Fan Fare
Entertainment behind the scenes
“This Is It.” Michael Jackson’s final bow. … Or is it?
Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” finally opened in Los Angeles on Tuesday night to a packed house with many stars in attendance, including Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton and his brothers who formed the old Jackson 5. You can read about the movie here and here.
The film had been described as a sort of mix between documentary of his last rehearsals for his “This Is It” concerts and a concert film. It was made from some 80 hours of videos made during those rehearsals that took place only days before his sudden death on June 25.
The movie shows Jackson working with his singers, dancers and musicians, showing them just exactly how he wanted each dance and each tune to play out onstage. At one point, director Kenny Ortega asks him how he’ll know a certain cue for a movement if he can’t see a movie screen behind him and at first Jackson seems surprised at the question. Then, he calmly answers, “I gotta feel it.”
And in the audience, you understand that, in fact, feeling it is exactly how
he performed. Leaving the theater, several audience members were also struck by the notion that even though “This Is It” has been billed as the King of Pop’s final performance, somehow, there’s much more of Michael Jackson to come. He is said to have written numerous songs that were never recorded, and his songs like “Thriller” and “Billie Jean” and “Man in the Mirror” will no doubt be re-recorded and re-mixed and re-staged numerous times in the future.
August 29th = Jackson Squared
August 29 is a notable day in U.S. history — it’s the birthday of the late pop icon Michael Jackson (in 1958) and the day that Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, flooding 80 percent of the city and killing 1,500 people (in 1995).
A group of musicians who think the King of Pop has stolen the Crescent City’s thunder are seeking to combine the two through an art campaign called “Jackson Squared.”
Recovering from Michael Jackson’s death as easy as A-B-C?
A Los Angeles-based clinical psychologist who says she has personally struggled with grief over Michael Jackson’s death on June 25 has created a special “therapeutic system” to help the King of Pop’s fans cope with the loss of their icon.
Elizabeth Farr calls her therapy “ABC” in tribute to the early Jackson 5 hit song and says she came up with the idea while treating some 10 grieving Michael Jackson fans in her practice in Los Angeles.
from UK News:
Would you exchange your Michael Jackson O2 tickets?
More than 50 million pounds worth of tickets were sold to see Michael Jackson perform at London's O2 Arena where he was scheduled for a series of 50 concerts before his death.
The King of Pop's run at the O2, scheduled to kick off in July, would have been the highest-grossing single concert engagement.
Michael Jackson WILL have a funeral, right??
Its been a full week since Michael Jackson died. So …. When is the King of Pop’s funeral? And where?
So far, the answers have proven surprisingly elusive.
Though Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, has had time to turn up at the BET awards and plug his new record label, the family hasn’t uttered a word about the possibility of a funeral or memorial service.
Michael Jackson’s dad — Back in business?
Michael Jackson’s fans are still in a state of shock over the King of Pop’s sudden death on Thursday.
So some were a little rankled when Michael’s father, Joe, turned up at the BET awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night and worked the red carpet, speaking of his late son AND plugging his latest business venture: a record label.
Joe Jackson speaks about son at BET Awards
The family of Michael Jackson began to appear in public Sunday night at the BET Awards. Father Joe Jackson and sister Janet Jackson turned up at the Los Angeles awards show, sponsored by the BET television network, that annually gives out honors to African American singers, actors, actresses and athletes.
Janet Jackson did not answer any media questions or even approach the media. She appeared on stage, thanking the audience for turning out and showing their love for her brother. You can read about that here.
Where were you when Michael Jackson died?
The events of Michael Jackson’s death, the fan outpouring of emotion, and autopsy results all have played out in rapid succession since Thursday. But by late Friday, the day after he died, some people began saying they knew they would remember where they were the day he died.
Since then the question seems to linger, will the King of Pop’s death be remembered like the King of Rock, Elvis? Will it resonate like Princess Di’s, like Kurt Cobain’s, John Lennon’s or James Dean’s.
