I was going to boycott the documentary movie about Michael Jackson called This Is It because I felt that it was going to be something that was thrown together to cash in on MJ before all of the media frenzy over his untimely death subsided. I expected to see an exploitation of a man who was on massive amounts of medication and just days before death. What I ended up seeing was a genius at work.

I grew up listening to the music of MJ so I knew he was a talented artist. I guess I never thought much past that. The attention he received over the last twenty or so years focused mainly on his legal troubles and ever changing physical appearance, unfortunately overshadowing his artistic abilities to most of us. This documentary was a tribute to his work and a project I think he would have wanted the world to see. MJ’s scheduled tour had a message that he thought was important to get out to the public. He wanted to tell us all to heal the earth. Because his tour was so close to beginning we get to see most of the finished product of the show. It would have been phenomenal to see live.

Throughout the documentary I was waiting to see signs of “impending doom”. Some incoherency, sluggishness or irrationality from MJ but there was nothing. He was a consummate professional throughout. His interaction with the dancers and crew on the set was incredibly patient and caring. I’ve never seen an example of mutual respect in an interview or documentary from any artist before, never mind one of MJ’s stature. Not one sign of superiority. He knew he was as human as everyone he was working with, and you could see it. I guess that I was surprised by this because he is (still) so famous and had become such a caricature of himself physically that he didn’t “seem” human anymore.

While physically he looked frail, his hands looked as if they were transplanted from a larger, stronger body onto his slight, tiny wrists, he was full of energy. MJ performs dance moves and songs throughout the entire documentary putting out one hundred percent effort. He moves as effortlessly as the dancers who are probably more than half his age. I can only note one time he seemed slightly out of breath and that was after a strenuous dance routine. In hindsight knowing now how much medication he was on I don’t know how he functioned at all. I guess I expected a train wreck. Two examples that come to mind are Anna Nicole Smith in the “care” of her friend/attorney Howard K. Stern as well as her doctors, http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/02/anna.nicole.video/index.html, and Britney Spears, while in the clutches of Sam Lufti, http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UKCNL01&show_article=1, in full blown breakdown mode. This isn’t what we get in This Is It. You get to see a true artist at work. I didn’t want the film to end, because I knew how it would. I enjoyed his craftsmanship and felt even sadder for the loss of this person, this gifted artist, who was in so much pain that he literally carved it into his face. My only complaint about this movie is that the timing could have been a little better. Some more months to distance his death from the release of his final moments on film may have seemed less like “cashing in” and more like getting out the message that MJ wanted to convey, Love each other, and the earth. RIP Michael Jackson.

* DISCLAIMER - Well I come to work this morning to read this …..http://perezhilton.com/2009-11-16-jacksons-new-movie-not-so-new. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I am disappointed but MJ was still coherent throughout the documentary. It’s a shame that big business in this country has to digitally enhance EVERYTHING. We are all living in an airbrushed, voice enhanced, lip synched, photo shop world….Enjoy

Purple Ninja is the Official Entertainment expert of TheHoopsForum.com. Follow Purple Ninja on twitter: www.twitter.com/purplninja.com