Fan Fare

Dr. Conrad Murray, guilty as charged?

(video by Marc Price)

Los Angeles prosecutors finally had their day in court on Monday, when Dr. Conrad Murray — better known as Michael Jackson’s personal physician — was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the pop star’s sudden death. You can read about the charges here.

If you don’t already know about the case, LA coroners have said Jackson died of acute intoxication of an anesthetic drug called propofol, which is used in surgery. Dr. Murray has admitted giving the singer propofol on the day he died, according to court documents, but he has also said other doctors gave Jackson numerous drugs. Indeed, the coroner’s report said several drugs, including the sedative Lorazepam, were in Jackson’s system. You can read about the drugs in his system here.

Proving the case against Murray will be difficult, legal experts say, but far from impossible. Prosecutors have to make jurors believe that Murray’s actions in treating the singer were grossly negligent. “You got to remember, by definition, ‘involuntary’ means there was no intent to cause death. Essentially, it is an accidental death that is so aggravated (by Murray’s actions) that it becomes a crime,” said McGregor Scott of San Francisco-based firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

Murray is, of course, innocent until proven guilty in the United States. But we know there are a lot of strong, passionate feelings among Jackson fans about his death and whether Murray is at fault. So, we went out to Hollywood Boulevard to ask some entertainment-savvy folks about the charges. Click on the video above to watch. And if you have your own opinion, let us know in the comment section.

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It,” was it at box offices

Michael Jackson movie “This Is It” has finally come, but it is not quite gone — not yet.

In fact Columbia Pictures, the movie studio behind the film that looks at Jackson’s rehearsals for the London concerts that were to have been his comeback, said on Sunday it would extend the run in theaters.

The movie turned in a solid, if less than spectacular, debut at theaters around the world this weekend. Its total ticket sales since its debut last Wednesday are $101 million — $32.5 million in the U.S. and Canada and another $68.5 million. You can read about the box office here and a review here. And if you want to watch what some moviegoers had to say about “This Is It,” click below.

“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.

So, really, is ”This Is It” really it? Or will the King of Pop live on?

UPDATE: “This Is It” Really? Fans prep for Michael Jackson movie

(updates with Elizabeth Taylor’s rave review)

After weeks of hype that the King of Pop would no doubt love, the Michael Jackson concert movie “This Is It” hits theaters around the globe on Wednesday.

The premiere from Los Angeles the night before will be webcast live on www.ThisIsIt-Movie.com and on www.crackle.com, and organizers said fans will be able to comment and discuss the event on the web.

One of the first reviews came from Jackson’s good friend Elizabeth Taylor, who attended a private screening last week and took to Twitter on Monday to reveal that it is “the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen.” We assume the two-time Oscar winner did not get around to seeing her last feature film, ”The Flintstones.”  We’ve told you about the box office (here). We’ve interviewed the director (here). And we’ve even looked at record sales for the soundtrack (here).

Now, with the event film of the fall upon audiences (no disrespect to “Twilight” fans and the upcoming “New Moon”), we took some time to ask everyday moviegoers if they were excited about MJ’s movie. So, we were out at theaters in Las Vegas on Sunday — and even behind the stage of Harrah’s for a chat with a Michael Jackson impersonator — to ask their opinions. Click below to see what they think.

(video by Marc Price)

from UK News:

What do you think of Michael Jackson’s single “This Is It”?

Michael Jackson's posthumous  new single, "This Is It" began streaming online and playing on radio stations on Monday. The singer died four months ago from a prescription drugs overdose at age 50.

A series of 50 concerts scheduled at London's 02 Arena from July 2009 through March 2010 was also entitled "This Is It".

The single is part of a related package, which includes a two-disc album and a film based on rehearsals and preparations for the O2 Arena concert series.

The soulful track, which features backing vocals by Jackson's brothers, goes on sale on Oct. 26, internationally and on Oct. 27, in North America to coincide with the release of the film.

The "This Is It" film was the subject of a $60 million (38 million pound) deal between Jackson's estate and concert promoter AEG Live and Sony Pictures. Sony Music's Columbia/Epic Label Group will be releasing the album.

What do you think of the single?

Is this just an opportunity for stakeholders to make a cash grab or is it a legitimate tribute to the singer and his premature death?

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” trailer released to Web

After giving the world a first look at the upcoming Michael Jackson film “This Is It” at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Sony Pictures has now made it possible for fans to download the trailer of the much talked-about rehearsal footage, shot in the weeks before the singer’s death in June.

Fans can visit this Sony website to access the trailer, which runs for nearly three minute.

In the trailer, Jackson looks thin as always but appears healthy, as he dances around the rehearsal stage, in footage that comes complete with sound effects, such as “whoosh” and whip-like noises used to accentuate Jackson’s movements.

The trailer also accentuates the positive in Jackson, as Sony Pictures committed to do when it paid $60 million for the rights to the footage produced by concert promoter AEG Live before a series of comeback shows in London that were to start on July 13.

At one point in the trailer, a voice is heard saying, “Michael has a depth to him that people don’t really know.”

“This Is It” opens in movie theaters on Oct. 28, but it will only run for two weeks.

Will the massive public show of mourning that shot Jackson’s albums to the top of the charts after his June 25 death make “This Is It” into a blockbuster movie, a success along the lines of what Jackson was hoping to achieve with his comeback concerts in London? Or will the rehashed rehearsal footage fail at movie theaters?