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

Australian singer Peter Andre is going to dedicate part of his tour to Michael Jackson.  Andre is currently in rehersals for the new tour that will begin in February.

Of the tour plans, Andre said,

“I don’t want to give too much away, but there will be a section of my show dedicated to Michael Jackson.  I’m working with a chroeographer who did some of the late singer’s videos and Britney Spears’ last tour, so I’m in capable hands.  Now I just need to build up my stamina!”

Source: mjfanclub.net

Source: mjfanclub.net

In a recent interview for Gotham Magazine Janet Jackson said that she feels almost selfish for moving on without Michael. The singer and actress admits that it has been difficult to come to terms with her brother’s death.

When you hear people say life goes on, it’s really the truth. You can’t stop living. It becomes a part of you. I feel a bit selfish because there are times I feel I shouldn’t be doing this, but I enjoy my work and I have to keep doing it. I have to keep my life going. There are days that are harder than others.”

Janet will grace the cover of this month’s issue of Gotham. During the interview she also speaks about her New Year’s resolutions which include learning a new language and getting closer to God.

Janet is very busy these days. Her new book “True You,” is about weight loss, self-esteem, confidence and more. The superstar says that it’s not an autobiography but give glimpses of her childhood to the present which she believes will be helpful and interesting to share.

Ms. Jackson (if your nasty) will also be returning to her role as Patricia, a self-help psychologist in the sequel to Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married,” titled “Why Did I Get Married Too?” The movie stars Tyler Perry, Tasha Smith, Jill Scott, Malik Yoba, Keyshia Cole and Monica Arnold and is scheduled for release on April 2, 2010.

Source: mjfanclub.net

In a recent interview with MTV, director Allen Hughes said that Michael was

“an incredible actor and no one knew that.”

He continued;

“If you look at the nuances of ‘The Wiz,’ when he played the Scarecrow. Or if you look at the short film Scorsese directed before ‘Bad,’ where he’s going head to head with Wesley Snipes. The acting he was doing? Oh my god it was good. I know actors and he was an incredible actor.”

Source: mjfanclub.net

Michael Jackson’s estate does not want to pay Joe Jackson an allowance, because Michael Jackson did not want his dad to be a beneficiary under the will and Joe wants to use the money for lavish expenses — not maintenance.

According to legal docs just filed, estate lawyers say Joe was never legally dependent on Michael Jackson during his life.

And, according to estate lawyers, the so-called “maintenance expenses” Joe wants include vacations, air travel, hotels, assistants and legal fees.

And Joe Jackson says the allowance will include money so he can

“support his children or grandchildren.”

Michael Jackson’s brother, Randy Jackson, is in the middle of a creditor’s claim filed against the estate and according to legal docs … Randy is on the side of the creditor.

Stabler & Associates, a company that claims it was hired to handle Michael Jackson’s business matters — in particular, a humongous Bank of America loan and the funding of his 2004 child molestation trial — claims the estate owes the company $275,446.08.

Here’s the problem. The statute of limitations has run on the debt. But Perry Wander, lawyer for Stabler & Associates, tells TMZ the company relied on Michael and Randy’s repeated promises that the debt would be paid, so the estate should not be able to raise the technical, statute of limitations defense.

Howard Weitzman, lawyer for Michael Jackson’s estate, is unmoved, telling TMZ,

“The claim needs to be investigated and it appears to be barred by the statute of limitations.”

And this is interesting … included in the $275,446.08 — a late penalty of $81,946.08.

And you thought credit card interest was high.

Source: TMZ.com

The owners of two celebrity giraffes — which once belonged to Michael Jackson and roamed freely in Neverland – are crying

“foul play”

after the animals mysteriously died.

PETA sounded alarms this morning when news broke of the giraffes deaths, pointing fingers at the Banjoko Wildlife Preserve in Page, Arizona — where the giraffes had been living since 2006 — claiming the preserve was responsible for the deaths due to

“improper feeding and/or exposure to cold temperatures.”

TMZ spoke with the Banjoko Preserve founder, Freddie Hancock, and she tells us –

“We suspect foul play with the giraffes. There is no other explanation for their deaths. There is currently a police investigation going on. Someone has hurt these giraffes, they were healthy.”

A necropsy is currently underway to establish an official cause of death — but Hancock insists the animals were well taken care of:

“There is no sign of infection, abuse, or neglect.”

The giraffes — named JJ and Rambo — had been at the center of a vicious legal battle between Banjoko and the local city council over a $100,000 bond to cover the animals in case of emergency.
Source: TMZ.com

Kingston Digital announced an agreement with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to deliver Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT on a special Kingston Data Traveler USB flash drive.
Timed to the DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT, the limited edition drive will be available on http://www.kingston.com/shop and at major U.S. retailers on 26 January, 2010. The film can be backed up on up to three PCs and is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. Windows Media Player is required for viewing.

“Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is dedicated to exploring new distribution channels, and we are pleased to work together with Kingston on a program that introduces consumers to Flash memory as a vehicle for enjoying their favorite movies on devices like netbooks and PCs,”

said Sony Pictures Home Entertainment senior vice president digital distribution Joe Arancio.

“We are humbled and excited to present this movie starring Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer of all time, on Kingston Flash memory,”

said Kingston vice president consumer markets group Rick Webb.

“Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a leader in providing quality content and this collaboration into digital media adds unique value to our memory offerings. This Data Traveler USB flash drive is destined to be a collector’s item.”

Source: mjfanclub.net

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

The plans that began with a Jackson family museum, a center for the performing arts and a 300 room hotel are growing in the Jacksons home town of Gary, Indiana.  Slated to be built on a 100 acre plot of city-owned land that is currently vacant, the project is break ground sometime this year.

New additions to the plans are an amusement park incorporating characteristics of Neverland Ranch and Chicago’s former Riverview amusement park and a golf course.  The amusement park will have roller coasters, trains and other rides familiar those who ever visited the old amusement park or was a guest at Michael’s ranch.

There has been discussion as to whether offer bus tours of the Jackson family home and local places of Jackson history or to build a replica of the house.

“Everything is in the planning stages at this point, but we’re moving on a fast track and we’re looking forward to actually breaking ground sometime in 2010,”

says Odie Anderson, president of the project.

The project could cost $1 billion over a 10-year construction period with private donors paying the bulk of the bill.  Anderson also said that he is looking to Gary for tax incentives.  He did not report how much has actually been raised since October, when Gary mayor, Rudy Clay, announced two new foundations dedicated to raise money for the project.

“We’re trying to extract the best and come up with a combination that made Riverview so attractive for kids of all ages as well as [have] special themes of Neverland that would be reminiscent of the Jacksons,”

Anderson said.

Source: mjfanclub.net