It seems only too fitting for tickets for Michael Jackson's memorial to be handed out in a Willa Wonka-like fasion.
More than 1.6 million MJ fans registered for free tickets to the King of Pop's Tuesday memorial service, and the winners began finding out Sunday afternoon.
"I'm in shock that it has happened," Deka Motanya, 27, of San Francisco told The Associated Press. "It's surreal."
She received an email Sunday afternoon simply saying, "Congratulations, your application was successful."
She responded instantly on Twitter: "OMG OMG OMG OMG i got tickets to the michael jackson memorial service!!!"
Fans had from 10 a.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday to register for a pair of tickets to the service, which will take place at the Staples Center, a sports complex in downtown Los Angeles.
A random draw selected 8,750 names and each person selected will receive two tickets.
Winners will be assigned a unique barcode and instructions for picking up their tickets on Monday. They will receive both a ticket and a wristband, both of which must be displayed to gain entry to the service.
According to Jackson family spokesperson Ken Sunshine, AEG, the company that owns and operates the Staples Center, will "scrub" the entries to remove duplicates and ensure none have been generated by automated systems. This will ensure scalpers don't get their hands on tickets, he said.
Fans not selected in the draw have one other opportunity to attend the memorial. About 6,500 tickets will be given away for the overflow section at the Nokia Theater, which is next door.
The overwhelming demand for tickets has the Los Angeles Police Department preparing for a massive crowd.
Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger said as many as 700,000 people could descend on the area. Police will cordon off a wide area around the arena to those without tickets.
Police are warning the public to stay away from the area. The Staples Center will not be showing the memorial on its giant outdoor TV screen.
- CTV.ca will offer a live stream of Tuesday's memorial service from the Staples Center.
Also on Sunday, a judge signed sealed search warrants connected to the investigation surrounding Jackson's death. The warrants have been sealed and a Court spokesperson would not discuss details.
Authorities are investigating whether Jackson has been consuming powerful painkillers and sedatives. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.
Jackson's family is planning a private ceremony at the Forest Lawn cemetery.
