Page 11 - Off Stage News Today

>> 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 on stage. after so many years being out of the spotlight, a l...

Its that someone lost their son, their brother, their father. >> district attorney david walgren laid out the prosecutions case. >> michael jackson trusted his life to the medical skills of conrad murray. 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 ja...

Hlns ryan smith was watching. >> this is the death of michael jackson. and its not just that hes a famous star. its that someone lost their son, their brother, their father. >> david walgrin laid out the prosecutions case. >> michael jackson trusted his life to the medical skills of conrad murray. that misplaced trust in the hands of conrad murray cost michael jackson his life. >> reporter: to help prove the case, prosecutors present a very different image of the pop legend. from a vibrant singe...

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 long-time kor i dont go ra fer. >> 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. >> reporter: the stage is where...

The king of pop was poised to regain his thrown. >> this is it. i mean, this is really it. this is the final -- this is the final curtain call. >> reporter: 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. >> reporter: 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 ...

>> i spoke with aeg lives president and ceo randy phillips three years ago about similar allegations. in that interview, phillips said the decision to hire conrad murray and pay him $150,000 per month was solely michaels choice. >> he stared at me with this very deep stare and he said you dont understand. my body is what fuels this entire venture. and, like barack obama, i need my own physician with me 24/7, okay. thats not negotiable. >> reporter: phillips believed michael had a very personal r...

>> reporter: the stage is where michael was most at ease. on stage, there was no one better. ♪ >> reporter: 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 1 years since jacksons last major performance. the king of pop was poised to regain his thrown. >> this is it. i mean, this is really it. this is the final -- this is the final curtain call. >> reporter: according to the concept w...

He looked really good. m.j. was 50 years old and theyre like half his age and he still was wearing them out. >> reporter: 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 this. can i have more of this or that or this. yeah. i like moe. >> reporter: but we beneath the surface, concerns from the ve...

>> reporter: 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. >> reporter: michaels children could end up playing a major role in this case. 16-ye...

Better. >> was his voice getting stronger? >> absolutely. >> reporter: was his dancing getting stronger? >> absolutely. >> his body? everything? >> absolutely. >> reporter: michael bearden, the musical director for this is it was on stage that last 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. >> repor...