RUMOR MILL
Thanks in large measure to the efforts of Branca, Jackson has risen to the top of the Forbes magazine list of highest-earning dead celebrities.
Monday, December 5, 2011
MJ BECOMES IMMORTAL
Celebs and Fans Flock to Premiere
of Cirque du Soleil Tribute Show
of Cirque du Soleil Tribute Show
Cirque du Soleil's blockbuster Michael Jackson tribute Immortal premiered Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Vegas. Among the notables in attendance for the premiere were Katherine Jackson, MJ's kids and three of his brothers, Berry Gordy, Carlos Santana, Bruno Mars, Cee Lo Green, Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, the casts of Glee and Twilight, Babyface, James Gandolfini, Allison Janney, Criss Angel, John Landis and Ivan Reitman.
The show is directed by Jamie King, best known as Madonna's longtime collaborator, with choreography by MJ associate Travis Payne. Longtime Jackson benefactor John Branca is serving as Executive Producer with Cirque’s Guy Laliberté and estate co-executor John McClain. Thanks in large measure to the efforts of Branca, Jackson has risen to the top of the Forbes magazine list of highest-earning dead celebrities.
“King packs dozens of Jackson's hits into a two-hour festival of flash that spins around countless video projections, hundreds of costumes and several gigantic metallic puppets,” noted Karen D’Souza, attending the show on behalf of the San Jose Mercury News. “The fact that Jackson was a Cirque buff lends Immortal an air of authenticity... The die-hard crowd of almost 8,000 roared its approval.”
The timing of the opening came on the heels of the conviction and sentencing of Dr. Conrad Murray, but that failed to dampen the festive feel of the event, or of the accompanying fan fest, which has Jackson’s costumes and memorabilia on display..
"I am too emotional to speak. I think I need to be alone," Dana Raluca, a medical assistant from Los Angeles, told D’Souza as she gazed at a crown Jackson once wore. "It's so powerful being here and seeing all of the things he loved. It's so much more than the music. He was more than a pop star, I think he was a prophet and he brought the world together with his beautiful message." Raluca said she plans to catch Immortal twice.
The run in Vegas continues at until Dec. 27, when the show hits the road for a 60-plus city tour. In 2013, Immortal will become a fixture in Sin City.
The show is directed by Jamie King, best known as Madonna's longtime collaborator, with choreography by MJ associate Travis Payne. Longtime Jackson benefactor John Branca is serving as Executive Producer with Cirque’s Guy Laliberté and estate co-executor John McClain. Thanks in large measure to the efforts of Branca, Jackson has risen to the top of the Forbes magazine list of highest-earning dead celebrities.
“King packs dozens of Jackson's hits into a two-hour festival of flash that spins around countless video projections, hundreds of costumes and several gigantic metallic puppets,” noted Karen D’Souza, attending the show on behalf of the San Jose Mercury News. “The fact that Jackson was a Cirque buff lends Immortal an air of authenticity... The die-hard crowd of almost 8,000 roared its approval.”
The timing of the opening came on the heels of the conviction and sentencing of Dr. Conrad Murray, but that failed to dampen the festive feel of the event, or of the accompanying fan fest, which has Jackson’s costumes and memorabilia on display..
"I am too emotional to speak. I think I need to be alone," Dana Raluca, a medical assistant from Los Angeles, told D’Souza as she gazed at a crown Jackson once wore. "It's so powerful being here and seeing all of the things he loved. It's so much more than the music. He was more than a pop star, I think he was a prophet and he brought the world together with his beautiful message." Raluca said she plans to catch Immortal twice.
The run in Vegas continues at until Dec. 27, when the show hits the road for a 60-plus city tour. In 2013, Immortal will become a fixture in Sin City.
