|rafer.guzman@newsday.com
Mariah Carey, John Mayer, Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson are among the celebrity guests scheduled to attend Michael Jackson's memorial service, scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The list was released Monday afternoon by the Jackson family's publicists, who called it "preliminary and subject to change."
One person not mentioned, however, was Jackson's former wife, Debbie Rowe, who announced she would not attend just hours after she was reportedly confirmed for two VIP seats.
Rowe, who shared two children with Jackson, may be planning to fight the singer's mother, Katherine Jackson, for custody.
"The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy," Rowe's attorney, Marta Almli, said in a statement. "Debbie will continue to celebrate Michael's memory privately."
Whether Jackson's family offered the tickets to Rowe or approved an initial request from her is unclear. A spokesman for the family did not comment.
Another notable absence: Jackson's friend Elizabeth Taylor, who said in her Twitter feed Monday afternoon that she will be mourning in private.
"I've been asked to speak at the Staples Center. I cannot be part of the public hoopla," Taylor wrote in a string of posts. "And I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word."
The invitations and turndowns underscored the hectic, whirlwind nature of the memorial, which will be attended by 17,500 people who obtained tickets through a random lottery. Even as those selected fans geared up for the historic event, tickets went on sale for thousands of dollars on eBay and Craigslist, though many of the postings were later removed. Local law enforcement officials, expecting a massive turnout, have been urging people to watch the memorial on television at home.
(In New York, the event will be simulcast at two movie theaters, the Clearview Chelsea Theatre in Manhattan and The Pavilion in Brooklyn, according to Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis.)
According to several reports, Jackson will be buried at Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood Hills Tuesday, possibly before the public event. No public funeral procession through city streets was scheduled, and it was not known if Jackson's body would appear at the Staples Center.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry said she'd "love it" if the Jacksons helped defray some of the city's expected costs for the memorial. But she noted that officials hadn't heard from the family.
Just as in life, the King of Pop in death is poised to command nearly unprecedented media coverage.
Six days before he was to begin a 50-date comeback tour in London, Michael Jackson will instead be eulogized at a massive memorial service today at Staples Center. All the major networks and a host of cable news and entertainment channels, including CNN, MSNBC, E! Entertainment, TV Guide Network and TV One, plan to carry the event live at 10 a.m.