"She sounds fantastic on record," says Cowell. "She's so good, the album is not just going to be show tunes. We're going to take our time with this."

Boyle, 48, also visited the Sony Music offices in London last week to meet with executives, who are treating her gently. Mindful of the pressures and subsequent hospitalization after she finished second in the Britain's Got Talent final, the label says she could walk away from the project any time she wants.

By 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET) Friday, seven hours since the lottery's announcement, more than half a million people had registered to snag a pair of tickets to the ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, according to Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine.

The overwhelming response prompted organizers to open up the lottery to non-U.S. residents as well, he said.

"When you grow up with Michael Jackson's music pretty much your whole life, you feel like you lost a family member and you have to go to the funeral," said Add Seymour of Atlanta, Georgia, who registered soon after the announcement Friday morning and planned to fly out if he was picked. "I got some frequent flier miles just in case I wanted to do something wild and crazy -- and this is wild and crazy."

"With the around-the-clock coverage and questions about his death, this story will keep going, with every development giving it a new bit of life," says Kerry Fly, vice president of purchasing and marketing at wholesaler Eurpac. Jackson's solo album sales in the United States skyrocketed from 10,000 copies in the week before his death to 422,000 in the week ended June 28, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

During the same period, U.S. track downloads surged from about 48,000 copies to 2.6 million. The week of his death, the best-selling track was "Thriller" at 167,000 copies, and the top-selling album was "Number Ones" at 108,000.

In the United Kingdom, Jackson held 11 of the top 200 album positions and 43 of the top 200 singles based on sales monitored by the Official Charts Co. for the week ended June 27. Despite the inclusion of only two full days of sales after Jackson's death, "Number Ones" topped the OCC album chart after selling 46,400 physical copies and 10,000 downloads. "Thriller" also reached the top 10 for album at No. 7, with combined physical and digital sales of 14,900.

Those who can't get the precious tickets – 11,000 in the Staples Center and another 6,500 to watch on big screens at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live across the street – can watch a live worldwide television feed being provided free to networks or on streaming video on the Web.

Organizers are using a wristband system to crack down on scalpers.

"This is a memorial. I'm hoping that people have dignity. We're doing our best to accommodate the worldwide demand," said Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG, which owns the Staples Center. "For those who would try to take advantage of this, shame on them."

Billboard has learned that the singer was working on two albums at the time of his death: one in the pop vein that made him famous and another that would consist of an instrumental classical composition. And while some believe the star wanted to recapture his '80s glory days -- or escape financial trouble -- those who worked with him recently say he was motivated by his fans and his children.

Jackson was working on the pop album with songwriter Claude Kelly and Akon, who says that Jackson was motivated by the ticket sales for his performances. "He said, 'My fans are still there. They still love me. They're alive,'" Akon says. "His kids are like his first priority, and they had never seen him perform live. He was trying to create the most incredible show for his kids."

Family, friends and VIPS will have seats on the main floor for The Tuesday, July 7th Staples service, first reported by RadarOnline.com, while the general public will be plucking down $25 to sit in the stands.

The memorial service will feel like a concert production featuring guest speakers, a lot of music and video screens inside and outside of Staples, a source close to the planning tells RadarOnline.com.

Michael Jackson's close friend Elizabeth Taylor is expected to attend, along with Diana Ross.

Jackson himself has a record eight out of the top 10, while a Jackson 5 compilation also finds its way into the upper tier.

The King of Pop's "Number Ones" will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with 108,000 (an increase of 2,340%) while "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" are in the Nos. 2 and 3 slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week "Number Ones" was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both "Essential" and "Thriller" re-enter the tally this week.

Additionally, his classic 1979 studio set "Off the Wall" re-enters at No. 4 with 33,000 while his 1987 album "Bad" returns at No. 6 with 17,000. At No. 5, the Jackson 5's "The Ultimate Collection" debuts with 18,000. Jackson's fourth studio album for Epic Records, 1991's "Dangerous," re-enters at No. 7 with 14,000 while his 2001 compilation "Greatest Hits: HIStory -- Volume 1" also comes back to the list at No. 8 with 12,000. Finally, Jackson's 2004 box set "The Ultimate Collection" charts its first week on the Pop Catalog chart, arriving at No. 9 with 11,000.

Deleasa, 22, met Kevin—the JoBro who has managed to have a private life—in May 2007 while their families were vacationing in the Bahamas. "Our hearts are filled with joy today and we are happy to share with you that our son Kevin has asked Danielle for her hand in marriage," parents Denise and Kevin Jonas Sr. said in a statement. "Her answer was yes, and it is such a blessing that she will be joining our family. Kevin and Danielle have not yet set a date."

A rep for Kevin confirmed that he showed up at Deleasa's New Jersey home this morning with a ring he codesigned with Jacob & Co., and popped the question at her doorstep. But while thousands of girls would love to be in Deleasa's shoes—or at least also in a position to attend a wedding where Joe and Nick Jonas will be—the former hairdresser tells People she didn't know who Kevin was when she first met him. Way to play coy, honey.