Michael Jackson Memorial To Be Shown Live In Movie Theatres

Let’s face it – the majority of us did not score a ticket to the big Michael Jackson memorial hullabaloo set for Tuesday in Los Angeles. It’s on TV, which is nice, but why not kick-it-up a notch and watch the sure to be over-the-top festivities inside the comforts of your neighborhood movie theatre.

Large popcorn, please!

Make plans now because the Michael Jackson memorial service tomorrow will be shown live in almost 80 movie theaters across 31 states, complete with a cinema-quality high-definition broadcast. Limited tickets to attend are free and will be available online for most locations on a first-come-first-served basis.

According to LA Times, Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., the company upgrading many U.S. theaters to digital, reached an agreement last night with the Jackson family and Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group to offer the telecast to theater chains, Chief Executive Dale Mayo said.

A limited number of free tickets will be made available.

“You’ll see it just as though you’re there,” Mayo said.

Like I said, it’s on TV, courtesy of AEG, owner of Staples Center where the memorial will be held, but then you risk the horror show of TV people actually commenting on the proceedings – and please, this is like nails on a chalkboard, if not worse.

But in the movie theatre Cinedigm plans to carry the program live without commentary or interruptions; the live feed, direct from the Staples Center, is made possible via Cinedigm’s nationwide CineLive™ digital cinema network.

Among those confirmed to show the service were cinemas Atlanta; Las Vegas; Topeka, Kan.; Mobile, Ala.; Pensacola, Fla.; Lansing, Mich.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Utica, N.Y.

Jonathan Dern, president of Cinedigm’s Content and Entertainment Group, said:

“This LIVE broadcast is in recognition of a music legend and acknowledgment of his historic impact on our lives. We are proud to play a role in broadcasting this memorial service and we appreciate the permission of the Jackson family to bring this important and special event to movie theatres.”

If you cannot get to the movie theater and you’re not able to watch the memorial on TV, the Internet will be your savior: Among the sites planning to broadcast the event live are Facebook/CNN, MySpace, Hulu.com/Fox News and Ustream/CBS News.

Basically the Internet is going to explode tomorrow.

Updates to the list of movie theater locations and details will be updated tonight and tomorrow on Cinedigm’s website: http://www.cinedigm.com.

What form of media are you going to use to watch the Michael Jackson memorial?