What would you ask MJ based on his performances in This Is It

Steven1990

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Hi everyone,

First of all, I'm sorry if there's already a similar topic; I couldn't fine one.

I was just watching someone's first reaction on MJ's This Is It rehearsals on YouTube and he seemed kind of amazed by how great it was. To a large extent I agree, because the rehearsal footage allowed us to witness once more how Michael worked in preparation of his shows. However, there are some elements I have questions about.

In the Billie Jean performance I noted that he had let go of certain dance routines that he did incorporate in previous performances (all his tours basically). To give an example, this lack is very obvious in Billie Jean in This Is It; although he keeps certain elements in and I believe that's some sort of recognition for the people who wanted to see the performances as they were back in the 80s and 90s.

Some people claimed Michael was confused, too fragile and in bad health to perform. But in my opinion he does not seem confused at all, as he said 'at least you get a feel of it'. It seems as if he was perfectly aware of what he was doing.

That brings me to the following. I wonder why Michael changed some of the dance routines, compared to other rehearsals (Dangerous Tour rehearsals). There are several questions I would have loved to ask Michael.
For instance
- Compared to other rehearsals, what was the reason for adding and leaving out certain dance elements/routines in the This Is It rehearsals?
- What was it like to get back to performing (or preparing to perform) with regard to singing (memorizing lyrics, etc.) and dancing (memorizing dance routines, physical demandingness)?
- Was it your intention to change certain dance routines in order to give the fans something new to look at? Or a combination of new and familiar moves, etc.?

Do you guys have other questions you would have loved to ask? And what do you think possible answers might have been? I do not intend to speculate, only to find realistic answers based on possible accounts of his team, interviews, etc. Hopes and expectations can be discussed as well.
 
It sounded to me when he said ''at least you get a feel of it'' if he was too tired, too fragile or not in the mood to do his Billi Jean routine. I don't know. I don't get a good feeling when I hear him saying that each time when I watch the TII Billie Jean rehearsal.
 
It sounded to me when he said ''at least you get a feel of it'' if he was too tired, too fragile or not in the mood to do his Billi Jean routine. I don't know. I don't get a good feeling when I hear him saying that each time when I watch the TII Billie Jean rehearsal.

What is it that makes you question his mood or energy level? Is it his voice, the phrase itself, or the tone/intonation of how he said it?

What do others believe, how does the Billie Jean rehearsal, for example, make you feel with regard to his dance routine, the way he moves, etc.?
 
When it comes to the Billie Jean rehearsal we see in TII, I think there were a number of factors. Firstly, he was holding back (once it really kicks in, you notice he does let go a bit). Secondly, he wasn't in the best state healthwise at the time, and for a dancer... well he's 50 years old which is pretty old for a dancer (especially a dancer performing the moves of Michael Jackson).

I think it sucks because he knew that despite his age, people would expect the performance level of someone half his age. Must've taken a real toll on him mentally and stress wise.

As for the topic question, I don't really know what I'd ask him about his performances. I'd probably ask him to change it up a bit, and that I also find the visual short films he and his team were working on are super cool.
 
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I think for the dance routines the answer is it´s only rehearsals.
He said several times that he needed to save his voice and he wasn´t going for 100% in the rehearsals for the dance routines either.Michael had done Billie Jean so many times he didn´t need to rehearse it. I get a feeling that they were testing the lights in Billie Jean and musicians and background singers got a feel of the song.He could have just walked back and forth but he did what he felt like just then.
Michael knew what fans wanted and I think he had done the ordinary dance routines maybe with a small change if he had made one show.
For Smooth Criminal they didn´t have the shoes to do the lean yet.
 
That clearly was NOT what Mj was gonna do in the actual show for Billie Jean. Seeing as how that song isn't dependent on backup dancers, it seemed more of a tech rehearsal for the band and lighting than anything. It would have been the usual shtick he's always done for the song. I'm betting with handheld mic, too.
It might have been end of the day and was tired. I dunno. He didn't even moonwalk, so that tells you it was just so everyone was on the same page with techy stuff.
 
