This Is It, was that really Michael Jackson?

I don't know the context in which it was said but maybe they meant that the Michael they saw wasn't how they know him? Meaning frail, insecure and with slow speech at times?

As for doubles, Michael has used them for his tours for years mainly for the tricks such as Thriller/Beat it. The person wearing the Thriller mask is not Michael. It's a double who is distracting the audience so Michael can quickly get ready and appear on the cherry picker for Beat It.

Also, Michael sometimes used an impersonator to distract fans so he could leave his hotel unseen and go in a different direction. ;)

Do you know who were doubles for Michael, I see some crazy people claiming to be his double!
 
Do you know who were doubles for Michael, I see some crazy people claiming to be his double!

The only one I know for sure is Earnest Valentino. He has worked for Michael on various occasions and was supposed to work with him again for This Is It.
 
I don't know the context in which it was said but maybe they meant that the Michael they saw wasn't how they know him? Meaning frail, insecure and with slow speech at times?

As for doubles, Michael has used them for his tours for years mainly for the tricks such as Thriller/Beat it. The person wearing the Thriller mask is not Michael. It's a double who is distracting the audience so Michael can quickly get ready and appear on the cherry picker for Beat It.

Also, Michael sometimes used an impersonator to distract fans so he could leave his hotel unseen and go in a different direction. ;)

I undestand that. We all saw that something was odd! But it was clear to many fans that it was MJ after all.
And yes most of us know MJ used dubbles.That is diffrent issue than Joe claims made for TII. JMO
 
The only one I know for sure is Earnest Valentino. He has worked for Michael on various occasions and was supposed to work with him again for This Is It.

Ive actually watched some things today on you tube that he used Navi for a body double a few times. Apparently Navi left a hotel in China and was in a limo and he came out of the sunroof and waving at the fans and they were going crazy trying to climb on the limo. I think he could only get away with it with the face mask on though as Navi doesn't look 100% like Michael especially on the bottom part of the face.
 
The only one I know for sure is Earnest Valentino. He has worked for Michael on various occasions and was supposed to work with him again for This Is It.
Aren't you confusing him with E'Casanova? He was in the Who Is It video, for instance. Navi indeed also apparently worked for MJ as a decoy a few times.

Earnest Valentino was, as far as I know, only used posthumously as the hologram for that ill-fated Slave To The Rhythm performance.
 
Ive actually watched some things today on you tube that he used Navi for a body double a few times. Apparently Navi left a hotel in China and was in a limo and he came out of the sunroof and waving at the fans and they were going crazy trying to climb on the limo. I think he could only get away with it with the face mask on though as Navi doesn't look 100% like Michael especially on the bottom part of the face.

Aren't you confusing him with E'Casanova? He was in the Who Is It video, for instance. Navi indeed also apparently worked for MJ as a decoy a few times.

Earnest Valentino was, as far as I know, only used posthumously as the hologram for that ill-fated Slave To The Rhythm performance.

Earnest Valentino has worked for Michael on different occasions including working as the official representative for Michael's Mystery Drink launched in 1997.

Navi can't possibly have been used as a body double since his body looks nothing like Michael's. They are not the same height and Navi's body looks very different from Michael's.
 
Last edited:
how old is Earnest? I guess he must be older than I thought, older than he looks..
 
Earnest is another favorite double of mine.
He always seems a nice guy. I'm shocked as i didn't think he was much older as well... 52.
Wow, looks amazing!
:)
 
Earnest Valentino has worked for Michael on different occasions including working as the official representative for Michael's Mystery Drink launched in 1997.

Navi can't possibly have been used as a body double since his body looks nothing like Michael's. They are not the same height and Navi's body looks very different from Michael's.
Didn't know that about EV, thanks.

Regarding Navi:
https://youtu.be/RdSTg9rMrfI
 
Earnest Valentino has worked for Michael on different occasions including working as the official representative for Michael's Mystery Drink launched in 1997.

Navi can't possibly have been used as a body double since his body looks nothing like Michael's. They are not the same height and Navi's body looks very different from Michael's.
Go on to Navi videos on you tube he states and shows the videos of where he doubled for MJ. I didn't know this until I watched it
 
I have no desire to watch any videos of Navi, but thanks anyway guys :)
 
^ Just curious, are you "anti Navi" or somethnig? lol! just interesting..
 
^ Just curious, are you "anti Navi" or somethnig? lol! just interesting..
Yes. :)

I don't appreciate how he presents himself, how he sets bad examples for MJ fans by openly bashing other impersonators and/or fans, and placing himself above them even though he clearly lacks talent and integrity. Just my opinion.
 
Last edited:
Yes. :)

I don't appreciate how he presents himself, how he sets bad examples for MJ fans by openly bashing other impersonators and/or fans, and placing himself above them even though he clearly lacks talent and integrity. Just my opinion.
I'll be honest with you I had no problem with Navi until I went to see him this week. He isn't anything like the man id imagine Michael to be. He wasn't very forthcoming with the fans. I paid for meet and greet which was basically have a picture then move we have a flight to catch. I wont go and see him again
 
^ Just curious, are you "anti Navi" or somethnig? lol! just interesting..

Yes. :)

I don't appreciate how he presents himself, how he sets bad examples for MJ fans by openly bashing other impersonators and/or fans, and placing himself above them even though he clearly lacks talent and integrity. Just my opinion.

Honestly I find Michael Jackson impersonators who get plastic surgery to alter their face to permanently look like Michael to be... f*cking weird.

