Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon is a behind the scenes account of the star’s life which offers a true portrayal of his journey through the use of intimate stories, rare footage and personal recounts from those who knew him best.

Earlier this week I was given the amazing opportunity to interview Michael Jackson’s brother Tito, eldest sister Rebbie, his close childhood friend David Gest as well as the lawyers who successfully acquitted Michael in the 2005 trial, Thomas Mesereau and Susan Yu.

The final interview of the morning was with producer and childhood friend of Michael Jackson- David Gest who spoke about the reason behind the production of the documentary, his relationship with Michael growing up, how drugs affected the icons personality and his personal views on the fifty “This is It” concerts Michael had been contracted to perform.

Michael Jackson: The Life of An Icon is available now to buy on DVD and Blu-Ray! Order your copy here.

Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon is a behind the scenes account of the star’s life which offers a true portrayal of his journey through the use of intimate stories, rare footage and personal recounts from those who knew him best.

Earlier this week I was given the amazing opportunity to interview Michael Jackson’s brother Tito, eldest sister Rebbie, his close childhood friend David Gest as well as the lawyers who successfully acquitted Michael in the 2005 trial, Thomas Mesereau and Susan Yu.

I really enjoyed all of the interviews but this first one, with Tito and Rebbie Jackson was certainly my favourite. With this being my first ever interview, I was really grateful for how warm they both were and how comfortable it was to sit and talk to them.

We discussed what period of Michael’s life they believe he was most happy, whether it would have been more beneficial to him if his musical talent had remained hidden, the possibility of there being another future Jackson legend and how they think Michael should be remembered. It truly was a pleasure!

Michael Jackson: The Life of An Icon is available now to buy on DVD and Blu-Ray! Order your copy here.

Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon is a behind the scenes account of the star’s life which offers a true portrayal of his journey through the use of intimate stories, rare footage and personal recounts from those who knew him best.

Earlier this week I was given the amazing opportunity to interview Michael Jackson’s brother Tito, eldest sister Rebbie, his close childhood friend and producer David Gest as well as the lawyers who successfully acquitted Michael in the 2005 trial, Thomas Mesereau and Susan Yu.

Interviewing two such talented lawyers was another great experience. We discussed how they became Michael’s representatives during the 2005 molestation trial, how they coped with the media attention, what it was like working with Michael in such an intense situation and what views they take on the current trial surrounding his death.

Michael Jackson: The Life of An Icon is available now to buy on DVD and Blu-Ray! Order your copy here.

Universal Pictures International Home Entertainment have given us this great clip from their new movie, Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon which is released on DVD and Blu-ray 31st October. The clip is called ‘It was Amazing’ and in it, we get to hear from Mathra Reeves who recounts the first time that she got to see Michael perform on stage. They were given the chance to perform in front of James Brown after winning the amateur night at the Apollo. She talks about how Michael Jackson did an impression of Brown and how ‘it was amazing’.

Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon is directed directed by Andrew Eastel and produced by David Guest​. In it, you’ll get to hear first hand accounts from the ‘people who knew him best’ including Katherine Jackson, Tito Jackson and Rebbie Jackson​ and many more.

The film will hit DVD and Blu-ray 31st October. You can see all our coverage including the trailer for the movie here.

Prepare to go behind the headlines as producer and television star David Gest​, Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine, brother Tito, sister Rebbie and more than fifty friends, peers and associates share intimate and fascinating stories about the singer’s celebrated life.  Released on DVD and Blu-ray™ on October 31^st 2011 from Universal Pictures International Home Entertainment, and featuring performance footage as well as never-before-seen family photography, Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon is a powerful behind-the-scenes account of the star’s life, providing fresh insight into his early years with the Jackson 5​, his rise to global solo-stardom through to the final moments before his sudden death in 2009.

Directed by Andrew Eastel and produced by Michael Jackson’s close childhood friend David Gest, Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon gives Katherine Jackson the first chance to tell her side of the story about Michael’s upbringing in Gary, Indiana, his relationship with father Joe, her support for her son during the court cases he challenged and her thoughts on the life he faced afterwards.  Rebbie Jackson, Michael’s eldest sister, gives a very rare interview and recounts the star’s childhood growing up in Gary, Indiana, as well as his difficulties with father Joe, his extraordinary bond with mother Katherine, and his decline in later years. Gest’s other best friend, Michael’s brother, Tito, provides an in-depth look into Jackson’s history and what his mother and family went through during the sensational molestation trial in 2005.

