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Watching Michael Jackson’s This Is It was sort of like an out of the blue request from my mom.  She was right when she said that she would never be able to watch a Michael Jackson concert again, so she didn’t want to miss this one on the big screen.  Even if it wasn’t the concert that everyone had been dying to watch (50 concerts sold out), the movie, which was something similar to a documentary, showed Michael Jackson and his team during rehearsals.

I had been feeling cynical lately when it comes to the topic of Michael Jackson. While I had never been a huge fan, I respected the man and his accomplishments. I also had been quite disapproving of how he had been treated when he was alive and how he is being treated now that he’s dead.  When he was alive, pedophile jokes peppered lazy TV afternoons. Now that he’s gone, everyone suddenly mourns his death — even the very people who used to crack pedophile jokes at his expense.  MJ made so many people rich while he was alive…more so now.  Online and offline record stores made tons of sales just by paying tribute to MJ. Merchandising was also very lucrative, since fans — including those that weren’t originally fans — would want to have souvenirs.  Events honoring MJ would pop up in various countries and…kaching! I could almost hear the cash register sound off every other minute.

So I wasn’t exactly excited to see this movie. In my mind, it was another way of milking someone who had already gone through so much abuse in his life. But you’ve got to hand it to capitalism. There is a very very bright side to this presentation and I was truly glad I sat down to watch it.


The man was a genius. 

Artist extraordinaire: musical director, composer, dancer, singer. Name it, he had probably done it for this concert. He was very hands-on and frighteningly attentive to detail.  His energy was almost unimaginable for someone who’s 50 years old. Then again, if you watch closely, you’ll notice that he knew how to conserve his voice and his dance moves. You’ll also notice the times when he would get exhausted. Either way, he never seemed tired enough to show his appreciation for effort and talent. His kindness was evident in how he dealt with his crew.  He was eccentric beyond belief, but he knew what he wanted to happen and knew how to make it happen.

The concert would have been a very big production, characterized by widespread international auditions, extensive use of visual effects and elaborate stage settings.  There were also a lot of young talents waiting to be discovered. Thanks to this feature, their skills have now been brought to light.  As MJ said to the hot female guitarist: “It’s your time to shine.”  And shine they will.