Michael Jackson memorial: We Love You More, Michael

The memorial to MJ went longer than expected, but you know what, it was worth it. It was a lovely service. And I got to watch with my mom!

It started about 1:13 p.m. Motown great Smokey Robinson, dapper in a glen plaid grey suit, reads a statement from Diana Ross, who is not in attendance.

She calls MJ "a personal love of mine." She says she'll be there for his children if necessary. Then he reads a note from Nelson Mandela who calls him a member of his family. He will be missed. My mom, bless her heart, whines about her desire for a letter from Nelson.

There's a long pause before it begins again. So CNN former Ebony magazine editor Bryan Monroe says MJ loved Capetown, SA.

Over on TV ONE: Jacque Reid ponders whether Macauley Culkin and Emmanuel Lewis will show up.

CNN shows footage of the Raleigh gathering! Then Soledad O'Brien, Anderson Cooper and Monroe, start telling us the importance of Diana Ross in Michael's life.

Bryan Monroe says MJ studied Mozart and that he thought of the bass line in "Billie Jean" as the protagonist in the song.

Soledad asks Bryan if MJ was fit; Bryan says he was 50 but was getting training by Lou Ferrigno; Anderson stops him and lets it be known that he interviewed Lou and they had only met once in May and that a lot of people are quoting Lou as a source on MJ's fitness and he may not be the best source.

The family starts coming in around 1:28.

Toure says that MJ's paternity is established, biology be damned and seems certain that the children will have a huge life shift. If he had interviewed him he would ask him about the iconography (my mom thought that was a very fancy word and is trying to figure out ways to use it in her everyday speech) of the military jackets since he seemed so sweet and peaceful.

MSNBC tells the story of glove; MJ, they report, one said anyone could wear two gloves, he thought one would be interesting. The MSNBC folk say you just know it was so much deeper than that. Maybe not.

A choir sings, "Soon and Very Soon" we are going to see the king. Just before they do it, my mom says "I hope they are not going to bring his casket out to that song." And they do. It's golden and festooned in beautiful flowers. The brothers Jackson look very handsome.

More silence. Audience starts screaming out to Michael.

Pastor Lucious Smith, a family friend, speaks. He works in many MJ song titles, including 'Remember the Time." Our hearts are heavy because he is gone far too soon, he says. As long as we remember him, he will be there forever to comfort us.

Mariah Carey is first to sing with "I'll Be There." She's wearing black, but in MC fashion it's a low-cut halter. She's got a Farrah wave, so her appearance is a kind of two-fer. Honestly, she sounds weak. Trey Lorenz who sings with her is stronger. He even hits a MC-like high note. They end the song with a small riff off "Never Can Say Goodbye."

Queen Latifah's next, speakig for the fans who loved MJ from a distance. She's in a tasteful black satin frock. She says the first record she and her brother bought was "Dancing Machine" and how she tried to do the robot. Thank You Thank Yuu, she says to the family. She tells us she spoke with Maya Angelou and recites a poem. My mom is thrilled; she loves Maya. It's called "We Had Him."

Here are a few lines:

Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing
now that our bright and shining star
can slip away like a puff of wind

In the instance we learned micheal is gone
we know nothing
no clocks can tell our time

He raked his hat, slant over his brow and took a pose on his toes for all of us

He held nothing, he gave us all he had been given

Next: Lionel Richie comes on stage to the strains of "Jesus Is Love." His lapel holds a yellow rose and he has a red hanky in his pocket. Great performance.

Motown founder Berry Gordy is next. He says MJ was driven by his hunger to learn. According to the Jackson 5 movie that airs repeatedly, MJ wished this man was his father. Gordy says he was like a son to him. They show the brothers. Randy is bald!

He said MJ as a child had an incredible knowingness about him, a quality he couldn't completely understand. He acknowledges that as great as Smokey sang "Who's Loving You" he said MJ did it better. Smokey agreed. He talked about the competition at Motown. The Jacksons played the Gordys in softball; Tito and Jackie were homerun hitters.

He talked about MJ's performance on Motown 25; how he was mesmerized by the moonwalk. MJ went into orbit and never came down, he said. Gordy said MJ's life was beautiful. Sure, he said, there were sad times and maybe questionable decisions, but MJ accomplished everything he dreamed of.

He says he doesnt' think the title The King of Pop is big enough for him. "I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived." The crowd agrees. A standing ovation happends. Harlem, shown on a smaller screen, agrees too.

Next up, some MJ video with awards, fans, famous folk, magazine covers, MJ's voice. MJ running, dancing, MJ in the Wiz, little kids doing his moves. Motown 25, MJ on international news. MJ young, with Bubbles, with the brothers. We are the Wrords, with Janet, big family photo, Victory tour. Ends with "You Are Not Alone" and MJ on stage in white.

