14 DAY TRIAL // The moment concert organizers AEG Live announced this week that the first dates of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” series of live performances had been pushed back – some by as much as eight months – speculation began that the singer’s health might have had something to do with it. Whereas no one from Jackson’s camp would officially admit this possibility, sources are telling the Daily Mail that Michael has been missing rehearsals because he can’t pull himself together to rise to the challenge.
According to the Mail and a “perfectly placed Jackson family source,” chances are pretty high that the King will not make it to any of the scheduled performances, since he doesn’t seem able to mentally and physically resist such a challenge. According to the spy, on one hand, there is a singer who is out of shape for the prolonged lack of exercise and the injuries sustained throughout years of performing (a more serious one being the back injury that has often forced him to use a wheelchair). On the other hand, there’s the organizers and a choreographer (Kenny Ortega) who have promised the world to the fans – the best live performance ever known to mankind – in the hope they will see the day they’ll cash a mouth-watering check.
The reality is somewhere in the middle, the spy says, as quoted by the Mail: Michael Jackson will probably not be able to perform at all this summer, and the fact that he has already postponed the first dates should serve as indication for it. Michael himself seems to know that he’s not ready for an event of such magnitude, says the insider, having attended only 2 rehearsals out of the 45 that took place until now – while his dancers work almost around the clock to make everything perfect.
Michael is “not able to pick himself up out of the stupor he is in. The suggestion that they need more time to set up the show in London is a joke. I think the fans who have already bought tickets should hold their breath and cross their fingers, because there is no guarantee any of this is actually going to happen. There is a possibility that this will still happen, but it is up to him to get his act together.” the insider tells the British tab under the shield of anonymity.
“Michael has only been to two days of rehearsals for the show. His dancers have been working on it every single day for 45 days at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but Michael has been nowhere to be found. If Michael had been rehearsing on time maybe they would not have had that problem, but Michael has not been to rehearsals. So what is the probability of the next shows being cancelled? High, I would say. Unless Michael starts showing up to rehearsal, this concert tour will never get off the ground. Whether he’ll show up or not is anybody’s guess.” the source continues to explain, adding that Jackson’s unpredictability is perhaps the biggest obstacle that must be overcome for “This Is It” to happen.
As fans must know, the first shows at London’s O2 Arena have been rescheduled as follows: the opening show on July 8 has been moved 5 days later, on July 13; the second (July 10) will take place on March 1, 2010; the third (July 12) has been pushed back to March 3; while the show initially scheduled for July 14 will take place on March 6. For more details on “This Is It,” keep an eye on this space.