Like I mean, if you have the money to do so then by all means I won't stop you... but I don't get how you can be so utterly obsessed with someone else that you literally permanently alter your facial features to somewhat look like them. Like it's one thing to do something temporary (make-up, costumes, obviously no issue with that) but to literally permanetely destroying your own unique facial features to somewhat resemble a singer you like? I dunno, it's just so f*cking ... absurd.

Never mind that their plastic surgery is always terrible and it always ends up looking like some third-rate Michael Jackson one way or another.
 
Honestly I find Michael Jackson impersonators who get plastic surgery to alter their face to permanently look like Michael to be... f*cking weird.

Like I mean, if you have the money to do so then by all means I won't stop you... but I don't get how you can be so utterly obsessed with someone else that you literally permanently alter your facial features to somewhat look like them. Like it's one thing to do something temporary (make-up, costumes, obviously no issue with that) but to literally permanetely destroying your own unique facial features to somewhat resemble a singer you like? I dunno, it's just so f*cking ... absurd.

Never mind that their plastic surgery is always terrible and it always ends up looking like some third-rate Michael Jackson one way or another.
There is a video of Navi saying that he had his cheeks and chin done but that's it as he wanted to be (I'm quoting him) the better looking version of MJ. However his personality stinks so he will never be MJ with or without any more surgery
 
That's sad that you have to pay for Meet and Greets-I know that's been a thing for some time, but back in the "olden days" and in my concert going hey day-we just ran backstage with our programs and got autographs.
I know they had special VIP parties after that, but didn't realize people paid for them.
 
I'll be honest with you I had no problem with Navi until I went to see him this week. He isn't anything like the man id imagine Michael to be. He wasn't very forthcoming with the fans. I paid for meet and greet which was basically have a picture then move we have a flight to catch. I wont go and see him again

I'm sorry you had this experience.
This is exactly why I don't like the guy.
I was in Germany in May at a fanclub party where Earnest Valentino performed, and met with fans ALL NIGHT for free. Everyone had such a good time and took photos with him. He never declined and took all the time they needed.

Honestly I find Michael Jackson impersonators who get plastic surgery to alter their face to permanently look like Michael to be... f*cking weird.

Like I mean, if you have the money to do so then by all means I won't stop you... but I don't get how you can be so utterly obsessed with someone else that you literally permanently alter your facial features to somewhat look like them. Like it's one thing to do something temporary (make-up, costumes, obviously no issue with that) but to literally permanetely destroying your own unique facial features to somewhat resemble a singer you like? I dunno, it's just so f*cking ... absurd.

Never mind that their plastic surgery is always terrible and it always ends up looking like some third-rate Michael Jackson one way or another.
I respect your opinion but I do get it.
If you're and impersonator and this is how you make your living, then you have to make sure you look as much like Michael as you can. The more you look alike, the more people will want to book you.
 
MY view, I can appreciate being an impersonator for a living simply because I spent much of my life dancing, meticulously getting it as close to Michael as I could.. I've always thought it would be cool to do something that I have a passion for - for a living.. I never actually did it but I could imagine the pressure to look like Michael would only become greater when it would help your career and that would always be a constant critical thing to hear. "Man you can dance like Michael, if you only looked like him more you could be the best impersonator out there."

You hear that for a couple years and see what that does to you..

Now the other side of the coin, it has to be sad to have that little self acceptance of ones self to feel the need to look like someone else enough to make permanent changes to your face. Getting plastic surgery alone shows a level of mental torment, but changing to LOOK like another person is on an even deeper level. To add to that, I don't think it's any secret that most (not all) Michael Jackson impersonators just simply end up looking creepy. Michaels face was naturally pretty, (though he had plastic surgery himself) iit was HIM, his cheekbones, his jaw line, his eyes, his smile etc. that was eye appealing.. When you go under the knife and HOPE that this guy/girl is going to sculpt something - that is not worth trusting.. They cant sculpt you into another person.. giving yourself a blocky chin is not going to make you look like Michael Jackson etc.

some MJ impersonators turn themselves into a science experiment for doctors and come out looking very strange.. This goes the same for many people that take plastic surgery too far, like these human barbies, lips double the size, or woman that get like triple Z breasts or whatever. Naturally, the more unnatural someone will look the more odd it's going to be.

There are also impersonators that have a hard time separating ones self from the career (aside from the fact some really could get away using prosthetics on stage instead of having some cut and implant things into it) some impersonators try acting like or pretending to be Michael in real life.. I've even some trying to pass it as "oh we just have natural similarities, and that's what draws me to Michael." bull sh**, I'm sure a lot of us fans have similarities to Michael simply by nature of influence. But when I first saw an impersonator watch old footage of Michael and comment on it as his own memories - I thought to myself.. THIS IS WAY TOO FAR!

I want to ask, do these impersonators realize how creepy they come off? sometimes with a little imagination it could be turned into a strange cheesy horror movie very fast.

I'll say just as a disclaimer because I know how we all get, this is not about all impersonators - and there is a side to me when I do see impersonators that do actually resemble MJ I find it interesting to look at.. OF course great closeness to his dancing (detail orientated) I can appreciate as well. I love to compare the qualities of other dancers to myself.
 
I'll be honest with you I had no problem with Navi until I went to see him this week. He isn't anything like the man id imagine Michael to be. He wasn't very forthcoming with the fans. I paid for meet and greet which was basically have a picture then move we have a flight to catch. I wont go and see him again

Why would you pay to meet an impersonator?
scratch.gif
I personally would never even go to watch any impersonator perform.
 
Michael was very sick during "This is It". Very thin. It's very sad
 
Back
Top