Kenny Ortega Announced As Show Director


(May 12th, 2009) – The streets of Hollywood are buzzing; Michael Jackson mania is in full swing 5,500 miles away from The O2 arena – the home of his historic 50 concerts this summer.

Kenny Ortega, the renowned Director, Producer, Choreographer and creative talent is hard at work collaborating with Michael Jackson in the overall design and direction for the upcoming ‘This Is It’ concert shows. Ortega previously worked on Michael Jackson’s Dangerous and HIStory tours, some of the most spectacular shows ever staged. Last week, thousands of dancers flew in from every corner of the globe including Japan, Australia, South America and Europe to audition for Jackson and Ortega – all of them were chasing their dream of winning a spot to perform on stage with their idol Michael Jackson.

Even after the selection process narrowed the competition from thousands of submissions to over five hundred top international dancers, there was still no dance space large enough in Los Angeles or New York to house the auditions. The producers ended up booking LA’s Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, part of the site where the Grammy Awards are held each year, to handle the unprecedented numbers of performers who flocked to these auditions.

Ortega, having once been in partnership with Gene Kelly, is most recently known for his work as the Director and Choreographer of Disney’s, High School Musical 1, 2 & 3. Ortega also Produced and Directed the Barbra Streisand’s Millennium concert tour and is a two time Emmy award winner for his work as Director and Choreographer of the2002 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In receiving the phone call from Michael to lead the team, Ortega said, “My answer without a beat was nothing could keep me away. Collaborating with Michael on the Dangerous and HIStory tours were two of the greatest creative experiences of my life, to be invited to partner with him again is a dream come true. Working with Michael is always a true and full partnership, he is a creative mastermind, he assembles top professionals to lead his team and then inspires each and every one of us to climb to new places, break out of the box and conquer new challenges. He is the most significant artist and entertainer of our generation.”

“This Is It” is a spectacular concert experience incorporating iconic Jackson songs and choreography mixed with original new works. Ortega says, “Our show goals are to create more than a concert but a complete theatrical musical experience with a dynamic balance that features Jackson in both spectacular production and intimate settings. The stage set, choreography, costumes, lighting, effects and overall production will be of the highest standard and pushing the state of the art.”
Michael is dedicated to every detail and aspect of the show working closely with his creative and talented production team. He is “tremendously excited” about sharing his stage show with hundreds of thousands of fans this summer in London.
Ortega goes on to say, “It has been over a decade since Michael and I worked on the HIStory tour together. We had been in discussion in the last couple of years about finding a new project to work on. When I got the call to join him for these concerts I was in-between gigs, catching my breath. I had just finished a World Press tour for High School Musical and was about to start a new film. In accepting the invitation I had to move a few mountains to clear my schedule, but I’m thrilled to say I’m fully on board.”

Casting is in final stages for dancers and the band. The dedication, passion and determination of these performers, who are all personally inspired by Michael Jackson brings an unprecedented intensity to the stage. Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, has influenced a generation of performers through his music, dance and stage shows impacting an art form.
This week with rehearsals in full swing the impossible has become possible as details to this complex and dramatic show are being put together. And when moments get intense and exciting in rehearsals an age-old British tradition has been adopted – a tea break!

Ortega adds, “I go to work each day with a huge sense of joy just knowing what is in-store. Michael, the team and I will hash out a creative idea, we’re ready to implement it and Michael will say let’s sleep on it. The next day he is back in studio raising the bar to the next level and pushing us further for greater dynamic results.”
Randy Phillips, President & CEO of AEG Live, commented, “The unprecedented demand for these shows turned a normal public on sale into a cultural phenomenon and pushed the boundaries by which we measure success. Michael and Kenny are creating an escapist adventure that will take the audience on an entertainment experience only imagined in dreams or big budget motion pictures. This is the perfect pairing on unique creative talents with the greatest repertoire in contemporary music.”

Ortega concludes, “I am looking forward to the creative days ahead as we build a Michael Jackson experience like no other, and to ultimately arriving at The O2 - a magnificent venue and a worldly place. I am thrilled to be a part of the team that once again is bringing Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer of our generation, back to the stage and into the light and love of his devoted fans.”
By the end of the 50 concerts, 1 million fans will have witnessed one of the greatest musical events in history. This will be the last chance to see the King of Pop in London in what will be a historic stage show, and once in a lifetime concert experience - this really is it!

Note To Editors - One of the world’s most popular entertainers, Michael Jackson has sold over 750 million units worldwide and is one of the very few artists to be inducted twice into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records has recognised Michael Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and Thriller as The Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century Award.

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” 50 concerts sold out in a matter of hours on March 13th smashing box office records.

