Fans ready to 'celebrate Michael's life'

As Tuesday dawned in downtown Los Angeles, some fans waiting to get in for the Michael Jackson memorial service were surprised at their good fortune.

Michelle Mann and Basra Arte, both 18, flew in from Vancouver, British Columbia, to honor Jackson. They stood outside the Staples Center, brimming with excitement ­ and celebrating the generosity of a complete stranger.
"It's overwhelming," Mann said. "We can't believe that we're here."
The two had appeared on Canadian television and said they planned to fly to Los Angeles for the memorial service -- even thought they had no tickets. Six hours before their flight, 15-year-old Karlo Karanan, who'd seen them on TV, tracked them down and gave them his.
"I'm looking forward to being in the presence of other fans," Arte said. "The energy is going to be amazing."
Gates to the Staples Center were opened about 6 a.m. PT (9 a.m. ET).
There were plenty of other fans on hand as the 10 a.m. hour of the Jackson service approached. On Monday night, more than 12 hours before the service, the mood was almost festive, with fans lined up around the block to sign the memorial wall.
Police and security officers kept a close watch. Helicopters flew overhead, and sheriff's deputies could be seen strolling through with bomb-sniffing dogs.

As media from around the world rolled cameras and took photos, fans talked about their tenderness toward the star.
Some in line gathered around Barbara Delorm, who toted a thick photo album that contained a collection of all of her -related items. It was decades in the making, she said.
Delorm grew teary-eyed as she showed off photos of herself at age 14 when her parents surprised her with a trip to visit the outside of the Jackson family home in Encino, California.
"It's not about being inside the Staples Center," said Delorm, who scored a ticket to attend the memorial. "It's about everyone being here together like this to celebrate Michael's life."
The singer had a strong influence on her life, Delorm said.
"I just loved him, all of my life," she said, her voice beginning to break. "I never did drugs, and I never got involved with bad stuff because he was such a great role model."
Vendors strolled through the crowd, offering everything from Jackson T-shirts to copies of old magazines featuring the star on the cover.

Tonya Sandis lugged a box of her homemade "King of Pop" soda. For $5, customers could grab a bottle of the root beer, cream soda or vanilla cream flavors.
"I think [Jackson] was a genius," she said as she held up a bottle that featured a silhouette drawing of Jackson and the words "Established 8-29-58, Aged to perfection."
To pass the time, some in the crowd sang, shared memorabilia and swapped stories about the icon.
Many vowed to camp out overnight even though they didn't have one of about 17,000 tickets to the event given out to the public.
"We are staying," said Christina Merlos, who came from Gardena, California, with her 15-year-old son, Carlos Villa, some of his friends and her friend Aracli Arias. "We wanted to be here tonight to hang out with each other and the other fans."
Leobarda Grijalva carried an acrylic painting she had made of a sparkling-gloved Jackson. She said she planned to watch the memorial service on television before heading to Neverland Ranch to pay her respects.
"I came here to share my love for Michael Jackson with the world, and what better place to do that than here," she said, gesturing toward the Staples Center.