Actor Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films, spoke Monday of his fears after contracting swine flu, saying he initially thought he might die.

Grint described contracting the A(H1N1) virus, which has spread around the world, as "quite scary" but he recovered after spending a few days in bed.

"It was quite scary when I first found out I had swine flu," he said at a press conference with other Potter actors including Emma Watson in London.

"I thought 'Am I going to die?' But it was just like any other flu really."

"I had a sore throat and I went to bed for a few days."

Grint was speaking ahead of the world premiere in London on Tuesday of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", the sixth instalment of the phenomenally successful Harry Potter films.

The 20-year-old's publicist confirmed on Saturday that he had suffered from the virus, taking several days off filming the next movie in the blockbuster series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Four people have died in Britain of swine flu, and the country has Europe's highest number of reported cases with nearly 7,500.

The government has warned that figure could rise to over 100,000 new cases a day by the end of August.

Michael Jackson's body will be taken to the singer's star-studded memorial in downtown Los Angeles, adding to the spectacle that promises to be among the biggest celebrity sendoffs of all time.

"Mr. Jackson's remains will be going to the Staples Center. We're not giving any details," Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said Tuesday.

Police have blocked off roads and warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get near to the downtown venue. Some fans were allowed past street barriers into the immediate area around the Staples Center early Tuesday.

More than 1.6 million people registered for free tickets to Jackson's memorial. A total of 8,750 people were chosen to receive two tickets each.

Among the memorial participants will be Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III.

About 50 theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, Kan., to Washington, D.C., were planning to broadcast the memorial live, for free. Jackson died at age 50 on June 25.

"There are certain people in our popular culture that just capture people's imaginations. And in death, they become even larger," President Barack Obama told CBS while in Moscow. "Now, I have to admit that it's also fed by a 24/7 media that is insatiable."

All those involved say the heart of Los Angeles will become a circus. In one way, that characterization became literal early Tuesday.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey starts a run at Staples Center on Wednesday, a booking long planned in advance. In the pre-dawn hours before Jackson's memorial, the elephants walked from the train station to the arena, arriving some five hours before the memorial.

Early Tuesday, roads were closed and media massed at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles. The night before, activity had been spotted there involving the Jackson family.

La Toya Jackson, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, was seen being driven away from the cemetery. KCAL-TV showed helicopter footage of a hearse backing up to the Hall of Liberty ? a circular building at the cemetery that contains a 1,200-seat auditorium ? to deliver a casket.

A few hours later, the casket was reloaded into the hearse and delivered to another nearby building, this time covered in a blue cloth.

Los Angeles was the epicenter of Jackson-mania, but the outpouring of emotion was worldwide. Belgium's two national public broadcasters were to broadcast the memorial live later Tuesday and several hundred Jackson fans gathered at a Hong Kong mall late Tuesday.

Holding white candles, Hong Kong singer William Chan and Taiwanese pop star Judy Chou led the audience in observing a 30-second silence. Many of the fans clutched red roses and wore black; some donned Jackson's trademark fedora hats.

Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, had planned to attend Tuesday's memorial but backed out Monday. "The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction," her attorney Marta Almli said in a statement.

ABC News on Tuesday aired portions of a 2003 interview with Rowe that was largely unaired in which she called Jackson's children "the ultimate love children."

"If it hadn't been for how much I love him, I would have never had children," she said. "People make remarks, `I can't believe she left her children.' Left them? I left my children? I did not leave my children. My children are with their father, where they're supposed to be."

She said Jackson was upset when his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley broke up because he wanted to be a father, so she told him "let me do this."

Rowe said Jackson was not a pedophile.

"He would not do anything inappropriate with a child, ever," she said. "It's not in him. I believe there are people who should be parents, and he's one of them. Always. From the day I met him. I could do something for him, and this is what I wanted to do."

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE 2009 BET AWARDS

This year?s BET Award ceremony was centered entirely on the unfortunate loss of music icon, Michael Jackson. Some of the highlights include special performances by Ne-Yo, Ciara, Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Maxwell and Lil Wayne. It was a monumental show that paid homage MJ and in case you missed it, we?ve provided a breakdown of what went down!

· The ceremony opened with an old clip of Michael Jackson performing with James Brown.

· New Edition performed with Bobby Brown ? they sang a The Jackson Five medley with awesome choreography.

· Jamie Fox came on stage doing a MJ tribute dance to
?Beat It.? He wore the classic red jacked and the silver glove on his right hand while doing his MJ impersonation.

· The show chronicled Michael?s music career and played instrumental songs from the King of Pop in between segments.

· Foxx mentions how influential MJ has been for everybody in the audience. He calls out Lil Wayne: ?Even gangsta?s had a MJ glove.?

· Foxx remembers his favorite MJ performance in 1984 at Texas stadium and attempts to moonwalk across the stage.