They were just rehearsals and he hadn't performed in 7 years. Also he hadn't performed some songs since Bad and Dangerous Tours so of course he had to learn some things again. I'm sure he didn't watch the performances again and again over the years like fans do. :D
 
HIStoric;4191546 said:
When it comes to the Billie Jean rehearsal we see in TII, I think there were a number of factors. Firstly, he was holding back (once it really kicks in, you notice he does let go a bit). Secondly, he wasn't in the best state healthwise at the time, and for a dancer... well he's 50 years old which is pretty old for a dancer (especially a dancer performing the moves of Michael Jackson).

I think it sucks because he knew that despite his age, people would expect the performance level of someone half his age. Must've taken a real toll on him mentally and stress wise.

As for the topic question, I don't really know what I'd ask him about his performances. I'd probably ask him to change it up a bit, and that I also find the visual short films he and his team were working on are super cool.

Yes, he was definitely holding back indeed. One argument for this is the fact that he mentioned it several times throughout the rehearsal footage. However, some performances seem like he wasn't holding back at all or that his health didn't put a strain on his performance at all. I mean, look at Black or White. I would be very happy seeing this version live as a member of an audience. I would be happy seeing anything, but you know what I mean… It would be very satisfying.

It's a pity indeed, that people would still expect Michael from the 80s with regard to physical energy, etc. I would tell Michael that even him sitting on a chair singing his songs would be just perfect.
 
AtlasAir;4191549 said:
That clearly was NOT what Mj was gonna do in the actual show for Billie Jean. Seeing as how that song isn't dependent on backup dancers, it seemed more of a tech rehearsal for the band and lighting than anything. It would have been the usual shtick he's always done for the song. I'm betting with handheld mic, too.
It might have been end of the day and was tired. I dunno. He didn't even moonwalk, so that tells you it was just so everyone was on the same page with techy stuff.

It sort of relieves me that it must've been a technical rehearsal. It hurts to think he might've been confused or so… But him changing or performing different dance routines, might just have been due to a technical approach of the rehearsal. That's a good insight.
 
They were just rehearsals and he hadn't performed in 7 years. Also he hadn't performed some songs since Bad and Dangerous Tours so of course he had to learn some things again. I'm sure he didn't watch the performances again and again over the years like fans do. :D


Amazing, right? Can't think of a song he hadn't performed since the Bad. Can you name one?
 
Steven1990;4191490 said:
Hi everyone,

First of all, I'm sorry if there's already a similar topic; I couldn't fine one.

I was just watching someone's first reaction on MJ's This Is It rehearsals on YouTube and he seemed kind of amazed by how great it was. To a large extent I agree, because the rehearsal footage allowed us to witness once more how Michael worked in preparation of his shows. However, there are some elements I have questions about.

Do you guys have other questions you would have loved to ask? And what do you think possible answers might have been? I do not intend to speculate, only to find realistic answers based on possible accounts of his team, interviews, etc. Hopes and expectations can be discussed as well.

You should not rely only on the 'This Is It' film that officially aired.

There was a lot of unsettling activity that took place during those rehearsals that raises lots of question marks (regarding MJ’s so-called good health).

Take into account all those testimonies during the subsequent trial. Only in this way will you arrive to right conclusions.

For example: Travis Payne (his longtime choreographer) testified that MJ asked for a teleprompter in order to remember certain lyrics of his songs. Teleprompter is a display device that enables actors to remember their lines.

Also, we should keep in mind that this one & a half hour film comes from nearly 100 of footage, so it is highly edited. This is the reason also that in particular songs MJ appears in several different outfits. Personally, I shudder to think what the rest of that footage looks like.

Also, there are also some other reliable accounts (like from Leonard Rowe, a longtime friend of the Jackson family who was also on business term with MJ) that shed light on what really was going on behind the scenes.

Steven1990;4191490 said:
Some people claimed Michael was confused, too fragile and in bad health to perform. But in my opinion he does not seem confused at all, as he said 'at least you get a feel of it'. It seems as if he was perfectly aware of what he was doing.

