This Is It - BEHIND THE SCENES

"This Is It"
BEHIND THE SCENES
by Tim Nasson
October 30, 2009

Watch "This Is It" Trailer

FOREWORD BY DAVID WILD

This Is It.

In just three words, Michael Jackson managed to say it all.

Right there in one willfully dramatic phrase, Jackson somehow promised everything -- a grand farewell, a new beginning and a thrilling return to form that would offer a sense of completion if not finality. It was a phrase that meant many things to Jackson: it would be not just a curtain call, but a call to arms, a call for more love in the world.

This Is It.

In his own distinctive and idiosyncratic way, Michael Jackson had always been an instinctively great communicator. He was, after all, such a singularly brilliant vocalist that he could magically lend universal meaning even to those curiously expressive mystery syllables that the rest of us could never even define. Now with just three simple words, Jackson managed to communicate so much yet again. That’s the same thing Michael Jackson had done time and time again for decades as he gave soulful voice to some of the most beloved and familiar songs ever to be recorded -- both the ones that he wrote and the ones that he made his own forever just by the act of singing them.

Then in the wake of Michael Jackson’s sudden and tragic death at the age of only 50 on June 25, 2009, the meaning of this strangely powerful phrase changed in one terrible instant that reverberated all around the world. This Is It suddenly seemed destined to become the sadly empty promise of a truly global happening that could never happen due to one horrible and historic twist of fate. For Michael Jackson’s children, family and closest associates, they had lost a father, a brother, a son, and a friend. For the rest of us, we lost a cultural icon, a popular legend, and even a King.

For the millions of us everywhere who had been moved by the music Michael Jackson made during his fifty years -- and by the massive artistic legacy that he left behind -- the irony of the timing made his passing feel even more terrible. After all, we all had come so close -- and yet so far -- to seeing exactly where it was that Michael Jackson intended to take us next. Jackson was that rare performing artist capable of transporting himself -- and all of us -- with amazing grace. But with his sudden death, it appeared that what would turn out to be his final artistic statement would be one giant step, one last Moonwalk -- that none of us would ever get to witness.

This Is It was originally to have served as the title for a series of performances, ten initially, then finally an astounding 50 sold out dates thanks to unprecedented public demand. During a press conference at the O2 Arena on March 5th, Michael Jackson had officially announced these performances before thousands of fans and hundreds of members of the international media.

“This is it,” Jackson explained to the world media that day. “I just want to say that these will be my final show performances in London. When I say this is it, it really means this is it.” Jackson went on to add of the shows, “This is the final curtain call.” These highly anticipated This Is It shows were to be held at the London’s O2 Arena between July 2009 and March 2010. Then just a few weeks before Jackson was to take the stage for what he proclaimed would be his final triumph came the shocking news that Jackson died following a cardiac arrest, only hours after rehearsing for his upcoming London shows at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. Suddenly, it seemed Michael Jackson’s triumphant return was not to be. And that -- it appeared -- was that.

In those days and weeks following Michael Jackson’s death, I spent considerable time talking to some of the friends and fellow musical legends who knew and loved Michael Jackson best, first while contributing to a special Rolling Stone tribute issue to Jackson and then while helping Kenny Ortega, Randy Phillips and Ken Ehrlich on the Michael Jackson Memorial broadcast all around the world from STAPLES Center. What came through loud and clear in every conversation that I shared with such distinguished artists as Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie was the undying love these individuals felt for their friend Michael Jackson, and the extraordinary respect they all had for him as a fellow artist and performer.

“Right from the start, Michael Jackson was amazing,” the great Smokey Robinson told me. “And Michael was one of those rare artists who never stopped amazing us.” Indeed, Smokey Robinson was among the very first to be amazed by Jackson back in his early days at Motown, especially when Robinson heard Michael sing his still stunning rendition of “Who’s Lovin’ You” with his brothers in The Jackson 5. “There was no way to explain how this kid sang my grown up love song like he had lived every single line. There was just no way a twelve-year-old could sing the way he sang, or move the way he moved. Michael Jackson was -- and is -- a phenomenon, and one of a kind. He amazed me then, and he still amazes me now.”

And now in a way he could not have foretold, Michael Jackson posthumously gets the chance to share this hello and goodbye with the world, after all. Here, then, are a few more hours for this singular performer to amaze us one last time. And this time around, we get to see not just the magic, but also the magician at work.

Here too the ironies are profound. Michael Jackson had spent his life being filmed, photographed and endlessly documented, as he experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of our modern media world like perhaps no one else on earth. Some of this attention was thrust upon Jackson, and some he brought upon himself. Either way, this man experienced celebrity in its purest and often harshest form. And yet for once, the fact that the cameras were rolling in his final weeks as he prepared to bring This Is It to life onstage now allowed Michael Jackson – thanks to his friend and chosen creative collaborator Kenny Ortega -- to share this parting act of the creative genius of Michael Jackson with the fans of the world.

