tonight on "nightline," the end and the beginning. as stars and fans gather for what's expected to be the biggest celebrity memorial ever, the battle bens for control of michael jackson's fortune and his children. we're live from los angeles with all the details. and palin's plan. the alaskan governor suddenly steps down, but why? as rumors of scandal swirl we're on the trail in alaska with insider details about sarah palin's resignation. from some of those who know her best. plus, foul play. football star steve mcnair is

gunned down in what may have been a murder/suicide involving a young mistress. a shocking crime that may threaten his family man reputaon. ññññññññññññ captions paid for by abc, inc. good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. reporting tonight from the staples center this los angeles where fans an media from around the world are already gathering. it's inside this building that michael jackson took the stage for a final time. flanked by dancers and in an empty arena, practicing those unmistakable dance moves, but tomorrow, this place will be packed as they celebrate the king of pop's music and mourn his passing. today, even on the eve of his good-bye, the same controversy that followed michael jackson in life continued to follow him in death.

with a new battle over the future of his fortune. john donvan is down right below me at the staples center tonight with his report. john? >> good evening, cynthia. about town.want to say something a lot has been said about a media circus around this thing, and yes, there's a lot of media, but around here, i don't see circus. there has been a very respectable, i would say hush around the staples center throughout the day. we know that this evening as family members are collecting even now at the cemetery to make final arrangements, here the police are turning this into a no-go zone here tomorrow morning. and right now there's a lull. most of this day outside the staples center felt the calm before. the calm before tomorrow when the world divides between those who got tickets to be at the

service -- >> okay. we're the lucky once. >> and everyone else, with police barriers, who won't be able to come become blocks of the staples center. if you lined up on this sidewalk, the police would let you through a few folks at a time to dwell just briefly near the arena's front entrance as though that were some kind of perk, and it was to those who were here. tell me why you came down. >> i wanted to be a part of history. i feel like michael was in a league all by himself. >> he was one of the best -- it's great to know the music is out here now. and, you know, without michael jackson -- the 3450music is her >> they have set this up out front and the question was where to write anything? what did you write on the board? >> well, i just wrote, i love you michael, and we'll miss you. >> you had to really find your

spot over there. >> you had to make empty spots. real tiny. but it's worth it. >> it sounds like love but the proceedings at the superior court were all about money. it went against his mother's katherine and though another lawyer in the case said this -- >> katherine has nothing to worry about, michael's will clearly gave a certain percentage to charities and then gave kathene and the children 50% each. >> this fight is not over. there is another hearing next month. meanwhile, the winners in the lottery for the 17,000 tickets allocated for the public for tomorrow's services were picking those up at dodgers stadium. >> here are your tickets for row 12. >> this is like my dream come true. i was going to go to one of his concerts but this is the closest i'll get to it. so it's kind of like a healing process for me. i got a tattoo of him on me as well.

>> listening to michael's music burst into tears. it's so final. >> even this was spoiled by people seeking to cash in, offering their tickets on ebay, for outrageous sums until they were pulled down. we know who won't be here tomorrow -- debbie rowe who gave birth to two of jackson's children. last night having some paparaz problems. >> you ready to fight for your children? >> are you ready to get your butt kicked? >> she said her attendance would be a distraction that should focus on michael's legacy. al. ♪ attending -- jackson's close friend elizabeth taylor whose publicist directed reporters to this twitter page, dame elizabeth sending the message. i just don't believe that michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. how i feel is between us.

but the famous will be coming in force and several will be part of the ceremony. athletes like kobe bryant and magic josoñn. actors like brooke shields and jennifer hudson. ♪ the dancers who were going to be part of michael's final tour, this is from a recent rehearsal day they had with jackson, they will be performing tomorrow. ♪ and musicians will be there, lots. stevie wonder, lionel ritchie, smokey robinson, mariah carey. ♪ ♪ just call my name and i'll be there ♪ >> mariah carey whose own version of the jackson's hit "i'll be there" connects to very early days. ♪ >> meanwhile, artists who are

not there are nevertheless memorializing jackson. this was madonna this weekend in england. >> let's give it up to one of the greatest that the world has ever known -- michael jackson. >> here there was something touchingly sweet and gentle about their brief vigil before the staples center doors and the ticket winners for whom it didn't feel like a funeral coming, but more like a chance to celebrate something they love. and cynthia, one last thing. i know we can't see in the darkness, but that line of people who are waiting just to stand in front and sign their names continues down the sidewalk behind me. much longer than it was earlier in the day. it was a charming and gentle thing. this thing fee like it's coming to a respectable ending. >> thanks, hn. a private burial service has been planned for 8:00 a.m.

tomorrow morning in los angeles, two hours before his public memorial here. when we come back, the resignation that everybody is talking about, but exactly why is sarah palin stepping down? ♪ [ female announcer ] arthritis targets your body where it's weak. where it's vulnerable. ♪ tylenol arthritis works with your body to block the pain, without interfering with certain high blood pressure medicines like aleve sometimes can. ♪ so you don't just feel better, you feel better knowing doctors recommend tylenol more than any other brand of pain reliever. ♪ wellbeing.

