Saturday 8 October 2011

'This Is It' Rehearsals

Michael rehearsing 'Black or White' June 23 2009

Michael rehearsed at The Forum 30 May – 19 June 2009, and at The Staples Center  22 - 24 June 2009. The Forum has yellow seating and The Staples Center has red seating, so I used this information to determine which venue the sections of ‘This Is It’ with Michael in it were filmed. In addition, a large LED screen was erected behind the stage at The Staples Center, so this is an added visual clue as to where rehearsals were filmed.
The singer Judith Hill said that the rehearsal of ‘I Just Can’t Stop loving you’ was the first time she had performed the duet with Michael. I am guessing then that The Forum was the first time the singers, dancers and musicians were all together for rehearsals with Michael.
At the time of writing, the trial of Conrad Murray is underway, and both the prosecution and defence have requested excerpts of film from ‘This Is It’, and these are listed in a court document Source. So we now know exactly what was filmed on 23-24 June 2009. I do not have definitive dates for The Forum or the other rehearsals at Centerstaging, so I have put the different rehearsals into the order I think they were performed, but please bear in mind that it is guesswork.
The Forum 30 May to 19 June 2009
The Forum Balmain jacket with white lapel and studs, red shirt, black trousers – Human Nature
The Forum Balmain jacket with white lapel and studs, red shirt, black trousers – I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
The Forum red shirt, black trousers – Thriller
The Forum red shirt, black trousers – Beat It
The Forum Blue and silver jacket, black t shirt, black trousers – Billie Jean
The Forum Blue and silver jacket, black t shirt, black trousers – Man In The Mirror
The Forum Military jacket with 3 rows of buttons, gold sparkly trousers, white t-shirt, trilby – Startin’ something correction
The Forum grey jacket, gold sparkly trousers, white t-shirt, trilby – The Drill
The Forum grey jacket, gold sparkly trousers, white t-shirt, trilby – Human Nature
The Forum silver jacket, gold sparkly trousers, white t-shirt, trilby – Smooth Criminal
The Forum silver jacket, gold sparkly trousers, white t-shirt, trilby – The Way You Make Me Feel
The Forum white shirt, gold sparkly trousers, white t-shirt, trilby – I’ll Be There acknowledgements to The Jacksons
The Forum Black and silver jacket, white T shirt – The Drill
The Forum Black and silver jacket, white T shirt – Smooth Criminal
Culver Studios 3 June to 11 June 2009
Culver Studios Black and silver jacket, white T shirt – The Drill
Culver Studios red leather jacket – watching filming of Thriller
Culver Studios – filming Smooth Criminal
The Forum, silver jacket, orange trousers, turquoise t-shirt – Startin’ Something
The Forum, silver jacket, orange trousers, turquoise t-shirt – Speechless
The Forum, silver jacket, orange trousers, turquoise t-shirt – Jam
The Forum, silver jacket, orange trousers, turquoise t-shirt – The Drill
The Forum, silver jacket, orange trousers, turquoise t-shirt – Human Nature
The Forum, Smooth Criminal jacket, orange trousers, turquoise t-shirt, black fedora – Smooth Criminal
The Forum, Smooth Criminal jacket, orange trousers, turquoise t-shirt, black fedora – The Way You Make Me Feel
The Staples Center 23 June to 24 June 2009
 23 June Staples Center, green and bronze metallic jacket, black t-shirt, black trouser with silver stripe – I’ll Be There
23 June Staples Center, white shirt, black t-shirt, black trouser with silver stripe – Black or White
23 June Staples Center red shirt with diamante 7s, grey jacket  - The Drill/They Don’t care About Us
23 June Staples Center red shirt with diamante 7s, grey jacket, black t-shirt – Startin’ Something
23 June Staples Center red shirt with diamante 7s, grey jacket, black t-shirt – Jam
23 June Staples Center red shirt with diamante 7s, grey jacket, black t-shirt – Human Nature
23 June Staples Center red shirt with diamante 7s, Smooth Criminal jacket, black t-shirt, white fedora – Smooth Criminal
23 June Staples Center red shirt, blue shirt – The Way You Make Me Feel
23 June Staples Center red shirt, blue pearly shirt, black t-shirt– Jackson 5 medley
23 June Staples Center red shirt, white shirt, black t-shirt– Shake Your Body
23 June Staples Center silver jacket, black trousers, trench coat – Beat It
23 June Staples Center silver jacket, black embellished overcoat, black trousers – Black or White
24 June Staples Center Curls for My Girls Tshirt, white shirt, black jacket, Ed Hardy trousers – Thriller
24 June Staples Center Curls for My Girls Tshirt, white shirt, black jacket, Ed Hardy trousers – Earth Song