Tomorrow night, "Michael Jackson's This Is It" opens wide, allowing one and all a glimpse at the pop legend's final days as he prepared for a 50-show residency at London's O2 Arena. Tonight the movie opens in select markets, with a red carpet premiere in Los Angeles at the center of everything. We'll be there to cover the event, wrapping it up inside of an MTV special featuring exclusive interviews with people close to the documentary and the canceled residency.
It's no secret that anticipation is running high for this movie. When Michael Jackson left us suddenly on June 25 of this year, the trades immediately started rumbling with rumors of a documentary highlighting the hundred of hours of tape from his final rehearsals. It wasn't long before the news broke that Sony won the rights to the content, and that they were fast-tracking a documentary to be directed by "High School Musical" helmer Kenny Ortega.
You'll get to see Ortega in tonight's special, along with choreographer Travis Payne and dancers/band members who were to perform in the "This Is It" concert series. One segment in particular -- "The King of Pop: Royally High Expectations" -- takes a look, through interviews, at how utterly committed Jackson was to pulling off his ambitious residency. It was an obsession, an all-consuming drive that led him to pick up on the smallest mistakes, such as a few missed notes in a single song.
Expect that and plenty more on the pop star tonight and in the coming days, as the world finally gets to see what "This Is It" is all about. For more on tonight's special, which will also feature red carpet coverage with MTV's Sway and Tim Kash, check out Eric Ditzian's full report over on MTV.com.
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