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to politics now and alaska governor sarah palin's bombshell annocement friday that she will resign from office within the month. but why? governor palin did give a ws conference to which she said she's resigning from office in the st interest of thetate of alaska, but the ansnswer to what drovehe decision is still pelelexing. and that myste has opened up a all kds of speculation. so we set out to separat fact from fiction, with some of the people who know her best. vicki bry has the rert. >> i will support others who seek to serve in or out of office. i don't care what party they're in or no party at all.

inside alaska or outside of alaska. but i won'n't do it from the govern's desk. >> it was one of the most surprising announcements the political world has seen since the day john mccain picked the then-obscure governor of alaska as his vice president. sarah palin deciding not to run for re-election and then resigning the governorship, a full year and a half before the end of her first term. >> i choose not to tear down and waste precious time, but to build up this state and our great country. >> outside her home in wasilla the day before the independence day weekend t timing of which was no accident, she gave a speech that was part state of the state. >> we aggressively and responsibly develop our resources. >> part sports analogy. >> a good paint guard, here's what she does. she drives through a full court press, protecting the ball, keeping her headp because she needs to keep her eye on the basket.

she knows when to pass the ball so enthat the team can win. and that is what i'm doing. >> and part some say just plain rambling. >> life is too short to compromise time and resources, and though it may be tempting and more comfortable to kind of keep your head down and plod along and appease those who are demanding you sit down and shut up, but that's a worthless -- that's a quitter's way out. i think the problem in our country today is apathy. it would be apathetic to hunker down and go with the flow. we're fisherman. we know that only dead fish go with the flow. >> she lashed out at the media. >> we are doing well, and i really wish that you would hear more from the media. more from the media, your state's good progress and how we tackle outside interests, special interests daily we're tackling. >> and expressed her exasperation at the amount of time, energy and money she'd expended on the seemingly endless string of ethics

complaints. >> all 15 of the ethics cop -- complaints have been dismissed but it hasn't been cheap. the state has shelled out some $2 million of your dollars to respond to opposition research. todd and i, we're looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills just in order to set the record straight. >> since friday, palin has communicated with the outside world mainly using the social networking sites facebook and twitter where she talked about how anxious she was to get out of town for a bit. palin posted a letter to her fans, saying -- it always feels good do what's -- to do what's right. so her actions provoked head scratching, what now seems clear is that palin had enough of what she calls the "wasteful political blood sport of the last eight months". ever since her unsuccessful run for the vice presidency. she's been facing sinking popularity at home in alaska,

staunch opposition from the legislature, and personal attacks. >> i don't think there's anyone -- i don't care what party you belong to, who thinks that what the media has done to her children is acceptable or right. >> kristen cole who has been a friend of palin's for 40 years spoke with my colleague, kate snow in wasilla. she is raising money through the defee fund to help them pay off the half million dollars legal fund. >> i think when she saw the dollars start to mount up and the amount of time that the personnel, you know, were taking on all of these ethics complaints, the res -- resource it bothered her a lot. >> a long-time alaska journalist once worked for palin in her washington, d.c. office. >> she said, i'm out of here, get off my back. i'm going to do something else, leave me alone. >> but those explanations haven't been enough for internet bloggers and conspiracy theorists. they have had a field day,

speculating on aost of other theories on why palin would leave office. we thought we'd take a closer look and separate fact from fiction. theory number one -- she resigned because she's under criminal investigation. >> i do not believe there are any criminal investigations underway at state or federal level against sarah palin or any member of her family. >> in fact, the fbi came out with a rare statement sunday specifically knocking down the rumor, saying we are not investigating her. theory number two -- she's considering lucrative offers to be a tv or radio talk show host. >> she as the opportunity to -- has the opportunity to make a lot more money on the speaking circuit. helping with fund-raising. i don't think she has a specific game plan yet. >> palin is being represented by washington super lawyer bob barnett who negotiated millions in fees for the clintons. sources say she has been offered everything from tv talk shows to radio to paid speaking engagements. theory number three -- she

