his hope "the audience for this film will grow and that as many people come to see it as possible because I think that it's a wonderful story about a brilliant man... Awards, Oscars, that's all great wishful thinking."

It may be more than wishful, said Steven Gaydos, executive editor of the Hollywood trade paper Variety and a self-described cynic. With the Academy Awards best-picture slate expanded to 10 films this year rather than the traditional five, "This Is It" could find itself among the contenders, he said.

To qualify, the film must complete a seven-day run in Los Angeles County and filmmakers would need to "submit the proper paperwork," said Leslie Unger, spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which puts on the Oscars. The movie could also be considered in other categories such as sound, she said.

Sony, which paid $60 million for the global film rights, plans to keep "This Is It" in theaters for just over two weeks. The studio did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment about whether it planned to submit the film in any of the Oscar categories.

The film took in $2.2 million domestically from its first late-night screenings, setting it up for a strong shot at a No. 1 debut weekend. It is already well on its way to becoming a top-grossing music documentary.

Ortega, a veteran director, producer and choreographer who counts TV's "High School Musical" among his credits, could find himself in contention for a best-director nod, Gaydos said.

"He did a masterful job putting this whole thing together," he said. "It was so powerful and interesting, so creative and well-done, I think he should be considered... Kenny just won over all these critics like me with Michael Jackson that anything interesting could go on with this guy."

After completing a weeklong run, "This Is It" could also be eligible for Golden Globe awards consideration if it's submitted before the Nov. 6 deadline, said Michael Russell, a spokesman for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the annual ceremony.

Ortega said an Oscar nod would be a fitting recognition of Jackson's last work.

"He deserves one," he said. "Come on people."

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Associated Press writer Marcela Isaza in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Now, video footage of preparations for those performances have become "Michael Jackson's This Is It," a documentary opening worldwide Tuesday.

The simultaneous showings around the globe will be anchored by a star-studded premiere at the Nokia Theatre, a 7,100-seat concert venue across the street from Staples Center, where many of Jackson's rehearsals _ and his high-profile public memorial _ were held.

Longtime Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega, who directed and produced "This Is It," is expected to attend, as are members of Jackson's band and the executors of his will. Entertainers including Snoop Dogg, Smokey Robinson and Zac Efron are also on the guest list.

Fans are likely to swarm the area, too: Many waited in line for days to buy tickets for advance screenings of "This Is It" at the new Regal Cinemas on site, which will show the film to sold-out audiences Tuesday on all 14 of its screens.

The film, culled from more than 100 hours of rehearsal footage, shows an enthusiastic King of Pop meticulously crafting his moves and performing some of his most beloved hits. No critics have seen it, but Sony _ which paid $60 million for the film rights _ showed a 12-minute clip to entertainment journalists last week.

Some of Jackson's family members and friends have seen "This Is It" in its entirety. Elizabeth Taylor, a longtime friend of the pop star, posted her thoughts Monday on Twitter.

"It is the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen," she wrote on the micro-blogging site. "It cements forever Michael's genius in every aspect of creativity."

The 77-year-old actress added that she "wept from pure joy at his God-given gift" and urged her fans to see the film "again and again."

"This Is It" opens in theaters Wednesday for a limited run, lending it some of the exclusivity of Jackson's aborted concert stand in London.

"We think the 16 days is right. It's sort of a special event that you want to frame in a special way," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. Sony Corp.'s Columbia Pictures unit paid $60 million for the rights to the film based on the Jackson footage.

Jackson died June 25 at age 50. The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled the death a homicide, caused primarily by the powerful anesthetic propofol and another sedative. Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, has not been charged with a crime but is the focus of the police investigation.

Jackson's 50 comeback concerts at London's O2 arena were to have begun in July.

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Associated Press writer Mesfin Fekadu and Movie Writer David Germain contributed to this report.

With those shows relegated to what-if status by his death in June, the question now is how well the singer can pack movie theaters with "Michael Jackson: This Is It," a chronicle of his concert preparations that now stands as his final performance.

Advance ticket sales have been brisk, but no one has a handle on how big the turnout might be this week.

Some think it's likely to surpass the $31.1 million opening weekend and the $65.3 million lifetime haul of "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," the biggest concert movie on record.

Some expect a $100 million total domestic haul. Others think it could go much higher, but how high is anyone's guess.

"It reminds me of `Blair Witch,' it reminds me of `Fahrenheit 9/11,' it reminds me of `Passion of the Christ.' You even have to throw in `Snakes on a Plane.' Films that are bigger than life and just unpredictable. We don't really know how they're going to do," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

For the record, "The Blair Witch Project," "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "The Passion of the Christ" all were hits. "Snakes on a Plane," despite tremendous advance buzz, fizzled.

Not quite a concert film, not quite a documentary, "This Is It" is like nothing that has hit theaters before. It comes just months after Jackson's death, with fans still eagerly digesting every scrap of news about him. It distills more than 100 hours of footage shot as Jackson rehearsed for the concerts in the weeks before his death. And it truly is a final glimpse of an artist who ruled the pop charts in the 1980s before retreating to a reclusive life amid allegations of child molestation.

Distributor Sony is treating the film like the crown jewels, keeping it under wraps until the big blowout Tuesday night, when there will be simultaneous premieres worldwide, followed by advance screenings for paying customers ahead of Wednesday's official theatrical debut.

No critics have seen it, and entertainment journalists were shown only 12 minutes of footage last week before interviews with the filmmakers.

Sony, which paid $60 million for the film rights, plans to have the movie out for just over two weeks, lending it some of the exclusivity of Jackson's aborted concert stand in London.

"We think the 16 days is right. It's sort of a special event that you want to frame in a special way," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony.

If business really takes off, Sony could extend the film's run, as Disney did with Cyrus' concert movie, which originally was scheduled for only a one-week leg in theaters.

Concert films historically have been a niche genre, with only a few finding a lasting audience in theaters or on home video, among them "Woodstock," "Monterey Pop," "Madonna: Truth or Dare," the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and "Shine a Light," The Band's "The Last Waltz," the Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense" and "U2: Rattle and Hum."

Box-office results for concert flicks have been petty cash compared to blockbuster action films and comedies, with last March's "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" running a distant second to Cyrus' film in the record books, topping out at $19.2 million.

The Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" took in $67.2 million on opening day, more than Cyrus' concert movie did in its entire run.

"This Is It" opens in about five times as many theaters as Cyrus' movie, which played in only 683 cinemas because of the limited number equipped to show digital 3-D films.

Advance ticket sellers Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com report that sales for "This Is It" are running about where Cyrus' film was days before its release.

Comparisons between the two movies are dicey, though. Fans of Jackson, who was 50, are much older than Cyrus' and generally less inclined than young audiences to make the trek to movie theaters. Yet Cyrus does not have the huge global appeal of Jackson, whose film is opening in virtually every country at the same time.

"As big as she is, I don't think she holds a candle to Michael Jackson around the world," said Walt Borchers, senior vice president of sales and marketing for MovieTickets.com.

And, added Borchers, the fact that Jackson now is out of reach deepens his film's appeal.

"Miley, you could have seen her in concert. Now nobody is able to see Michael Jackson in concert. On this film, that does add some fervor," Borchers said.

Based on the initial fervor when tickets first went on sale in late September, Fandango.com expected that "This Is It" easily would shoot past the box-office receipts of Cyrus' movie, said Rick Butler, chief operating officer.

Since then, though, sales have leveled off, so it's uncertain Jackson's movie will hit that mark, Butler said.

The movie's durability ultimately will come down to how good a performance Jackson gives, Butler said. In trailers and the footage shown to reporters last week, Jackson was in prime musical form.

"It's all going to be about his voice. How good does he sound? And boy, the voice sounds as good as it ever did," Butler said. "There's no reason to believe that whatever snippets they've given us for whatever of his songs, he won't sound that way with everything in his repertoire."

The winding queue for tickets to the first public screenings of the documentary opened late Thursday afternoon in the courtyard outside the Nokia Theatre at the L.A. Live complex in downtown Los Angeles. The film features a behind-the-scenes look at Jackson preparing for the series of London shows he was rehearsing for before he died June 25.

"I've never done something like this in my life," said Rubio, 53, "but M.J. is worth it."

Tickets for the advance shows aren't scheduled to go on sale until early Sunday morning, meaning Rubio and her fellow devotees may spend days in line. The first 500 fans in line have been promised commemorative lenticular tickets designed by Jackson for the London concerts at the O2 Arena, another reason Rubio was motivated to wait in line for over 48 hours.