Production Team Includes:
· Kenny Ortega, Producer / Director
· Michael Cotton, Production Designer
· Patrick Woodroffe, Lighting Designer

bboy87 said:

I know its a press release and like tabloid rumours should be taken with a grain of salt - but it's things like this that get me excited about these shows. That anticipation. I truly hope the staging is advanced, as Dangerous and HiStory were for the most part basic typical rock show staging - i'm hoping for a little more movement and sets this time round.

Swa

Article from today's Los Angeles Times:


Jackson and Kenny Ortega, who is directing the shows.

Michael Jackson rehearses near Burbank airport
The erstwhile King of Pop has a lot riding on his upcoming 50 sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena.

By Harriet Ryan and Chris Lee

May 12, 2009
Four mornings a week, an SUV with darkened windows bears Michael Jackson through the gates outside a nondescript building near the Burbank airport. He spends the next six hours on a soundstage in the company of 10 dancers and pop music's best-known choreographer.

The details of rehearsals for Jackson's upcoming concerts in London are closely held secrets, but what's at stake for him is not. The ambitious schedule of 50 sold-out shows could turn out to be the final, sad chapter of Jackson's storied career -- or one of pop music's all-time greatest comeback stories.

When -- or if, in the view of many industry skeptics -- Jackson takes the stage at the O2 Arena July 8, it will be his first extended concert run in 12 years. Doubters cite his long hiatus from performing, health problems, a onetime prescription pill addiction, age -- he is 50 -- and his reputation for flaking out on performances and business deals.

But the concert promoter, Los Angeles-based AEG Live, insists that Jackson is prepared mentally and physically and that the show, called "This Is It," will break new ground in both artistry and sheer cost. The production budget is "north of $20 million," a price tag that will include as many as 22 different sets, said Randy Phillips, the company's chief executive.

"It's going to be the biggest, most technologically advanced arena show -- and the most expensive -- ever mounted," Phillips said.

On Monday, the company announced that choreographer and director Kenny Ortega, the force behind the movie "Dirty Dancing" and the "High School Musical" series, as well as Jackson's Dangerous and HIStory tours, has signed on to direct and design the shows. Ortega agreed to work around his schedule as director of the planned remake of the 1984 movie "Footloose" to take on Jackson's shows, according to AEG.

In a statement, Ortega called Jackson "the greatest entertainer of our generation" and said he was eager to collaborate with him again. "My answer without a beat was nothing could keep me away," he said.

In Ortega, Jackson chose someone who has achieved what he could not -- continuous cultural relevance after great success in the 1980s. He tapped as the show's choreographer and associate director Travis Payne, who worked with Jackson in the mid-1990s. Payne's recent work includes routines for Beyoncé and Madonna, as well as a "Dancing With the Stars" tribute to Jackson.

Also involved are younger choreographers who rose to prominence translating Jackson's style for a new generation. Todd Sams, who has worked with Usher, is collaborating on the show, according to a representative, and Rich & Tone Talauega, a duo who have choreographed Chris Brown's moves, were present for auditions last month.

The two-day casting call drew 700 dancers to downtown Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre. "They were from the elite agencies across the world -- London, France, New York," said Australian dancer Nandy McClean, who was not chosen. "There were hip-hop dancers and jazz dancers. You could tell a lot of them were crazy Michael Jackson fans who grew up watching him."

In the end, eight men and two women were selected. Jackson attended the second day of tryouts -- one agency head compared the experience to basketball players auditioning for Michael Jordan.

"Dancing for an artist who is so amazing and who everyone looks up to was the best feeling of my life," said Atlanta dancer Victor Carter, who did not make the cut. "He perfected the profession."

Jackson is taking a hands-on role in coming up with routines, according to Ortega and Phillips. The singer is developing a move that he hopes will be as distinctive as the moonwalk, Phillips said. "He's working on it," he said, refusing to say more: "I'm sworn to secrecy."

When the public last got an extended look at Jackson -- during his 2005 molestation trial -- he appeared in no condition for a grueling concert schedule. He was hospitalized during the proceeding, his clothes hung on his gaunt frame and at times he seemed to have difficulty walking. He later acknowledged an addiction to painkillers.

But AEG's Phillips said Jackson had "filled out" by last November, when discussions about the London concerts began. He said a four-hour physical with an independent physician this spring found no medical problems. In preparation for the shows, Jackson is doing aerobics with a personal trainer and has had no difficulty keeping up with dancers half his age during rehearsals in Burbank, Phillips said.

Those practice sessions occur in secrecy, thanks to security patrols and confidentiality agreements. There have been rumors, especially in the British media, that the production will include a duet with Jackson's eldest son, Prince Michael, a stage filled with Jackson look-alikes, and a cast of monkeys and elephants.

