Michael Jackson memorial set for Tuesday

A public memorial service for Michael Jackson will be held on Tuesday morning at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the late pop star had been rehearsing for his London comeback concerts.

The service will start at 10 a.m. PT, after a private funeral attended by the Jackson family and close friends.

No details are available on the service itself but procedures were announced for obtaining free tickets to it at a Friday news conference at the centre.

Tim Leiweke, the Staple Center's president,said 11,000 tickets have been made available by the Jackson family for the service at the downtown arena. Another 6,500 free tickets are available for a simulcast of the memorial at the adjacent Nokia Theater.

The Staples Center has a capacity of 20,000 and the other tickets will go to Jackson family members and their friends.

Fans were told to register at the centre's website, until 6 p.m. PT Saturday when 8,750 names will be randomly selected.Fans selected willbe notified Sunday, and each will receive two tickets and wristbands on Monday.

To discourage fans from thronging in the downtown area, Leiweke emphasized that only those holding tickets and wristbands willbe allowed into the neighbourhood surrounding the arena.

A free worldwide video feed will be provided, and Los Angeles city councillor Jan Perry added that fans who don't have tickets and wristbands would be better off watching the service on television or the internet.

Even so,city officials are scrambling to come up with ways to control the massive crowd that is expected to descend on the downtown area.

CBC News reported early Friday that the arena was surrounded by police barricades and a few fans had already turned up.

Los Angeles city councilman Dennis Zine told The Associated Press that, with the July 4 holiday, "It's the worst time ... to work something out."

Perry told the news conference the Los Angeles Police Department's budget provides for extraordinary events that draw large crowds, but said the cash-strapped city would appreciate help to offset incremental costs, such as sanitation.