"I heard they are very beautiful," she said.

A total of 3,000 movie tickets will be available for the early Oct. 27 shows at L.A. Live's new Regal Cinemas Stadium 14, marking the movie theater's grand opening. It's the only screening location offering the advance shows and commemorative tickets. "This Is It" will begin its limited, two-week run at movie theaters nationwide on Oct. 28.

The Sony Pictures film, crafted from hundred hours of rehearsal footage, is directed by longtime Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega, the "High School Musical" director who had been working with Jackson on the "This Is It" concerts. The movie will feature Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show as well as interviews with his friends and family.

Several of the fans who arrived when the line opened Friday brought chairs _ one per person _ and umbrellas for the long wait ahead of them. AEG, which operates the L.A. Live complex and organized the Jackson concerts, said that no tents, alcohol, cooking or boom boxes were permitted in line. Onsite monitors would issue passes for restroom and food breaks.

"It was a last-minute decision," said Trudy Miles, who was waiting in line with her daughters. "We were getting ready to go to the park, and my daughter texted me and told me the tickets were going on sell today. We were going to see it at the theater near our house, but we thought this would be special, so we loaded up the car with stuff and came down here."

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On the Net:

http://www.lalive.com/

http://www.thisisit-movie.com/

(This version CORRECTS Corrects time reference in graf 2. Moving on general news and entertainment services.)

On a sultry Thursday evening, amid a sea of white flowers and with a bejeweled crown placed atop his casket by his children, the King of Pop was given an intimate, private version of the lavish public memorial held shortly after his death in June.

Gladys Knight performed the hymn "Our Father" (The Lord's Prayer) and moved many to tears, according to one guest who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the day.

When it was over, many of the the 200 mourners hugged each other. Among them were Elizabeth Taylor, Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, Barry Bonds and Macaulay Culkin.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who gave a eulogy at the public event and at Thursday's service, also extolled Knight's earlier performance of "His Eye is on the Sparrow."

"Gladys Knight sang her heart out. Now we prepare to lay him to rest," Sharpton posted on his Twitter account during the service that was held outside and then within the marble mausoleum.

The mourners followed the crowned, lushly flower-draped casket as Jackson's five brothers _ each wearing a bright red tie and a single crystal-studded glove _ carried it into the mausoleum. The 11-year-old Paris cried as the group entered the imposing building and was comforted by her aunt, LaToya.

Paris and brothers Prince Michael, 12, and Prince Michael II, 7, known as Blanket, began the service by placing the crown on their father's golden casket. They were composed through most of the hour-and-a-half ceremony.

As it ended, Katherine Jackson appeared extremely weary and had to be helped to her car, according to the guest. Earlier, she had a difficult time going into the mausoleum; she was overcome, turned back, and it wasn't clear if she went in at all, the guest said.

The Jackson family's tardy arrival delayed the service for nearly two hours; no explanation was given to mourners. The invitation notice indicated the service would begin promptly at 7 p.m.; it began closer to 8:30.

The 77-year-old Taylor and others were left waiting in the late summer heat, with the temperature stuck at 90 degrees just before sunset, and some mourners fanned themselves with programs for the service. As darkness fell, police escorted the family's motorcade of 31 cars, including Rolls-Royces and Cadillacs, from their compound in Encino to Forest Lawn, about a 20-minute journey, with the hearse bearing Jackson's body at the end.

About 250 seats were arranged for mourners over artificial turf laid roadside at the mausoleum, and a vivid orange moon, a mark of the devastating wildfire about 10 miles distant, hung over the cemetery.

There were two oversized portraits of a youthful, vibrant Jackson mounted next to the casket amid displays of white lilies and roses. At Jackson's lavish public memorial, red roses covered his casket.

A large, blimp-like inflated light, the type used in film and television production, and a boom camera hovered over the seating area placed in front of the elaborate marble mausoleum. The equipment raised the possibility that the footage would be used for the Jackson concert documentary "This Is It," or perhaps the Jackson brothers' upcoming reality show.

More than 400 media credentials were issued to reporters and film crews who remained at a distance from the service and behind barricades. The few clusters of fans who gathered around the secure perimeter that encircled the cemetery entrance struggled to see.

Maria Martinez, 25, a fan from Riverside, Calif., who was joined by a dozen other Jackson admirers at a gas station near the security perimeter, gave a handful of pink flowers she had picked at a nearby park to a man with an invitation driving into the funeral.

"Can you please put these flowers on his grave?" she told him. "They were small and ugly, but I did that with my heart. I'm not going to be able to get close, so this is as close as I could get to him."

The man consented, adding, "God bless."

Glendale police said all went smoothly and there were no arrests.

Jackson will share eternity at Forest Lawn with the likes of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and W.C. Fields, entombed alongside them in the mausoleum that will be all but off-limits to adoring fans who might otherwise turn the pop star's grave into a shrine.

The closest the public will be able to get to Jackson's vault is a portion of the mausoleum that displays "The Last Supper Window," a life-size stained-glass re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. Several 10-minute presentations about the window are held regularly 365 days a year, but most of the building is restricted.

The Jackson family had booked an Italian restaurant in Pasadena for a gathering Thursday night, and family members and guests were seen coming and going late into the night.

"I feel like I watched Michael finally given some peace and I made a commitment to make sure his legacy and what he stood for lives on," Sharpton said outside the restaurant around midnight. "So at one level we're relieved; another level we're obligated."

The ceremony ends months of speculation that the singer's body would be buried at Neverland Ranch, in part to make the property a Graceland-style attraction. An amended copy of Jackson's death certificate was filed Thursday in Los Angeles County to reflect Forest Lawn as his final resting place.

In court on Wednesday, it was disclosed that 12 burial spaces were being purchased by Jackson's estate at Forest Lawn Glendale, about eight miles north of downtown Los Angeles, but no details were offered on how they would be used.

The King of Pop died a drug-induced death June 25 at age 50 as he was about to embark on a comeback attempt. The coroner's office has labeled the death a homicide, and Jackson's death certificate lists "injection by another" as the cause.

Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told detectives he gave the singer a series of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic propofol to help him sleep. But prosecutors are still investigating, and no charges have been filed.

___

AP writers Derrik J. Lang, Anthony McCartney, Sue Manning, Sandy Cohen and Ryan Pearson and APTV reporter John Mone contributed to this report.

The homicide ruling was based on forensic tests that found the anesthetic propofol combined with at least two sedatives to kill Jackson, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the findings have not been publicly released.

While the finding does not necessarily mean a crime was committed, it means more likely that criminal charges will be filed against Dr. Conrad Murray, the Las Vegas cardiologist who was caring for Jackson when he died June 25 in a rented Los Angeles mansion.

Through his lawyer, Murray has said he administered nothing that "should have" killed Jackson.

Murray told investigators that at the time of the King of Pop's death, he had been trying to wean Jackson off propofol. The doctor said he'd been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks with 50 milligrams of the drug every night via an intravenous drip, a search warrant affidavit said.

Murray said he feared Jackson was becoming addicted to the anesthetic, which is supposed to be used only in hospitals and other advanced medical settings.

The affidavit unsealed in Houston, where Los Angeles police took materials from one of Murray's clinics last month as part of their manslaughter investigation, includes a detailed account of what detectives say Murray told them. Manslaughter is homicide without malice or premeditation.

Murray told detectives that he had lowered the propofol dose to 25 milligrams and added the sedatives lorazepam and midazolam two days prior to Jackson's death, a combination that succeeded in helping the pop star sleep. The next day, Murray said, he cut off the propofol _ and Jackson fell asleep with just the two sedatives.

But on June 25, Murray said he tried unsuccessfully to make Jackson sleep with a series of drugs that included a 10-milligram tablet of Valium and repeated injections of two milligrams of lorazepam and two milligrams of midazolam.

When they didn't work, he gave in to Jackson's "repeated demands/requests" for propofol, which the singer called his "milk," according to the affidavit. Murray administered 25 milligrams of the white-colored liquid _ a relatively small dose _ and finally, Jackson fell asleep.

Murray remained with the sedated Jackson for about 10 minutes, then left for the bathroom, the affidavit said. Less than two minutes later, Murray returned _ and found Jackson had stopped breathing.

Cell phone records show three separate calls from Murray's phone for between 11:18 a.m. and 12:05 p.m., the affidavit said. It's not clear who received the calls. Murray had told authorities he was administering CPR during that time.

In a statement posted late Monday on his firm's Web site, Murray's attorney Edward Chernoff questioned the timeline as depicted in the affidavit, calling it "police theory."