People who are heavily relied on drugs are not perfectly aware of what they are doing & unfortunately that was the case also for MJ during those rehearsals, not to mention the use of antidepressants at that time.
 
You should not rely only on the 'This Is It' film that officially aired.
...
Also, we should keep in mind that this one & a half hour film comes from nearly 100 of footage, so it is highly edited.

Indeed. You should always keep this in mind when it comes to documentaries, editing can completely change everything - especially when you have a hundred hours of footage at your disposal (and footage to cutaway to should everything else be unusable).

It was literally in the contract (or whatever you call it) for TII that Michael could not be depicted negatively.
 
Well attorney`s for Murray saw all the 100 hours of the footage because they searched for bad scenes but could not find it. Judge denied also to show something from the unreleased footage because of the great value of the footage for further releases.

We all know there were days with great concernings but they did not film it. And btw most of the footage (not Billie Jean) of the TII-film is from the last 2 days of reharsals and all witnesses said he was in great shape in this 2 days.
 
Amazing, right? Can't think of a song he hadn't performed since the Bad. Can you name one?

Dirty Diana. That wasn't included in the movie but it was supposed to be performed at the shows. Also he hadn't performed many songs since Dangerous Tour. That is a long time.
 
For example: Travis Payne (his longtime choreographer) testified that MJ asked for a teleprompter in order to remember certain lyrics of his songs. Teleprompter is a display device that enables actors to remember their lines.
He had used it before. There is a picture from the 30th Anniversary concert in 2001 were you can see a teleprompter.

Edit: Sorry for double post. I meant to edit the last post but I posted accidentally.
 
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Steven1990;4191608 said:
It sort of relieves me that it must've been a technical rehearsal. It hurts to think he might've been confused or so… But him changing or performing different dance routines, might just have been due to a technical approach of the rehearsal. That's a good insight.
I thought it was obvious that it was just a technical walk through and not what he would have done in the show-but I think they put it in the movie because everyone would have been disappointed had we not seen at least a few seconds of "Billie Jean."

Annita;4191681 said:
Well attorney`s for Murray saw all the 100 hours of the footage because they searched for bad scenes but could not find it. Judge denied also to show something from the unreleased footage because of the great value of the footage for further releases.

We all know there were days with great concernings but they did not film it. And btw most of the footage (not Billie Jean) of the TII-film is from the last 2 days of reharsals and all witnesses said he was in great shape in this 2 days.
The fact that Murray's lawyers were watching that extra footage for anything and everything that showed Michael in a bad light, and announced they found NOTHING was quite satisfying to me.

I feel like the reason they show some songs on obviously 2 or 3 different days is because they wanted to show us the entire number-instead of footage of lots of stops and starts. The best thing about TII is that it showed Michael committed and focused and into performing again-he may not have wanted to do it originally, as he didn't want to do Victory Tour either, but once he was in, he was all in and committed.
 
Galactus123;4191683 said:
He had used it before. There is a picture from the 30th Anniversary concert in 2001 were you can see a teleprompter.

Ironically enough, your argument backs up even more MJ’s very bad mental/health condition during his ‘This Is It’ rehearsals.

MJ resorted to a teleprompter in his 2001 MSG Shows because of his very bad mental condition also at that time.

Remember also that (like ‘This Is It’) he was heavily drugged up right before (& during) those MSG shows. That was confirmed by various reliable sources (including the producer of those shows, David Guest).

barbee0715;4191699 said:
The best thing about TII is that it showed Michael committed and focused and into performing again-he may not have wanted to do it originally, as he didn't want to do Victory Tour either, but once he was in, he was all in and committed.

Personally, I would not call an artist committed & focused when he misses one rehearsal after another.

Also, aside MJ’s initial reluctance in both cases, I think all the other circumstances (between Victory & This Is It) were diametrically different.

MJ was his own boss (during the Victory Tour era), whereas during the ‘This Is It’ era was totally being controlled/manipulated.

One example: MJ even changed, of his own volition, the odd, elaborate ticket system (mail order) when a little girl from Texas complained. During the This Is It era, MJ was not even able to control the number of the dates of his upcoming concerts.

