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Crowds swarm to simultaneous Michael Jackson film showings around world
Jerry Watson, in Los Angeles28 Oct 2009
It was as close as they were going to get to the real thing.
Hundreds of Michael Jackson fans joined four of his brothers and other celebrities last night for the Los Angeles premiere of This Is It - the film of the singer rehearsing for the planned London concert marathon that never happened.
Gallery: This Is It London premiere
In London, fans thronged Leicester Square for the 1am premiere, one of 19 which took place simultaneously in cities around the world. Some were close to tears as they left.
"It's amazing to see him up there doing his thing," Michael's brother Jackie said after the premiere at the Nokia Theatre in LA, close to the Staples Centre where most of the footage was shot. "To see him up there doing his performance like that has brought a lot of tears to my eyes, sitting there watching him. Because I love him so much. That's why I keep this with me at all times in my pocket. It's a little token of him," he said, pulling out a white-glove key-ring fashioned after one of his brother's best-known accessories.
"It was closure for me," said Marlon Jackson. "And it was a moment where I just felt his spirit inside of me. And that made me feel good." Their sister La Toya Jackson dissented, saying her brother would have been upset because he wanted everything to be perfect and not to be seen in a rehearsal.
Gallery: This Is It LA premiere
Drawn from 100 hours of rehearsals, including one the day before Jackson's death on 25 June - just weeks before the 50-date residency at London's 02 was due to start - the film shows him keeping pace with backup dancers half his age during rehearsals for such hits as Thriller, Billie Jean and Beat It.
In London, Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity performed their own dance tribute in Leicester Square at a pre-premiere celebration hosted by Blue's Duncan James.
Ashiq Baluch, 21, from east London, said afterwards: "It was amazing. I'm so emotional after seeing that. I just wish I could have been there to see him live. I wish I could have seen that on stage."
Reader views (1)
He was amazing talented person, the film of his rehearsals proved this. Although we have to remember he was very reliant on medication and his death was caused by this.
Those 50 concerts would have been too much for him…he knew this & I think the fans need to realise this too.
RIP
- Jacqui, London, 28/10/2009 10:05
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