Latest on MJJC

Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie 'Searching for Neverland' from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

barbee0715 said:
Rolling Stone just published a longer trailer tonight: It blocks the actual trailer so I'm adding the link.

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/watch-first-trailer-for-lifetimes-michael-jackson-biopic-w482386
Click to expand...

Great. This is now the second MJ impersonator who participates in a some shit which makes MJ looks creepy as ****.
Thank you.

What is this bullshit about him not wanting to be the King of Pop and these bodyguards being asked about Murray?
These guards weren't anywhere around MJ in 2009 when Murray was in the picture. They were never asked
by he police. And sure MJ wanted to be the King of Pop did these idiots listen to that tape Murray made
1 months before he died? Which part of "greatest entertainer in the world" they don't understand?

They are good people in this world and they are bad people. ...Sure MJ said just that. Didn't they realize how
stupid they made him sound?
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

This is a dramatisation based on a book with questionable to accuracy. Don't expect it to be factual.

If it presents a sympathetic view of MJ then I guess I won't be complaining too much once it's broadcast.

Whether the show is good or bad it is unlikely to garner many viewers, even if it set a new record for the network.
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

for those who are 'overly' worried about this movie, why not check out the book to see if it's something to worry about... I don't recall hearing any crazy stories that offended MJ fans from the book. (I did not read) but I'd think fans would have spotted out everything that they don't agree with.. !?!
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

Why does this need a theatrical 'premiere'?
(The last sentence in T&C's seems odd??)

SEE MICHAEL JACKSON: SEARCHING FOR NEVERLAND AT THE GALA PREMIERE IN HOLLYWOOD.

Lifetime Television is giving Michael Jackson fans the chance to attend the gala premiere of their new biopic 'Michael Jackson: Searching For Neverland', being held in Hollywood on Tuesday, May 23, 2017.

Attendees will include Academy Award Nominee Dianne Houston (Director) and Suzanne de Passe (Executive Producer) who was responsible for bringing The Jackson Five to Motown.

Lifetime Television is giving 75 of you the opportunity to attend the premiere with a friend! All you need to do is send an email with your FULL NAME, DATE OF BIRTH AND CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER to lifetimemjmoviepremiere@gmail.com

***TERMS & CONDITIONS***
You MUST be available to attend the Gala Premiere on the evening of Tuesday, May 23, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Winners will be selected at a random. Each winner will receive a pair of tickets. If the participant is under the age of 16, the other ticket must be used for an accompanying adult. Winners will be notified on Friday, May 19, 2017, via email. Doors open 6pm. Winners must arrive at the venue (which will be disclosed on confirmation of winning) 1 hour before. Winners MUST present photo identification along with their confirmation email to gain entry to the event. The venue and organisers reserve the right to refuse entry. The organisers reserve the the right to cancel the event at short notice without compensation to winners.
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

^ All this tells me is that we should get some type of review in a week..
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

Hey guys wait till we actually see the full movie before we bag it ok

From what i can see its okay i mean hey its looks better than that "man in the mirror " movie
 
He was music royalty — but he didn't want to be.

The latest trailer for the Michael Jackson biopic Searching For Neverland portrays the singer trying to escape the limelight in his final years.

The new teaser for the Lifetime movie opens with the late singer's bodyguards Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard (Chad L. Coleman & Sam Adegoke) - who co-wrote the book on which the series is based - being questioned by investigators.

They quiz them about Dr Conrad Murray, the physician who was ultimately charged with involuntary manslaughter after administering a fatal dose of Propofol.

'May I remind you you are under oath: did Dr Conrad Murray kill Michael Jackson?' the investigator asks.

'Like I told you, I wasn't there that night,' one replies.

'But you were there the two years leading up to that night,' the investigator fires back.

The superstar can be seen cosying up to his children - and others - as they watch movies, blew out birthday candles and chased a puppy together.

'He doesn't want to be the King of Pop,' one of the bodyguards muses to the other. 'He just wants to be Mike... a normal American dad.'
Jackson - played by longtime impersonator Navi - can be seen visibly distressed as he is surrounded by photographers.

'Raising these kids alone is the hardest thing I've ever had to do,' he says

'There are good people in the world, and there are bad people,' he tells one of the children. 'I will always protect you.'