"Dr. Murray simply never told investigators that he found Michael Jackson at 11:00 a.m. not breathing," Chernoff said. He declined to comment on the homicide ruling, saying, "We will be happy to address the coroner's report when it is officially released."

The coroner's office has withheld its autopsy findings, citing a request from police to wait until their investigation is complete.

It is no surprise that such a combination of medications could kill someone, said Dr. David Zvara, anesthesia chairman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"All those drugs act in synergy with each other," Zvara said. Adding propofol on top of the other sedatives could have "tipped the balance" by depressing Jackson's breathing and ultimately stopping his heart.

The 25 milligrams of propofol "is not a whopping amount," said Lee Cantrell, director of the San Diego division of the California Poison Control System. It was the cocktail of the other sedatives, known as benzodiazepines, that "may have been the trigger that pushed him over the edge," Cantrell said.

"This is horrible polypharmacy," he said, referring to the interaction among the various drugs. "No one will treat an insomniac like this."

The affidavit, signed by a judge July 20, said that the coroner's office chief medical examiner told police his review of preliminary toxicology results showed "lethal levels of propofol."

Besides the propofol and two sedatives, the coroner's toxicology report found other substances in Jackson's system but they were not believed to have been a factor in the singer's death, the official told the AP.

Murray didn't tell paramedics or doctors at the UCLA hospital where Jackson was rushed about any drugs he administered other than lorazepam and flumazenil, a "rescue drug" to counteract problems from too much lorazepam, according to the affidavit.

It was only during a subsequent interview with Los Angeles Police detectives that Murray gave a more full accounting of the events leading up to the 911 call, the document said.

A call to the coroner's office was not returned Monday. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles District Attorney's said no case had been presented so the office had nothing to comment on.

The line between safe and dangerous doses of propofol is thin, and according to the drug's guidelines a trained professional must always stay bedside. Home use of propofol is virtually unheard of _ safe administration requires both a specially trained anesthesiologist and an array of lifesaving equipment. Murray was trained as a heart doctor, not a pain and sedation specialist.

Murray told investigators he didn't order or buy any propofol, but investigators served a search warrant Aug. 11 at a Las Vegas pharmacy and uncovered evidence showing Murray legally purchased from the store the propofol he gave Jackson on the day he died.

Jackson's family released a statement Monday, saying it has "full confidence" in the legal process and the efforts of investigators. It concludes: "The family looks forward to the day that justice can be served."

___

Contributing to this report were AP Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee and Associated Press Writers Alicia Chang in Los Angeles and Michael Gracyzk in Houston.

In the one-minute video, posted on YouTube, a weary-looking Dr. Conrad Murray thanks friends and patients and refers to his two interviews with Los Angeles police detectives. It was the first time Murray had spoken publicly since Jackson died June 25.

"I have done all I could do," a solemn-sounding Murray says as he looks into the camera. "I told the truth and I have faith the truth will prevail."

The video was recorded last week at a private residence in Houston, said Miranda Sevcik, the spokeswoman for Murray's lawyer.

After Jackson died, Murray received death threats, hired a body guard and was forced into seclusion at his Las Vegas home, Sevcik said. He also has received many calls from patients, former patients and strangers offering him support.

"Because of all that is going on, I am afraid to return phone calls or use my e-mail," Murray says. "I recorded this video to let all of you know that I have been receiving your messages ... Your messages give me strength and courage and keep me going. They mean the world to me."

Since Jackson's death, Murray has not worked and has closed his Las Vegas practice.

The doctor was in dire financial shape when he signed on with Jackson earlier this year at $150,000 a month, owing at least $780,000 in judgments and outstanding payments.

Sevcik said the only reason Murray made the video was to address supporters, but she added Murray told her he misses being able to work.

"He says he wants to get back to work, he really does genuinely care about the people he works with," Sevcik said. "He has to just wait, he's in limbo."

Gregory D. Lee, a retired supervisory agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency, said he thought Murray wanted to improve his image.

"This doctor has been demonized," Lee said. "This is an attempt to humanize him and possibly sway any potential jury pool out there."

Murray told investigators he administered Jackson a powerful anesthetic along with multiple sedatives in the hours before the singer died, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Investigators think Murray left the room where Jackson was sleeping for a few minutes to make phone calls and returned to find the pop icon not breathing.

The official requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

The Los Angeles coroner's office has said it has completed its work determining Jackson's cause of death but won't be releasing results until the police investigation is complete.

___

On the Net: http://www.youtube.com/watch?vx1bjDWRJx9I

This one isn't like his other glittery gloves, which were made for the right hand and adorned with hand-sewn crystals. This left-handed glove, which accompanied Jackson's fedora and dance moves on Motown's 25th-anniversary TV special, is a modified, store-bought glove covered with a mesh of rhinestones.

The glove, which Darren Julien of Julien's Auctions called "the Holy Grail of Michael Jackson memorabilia," will be featured alongside other one-of-a-kind items _ such as an early Madonna demo tape and unreleased Jimi Hendrix lyrics _ at the Nov. 21 "Music Icons" auction at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City's Times Square.

Walter "Clyde" Orange, a founding member of the Commodores, has been holding onto the glove since Jackson gave it to him in 1983.

Orange said he got to know Jackson when the Commodores toured with the Jackson 5 in the 1970s. Orange would always ask the young entertainer for an autograph, but Jackson refused, saying Orange was the more famous of the two. The autograph request became a private joke.

They met again in March 1983 when the Motown special was taped. Jackson sang with his brothers, then took the stage alone to wow the world with his moonwalk during his solo performance of "Billie Jean."

Orange found his friend backstage and again requested an autograph. Jackson gave him the glove instead.

After Jackson's June 25 death at age 50, Orange decided the glove was too significant to keep.

"There's a hundred other gloves out there, but this is the one you want. He blew up after that (performance) with 'Billie Jean,'" Orange, 62, said in an interview. "The world should see this. This is the first. That's the song that made him shoot through the roof as a superstar."

Orange said he hopes the glove will find a permanent home at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or a similar institution. And he's happy that proceeds from the sale will benefit MusiCares, an organization that helps musicians struggling with substance abuse.

"Just for the world to see it, that means the world to me," Orange said.

___

On the Net:

http://www.juliensauctions.com

As a media frenzy buzzed outside, a surprise motion from Jackson's longtime dermatologist injected some drama inside the courtroom: An attorney for the doctor, Arnold Klein, tried to enter objections to the parenting of Jackson's children.

Klein has had a lengthy part in Jackson's story line. He not only served as Jackson's doctor, but one of his employees, Deborah Rowe, married Jackson in 1996 and gave birth to two of the singer's children. Most recently, Klein's medical records have been subpoenaed as part of the police investigation of Jackson's death.

Given tabloid reports that he is the biological father of Jackson's two oldest children, the attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, quickly told the judge and dozens of reporters covering the hearing that biology wasn't the source of the objections.

"Legally, he is not a presumed parent," Kaplan said. Rather, he said Klein knew Jackson and his children well and had concerns about their education and other day-to-day parenting issues.

Kaplan's objections created a few tense moments in the courtroom, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff quickly dispatched him, saying Klein didn't have legal standing.

In a statement issued Monday evening, Klein's attorneys, Mark Vincent Kaplan and Bradley Boyer, wrote he was not objecting to Katherine Jackson, but rather "acting on promises he made to Michael with respect to assuring the long term health and stability of the children and their ability to enjoy as normal of a life out of the spotlight as could be reasonably possible."

"Dr. Klein has always had a special relationship with Paris Katherine and Prince Michael, loves and cares deeply for these children and is looking out for their best interest."

The statement said he hoped to have ongoing involvement with the children and "offers his guidance and protection forever."

The appointment of Katherine Jackson as permanent guardian of her son's children didn't disperse the crowds of reporters who convened on the downtown courthouse. Satellite trucks lined the street outside the courthouse, reporters arrived more than an hour before Beckloff took the bench to try to get a courtroom seat, all while a smattering of onlookers waited outside and played to the cameras.

"Who gets the Ferris wheel," one man questioned an attorney for the men administering Jackson's estate after the hearing, which stretched from 9 a.m. until mid-afternoon.

The hearing itself was decidedly more low-key.

Katherine Jackson arrived at the courthouse early and entered the courtroom from a back entrance, flanked by daughters LaToya and Rebbie and son Randy. She and Beckloff exchanged pleasantries shortly after the judge named her permanent guardian of Jackson's three children.

