Michael Jackson’s all-star memorial service cost Los Angeles significantly less than first estimated, running up a tab of $1.4 million for the deployment of extra police officers, sanitation workers and traffic controllers, CNN reports. The Los Angeles Mayor’s Office at first predicted the event would cost the cash-strapped city $3.8 million, leading mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to set up a Website to collect tax-deductible donations. Heavy Internet traffic on the day of the memorial caused the site to crash frequently, and the page only managed to raise approximately $17,000. At press time, it was unclear if AEG Live, the concert promotion company that helped stage the event, contributed any cash.
(Check out photos from the Jackson memorial.)
An estimated 31.1 million people in the U.S. watched the Jackson memorial on television, the AP reports, placing the broadcast behind the funerals of Princess Diana (33.2 million in 1997) and Ronald Reagan (35.1 million in [...]
Original post by Daniel Kreps and software by Elliott Back
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