Beyond denying the last report -- "No animals. No animals!" Phillips said -- producers are tight-lipped about what the 20,000 fans in the arena will see. Jackson will perform between 18 and 22 songs. Some choreography will feature aerial dancing similar to routines by Cirque du Soleil, he said.

The singer has said he will sing his hits, telling a March news conference, "I will be performing the songs my fans want to hear."

The concert preparation has not been spared the lawsuits and threats of suits that seem to be a given in any dealings with Jackson. Last week, he was sued by his former publicist and the actress who co-starred in the 1983 "Thriller" video. On Monday, a New Jersey concert promoter sent a cease and desist letter, alleging the London appearances violated terms of an agreement to play a Jackson Five reunion concert.

Phillips said the claim was "meritless" and had not affected rehearsals.

ehuffnsd said:

Yeah, seriously.... especially, considering that they still have almost 2 months time, it wouldn't make any difference to delay the show by 6 days! Whatever they would need those 6 days for, they could squize them into the 2 months they still have!

SilverlakePhil said:

Interesting read

Now we're getting somewhere!

one of the background vocalists : LaRae Gainey
http://www.myspace.com/missqueenlarae

UPDATE: she's not a background vocalist for the tour, but for the album
[Edited 5/12/09 16:57pm]

Michael Jackson’s tour will be a ‘Thriller’

If Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” tour at London’s O2 arena was as doomed as some reports would indicate, you’d think fewer people would want to have their names attached to the project.

According to reps who spoke to the L.A. Times, Usher choreographer Todd Samms is collaborating on the show, and Chris Brown choreography duo Rich and Tone Talauega were on hand during a recent casting call for dancers.

A person who is involved in the planning and execution of the tour disputes this. “Todd, Rich and Tone are all great artists in their own right who have amazing talents,” said the source. “But they aren’t involved in the production.”

“There is so little that anyone is allowed to say about the tour, it’s shrouded in secrecy,” says the source. “All I can say is anyone would want to be attached to this. There are some big things that will happen and amaze.”

As for the idea that Jackson isn’t going to be healthy enough to pull off the tour, the source says, “Michael is focused, dedicated, healthy beyond belief. All rumors that indicate the opposite are bullsh--. Michael wanted to rehearse seven days a week, even, and we had to talk him into rehearsing six days a week.”

Jackson’s tour, his first extended concert run in 12 years, begins July 8.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30708151/

at the news.

Does anyone have any news on whether MJ will actually be singing?

I was doing some research for the Michael Jackson Vault forum and found out he wrote Dirty Diana in 1983

Interview With Patrick Allocco/AllGood Entertainment

[quote]Q: Please tell us about your company, All Good Entertainment.
AllGood Entertainment, Inc., is a concert promoter based in New Jersey, who promotes concerts in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and South America. In 2007, he has started operations in United Arab Emirates and India. We are a young and vigorous company, AllGood has produced successful shows in venues in New York and New Jersey as well as in Puerto Rico and Tobago in The Caribbean with Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Diddy, Julio Iglesias, Earth, Wind and Fire, Patti LaBelle, Natalie Cole, Paulina Rubio, John Leguizamo, Lindsay Lohan and Raven Symone, among others. Our core competency is promoting large one-off events and festivals.
Q: How did you come into contact with Frank DiLeo?
Shortly after meeting with Mr. Joe Jackson in Las Vegas about the proposed Jackson Family Reunion Concert, my associate, recommended that we follow-up with Frank. We met Frank and his Partner, Mark Lamicka, in Nashville a few weeks later.

Q: Did Mr. Frank DiLeo at any time, represent himself as Michael Jackson's signatory agent/manager? Were you aware of Dr. Tohme R. Tohme being Michael's business manager?
The Dileo/Jackson contract speaks for itself; Frank and Mark both represented that he [Frank] had several phone conversations with MJ and that he was supportive of our event. Frank obviously executed an agreement that is binding upon Michael, Janet and the brothers. Dr. Tohme was always positioned as the spokesperson or business manager representing the financial interests of Colony Capital.

Q: Tell us about the concert that was planned by All Good Entertainment and agreed to by Frank DiLeo.
The proposed event was for one historic reunion for the world to see. The event would reunite all of the Jacksons’ on stage for a world wide Pay Per View event to be held on or about July 2009. It was the single biggest offer to an artist in the history of the concert business.

Q: At any time did Frank DiLeo disclose to All Good Entertainment that Michael was already in negotiations with AEG via his business manager Dr. Tohme R. Tohme?
No. We first learned of the O2 dates on January 7, when one of our Partners had learned from someone inside of AEG that the negotiations were very close to being finalized and that AEG expected to announce shortly after the Grammy’s. On January 21, we learned from an individual who had dined with Tohme the previous evening that MJ was committed to a “very big project” which we assumed was the AEG deal.

