Pop Star Michael Jackson memorial likely Tuesday

A public memorial for pop star Michael Jackson took shape Thursday when a concert backer and family spokesman said the event would take place next week, even as doubt lingered over the guardianship of the singer's children.

A public memorial for Jackson, who died suddenly last week, will be held Tuesday in Los Angeles, and about 11,000 tickets will be given away free of charge for the 20,000-seat Staples Center arena, said concert promoter AEG Live and family representative, Sunshine Sachs & Associates.
Randy Phillips, chief executive of concert promoter AEG Live, told reporters on Thursday Jackson's much-anticipated memorial was being planned for the rock concert and sporting venue the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Meanwhile Debbie Rowe -- the mother of Jackson's two eldest children, Prince Michael Jackson Jr. 12, and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11 -- appeared to set the stage for a legal tussle with Jackson's parents over their future.

"I want my children," Rowe was quoted as telling NBC4 television in Los Angeles.
But her lawyer, Eric George, told reporters Thursday that Rowe was still considering her position.