May 3, 2013
7:30-8:30pm
The Man Behind the Throne
Directed by Kersti Grunditz Following the life and work of director/choreographer Vincent Paterson who has created for Michael Jackson, Madonna and Cirque De Soleil

8:30-9:00pm
Followed by Q&A with Vincent Paterson

Here is the ticket page on the website.
http://www.dancecamerawest.org/tickets.htm

The entire day of films is $15.00

Source: Vincent Paterson / MJStreet / MJJLegacy / Facebook

Samedi 01er septembre 2012 – Max Linder, Paris. Spike Lee a assisté à la projection privé du documentaire BAD 25 qu’il a réalisé en collaboration avec Sony Music et The Estate of Michael Jackson.

Présent dans la capitale pour la journée, il a passé la première partie de la journée à répondre aux questions des journalistes. A 18h, il s’est rendu au Max Linder Panorama où près de 560 personnes l’attendaient pour découvrir la version longue du documentaire BAD 25.

Au terme de la projection, MJ data bank / MJJNews a remis à Spike Lee un prix spécial célébrant sa collaboration avec Michael Jackson (Short films de They Don’t Care About Us) et sa succession (BAD 25).

Il a prononcé quelques mots de remerciements : « Michael nous a quitté physiquement, mais son esprit est toujours là, chaque jour. Son esprit vit à travers sa musique. Et sa musique vivra jusqu’à la fin des temps. Pour aller de l’avant, ce que nous allons faire, c’est se concentrer sur sa musique, sur l’art qu’il nous a laissé. C’est ce qui compte le plus ».

Après Venise le 31 août et Paris le 1er septembre, Spike Lee s’est rendu à Londres le dimanche 2 pour présenter ce qui restera le premier documentaire consacré à un album de Michael Jackson.

Le film sortira en février 2013 en DVD et BluRay avec des bonus.

Stay tuned…

Crédits photos :

Philppe Carini – www.pcdd.fr / ArnooO! / Alain Quehola – Saykou Diallo – MJ data bank

Saturday, September 01st, 2012 – Max Linder, Paris. Spike Lee attends private screening of BAD 25, the new documentary about the iconic BAD album .

Spike Lee was in Paris to meet journalists for a series of interviews. Later in the afternoon he attended the private screening of his new film BAD 25 at the Max Linder Panorama theatre. Close to 560 people also came to watch the film and celebrate Michael Jackson’s legacy.

At the end of the screening, MJ data bank / MJJNews presented Spike Lee with a special filmmaker award as a tribute to his work with Michael Jackson (They Don’t Care About Us short films) and The Estate of Michael Jackson (BAD 25).

As he received the award, Spike said: « Michael Jackson left us in his physical form. But his spirit is with us, it is with us everyday. His spirit lives with his music and his music will be here until the end the time. So, going foward,  what we want to do is : let’s concentrate on Michael’s music and the art that he left for us. That’s what really matters ».

The BAD 25 documentary debuted in Venice (Aug 31), Paris (Sept 01) and London (Sept 02). It will be released on DVD and BluRay in February 2013 with bonus content.

Photo credits: Philppe Carini – www.pcdd.fr / ArnooO! / Alain Quehola – Saykou Diallo – MJ data bank

LEGACY RECORDINGS, SONY MUSIC FRANCE ET  THE ESTATE OF MICHAEL JACKSON PRESENTENT LA PROJECTION PRIVEE DE BAD 25 – LE DOCUMENTAIRE

LA GENESE DE L’ALBUM MYTHIQUE : LES CHANSONS, LES SHORT FILMS, LA TOURNEE

AVEC DES INTERVIEWS ET COMMENTAIRES DES PROCHES COLLABORATEURS DE MICHAEL JACKSON

PROJECTION EXCLUSIVE LE 01 SEPTEMBRE 2012, 18H00 AU MAX LINDER PANORAMA, PARIS

« BAD 25 : Le documentaire » se concentre sur l’album, la tournée et les vidéos révolutionnaires de BAD à l’occasion de son 25^ème anniversaire.

Le cinéaste Spike Lee (nominé aux Oscars), en collaboration avec la succession de Michael Jackson (The Estate of Michael Jackson) et Sony Music, a réalisé un documentaire sur Michael Jackson consacré à son légendaire album BAD, ses short films et la tournée mondiale du même nom. Ce projet est le premier à chroniquer en profondeur les coulisses d’un album de Michael Jackson.

Le documentaire contient plus de 40 interviews réalisées personnellement par Spike Lee avec les proches, chorégraphes, musiciens et autres collaborateurs de Michael. Parmi les personnes interviewées se trouvent les réalisateurs Martin Scorcese (Bad) et Joe Pytka (The Way You make Me Feel), l’un des ingénieurs du son personnel de Michael, Matt Forger et bien d’autres…

L’influence indélébile de BAD est capturée à travers des entretiens avec certains des meilleurs artistes de la scène actuelle comme Antonio « L.A. » Reid, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Cee Lo Green et Sheryl Crow, choriste du BAD Tour.