We’ve just received information that the world premiere of the brand new Michael Jackson biopic, is set to take place right in here in London. To celebrate, we’ve been given this brand new clip from the movie which is introduced by legendary music Producer and friend to the Jackson family, David Gest.

Following the announcement, we get to see a new clip from the movie entitled He Went to a New Level which I’ve placed in the video embedded below. When you see the clip you just scratch the surface of the impact that he made on the world. I was astonished at some of the clips  seeing just a few of the people he met.

I’ve also placed the press release that we have been sent with full details on the World Premiere which is set to take place on November 2nd 2011 at the Empire Leicester Square. In attendance will be Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine, brother Tito, sister Rebbie, David Gest, the film’s director Andrew Eastel and lawyers Thomas Mesereau and Susan Yu (who successfully acquitted Michael Jackson of all charges during his child molestation court case in 2005).

London, Wednesday, 5th October 2011 – David Gest and Universal Pictures today announced they will co-host a special all-star event to celebrate the world premiere of Gest’s new film ‘Michael Jackson: The Life Of An Icon’ to be held in London at 7:00pm, Wednesday 02 November 2011 at the Empire Leicester Square.  The film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on Monday 31 October 2011.

In attendance will be Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine, brother Tito, sister Rebbie, David Gest, the film’s director Andrew Eastel and lawyers Thomas Mesereau and Susan Yu (who successfully acquitted Michael Jackson of all charges during his child molestation court case in 2005).  They will all participate in a special Q&A to discuss their involvement in the project prior to the screening.  Joining them at the event will be more than 100 celebrities including many of the music industry’s top recording artists, motion picture and television stars, sporting legends and other well-known personalities.  In addition, Michael Jackson fans from all over the world will have the opportunity to win tickets to attend this event.  They will be able to join celebrity guests on the red carpet, view the film and have a chance to be selected to pose a question during the audience Q&A.  Universal Pictures will soon announce details for Michael Jackson fans to participate in this event.

Television star and producer David Gest, who produced Michael’s last concert ‘Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration’ in 2001, which was the highest-rated musical television special in history and featured the final reunion of the original Jackson 5, said: “I am thrilled that Katherine, Tito, Rebbie, Andrew, Thomas and Susan as well as 100 stars will be in attendance for the world premiere of my new film ‘Michael Jackson: The Life Of An Icon’.  There is going to be a jam at the invitation-only after-party following the premiere and more than 20 legendary artists who appear in the film will take part.  I am thrilled because so many of today’s contemporary artists who are friends of mine are really looking forward to performing with these legends.  This party is going to be historic!”

Musical legends already confirmed to perform at the exclusive after-party include: Russell Thompkins, Jr., the original lead singer off all the Stylistics hits (‘I Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love)’, ‘You Make Me Feel Brand New’, ‘Rockin’ Roll Baby’, ‘Sing Baby Sing’); Peabo Bryson (‘A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme)’, ‘Beauty & The Beast’ ‘Tonight, I Celebrate My Love’); Deniece Williams (‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’, ‘Free’, ‘Too Much, Too Little, Too Late’ & ‘It’s Gonna Take A Miracle’); Kim Weston (‘It Takes Two’, ‘Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)’ & ‘Helpless’); Brenda Holloway (‘Every Little Bit Hurts’, ‘When I’m Gone’ & ‘You Made Me So Very Happy’ which she co-wrote); Jimmy Ruffin (‘What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted’, ‘I’ll Say Forever My Love’, ‘It’s Wonderful’ & ‘Hold On To My Love’); Martha Reeves (‘Dancing In The Streets’, ‘Heatwave’, ‘Jimmy Mack’ & ‘ I’m Ready For Love’) and many more to be announced. According to Tito Jackson: “this is going to be like a 60’s, 70’s and 80’s soulfest with so many legends gathered in one place in honour of my brother.  Michael loved soul music and grew up on it and my mother, sister and I are really excited to hear and see all these great performers in one room.  It is going to bring back a lot of wonderful memories!”