HIStoric;4191659 said:
Indeed. You should always keep this in mind when it comes to documentaries, editing can completely change everything - especially when you have a hundred hours of footage at your disposal (and footage to cutaway to should everything else be unusable).

It was literally in the contract (or whatever you call it) for TII that Michael could not be depicted negatively.

Yet, there are fans who like to ignore the power of editing when it comes to certain films (like ‘This Is It’).

I think this comes down to the fact that they want to retain a good recollection of their idol’s final moments. To a certain extent, I can understand that.
 
Okay, so what we can see here is the fact that opinions are divided. Some argue Michael was in good shape and no evidence was found that proved otherwise, both mentally and physically. Others claim that clues we consider a sign of good mental and physical health, might actually be edited or not show reality.

I think it's safe to say that it wasn't a case of black or white, but merely a combination of both. In some ways Michael was healthy (to a certain extent) and in some ways he might have been worse off then we are guided to believe according to the This Is It footage.

The commercial release of TII footage does not provide evidence to conclude that Michael was either in a bad or good shape. Therefore, we can only rely on accounts of other people. But then again, we might also question their reliability.

One thing is for sure, what truly happened behind the scenes is something we might never find out about, unless we get to see all the footage there is. In that case, everybody can see for themselves and make up their mind of the reliability with regard to the image of Michael as presented in the commercial release of TII.
 
Well attorney`s for Murray saw all the 100 hours of the footage because they searched for bad scenes but could not find it. Judge denied also to show something from the unreleased footage because of the great value of the footage for further releases.

We all know there were days with great concernings but they did not film it. And btw most of the footage (not Billie Jean) of the TII-film is from the last 2 days of reharsals and all witnesses said he was in great shape in this 2 days.

Now, now, Annita. You're spoiling it for the conspiracy theorists. ??
 
Didn't the autopsy also show that MJ was in great shape for a 50 year old?

Love to see any 50 year olds on here perform like MJ did - edited or not.
 
Could you be more condescending? There is plenty of footage on TII which shows MJ alert, in control and fully capable of performing. I have no doubt that the film was designed and edited to portray MJ in the best possible light, but you can't deny that from the footage we have seen, MJ is world's away from how he appeared on the MSG shows. You can't just throw around terms like "clever editing" and completely ignore scenes where he clearly demonstrates that he is physically very fit and capable for a man of his age.

You seem to forget he was using ephedrine during the rehearsals as well. You cannot gauge how MJ was from the This Is It film when he was using drugs to stay alert and awake at the rehearsals.
 
It winds me up when fans act like MJ was falling to pieces during the TII rehearsals.

There is literally no evidence to support that, other than tabloid propaganda.
I'm not saying that he was in perfect health, to me, he looked very underweight and needed to bulk up badly. But no amount of "clever editing" can change the actual footage itself...

You talk as if he was too frail to do a moonwalk and yet on his performance of Beat It, he twice throws himself down on the stage floor and waves his legs in the air. I don't know many fifty year olds who can do that.
MTE.:yes:
Ain't nobody stupid enough to say he was in perfect health, but he wasn't at death's door like some act like he was either.:lol:
 
It winds me up when fans act like MJ was falling to pieces during the TII rehearsals.

There is literally no evidence to support that, other than tabloid propaganda.
I'm not saying that he was in perfect health, to me, he looked very underweight and needed to bulk up badly. But no amount of "clever editing" can change the actual footage itself...

You talk as if he was too frail to do a moonwalk and yet on his performance of Beat It, he twice throws himself down on the stage floor and waves his legs in the air. I don't know many fifty year olds who can do that.

Was he falling to pieces? No. Should he have been preparing to begin a 50 concert series? No.
Anybody who needs powerful drugs just to sleep is clearly not well enough to perform.
 
