Kommentare und Wegbegleiter von Michael

....noch ein sehr schöner Kommentar (zum Schluß!) von Kenny Ortega

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZY3wZTdNMc

..Rike-Alex..herzlichen Dank für das Interview mit Jennifer Batten..hab das schon in englisch gelesen..tolle Frau..Daumen hoch

Das Interview ist einfach toll - Danke!! Ich hab mich echt gekringelt wie Kenny Ortega guckt als die Frage kam ob jemand anderes auch so eine Show machen könnte !

..ja, da war eben keine andere Antwort möglich..is halt so

oh jaaaa...

Frage: " Gibt es irgendeinen anderen Künstler der etwas vergleichbares aufstellen könnte?"

Kenny:

..dicker Knutscher dem Kenny Ortega..einmalige Mimik..

Im Grunde ein bescheidener Mensch

Die Show "Thriller live" über Michael Jackson kommt nach Erfurt. Ihr Schöpfer: Adrian Grant, ein langjähriger Freund des Sängers. Wir sprachen mit dem Briten.

Der König des Pop soll für einen Abend noch einmal lebendig werden - bei der Bühnenshow "Thriller live". Das Spektakel aus dem Londoner West End macht Station in Erfurt. Schöpfer und Co-Produzent ist der Brite Adrian Grant. Grant war fast 20 Jahre lang mit Michael Jackson befreundet. Wir sprachen mit ihm über Begegnungen mit dem Star und über die Herausforderung, ihm auf der Bühne gerecht zu werden.


Herr Grant, Ihre erste Begegnung mit Michael Jackson werden Sie vermutlich nie vergessen.

Das war fantastisch. Die beeindruckendste Erfahrung in meinem Leben. Es war 1990. Ich gab damals das Fanmagazin "Off the Wall" heraus. Michael hörte davon und lud mich ein zu den Aufnahmen für das Album "Dangerous". Es war großartig, ihn im Studio bei der Arbeit zu sehen. Dann kam er plötzlich einfach um die Ecke, singend, und stand vor mir. Das war unglaublich.


Wie war seine Art zu arbeiten?

Er war ein Genie. Im Studio war er in seinem Element. Er gab immer alles für seine Musik. Das war sein Leben. Ich denke, er wusste genau, was er von der Musik wollte, wie es klingen sollte. Und doch war er ein ganz normaler Musiker, der hart arbeitete, aber auch scherzte und gerne lachte.


Jetzt sind Sie mit Ihrer Show "Thriller Live" auf Tour. Ist es nicht schwierig, einem Perfektionisten wie Michael Jackson dabei gerecht zu werden?

Auf jeden Fall. Es ist mir sehr wichtig, dass die Show Michael Jackson angemessen feiert. Deshalb haben wir eine große Auswahl an Sängern und Tänzern und natürlich eine Liveband. Sie arbeiten hart, um es wirklich perfekt zu machen. Mir ist es am Wichtigsten, dass wir das große Erbe Michael Jacksons respektieren. Die größte Herausforderung war es, die richtigen Sänger zu finden, denn Michael war einfach ein fantastischer Musiker und Tänzer.


Deshalb werden sich fünf Künstler die Rolle teilen...

Ja, ich wollte keine Ein-Mann-Show daraus machen. Es gibt einen Rock-Michael, der Songs wie "Beat It" and "Dirty Diana" singt, einen für den Soul und einen für die Pop-Seite seiner Musik. Einige Stücke werden von einer Frau gesungen, denn Michaels Stimme reichte über vier Oktaven. Es gibt kaum einen Sänger, der diese Bandbreite schafft. Und dann gibt es natürlich einen kleinen Jungen, der die frühen Hits der Jackson Five singt. Wir wollen die Leute auf eine Reise mitnehmen und Michael Jacksons Leben mit ihnen feiern.


Sie haben ihn mehr als 20 Jahre lang gekannt. Wie hat ihn das ständige Interesse der Öffentlichkeit verändert?

Er hatte natürlich weniger Rückzugsmöglichkeiten, je berühmter er wurde. Und das Problem war, dass er schon mit zehn Jahren berühmt war - immer im Rampenlicht. Die halbe Welt schaute zu, wie er aufwuchs. Er hatte nie eine Kindheit. Deshalb war er anders. Und es gab wenige Leute, denen er wirklich vertrauen konnte. Aber in den Jahren, die er mit seinen Kindern verbrachte, war er glücklich. Das Familienleben war ihm sehr wichtig. Man sieht auch, dass die Kinder gut erzogen worden sind, und das ist Michaels Vermächtnis. Er war ein guter Vater.


