TII collaborators say Michael

Michael’s colleagues in the never-performed O2 concerts, in an interview with MTV, talk about his determination and professionalism: Music director Michael Breden says they worked on the film This Is It up to 20 hours a day. He says Michael used his artistic insight and professional ethics—clearly shown in this film—to make sure every detail went smoothly. Breden adds that Michael was actively involved in everything and was extremely passionate, and that his work was pure professionalism. Michael was also very excited about scaring a million people with the 3D trailer for the film. Micha Hamilton, a dancer from the concert group, remembers Michael’s enthusiasm for the plan he had for Thriller. "Seeing him in that state, when he talked about the plan and it was clear how much it mattered to him—and how excited he was that Thriller would scare one million people (the number of viewers at the O2 concerts)—was really interesting. I had never seen him that excited." Rob Wagner, video and stage producer, says: "I was called to a meeting with Kenny Ortega, and I heard a commotion all at once. And I saw that people and members of the security team came in and checked the room, and I realized that the artist I was going to meet was Michael Jackson. From that point on, I knew this was real." Kenny Ortega also said on Monday night on Entertainment Weekly in Los Angeles that he is happy that the film sold $101 million worldwide at the start of its run and has now become the highest-grossing concert film in history. Ortega said: "Michael had filmmaking in his future plans. And I’m very happy that this film—although Michael personally couldn’t experience it—has ultimately turned him into a movie star." Speaking to a group of 200 people, Ortega said that Michael, through music video clips like this one—such as Thriller and Smooth Criminal—helped revive musical films. "If it weren’t for Michael Jackson, we wouldn’t have musical film styles right now." Ortega also said that Michael had two or three unique “ad hoc” items that he often used, and during the This Is It rehearsals, the dancers would line up to hug him one by one because he smelled really good. One afternoon, Ortega—who had been working hard since the morning and was sweating—goes into Michael’s booth to talk with him. When Michael walks toward Ortega to hug him, Ortega says: “You don’t want to hug me. I’m soaked in sweat, I stink.” And Michael says: “It’s okay,” and suddenly pulls out a bottle of cologne and sprays it on Ortega. Recalling this memory, Ortega smiles. "For the rest of that day, everyone was just hugging me and saying, ‘You smell like Michael.’" Lou Ferrigno, Michael’s longtime friend and bodybuilder trainer during the This Is It rehearsals, said that the film of Michael Jackson inspired his admiration. He first worked with Michael 15 years ago, and since then a friendship relationship has formed between them. In his interview with MTV, he said: "The film was incredible. I think it was great. Michael is very entertaining, and his passion and love for music—compared to other singers—really impresses you. I think he’s the biggest. This Is It proves that Michael is the biggest." After Michael’s death, he told People magazine: "I was devastated. I’m shocked. I still think it’s a joke or a dream. Michael had heard that I was participating in Dancing with the Stars, and he told me that if I performed on the show, he would teach me the Moonwalk dance. He had a lot of humor." Making the film This Is It for Kenny Ortega, Travis Payne, and Michael Breden was a blend of bitterness and sweetness. All three, in interviews with CNN reporter, say they wanted this film to represent the Michael Jackson they know. Breden says participating in this project is a source of pride. Kenny says he was bombarded with people’s emails asking what Michael had in mind for the O2 concerts. They had three of Michael’s children in mind. They wanted to make a film that the kids would be proud of. Payne and Breden smile as they describe their memories of working with Michael and his way of getting his point across to people. Michael, while correcting his colleagues, said: “I know you have good intentions, but…” But making this film also had an emotional downside for them. Breden says: "There were times when we needed a lot of Kleenex tissues." Ortega says he didn’t know whether he could handle the emotional pressure of this film. But in the end, it turned out that the film was healing. Ortega says: "I thought I would fall apart. I thought I couldn’t handle it. It was too difficult. Too soon. But in reality, it was healing and helpful." Ortega hopes that watching the film will have such an effect on Michael’s fans. Michael Breden says that, from Michael’s perspective, the This Is It concerts were a message of peace to the world. He says that for Michael, the fans came first. "All artists have their own self-centeredness. But MJ is probably the kindest and sweetest artist I’ve ever worked with in my life. He didn’t go on stage for himself—he went for the fans. He loved his fans. He loved, loved, loved his fans. And he did everything for them. He would tell me, ‘Our work has to be valuable. We can’t trick the audience. We can’t trick the fans.’ So he wasn’t self-centered. Because he always gave and did it for the fans." Breden says Michael wanted the world to know that this was his last tour, and that if we don’t pay attention to the world from now on, it could even be the end of the world. "His passion to save the world—saving this planet… healing this world." "He would tell me, ‘If we don’t stop doing the things that warm the Earth right now, and if we don’t stop these behaviors with each other, there may be irreversible consequences within the next four or five years.’ So for him, the meaning of This Is It was that. We don’t have much time to save this planet, to heal the world." Judith Hill, who sings I Just Can’t Stop Loving You with Michael in the film This Is It—the young Black woman who performed Heal The World beautifully on stage at Michael’s memorial on July 7 at Staples Center—when talking about Michael, sounds like she’s remembering a sweet memory: "When he first came to us, he was so sweet and dear. He had a very big spirit. His spirit was very charming. He was very kind to people. He was very affectionate and close with all of us. He had that gift—being close with all of us and accepting us, which was amazing considering all the pain that had passed between them and everything he had endured in life. He endured all those things and still loved others." When asked what lesson she learned from Michael and will always remember, she says immediately and with certainty: "That he never apologized for his music. He was completely himself. He didn’t imitate anyone. He was in his own world. No matter what others said, he was real to himself. I think that’s a good lesson for me—to be real with myself, with my music, and with my vision." Source: eMJey / People / CNN / EW / MTV