Curtain rises on Michael Jackson memorial at 1 p.m.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The curtain is slowly rising on Michael Jackson's last show.

As in Jackson's life, Tuesday's public memorial set for 1 p.m. EST at the downtown Staples Center includes the spectacle surrounding the show - legal drama, screaming fans, star power, live worldwide broadcast, unsavory accusations, even a parade of elephants - all adding up to what could be the biggest celebrity send-off of all time.

On the eve of the memorial, activity was spotted late Monday at the Forest Lawn Cemetery involving the Jackson family. The cemetery is the location where relatives were expected to hold a private funeral.

La Toya Jackson, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, was seen being driven away from the cemetery. KCAL-TV showed helicopter footage of a hearse backing up to the Hall of Liberty - a circular building at the cemetery that contains a 1,200-seat auditorium - to deliver a casket.

A few hours later, the casket was reloaded into the hearse and delivered to another nearby building, this time covered in a blue cloth.

It wasn't immediately known if the casket would be at the memorial service. Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show that the family would not comment on it.

More than 1.6 million people registered for free tickets to Jackson's downtown memorial. A total of 8,750 people were chosen to receive two tickets each.