In den letzten Jahren sind vor allem exzentrische Seiten bekannt geworden. War das eine Maske, mit der er sich vor der Öffentlichkeit schützen wollte?

Immer wieder haben Medien versucht, seine Ranch zu analysieren, und haben dabei oft ein falsches Bild vermittelt. Dabei war das einfach ein fantastischer und wunderschöner Ort. Jeder, der viel Geld hat, erfüllt sich doch einen Traum. Michael hatte eben seine Ranch, mit diesen großartigen Tieren: Giraffen, Tiger... Und eine Kirmes. Aber das alles war nicht nur zu Michaels Vergnügen da, sondern vor allem für seine Gäste und Fans. Es war einer der schönsten Orte, an denen ich jemals gewesen bin, und es war nichts Anstößiges daran. Auf der Neverland Ranch hatte Michael seine Ruhe, dort fühlte er sich wohl.


Wie behalten Sie Michael Jackson in Erinnerung?

Als einen humorvollen und warmherzigen Menschen. Einen, der oft Späße machte wie ein Kind. Er war ein Freund, mit dem man gut reden konnte. Und im Grunde war er ein sehr bescheidener Mensch. Es ist eine große Ehre und ein Privileg, dass ich ihn kennen lernen durfte.


Interview: Eva-Maria Simon

http://www.freies-wort.de/nachrichten/thueringen/fwfeuilleton/art2436,1134531

Vielen Dank für dieses wundervolle Interview!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gern doch - sowas stell ich immer gern ein

Ich bin immer wieder erstaunt, wo du das alles ausgräbst!!!
Mir laufen solche Artikel nie über den Weg, um so glücklicher bin ich dann, daß du hier so fleißig bist und ich daran Freude haben kann - und die anderen Mädels auch.

ich hab die suche nach neuigkeiten längst aufgegeben. schließlich brauche ich ja nur ins forum zu schauen, wo unsere fleißigen bienchen uns immer auf dem neuesten stand halten.

das meiste sind Zufallsfunde ! Aber finde gerne zufällig was für euch

rike schrieb: das meiste sind Zufallsfunde ! Aber finde gerne zufällig was für euch

Danke, Rike, Du bist wirklich Spitze, ich versuche gar nicht mehr, etwas zu finden, Ihr seid alle so viel pfiffiger im Beiträge und Bilder suchen,
ich genieße es so sehr und versuche auch immer, auf dem Laufenden zu bleiben.

..leider..wie so oft..nur in englisch...einer der Tänzer von This is it berichtet über das Angebot..über die Arbeiten am Set...den letzten Tag.. 24.06.,der Proben...die Zeit danach...und vor allem auch über die besten Szenen, die bei den Proben gedreht wurden und im Film noch nicht gezeigt wurden..




Kriyss Grant Recalls Michael's Last Days


(13-3-2010)
Kriyss Grant, the first dancer Michael Jackson hand-picked to back him up onstage, speaks with Charles Thomson, exactly an year after Michael sold out 50 concerts at London's O2 arena.

At 21 years of age, Kriyss Grant has achieved a whole lot. As a teenager he reached the final sixteen of P Diddy's 'Making the Band'. At 20 he was hired by Beyonce Knowles to choreograph her 'I Am...' world tour. Nowadays he's known worldwide as one of the principle dancers for Michael Jackson's ill-fated This Is It concerts.

His big break came shortly after leaving 'Making the Band', when he had a chance encounter with choreographer Frank Gatson.

"I was in New York and I'd recently got kicked off the show," he recalls. "Frank and I ran into each other in a store. He was like, 'Aren't you Kriyss from Making the Band? You have so much talent, I don't know why Diddy kicked you off' and all this. So we exchanged contacts and he kept in touch with me.

'This is It' Audition

Seeing the scale of the audition was intimidating, says Grant. "I was very quiet. I was nervous but I was very focused on what I had to do. I just wanted to hurry up and get it over with; just perform and give it my all. But as soon as I auditioned the first time it felt good and I just wanted to keep doing it."

Grant sailed through the first audition and was invited to callbacks, where Jackson watched from the audience and hand-picked his principle dancers. But Grant says he didn't let Jackson's presence throw him off.
"I was very psyched about the whole thing - about him being there - but once the music came on and it was time to dance, I just let it go. When I perform I throw everything out of the window so it was kind of like he wasn't there. Then after I was done I was like 'OK, I hope he noticed and I hope he liked it'."