John Branca, one of the men who Beckloff ruled can continue to administer the singer's estate, sat across the aisle from the Jacksons. Branca served as Jackson's longtime attorney and was named along with music executive John McClain to serve as co-executors of Jackson's will, signed in 2002.

To date, court records show the men have recovered some of Jackson's personal belongings, $5.5 million in cash, and the singer's life insurance payout, all of which will end up in a private trust account.

That money will help pay for a monthly stipend that Beckloff approved for Katherine Jackson, 79, and for each of the singer's three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris Michael, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7. The youngest is also known as Blanket and was born to a surrogate mother who has never been identified.

Diane Goodman, an attorney for Katherine Jackson, said the surrogate did not have any parental rights. No one else formally filed for custody of the children, although a pair of women who dogged Jackson throughout his life claiming relationships had sought the youngsters, and exorbitant amounts of money.

Beckloff did not acknowledge either of their filings on Monday.

He also did not reveal how much Katherine Jackson and the children will receive per month from the singer's estate. Similarly, he did not disclose any terms of a deal reached by concert promoter AEG Live and other groups involved with the King of Pop's planned comeback concerts in London and the singer's estate.

Beckloff ordered AEG Live to turn over records related to the settlement and the contract for the 50 shows to Katherine Jackson, but placed restrictions on who else could see the information. The judge has a week to review the settlement and decide whether to approve it.

The settlement is another piece of Jackson's finances that is being placed into a private trust set up primarily to provide for his mother and children. The four have a combined 80 percent stake in Jackson's estate, with the rest going to unspecified charities.

Howard Weitzman, an attorney for the estate's co-administrators, said the agreements had the potential to earn the Jacksons millions of dollars.

Branca, one of the co-administrators, said the deals included Columbia Pictures, which owns rehearsal footage of Jackson's preparations for the concert, and another company that had merchandising rights.

Weitzman said co-administrators were "quite pleased" with the rulings. Branca and McClain will remain in charge of Jackson's estate until at least October, Beckloff ruled.

The judge will consider a motion by Katherine Jackson's attorneys on whether she can disqualify the men from administering the estate on grounds of their capacity or potential conflicts of interests.

Beckloff said he needed more information about the motion, including a copy of the private trust that contains a "no contest" clause stating that anyone who challenges Jackson's will should be disinherited.

The judge said he thought the law allowed Katherine Jackson to challenge Branca and McClain based on narrow arguments and scheduled an Aug. 28 hearing on the issue.

One of the quickest issues resolved was also one of the most important _ Beckloff admitted Jackson's five-page will drafted in 2002 for probate, a procedure that grants it significant weight.

"It means it is the will that has been legally recognized as the will of Michael Jackson for the purposes of the administration of the estate," said probate attorney Michael G. Dave, who is not affiliated with the case.

The will was entered without fanfare, objection or any hint of drama.

___

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

The Las Vegas cardiologist owed at least $780,000 for settlements against his business, outstanding mortgage payments on his house, delinquent student loans, child support and credit cards. And that doesn't include the $68,000 the distributor of an energy drink says Murray, a one-time business associate, owes for skipping out on payments.

Court records chronicling Murray's woes in Las Vegas, where authorities searched his home this week as part of their manslaughter investigation into Jackson's death, help explain why _ beyond basking in a celebrity's aura _ Murray might have jumped at the $150,000-a-month Jackson's promoter was prepared to pay him to keep the star healthy through a series of concerts in London.

Murray hooked on with Jackson in May, as his bleak financial picture threatened to worsen. He already was under court orders to pay more than $363,000 for equipment for his heart clinic and $71,000 in student loans dating to the 1980s, a judgment that hit in April. Two lawsuits claiming he owes $240,000 more for unpaid equipment are pending in Nevada courts.

And Murray had appeared unable or unwilling to settle more modest debts _ a nearly $3,700 judgment for not paying child support and two recent credit card company claims totaling $2,600.

Murray's 5,268-square-foot home near the 18th hole of a golf course offers no refuge _ he's in "pre-foreclosure" after failing to make payments on his $1.66 million loan, records show. He stopped paying the $15,000-per-month mortgage in December and could lose the home by November, said Mary Hunt, the foreclosure officer handling the case for Stewart Title company.

Authorities investigating Jackson's death at his rented Los Angeles mansion believe Murray gave the star a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol to help him sleep, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Propofol is commonly used for surgeries and is not meant as a sleep agent or to be given in private homes. Because of its potency, only trained anesthesia professionals are supposed to administer it and patients are to be constantly monitored.

Police have not labeled Murray a suspect but have said in search warrants they are seeking evidence he committed manslaughter and prescribed drugs to "an addict," an apparent reference to Jackson.

Murray, 56, has not spoken publicly since Jackson's June 25 death. His lawyer, Ed Chernoff, has said the doctor did not prescribe anything that "should have" killed Jackson.

Neither Jackson nor AEG Live, the promoter for the London concerts, paid Murray for the two months the doctor worked for the pop star, according to Chernoff.

"Dr. Murray has lost the ability to make a living as a result of this investigation," he said. "His hope is he can forestall foreclosure until he can once again begin working as a doctor."

Murray's financial background could become an important part of the case if prosecutors file charges, said Rebecca Lonergan, a University of Southern California law professor and former federal prosecutor of health care fraud cases.

"It does potentially provide evidence of good motive for financial-based crimes, including prescribing when there is not a medical necessity," she said.

Murray's cresting financial woes fit into a history of money problems. He filed for bankruptcy in California in 1992 and had a string of tax liens from Sacramento and San Bernardino counties as well as Maricopa County, Ariz., between 1993 and 2003.

Several years ago, Murray branched out, striking up a deal with John Thomas, distributor of an energy drink called Pit Bull. Thomas said in 2005 and 2006 Murray had the rights to distribute the drink in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean island nation where Murray lived and worked before coming to the United States in the 1980s to study medicine.

The drink never gained popularity there. Murray paid his bill for a first shipment, then didn't pay for three subsequent shipments, Thomas said.

Though Thomas said Murray owes him $68,000, he remained friendly with the doctor and spoke briefly with him days before Jackson's death, when he invited Murray to the opening of a mixed martial arts gym in Las Vegas. Murray told him he was out of town and wouldn't be able to attend.

"You always think you know a guy," Thomas said. "All the dirt is coming out now."

___

Ritter reported from Las Vegas. Contributing to this report were Associated Press reporters Juan Lozano in Houston, Thomas Watkins in Los Angeles and Tony Fraser in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and AP Researchers Judith Ausbel and Barbara Sambrinski in New York.

Federal agents on Tuesday searched Dr. Conrad Murray's home and office in Las Vegas. Last week, authorities searched his clinic and rented storage unit in Houston.

Court records show they were seeking evidence of whether the physician committed manslaughter. Such charges against a doctor for the death of a patient are extremely rare and require authorities to show there was a reckless action that created a risk of death.

Murray told investigators he administered propofol to Jackson the night he died as a sleep aid, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The official said Murray left the bedroom where Jackson was sedated and returned to find the star not breathing. It's unclear how long Murray was out of the room.

The official said investigators are working under the theory that propofol caused Jackson's heart to stop. Toxicology reports that should show what killed Jackson are expected as early as this week.

Authorities have characterized Murray as the target of the investigation but have stopped short of calling him a suspect.

Murray's attorney, Edward Chernoff, has said the doctor "didn't prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Michael Jackson."

On Tuesday, Los Angeles police and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents carried away five or six plastic storage containers and several thick manila envelopes after a three hour-search of Murray's sprawling home in a gated Las Vegas community.

Across town, authorities searched his medical offices, Global Cardiovascular Associates Inc., for nine hours seeking documents. Investigators removed several boxes but declined to describe what they had seized.

Chernoff declined interview requests Tuesday but issued a statement saying the sealed search warrant "authorized investigators to look for medical records relating to Michael Jackson and all of his reported aliases."

Chernoff said Murray was present during the search of his home and assisted the officers, who seized cell phones and a computer hard drive.

Last week, federal drug agents and Los Angeles police searched Murray's Houston clinic and a storage locker he rented nearby. They collected an array of items, including 27 tablets of the weight loss drug phentermine, a tablet of the muscle relaxant clonazepam, business cards, notices from the Internal Revenue Service and computer hard drives.

Murray, 56, who is licensed in California, Nevada and Texas, became Jackson's personal physician in May and was to accompany him to London for a series of concerts starting in July.

