On Saturday (November 21), Julien's Auctions sold over 80 pieces of Michael Jackson memorabilia, including the famous sparkly glove the late legend wore during the 1983 "Motown 25" television special (the same event where he debuted the moonwalk). All told, the 80 items were expected to net around $120,000, but the 3,500 registered bidders drove the final tally above $2 million. The infamous glove was sold to a collector in Hong Kong for an astonishing $420,000.
Other items moved during the auction at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square in New York City included the fedora that Jackson wore during his 10-minute medley that opened the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards (that sold for $73,800). Hand-written lyrics to "Beat It" also fetched plenty of cash ($60,000) as did a Jackson-owned 1985 Mercedes-Benz ($104,500). In one of the stranger moments of the auction, the mold used to fit Jackson for fangs in the "Thriller" video went for $10,000 — quite a price to pay for what is essentially Jackson's dental records from 1982.
Clearly, people are still hungry for tokens of the singer's life, which ended tragically and prematurely back in June. And Julien's Auctions president Darren Julien suggested that there are plenty more pieces of Jackson-related ephemera out there. "Michael was very generous," Julien told CNN. "If you were friends with Michael Jackson or an important part of his life, occasionally he would give something away, and that's a very big reason that these things got out in the public."
Being a legend can be tough. Sometimes you're not entirely appreciated until after you die (or at least until after you stop making work that people pay attention to). Sometimes it's worse than that, and you're forced to toil under the burden of your past accomplishments, forever failing to live up to what you did decades ago. This is especially true in the film world. Because the lifespan of a director can cross over a number of eras, movements and business outlooks, it seems like a number of artists whose places in the annals of movie history were formerly secure now struggle to find relevance.
Martin Scorsese doesn't have that problem. He's a rare combination of living legend and active genius, constantly pushing himself to the limit and experimenting with his storytelling skills. He could have easily settled into a pattern of simple crime dramas for the rest of his career, essentially remaking "Goodfellas" over and over again. Instead, he indulged in bold experiments like "Bringing Out the Dead," "Kundun" and "My Voyage to Italy." Along the way, he remained interested in the relationship between crime and justice in America ("The Departed," "Gangs of New York") and next year sees the release of his first thriller (the atmospheric "Shutter Island").
Scorsese celebrates a birthday today (he turns 67 years old). One thing that has kept him young is his love for music (he directed the Bob Dylan documentary "No Direction Home" and the Rolling Stones concert film "Shine a Light"). He has directed but a single music video in his career, but it's a big one: Michael Jackson's cinematic, tough-looking "Bad." Enjoy the rarely-seen long version, and remember that Marty is a national treasure.
As the week comes to a close here in the MTV Newsroom, we're left with a handful of questions before we slide out the door and into the weekend. Is it too late to start training for the New York Marathon? (Answer: Yes, as it's Sunday.) Is this weekend when we roll the clocks back? (Yes, so enjoy an extra hour of sleep before running the marathon.) What's going to be the most popular costume for Halloween? (We've already seen more Sookie Stackhouses than we care to count.) But most importantly: What might you have missed this week here on the Newsroom blog? Lucky for you,
we have whole cornucopia of answers ready and waiting for your clicking pleasure.
» The World Series kicked off this week, with the Phillies and the Yankees each taking a game in the Bronx. We still think the Yankees have the better playlist, but the Phils do have the power of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck."
» "Michael Jackson's This Is It" premiered this week, and Adam Lambert and Paula Abdul celebrated at MTV's red carpet premiere.
» Speaking of Lambert, he revealed the cover for his album For Your Entertainment this week, which caused Jim Cantiello to go a little bit insane and insert himself into some crazy "American Idol" album covers.
» The next day, the craziness continued.
» And obviously, with any good bout of madness, there are always outtakes and deleted scenes.
» Speaking of album covers, Rihanna unveiled hers as well. The people weighed in, but what do you think?
» Justin Bieber dropped a new single this week, and it really made us want to put on a sweater.
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Yesterday, collaborators, family members, admirers and fans came together around the world to celebrate the premiere of "Michael Jackson's This Is It," the concert film that gives fans a chance to enjoy live performances of some of the King of Pop's signature hits one final time. The film premiered in 17 cities around the world simultaneously last night, and there were red carpet extravaganzas all over the world. In addition to the big event in Los Angeles (which saw Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez and Adam Lambert show up), there were high-profile premieres in New York (featuring Ice-T and Rosie Perez), Sydney, Australia (which featured an appearance by T-Pain), London (where Passion Pit showed up) and Johannesburg, South Africa (which saw a multitude of fans get together to perform the dance from "Thriller").
