Shaheen to sing at Michael Jackson memorial
Britain's Got Talent finalist Shaheen Jafargholi will sing at Michael Jackson's memorial on Tuesday, according to reports. Twelve-year-old Shaheen, of Swansea, was invited by the Jackson family, who told him that the King of Pop had become a huge fan after seeing him on YouTube. Shaheen wowed both the judges and viewers of the ITV1 show with his rendition of Jacko's hit Who's Loving You. It's thought he will perform a tearjerker at the star-studded memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles - watched by an estimated global TV audience of one billion, according to reports in The Sun. Shaheen said: "Michael was a huge inspiration to me. I'm nervous, but I'm honoured and privileged to have been invited to perform here." A source at the memorial service - which follows a family funeral for Jacko - told the paper: "Michael saw a clip from Britain's Got Talent on YouTube. He thought it was fantastic." Shaheen will perform alongside the likes of Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and Usher at the event. The source added: "The family thought he'd be a great person to get involved. They wanted it to be about artists loved by Jackson, past and present. "So he will add some youth to the line-up and is a great example of how Jackson's legacy lives on." The request for Shaheen to appear was made to Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell last week. Simon said: "It's an incredible honour for Shaheen. Michael was his idol. We're so proud of him."
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.