Yesterday was Michael Jackson's memorial at The Staples Center in Los Angeles.  Thousands attended.  Millions more watched on the Internet and televisions worldwide.  It was a celebration of the man that was, a forgiveness of the man that became, and a reintroduction to a mega entertainer who'd left us years ago in spirit, and now has left us way too soon on this Earth.

It seems that very few people left whatever Michael Jackson camp they were in the night before he died.  Many loved him unconditionally and mourn his death with every fiber of their being. Some deemed him guilty of all the awful things of which he was accused and calously ignored or lashed out against the celebration and spectacle. And then many, many more loved and loathed him, but forgave the bizarre tragedy that was his existence these past 10 or 15 years because the magic of his music, his connecting and unifying sound, and bigger than life pop-culture phenomenon is a part of us all forever whether we like it or not. 

As a culture, we find great comfort in sharing moments in common, be they happy moments or tragic moments.  Our lives together as fellow citizens are shaped, sometimes, as much by elections, assassinations, wars, 9/11s, and heartache as they are by Grammies, Emmys, and Oscars.  Like Elvis.  Like Kennedy.  Like John Lennon.  Like The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Like the finale of "M.A.S.H." or Johnny Carson's final Tonight Show, Michael Jackson and his countless headline grabbing moments are part of the great American roller coaster on which we ride.  He was one of a kind, and there will never be another like him.

(Record scratch) Whoa!  This was supposed to be a light-hearted article.  What's going on here?  Where was I?  Oh, yes.  Newspaper, TVs, radios, and computer screens watched yesterdays events ...for most of us.  But some of us didn't have access to moving pictures or audio and we had to rely on "new media" to connect us and report the happenings of the memorial.  From tacky t-shirt slogans, to hate filled protestors.  From last minute jokes featuring MJ as the punchline, to last minute memories and observations of what the King of Pop meant to us.  Some could only rely on text messages from friends, Facebook status messages, and Tweets to piece together what was going on.  I was one such "shut in."  And thanks to countless Twitter pages and Facebook friends, I was able to enjoy the day as only could be possible in 2009.  Here is the memorial service I assembled like a puzzle throughout the day and a unique perspective on the days events.  There's something for everyone ...some love ...some hate ...some indifference, and still some more random stuff.  Enjoy.

11am-12:30pm EST

(Twitter) @donkowalewskieat it Iran and Tour de France.  America's gonna show you how Twitter really spreads news.  Shamon!

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1memorial programs inscribed with personal messages from family, friends, and photos of personal moments. Beautifully done.

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1selling food at memorial service--appropriate or not?

(Twitter) @someecardsSomeecards will be live tweeting during the Michael Jackson Memorial Service unless something else comes up!

(Twitter) @SklarBrothersRon Artest has come out with a tribute song for Michael Jackson. It may be the greatest gift Michael has left us.We will talk about it 2day

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1Observing program, photos chosen for it are pre- 2005.

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1"Rock with You" playing on sound system. More orderly than a DNC Convention!

(Twitter) @Drudge_ReportFirst pictures of memorial rehearsal... http://tinyurl.com/n9w9vp

12:30pm-1pm EST

(Twitter) @nerdistThe MJ media onslaught proves that he went down Obi Wan style: he died so he could become more powerful than we could possibly imagine.

(Facebook) Hank i heard michael jackson died.

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Thanks for not asking who I'm wearing as I enter the Staples Center.

(Twitter) @levarburtonMy family and I just took our seats here at the Staples Center.... http://twitpic.com/9lqk8

(Twitter) @donkowalewskiI'm refusing to watch any television coverage of the MJ Memorial and will choose instead to piece the entire event together via Tweets.

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1Kobe entered with shouts and cheers--not your average memorial

(Twitter) @levarburtonOur view from our seats, Row 19 Center http://twitpic.com/9lrs9

(Twitter) @Drudge_ReportJackson motorcade reaches LA memorial service site... http://tinyurl.com/noxstp

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] No, we're not AT the memorial. Just watching the non-stop coverage on CNN, America's Most Trusted News Source.

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1couple next to us arriving with matching fedoras, white pants, black shirts and a glove--priceless

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1getting ready to start

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1will stop tweeting for service out of respect for King of Pop

(Twitter) @Drudge_ReportJackson motorcade reaches LA memorial service site... http://tinyurl.com/ntqava

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Let's mourn Michael Jackson while being subconsciously reminded to buy office supplies.

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] I have fond memories of Smokey Robinson's tribute to Michael Jackson.

(Twitter) @levarburtonWhy, today of all days, would Corey Feldman dress up like Michael???

1:00pm-2:00pm EST

(Twitter) @AaronKaroPeople who take off work to go to a Michael Jackson memorial are the kind of people who didn't have jobs to begin with. #fb

(Twitter) @PopsquireDoesn't the lack of audio inside the Staples Center seem like meaningful moment of silence?

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Someone really should have booked an opening act.

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] There's at least a 15% chance he's jumping out of that casket.

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestMariah on stage singing "I'll be there"

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestmariah with try lorenzo...live I have chills

(Twitter) @Drudge_ReportGOLDEN CASKET ON STAGE! http://tinyurl.com/nnc8m9

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Remember Iran? I wonder what's going on over there. Check TMZ?

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Was that Gina from "Barbership 2: Back in Business"?

(Twitter) @PopsquireLionel can still sing his butt off!

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenso far, MJ's memorial has been respectful and low-key in its way. Still giving me chills.

