"This Is It" Movie

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Michael Jackson's "This Is It," to be Presented In Theaters Around The World. 11-08-'09

CULVER CITY, Calif., August 10, 2009 - Beginning October 30th, the world will have a front-row seat for Michael Jackson’s final concert, as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment release Michael Jackson's This Is It.

This Is It is being produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and will be drawn from hundreds of hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage, captured in high definition with state of the art digital sound as the late singer was preparing for his concert series in London. The film, which will also offer select sequences in 3-D, will provide a unique career retrospective and feature interviews with some of Jackson's closest friends and creative collaborators.

To read the whole story go to

Source: michaeljackson.com / Billie Jean

FYI: Friedman On 'This Is It'. 11-08-'09

Roger Friedman has published the following in his column, Hollywood 411:

Jackon Show May Go To Vegas

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” show may wind up in Las Vegas a la the Beatles’ “Love” show at the Mirage Hotel.

Sources say that the new thinking is that “This Is It” could set up shop at a Vegas hotel and become a permanent institution in Sin City.

The sets for “This Is It” are currently being stored at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. But the cast and crew, including director Kenny Ortega, are itching to show the world what they were working on before Jackson died on June 25th.

Either way, they’ll get their chance. As I first reported, the whole saga of “This Is It” is coming to movie theaters on Oct. 30th courtesy of Sony/Columbia Pictures.

Today (Monday) under armed guard all the elements of the film project will be transferred from AEG Live’s secure editing bays to the Sony Studios. I’m told the film is basically done, but everything has to be finalized with a locked print by mid September to insure the gearing up of a massive marketing campaign. Sony paid $60 million for the film rights, but with prints and promotion that number is sure to skyrocket past $75 million.

The movie will not be the only release for Oct. 30th. I’m told Sony Music is racing to ship a CD soundtrack to accompany the film. That CD should be an enormous hit considering that right now Michael Jackson CDs are all over the charts starting at number 1, all over the world. What a shame that Michael is dead. He’s finally the King of Pop, and he’s not here to enjoy it.

Source: Hollywood411.com / Billie Jean

Tour Shirts Available At Tchibo Germany. 10-08-'09

Official shirts from Michael`s planned `This Is It` tour at the O2 Arena in London (UK) are available from Tchibo Germany for €19.99.

You can either order them at the online Tchibo shop or buy them at Tchibo shops in your area in Germany.

To take a look at the shirt versions available, please click here.

Source: MJFC / Tchibo / Billie Jean

New Details: Michael Jackson Movie. 05-08-'09

A court hearing on Monday could determine weather a Michael Jackson film featuring footage of his final rehearsals will arrive on the big screen soon.

A probate judge has arranged for a hearing to find out if Katherine Jackson, the late icon's mother and permanent guardian of his three children, objects to any aspects of the film project, says the Associated Press.

The judge must then approve the proposed movie deal, which aims to release a PG-rated film no longer than 150 minutes. The project would possibly include the eventual release of a director's cut and special editions. The deal is between Columbia Pictures, concert promoter AEG Live, a company of Jackson's, and others.

Source: AP / Billie Jean

Rehearsal Video on CNN. 03-07-'09

CNN started to feature about 1:43min of a full dress rehearsal video recorded at the Staples Center last week. AEG, promoter of Michael's planned London shows, released the video of Michael rehearsing on a stage in the Staples Center arena on June 23, 2009.

Michael sang 'They Don't Care About Us' as he danced along with eight male dancers and a female guitar player, including a HIStory segment.

This video should finally put to rest rumours that Michael was fragile the days before he died. His performance is simply thrilling and one can only imagine what concert goers have missed. It is such an unbelievable loss to the world that such an incredible performer has gone forever.

The video is available at CNN.

Michael, we love you and especially that smile at the very end!

Source: CNN / Billie Jean

Mazur: Magical MJ Was Back. 30-06-'09

The photos from Michael Jackson's last show rehearsal at Staples Center in Los Angeles (USA) on June 23, 2009 that were published recently were taken by Kevin Mazur.

In a press release, Mazur said:

"I am devastated by the sudden loss of the 'KING of POP' who I have photographed numerous times since the Victory Tour in the 80's.

When he hit the stage at rehearsal, I was thrilled that the magical Michael Jackson was BACK!!! I felt the same adrenaline rush as when I photographed him the 1st time moonwalking.

I was so looking forward to shooting the O2 Arena performances with the amazing production that Kenny Ortega and AEG put together with Michael for his fans."

Source: MJFC / Billie Jea

Michael Jackson's 02 Performance Filmed For Future. 29-06-'09

Michael Jackson’s last rehearsal at the Staples Center on Wednesday, the eve of his death, was recorded in multi-camera, high-definition video and multi-track audio, and could be released as the performer’s last album, according to several people close to the now-defunct concert tour.

The recordings were made as part of concert promotion company AEG Live’s deal with Jackson, which included a plan to produce both an album and DVD of what Jackson had billed his “final performance” tour, titled “This Is It.”

The entertainer died of heart failure on Thursday.

Randy Phillips, president and CEO of AEG Live, the nation's second largest concert promoter, emailed that he would not comment for the story.

The recordings also could be used to produce both a DVD or Blu-ray disc of the entertainer’s last performance -- the entertainer singing his greatest hits.

One AEG official boasted to a colleague this weekend, “We have a live album in the can.”

And what an album it would be. Amazon, record stores and retailers like Barnes and Noble sold of all Michael Jackson stock almost immediately -- and in a matter of minutes following the news of Jackson’s death, in the case of Amazon.

Press reports have said that AEG Live stands to lose tens of millions of dollars from the unexpected cancellation of Jackson’s 50-date London tour.

But any audio and video release of the final concert would undoubtedly sell millions -- if not tens of millions -- of units worldwide and would be the music industry’s equivalent of a license to print money.

Jackson had failed to appear at many of the scheduled rehearsals in Los Angeles over the past two months. But he did show up at a full rehearsal at the Staples Center of his scheduled July 13 London concert on the night before his death.

The rehearsal, which went on for several hours, included dancers, musicians and aerial performers. Three people close to the production said it had been captured by multiple cameras, and the audio digitally recorded in a manner that could be used to produce a surround-sound DVD and audio products.

Source: The Wrap / Billie Jean

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Updated:  08/24/2010 8:30 AM

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