Stevie Wonder is brought to the stage. "This is a moment that I wish I didn't live to see coming," he says. "As much as I can say that and mean it, I do know that God is good and I do know as much as we may feel and we do that we need M here with us, God must have needed him far more."

He plays a bit of "I Can't Help it" from MJ's "Off the Wall," which he wrote and MJ sang but sings "I Never Dreamed You Leave in Summer."

Then he moves to 'They Won't Go When I Go" from his Fullfillingness First Finale.

It's a melancholy set, beautiful, and so incredibly apt.

My mother points out that MJ must have thought he wloud die young. Why else whould he leave everything in his will to his mother? That Stevie Wonder set just made you think somber thoughts.

Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson come up to talk about humanitarian MJ. MJ is in Guinness Book of Records for most charities given to by a pop star. Magic talks about meeting big brother Jackie Jackson 30 years ago. He says he also lost to the Jacksons in softball. Jackie invited him to go on tour with the brothers.

He says MJ made him a better point guard by watching his greatness. He said when MJ called to do the 'Remember the Time" video had to check with Jackie that it was MJ. He went to MJ's house and the chef asked him what he wanted and Magic said grilled chicken. The chef brought him the chicken, then brought MJ a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Magic Johnson said he said "Michael you eat Kentucky Fried Chicken?!" They sat on the floor and ate from the bucket. Magic says it was the best day of his life.

He gives a shout out to the court system and maybe Debbie Rowe by then talking about how the kids couldnt' have a better mom in Katherine and will be surrounded by aunties and uncles and cousins.

When they come off stage, he gets hugs from the brothers who I now notice are all wearing one glitter glove.

Jennifer Hudson sings in all white and lace with choir "Will You Be There" She's obviously pregnant now and looks gorgeous, yes, like an angel. The song has such a much stronger spiritual Gospel feel to it with her singing it. A great choice.

Then a video with Michael in that thisclose to crying voice he'd do. It's just words on the screen.

Al Sharpton is next. He says he's there to answer to people who are wondering why there's been such an emotional outburst about MJ. He says you would have to understand the journey of the family to understand what he meant to all of us. He talks of the working-class family MJ came from. He says he met MJ in the 1970s.

And then he goes into full Rev. mode. He says MJ kept going, he didn't accept limitations, he opened up the whole world. Sharpton says MJ 'put on one glove, pulled up his pants' and that's why now black artists videos are shown, and they are appearing on magazine covers. He gets a standing ovation.

Sharpton says that because of MJ raising folks comfort levels, people who were separated became interconnected with his music. It wasn't strange to watch Oprah, to watch Tiger Woods. And then, he says those same teens turned into 40 years old and became comfortable enough to vote for Barack Obama. Oh yes he did!

Then he said, MJ's life is not about the mess, but about his love message. He said, When you climb up mountains, you scar your knees. But don't focus on the scars, focus on the journey.

There's a shot of Janet. She's in black and pearls and a pillbox hat. My mom notes that she has arm jiggle as she claps. We like that Janet is sometimes chubby.

Back to Sharpton. Now he's speaking directly to MJ's children. He tells them there was nothing strange about their daddy. What was strange was strange was what your daddy had to deal with. Another standing O.

He dealt with it anyway, Sharpton says. He ends by saying, Thank you Michael Thank you Michael, Thank you Michael.

It's a great speech. My mom says "There's nobody like Al Sharpton." Indeed.

John Mayer (I'm sorry, but why?) comes on, in vest, no jacket, and plays "Human Nature" on guitar. It's a smooth jazz moment. Miles Davis did it first but at a faster tempo.

Brooke Shields comes on, she has to compose herself. Her hands are shaking.

Michael was one of a kind, she says. She says that people called them an odd couple; but she and MJ thought their friendship was the most natural thing. They met when she was 13. Their bond was forged perhaps, she says, because they knew what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very young age. She called him a slacker for starting at 5 when she started at 11 mths.

She says they laughed a lot; that he tried in vain to teach her who to moonwalk. They had competitions to see who could be sillier. She told a story about the time, the night before Elizabeth taylor's wedding (Larry Fortensky?) they snuck in the room to see the dress only to discover ET was in the room sleeping.

When he started with the glove, Brooke says she asked him "what's up with the glove." She said seeing him smile made you feel like everything wld be all right. People lucky enough to know him knew he was caring, funny, honest, pure, non-jaded person.

She says although he was referred to as the king of pop, he reminded her of the Little Prince, then she reads an excerpt from the book.

She says MJ's favorite song was smile. As she ends, she's crying again.

Then Jermaine with a red rose and yellow tie, and sparkly glove sings "Smile" My mom points out that he looks like Emmanuel Lewis. He does. But he sounds fantastic. It's lovely because he and Michael started out in the J5 going back and forth on verses. I loved that.

