Michael Jackson: Rehearsal footage to be made into motion pic

Michael Jackson: Rehearsal footage to be made into motion pic

A 30-second snippet of Michael Jackson rehearsing two days before his death was released on Thursday. In fact it was a part of more than one hundred hours of footage that could be turned into live albums, a movie and a pay-per-view special. The promoter AEG has confirmed the news.

The treasure trove of material, along with possible insurance proceeds and ticket sales to memorabilia collectors, could help benefit the  late singer's estate, which has been burdened by an estimated 400 million dollars in debt.

"He was our partner in life and now he's our partner in death." Randy Phillips, president and CEO of concert promoter AEG Live, said so in an interview at Staples Center.

Michael Jackson had been rehearsing for a giant series of comeback shows in London.

Mr Phillips said, "If we all do our jobs right, we could probably raise hundreds of millions of dollars just on the stuff we have worldwide and then the estate could eradicate its debt."

On Thursday the clip was released that showed Jackson dancing and singing to "They Don't Really Care About Us" on June 23 during a rehearsal at Staples Center. He died two days later at an age of fifty.

Phillips said that he released the clip since he was tired of seeing the singer negatively portrayed in the media since his death.

He said, "I said let's grab one piece where we can show people where he was headed." "He was developing getting his moves together."

The rehearsal footage, shot in high definition, includes Jackson performing his hits "Thriller" and "Beat It." Other footage displays production meetings and auditions.

Phillips said,"We have enough audio to make two live albums, and he's never done a live album,"  "This is really the last great work of a 21st century genius."

He said that the production budget for the 50 London shows, which were set to start on 13th  July, swelled to more than $25 million.

Part of those costs included 3D technology used to produce what Phillips called "mini-movies" involving "Thriller" and "Earth Song."

He said,"That's what's so compelling." "Just `Thriller' is nine minutes of 3D visual insanity."

The promoter also said that another possibility is a tribute show at The O2 arena in London that would be broadcast worldwide and then sold as a DVD.

Phillips also remarked that the AEG Live is waiting for Jackson's estate to be settled to see who the company will be dealing with. He said that the estate "would get the lion's share" of any profits from the release of the rehearsal footage.

Insurance is going to help cover any losses on the London shows if the coroner's autopsy shows that Jackson died accidentally  including of a drug overdose  but not if he died of natural causes.

AEG Live took out 17.5 million dollars in insurance coverage through Lloyd's of London.

Phillips added that 40 to 50 percent of concert ticket-buyers have so far decided to receive tickets as memorabilia in lieu of a full refund, a pace that is on track to help the company at least break even on its expenses.

The sold-out concerts had garnered nearly 85 million dollars in ticket sales. However AEG has offered full refunds on the face value and surcharges.

Phillips said that AEG is not in any financial trouble. He said, "I'm heartbroken but the company's fine."

Jackson left behind a battle for control of his estate. All the lawyers named in Jackson's will as executors estimated the estate is worth over 500 million dollars. His mother, Katherine Jackson, is also seeking to become estate administrator.

Phillips said that he saw no need to sue the estate to recover any of AEG's costs.

He said, "Right now I think the estate and AEG are very much in line and not adversarial," "and I'd like to keep it that way."