Le film réalisé par Spike Lee accompagne le 25e anniversaire de BAD, qui sera également célébré le 17 Septembre avec la sortie de BAD 25, un coffret Deluxe incontournable contenant 3 CD, 2 livrets à collectionner, ainsi que le premier DVD jamais autorisé d’un concert de la tourné BAD filmé au Wembley Stadium le 16 Juillet 1988 en présence de la Princesse Diana, du Prince Charles et dans un stade complet où se sont réunis 72 000 personnes.

Infos pratiques :
BAD 25 : LE DOCUMENTAIRE  – PROJECTION PRIVEE
Date : 01 septembre 2012
Lieu : Max Linder Panorama, 24 BOULEVARD POISSONNIERE, 75009 PARIS
Horaire : 18h00 – 20h00
Stay tuned !…

Source : Legacy Recordings / MJJNews.fr

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUGUST 6, 2012

OFFICIAL TRACK LIST OF BAD 25^TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION IS UNVEILED

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED PROJECT TO BE RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER 18

New York, NY – Epic/Legacy Recordings in collaboration with the Estate of Michael Jackson today announced the highly anticipated track listing for the September 18^th release of Michael Jackson BAD25   that celebrates the legendary album and record breaking BAD tour. Featured in the deluxe package, are three CDs, two collectible booklets, and the first ever authorized DVD release of a concert from the record breaking BAD World Tour – the July 16, 1988 sold out Wembley Stadium show in London.

Filled with previously re-mastered versions of iconic hits and un-released recordings from the King Of Pop, the BAD25 anniversary deluxe edition CDs and DVD will include the following:

CD one features re-mastered versions of Michael’s biggest hits on the original BAD album, including, « Smooth Criminal, »   »Man In The Mirror, » “Bad,” “Another Part of Me,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and « Dirty Diana » arranged in the same sequence as they appeared on the original album released 25 years ago. “Leave Me Alone” was added to the album as a bonus track following its initial release and has been included on the disc.

CD two offers fans a rare listen to thirteen additional tracks, 6 of which are previously unreleased demo recordings created at Michael’s personal studio built at his then-home on Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino, California. Also included are all three bonus tracks from the 2001 expanded edition of BAD, the previously un-released French version of Michael performing the classic, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” a high  power version of “Speed Demon” remixed by Nero and the brand new remix of “Bad” worked on as an electrifying collaboration between Pitbull and Dutch DJ Afrojack.

Recordings included in this package reflect the songs and spirit of Michael Jackson’s artistry during BAD’s recording sessions and have been selected to show the different stages of how Michael’s songwriting and recording genius took shape. Some tracks are so complete that any other artist but Michael Jackson – who worked tirelessly to make sure his songs reflected his vision – might consider them finished tracks. Others are less complete but offer insight into Michael’s creative process in its various stages. Included is the demo, “Al Capone,” an early incarnation of what ultimately became “Smooth Criminal,” “Don’t Be Messin’ Around,” an example of a more complete demo, and a song initially titled, “Song Groove.” That song later became known as “Abortion Papers” which according to Michael’s own records, he spent considerable time in weighing how best to thoughtfully address something that was, and remains, a very personal and sensitive issue.

A true highlight of the package is CD three and the DVD – the never seen before live concert on DVD and its accompanying music CD of Michael’s legendary July 16, 1988 concert at Wembley Stadium. The concert is not a compilation of performances, but rather one complete show, exactly as Michael performed it for Prince Charles, Princess Diana and the 72,000 fans who were in the audience for that night’s sold out show. This show was one of the seven record-breaking nights played at the venue attended by more than half a million people – three times that many people tried to purchase tickets. The DVD was sourced from Michael Jackson’s personal VHS copy of the performance as shown on the JumboTrons during the concert. This footage was only recently unearthed and is the only known copy of the show to exist. The visuals have now been restored and the audio quality enhanced so that fans can share in the excitement of that famous night in 5.1 surround sound taken from the original multitrack recordings made that night.

In addition to the complete Wembley Show, the DVD will also contain “The Way You Make Me Feel” from Michael’s July 15^th performance at Wembley Stadium. This is the only song not performed on July 16^th due to the late start of that night’s show. Also included are the thrilling early performances of “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Bad” from the Yokohama Stadium performance in September of 1987 during the first leg of the BAD World Tour.

Source: Sony Music / Legacy recordings / The Estate of Michael jackson / MJJNews.fr

The biggest surprise of the BAD 25 campaign should be the special documentary directed by Spike Lee … And, well, here is why:

A reel of the documentary (20 minutes approx) was recently sent to TV stations as a teaser of the full length version (that lasts 90 minutes).
This reel tells more about the content of this film. If the final product is of the same caliber, then the whole project should be considered serious business. Spike Lee, backed by Sony Music and the Estate of Michael Jackson, called in MJ’s very close collaborators that helped him craft Thriller’s legendary follow-up: BAD. Thus, Glen Ballard and Greg Phillinganes go back to the making of Man In The Mirror. Siedah Garrett of course also tells her side of the story and also remembers the recording session of I Just Can’t Stop Loving You. But along with these cult members of the BAD gang, other key people, sometimes not that much known and exposed to the public, also share their memories: Walter Yetnikoff, former CEO of CBS Records, and Larry Stessel, former manager at Epic during the BAD era, speak about the behind the scenes of BAD. Yetnikoff tells the story of the album cover. If you are into even more in-depth comments, you should not disapointed by drummers John Robinson and Ollie E. Brown interviews.