Things get heated as the bodyguards push back against the line of questioning, declaring they were the only two people who had the hitmaker's back.

'We loved that man!' Beard roars. 'We were the only too people actually looking out for him!'

Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland premieres on May 29 on Lifetime.

40699F6400000578-0-image-a-14_1494983968332.jpg

DAB78KrXYAAKZ6o.jpg

40699FC100000578-0-image-a-11_1494983937875.jpg
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

^ That's what I've been sayin'.. Man In The Mirror was horrific! and it's all over youtube and I've seen it sold at Walmarts.. F that!

I would still rather have a poorly put together lifetime movie come up when people type in "Michael Jackson biopic" than that highly offensive movie 'Man In The Mirror'
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

KOPV said:
^ That's what I've been sayin'.. Man In The Mirror was horrific! and it's all over youtube and I've seen it sold at Walmarts.. F that!

I would still rather have a poorly put together lifetime movie come up when people type in "Michael Jackson biopic" than that highly offensive movie 'Man In The Mirror'
Click to expand...

Depending on who one asks, this movie can be deemed as just as if not more offensive than the Man In The Mirror due to the person portraying Michael in this new movie is of mexican/latino descent when Michael was a black man

It has reached the point any portrayal of Michael from here on out will be deemed as offensive where things would be totally different if things should have evolved the way it should
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

Man this looks really bad. I hope nobody watches this. I felt embarrassed watching the trailer. Navi looks redictulous I'm sure the acting is just as bad. No just No.
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

Bringing Brighter Days said:
Depending on who one asks, this movie can be deemed as just as if not more offensive than the Man In The Mirror due to the person portraying Michael in this new movie is of mexican/latino descent when Michael was a black man

It has reached the point any portrayal of Michael from here on out will be deemed as offensive where things would be totally different if things should have evolved the way it should
Click to expand...


I mean... we will see the content, it doesn't seem like many read the book but if there was something horribly offensive within it - I would assume we would have talked about it and tore it into pieces.. And something (even if a little) has to be said that suzanne de passe is part of the project and Navi dedicates much of his life dedicated to Michael..

If I were a betting man (which I'm not really) I'd say this will come out better than man in the mirror.. I know for a fact that the research they did was weak and they had no idea what Michael was like.. Flex playing Michael was basically an SNL skit.
 
DAWOIC_VYAASFPD.jpg


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michael Jackson strives to be a &quot;normal American dad&quot; in the trailer for <a href="https://twitter.com/lifetimetv">@lifetimetv</a>'s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SearchingForNeverland?src=hash">#SearchingForNeverland</a>. <a href="https://t.co/juG5t5X0MW">https://t.co/juG5t5X0MW</a> <a href="https://t.co/V1pthbSM50">pic.twitter.com/V1pthbSM50</a></p>&mdash; EntertainmentTonight (@etnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/etnow/status/865016620275642369">18. Mai 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Chad L Coleman&#8207;@ChadLColeman May 17th
Catch me as Bill Whitfield when #SearchingForNeverland airs later this month!

Mista T-Dot Davis&#8207; @muzikscribe May 19th
Saw An Early Screening Of @LifetimeTV's @michaeljackson biopic #SearchingForNeverland & I Think They May Have Gotten It Right This Time...
 
[FONT=&amp]Statement from the Michael Jackson Estate:
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]"To clear up any confusion or misperceptions about unsanctioned Michael Jackson projects currently in the news -- including a Lifetime television movie and an animated film script recently purchased by Netflix -- the Estate of Michael Jackson does not license or permit the use of any rights it owns, including to Michael’s music, images, video and films, for use in unauthorized works seeking to exploit Michael's legacy. The Estate itself [/FONT]has numerous projects in development[FONT=&amp], all of which respect, honor and celebrate Michael’s life and legacy along with his extraordinary artistry that touched fans throughout the world. When the executors are ready to announce them, they will. As Michael said countless times about his own work, the quality goes in before the name goes on."[/FONT]
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

^ yeah I was highly doubting lifetime paid for any rights for music etc. most lifetime movies of artists don't have the music..
 