But perhaps the greatest (and most unhinged) premiere took place in Tokyo, Japan, where Lionel Richie greeted a multitude of diehards — some clearly more enthusiastic than others.
For a look at what the unveiling of "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was like around the world, click here for the complete photo gallery of the events in New York, London, Sydney, Johannesburg and Paris!
There are a handful of symbols that are associated with the United States of America: The White House, the Washington Monument, the Golden Gate Bridge, that new football stadium in Dallas. But perhaps the most enduring icon that sums up this country — both practically and ideally — is the Statue of Liberty. It's a little ironic, then, that it came from France. It was a gift from that country to celebrate the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and to symbolize the friendship between the two nations that was established during the American Revolution. Standing at 151 feet tall (for a total of 305 feet with the pedestal), the Statue of Liberty represents the promise of the United States as a land of opportunity and a place to start over. On this day in 1886, President Grover Cleveland dedicated the monument. On the same day 50 years later, President Franklin Roosevelt re-dedicated the statue to celebrate its anniversary.
It's been a rough decade for Lady Liberty. The monument was closed to the public following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and security and structural upgrades kept it closed until this past summer, when it was re-opened to the public on the Fourth of July.
The Statue of Liberty has appeared all over popular culture, from iconic appearances in the films "Planet of the Apes," "Ghostbusters II" and "X-Men" to providing iconic imagery for television shows and music videos. In fact, one of the greatest is from Michael Jackson's notorious video for "Black or White," which features the late superstar singing in front of the torch (though obviously on a re-creation of it on a soundstage). With "Michael Jackson's This Is It" in theaters right now, it seems more than appropriate to celebrate both Jackson and Lady Liberty in one fell swoop.
Last night, "Michael Jackson's This Is It" premiered simultaneously in 17 cities around the world, and MTV News writer Eric Ditzian was on hand at the New York premiere to get a first look at the film. From over 100 hours of footage, director Kenny Ortega brought together a 105-minute feature that traced all of the steps on the road to Jackson's planned "This Is It" shows, from initial conception to auditions to rehearsals. You can read Ditzian's entire recap of "Michael Jackson's This Is It" here, but one thing that especially stands out is this passage: "The picture that emerges of Michael Jackson is of a stubborn visionary who never loses his sense of humor. He's a perfectionist who knows what he wants and is loath to compromise. He also seems reluctant to admit when he's in the wrong, as with a humorous incident when he seems to forget the lyrics to a Jackson 5 song and instead blames a faulty earpiece."
If there's one thing that collaborators and friends always said about Michael Jackson, it's that he had an unbelievable work ethic and was a staunch perfectionist. The film seems to focus on establishing that as his legacy, and that like many geniuses he was sometimes undone by his demand for constant excellence. And yet despite his workhorse tendencies, he was clearly a joy to work with, as the film offers a look at his infectious energy. As Ditzian puts it, the film creates "a glowing portrait," leaving out any of the unpleasantness that has followed Jackson's death. But it seems less like a trick of editing and more like a tribute to the thing that clearly dominated the end of the King of Pop's life: The need to deliver one final, stunning performance that would be a lasting memory. "Michael Jackson's This Is It" is not what he intended, but it seems like it comes awfully close.
The wait is finally over, and right now, fans all over the world are enjoying "Michael Jackson's This Is It," the hotly-anticipated concert film culled from over 100 hours of footage left behind by the late pop superstar. Though windy conditions threatened to whisk away all of the sequin-gloved revelers at the red carpet premiere in Los Angeles, it didn't stop hardcore Jackson fans from coming out to support the fallen icon. Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Adam Lambert, Paula Abdul and David Cook all turned out to support the film and glad-hand with spectators, press and Jackson family members. Everyone had something to say in support of the King of Pop.
"Michael wasn't afraid of just being himself," said Lambert. "Michael didn't conform to one style of music. He did his own thing. That's the thing that makes me tick."
Abdul's connection to Jackson was more personal, as she was a choreographer for the Jacksons on their 1984 Victory tour. "There were so many memorable moments," she told MTV News. "I was still a [Los Angeles] Laker girl and I was summoned to work with the brothers. I was 18 years old and I got to see entertainment at its finest. [I learned that] you're only as good as the last thing you've done. He was just amazing."