And so here it is, just as he had promised -- Michael Jackson’s grand farewell, a whole new beginning and his final return to form. So how on earth do you bring any sort of fitting conclusion to one of the greatest and most surreal stories ever told?

Like this. And like the man said before he left us, This Is It.

The story of Michael Jackson long ago became the stuff of legend. It’s the remarkable tale of a kid from the steel town of Gary, Indiana, who sang his heart out with his brothers and became a superstar. Then he sang his heart out some more on his own, and in the process became the single biggest star on the face of the earth.

Yet This Is It is far from being some posthumous star trip, nor is it one more rehashing of the past events of one man’s celebrated and controversial life. Thankfully, This Is It is something infinitely more interesting, valuable and artistic. What Kenny Ortega presents here is a powerful, revealing and ultimately moving portrait of the artist as a grown man. For all that we have seen of Michael Jackson over the years, and we have seen a lot, we have never seen this. This Is It offers a beautifully clear window into the creative process of Michael Jackson’s last announced theatrical work. Over the course of a few compelling and illuminating hours, the film artfully takes the viewer inside the rehearsal spaces during what turned out to be Michael Jackson’s last days on earth as he prepared to make what he knew could very well be his last artistic stand as a live performer. This Is It is not the way to see the show’s final destination, but a fascinating opportunity for the first time to see exactly how he was getting there.

To borrow a phrase from Quincy Jones, everyone here appears to have checked their egos at the door. We witness the ease, the joy and the very human kindness of Jackson’s communication with other performers. Yet there is no doubt that Michael Jackson who appears here knows what he wants and is calling the shots. The kid once trained in the extraordinary Motown artistic assembly line has grown up, and he becomes more teacher than student. “You have to let it simmer,” he meaningfully tells his Music Supervisor and keyboardist Michael Bearden as they work to perfect a musical tone for the beginning of “The Way You Make Me Feel.” What we are seeing in mostly empty halls here is a musical giant using all his instincts to work towards the show he’s already seeing and hearing in his creative mind. What emerges here is a far more confident and assured artist and professional than we might have expected simply because of the complicated persona that rightly or wrongly has been projected onto Jackson over the years.

Often appearing in the shadows urging his friend on or helping to solidify and express his vision, Ortega comes across an exceptionally sensitive and simpatico creative collaborator, as are many others on the winning team they assembled here, including long-time choreographer Travis Payne and Bearden and all of the other dancers, singers, musicians and others who came together to make This Is It. But lest there be any confusion, it is finally Michael Jackson himself leading the way towards a remarkable destination that already seems to exist in his head and in his heart. “We’ll get there,” Jackson says repeatedly, and one believes him.

What makes This Is It so stunning is that we are all right there as Michael Jackson is getting there -- as this show simmers before our eyes and ears. Somehow, from materials never meant to serve quite this purpose, Ortega has artfully weaved together different rehearsal run-throughs to create performances here that honor his late great friend’s legacy. On a number of occasions captured here, Jackson has to remind himself not to go all-out as a singer or dancer, yet in the end he simply cannot help himself from being great.

As originally envisioned by Jackson and Ortega, This Is It was always going to be an artistic statement with a strongly cinematic point of view. We watch here as the pair express their shared passion for Old Hollywood in a segment in which Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” from the Bad album becomes a way to allow Jackson to co-star with some of the greatest movie stars of all-time in a new black and white short film that draws upon moments from classics like Gilda and His Girl Friday. We also feel their boyish excitement as they bring Thriller a whole new monstrous second life.

The songs represented here take us through a lifetime of artistic expression and shared memories. We see Jackson finding his way, a bit tentatively at first, through a medley of the early Jackson 5 hits that first made him famous and revealed his singular and soulful gifts – “I Want You Back,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There,” a modern standard that he reclaims powerfully here. At the end of the run through, he movingly thanks the members of his family -- the people who knew him back before fame and fortune.

We hear many of the biggest hits from Thriller and Bad era when Michael Jackson started breaking all sort of sales records, and redefined just how popular pop music could be. Yet at times we can hear these songs anew, such as when he sings part of “Human Nature” with minimal accompaniment as he reminds us once more of the magnitude of his gift as a vocalist. We also hear some more recent triumphs. Indeed, it is the socially and environmentally conscious “Earth Song” from the HIStory collection that seems in a way to be at the heart of This Is It, giving Jackson a chance to express some of his thoughts and emotions about a subject larger than himself.

