Michael Jackson tribute: King of Pop to be honoured at Vienna palace, not London's Wembley

Michael Jackson will be honoured by singers that could include Madonna in a concert on the grounds of a palace in Vienna next month, the event's promoter said on Tuesday.

Michael Jackson's children Paris, Blanket and Prince attend the memorial concert at the Staples Center in LA Photo: REUTERS
The King of Pop will be given a fitting tribute at Schönbrunn, the 17th century summer palace of the Austrian royal family, by about 10 "of the biggest artists of our time," who will sing some of Jackson's greatest hits.
Georg Kindel, of World Awards Media GmbH, hinted that the lineup could include Madonna, and said it will be televised live to a global audience of 1 billion people. Austrian media have reported that U2, Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston also may perform.

"I don't even know myself" who will take the stage, Mr Kindel said.
The event will be held in the second half of September, he said. Tickets go on sale Aug. 20.
Mr Kindel said the show - conceived amid a flurry of events honouring Jackson since his death June 25 in Los Angeles - also will feature family members and unidentified Hollywood stars reminiscing as images and video clips of Jackson are screened.
Mr Kindel said the tribute originally was planned for London's Wembley Stadium on Aug 29, which would have been Jackson's 51st birthday, but that Jermaine Jackson decided instead on Vienna. The singer had been rehearsing for a series of London concerts at the time of his death.
Mr Kindel said the switch took him by surprise: "Everyone was expecting it would be staged maybe in London or New York or Los Angeles," he said.
Explaining Vienna as a venue, Jermaine Jackson told "Larry King Live" on Friday that his brother loved the city and "loved castles".
After Mr Kindel organised a Jackson remembrance held last month outside a mothballed nuclear power plant west of Vienna, Jermaine Jackson spent a few hours touring Schönbrunn, which his brother also had visited.
"He was really fascinated and said, 'This is a really royal and ideal place for such a tribute to Michael,"' Kindel told the Associated Press.
The majestic mustard-coloured palace and its sprawling, sculpted gardens are nothing like Los Angeles' Staples Center, where a big Jackson memorial was held last month, Mr Kindel said. The extensive gardens include a zoo, something that would have appealed to Jackson, Mr Kindel said.
"It's a little bit like Neverland, but much bigger," he said.