Page 10 - Off Stage News Today

A very personal reason for taking on the scheduled 50 concerts. >> i said why now? id been chasing him to come out of retirement, to get on the stage and perform live for three years. this was, you know, like a mission of mine. a quest. and he said to me, very interesting, was very poignant, he said, im doing it now because my kids are old enough to appreciate what i do. >> michaels children could end up playing a major role in this case. 16-year-old prince, the oldest, is on the witness list an...

Night. >> he looked back at me, you know, after we did one number and looked at me as if to say yeah, im michael jackson. i got this. he looked really good. m.j. was 50 years old and theyre like half his age and he still was wearing them out. >> on stage, always a perfectionist. off stage, a legend with a sense of humor. >> hes making big-money decisions and then he would lean over to me and say silly stuff like whos your favorite three stooges. and i would say what, m.j.? oh, no, i dont like th...

>> now do it slow. >> he and i would start about noon or 1:00 at his home. wed dance a few hours and stretch. >> you have to have a full attitude. you have a half attitude. >> travis payne was michael jacksons long time choreographer. >> we were on a journey with michael that was going to return him to the stage, you know, that he loved so much. and i know that we were eight days away from leaving for london. >> the stage is where michael was most at ease. on stage, there was no one better. ♪ ...

>> since age 5, he had electrified audiences around the world with hit songs like "i want you back." and the world appeared ready to welcome him back. it had been 12 years since jacksons last major performance. the king of pop was poised to regain his throne. >> this is it. i mean, this is really it. this is the final -- this is the final curtain call. >> according to the concept with promoters aeg, michael was to perform 50 concerts at the 02 center in london over a nine-month period. >> ill be...

Performance. the king of pop was poised to regain his throne. >> this is it. i mean, this is really it. this is the final -- this is the final curtain call. >> according to the concept with promoters aeg, michael was to perform 50 concerts at the 02 center in london over a nine-month period. >> ill be performing the songs my fans want to hear. >> but was michael physically up to the challenge? both michael and aeg had a lot on the line. >> it was his comeback. it was his renaissance. his rebirth...

Little brother was ready. >> i mean, he could have did 200 shows. >> i talked to jermaine following a band rehearsal. >> i felt that he could do it because of the way the shows were spaced out and it wasnt, like, every day. ♪ >> see, like, when we first started, we were doing one-nighters. every day, youre in a different place. youre riding in the bus and sleeping on top of each other, thats tough. but this was it, you didnt have to take the stage down. youre in one location. >> i think that n...

Id go to bed and then he would call me again at 6:30 in the morning when im up. i just thought because he had kids he got up early. it never occurred to me that he had never gone to sleep. so, looking back, thats probably a sign that i didnt pick up. >> we know that randy phillips concerns about michael jackson started at least as early as march. when michael jackson went up on the stage and announced his this-is-it concert series. according to e-mails that were part of the discovery in this tri...

The morning of june 24th, 2009, doing what he loved. preparing for a show. >> now do it slow. >> he and i would start about noon or 1:00 at his home. wed dance a few hours and stretch. >> you have to have a full attitude. >> travis payne was michael jacksons the long-time choreographer. >> we were on a journey with michael that was going to return him to the stage, you know, that he loved so much. and i know that we were eight days away from leaving for london. >> the stage is where michael was ...

Thats not negotiable. >> phillips believed michael had a very personal reason for taking on the scheduled 50 concerts. >> i said why now? id been chasing him to come out of retirement, to get on the stage and perform live for three years. this was, you know, like a mission of mine. a quest. and he said to me, very interesting, was very poignant, he said, im doing it now because my kids are old enough to appreciate what i do. >> michaels children could end up playing a major role in this case. 16...

That misplaced trust in the hands of conrad murray cost michael jackson his life. >> to help prove the case, prosecutors present a very different image of the pop legend. from a vibrant singer, dancer and entertainer on stage, to a completely different person behind the scenes. >> to michael jackson. >> then, midway through opening arguments, a stunning moment. the voice of michael jackson as hed never been heard before. >> when people leave my show, i want them to say hes the greatest entertain...