He was staying with Jackson in the entertainer's rented Los Angeles mansion and, according to Chernoff, "happened to find" Jackson unconscious in his bedroom the morning of June 25. Murray tried to revive him by compressing his chest with one hand while supporting Jackson's back with the other.

It took up to a half hour before paramedics were called, Murray's lawyers have said. The paramedics arrived about three minutes later and tried to revive the pop star for another 42 minutes before taking him to nearby UCLA Medical Center, where Jackson was pronounced dead.

Propofol typically is used to render patients unconscious for surgery. It can depress breathing and lower heart rates and blood pressure.

Home use of propofol is virtually unheard of, and if Murray left Jackson's side, he would have violated guidelines for the safe use of the drug drawn up by the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Jackson is believed to have been using propofol for about two years, and investigators are trying to determine how many other doctors administered it. Murray told investigators he had given Jackson the drug several times before, the law enforcement official told AP.

___

Associated Press writers Thomas Watkins and Justin Pritchard in Los Angeles and Juan Lozano in Houston contributed to this story.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said Jackson regularly received the anesthetic propofol and relied on it like an alarm clock. A doctor would administer it when Jackson went to sleep, then stop the IV drip when the singer wanted to wake up.

On June 25, the day Jackson died, Dr. Conrad Murray gave him the drug through an IV sometime after midnight, the official said.

Murray's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, has said the doctor "didn't prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Michael Jackson." When asked Monday about the law enforcement official's statements he said: "We will not be commenting on rumors, innuendo or unnamed sources."

In a more detailed statement posted online late Monday, Chernoff added that "things tend to shake out when all the facts are made known, and I'm sure that will happen here as well."

Toxicology reports are still pending, but investigators are working under the theory that propofol caused Jackson's heart to stop, the official said. Jackson is believed to have been using the drug for about two years and investigators are trying to determine how many other doctors administered it, the official said.

Murray, 51, has been identified in court papers as the subject of a manslaughter investigation, and authorities last week raided his office and a storage unit in Houston. Police say Murray is cooperating and have not labeled him a suspect.

Murray became Jackson's personal physician in May and was to accompany him to London for a series of concerts starting in July.

He was staying with Jackson in the Los Angeles mansion and, according to Chernoff, "happened to find" an unconscious Jackson in the pop star's bedroom the morning of June 25. Murray tried to revive him by compressing his chest with one hand while supporting Jackson's back with the other.

The official also provided a glimpse into how the pop star was living in the weeks before he died, describing the room in which Jackson slept in his rented Beverly Hills mansion as outfitted with oxygen tanks and an IV drip. Another of Jackson's bedrooms was a shambles, with clothes and other items strewn about and handwritten notes stuck on the walls. One read: "children are sweet and innocent."

The temperature upstairs was stiflingly hot when authorities arrived at the singer's house after his death. Gas fireplaces and the heating system were on high because Jackson always complained of feeling cold, the official said.

A porcelain girl doll wearing a dress was found on top of the covers of the bed where he slept, the official said.

Police found propofol and other drugs in the home. An IV line and three tanks of oxygen were in the room where Jackson slept and 15 more oxygen tanks were in a security guard's shack, the official said.

Using propofol to sleep exceeds the drug's intended purpose. The drug can depress breathing and lower heart rates and blood pressure. Because of the risks, propofol is supposed to be administered only in medical settings by trained personnel.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Lynn Elber in Tustin, Calif., Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee, and Justin Pritchard in Los Angeles.

A search warrant filed Thursday allowed authorities to seek "property or items constituting evidence of the offense of manslaughter that tend to show that Dr. Conrad Murray committed the said criminal offense."

The warrant was filed a day after agents seized items from the physician's Houston clinic and a rented storage unit.

Murray, 51, was with Jackson as he died and has been a key figure in the monthlong investigation since the beginning. The search of his clinic indicated authorities were focusing on him, but the warrant language made it clear he's the target.

The court documents detailed items seized by federal drug agents and Los Angeles police. Among them were 27 tablets of the weight loss drug phentermine, a tablet of the muscle relaxant clonazepam, two computer hard drives, e-mails and a controlled substance registration.

Murray's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, confirmed a search warrant had been executed and that none of the items seized had previously been requested by authorities, but did not comment further.

Murray was hired as Jackson's personal physician just weeks before he died. He was in Jackson's rented Los Angeles mansion when the pop star was found unconscious the morning of June 25 and tried unsuccessfully to revive him.

Murray, a cardiologist, is licensed to practice in California, Texas and Nevada. Records show he has had no disciplinary actions taken against him, though one item seized by investigators is a suspension notice from a Houston hospital. No details are provided.

The Los Angeles County coroner's office was not expected to make an official determination of what killed Jackson until at least next week, and investigators this week were reviewing medical records taken from the offices of other doctors in the probe.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Thursday he had sought information from "seven or eight" doctors and Murray is the only one he has yet to talk to.

Winter said Chernoff had offered to speak with the coroner Friday but without Murray present.

"We don't want to talk to the attorney, we want to talk to" Murray, Winter said.

Chernoff issued a brief statement in response, saying Winter had not made any requests to interview his client.

The powerful anesthetic propofol has emerged an important part of the investigation. Doses of it were found in Jackson's mansion, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation who is not authorized to speak publicly. The drug was not among the items seized under the search warrant.

___

Associated Press reporter Justin Pritchard contributed to this story.

Almost one month after the King of Pop died, federal and local agents on Wednesday raided the Houston clinic of Conrad Murray, the personal physician Jackson hired in May to look after him as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts in London.

Among the items seized were files copied from an office hard drive and 21 documents. Murray's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, said authorities believed the evidence "constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter." He did not provide further details, and police said they do not consider Murray to be a suspect.

Authorities are investigating several doctors who associated with Jackson to see if they inappropriately provided him with prescription drugs.

In the weeks since he died, rumors about what killed him have been rife. Several members of Jackson's family have said they suspect foul play. Investigators appear to be focusing on a powerful anesthetic, propofol. The drug was found in the Beverly Hills mansion Jackson was renting, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation who is not authorized to speak publicly.

Wednesday's raid of Murray's clinic in a lower-income area of north Houston was the most visible sign yet that Murray remains a central figure in the investigation.

On June 25, Murray found Jackson unconscious in a bedroom of Jackson's rented mansion, his lawyer has said, and tried to revive him and ultimately helped summon paramedics.

Police have twice interviewed Murray, including at the Los Angeles hospital where Jackson was taken and pronounced dead. The coroner's office wanted its own interview, which the lawyer agreed to; it may happen Friday without Murray present, according to Miranda Sevcik, Chernoff's spokeswoman. Chernoff would answer questions on the doctor's behalf.

"Based on Dr. Murray's minute-by-minute and item-by-item description of Michael Jackson's last days, he should not be a target of criminal charges," Chernoff had said in a statement a day before the raid. "Dr. Murray was the last doctor standing when Michael Jackson died, and it seems all the fury is directed toward him."

Murray also has a clinic in Las Vegas, which showed no signs of activity Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, Los Angeles County coroner's officials were piecing together Jackson's medical history from subpoenaed records related to nutritionist Cherilyn Lee's treatment of Jackson, according to Lee's spokeswoman, Belinda Foster.

The registered nurse is cooperating with investigators but required a subpoena because the records were protected by law, Foster said.

The coroner's office did not return calls Wednesday seeking comment.

____

Lozano reported from Houston; contributing to this report were AP Writers Justin Pritchard in Los Angeles, Ken Ritter in Las Vegas and Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch in Los Angeles.

While fans in London on Monday lit candles and placed flowers outside the 02 Arena where the entertainer was due to begin his run of 50 concerts, lawyers were in a Los Angeles Superior Court ironing out details of the powers given to two men named by Jackson to administer his estate.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff conferred wide-ranging authority on attorney John Branca and recording executive John McClain, at least until Aug. 3 when another hearing is scheduled.

The list of powers for the administrators includes taking control of all of Jackson's physical assets and placing them in secure storage facilities; hiring people with expertise in handling various aspects of the estate with fees subject to court approval; and handling tax matters.

The judge also authorized Branca and McClain to negotiate with AEG, the producers of the concert, for the benefit of the estate.

Attorney Paul Gordon Hoffman, a member of the team representing Branca and McClain, said a quick court order was needed so the two men could "begin to take the actions necessary to preserve the assets of the estate and address the needs" of Jackson's three children.

Meanwhile, papers filed in court showed Jackson's mother, Katherine, is seeking a stronger role in her late son's affairs.

