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Glimpses into Michael Jackson's reality in This Is It
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Kenny Ortega and Travis Payne at red carpet premiere of This Is It.
Wow, what a 50th birthday show it would have been.
But aside from the would-be concert footage packed into This Is It that fans will never get see Michael Jackson perform in its full glory (and an amazing short clip of his costume designer describing the never-before-invented gadgets that were being created as costume pieces for his show), there still remains a lot about the man himself that continues to be shrouded in mystery.
Granted, the footage was originally taped for Jackson's personal collection, so there's no wonder that it is more performance-based and not Jackson-centric. But there are several invaluable peeks into the King of Pop being himself if you look. Those glimpses reveal a quiet power, fearlessness and the fawning attention that would be expected to be bestowed on someone of Jackson's star stature. What it also creates is an even-more insatiable desire to know more about Michael Jackson, the person -- the man in the mirror.
Even when Jackson is addressing his musician's need to up the performance quality, he does so in a soft, gentle way. But it doesn't come off as if he is some wilting flower. In his quiet, still, little-boy way, he dominates his surroundings. And he's so soft-spoken, everyone must get quiet in order to hear him. It's an immense power.
The way he describes music also seems lost on his peers, who rely on him to let them know when they are "simmering" or have the perfect "just got out of bed" feel. It's in these few phrases that his innate, primal knowledge of everything music and entertainment comes together. You can see why he's the master of his genre.
The most compelling looks into the man behind the perfectionist pop star occur when his actions show his true fearlessness. This quality was probably the most important driving force behind his work, and the way he pushed the envelope. But in other ways it foreshadows the feeling of invincibility that may have lead, in part, to his untimely death on June 25, 2009.
When Jackson is testing out the moving catwalk, he is fine doing it with music without a practice run. It's only when director Kenny Ortega insists for safety reasons that he test it silently first that the King of Pop relents. Jackson seems annoyed when Ortega overly explains his reasoning, ending the scene with an "I love you, Michael," to which Jackson responds, "I love you, too," but listlessly, as if he hears that placation all the time and it has become meaningless.
Ortega also insists he drink water after an incredibly intense practice performance. Jackson's response is like that of a little kid whose mom insists he put on a coat before going out in the snow. Combine Jackson's false sense of invincibility with everyone around him overly mothering him and too many prescription meds, and, well, perhaps what transpired in the hours before his death seemed inevitable, despite being preventable.
Though the glimpses into Jackson being himself are brief (and the one genuine, beaming smile coming at the finale of a particularly satisfying practice performance makes me melt), they are probably going to be far more genuine than anything that will be displayed by his brothers in A&E's upcoming The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty. He's more special because he's not trying.
It's still so weird that he's gone. Rest in peace, MJ.
You can follow everything Michael Jackson and see what people are talking the most about on Examiner.com's Real-Time Michael Jackson Tracker.
Visit OrangeCounty.com for a complete list of This Is It showtimes in Orange County.
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