He did. According to Travis Payne, Grant was the first dancer Jackson hand-selected, exclaiming, "Look at that joker go!" After the principle dancers were announced, they got the opportunity to meet their hero.



First Meeting with Michael

"He shook our hands and everything. He has really big hands," says Grant, who still speaks about Jackson in the present tense from time to time, quietly correcting himself when he notices. "He was just like a statue. His presence was so amazing and I just couldn't believe it. I wanted to cry but I couldn't because my body was in shock.

"Michael said, 'You're amazing,' and he gave me a strong grip handshake that I will never forget. I never thought that day would come, you know? Being a little kid and hoping and dreaming of meeting this person and never thinking you're going to get to. But when I finally did - there was just no other feeling like it. I can't express how I felt."


Working with Michael

Dance rehearsals began the next week and were 'intense', says Grant, with only one day off per week. The group rehearsed without Jackson for several weeks, perfecting routines before they joined him onstage. "We would use the time to bond with each other, just building the chemistry between all of us so we could look good together onstage. Michael would pop in from time to time to watch us and give us feedback here and there, but he was very shy in the beginning.


"The first thing we rehearsed with Michael was They Don't Really Care About Us and a lot of us were messing up because we couldn't stop looking at him. I was really thrown off but I was keeping myself together. I had to keep whispering to my dance partner Dres [Reid], 'Let's just focus, keep it together', and he was saying, 'I can't - it's Michael!' After that first time I was OK. I just made sure I stayed focused and stayed on my game."

Rehearsals with Jackson were sporadic, says Grant, because he had so much else to do. "He had a lot of other stuff to do as far as his vocals, getting his voice right and he had a lot to do with costumes... He couldn't just stay at rehearsal all the time. He had a lot to do with the tour - putting the whole thing together."

Having mastered the routines early on, Grant says that the dancers often performed full run-throughs of the show without Jackson, with special effects and 'slow numbers for Michael' being inserted around the dance heavy tracks. When it came to choosing slow songs, Grant recalls Jackson facing a dilemma over whether to include Human Nature or Stranger In Moscow as his first ballad.

"I remember watching Michael sing and rehearse Stranger In Moscow. He was trying to work out which one to do - if he wanted to do it as a medley, if he wanted to just throw them both in there or maybe include one as an encore. Michael was just trying out different songs, seeing what feelings he had for the songs, which ones were the fan favorites but also which one fit within the whole set list for the tour. There was a lot of that."




Jackson was being 'taken advantage of'

Although Jackson was present and involved, Grant raised eyebrows when he stated in a recent interview that he felt early on that Jackson was being 'taken advantage of'.

"I just felt like sometimes they questioned Michael about stuff and I didn't understand that because Michael is the artist," he explains. "I felt like anything Michael says about entertainment, we should all just listen and follow his feelings. If he doesn't feel right about something or if something's not right, I felt like it should just go. He should just have that right to do that.


"For me it was just questionable... I'm trying to find the right way to say it... If they really were pushing him to do this or if he knew what was supposed to be done. I just felt like at the bottom line, as an artist, you should have your say. If you don't feel right about anything you shouldn't do it. But I guess people are people, you know, and sometimes you run into little situations. But at the end it was pretty much solved. Michael got his way and things were sorted out. I didn't mean anything else by it."


Final Two Rehearsals

During the final two rehearsals Jackson really kicked into gear, says Grant. "I guess he really felt it coming together. We all really felt it coming together in those last two rehearsals. It was just a different feeling those last two nights. Michael was very into it, very open-minded about things. He was just living on the stage. His whole vibe was just different. It was like he was really connecting with us and the music. It just felt done. It was like, 'OK, I can sleep tonight'. He gave you a warm feeling those last two days. We all left with a smile on our face."

He describes the final rehearsal as fairly unremarkable, just another day at work. "The last routine that I remember doing with him was Thriller. He did other things, other songs, and we ran through the whole show. I had a problem with my mask that day - my Thriller mask. It was very tight on my face and it was hard to breathe, but I got through it. It was a very good rehearsal. Before he left he said he would see us tomorrow and 'good rehearsal', with a smile on his face, thumbs up."




Michael is No More

The next day, says Grant, seemed like any other until word reached rehearsals that Jackson had been rushed to hospital.