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] An interesting note on America's education system: a misspelled "Michael Jackson" made it to Trending Topics.

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenjust noticed all the Jackson brothers having matching suits and one glove! Whoa.

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Furthermore, I misspelled "Barbershop."

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenBerry Gordy giving a lovely eulogy. You can't escape the fact that the Jackson family has affected the lives of many.

(Twitter) @SklarBrothersWe've come a long way in race relations when millions of African Americans can rally around a dead white woman

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] A hundred bucks says Blanket fell asleep during that speech.

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestStevie on stage now..usually we have a rundown in hand to know who's performs when..today just know about a few names tha(Twitter) t were leaked

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenDude, how many people get a montage at their memorial service?

(Twitter) @darrinwassomI will be more upset when Lionel Richie passes away. Sorry MJ but Lionel can dance on ceilings. Moonwalk was defeated by gravity. #fb #mj

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenStevie singing " I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer"...Wow, on several levels.

(Twitter) @PopsquireStevie Wonder's performance is so emotionally compelling. Pure emotion. Thanks, Stevie.

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Wow. Watching Stevie Wonder has made me feel really sad for whoever has to follow Stevie Wonder.

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestMagic adding levity and a great story about eating a bucket of kfc with mj

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenwill not be shocked if KFC sales go thru the roof as a result of Magic Johnson mentioning that MJ ate it in his eulogy.

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestthis makes the world feel so small...everyone connected right now

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Did Al Sharpton go on a crash diet to fit into his funeral suit?

(Twitter) @PopsquireI seriously feel for Jennifer Hudson. She lost three family members in October. Singing at the MJ Memorial must have been painful.

2:00pm-3:00pm EST

(Twitter) @Drudge_ReportMEMORIAL TAKES A SPIRITUAL TURN... http://tinyurl.com/mv95ak

(Twitter) @DrewSetter1Say what you will, Sharpton is one eloquent speaker. Gotta love Magic Johnson too!

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenJohn Mayer doing "Human Nature"? Too cool.

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Holy shit. That guy's even whiter than Michael Jackson.

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestBrooke shields..she met mj when she was 13...emotional speech

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenLOVING Brooke Shields right now for giving another lovely eulogy of someone who actually knew and loved this person who died.

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestBrooke shields memories were beautiful..great speaker

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] Just got back from masturbating to Brooke Shields. What did I miss?

(Twitter) @someecards[mj memorial] It's always tragic when a pet chimp outlives its owner.

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenEveryone huddled around Usher after his singing of 'Gone too Soon" followed by tears. How weird is this for those kids???

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestUsher-now smokey remembering mj..smokey one of the best song writers I have ever met...called mj his "little brother"

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestWas thinking we all have a new appreciation for his music now...its kinnd of wrong that it takes a death to do that

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenNice eulogy by Smokey.

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenShaheen...the kid from "Britain's Got Talent", just SANG "Who's Lovin' You". Someone's getting a record deal...

3:00pm-4:00pm EST

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestwe are the world now!

(Twitter) @mrdavehillWhere is Feldman?

(Twitter) @donkowalewski@mrdavehill Feldman and Calkin? What gives? Emmanual Lewis?

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestWe are the world..tears in my eyes...mj and lionel wrote one of the most powerful songs ever

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrest"Heal the world" all artists on stage together now

(Twitter) @donkowalewskiI said I wasn't going to watch ...but ...darn it. Some network somewhere had better re-air this concert/memorial/tribute later tonight.

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenCouldn't help but sway along with that "We are the World/Heal the World" combo. Beautiful.

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestFamily and close friends on stage hugging each other. Jackson family remembering him on mic now. Emotional

(Twitter) @levarburtonI have no words.... http://twitpic.com/9m8d5

(Twitter) @spunkyqueenParis Jackson just about killed me...just a little girl who lost her daddy. So sad, no matter who you are.

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestHis daughter paris michael katherine..called him best father in the world..play one of his songs tonight at home..talk to you guys later

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1The memorial is over and it was so tastefully done.

(Twitter) @cbuerkle1scaffolds and scaffolds of press--an Obama event pales in comparison

(Twitter) @tonyrobbinsSad to remember how people ridiculed M.J. while he was alive Beautiful to see him honored for the love and caring he brought the world

(Twitter) @someecardsHope you enjoyed our live tweeting! Don't forget to join this protest against someecards: http://bit.ly/3WROfo and to visit someecards.com!

(Twitter) @levarburtonRT @rcbl: Even now, right this minute, Michael looks more lifelike than Larry King.

4:00pm-Midnight EST

(Facebook) Darrin Okay, okay.... so I like a few MJ songs.....

(Twitter) @PopsquireI gathered the MJ Memorial performances if u want to see: http://bit.ly/k638o

(Twitter) @RyanSeacrestStaples center great venue..they did mj special early today while Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus waited out in loading dock..

(Facebook) Jemele thinks the best moment from Michael Jackson's funeral was his daughter, Paris, reminding us that MJ was a father, not a freak.

(Facebook) Kathy "caught myself watching the MJ special on TV this afternoon while my 6 year old was helping the 4 year old with his summer "school" packet. Maybe my husband is right...these kids might be better off in daycare :)"

(Twitter) @someecardsMichael Jackson's family behaves better at funerals than mine does. http://bit.ly/h0kZF

(Facebook) Jackie thinks it's awesome that the Weather Channel is playing Michael Jackson music during the Local on the 8's :)

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