L.A. business ready for Jackson service
The city of Los Angeles hosts thousands as fans flock to Staples Center to pay tribute to Michael Jackson. Some businesses around the city see opportunities for extra cash. Mitchell Hartman reports.
Pop star Michael Jackson waves to fans as he arrives for his child molestation trial in Santa Maria, Calif., on June 13, 2005. (Hector Mata / AFP / Getty Images)
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Stacey Vanek-Smith: The Michael Jackson memorial will be held this morning at the Staples Center here in downtown LA -- 17,500 people got free tickets via online lottery yesterday. Hundreds of thousands more are expected to turn up outside the memorial service. That could cost the City of Los Angeles more than a million dollars in police overtime. But other businesses aren't complaining As Mitchell Hartman reports.
Mitchell Hartman: Fans attending the memorial are expected to pump $2 million into the local economy. That's according to the LA Visitor's Bureau. Even those who DIDN'T win tickets will find plenty of Michael-a-bilia around town to spend money on.
LA's Grammy Museum is drawing record crowds to its special Jackson exhibit, at $10 a head. Spokeswoman Katie Dunham:
Katie Dunham: Currently we have four of Michael's jackets. We have the jacket that he wore when he got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Visitors can take a "moonwalking" tour of Jackson's Hollywood haunts. And University Studios is throwing a huge celebration and souvenir-a-thon at its outdoor mall on Thursday. Some fans, though, plan to honor the King of Pop on the cheap.
Ali Miller: I am a big fan of Michael Jackson, but I'm not one of these crazy people who would buy thousands of dollars on eBay after he died.
LA resident Ali Miller will be at today's memorial. First, she was notified she hadn't won tickets. A day later, she got an e-mail saying she had. The value of that bit of Michael memorabilia? Priceless.
I'm Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.
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