'They've Used A Stand In For Some Of The More Visible Shots'

That line is actually from a Monty Python sketch where an unscrupulous film maker is trying to sell a Marilyn Monroe film that was shot after she was cremated. Poor taste yes, but also very funny. But who would have thought that it would possibly come true only a few years later ?

Michael Jackson is dead, but that hasn't stopped his tour going ahead in a rather bizarre way. Sony pictures are releasing a film of the rehearsal footage taken the day before he died. They've apparently inter cut this with some of the videos that were due to be used in the show along with some backstage footage. Well, it's all backstage footage isn't it but you know what I mean.

Now the more enquiring of you may wonder how an early dress rehearsal, where Jackson was still learning the show, getting fit and easing himself back into performing, could be worthy of release. You might also wonder what Jackson himself, a renowned perfectionist, would have thought of the idea. Not much I imagine. Add to that the fact that he was allegedly 'blocking out' many of the moves, which means he was walking through the show but not going full out. And finally you may add into the shame bucket that his father and sister are accusing Sony of using a stand in for some of the shots. A man in Essex has claimed that he was the stand in in question and that he was filmed for some long shots etc. Sony have so far declined to comment.

Not only is the very concept of this film in poor taste, given that we will be watching a man with less than a day to live, but it seems that there is more than a whiff of 'bolting a load of crap together and hoping it works'. The release schedule is also curious, less than 6 months after the death of Jackson, the movie is out next week, but only for 2 weeks. This is odd, but it smacks of getting all the heartbroken Jackson fans to see it before they've had a chance to tell one another not to bother, and also of getting the DVD out in time for Christmas. And all this while Michael Jackson is barely cold. Are they scared that if they wait longer, our goldfish-like attention spans will move onto something else, or is it simply that they need to recoup some money out of this fiasco even if it means putting out a shoddy product ? Well, to be fair the trailer is rather good, and who knows, maybe the film will be too, but it doesn't look that likely at this stage does it ? Not that that will affect the box office of course, and as we all know, these days that is the one and only measure of quality that anyone cares about.