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Jacko film and Warhol painting news

By | Published on Friday 21 August 2009

More film news now (and another one that will be presented in 3D). Long-time Michael Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega has been announced as the director of the upcoming documentary featuring the singer’s rehearsals for his O2 Dome residency that didn’t happen on account of him being dead.

Titled ‘Michael Jackson: This Is It’, after the name of the residency, rather than some reminder that the star is not alive any more, the film will hit cinemas on 28 Oct. Sony Pictures say that they have brought the release date forward by two days from the previously announced 30 Oct due to anticipated high demand, adding that the film will only be released for a two week run. However, if they expect demand to be so high, it seems unlikely that they will hold to the “limited run” thing. Expect it to be extended “for the fans” sometime between 27 Sep, when tickets for the screenings go on sale, and the middle of the first week of the initial run.

Confirming his involvement in the project, Ortega, who is also behind the ‘High School Musical’ films and the upcoming remake of ‘Footloose’ (oh look, another film that didn’t need remaking!), told reporters: “This film is Michael’s gift to his fans. It’s a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius’ world. For the first time ever, fans will see Michael as they have never seen him before – this great artist at work. It is raw, emotional, moving and powerful footage that captures his interactions with the This Is It collaborators that he had personally assembled for this once-in-a-lifetime project”.

In other Jackson news, a portrait of the singer by Andy Warhol has sold at auction in New York for over $1 million.

The 1984 portrait, which was commissioned to celebrate the record-breaking sales of the singer’s ‘Thriller’ album, was sold off at the Vered Gallery in Long Island yesterday, after being displayed at the O2 Dome in London.

Although the gallery would not say the exact price the 76cm by 66cm piece had gone for, they said that the buyer had paid “over $1m dollars”. The highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting was $71.7 million in 2007.



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