A message from one of Michael's techs on This Is It
"Hi,
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A Message from One of Michael's Techs on TII Tabloid Junkie
My name is jhon. I will spare a second name as i do not want any lawsuits brought against me by AEG or any company affiliated with them.
I worked as part of the technical team on Michaels This is it production.
Firstly let me just say, Michael was a good man, i bare him no ill will or malice, but the reason for this posting is for a few simple reasons--I am publicly not permitted to talk about any aspect of the this is it production. Everyone who worked on that has been told not to give any kind of public statement, only officials or people who are granted permission by AEG are allowed to discuss publicly about the production. People who are allowed are the obvious ones, such as directors(Kenny etc.) Dancers, a few people from production(set, costume designers), musical director etc, the dancers etc...
Understand this...everything that is being said by these people has been vetted and checked. They are told which details to reveal.
MY main anger and point of this article is 3 main things, that i witnessed but did not see in the dvd movie(that my nephew purchased)
1. Many of the vocals used in this is it movie are not the vocals i heard. Please hear me out.
I heard Michael sing ALL of his songs without playback, in the rehearsals we NEVER USE PLAYBACK. When i was younger and starting out i got a job on Michaels earlier tour in 1991. I worked as a junior in productions, and i witnessed 2 rehearsal sessions.--there was no playback, even though when he had taken the show out of rehearsals and onto the road there was a playback. I am sure you can find rehearsals from an earlier tour on the INTERNET--just look into it-he never uses playback on rehearsals-it is pointless because there is no audience .
Basically from my experience with Michael, he never uses playback in rehearsals.--it is a waste, as there is no audience.
I am unhappy that Kenny did not show Michaels real voice on a few songs.
2. My second problem is that some performances from Michael has been left out. He turned up for around 3 rehearsals a week, out of a 6 day week. And in the end had done around 4 full rehearsals before june 25th.
How it worked was like this---Michael spent time learning the moves with his choreographer, and would come in and rehearse with the dancers on average 1-2 times a week, the 3rd day when he was at rehersals he looked into productions and had costume fittings etc.. When Michael was absent there would be a double, just to step in(so the dancers could rehearse). I blatantly saw this double in the movie, in the Smooth criminal performance. You see, that background(with the towers and building)was fully completed after his death. Any footage of him in-front of those building in smooth criminal is not him, HOWEVER IT IS MICHAEL WHEN THE BACKGROUND IS WHITE. That particular scene was confusing, as they mixed the 2 footages together-the footage of the buildings is used with a Michael step in( a double), and when he is in-front of a white screen that is him.-confusing but watch that scene again and you will know what i mean.--it is him when he says POW and he is in front of a WHITE screen, BUT IT IS THE DOUBLE WHEN HE IS IN-FRONT OF A 3D BACKGROUND OF BUILDINGS.
Other performances that, after researching it, has been denied. MICHAEL did perform dirty Diana--it was a masterpiece.---granted Michael did not sound all that good, it was only rehearsal.--he did it twice. The set up was excellent.---why AEG are denying it had taken place i do not know.
We are the world was also performed, and heal the world and a few others.
iNFACT IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH ON THE INTERNET YOU WILL FIND FANS THAT HAVE RECORDED HIM PERFORMING DIRTY DIANA(ON THERE PHONES OUTSIDE STAPLE CENTRE), BUT KENNY HAS DENIED THAT HE PERFORMED IT.
I just wanted to let you guys, the real fans, that there is the real footage out there somewhere and one day you will hopefully get to see it.
3. MY third problem with the movie is it did not address the health concerns that we all saw. Not the thinness, Michael, if my memory serves me well has always been thin-this was not a problem. The problems that i saw, was basically Michael had some problem with his feet. After his rehearsal with the dancers, he would usually be in a great deal of pain, from his feet. I don't know if any one can shed some light on this, but someone on set said his skin on his feel tears easily and has become very sensitive-after years of putting them to use i guessed-this is why Michaels dancers were going to do a large number of the heavy routines, with Michael only participating in a few dance routines(such as beat it the way you make me feel), the rest of the time he would be just walking around stage, filling the room with his presence
He was also in great pain from his back. Although this is not in the movie, but on days that Michael was not there randy, don't know his second name but from my understanding at the time, he was the man who was funding this elaborate show, randy was always talking to Kenny about Michaels and his worries about him not completing 50. Randy and Kenny were talking a lot, and made alot of plans in-case his health fails, Randy also hired a doctor for Michael.
Kenny, as instructed by Randy, always made sure the camera's were rolling on the days mj turned up for rehearsals, although he denies this, but these film footages were made as a guarantee, that if something happened he would have something get his investment back on. I don't know if you fans know this, or whether it is common knowledge or not, but Kenny and Randy are cousins(i think distant)
In fact we were all told that if we saw Michael and his entourage we were to send word to Kenny immediately so as he could instruct the camera men to film.
Well i have said my peace...