Hoffman said in a nine-page declaration that as late as 4:10 p.m. Sunday, an attorney for the Jackson family sent an e-mail "stating that it was his intent to have the order reflect that Katherine Jackson should be treated like a third trustee."

Hoffman argued that to gain that power, attorneys for Katherine Jackson would need to appear and submit a competing proposed order. No such order was submitted.

The judge signed the papers without hearing further argument.

Hoffman said in his filing that Branca and McClain have been submitting to Katherine Jackson's lawyers "voluminous and continuous information on the business opportunities being presented and their responses or intended responses."

Hoffman said Katherine Jackson's lawyers "have stated that they were pleased with the information being provided, and that their objections were not predicated on the actual provision of information, but rather on the lack of a formal role for Katherine Jackson or a court-ordered requirement that the information be provided."

Attorney Burt Levitch, who appeared for Katherine Jackson, referred questions to New York lawyer Londell McMillan. A call to McMillan was not immediately returned on Monday. Branca's lawyer, Howard Weitzman, declined to comment.

Beckloff stated at a hearing July 6 that he was not appointing Katherine Jackson as a co-administrator but suggested she should be kept aware of what the administrators are doing. He suggested he should be notified as well.

Also Monday, the judge formally revoked his earlier order that gave Katherine Jackson limited powers over some of her son's possessions when it was believed he died without a will.

Jackson died on June 25, leaving a will that provided for a trust to be administered by Branca and McClain. The beneficiaries named were his mother, his three children and an unnamed group of children's charities.

____

AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima contributed to this report.

By law, the golden casket that presumably held Jackson's body should be exactly where his death certificate says it is: back at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery, the site of a private family memorial service held before the Staples ceremony. Los Angeles County records show the cemetery as the temporary location, where it must stay until those records are officially updated.

But where Jackson's body will eventually be laid to rest remained a mystery, fed by the same level of rumor and speculation that surrounded much of his life. Will he be interred at Forest Lawn? Is Neverland Ranch still a possibility?

What if he's not buried at all, but cremated? The family isn't talking _ and may not even have decided yet.

The casket was first seen leaving the mortuary at Forest Lawn, where it got into a hearse for the 10-mile trip to the Staples Center. But before the service even started, the hearse was seen leaving the facility _ empty _ and wasn't spotted again.

But to keep in good standing with the law, the casket would have needed to return to Forest Lawn at some point, presumably after the crowds went home and the television cameras were long gone.

Robert J. Biggins, a former president of the National Funeral Directors Association, said Jackson's body is likely in his casket which he identified it as a custom-made, top-of-the-line coffin made by the Indiana-based Batesville Casket Company that is called a "Promethean." The casket is probably in a temporary holding area _ perhaps a mausoleum _ pending a final location, he said.

"This happened so quickly that it's something that has to have an awful lot of thoughtful consideration," said Biggins, who is the owner of Magoun-Biggins Funeral home in Rockland, Mass. "This is bigger than your average burial."

Conjecture about Jackson's final resting place has been as fraught as the rumors about where his memorial service would be held in the days before the Staples Center was announced. His 5-page will, signed in 2002, does not include final wishes for his body.

Forest Lawn is one likely possibility. If Jackson is buried there, he would join other celebrities such as Liberace, Gene Autry, Bette Davis and Andy Gibb. Recently deceased actor David Carradine and "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon also are buried there.

The Jackson family seems divided over whether the body should go to Neverland, which would surely turn the Santa Barbara County ranch into a West-coast Graceland. But Jackson abandoned the 2,500-acre estate after going into seclusion following his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005, and many of the things that made it unique _ the merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and zoo _ are gone.

Billionaire Thomas Barrack, who owns Neverland in a joint venture with Jackson, has expressed an openness to the idea of having the singer's body buried at the ranch. The family would need to get permission from local land-use officials to bury Jackson on private property, then submit an application and paperwork with the state Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.

The state application would then need to be approved by the funeral board, a process that could take anywhere from seven to 30 days.

Beyond that, accessibility remains an issue at Neverland. A single two-lane highway leads to the property about 130 miles north of Los Angeles, and infrastructure changes would likely be necessary to accommodate the additional traffic.

Another possibility is cremation. State law requires that the person who has control of the cremated remains obtain written permission of the property owner or governing agency to scatter on the property.

Funeral experts said the delay in Jackson's funeral may be due to the fact that such celebrity deaths create logistical, security and legal headaches.

"One of the issues you're going to run into with any high-profile name, whether it be a former president of the United States or somebody of Michael Jackson's stature, is what does the cemetery _ if it's to be a burial _ do to establish security, to protect the remains, to protect the privacy of the family during the service, to protect remains afterward and what kind of built-in overhead comes with it," said Paul Elvig, former president of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.

Experts said even a two-week delay between death and funeral is not unusual. The body of singer James Brown was kept in a sealed gold casket inside his South Carolina home for more than two months before being interred in 2007 at the home of one of his daughters.

"You're probably talking more about an impatient public and an impatient press wanting to know what's going to happen and that impatience needs to be understood," Elvig said. "If a body's been properly prepared by an embalmer, it can be held for a considerable period of time with minor touchups to it."

Biggins said he is even encouraged by the delay.

"I think the fact that there's this pause is a wonderful thing because it's being given thoughtful consideration," he said, "to make sure this is done right and this is done in a way that honors his legacy."

By law, the golden casket that presumably held Jackson's body should be exactly where his death certificate says it is: back at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery, the site of a private family memorial service held before the Staples ceremony. Los Angeles County records show the cemetery as the temporary location, where it must stay until those records are officially updated.

But where Jackson's body will eventually be laid to rest remained a mystery, fed by the same level of rumor and speculation that surrounded much of his life. Will he be interred at Forest Lawn? Is Neverland Ranch still a possibility?

What if he's not buried at all, but cremated? The family isn't talking _ and may not even have decided yet.

The casket was first seen leaving the mortuary at Forest Lawn, where it got into a hearse for the 10-mile trip to the Staples Center. But before the service even started, the hearse was seen leaving the facility _ empty _ and wasn't spotted again.

But to keep in good standing with the law, the casket would have needed to return to Forest Lawn at some point, presumably after the crowds went home and the television cameras were long gone.

Robert J. Biggins, a former president of the National Funeral Directors Association, said Jackson's body is likely in his casket which he identified it as a custom-made, top-of-the-line coffin made by the Indiana-based Batesville Casket Company that is called a "Promethean." The casket is probably in a temporary holding area _ perhaps a mausoleum _ pending a final location, he said.

"This happened so quickly that it's something that has to have an awful lot of thoughtful consideration," said Biggins, who is the owner of Magoun-Biggins Funeral home in Rockland, Mass. "This is bigger than your average burial."

Conjecture about Jackson's final resting place has been as fraught as the rumors about where his memorial service would be held in the days before the Staples Center was announced. His 5-page will, signed in 2002, does not include final wishes for his body.

Forest Lawn is one likely possibility. If Jackson is buried there, he would join other celebrities such as Liberace, Gene Autry, Bette Davis and Andy Gibb. Recently deceased actor David Carradine and "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon also are buried there.

The Jackson family seems divided over whether the body should go to Neverland, which would surely turn the Santa Barbara County ranch into a West-coast Graceland. But Jackson abandoned the 2,500-acre estate after going into seclusion following his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005, and many of the things that made it unique _ the merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and zoo _ are gone.

Billionaire Thomas Barrack, who owns Neverland in a joint venture with Jackson, has expressed an openness to the idea of having the singer's body buried at the ranch. The family would need to get permission from local land-use officials to bury Jackson on private property, then submit an application and paperwork with the state Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.

The state application would then need to be approved by the funeral board, a process that could take anywhere from seven to 30 days.

Beyond that, accessibility remains an issue at Neverland. A single two-lane highway leads to the property about 130 miles north of Los Angeles, and infrastructure changes would likely be necessary to accommodate the additional traffic.

Another possibility is cremation. State law requires that the person who has control of the cremated remains obtain written permission of the property owner or governing agency to scatter on the property.

Funeral experts said the delay in Jackson's funeral may be due to the fact that such celebrity deaths create logistical, security and legal headaches.

"One of the issues you're going to run into with any high-profile name, whether it be a former president of the United States or somebody of Michael Jackson's stature, is what does the cemetery _ if it's to be a burial _ do to establish security, to protect the remains, to protect the privacy of the family during the service, to protect remains afterward and what kind of built-in overhead comes with it," said Paul Elvig, former president of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.

