LOS ANGELES — A hearing in the criminal case of Michael Jackson’s doctor has been postponed because lawyers are bogged down viewing hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage from the singer’s “This Is It” concert.

In a conference with attorneys on Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor accepted the requests to delay a July 12 hearing to July 20. He said he wants to know then when the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray can go forward. It is now set for Sept. 8.

Prosecutors want to show jurors clips from the posthumous feature film “This Is It” to prove Jackson was healthy in the days before his death. The defense wants to show he was ill.

Murray, a Houston cardiologist with an office in Las Vegas, is accused of giving the superstar an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives when he could not sleep. Jackson died on June 15, 2009, in his rented Beverly Hills mansion where Murray had been attending him.

Murray has pleaded not guilty. The transcript of the conference with the judge and attorneys was released on Thursday.

Attorneys indicated it will take weeks for them to view all of the relevant video recordings of Jackson. They said they have been working every day since June 28 and have gotten through only one of 21 boxes of materials.

“So far, we have found a lot of important stuff,” said defense attorney Nareg Gourjian.

Attorneys have been barred from discussing publicly any evidence they find in the videos.

Prosecutor Deborah Brazil said she has been working along with Gourjian, defense attorney Ed Chernoff, Sony lawyer Kevin Vick and a technician going through material on computer hard drives.

Gourjian, who originally estimated there were 100 hours of footage from rehearsals, said he now believes there is much more.

“There are about eight to ten different cameras that were recording the rehearsals and each one has different views and different footage,” he said. “So it is critical that we review the footage from each camera.”

Source: Washington Post

Defense attorneys and prosecutors in the involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson’s doctor won permission Friday to view raw footage that didn’t make it into the concert movie “This Is It.”

The lawyers want to show excerpts from the movie to demonstrate Jackson’s physical condition before he died.

Defense attorneys asked to see outtakes not used in the movie and requested the time frame begin 10 days before Jackson died.

Judge Pastor said both sides can go to Sony studios beginning Tuesday and view 21 boxes of audio-visual materials that have been estimated to capture 100 hours of rehearsal time.

source: AP (Associated Press)

Lloyd’s of London has gone to court… asking a judge to let the company off the financial hook, claiming it doesn’t owe the Michael Jackson Estate $17.5 million on grounds MJ was a fraud.

The company issued the multi-million dollar policy to cover the doomed “This Is It” tour for losses.

But Lloyd’s claims it doesn’t have to honor the policy for 2 primary reasons:

1. Michael Jackson and AEG allegedly lied about Michael’s medical history — specifically, MJ said he had not seen a doctor other than a cosmetic MD since June, 2005.

2. Michael did not disclose he was taking prescription drugs prior to and at the time of his death -including Propofol.

Lloyd’s is asking the court for a declaration that the policy is null and void as a result of the alleged fraud.

Source: TMZ

The surveillance video of Michael Jackson’s home the day he died has been erased — lost forever, because the LAPD never knew MJ’s death would turn into a criminal case.

The LAPD only copied 4 minutes of footage from the surveillance videos trained on Michael’s house the day he died. The video shows Jackson coming home from rehearsal at around 12:30 AM.

Dr. Conrad Murray’s lawyers will ask a judge today to order authorities to turn over the nearly 24 hours of surveillance video surrounding MJ’s death.

But here’s what we found out. The tape recirculates every 24 hours, and when the LAPD pulled the video shortly after MJ’s death, the case was not a homicide investigation so all cops wanted to do was establish a time line — so the only relevance of the video was showing when MJ entered the home.

We’re told cops never looked at the rest of the surveillance video.

The video would have shown who entered the house and when, on the day MJ died. It will now and forever remain a mystery.

Source: TMZ

Katherine is challenging AEG’s motion to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit against the company.

In her docs, Katherine says AEG retained Dr. Conrad Murray for an “exorbitant salary of $150,000 monthly,” and in return Murray agreed to “get Jackson to attend rehearsals and perform.”

