He always fancied himself a movie star. Now, finally, he is. Last night, as I arrived at a press screening for Michael Jackson’s This Is It, the posthumous film of Jacko rehearsing the show he never gave, I had reason to be deeply skeptical. How could it be any good? If it was, why would Sony Pictures release it for only a two-week limited engagement? And why was it holding off the press screening until 9:30 p.m. of the day the movie would be commercially premiered at midnight? It all had the whiff of damage control, and I expected a frustrating glimpse of a performance that was only half there, a lurid cash grab to capitalize on the biggest showbiz event of Michael Jackson’s career: his death.

Boy, was I wrong. This Is It is quite amazing. Directed by Kenny Ortega, who also directed the show that never opened, it offers far more than a glimpse. Out of the rehearsals, Ortega has constructed what amounts to a full-blown concert movie, framed with a smattering of candid backstage moments that are both amusing and touching. And the end of it you feel you’ve seen pretty well the whole show—which is spectacular—as well as getting some gems of unprecedented insight into the artist behind it. And here’s the real news: the movie refutes once and for all the glut of media reports after his death claiming that he was washed up as a performer, and was in no shape to put on a show. Yes, he does look frail, and with all that make-up, we’ll never know how pale. But he never appears stoned, unfocused or incapable. The movie could serve as evidence in the trial of the man accused of his murder. Executing intricate choreography, Jackson dances with the same semaphore precision and fluid virtuosity that made him a legend. And although he lacks power, his dreamy falsetto is still in tact, and he’s clearly trying to hold back. “Don’t make me sing out,” he begs at one point in a scene that’s both funny and freighted with sad irony. “I gotta save my voice.”

The film also amply demonstrates that the show, billed as Jackson’s farewell tour, wasn’t just a cynical attempt to pay off his debts with a routine greatest-hits show. That may have been the initial motive. But that’s also why Leonard Cohen returned to the stage after a 15 year absence, and 17 months later Leonard is still on tour at 75, delivering the richest performances of his life. (Hey, Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol for the cash.) Jackson’s swan song was mounted as a first-class production, with spectacular staging, choreography and costumes, as well as a hot band. The backup singers fortify the arrangements with a sound that amounts to a composite facsimile of Jackson’s voice. The dancers, who include Cirque de Soleil-style acrobats and aerialist, are sensational. As are the musicians, notably a sexy but dead-cool blond guitarist, Orianthi Panagaris, who stalks the stage with him like a gun moll on various numbers.

There’s also a series of cinematic backdrops. Thriller is re-enacted in a graveyard crawling with zombies. Michael is digitally implanted into vintage movies — catching a glove tossed by Rita Hayworth in Gilda and exchanging volleys of machine gun fire with Humphrey Bogart. A young girl chases digital butterflies through a rain forest, falls asleep, and wakes up to see the forest devastated.These touches are often hokey, bringing out Jackson’s naive taste in Hollywood iconography, but they’re undeniably ambitious, as is the concert’s finale, an earnest Save the Planet plea that pits Jacko against a monstrous bulldozer.

Aside from the performance footage, the movie offers some tantalizing backstage moments. Not enough, to be sure. There’s a funny bit with a Russian choreographer instructing dancers on the finer points of crotch grabbing. And a costume designer breathlessly talks about breaking new ground with outfits on the cutting edge of glitter. So bright you can barely look at them. I wish Ortega had included more of this stuff, instead of dutifully trying to reassemble the entire concert. And, of course, there’s not a frame of the film that casts MJ in a bad light—make no mistake, this is adoring hagiography, not candid documentary. Yet we still get a better sense of Jackson than we’ve ever had from his cringe-worthy interviews or his slick videos.

He may be a freak. But it soon becomes clear that he’s an artist with an abiding perfectionism and total authority over the creative process: while Ortega is the show’s director, MJ is firmly in charge, right down to fine-tuning lighting cues. There’s a lovely little scene of him coaching the band’s keyboard player and musical director, Michael Breardon, on how to play The Way You Make Me Feel, asking him to play a song “just a little more behind the beat, like you’re dragging yourself outta bed . . . you gotta let it simmer, let it bathe in the moonlight.” Whether Jackson is dancing or just explaining, the music and the moves seem hardwired into his being, like a quicksilver vocabulary, as if he’s been channelling those ghostly spirits from Thriller all along.