Q: Are you in anyway, attempting to block the This Is It concert series from happening?
We are trying to secure our date for next year’s family reunion concert in Dallas. To that end, we will use every tool in our shed to enforce our contractual right to that event.

Q: On Nov 1st, 2008, Michael Jackson via his manager Dr. Tohme R. Tohme released the following statement: “My brothers and sisters have my full love and support, and we’ve certainly shared many great experiences. But at this time I have no plans to record or tour with them. I am now in the studio developing new and exciting projects that I look forward to sharing with my fans in concert soon.” Did Frank DiLeo ever notify you of this statement?
No. The statement, however, was in response to a comment made by Jermaine while in Austrailia. We actually did raise the issue of Jermaine’s “Family Tour” comment with Dileo and he dismissed it as “Jermaine’s attempt at keeping the press focused on him.” The Tohme comment did not effect our proposal since we were contemplating a tour.

Q: Did All Good Entertainment retain Frank DiLeo for a fee of two million dollars to secure Michael Jackson and his family for the reunion concert?
Mr. Dileo would have received a total of $550,000 plus a commission.

Q: Were you aware that AEG were in negotiations with Michael Jackson and Dr. Tohme in Nov, 2008, the same time when All Good Entertainment was in negotiations with Frank DiLeo?
We knew of several failed attempts by AEG to get MJ to commit to a “Prince” like deal at the O2; we had no knowledge of any ongoing negotiations until January 7, 2009.

Q: Are you planning on filing a lawsuit in federal court against Frank DiLeo?
Very unfortunately yes – a lawsuit is now imminent and will be filed in Federal Court. I have made every possible effort try to secure our concert for next year, but Frank Dileo has poisoned Michael on the idea and told me that “it’s not going to happen.”

Q: What would you like to tell Michael Jackson's fans about this situation? Do you feel like you have been defrauded?


which means a jacksons reuinon concert in 2010

seeingvoices12 said:[quote]Interview With Patrick Allocco/AllGood Entertainment


I don't know about that, considering Dileo doesn't represent Michael

bboy87 said:

re-read the interview

seeingvoices12 said:

but from what has been said, Michael signed some contract with Leonard Rowe but the contract is with Dileo


it's pretty confusing

bboy87 said:

And Michael's manager is supposed to be just Tohme Tohme so where do you draw the line?

Timmy84 said:

So no one knows who his actual manager?

angel345 said:

I have an inkling it's Tohme Tohme. Because I just read that apparently Michael signed a "Letter of Direction" from Leonard. Someone PLEASE tell me just WHAT THE FUCK is a letter of direction?! Did Patrick Alloco make that shit up in his head or did Leonard? And that doesn't even mean a CONTRACT! So what the hell is it?!

bboy87 said:

Yeah...
But in the interview it indicates that Mj directly told allgoodentertainment that he would perform the show as long as it doesn't conflict with the London concerts and will do the show after he comes back from London...which means that he agreed to do the show ...they agreed to do it on summer 2010

seeingvoices12 said:

Michael didn't say shit.

See this motherfucker is saying 100 different things.

Nah, nah, even the answers he gives has holes in it. How can you say Michael agree to something than SUE!?! Just tell me where anyone finds that he has a point. His answers are so dumb if he had a math test, you'd think he cheated off papers, making wrong counts initially than copying to put in "right numbers", it's not making any sense to me.

"Letter of direction"... HA!
[Edited 5/13/09 16:27pm]

Timmy84 said:

LOL....so the interview is rubbish.

Pretty much confusing situation indeed.

Timmy84 said:

seeingvoices12 said:

Basically. MJJC did all that for NOTHING especially after TSCM's great investigating yesterday.

eireboy34 said:

Now THAT is the $64,000 question!!

@ all the yapping about his age and how it supposedly makes it impossible for him to dance or whatever. Madge is 50 too, but she is hardly an invalid!

seeingvoices12 said:

To me, it sounds like they met with Frank Dileo and approached him to secure it with Michael. Frank may have taken the job on (like a deal maker / agent ) but that doesn't mean he was representing Michael. Sounds more like he was trying to secure a deal with Michael, not on Michael's behalf.

Swa

In other news.....I'm working on improving the audio to a live recording..


the cover I made 10 minutes ago

eireboy34 said:

Lol, I dunno but my fingers are crossed. If he doesn't sing live, he will be crucified for it and rightfully so. There's no excuse for why he can't sing live for at least most of the shows.