Re: Exclusive: Michael Jackson TV Movie Coming from Emmy Winning Motown Veteran

Some footage from the Premiere at the Avalon theatre- VIPs, guests and entertainment with Navi and young impersonators (Thank you Jonathan Moffett, for posting on Youtube):




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqoeVZLF0TE
 
Last edited:
I've been there yesterday. I couldn't care less about the movie, I went there to talk with Suzanne de Passe.
Having no expectations whatsoever, I was very pleasantly surprised. The film is very well done, and definitely the best we have on Michael in this genre.

It does a great job humanizing him. A LOT of good humor, it doesn't scream low-budget at all like most TV movies tend to do... Very accurate portrayal of a number of situations we have footage of or read about in detail. I think we have Navi's obsessive fandom to thank for that.

I think he looks good in the movie and the portrayal is tactful. His accent falls away here and there, but overall he sounds pretty close to Michael in This Is It. A slight lisp included.

I'm glad this was made and IMO it will benefit the public perception of Michael.
 
^ Thanks for that, I was wondering thoughts of the film.. As you can see with 16 pages of notes here - there is intrigue for sure
 
I haven't been bothered by any previews I've seen so far and probably have Suzanne to thank. I'm still apprehensive until I see it. That was a pretty good review above.
 
barbee0715 said:
I haven't been bothered by any previews I've seen so far and probably have Suzanne to thank. I'm still apprehensive until I see it. That was a pretty good review above.
Click to expand...

I'm sure there will be many fans who won't like it, but I also believe many will recognize considerable effort went into this. Is it a perfect, Oscar-worthy movie? Of course not...

But it's definitely not tacky or cringe worthy like so many of the other TV movies we've seen over the years. The make-up and costumes are quite good IMO. They spent a lot of money filming on location... so mansions are actually mansions (and not tiny rooms in a studio with fake expensive furniture)... airplanes are actually airplanes (shown outside and inside). They don't really cut corners showing things. When Michael's kids get Kenya, the dog, it's just like in the home video we've seen. When Michael is doing the photoshoots for Vogue, it's just like the footage we've seen from the documentary that never came out. They get his sense of humor -- I loved that. And many people laughed along, most in the audience not being MJ fans.

The script is really cool and works. I think the story of Michael the single father and regular person, rather than an eccentric pop star, is something that has never been seen before. It's perfect, because they don't have to pretend to recreate concert tours or recording sessions. Or try to portray his creative process. It's just him, broken after the trial, trying to live his life. Very human. And fascinating. I don't think many people expect to see Michael Jackson like that...

NEVER once has Michael been portrayed like that in the mainstream. Audiences will appreciate it and come to see him as much more normal than he was.

I seriously didn't expect to like it, but it's really decent.
 
Positive review from the 'Bay Area Reporter'. (Though I disagree with the last line...it was never MJ's 'talent' that destroyed him; only the greed of many of those around him). Also a pity that they cannot get the drama-doc title right. (and the language /grammar is a bit 'off' , eg. things don't 'denigrate into...' I guess I'm being pedantic but the meaning of words should matter in journalism- especially if the writer expects their opinions to be viewed as authoritative).


Lifetime's new biopic about the final two years in the life of pop superstar Michael Jackson tells a sad and reflective story about a man who may have regretted achieving the extreme heights to which he had risen. Based on a memoir by Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard, who were Jackson's bodyguards for most of those final two years, "Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland" premieres on Lifetime on May 29 at 8 p.m.

As the film begins, we see Jackson (Navi) returning to the United States after his self-imposed exile in Bahrain, where he had gone to escape the harsh lights of the paparazzi following his 2005 acquittal of child molestation charges. Though found not guilty by the courts, the King of Pop was hung in the court of public opinion.

The Jackson who returns to the USA in Lifetime's film is a sad, weary man who has grown to despise the spotlight. He's a single dad, and his three kids love him &#8211; those children are Jackson's only source of joy. The singer had abandoned Neverland Ranch, his beloved private playground where his life unraveled. Now he has but one dream: to perform a final series of concerts that will give him the financial capital he needs to buy a hideaway where he can live in peace with his children and disappear from the public eye.

Much has written about Jackson, both during his lifetime and since his shocking and unexpected passing. Even while acknowledging his incredible talent as a singer and dancer, the press and others have derided the star for his "mental illness" and his "perversions." These statements were made by people who never knew Jackson. With "Michael Jackson: Waiting for Neverland," Lifetime offers a peak inside Jackson's life from two men who were actually there.