‘Michael Jackson: The Life Of An Icon’ is a powerful behind-the-scenes account of the star’s life, providing fresh insight into his early years with the Jackson 5, his rise to global solo-stardom through to the final moments of his sudden death in 2009 featuring exclusive interviews with Katherine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Rebbie Jackson, Smokey Robinson, David Gest, Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston, Paul Anka, Michael’s manager, the late Frank DiLeo in his last interview, Valerie Simpson and her husband, the late Nick Ashford in his last interview, Petula Clark, Mickey Rooney, legendary record producers Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, the songwriting team of Brian Holland-Lamont Dozier-Eddie Holland and more than 50 friends, peers and associates share intimate and fascinating stories about the singer’s celebrated life.  Released on DVD and Blu-ray™ on Monday 31 October 2011 from Universal Pictures International Home Entertainment, the film will feature performance footage as well as never-before-seen family photography.

Directed by Andrew Eastel and produced by Michael Jackson’s childhood best friend David Gest, ‘Michael Jackson: The Life Of An Icon’ gives Katherine Jackson the first chance to tell her side of the story about Michael’s upbringing in Gary, Indiana, his relationship with father Joe, her support for her son during the court cases and her thoughts on the life he faced afterwards.  Rebbie Jackson, Michael’s eldest sister, gives a very rare interview and recounts the star’s childhood growing up in Gary, Indiana and his extraordinary bond with mother Katherine.  Gest’s other best friend, Michael’s brother, Tito provides an in-depth look into Jackson’s history and what his mother and family went through during the sensational child molestation trial in 2005 that he was acquitted from an all counts.

Michael’s mother Katherine says: “‘Michael Jackson: The Life Of An Icon’ is a truly remarkable film that captures the true character, wit and sensitivity of my son.  Producer David Gest takes you on an emotional roller coaster that will bring people to tears as well as really understand who the man behind the music was and is.”

Universal Pictures have sent over this new trailer for their new movie focusing on The King of Pop, Michael Jackson in this new documentary based on the life of the singer titled Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon.

In this documentary which has been directed by Andrew Eastel and produced by David Guest, you’ll get to hear first hand accounts from the ‘people who knew him best’ including Katherine Jackson, Tito Jackson and Rebbie Jackson and many more. This trailer starts off with the 911 call made when Michael tragically died in 2009 and if you’re a fan of Jackson, is a must watch. It could well have you welling up by the time it ends so be warned.

The film will hit DVD and Blu-ray 31st October. Read on for more official info and scroll down for the trailer:

Prepare to go behind the headlines as producer and television star David Gest, Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine, brother Tito, sister Rebbie and more than fifty friends, peers and associates share intimate and fascinating stories about the singer’s celebrated life.  Released on DVD and Blu-ray™ on October 31^st 2011 from Universal Pictures International Home Entertainment, and featuring performance footage as well as never-before-seen family photography, Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon is a powerful behind-the-scenes account of the star’s life, providing fresh insight into his early years with the Jackson 5, his rise to global solo-stardom through to the final moments before his sudden death in 2009.

Directed by Andrew Eastel and produced by Michael Jackson’s close childhood friend David Gest, Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon gives Katherine Jackson the first chance to tell her side of the story about Michael’s upbringing in Gary, Indiana, his relationship with father Joe, her support for her son during the court cases he challenged and her thoughts on the life he faced afterwards.  Rebbie Jackson, Michael’s eldest sister, gives a very rare interview and recounts the star’s childhood growing up in Gary, Indiana, as well as his difficulties with father Joe, his extraordinary bond with mother Katherine, and his decline in later years. Gest’s other best friend, Michael’s brother, Tito, provides an in-depth look into Jackson’s history and what his mother and family went through during the sensational molestation trial in 2005.

Michael Jackson’s life has left, along with a seemingly quality-ambivalent commerciability, an unerring sociological legacy.

Alongside a frankly Invincible discography that generations will be boogying on down to long into the future, I’ve learnt from experience that he is just about the only person who can get away with grabbing his thrust crotch and screaming like a madman in public.

That is, until now.

Michael Jackson: The Experience brings both his questionable dance moves and his timeless back catalogue together into one prospectively party-tastic package. And while it’s been floating around on the Wii for a while now, this Xbox 360 and Kinect-abled version adds a Karaoke-lite singalongability and full motion tracking to encourage you to spin, thrust and moonwalk your way to perfection/social suicide.

There are over 25 of Wacko’s songs to play with, ranging from the classic (Dirty Diana, Billie Jean) to the, erm, questionable (Earth Song), and Ubisoft have gone to town in ensuring there’s an appropriately recognisable array of dance moves and song arenas to embarrass yourself to.