Katherine’s lawyers claim it should have been obvious to AEG when Murray requested CPR equipment at MJ’s home that “the medical treatments being administered risked stopping Jackson’s heart and breathing.”

Katherine’s lawyer continues, “This is hardly the type of risk expected in an ordinary house visit from a family doctor.”

The lawyers claim, “AEG should have known that the course of treatment being administered by Dr. Murray was unorthodox and unsafe.”

Source: TMZ

Michael Jackson threatened to cancel his London comeback concerts unless he was given drugs to help him sleep on the day of his death, a court has heard.

Detective Orlando Martinez took the stand at a Los Angeles court on Monday (10Jan11) to testify at a preliminary hearing to decide whether Jackson’s personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray should stand trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge.

Murray is accused of administering a fatal dose of anaesthetic Propofol which killed the singer on 25 June, 2009.

Martinez, who interviewed Murray two days after the star’s death, claimed the medic told him he had been giving Jackson the anaesthetic six nights a week for two months leading up to his death, but was trying to wean him off the drug, according to the Associated Press. The cop claims Murray told police that on the day of Jackson’s death, he gave him sedatives lorazepam and midazolam intravenously and supplied a valium pill, but the star complained he still couldn’t sleep.

Martinez quoted Murray as saying, “Mr. Jackson began to complain that he couldn’t sleep and that he would have to cancel his rehearsal and cancel his shows if he couldn’t get any sleep since he couldn’t perform.”

Martinez claims Murray then gave Jackson a dose of Propofol, telling the court, “It was an injection to get him to sleep and a slow drip to keep him sleeping.”

After Jackson fell asleep Murray left the room to go to the bathroom but returned shortly afterwards and “was stunned to see Mr. Jackson not breathing”, according to Martinez.

The singer had suffered a cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead by medics. Murray has pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Source: Contact Music

TMZ has learned Michael Jackson’s weakened state During various concert tours throughout HIS life – as well as preparations for the London concerts that never took place – Could Become Powerful evidence in the defense of Dr. Conrad Murray.

Sources connected with the criminal case tell TMZ … there’s “compelling evidence” that MJ was in weakened health whenever he went on tour. there’s “compelling evidence” that MJ was weakened health Whenever he went on tour. Specifically, people who went on various tours — including the “Bad” and “Dangerous” concerts — say Jackson was frequently “dehydrated, medicated, and sleep-deprived.” Specifically, people who went on various tours – including the “Bad” and “Dangerous” concerts – say Jackson was frequently “Dehydrated, medicated, and sleep-deprived.”

Just like with Dr. Just like with Dr. Murray, Jackson had a doctor who accompanied him during rehearsals and tours, attending to his needs. Murray, Jackson had a doctor who accompanied him During Rehearsals and tours, attending to HIS needs.

The point … The point … the grueling concert schedules reduced MJ to a physical mess, prone to relying on and demanding drugs to sleep. The grueling concert schedules MJ Reduced to a physical mess, prone to relying on drugs and demanding to sleep.

The “This Is It” London tour was especially grueling, because AEG added dozens of concert dates for Michael, who was already in an extremely weakened state and terrified he would fail. The “This Is It” London tour was met name grueling, Because AEG added dozens of concert dates for Michael, who was already in an Extremely weakened state and terrified Would he fail.

All of this dovetails into a defense theory … All of this dovetails into a defense theory … that Jackson felt enormous pressure to rehearse for the “This Is It” tour, and when he couldn’t sleep he relied on Propofol to do the trick. that Jackson felt enormous pressure to rehearse for the “This Is It” tour, and he could not sleep When he relied on Propofol to do the trick. The defense believes when Murray walked out of the room and Jackson woke up, he accidentally infused himself with a fatal dose of the drug out of frustration and fear. The defense convinced When Murray Walked out of the room and woke Jackson up, he accidentally infused himself with a fatal dose of the drug out of Frustration and fear.