As for the movie, the first reviews should be hitting the street soon, but if the clips we've seen so far are any indication, the film will not only be a stunning piece of art but also a fitting epitaph for Jackson (though it almost certainly won't be the last). Follow the jump for an exclusive clip of Jackson performing "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" — one of his signature hits — in "Michael Jackson's This Is It."
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"Michael Jackson's This Is It" premieres tonight worldwide. The film will finally reveal exactly what the King of Pop was working on before his tragic death prevented him from performing his planned 50-date residency at London's O2 Arena. But "This Is It" isn't the only Jackson-related event kicking off this week, as "Michael Jackson: The Official Exhibition" opens in London, just a stone's throw away from the arena that was supposed to host the concerts. The collection features a staggering collection of some of Jackson's most famous costume pieces, props and personal possessions, including a mock-up of the "This Is It" set, a collection of jewelry and a selection of bejeweled gloves. But by far the best item featured is one of Jackson's robotic heads from "Moonwalker."
The Michael Jackson robot (not to be confused with the one he planned on unleashing in Las Vegas) was featured in the main story in "Moonwalker," which saw Jackson save three children from Mr. Big (played by Joe Pesci). Just as he is about to be killed by Mr. Big's henchmen, Jackson sees his lucky star and transforms into a robot version of himself. The robot is able to trounce Mr. Big's thugs and save the children (but not before also morphing into a spaceship). The Jackson robot also made an appearance in the much-beloved "Michael Jackson's Moonwalker" video game.
Michael Jackson died a little over four months ago, and though hardcore fans never got to see his "This Is It" concerts at London's O2 Arena, they will finally get the first big piece of Jackson's posthumous legacy tonight when "Michael Jackson's This Is It" premieres around the world. (MTV News will be there live tonight at 8:30 p.m. on MTV and VH1 for the "'Michael Jackson's This Is It' Premiere Special.") As director Kenny Ortega explains in the behind-the-scenes clip below, it's a "backstage pass" look at what the "This Is It" concerts could have been. "It's a private peek into the creative process of a great genius," says Ortega.
As other clips have proven, Jackson was an incredible work horse who knew exactly what he was looking for in all aspects of his presentation and performance. In the above clip, he knows exactly how something should be cued and isn't afraid to remind everybody how it is supposed to go.
Even more interesting is the proposed introduction for the "This Is It" shows. The prolonged sequence apparently was supposed to involved pyrotechnics, fireworks, a video package detailing the history of the 20th century called "Glimpses and Flashes" and Jackson's entrance via "Light Man," a robot that also served as a video monitor. Clearly, the "This Is It" concerts were going to be huge, sprawling, expensive affairs (complete with crystal-studded costumes designed by Christian Audigier) that would have been a fitting series of farewells for Jackson if he really did intend to retire following the shows. Tragically, we'll never know what those shows would be like or what would come next for Jackson, but "Michael Jackson's This Is It" promises to provide at least a glimpse of what might have been. Choreographer Travis Payne puts it best: "When the fans go see 'This Is It,' they're gonna have Michael back, just for a little while."
For more on "Michael Jackson's This Is It," stay tuned to MTV News.
"A lot of our memories in the studio is a lot about work, because he was so focused on trying to get the right material out that we didn't really play around. Like, we talked, but we rarely joked, because at that moment, regardless of what we were doing it's like, 'Lets get serious and really do what we came here to do.' He was never satisfied. Like, we might have passed up ideas that I know for a fact were smashes. He'd be like, 'Nah, nah — we got to come up with something better.' We can never do better 'cause his expectation was so high."
-Singer, producer and songwriter Akon, on working with Michael Jackson in the studio. Akon spent a great deal of time in the studio with Jackson, working on both new songs and "Wanna Be Startin' Something' 2008" (which appeared on the reissue of the 25th anniversary edition of Thriller). Despite the fact that Akon was convinced that the pair had hits on their hands, nothing ever seemed to be good enough for Jackson, a notorious perfectionist. "It was almost to a point where we would have to get a record and I would believe in it and just put it out, 'cause it would never come out 'cause he always believed we could do better," Akon told MTV News. It remains unclear when (or even if) the music that Akon and Jackson created will ever see the light of day, but Akon is certainly proud of the work that he did. "It was all about the melody, because we're both melody guys," he said. "And no matter how incredible the record was, he believed that it could get more incredible."