Using the Kinect’s Player Projection tech, you’re literally beamed into the action, and watching your distinctly un-iconic figure groove along to the King of Pop’s classic tracks in dingy bars, massive arenas, and graveyards – all the while accompanied by a gaggle of choreographed backing dancers – is undeniably fun.

Alas, when it comes to accuracy, this is no Dance Central. The judging system is either leniant or inaccurate depending on how your pride wants to look at it, so even when you’re BAD (cough), you’re still guaranteed a certain level of enjoyment without recrimination. Which is all well and good for the ‘drunken party with your mates’ aspect, but restricts replayability or any real learning curve somewhat.

Similarly the singing sections are bastardised so you’re only able to ever warble along to specific sections of songs in between dance skits during the main performance mode, meaning it’s less a Singstar contender than a vocal warm-up.

Still, with such a classic, infectiously recognisable track listing, and some undeniably flashy presentation, it certainly serves its purpose as a party starter.

***~~ (3/5)

This week sees the start of that weird twilight zone in the videogame calendar; a sort of no-mans-land where all the major releases are on shelves but not yet flying out of stores, and yet still one or two stragglers are making their way hurredly into the scrum to grab their piece of the action.

Of course that doesn’t mean the best has already come and gone, indeed far from it. This week’s major talking point will be Gran Turismo 5 on the PS3, barring any last-second attempts by Sony to sabotage the delivery trucks for one last delay. On top of that, Crazy Taxi makes a comeback on PSN and XBLA, Michael Jackson dances onto the Wii, and Tron: Evolution – The Videogame appears on every platform known to man.

Full list as follows:

Crazy Taxi – SEGA – PSN/XBLA – 24th November

Gran Turismo 5 – Polyphony Digital – PS3 – 24th November

Def Jam Rapstar – Konami – Konami – PS3/360/Wii – 26th November

Disney Epic Mickey – Disney Interative  - Disney – Wii –

Michael Jackson: The Experience – Ubisoft – Ubisoft – DS/Wii/PSP – 26th November

TRON: Evolution – Disney Interactive – Disney – 360/PS3/Wii/DS/PSP/PC – 26th November

Venetica – PS3 – 26th November

Michael Jackson may have shuffled off this mortal coil more than a year ago, but interest in him and his music is still very much alive.

GK Films are currently in negotiations for the rights to his hit song Thriller, which they plan to weave into a feature length narrative. Little is known about the actually story as yet, but the film is budgeted at around $50m, and it’s being written by The Hangover scribe Jeremy Garelick

Kenny Ortega (who directed the singer’s documentary film This Is It) is attached to this one, so there is some continuity here in regards to the keeping it within the Michael Jackson brand, but it seems like a tall order for audiences to get behind a film like this when the hugely iconic John Landis-directed promo is such a well known part of pop culture.

Who knows, maybe the makers are intending on taking the film in an entirely different direction to that of the music video. Whatever the plans, they certainly have their work cut out.

As reported by Deadline.

This should come as no surprise to fans of Michael Jackson, or to those who were witness to the fever pitch of hysteria that surrounded the simultaneous worldwide released of the movie This Is It on Tuesday of this week.

The BBC have reported the film made $20m all over the world, according to Sony Pictures who produced the film.

The film features rehearsal footage from Jackson’s This Is It comeback tour with Jackson performing many of his most popular songs and is some small compensation to the thousands of Jackson’s loyal fans who had booked tickets to see his concerts at the O2 arena.

You can read our review of the film here and if the film’s success continues Sony may well extend its inital two week run.

Read more at the BBC here.

Michael Jackson has always been a bit of controversial figure, opinion divided on the man behind the music, James Prescott takes a look at This Is It, directed by Kenny Ortega and released last week.

Often in death, people look beyond the controversy and look to the best of someone, yet there seems to have been as much controversy about him since his death as in life.

In particular there has been a bit of controversy around “˜This Is It’, a film essentially about his last weeks, primarily focussing on his rehearsals for the tour that never was. I was surprised going in to see the sheer numbers of people,  of all sorts of ages, who were attending. There was clearly genuine interest, and speaking to someone beforehand who had seen it, he merely said “˜It’s awesome’. Clearly, more interest than the media had led many to believe.