Finally, there is “Man In The Mirror,” that powerful song of change and reckoning that reminds us that for all his artistry and all his fame, Michael Jackson was a real man – a son, a brother, a father, and a friend --- and now that man is gone.

In his too brief lifetime, Michael Jackson rocked our world. But despite coming of age in the spotlight, fame did not always rest easily on this man’s slight shoulders. For better and for worse, Michael Jackson lived his life, as Madonna said in her lovely tribute to him at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, “under the magnifying glass of the world” for his entire life.

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s shocking death, countless prominent artists would come forward to express their undying respect for him -- not just his mentors and contemporaries, but many of today’s most popular and inspired artists who Jackson helped inspire in the first place.

“He was magic,” Beyonce said of Jackson. “He was what we all strive to be. He will always be the king of pop.”

For Justin Timberlake, Jackson had provided a sort of transcendent template. “We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music,” Timberlake said. “He has been an inspiration to multiple generations, and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him onstage and all the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together.”

Michael Jackson’s impact went beyond just the world of music too. Martin Scorsese who had directed Jackson’s “Bad” video recalled “his absolute mastery of movement.” Steven Spielberg expressed his respect for Jackson’s singular talent when he noted, “Just as there will never be another Fred Astaire or Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley, there will never be anyone comparable to Michael Jackson. His talent, his wonderment and his mystery make him legend.”

The man in the mirror is gone now, but his legend lives on. And now the world has a final chance to take a closer look and see just how this legend came true.

This Is It.

-- DAVID WILD

David Wild is a Contributing Editor at Rolling Stone, an Emmy-nominated television writer and a best-selling author of numerous books about popular culture.

MICHAEL JACKSON

On March 5, 2009, the world woke to the news that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, who had not performed in more than a decade, was planning to return to the stage. Jackson said of his announced performances, this is it – the final curtain call – the capstone to an extraordinary career. The initial announcement of 10 shows, which was soon expanded to a record-breaking 50 to meet demand, sold out in hours. More than one million people had tickets to see Jackson perform THIS IS IT in London.

As Jackson prepared for the historic concerts, the cameras were rolling. Adding up to more than 100 hours of rehearsal footage shot in Los Angeles, this behind-the-scenes footage captures everything, from the casting of the featured dancers and background singers to Jackson’s plotting with Travis Payne of the complicated and clever choreography to Jackson’s collaboration with the talented band. Most intriguingly, because it was never intended for wide release, the footage captures Jackson as most have never seen him: vulnerable and unfiltered. As he leaves STAPLES Center on the evening of his last Los Angeles rehearsal, as the company prepares to move to London for dress rehearsals, Jackson is happy, even jubilant, sharing his love with the room and saying, “See you tomorrow.”
But before these extraordinary shows could commence, the world was stunned again: just hours after that final Los Angeles rehearsal, Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009. Shocked and saddened, Jackson’s THIS IS IT collaborators searched for a way to honor their leader, mentor, and friend, and the answer was in the footage. The resulting film is Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT, a unique look at the performer at work, rehearsing, building, driving, and perfecting his masterwork. Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT captures one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever known, showing his true spirit and genius.

Jackson was such a legendary figure that over 5,000 dancers applied to audition for him; just 11 of the best-trained dancers were hand-selected by him for these concerts. In the film, these collaborators and others explain why working with Michael Jackson meant so much to them: how often do you get to work with a genius, the man who inspired you to sing, to dance, to become who you are? When that opportunity comes up, you say to yourself, this is it – this is what it’s all about.

As Jackson was determined to perform the songs that his fans most wanted to hear, Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT shows him rehearsing and performing many of his most famous hits. In complete command of the stage, Jackson is the architect and principal mind driving the team forward – instructing the dancers, singers, musicians, and artists and design team on his ideas for the show. Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT shows Jackson in a way that very few artists of his stature have ever been captured before: unguarded, raw, in the midst of his meticulous creative process as he crafts the show he would be unable to present. From conception to his final L.A. rehearsal, Jackson ministers over every beat, every step, every thread as he guides THIS IS IT through the months of planning, and all along the way, the great artist reminds all around him why they are there: they must all rise to the occasion in order to give the fans the show they want, expect, and deserve.

Director Kenny Ortega, Jackson’s longtime creative partner and director of the show, took on the responsibility of framing these hours of footage into a feature film. While the show was never finished, Ortega felt that the production was far enough along and the cameras had captured enough that he could present to the world Jackson’s final gift to his fans: not the concert itself, but what they were planning as they were moving towards their goals and building the dream that they hoped to realize on the stage in London.

The result is not the concert – no one will ever see that. While nothing can ever take the place of seeing Michael Jackson perform live, the film does grant us something lasting: a window into the creative mind of one of the greatest entertainers of all time.