Source: TMZ

Michael Jackson was more than ready to do his 50 London dates before he died, according to one of the last people to see him. Mark Cunniffe was the lighting programmer and operator for This Is It and saw Michael Jackson’s final two rehearsals before he died.

Like many, Mark wasn’t sure if Michael Jackson, whose last 82-date world tour had been in 1996, could cut it again. The 44-year-old said: “If he’d died two weeks before he’d done it, I’d have said he’d never have done it. But he performed a full show twice on Tuesday and Wednesday before he died and he nailed it both times. He was stopping to give us notes. I was devastated when he died. Even if he’d done one show, it would have been great to see him do it and take the accolades for it. I think it would have been one of his finest moments.”

Source: DailyRecord

When Zaldy Goco answered the phone last April and learned that Michael Jackson’s creative team wanted him to develop some costume ideas for the King of Pop’s long-awaited comeback concert series in London, he could scarcely believe his luck. A long time fan of the sometimes-maligned, but always-loved music legend, Zaldy set about developing an approach for creating costumes that at once hearkened back to iconic images from Jackson’s past, while also making him relevant for contemporary fashion of the day.

The results were amazing and once the decision was made to make Zaldy the chief costume designer for the upcoming concerts, the process to get there involved five up close-and-personal fittings between Zaldy and Michael Jackson over a period of a several weeks, including the last fitting, just days before the singer’s sudden death.

Zaldy kindly spoke to Business of Fashion about the experience of designing for Michael Jackson and shared some photos of Jackson from the fittings, published here for the very first time.”

BoF: And now for the topic that I am sure everyone is most interested to hear about: your collaboration with Michael Jackson for the This Is It tour. How did that come about?

It was such a surprise that began with a really casual phone call from someone who was representing Michael’s choeographer, Travis Payne. It was already the end of April and the tour was starting in July, and he asked me if I was interested in making some outfits. Of course I said yes! But, I really didn’t take it all that seriously as I knew that Michael had only ever really worked with one designer in the past named Michael Bush. He had developed all of Michael’s iconic looks for Thriller and Bad. So, by no means was it definite. I thought maybe I’d get to make a couple of outfits — maybe.

It turns out that Michael had been advised to take more of a fashion look with his presentation, and he had asked to see designs from some really big names, including, I believe, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. My impression is that he got all these packages from these different designers and then he chose who he wanted to work with.

When he got my package, they called me right away and said he that Michael was jumping up and down screaming, saying “I’ve always wanted to do this! I’ve always wanted to do this!”

They asked me to come to L.A. the next day to meet Michael and told me they wanted me to do the entire show. In the end, because Michael is so faithful, he did ask Michael Bush to work on a few of the outfits as well, which I thought was really nice especially because it was supposed to be Michael’s last tour.”

BoF: Wow, that’s pretty amazing. How would you describe what you designed for him?

This is the thing. When they first asked me to do this, they said “we need you to re-invent Michael.” And my first thought was that Michael does not need to be re-invented, especially not now. He is one of the only artists who created iconic looks and iconic images to go along with iconic songs. It’s not necessary for those looks to be reinvented — they just needed to be made more relevant for today. Nobody wants to see a Thriller jacket that it isn’t red and black. People were going to want to see those iconic images, made more relevant to the times.

So, that’s what my approach was — referencing what we knew, but bringing more technology and new techniques that Michael had never used before.”

BoF: What are your favourite looks that you designed for Michael Jackson?

They all kind have their own specialness for me. But, if you ask anyone who works with me, they will always say the We Are The World outfit, embroidered with all kinds of techniques from around the world — from African to American Indian to Japanese to Chinese. It was quite a mix, and very beautiful.

But for me, I loved the Black or White leather jacket, with three different custom plated coloured studs, which was kind of a Sumurai-referenced jacket. The finale jacket is also a favourite, especially because Michael was so excited about it. I had made what Michael called ’secret treasures’ in the shape of little teardrops that enclosed around crusts of crystal chunks.