resigned because of family scandal. >> i have known her a long time and i know her character well and i know the character of her husband and her family. and i can tell you there is no shoe that's going to drop. she is as rock solid as it gets. >> theory number four -- she became run down by criticism and mounting legal fees. >> i think after two, two and a half years of this, the family was getting worn down. she was acting as the protective mother. >> but the biggest speculation by far is over her political future, and whether she will run for national office perhaps as early as 2012. her friend of 40 years says palin hasn't ruled that in or out. >> she does not have a plan today to run for president. that doesn't mean she won't. but if she stayed governor they would say she's planned it all out. the truth is this governor just like many alaskans is very unconventional. she's very independent minded and very independent thinking. >> but if she wants to run, can she? political insiders say the move

has damaged any hope of being taken seriously for national office. >> she is now not going to be presented as someone who is only a first-term governor of alaska, she's not even a first-term governor. >> i think the last thing she wants to be in the thick of it. >> but rush limbaugh, her fellow conservative star and fellow competitor says it's far too soon to count her out. >> i don't think this precludes her from running for office in 2012 at all. the people are saying that she's an insnt target because she quit, that's just inside the beltway formulaic. and she's not that. >> while the pundits debate, palin has gone fishin', helping her family slay salmon on an animal fishing trip, far away from the office of the governor. for "nightline," i'm vicki mabry

in new york. >> vicki mabry reporting and late tonight, abc's kate snow had the opportunity to sit down with governor palin in alaska to ask her about her decision. you can see that interview tomorrow on "good morning america." when we come back, a football star is dead. his mistress is too. and what may have been a murder/suicide. so what happened to steve mcnair? sometimes the best way to get closer... is to get as far away from it all as possible. don't let erectile dysfunction get in the way. ♪ viva viagra! viagra, america's most prescribed ed treatment, can help you enjoy... a more satisfying sexual experience. ready to talk to your doctor? find out how at viagra.com ask yo doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. don't take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain... as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

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the weekend shooting death of former nfl star quarterback steve mcnair sent shock waves throughout the sport's world and as more details emerge this mystery has only deepened. also found dead inside was mcnair's 20-year-old mistress, a woman who had recently entered his life. john berman has our report. >> steve mcnair was a hero on the football field. he played hard, he played hurt. >> if you watch him, he'd play. >> in the community he was respected, revered. >> steve was one of the guys

that you considered salt of the earth. he was well thought of in the community and just really made himself at home here. >> it makes the news of his death in the circumstance -- and the circumstances surrounding it that much more difficult to bear. >> the perception of h was not just as a superstar athlete, but as a good family man. he had four sons, he was involved in the community and that's why there's so much shock here, not just because he was shot and killed, but with a 20-year-old that he was dating for months. >> she was shot in the dead and in the chest. at his side, sahel kazemi, 20 years old as not his wife. >> you can't be close minded in any investigation. >> police have said from the start that mcnair's death was a homicide. while they're investigating all the angles they have made clear this has all the appearances of

a murder suicide. kazemi was shot once in the head and it was a gun she bought last thursday. >> as a result of the investigation, we know that the gun recovered from the crime scene, the gun that was underneath kazemi's body was purchased by kazemi on thursday night from a private individual. >> the details of their relationship are coming into focus. they met about six months ago when she was just 19 and worked as a waitress at a restaurant he liked. they began to date, despite the fact that mcnair was married. >> they were pretty visible, they were out and about. they aide go to bars and restaurants, they had gone out of town together. it wasn't uncommon to see him coming or going from her apartment. >> the website tmz published these photos of them on vacation. mcnair had reportedly met her family and kazemi believed that mcnair would soon be getting divorced but there were no records of divorce filings in

tennessee. his wife has made no public comment since his death and is said to be distraught. and mcnair bought kazemi a black escalade and she was arrested for driving under the influence. mcnair was there in the car at the time. >> we have talked to friends of ms. kazemi and mr. mcnair in an effort to ascertain were they having any squabbles, was one upset at the other and if so, why? >> it's upsetting for the city of nashville. >> mcnair was the biggest sports star this city has ever seen. in 2000, he brought the team within a yard of overtime in the super bowl. and he wasn't just good, he was gutsy. playing through constant injuries. >> coaches and players out there would say that well, i can't come out of the game because steve comes back to the huddel with a finger dislocated, boom, he pops it back in, and then

goes on and calls the next play and takes a snap. >> eddie george was his teammate for eight years. >> something you don't want to believe, but you come to the yeahty that it's real -- but you come to the reality that it's bond. he was the heart and soul of the team. >> but those closest to him, like his former coach, jeff fisher, are having to put his life in perspective. >> steve mcnair that i knew would want me to say i'm sorry. i'm not perfect. >> what we're finding out now are things that do call some things into question. so certainly that's part of the legacy that has to be examined. >> my hope is that steve will be remembered and also forgiven, but remembered for what he did and what he meant to this organization. >> there will be a memorial service for mcnair on thursday. with lingering questions about

just what the lasting memories will be. i'm john bern mafor "nightline" in new york. on car insurance.

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