Properly paying tribute to the King of Pop: priceless. The cost of properly paying tribute to the King of Pop: "extraordinary."
Michael Jackson's estate today got stuck agreed to foot what is expected to be the heftiest of bills for the star's long-in-the-works burial tomorrow night at the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif.
Judge Mitchell Beckloff, the final word on all Jackson money matters, ruled today that the estate would pay for whatever type of service deemed necessary for the star, but hizzoner would not set a cap on how much they could or should spend, leaving that decision in the hands of the estate's special administrators.
Katherine Jackson had lobbied to get the estate to pony up for the memorial, though the involved parties appear to have come down with a sudden case of tongue-tieditis when asked to ballpark how much, exactly, the private services would cost.
"The expenses will be extraordinary, but Michael Jackson was extraordinary," Jeryll Cohen, an attorney for Johns Branca and McClain, the estate's administrators, said today.
As for what it is that's making the tab so high, well, the high-profile mourners expected in attendance certainly aren't helping matters...
In addition to the actual costs associated with the burial and whatever theatrics take place during the ceremony, the estate will need to reimburse Glendale for providing police officers on the scene, closing city roads and hiring additional security personnel to keep trespassers and would-be funeral crashers at bay. The whole shebang begins at 7 p.m. and is expected to last just 30 minutes.
"It seems to me this particular expense is not going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back regarding the solvency of the estate," said Margaret Lodise, special guardian appointed to represent Jackson's children.
If that's not a greenlight to spare no expense, nothing is.
A source tells E! News that in addition to "all family and close friends," Diana Ross, Corey Feldman, Brooke Shields and Larry King and his wife are expected to attend the service. Aretha Franklin, despite reports earlier this week, is not.
The family is making last-minute preparations, including shipping in gourmet doughnuts and finalizing their wardrobe.
"The kids are getting fitted for their tuxes that they'll wear tomorrow," the insider added. "Everyone is supposed to wear black again like they did to the first one."
Jackson was originally expected to be buried last Saturday, on what would have marked his 51st birthday.
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It's been more than two months since his death but while he's gone, he's certainly not been forgotten. Take a look back at the King of Pop in our Michael Jackson: A Life gallery.