And then of course there was the light-up outfit for Billie Jean, which was a collaboration with Philips Technology, which really, really made him the happiest. The last time I saw him was about six days before we were leaving for London, and I tried these pants on him and he was silent; completely stunned. After about thirty seconds, he said “It’s everything I’ve always wanted.

So, that was pretty special for me.”

BoF: And then, of course there was his sudden death, which must have turned things upside down for you.

I experience anti-climax after every project, but I was in disbelief. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had been living and breathing Michael Jackson for weeks on end. When I design for a musician, I immerse myself completely in their music. It just has to play in my head the whole time.

I decided I needed to lock myself away in a hotel to get away, but even that didn’t work. Everywhere I went, people were listening to Michael Jackson. There was no escape.”

BoF: Did you have any sense that he might be unwell?

Not at all. And that is the thing that I think the movie really shows. He was quite lively, energetic and strong. And, he was super in tune to all the details. Every time I met with him, he was always catching little details. When I’d do fittings with him, he was very solid and very strong.”

BoF: Last year was quite a year for you. Doing Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson in one year is pretty big. What lies ahead for you 2010?

It’s funny because I kept seeing the two of them side-by-side in stories or hearing their names mentioned in the same story. And then, all of a sudden I was working with both of them. But right now, I’m pretty excited to get back into the Scissor Sisters, who are launching their third album. But also, last year was a big music year, and I’m thinking of leaning back towards fashion again.”

BoF: So there could be a Zaldy label again?

There could be. Right now I am working on a gown for the Met Ball. So, let’s see. I’m working on a couple of things.”

Want to See Even More Photos of the costumes Zaldy designed for Michael Jackson?

Concert suits for Michael Jackson

Concert Jacket for Michael Jackson

Shoes For Michael Jackson

Additional Concert Jackets for Michael Jackson

Source: mjfanclub.net

GRAMMY winners Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood, and Usher will join together, along with the voice of Michael Jackson, in a moving tribute to Jackson at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Jan. 31. This very special GRAMMY Moment will feature the never-before-seen 3-D mini-movie for “Earth Song” that was created by Jackson as the centerpiece of his much-anticipated This Is It tour, but was never seen by the public prior to this GRAMMY performance.

The 3-D film was created to support the performance of “Earth Song,” an original composition and a No. 1 hit for Jackson. The song has a strong theme about the future of the planet, and Jackson saw it as a unique opportunity to deliver a message to millions of people who would have seen him on tour.

“It was one of the most important portions of the concert tour to Michael and when Michael saw the film for the first time at his last rehearsal, there were tears in his eyes,”

according to Ken Ehrlich, GRAMMY co-Executive Producer and longtime Jackson associate, who was also at the rehearsal that night.

“This very special GRAMMY Moment will feature some of our most respected GRAMMY recipients, all of whom have a great love for Michael,”

added Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy.

“This segment promises to be an emotional highlight of this year’s show, and is sure to join the unique list of amazing performances for which the GRAMMY Awards have become renowned.”

This special segment also represents another GRAMMY technical breakthrough in that it will be the first time a major awards show broadcasts in 3-D. The GRAMMY Awards also were the first awards show to broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound (2003).

So that viewers can enjoy this unique 3-D TV experience at home, CBS and Target have partnered to provide millions of free 3-D GRAMMY Glasses. From Sunday, Jan. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 31, Target stores nationwide will exclusively offer these 3-D GRAMMY Glasses so that fans have the opportunity to see the film that was very personal to Jackson. Additionally, the audience at Staples Center will share the 3-D experience, wearing the same glasses as those being worn by viewers at home.

This GRAMMY tribute to Michael Jackson joins previously announced performances by nominees Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, the Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, Pink, Taylor Swift, and the Zac Brown Band.

The 52nd GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director.