Bernice and MLK III speak next. MLK Jr. is invoked. The best part is when Bernice talks about the time in Oct. 2005, that MJ called their mom Coretta. She was too sick to even speak. But she listened and MJ told her he had been praying every day on his knees for her. He wanted to know if music was playing because he thought it was healing. He told her she was American royalty. Bernice said he made Coretta smile despite her condition.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee comes on behalf of Congress and the Congressional Black Caucas. She says she knows an American family when she sees one. She takes a slap at NY Rep Peter King who called MJ a pervert, not mentioning his name but saying that in America people are innocent until proven guilty. She compares MJ to the biblical Good Samaritan. She tells of the time that MJ was in her office talking to African officials about HIV/AIDS. How he went to Walter Reade hospital and visited injured soldiers and thanked them for their sacrifice.

That explains, she says, why there was a moment of silence for him on the Floor. She says a resolution will be debated to proclaim MJ an icon and a world humanitarian.

"I know his mother is bursting," my mom says. With pride, she means.

Next, Usher sings, wearing a slim black suit and jacket, tie and white shirt, singing "Gone Too Soon." He sits on a stool and wears shades just like the brothers. He walks down to the casket. He breaks down and takes off his glasses. The whole Jackson familty sibs surround him and hug him. He stops and talks to Katherine and the kids.

More MJ video. He's singng 'Who's Loving You' with the brothers in that purple Western hat. Adorable! I feel weepy.

Smokey Robinson comes on and says he wrote that song and thought he sang it. He says when he first saw MJ perform it he thought they had pulled a fast one; how could a 10-year-old possibly know these things. He says he wanted to see his birth certificate. MJ he says had feeling and soul and "know" like that. "I never thought I would be here; didn't think I'd live to see him gone. " But he says he's a firm believer in blessings and one of the greatest has been getting to know the Jackson family. He said he was glad to live in the era to see the greatest entertainer of our time.

Next, 12-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi Kid from England who sang "Who's Lovin You" on Britain's Got Talent. MJ apparently loved it and watched his performance on YouTube. Me, I think he's just doing a MJ imitation. My mom agrees: "I don't think he's that good. There are singers in America who could do it better. But he's a kid; they had a kid." Shaheen thanks MJ at the end of the performance.

Choreographer Kenny Ortega comes on and thanks the kid and then talks about the This Is It tour. He talks about being at the Staples Center "Michael's house" for the celebration. He says what they saw was his triumphant return to the world. He introduces a part of what would have been the London show; MJ created it. Michael, he says, We Love You More.

MJ's background singers sing "We are the World." There's a video component and then all those who paid tribute to MJ come on stage, including MJ's children. On the video screen are faces from aroud the world. in London they are holding hands in the rain and singing. And then on the screen the earth from a distance. Children come on stage holding hands and then you hear some young voices and then the next song is "Heal the World." People are singing and waving their arms. Even Joe Jackson is waving his arms.

Jermaine thanks everyone for coming. Marlon speaks but can barely keep it together. He says a part of him went with MJ. He will treasure the good times and the fun. Watching the Three Stooges.

He tells a story of going to a record store and seeing a rumpled old man with broken teeth buying CDs. He went up and said 'Michael, What are you doing?' Michael asked, How'd you know it was me. Marlon told him he'd always knew his brother no matter what, but he noted that MJ always wore the same shoes.

He says maybe now 'they' will leave MJ alone. He makes one request to MJ, that in heaven he give Marlon's twin Brandon a hug. Yes, there was another Jackson! Marlon breaks down and the family surrounds him.

And then the saddest part, Paris, MJ's lovely daughter, speaks. She says her daddy has been the best father you can imagine. "I just want to say I love him so much." She breaks down and so do we. Auntie Janet hugs her and the family takes her off stage quickly.

Jermaine thanks crowd for loving her brother.

The casket is removed to strains of "Man in the Mirror."

Pastor Lucious comes back out for a coda, telling us to look at our respective man or woman in the mirror and make that change. And then he asks us to join hands as he prays that we be more loving to each other.

Goodbye Michael.

Side memories before the service: On "The View" Whoopi Goldberg talked about her conversation with MJ two weeks ago. Apparently they shared the same vocal coach, and the coach Seth Riggs, put them together on the phone.
She got to tell MJ that she was glad he was getting back on stage.

The day before, she told the story of their meeting. MJ was apparently
at her audition for "The Color Purple." And to answer NY rep Peter King, she said yes, she would leave her children with MJ and she did.

Misinformation: On ABC News on GMA and on the Tom Joyner Morning Show on the radio, it was reported that Jehovah's Witnesses, Katherine
Jackson's faith, believe in reincarnation. No they don't. (Two callers corrected Tom Joyner)

BETJ: Why did white people embrace the J5. "Because they were dope," Micheala Angela Davis. cultural critic/writer

MJ gave Kobe Bryant a copy of the book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" to encourage him to embrace his success.