I’ve always been a person who tries to see the best in people, and in particular as a Jackson fan I’m of the opinion that whatever you think of his character and his behaviour off stage (and no doubt it was controversial and questionable), there is no doubt that Jackson was one of the most talented and successful musicians/entertainers of both our or any generation. This film goes some way as to showing you why.

The film starts with a little prologue, setting the context. But the first film you see, with interviews with potential dancers before the auditions, it almost seems like a fake. Like it was all staged. But before long you realize, this is no fake.

The format essentially is showing the rehearsals and live performances by Jackson of the majority of songs – both his own and those he sang with the Jacksons – that he was going to perform at the show, interspersed with interviews with the different people involved behind the scenes. For many of the tracks they don’t just show the rehearsals, but all the work behind the stage show, including blue screen work and constumes. What becomes clear is that if this tour had gone ahead as planned, it would have been one of the greatest stage shows ever. The amount of work going into this beyond rehearsals was incredible. Shooting new video for different tracks, building elaborate sets and pushing the boundaries of creativity, as Jackson always did. As part of this, they actually show you cuts of different rehearsals by Jackson performing these tracks, with the video and stage show, almost as if you were there. Some of it is truly phenomenal.

You also get a glimpse of the genius and sheer work ethic of Jackson. Although shy and quiet, in terms of his work he was clearly an absolute perfectionist, wanting every dance move, every note, every instrument, every shot absolutely perfect, and encouraging and challenging the people around him to be better, not resting until things were absolutely perfect. He was involved in every aspect of the show, and choreographed all of the on stage work himself. He worked immensely hard, and demanded the absolute best of himself and others. To me there is no doubt – and some have said this since his death – that he saw this tour as a chance of not just the redemption, but resurrection of his career. It may well have been.

Yet there are also signs towards the end of the film – and the end of rehearsals, that he was tired. He occasionally misses out words in his songs – deliberately, to preserve his voice (understandable, with 50 dates to play), and although all the moves are there dance-wise, especially at the beginning of rehearsals, towards the end of rehearsals he finds it harder to sustain. Would he have made the 50 dates? I’m not sure, but I think certainly he would have needed a lot of rest in between to complete them.

But he still had “˜it’. The moves. The voice. The vision and creativity – it was all still there, and there’s no doubt in my mind this is the real Jackson – despite what others have speculated.

Director Kenny Ortega, who worked with Jackson for many years and famously directed the “˜High School Musical’ films, emerges with a lot of credit. With so many hours of footage to work with, the way he blends all the different segments, in particular within the performances, and blends them with behind the scenes segments and the visuals from the shows is excellent. The film is very much a labour of love on his part and that comes through very clearly.

From the very beginning it is clear to whom the film is targeted, with the line on screen ‘To the fans’, and that is clearly the maxim all the way through. The film is very clearly targeted at Jackson fans and those interested in the man behind the music, and focussed on the best of Jackson, ignoring all the controversy surrounding him completely. For its target group, this film is well worth watching. In some ways it strips away the aura of Jackson the megastar. Instead it shows him as a flesh and blood man,  one of exceptional talent and vision. A professional dedicated to his craft who was determined to be successful again, and who was working hard to give his fans the best stage show possible in the process.

For those not remotely interested in Jackson, then I would say its probably not worth watching. But to be honest, it’s not really aimed at those people anyway.

I only wish we had got to see the final result of all the work Jackson and all those working on the project had put in, it would have been a sight to behold. Jackson live and at his best with the stage show and visuals/blue screen shots all added in, it would have been some concert.

It shows what made Jackson the star he was, and proves that his success was no accident, but was down to a unique combination of talent, vision, passion, creativity, star quality and sheer hard work.

It also gives a glimpse, maybe, of what could have been.

We’ve managed to acquire some great footage form the premiere’s of Michael Jackson’s ‘This is It’ in London and Los Angeles.

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment have released Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT for a limited two-week engagement worldwide. The debut of the film took place last night Wednesday, October 28th in 19 countries worldwide. The movie was pieced together from 100 hours of footage shot at rehearsals for the 50 performances due at the O2 in London.

Check out the footage from the Los Angeles and London Premieres below.

London Premiere

Los Angeles Premiere

Here’s a couple of new clips from the Michael Jackson documentary based on footage collected during his rehearsals for the shows he was due to perform at the O2 area in London, England.

This is It is out worldwide, 28th October.

Human Nature Extended Clip

The Way You Make me Feel