Examiner exclusive: AEG's Randy Phillips talks 'This Is It,' Michael Jackson and more (Part II)

AEG's Randy Phillips talks about 'This Is It' (AEG)

As previously reported, AEG's Randy Phillips recently gave an exclusive interview to Examiner.com discussing the unprecedented film This Is It -- a documentary of Michael Jackson's rehearsal preparations for his 50-date comeback tour before his untimely death.

Here is Part II of the exclusive interview:

Tiffany Warner: Talk about the energy surrounding the project. There are numerous talented people on board, including choreographer Kenny Ortega. I heard him speak at the MJ Memorial at Staples.

Randy Phillips: We put the memorial together after the 4^th of July. It was a labor of love for Michael. With this project, it's not about press. He’s not a caricature. This project is entertaining.

TW: Take us back to how you talked MJ out of retirement. How were you able to convince him?

RP: I talked to him/pitched him about a year and a half earlier. He turned me down, but I’m resourceful and relentless. I (eventually) talked him into it. One year and a half later, Tom Berick from Colony Investments, who saved Neverland Ranch, helped him restructure his finances. He approached me and said MJ wanted to talk to me personally. Are you wondering why it's 31 shows and not 30? Prince did 21 shows [at O2] so he wanted to do more than Prince. He later gave me permission to add 19 more shows on two conditions.

TW: He was working on a “new move”?

RP: Yes, he had new choreography. Choreographer Travis Payne was working on tons of new moves. Very entertaining.

TW: I read MJ wanted to ride an elephant onstage. Were there to be any live animals in the production?

RP: (laughs) No. No elephants.

TW: Initially AEG was rumored to lose millions after Michael's death. You said, quote, “People have speculated that this is going to bankrupt our company. The truth is – it isn’t.” How are you covered?

RP: At the time of his death we’d already spent $33 million on production. No, it's not the end of the company. Maybe to other companies, but not ours. Our mutual owner is a very wealthy billionaire. People speculated this would be the end, but I knew the value of the content we had. Just didn’t know how to monetize it. I shopped it around to studios and [there was] a bidding war between four studios, Universal, Sony, Paramount and Fox.

TW:  Immediately following Michael's death, there were clips from his rehearsals on the news -- all over TV. It was a bit eerie to watch. However, he seemed so real. He wasn't in a video or in a structured interview. He was a person.

RP: Yes, in this film he is a real person. You are a voyeur. Just a fly on the wall in his life.

TW: Talk about the This Is It album. There are unreleased songs and controversy over the This Is It song.

RP: All of the music in the film are Michael’s greatest hits except for two songs -- "Thriller," written by Rod Tempteron, and "Man in the Mirror" by Siedah Garrett. One song, 'This Is It,' by Paul Anka. It was an honest mistake because it was co-written by MJ. Once they found out, they corrected the mistake.

TW: Well, thank you for your time. I will see you at the premiere in Los Angeles.

RP: Great! You will enjoy it.

For part I of the interview, see Examiner exclusive: AEG's Randy Phillips talks 'This Is It,' Michael Jackson and more (Part I)

Also for exclusive coverage on the Michael Jackson This Is It premiere in Los Angeles October 27, make sure to check back to this column!

You can follow everything Michael Jackson and see what people are talking the most about on Examiner.com's Real-Time Michael Jackson Tracker.

Find out more news about Michael Jackson here and see some more highlights from LA Celebrity Headlines Examiner Tiffany Warner here.