Just like the documentary series « Classic Albums » produced in the 90s, the one geared by Lee seems to focus on the creation of each song and also documents the making of the corresponding short films. All these stories are brilliantly illustrated with rare footage from Michael Jackson’s personal archives. These rare clips show how the singer managed to come down the ceiling as seen in the legendary BAD music video. He is also shown rehearsing his part with then up and coming actor Wesley Snipes. Director Jim Blashfield unveils details on the creation of the Leave Me Alone short film (a Grammy Award winner). The documentary shows how the final scene in which the King of Pop rises and escapes from the fantasy island that built its roller coasters around him.

Jackson is also known for having filmed and documented a lot of his recording sessions. Clips of these rare moments are also part of the documentary, including one of Michael Jackson’s personal home video he shot himself with Sieddah Garrett rehearsing the song Man In The Mirror in his presence …

To help tell the story within the story, Lee also interviewed several of today’s most popular artists such as Kanye West, Justin Bieber and Chris Brown. Even if the impacts of many of these special guests on pop culture remains unsure, their presence help showcase the deep and transgenerational force of Jackson’s work.

If understandable questions about the final quality of the BAD Tour DVD remains yet unanswered (they will be when the DVD is available), the BAD 25 documentary directed by Spike Lee definitely stands out as a luxurious island on which it will be nice to land to relive and discover new things about this sacred BAD era. Stay tuned …

Richard Lecocq

Une des grandes surprises de cette campagne BAD 25 sera le documentaire réalisé par Spike Lee … Et voici pourquoi :

Un montage de 20 minutes tourne depuis quelques semaines déjà, une sorte de teaser pour appâter les chaînes de télé (qui voudront diffuser la version intégrale de 90 minutes).

Ces premières images permettent d’en savoir un peu plus sur le contenu de ce film. Si le produit final est du même niveau, nous aurons alors affaire à un projet sérieux et mené de main de maître. Spike Lee, appuyé par Sony Music et les ayants droit de Michael Jackson, a convoqué les principaux acteurs de l’époque BAD. Ainsi, Glen Ballard et Greg Phillinganes racontent la naissance de Man In The Mirror. Siedah Garrett livre bien entendu sa version des faits et revient aussi sur l’enregistrement de I Just Can’t Stop Loving You. Mais en plus de ces collaborateurs cultes, d’autres intervenants, parfois moins connus du grand public, partagent également leurs souvenirs : Walter Yetnikoff, ancien PDG de CBS Records, et Larry Stessel, responsable de la promo de BAD chez Epic à l’époque, reviennent sur les coulisses de l’album. Dans une séquence, Yetnikoff évoque la création de la pochette finalement retenue. Les amateurs de témoignages plus pointus apprécieront ceux des batteurs John Robinson et Ollie E. Brown.

A l’instar des documentaires « Classic Albums » réalisés dans les années 90, celui de Lee semble s’intéresser à la création de chaque chanson et s’attarde aussi sur la réalisation des shorts films correspondants. Ces histoires sont brillamment illustrées d’images rares tirées des archives personnelles de Michael Jackson. Ces dernières permettent de découvrir comment le chanteur tombe du plafond dans le mythique clip BAD. A un autre moment, il répète un de ses dialogues avec le jeune Wesley Snipes. Jim Blashfield lève le voile sur la création du court métrage Leave Me Alone (couronné par un Grammy Award). Là encore des rushes de l’époque montrent comment la scène finale où le Roi de la Pop s’anime et s’arrache de cette île imaginaire a été tournée. Jackson est également connu pour avoir filmé ses séances d’enregistrement en studio. Quelques uns de ces moments rares font partie du montage, y compris celui où Michael Jackson passe derrière la caméra alors que Sieddah Garrett est en train de répéter Man In The Mirror devant lui…

Pour nourrir cette histoire autour de l’histoire, Lee a aussi songé à convoquer quelques artistes de la nouvelle génération comme Kanye West, Justin Bieber ou encore Chris Brown. Chacun trouvera son compte (ou pas) dans la présence de ces « special guests », mais ce choix permet de mettre en valeur tout l’aspect trans-générationnel de l’oeuvre de Jackson.

Si des questions légitimes quant à la qualité finale du DVD du BAD Tour n’ont pas encore trouvé de réponse, le documentaire réalisé par Spike Lee a tout d’un îlot riche sur lequel il fera bon revivre et découvrir de nouvelles choses sur cette glorieuse époque BAD. Stay tuned…

Richard Lecocq