I personally think MJ would have been ready for the 02. He wanted to do these shows. He probably had good days and bad days. But when Kenny doubted him, he proved on those final 2 nights that when he wanted to , he could perform. The more I think about it and from evidence in the civil trial emails- MJ must have felt pressure from Kenny, as he didn't have to contractually be at every rehearsal. I don't usually believe what CM says but I think there was a bit of truth in that MJ disliked Ortega due to pressure . Kenny was probably thinking MJ could pull out of the tour. Remember when MJ is in rehearsal mode he would only go 50 to 60% anyways. MJ was 50 and had been performing his whole life, probably bored of doing it again as he knew the routines. I think they edited TII in that way to use other footage , saving the best for later editions. Lets wait for the anniversary and see those final nights in their entirity. The evidence from his autopsy also said he was in good health for a 50 year old man.

This was from an interview from TII dancer Kyrss Grant about the TII movie " The release of This Is It also inspired mixed emotions. At the time of release he gave an interview saying he would wait for the DVD. Today he says he still finds it difficult to watch. He is also bemused by some of the choices that were made regarding what was and wasn't included. "It's funny because those bits you see, he's not doing the full out still. There were times where he was really, really doing it, like full out. There are a lot of things that weren't shown in This Is It. I really don't know why that stuff was left out."
 
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MattyJam;4191727 said:
It winds me up when fans act like MJ was falling to pieces during the TII rehearsals.

There is literally no evidence to support that, other than tabloid propaganda.

You talk as if he was too frail to do a moonwalk and yet on his performance of Beat It, he twice throws himself down on the stage floor and waves his legs in the air. I don't know many fifty year olds who can do that.

MattyJam;4191738 said:
Could you be more condescending? There is plenty of footage on TII which shows MJ alert, in control and fully capable of performing. I have no doubt that the film was designed and edited to portray MJ in the best possible light, but you can't deny that from the footage we have seen, MJ is world's away from how he appeared on the MSG shows. You can't just throw around terms like "clever editing" and completely ignore scenes where he clearly demonstrates that he is physically very fit and capable for a man of his age.

Either you simply bury your head in the sand, or you are (after so many years) still uninformed regarding what was really going on back then. The same goes for any other fan who agrees with you.

I could address many facts/testimonies (non tabloid propaganda) that have come to light & prove that MJ was in very bad health during those rehearsals, even unable to operate on a basic, intellectual level. But, I am afraid it is completely pointless.

Finally, needless to say, you make the same mistake by forming your opinion on some bits & pieces that officially aired (like that ‘Beat It’ part from ‘This Is It’).

SmoothGangsta;4191765 said:
You seem to forget he was using ephedrine during the rehearsals as well. You cannot gauge how MJ was from the This Is It film when he was using drugs to stay alert and awake at the rehearsals.

Any fact that you will present to them is going to fall on deaf ears.

So, I think it is a sheer waste of time trying to change their wrong opinions.
 
^Facts and testimonies don't seem to matter, you are correct, anyone who didn't say MJ was amazing (I don't think anybody did even say that) is apparently exaggerating.
 
For example: Travis Payne (his longtime choreographer) testified that MJ asked for a teleprompter in order to remember certain lyrics of his songs. Teleprompter is a display device that enables actors to remember their lines.

Many many singers use teleprompters... - Robbie Williams have used them always, actually I don't think there are any tours he didn't use it. And he is young and does not dance. Teleprompters can be very usefull - and many singers use them... So that is not really a good argument.

Was he falling to pieces? No. Should he have been preparing to begin a 50 concert series? No.
Anybody who needs powerful drugs just to sleep is clearly not well enough to perform.

Agreed.
 
Things obviously weren't all sunshine and roses during MJ's final days, but when I watch This Is It I see nothing questionable about his health there. He didn't look like he was at deaths door to me.
 
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Did MJ's Propofol intake negatively effect his performance? I would say yes obviously as it is a heavy sedative and should not have been used at all. But I believe he used it on the History tour in Munich and France 97 and he seemed ok. Would he have most side effects in the morning after waking? I think this may have been why he had symptoms of being chilled and his condition on the 19th. It was his condition that IMO scared Murray into action (lowering Propofol dose) - if you believe his statement, (it shouldn't have taken Murray that long to realise this). It's suprising that MJ did as well as he did.
 
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