"Neverland is about to turn into Graceland!" said X17 Online. The late Michael Jackson's nearly forgotten California estate is bustling in preparation for a public viewing of his body. "The area is certain to be flooded with people wanting to pay their respects"—so get ready for chaos.
"In death as in life, there is never a dull moment when it comes to Michael Jackson," said Alison Statemen in Time. Police expect a "mad rush of traffic on the narrow hillside road leading to Jackson's Neverland Ranch for a planned memorial service on Friday." And the mayhem will never end if the King of Pop is buried at Neverland, because that would help turn the place into an attraction rivaling Graceland, the home of the late Elvis Presley.
The public viewing at Neverland Ranch is sure to "be a tasteful affair," said TV comedy writer Ken Levine in his blog. No one would be so crass as to sell t-shirts," Michael Jackson action figures, and Jackson 5 lunch pails at a funeral, right?
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The bottom line is that there are many, many people who want to pay their respects to Michael Jackson, said Ari Bloomekatz in the Los Angeles Times. The family is considering holding a public memorial service in Los Angeles' Staples Center, followed by a procession to Neverland for a private service open to family, friends, and music industry colleagues. The police and the family can try to prepare for the crowds that will descend on Neverland—but nothing will keep people away.
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