Experts said even a two-week delay between death and funeral is not unusual. The body of singer James Brown was kept in a sealed gold casket inside his South Carolina home for more than two months before being interred in 2007 at the home of one of his daughters.

"You're probably talking more about an impatient public and an impatient press wanting to know what's going to happen and that impatience needs to be understood," Elvig said. "If a body's been properly prepared by an embalmer, it can be held for a considerable period of time with minor touchups to it."

Biggins said he is even encouraged by the delay.

"I think the fact that there's this pause is a wonderful thing because it's being given thoughtful consideration," he said, "to make sure this is done right and this is done in a way that honors his legacy."

It was a remarkably humanizing moment. Then again, it was remarkable just to see Jackson's three children in public to begin with.

A fiercely protective father, Jackson rarely brought his brood out into public, covering their faces in veils and party masks to protect their identity when he did.

Now here they were, unveiled, before an audience of thousands at Staples Center and millions more around the globe. Starting out seated in the front row, the three youngest Jacksons eventually joined the rest family onstage as the two-hour service wound to a close.

Dressed in the same dark suits and yellow ties as the rest of the Jackson men, 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael, chewed gum and toted the memorial service program; 7-year-old Prince Michael II, known as Blanket, held his program and clutched a Michael Jackson doll.

Paris, wearing a black dress with white trim, turned a small patent-leather purse over in her hands as other family members spoke. And then a dramatic hush fell over the crowd as family members whispered that the little girl, whose lifetime of public exposure amounted to a small handful of paparazzi photographs, Paris-Michael wanted to say something.

She furtively emerged from the tight circle of family members, who rushed to lower the microphone to her level. And with her uncle Randy on one side and aunt Janet on the other, Jackson's little girl stood center stage.

"I just wanted to say," Paris began weakly.

"Speak up, sweetheart, speak up," Janet encouraged, sweeping the girl's long hair back. "And get close."

Paris put one hand behind her neck, another on the microphone, and began again.

"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," she said, her tiny voice cracking.

Rebbie and Marlon Jackson moved in closer to comfort their niece. She shut her eyes tight.

Then she wrapped her hands _ little fingernails painted red _ around the microphone and fought back tears as she continued: "And I just wanted to say I love him _ so much."

She collapsed in tears into her aunt's arms.

"It's OK, baby. It's OK," Janet Jackson said as she held Paris close. Prince joined in on the hug.

And all at once, Jackson wasn't the larger-than-life King of Pop, or Wacko Jacko the tabloid freak. He was a doting father who had left three adoring young children behind.

He was "Daddy."

As in Jackson's life, Tuesday's public memorial at the downtown Staples Center includes the spectacle surrounding the show _ legal drama, screaming fans, star power, live worldwide broadcast, unsavory accusations, even a parade of elephants _ all adding up to what could be the biggest celebrity send-off of all time.

On the eve of the memorial, activity was spotted late Monday at the Forest Lawn Cemetery involving the Jackson family. The cemetery is the location where relatives were expected to hold a private funeral.

La Toya Jackson, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, was seen being driven away from the cemetery. KCAL-TV showed helicopter footage of a hearse backing up to the Hall of Liberty _ a circular building at the cemetery that contains a 1,200 seat auditorium _ to deliver a casket.

A few hours later, the casket was reloaded into the hearse and delivered to another nearby building, this time covered in a blue cloth.

More than 1.6 million people registered for free tickets to Jackson's downtown memorial. A total of 8,750 people were chosen to receive two tickets each.

"I got the golden ticket!" one fan screamed out of his car window in a Willy Wonka moment as he drove out of the parking lot.

The family announced that participants will include Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III.

Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine told ABC that Queen Latifah also will be performing.

The legal maneuvering that marked Jackson's extraordinary and troubled life also continued Monday, with his mother losing a bid to control his enormous but tangled estate. And in one of the few reminders of Jackson's darkest hours, a New York congressman branded Jackson a "pervert" undeserving of so much attention.

British Airways reported a surge of bookings as soon as the memorial arrangements were announced. Virgin's trans-Atlantic flights to San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles were all packed with fans and VIPs, spokesman Paul Charles said.

About 50 theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, Kan., to Washington, D.C., were planning to broadcast the memorial live, for free.

In Los Angeles Superior Court, a judge appointed Jackson's longtime attorney and a family friend as administrators of his estate over the objections of his mother, Katherine. Attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain had been designated in Jackson's 2002 will as the people he wanted to oversee his empire.

Katherine Jackson's attorneys expressed concerns about McClain and Branca's financial leadership. "Frankly, Mrs. Jackson has concerns about handing over the keys to the kingdom," said one of her attorneys, John E. Schreiber.

Branca and McClain will have to post a $1 million bond on the estate, and their authority will expire Aug. 3, when another hearing will be held.

"Mr. Branca and Mr. McClain for the next month are at the helm of the ship," the judge said.

Jackson died at age 50 with hundreds of millions in debts. But a court filing estimates his estate is worth more than $500 million. His assets are destined for a trust, with his three children, his mother and charities as beneficiaries.

Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, had planned to attend the memorial but backed out Monday. "The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction," her attorney Marta Almli said in a statement.

In New York, Republican Rep. Peter King released a YouTube video calling Jackson, who was acquitted of child molestation charges, a "pervert" and a "low-life."

But the memories of Jackson's problems were far from the minds of fans preparing to say goodbye.

"It's the passing of a great soul," said Matt Tyson, 31, of Ojai, Calif. "He brought people together, helped express something that's in us all."

Downtown hotels were quickly filling. Police, trying to avoid a mob scene, warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get close to the Staples Center.

All those involved say the heart of Los Angeles will become a circus. In one way, that characterization will be literal.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey starts a run at Staples Center on Wednesday, a booking long planned in advance. In the pre-dawn hours before Jackson's memorial, the elephants will walk from the train station to the arena.

___

Associated Press writers Anthony McCartney, Danica Kirka and Michelle Rindels contributed to this report.

His mother took the first step Monday when she petitioned the Superior Court of California to be named the administrator of the late singer's estate. Katherine Jackson said in the filing she was acting to ensure Michael Jackson's three children are the beneficiaries.

It's the opening salvo in a complicated battle for a fortune that includes a lucrative music catalog of the King of Pop's own hits, the rights to songs by the Beatles, and the Neverland ranch that could one day be a tourist attraction.

There's even an elaborate video production, dubbed the "Dome Project," that was overseen by Jackson and finished two weeks before he died.

The high stakes and array of people involved will likely make the fight far more convoluted than recent high-profile squabbles over the estates of singer James Brown and ex-Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith.

"There's no doubt that there's going to be a big battle," said Alexis Martin Neely, a Los Angeles-based estate attorney. "It's going to be very messy and I don't see anything comparing to this."

Complicating matters is that few, if any, people know all the details of the reclusive entertainer's financial affairs. His mother's filing, for example, declares that Jackson died "intestate," or without a will. But that is in dispute. Another person with knowledge of Jackson's business matters told The Associated Press last Friday that there is a will, which would take precedent in court. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the material.

Becoming an estate administrator "puts a vast amount of power in one person's hands," said Roy Kozupsky, a lawyer with Smith, Gambrell & Russell. The person would have the power to sell assets, make deals and determine how to pay off creditors, he said.

At stake is Jackson's 50 percent ownership in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a company itself estimated to be worth $2 billion; Jackson's own recordings and songwriting rights, which could be worth more than $150 million; and his joint ownership of the Neverland ranch.

Katherine Jackson said in her filing she intends to use the estate's assets for "the exclusive use of the decedent's (Jackson's) three children." But the filing could also be the first move in contesting the validity of a will, if there is one, Kozupsky said.

Jackson, who died Thursday at age 50, left behind three children: son Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11; and son Prince Michael II, 7. The youngest was born to a surrogate mother, while the first two were born to ex-wife Deborah Rowe.

The list of potential parties seeking a piece of Jackson's estate is long, ranging from financial firms to the companies involved in his planned comeback. Among them is AEG Live, the concert promoter that booked Jackson for 50 sold-out performances at London's O2 arena starting next month.

AEG Live reportedly gave Jackson a $20 million advance, which it may seek to recover from the estate. AEG Live declined to comment.

How much AEG can recover will likely depend on the wording of insurance policies it took out and whether they included protection against "medical conditions or another event," said Mary Craig Calkins, a partner at Howrey LLP who handles insurance recovery cases for TV and film productions.

The promoter took out about $18 million in insurance through Lloyd's of London, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment.