Even though the film doesn’t show any tantrums—which doesn’t mean there weren’t any—there are amusing glimmers of vulnerability. While Jackson is rehearsing a Jackson Five segment, he gets frustrated with his earpiece. “It feels like someone’s fist is shoved in my inner ear,” he complains, his voice trembling. “I’m trying to adjust my inner ear . . . with love.” With MJ, every request is punctuated with “love” or “God bless you.” Yet he comes across as more of a professional than a prima donna. And as he rips through his hits in full costume — Black and White, Man in the Mirror, Billy Jean — the camera pans down to the stadium audience: a couple of dozen screaming crew members who look thrilled to witness the resurrection of a legend.

This movie exists because Jackson insisted on filming rehearsals for his personal archive. Had he lived to tour the concert, undoubtedly a concert film would have been made. But it’s hard to imagine it would be better than this one. It would have been slicker, to be sure. But by seeing Jackson in rehearsal, we get some inkling of a person who never showed himself in public. Not just in the little backstage bits, but also in his performance style, which seems looser and warmer, a little less robotic, because it is, after all, a rehearsal. Whether vamping a soulful coda to a duet with a female backup singer or adjusting a dance cue, we finally get to see the adult Michael Jackson: a sophisticated artist in his element, surrounded by a devoted crew and a crack squad of dancers who have worshiped him since they were young children, rehearsing a show that they will never get to perform. They thought they were mounting a farewell tour; in fact they were making a movie.

Cast in the shadow of his death, there’s a heartbreaking sadness to this movie memorial that’s more tangible, and delicate, than the ghoulish spectacle mounted by the media. Whether or not you’re a fan, This is It shows that the only thing the matters, in the end, is the music. Proving that art can trump celebrity, it goes a long way to redeeming Michael Jackson—by reminding us why he became famous in the first place.

A few weeks ago I got a call from Dame Elizabeth Taylor. She asked if I wanted to go see Michael’s new movie, “This Is It,” at the Sony Studios lot. Well, how do you turn down an invitation like that?

Before I go into the movie, let me say it was an honor to be invited by Dame Elizabeth. She looked great, and it was really nice to see her. Michael had her over all the time, and we got to spend a lot of time together. She’s about as good as they come, and she and Michael were great friends. They shared a mutual love, respect and admiration for each other.

Now, the movie. Dame Elizabeth loved it, and so did I. It was like he was still here, which made it a little bit eerie for me, and very emotional. Thank God I had my Kleenex handy.

The movie follows Michael through the last few months at rehearsals for the “This Is It” concerts. It’s a lot of backstage footage of him through the process.

Michael’s fans will really enjoy this movie. His creative brilliance comes out in the film. It will prove he was ready to go – he was there, just days away from going to London and doing these 50 shows. He was 50 years-old, and he looked and sounded amazing – a genius to the end.

I’m not trying to sell anything to anybody, but this movie shows Michael was a normal person. He went to work, and did his job, his job was just a bit different. It will also show he was great, up to the very end.

My favorite part of the film was when Michael performed “Human Nature.” It’s a hard song for me to hear it on the radio or on CD, but to see him perform it on stage – it gets to me. I’m not sure why that song more than any other, but I always enjoyed the way he performed it on stage. It did something for me then, and it still does.

As much as I enjoyed the movie, it was hard for me to watch. I still don’t watch movies of my dad. It’s just too tough. I have the same feelings about seeing Michael on screen. It’s hard to watch someone I’ve spent so many years with – someone who was such a part of my life – look so vibrant on screen, and know he’s not with me anymore. I’ve had so many losses in the last few years, they’re stacking up for me.

I’m told some are speculating there was a Michael “double” in parts of the movie. I can tell you that is simply NOT TRUE. I was there for all the rehearsals. That’s all Michael. It’s Michael Jackson, and only Michael Jackson. They just want to make a stupid story out of nothing.

I think people will leave the theater after seeing “This Is It” saying “WOW!” Wow because he was about as close to genius as you can get, and the film gives us a rare look at that genius. You can’t take your eyes off of him because he’s so electrifying. I’m proud of it, and I’m sure he would be too.

UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF SELL-OUTS REPORTED WORLDWIDE FOR FIRST SHOWINGS OF “MICHAEL JACKSON’S THIS IS IT”

Highly Anticipated Motion Picture Generates

Huge Demand Around the World

Online Ticket Services Report Hundreds Of Sold-Out Shows

in First Day of North American Advance Sales

More Than $1 Million In Ticket Sales In Japan Alone

“I’ve never seen anything like it in the 25 years I have been film buying,” says UK Exhibitor

CULVER CITY, Calif., September 28, 2009 – Sony Pictures Entertainment, in conjunction with Sony Music Entertainment, today announced that the first 24-hours of pre-sales activity for Michael Jackson’s This Is It has resulted in record-breaking sales throughout the world as fans secure the first tickets to the two-week, limited engagement of the highly-anticipated motion picture.

With reports still coming in from nations around the world, it is believed no movie in history has generated so many ticket sales so far in advance of its release.

In North America, online ticket sellers Fandango and MovieTickets.com report that there is extraordinary demand for the film with hundreds of showtimes already sold out after one day of pre-sales. Some 80% of all online ticketing service transactions were for the film, which will debut in some markets with special advance showings the evening of Tuesday, October 27 and will open worldwide on Wednesday, October 28. The film is directed by long-time Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega.

Domestically, an unprecedented number of shows for the two-week engagement have sold out in the first 24 hours of ticket availability in locations from coast-to-coast, including such cities as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Nashville and New York, among others. Internationally, exhibitors from London and Sydney to Bangkok and Tokyo have experienced the same epic demand.

In London, Vue Entertainment’s Film Buying Director Stuart Boreman said Michael Jackson’s This Is It sold more than 30,000 tickets in its first 24-hours, setting the biggest ever one-day sales record in the UK, eclipsing advance buying for films including Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. “I’ve never seen anything like it in the 25 years I have been film buying,” Boreman said. “It’s a true phenomenon and sales show no sign of slowing down.”

In the United States, more than 500,000 fans performed searches for showtimes on the official www.thisisit-movie.com website. Online buzz for Michael Jackson’s This Is It was 60 percent higher Sunday than for any other upcoming film.

Commenting on the extraordinary results, Rory Bruer, President of Worldwide Theatrical Distribution for Sony Picture Releasing said, “Michael Jackson’s fans all over the globe have enormous interest in this film and we can assure they will not be disappointed. This film delivers on everything they hope and expect to see. I think the initial sales activity we are seeing in the United States and United Kingdom to countries such as Australia and Thailand underscores the unique nature of this film, which is a special celebration of Michael and his music.”

In Japan, more than $1 million in ticket sales were recorded within the first 24 hours of their release, setting an advanced-sales record unmatched by any movie in history.

Staggering advance sales were reported in Australia, where tickets for Michael Jackson’s This Is It purchased through Village Cinemas exceeded the lifetime pre-sales of such blockbusters as Transformers, and X-Men Origins.

In Bangkok, Thailand, fans lined up at box office ticket counters throughout the city, and by the end of the first day, all tickets for the first showings across Bangkok were sold-out.

In Los Angeles, at Regal Cinema’s LA LIVE Stadium 14, fans began lining up on Thursday night for tickets to some of the city’s first public showings, and within hours of Sunday morning’s starting bell for advance pre-sales, the exhibitor reported selling out of all 3,000 of their seats for shows on Tuesday night October 27th.

Sell-outs at theaters in France are also being reported; thousands of fans lined up at The Grand Rex in Paris and quickly bought out the film’s first screening there. Record-setting sales also were recorded in Germany; hundreds of fans lined up outside one theater in Munich at midnight to await the opening of the box office. As one German exhibitor noted, “Something like this never happened before in Germany.”

Record sales and sell-outs are also being reported in Holland, Sweden, Belgium and New Zealand, among other countries.

Moviegoers worldwide can get information for the two-week limited engagement by visiting www.thisisit-movie.com. For fans wishing to discover the closest theater playing the film near their home in North America, please call (877) 488-4258.

Michael Jackson’s This Is It will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London’s O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from March through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson’s This Is It captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius, and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show. Kenny Ortega, who was both Michael Jackson’s creative partner and the director of the stage show, is also directing the film, which is being produced by Randy Phillips, Kenny Ortega and Paul Gongaware. Executive producers are John Branca and John McClain. The film will be distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Releasing. For more information about the film please visit www.thisisit-movie.com.

Sony Music Entertainment’s Columbia/Epic Label Group will release a two-disc album “This Is It” featuring music inspired by the motion picture. The album will be available internationally on October 26th and in North America on October 27th.