"We were just rehearsing and waiting for him to come in," he says. "Then people started getting phone calls. A lot of people just cut their phones off because it was getting ridiculous. My phone never blew up so much in my life. We were all praying separately and then when we finally all started to get together to pray together, have our last prayer, they came in and told us that he was already gone.

"We all just broke down. A lot of us just split up and went into our own corners and it was like the entire stadium was crying. It was just the worst. It was one of the worst days of my life. It was the ending of something that was going to be so great and so amazing."


Performing at the Memorial

Within days the dancers were back in rehearsals, this time gearing up for Jackson's memorial, where they performed Will You Be There with Jennifer Hudson. "It was something beautiful and we thought it was appropriate for his funeral," says Grant. "We wanted to do something that came from us."

The song was originally rehearsed for the This Is It concerts, but its inclusion was never confirmed. "We rehearsed it but not in the sense that we did it over and over," he says. "We did it a couple of times and he was just smiling. He was just getting back onstage so I guess he was reminiscing about certain times. It was a good feeling. It was like a walk through with the music playing and stuff. He sang a couple of lines but the thing with Michael is that he would always tell us not to do it so full out. Save it for the fans. Save it for the audience."
Rehearsing the routine for Jackson's memorial was an emotional experience, says Grant. "It was when we were rehearsing with Jennifer Hudson that it really dawned on me - 'OK, this is... really... he's not here. This is not a dream.' That's when I really broke down. I just started crying. I couldn't hold it in. I'm the quiet one in the group - they pick on me because I'm so quiet - so for me to start crying like that made it OK for everybody else. Mekia [Cox] started crying, then Dres started crying and then other people started. I remember Jennifer was looking at us like, 'Wow'."

It is clear that Grant was deeply affected by Jackson's death. His voice becomes hushed and somber as he remembers the aftermath. "To this day, it's hard for me because I have to answer so many questions when I bump into people. My friends and family understand so they really don't ask me a lot about it, but it's hard to talk to fans sometimes. I still haven't got over it. I still have it, you know. It hasn't been closed. I have dreams about it."

Grant also felt conflicted when the dancers were asked to act as ushers at Jackson's private funeral. "Me being so young - I don't deal with death and funerals easily. The whole funeral was very emotional for me. But at the same time, I had to keep a smile on my face for the family or keep a smile on my face for the others or the kids to let them know it's going to be OK. I was grieving but I felt out of place because I felt it should be their time with their son. I had a lot of mixed emotions."

The release of This Is It also inspired mixed emotions. At the time of release he gave an interview saying he would wait for the DVD. Today he says he still finds it difficult to watch. He is also bemused by some of the choices that were made regarding what was and wasn't included. "It's funny because those bits you see, he's not doing the full out still. There were times where he was really, really doing it, like full out. There are a lot of things that weren't shown in This Is It. I really don't know why that stuff was left out."


Coping With Angry Michael Jackson Fans

One thing Grant and his fellow dancers weren't prepared for after the release of This Is: A barrage of hate mail from fans who blamed them for Jackson's death.

"You have certain fans that make it seem like it's our fault," he laments. "Like we're just supposed to know how Michael is, or like we were supposed to stop it. We were supposed to do this. We were supposed to do that. It's nothing like that. We have no control over that. We're brand new dancers walking into this whole thing. We're just as shocked as the world is.

"One time I just broke down because they just don't understand how it was. Sometimes I even thought about not having a Facebook and things like that anymore but I can't do that just because of some fans. It's not all fans, just some fans. They are so deeply involved that they just blame all of us. But I'm quiet and I just let them do whatever, because I can't... it's not worth fighting for. A lot of people have their own opinions about it and you can't change that. People are going to say what they want."

Grant says that although the dancers still receive negative messages, it has become less of a problem in recent months. Nowadays he primarily gets emails from curious fans, including a couple of 'crazy questions'. "I guess the craziest question I had was what type of underwear Michael wore. You know, that's a crazy question. I don't know that!"


Pursuing Dreams

In recent months Grant has been picking up where Jackson left off, he says, by performing in a number of charity shows. "I did a couple of things here in West Palm Beach for different schools, trying to raise money for different causes like children that have AIDs, abused kids and things like that. Then recently Frank and I went back to his high school in Milwaukee.
"We're trying to keep the arts living on and let the kids know that they can do what we're doing if they stay focused, stay positive and work hard. Nothing is impossible. I started just like these kids. Right from when I was 14 or 15, I just kept going. Sometimes I got discouraged but you have to just keep going.