A big part of determining what the estate is worth _ and how much it owes in taxes _ will depend on how much Jackson owed to creditors. Estimates put the tally around $400 million.

The federal government will be able to collect around 45 percent in tax on the value of the estate's assets, minus its debts and administration costs including attorney fees.

It appears that the most valuable assets will likely remain in the estate's control.

The Sony/ATV stake and 100 percent of Mijac, the company that controls Michael Jackson's own music, were held in a trust whose beneficiaries are Jackson's children. That trust is safe from creditors, said Al Malnik, its former trustee and Jackson's business adviser from 2002 to 2005.

"The assets were protected through the trust against creditors," Malnik said Monday.

Jackson used those assets as collateral to secure $200 million in loans from Bank of America in 2001. He then refinanced several times. Malnik said the loan total reached $275 million by the time he quit as trustee in 2005. Fortress Investment Group LLC, which took control in 2005, sold the loans off entirely "over a year ago," said company spokeswoman Lilly Donohue.

It is unclear who holds the loans now, but one candidate is Colony Capital LLC, a Los Angeles real estate firm owned by billionaire Thomas Barrack, which also set up a joint venture with Jackson to own Neverland, the 2,500-acre property in Santa Barbara County that once included amusement park rides and zoo animals.

Barrack had lunch with Jackson brothers Jackie, Jermaine and Tito on Saturday at Neverland.

Jackson's estate is still growing through record sales and songwriting rights.

So far this year, some 297,000 of his albums have sold in the U.S., and that's not including last week, when sales spiked in the wake of the singer's death. Jackson's existing works will continue to sell well, said Keith Caulfield, senior charts manager for Billboard magazine.

"He's good for at least a half a million albums a year," Caulfield said.

Songwriting rights also keep earning revenue. Jackson wrote many of the songs he recorded including "Beat It," "Bad," and "Black or White."

For the past three years, Jackson has ranked among the top-earning 100 U.S. songwriters for royalty payments collected by Broadcast Music Inc.

"Michael Jackson is the number one international songwriter in the world for BMI. He is it," BMI chief executive Del Bryant said, adding that use of the singer's songs outside of the U.S. earn more than $1 million dollars annually just for Jackson's share of the royalties.

Warner-Chappell Music, a division of Warner Music Group Corp., is Jackson's music publisher, meaning it promotes use of his songs and lyrics in commercials and TV shows. Jackson's own works, plus scores of song rights he purchased, gross several million dollars per year.

Jackson also owns the master recordings of his own albums such as "Thriller" and "Bad" and had a distribution deal with Sony, according to a person familiar with his finances, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the material.

The surge in interest in his music could inflate the value of assets held by his estate, and the tax bill owed to the U.S. government.

"Unfortunately due to his demise, the value of these entities has increased substantially," Malnik said.

___

AP business writers Alex Veiga in Los Angeles and Stevenson Jacobs in New York contributed to this report.

"To you, Michael is an icon," a somber Janet Jackson told the crowd at the end of Sunday's show. "To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in all of our hearts."

It was a stirring emotional climax for a telecast that was completely revamped to recognize the legacy of Jackson, who died Thursday at age 50. For the most part, it was a joyous wake.

"He's the man who made it possible for me to be on the stage; I love you and I miss you," said Ne-Yo, who sang one of Jackson's most sensual songs, "Lady In My Life."

Host Jamie Foxx kicked off the show with a re-enactment of the choreography from Jackson's iconic "Beat It" video in front of the star-studded crowd, on its feet from the start of the show.

Throughout the night, Foxx also regularly turned up in some of Jackson's signature looks, like the wide-collar black leather outfit from "Billie Jean." Sean Paul, Estelle and Alicia Keys were among the celebrities who at one point donned single gloves as part of their ensembles.

Ciara sang Jackson's humanitarian anthem, "Heal the World," dressed in a jacket that had Jackson's signature military epaulets.

Joe Jackson, the singer's father, also was on hand to represent the grief-stricken family, though he did not appear on stage during the show. "I just wish he could be here to celebrate himself," he said on the red carpet. "Sadly, he's not here, so I'm here to celebrate for him."

People close to Michael Jackson have said since his death that they were concerned about his use of painkillers. Los Angeles County medical examiners completed their autopsy Friday and said Jackson had taken unspecified prescription medication. But an official cause of death could take weeks to determine.

Jackson's family has sought a private autopsy, in part because of questions about Dr. Conrad Murray, the man hired to keep an eye on the pop star ahead of a planned comeback.

Edward Chernoff, a lawyer for the doctor, said Sunday that Jackson still had a faint pulse and his body was warm when Murray found him in bed and not breathing. The doctor immediately began administering CPR, Chernoff said.

Chernoff said any drugs the doctor gave Jackson were prescribed in response to a specific complaint from the entertainer. Murray never prescribed or gave Jackson the drugs Demerol or OxyContin, Chernoff said.

Paramedics were called to the mansion while the doctor was performing CPR, according to a recording of the 911 call.

Because Jackson was so frail, Murray "administered with his hand behind his back to provide the necessary support," Chernoff said. Some have speculated the doctor botched the CPR. "He's a trained doctor," Chernoff said. "He knows how to administer CPR."

Murray was interviewed by investigators for three hours Saturday. His spokeswoman called Murray "a witness to this tragedy," not a suspect in the death, and police described the doctor as cooperative.

Jackson's death prompted BET producers to scramble to meet the moment. While Beyonce, Lil Wayne and Ne-Yo each took home awards, giving out trophies was an afterthought: Honoring Jackson became the show's main focus.

"This is for you, Michael Jackson," said Beyonce, as she held her trophy for best female R&B artist skyward, calling the singer "my hero."

While some artists performed their own hits, most made sure to incorporate some of the man who influenced them in their performances. A chant of "Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson!" was heard while Keri Hilson performed, and Foxx's "Blame It" incorporated some of the Jacksons' dance hit "Blame It On the Boogie."

"We all know none of us in this room wouldn't be here for Michael Jackson," said Lil Wayne, as he picked up his award for best male hip-hop star.

Backstage, Ciara recounted talking on the phone with her idol and her regrets that she never got to meet him. As she talked, she started to cry. "He meant so much to me," she said through tears.

While Jackson's incredible influence stretched across genres, races and cultures, he had a unique place in the world of black entertainment. His influence is arguably most visible in urban music, seen in stars like Usher who mimic his dance moves, to Ne-Yo, whose music is marked by its Jackson-isms. But that influence went beyond music: Jackson was black America's biggest star, who broke racial barriers that allowed for so many other superstars to follow.

"Michael Jackson was so important to our world, to our country, to this network," said BET Chairwoman Debra L. Lee. "Michael was truly a musical deity."

New Edition, the 1980s teen sensations who were considered that generation's Jackson 5 with their own version of bubble-gum soul, ran through several of the Jackson 5's greatest hits, from "I Want You Back" to "ABC," mirroring their idols right down to the group's original choreography.

And Eddie Levert of the classic R&B group the O'Jays talked about how much he'd miss Jackson _ even as his group was honored with a lifetime achievement award.

Jackson connections were inescapable: Even the building where the ceremony took place, the Shrine Auditorium, was where Jackson's hair and scalp were burned during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in 1984. It was also the location for several of his Grammy and American Music Award performances.

The night ended when Janet Jackson _ in her first public appearance since her brother's shocking death _ emerged and elicited the most emotion as she vowed his memory would live forever.

"On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support," she said. "We miss him so much, thank you so much."

Afterward, Ne-Yo and Foxx performed a somber version of the Jackson 5 classic "I'll Be There," as photos of Jackson flashed across the screen.

___

AP Entertainment writers Sandy Cohen, Anthony Mccartney and Derrik J. Lang and AP writer Alicia Quarles contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the "King of Pop" and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50. Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.

The circumstances of Jackson's death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.

Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.

His 1982 album "Thriller" -- which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" -- remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 100 million copies worldwide.

The public first knew him in the late 1960s, when as a boy he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the music group he formed with his four older brothers. Among their No. 1 hits were "I Want You Back," "ABC," and "I'll Be There."

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced "Thriller." "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. In fact, he united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie.

But as years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure -- a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him. The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.

Singer Dionne Warwick said: "Michael was a friend and undoubtedly one of the world's greatest entertainers that I fortunately had the pleasure of working with........we have lost an icon in our industry."

Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near Jackson's rented home, was roped off with police tape.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson has just died," a woman boarding a Manhattan bus called out, shortly after the news was announced. Immediately many riders reached for their cell phones.

In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

"No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. "It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died."

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