So much of the film induces tears. In one particularly memorable scene, Jackson allows youngest child Blanket (Michael Mourra) to play in the park with his bodyguards. Jackson watches jealously from behind a closed window, unable to join Blanket because of the commotion his presence would cause.

Character actress Starletta DuPois shines in her two scenes as Katherine Jackson, the pop icon's mom. Mrs. Jackson reaches out to her son and tries to save him from himself, but it's too late. The damage has been done. Chad L. Coleman and Sam Adegoke also offer fine work as the bodyguards who become Jackson's only real friends as his life draws to a close.

But it's the single-named Navi, a newcomer to acting, who commands the screen. Navi looks and sounds amazingly like Jackson, yet his portrayal never denigrates into caricature. Navi beautifully captures the enormous tragedy of a man who was given a glorious talent that ultimately destroyed him.

It may be time for those who have judged Jackson to rethink their views regarding his life.
Click to expand...


http://www.ebar.com/arts/art_article.php?sec=television&article=282
 
Last edited:
Wow. Good review. I've been especially worried about Navi, although the scenes I've seen and his makeup job are definitely not caricature.
I agree that it wasn't talent that destroyed him, but jealousy, greed and racism. I've never seen anyone brought down so viciously, but then I've never seen anyone hit the fame height that Michael did. It astounded me at the time and frankly, it was scary to me.

I'd like to know what Jonathan thought of the movie.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/depassejones?src=hash">#depassejones</a> for the invite to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/michaeljacksonmovie?src=hash">#michaeljacksonmovie</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/searchingforneverland?src=hash">#searchingforneverland</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lifetime?src=hash">#lifetime</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/suzannedepasse?src=hash">#suzannedepasse</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/moviepremiere?src=hash">#moviepremiere</a> <a href="https://t.co/5KMpBF1BuZ">pic.twitter.com/5KMpBF1BuZ</a></p>&mdash; Devin Reeve (@DevinReeve) <a href="https://twitter.com/DevinReeve/status/867267987362820096">24. Mai 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

L Londell McMillan&#8207;@LondellMcMillan May 24th
Memories: Here to support my friends who put the #MichaelJacksonMovie #SearchingForNeverland to honor my friend #MJJ -- King Of Pop! &#128175; #RIP pic.twitter.com/XbJc5PjbUC
DAjy8J3XkAA51Ox.jpg
 
Chad L Coleman?@ChadLColeman

#BillWhitfield, @MJBODYGUARDS, a man who saw the HUMANITY of #michaeljackson. #Michaeljacksonmovie @lifetimetv
DAj4W49XsAAI-b2.jpg
 
Alec said:
I'm sure there will be many fans who won't like it, but I also believe many will recognize considerable effort went into this. Is it a perfect, Oscar-worthy movie? Of course not...

But it's definitely not tacky or cringe worthy like so many of the other TV movies we've seen over the years. The make-up and costumes are quite good IMO. They spent a lot of money filming on location... so mansions are actually mansions (and not tiny rooms in a studio with fake expensive furniture)... airplanes are actually airplanes (shown outside and inside). They don't really cut corners showing things. When Michael's kids get Kenya, the dog, it's just like in the home video we've seen. When Michael is doing the photoshoots for Vogue, it's just like the footage we've seen from the documentary that never came out. They get his sense of humor -- I loved that. And many people laughed along, most in the audience not being MJ fans.

The script is really cool and works. I think the story of Michael the single father and regular person, rather than an eccentric pop star, is something that has never been seen before. It's perfect, because they don't have to pretend to recreate concert tours or recording sessions. Or try to portray his creative process. It's just him, broken after the trial, trying to live his life. Very human. And fascinating. I don't think many people expect to see Michael Jackson like that...

NEVER once has Michael been portrayed like that in the mainstream. Audiences will appreciate it and come to see him as much more normal than he was.

I seriously didn't expect to like it, but it's really decent.
Click to expand...
wee-bey.gif

Thanks for telling us what it was like.
I'll admit, I'm shocked at the bolded (mainly because it's a lifetime movie/biopic), but overall I feel a lot better after reading this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top