· Tyra Banks presents Best Male Athlete ? LeBron James ? and Best Male Hip Hop ? Lil Wayne.

· Ginuwine gives most memorable MJ moment and sends condolences to the Jackson family.

· Foxx had another costume change! He welcomes Keri Hilson who dressed like MJ with the leather jacket, glitter socks and performed her song ?Turning Me On? and ?Knock You Down.? Hilson also did a choreographed MJ tribute towards the end of her set.

· Ne-Yo covered an MJ song called ?Lady In My Life?

· After commercial break, there is old MJ footage that chronicles his days as a member of the Jackson Five to his solo career.

· Anthony Anderson and Keke Palmer introduced Jamie Foxx and T- Pain who perform their smash hit ?Blame It? in black and white MJ shirts. Snoop Dogg popped up on stage followed by Travis Barker who rocked out on the drums, while Foxx got on the guitar.

· Kanye West sat with girlfriend Amber Rose and Diddy sat with Dawn Richards formerly of Danity Kane.

· Foxx introduced Soulja Boy Tell?em who performed his song ?Turn My Swag On?

· Chaka Khan, Estelle and Letoya Luckett presented for Best Collaboration ? Jamie Foxx ?Blame It? featuring T-Pain and Best Male R&B ? Ne-Yo.

· Trey Songz speaks on behalf of what MJ has done for his career.

· Foxx introduced Beyonce who performed ?Ave Marie? and ?Arms Of An Angel?

· Foxx revealed his movie clip with Martin Lawrence as ?Sheneneh? and Foxx as ?Wanda? in Skank Robbers.

· Foxx introduced gospel duo Mary Mary who performed their hit song ?God In Me? who brought out Queen Latifah.

· Zoe Saldana presents Best Actress ? Taraji P. Henson and Best New Artist ? Keri Hilson.

· Foxx performed ?She Got Her Own? with Ne-Yo alongside Fabolous. Ne-Yo then brings out Keith Sweat who sang ?I Wanna? followed by Guy who performed ?I Like? and finally Bell Biv Devoe rocked out to their classic song ?Poison.?

· Ray-J and The Real Housewives of Atlanta introduced Ciara who performed ?Heal The World? ? she put band-aids around her finger tips just like MJ and wore his trademark military jacket.

· Mike Epps and Paula Patton introduced Keyshia Cole and Monica who performed their duet ?Trust.?

· Michael Jackson clip: ?The thing I love about being on stage? is making people happy. I feel I?m here on earth for a reason and it?s to make people happy.?

· Marlon Wayans and Jeremy Pivens presented Best Female R&B Artist ? Beyonce.

· Fox ushers Beyonce back to her seat before Jay-Z performs ?D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-tune)? (camera shows Beyonce singing along!) Jay shouts out MJ: ?rest in peace to the king.?

· Fox plugs his Blame It tour ? tickets on sale now.

· Don Cornelius gives a speech about the success of R&B group, The O?Jays. Tevin Campbell sings ?Forever Mine,? Trey Songz, Johnny Gill and Tyrese perform ?Backstabbers,? ?Darling Darling Baby? and ?Stairway To Heaven.?

· Eddie Levert accidentally curses while reminiscing about MJ!

· The O?Jays perform a medley of their classic hits like ?Let Me Love You? ?For The Love Of Money,? ?Use To Be My Girl?

· The chairman and CEO of BET Networks Debra Lee explains how hard everybody worked to pay homage to Michael Jackson and wishes to thank all who worked hard to make the show so great.

· Alica Keys and Wyclef Jean received the BET Humanitarian Award for supporting efforts in Africa and Haiti.

· Taraji P. Henson, Tyrese and Ving Rhames reenact a scene from the 2001 film Baby Boy and presented BET Viewers Choice Awards ? T.I. and Rihanna for ?Live Ya Life? and Video Of Year ? Beyonce?s ?Single Ladies.?

· Foxx introduces Maxwell who performs his hit single ?Pretty Wings.?

· The O?Jays recall their favorite Michael Jackson memory, they will miss him dearly.

· Foxx introduced the last scheduled performer of the night: Drake who performed his hit song ?Best I Ever Had? and ?Every Girl? with Lil Wayne and Young Money. Birdman even jumped on stage to perform ?Always Strapped? with Weezy. They shouted out MJ at the very end.

· Janet Jackson takes stage to speak on how the Jackson?s are dealing with MJ?s passing. She says: ?to you Michael is an icon, to us he is family and he will forever live forever in our hearts. On behalf of my family, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support, we miss him so much.?

· Foxx and Ne-Yo sing ?I?ll Be There? to close the show out.

BACKSTAGE TIDBITS

· Alicia Keys and LeBron James were seen chatting.

· Michael Jackson?s father Joe Jackson came back to the press room and received a standing ovation.