Source: mjfanclub.net

Kenny Ortega went through hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage putting together Michael Jackson’s This Is It, a tribute to Jackson for his fans, but he says it was a labor of love. It was also a way of helping with the healing process after the death of his close friend. The film, which will be released on DVD on January 26th, exceeded expectations at the box office and earned a nomination in the Best Documentary category at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. On the red carpet before the show, Ortega shared his memories of working with Michael Jackson and what set him apart as an entertainer in a video interview.

Source: mjfanclub.net

American Cinema Editors, the industry’s leading organization of motion picture editors, has nominated Brandon Key, of Tustin, CA, for a 60th annual ACE Eddie Award. The announcement was made Jan. 12.

Key’s “Best Edited Documentary” nomination, for his work on the critically acclaimed Michael Jackson film “This Is It,” is shared by co-editors Tim Patterson, Don Brochu and Kevin Stitt.

Winners will be announced by ACE on Feb. 14.

Shortly after the world learned of the death of the legendary King of Pop, Key, a long-time Jackson fan, received a frantic call from Patterson, a friend and collaborator of 15 years, to help cobble together what had been raw rehearsal footage of Jackson’s ill-fated international tour into a full-length documentary for an ASAP theatrical release.

Quite unexpectedly, Key and his cohorts found themselves laboring over piles of video footage 12 hours a day, seven days a week last summer in a frantic effort to create a posthumous Jackson film tribute for a fast-approaching October release. “This Is It” opened last fall to huge audiences and critical praise.

“I just never dreamed,”

Key stated,

“that I’d be thrust into helping create what would become one of the biggest movies of the year — and the highest-grossing concert film of all time.”

That accomplished, Key and Patterson have gone on to edit and shoot additional content for the DVD, which is expected to ship this month.

“This Is It” has grossed over $250 million since its debut.

Source: mjfanclub.net

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced the January 26 release of Michael Jackson’s This Is It on Blu-ray with the kind of flourish you’d expect from associates of the King of Pop. Jackson choreographer Travis Payne performed live at the Sony booth at CES with two of the dancers who were set to tour with the late singer. Sony also ran a “Smooth Criminal” vignette from the disc showing Jackson “interact” with Rita Hayworth, Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart in classic black and white footage from Gilda and other old-time movies.

Sony Pictures says the Blu-ray features 90 minutes of new and never seen before footage.

See Photos below from Travis Payne’s performance which were posted on Facebook!

Worldwide release dates are now available for Michael Jackson’s This Is It on DVD and Blu-ray®

U.S. fans can pre-order the DVD and Blu-ray® with movie poster Here.

According to a new interview with Michael Jackson’s choreographer, Travis Payne, the late King of Pop was a big fan of Lady Gaga and had tried to set up a meeting to discuss a possible joint project.

The revelation comes from a video posted on December 30 on YouTube by Amsterdam-based producer/actor Raffles van Exel, who asks Payne which artists Michael Jackson was interested in collaborating with before his death last June.

I gave him a short wish list [of possible collaborators] … and he was like, ‘Sure, they can all come, as long as their schedules permit and it’s not too much of a problem for them,’ ” Payne said of Jackson’s humble response to a suggestion that he reach out to other artists to work with him on his This Is It series of shows in London. “Of course, I suggested Janet, of course Whitney Houston. … Diana Ross and Mariah Carey we talked about. We talked about Missy Elliott. We talked about Usher, of course. We talked about Justin [Timberlake], Celine Dion … Sting, Seal, Bono, Tina Turner. We talked about all these people that I thought were cool but that he liked.”

Then, Payne said he asked Jackson if there was anyone else he wanted to reach out to.

“He goes, ‘Lady Gaga.’ I go, ‘Really?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ He’s the one who really got me to get into her. He literally told me, ‘You gotta get into her. She’s good.’ So, I started listening to her music more and going on YouTube and looking at her performances, and I was like, ‘He’s right.’ “

Payne did not specify in the video when these conversations took place. He said that last November, he got a call from Lady Gaga and told her the story about the conversation with Jackson.

“She got moved by it,”

he recalled.

Source: mjfanclub.net