Goodnight and sleep well, Michael

Was up all night watching the memorial for Michael Jackson. It was unreal yet so apt as a final farewell for the king of pop. From his gold casket to his brothers wearing a single bling-ed out glove, the memorial at Staples Center was a beautiful send-off. What was interesting was that you would have expected throngs of who's who would show up to pay their respects, after all, he was a legend. Speakers and performers include Berry Gordy, Mariah Carey, a preggers Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Usher (he did a heartbreaking version of Gone Too Soon), Al Sharpton, Kobe Bryant & Magic Johnson (who strangely left out Joe Jackson in their speech but covered everyone), Brooke Shields, Martin Luther King's children and a handful of other people. You would have expected Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross or Beyonce to attend, but nope, they were no-shows. But interestingly, the fact that it was quite a "low-key" farewell felt right.

For most people, the best moments will likely be Brooke's speech ("What's up with the glove?), Usher's "Gone Too Soon" or the first time the public has heard Michael's daughter Paris speak, telling her Daddy that she loves him in between sobs. To me though, the most heart-wrenching moment was at the end of Jennifer Hudson's performance of "Will You Be There?" where they flashed the final verse of the song with Michael Jackson's voice reading the lyrics. It gave me chills.

Absolutely beautiful words and painful but valid questions to ask of someone, especially one who claims to love you.

[Spoken]
In Our Darkest Hour
In My Deepest Despair
Will You Still Care?
Will You Be There?
In My Trials
And My Tribulations
Through Our Doubts
And Frustrations
In My Violence
In My Turbulence
Through My Fear
And My Confessions
In My Anguish And My Pain
Through My Joy And My Sorrow
In The Promise Of Another Tomorrow
I'll Never Let You Part
For You're Always In My Heart