Usher statement regarding BET Awards and Michael Jackson Tribute:

?It is with regret that I am unable to participate in the BET Awards Tribute to Michael Jackson on June 28th. When the BET Awards producers and organizers reached out to me to participate in the tribute, I was extremely flattered and humbled by the opportunity to pay tribute to the world?s greatest musical icon. Unfortunately, I am currently overseas and would not make it back in time to the Awards show. I look forward to seeing the show and I plan to work on a tribute to Michael Jackson when I return.?

According to People.com, Farrah Fawcett has died. The 62-year-old actress died of cancer today around 9:30 AM Pacific time. She passed away in a Santa Monica hospital with her longtime partner, Ryan O?Neal, at her side.

• • Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer back in 2006 and it spread to her liver. According to People.com, she received ?unique and aggressive? treatment for her cancer in Germany. That treatment was portrayed in the documentary Farrah?s Story, which aired on NBC last month. She leaves behind her son, Redmond O?Neal.
  • Fawcett was a well known actress and sex symbol in the 1970s and 80s. She played ?Jill Munroe? on the TV show Charlie?s Angels, making appearances on the sitcom from 1976 to 1980. Fans and supporters can help raise money for cancer research by heading to FarrahFawcett.us, where you can purchase a photo or poster of the star with some of the proceeds going to charity.
  • Fawcett?s older sister died of lung cancer in October 2001.
  • Throughout her career, Farrah was nominated for three Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards.
  • Her son Redmond was arrested back in April on possession of narcotics.
  • To learn more about the icon, tune in to ABC tonight at 10 PM Eastern for a 20/20 special about Fawcett called Farrah Fawcett: Her Life, Her Loves, Her Legacy.

K-FED IN TROUBLE! Kevin Federline owes almost 15-thousand dollars in back taxes. In response, the IRS has put a lien on K-Fed?s house. Don?t get too concerned though, according to TMZ.com, Britney Spears? ex gets paid 30 grand a month for taking care of his two children.

Look at this weight gain! WOW!

PEREZ NOT GLADD! The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation are angry at Perez Hilton for using a derogatory term for homosexuals during his highly public fight with Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am. Hilton is an openly gay man who has been outspoken on the issue of equality within the homosexual community.

This is what Perez Hilton had to say, ?I am saddened GLAAD chose to victimize me further by criticizing me for how I non-violently dealt with a very scary situation that, unfortunately, turned violent. While I doubt I will get an apology from GLAAD, nor do I expect one, I would just hope people know how difficult it is to intellectualize a situation and think rationally when a thug disguised as a musician is screaming at your face and intimidating you. I am just very fortunate and grateful that nothing more serious happened to me.?

Chris Brown has copped a plea deal in his felony assault case and will not do any jail time. According to the Associated Press, the deal includes five years of supervised probation and six months of community labor. Brown will be allowed to do his community service in his home state of Virginia. He?s also been ordered to stay at least 50 yards from Rihanna and must enroll in a domestic violence counseling program. If Brown violates probation, he could face up to four years in prison.

Jon and Kate Gosselin of Jon & Kate Plus 8 have just filed for divorce. According to People.com, papers were filed in a Pennsylvania courtroom this afternoon. The couple has been married for ten years and has eight children and a reality show together. It was previously reported that the couple is set to make a big announcement on the episode of their reality show tonight on TLC. Several Internet sites now assume that their divorce is the big news.

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was allegedly punched in the face outside of a club in Toronto in the early hours of the morning today. At 3:45 A.M., Hilton wrote on his Twitter account that he was assaulted by Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am and his security guards and urged his Twitter followers to call the police for him.

According to MTV News, after Perez?s account of the incident went public, will.i.am posted a video blog on DipDive.com in which he suggested a crazed fan might have been involved in the altercation with Hilton. Later in the morning, the Black Eyed Pea posted another video on DipDive.com in response to Hilton?s continuous comments on Twitter about the alleged assault. In that video, will says he did not hit Perez and suggests that the celebrity blogger was just trying to get media attention.

• • DIRECT LINK: Here is the link to Will.i.am?s most recent video blogs: http://dipdive.com/member/iamwill

At around 11 AM this morning, Perez posted an 11-minute video blog on his Web site, PerezHilton.com, in which he gives a more detailed and very emotional account of his take on the events of this morning. In the blog, he claims that the general manager of the Black Eyed Peas, Polo Molina, is the person who punched him outside of the Toronto club after Hilton called will.i.am a slang term for a gay man.

GREY?S ANATOMYSPOILERS! According to the Associated Press, ?Dr. Izzie Stevens? played by Katherine Heigl, will remain on Grey?s Anatomy next season while ?Dr. George O?Malley,? portrayed by T.R. Knight, will not! It was reported last week that Knight is interested in pursuing a career on Broadway next.