"I feel like with kids they just need that person, no matter who it is. If their mum or dad isn't there for them, they look up to artists. They look up to anyone who will give them time and speak with them. They will cherish that. I know we changed a couple of kids' lives in Milwaukee by encouraging them to pursue what they want to do."

With an album in the works, an invitation to choreograph Kelly Rowland's next tour and a couple of record deals on the table, Grant says he now wants to make it big in the music industry.
"My dream now is to become an entertainer. Just like Michael was. I just want to entertain, have my own music videos, music. Not even do it for the money, just do it for myself and for people who actually appreciate it. That's always been my long-time dream. My other dream came true, meeting Michael, dancing with Michael. Now my last, ultimate dream is to become a successful entertainer and to keep his legacy living on.

"He changed me right from when I was little but now he's taught me that anything is possible. Whatever you do, just go for it and always give it 125%. No... 180%! Just live on the stage. If this is your passion then just have fun onstage. If you're frustrated then let it all out. Connect with the music. Connect with the audience. I just learned so much from him on a professional level, just by watching him, listening to him. He was an amazing man when it came to that. I just want to take that on and use him like a father figure."





Source: MJFC / sawfnews.com
_________________

@danceoflife

Wow!!!! Mehr kann ich nicht zu diesem Interview sagen!!!
Hier meine Gefühle während ich das Interview gelesen habe

..dreamer..so ging es mir ähnlich..ich hab gestern nacht lange darüber nachgedacht, wie es denen ging in ihrem Schmerz und dem Schock, die Michael wirklich persönlich kannten und mit ihm arbeiten durften...ich mag es mir nicht vorstellen..und dann noch Angriffe von sogenannten Fans...und zwar heftigst..
..ausgerechnet von Michael-Fans..das kann ich net nachvollziehen..zu deren Entschuldigung kann ich nur sagen, das die genauso unter Schock standen..aber sowas geht einfach gar net..never ever ...

oooooh.. Danke für das tolle Interview

aber was sind das nur für "Fans" die sich so aufführen

danke für dieses interview. ich habe mich schon so oft gefragt, wie es wohl den tänzern nach dieser todesnachricht ging, habe dann aber den gedanken ganz schnell wieder verdrängt. wenn wir schon so traurig sind, wie muss es dann erst den menschen gehen, die Michael persönlich gekannt haben, speziell natürlich seiner familie und Elizabeth Taylor.
Toll finde ich, dass dieser tänzer Michaels botschaft so toll weiterträgt, mit den aktionen in den schulen und so. warten wir es ab, was aus seinen entertainer-träumen wird. wir sollten uns seinen namen auf jeden fall merken.

danceoflife schrieb:....und dann noch Angriffe von sogenannten Fans...und zwar heftigst..
..ausgerechnet von Michael-Fans..das kann ich net nachvollziehen..zu deren Entschuldigung kann ich nur sagen, das die genauso unter Schock standen..aber sowas geht einfach gar net..never ever ...

Ich denke, das waren die Art von Fans, die ihn nie in Ruhe lassen konnten. Mehr kann ich dzu auch nicht sagen.
Es gab immer Fans, die Michael als ihr "Eigentum" ansahen...leider...und diese Fans denke ich würden dann auch so reagieren ohne
weiter darüber nachzudenken.

Hier noch ein schönes herzerweichendes Interview mit Janet

Und wo ich schon gerade dabei bin:



Der letzte Satz: "He leaves a big hole in my live!"

ruth schrieb:Michael Jackson - Snipes Turned Bodyguard For Terrified Jackson On Bad Video Set

MICHAEL JACKSON was so scared as he shot his BAD video in Harlem, New York, he held hands with co-star WESLEY SNIPES.

The Hollywood actor played a gang leader in the 16-minute music video, which was shot in 1987, and he recalls the King Of Pop was terrified of the rough neighbourhood - and so enlisted Snipes to help him feel safe.

The actor tells America's GQ magazine, "I think Michael was a little scared being in Harlem. We were holding hands walking down the street. I was like, 'Hang in there, Michael. Don't worry about it, brother - I got you.' I went from being the actor in the scene with him to bodyguarding him.

"The people were calling out his name - some favourably, some not so favourably. Some were happy that Michael was in the hood; some were like, 'Yo, Mike, get the f**k out of the hood. We're not feeling you, man. F**king Michael Jackson.'

"(They were) yelling it across the street. And he's hearing this. They felt detached from Michael. They felt as though Michael had moved (on) from the black community.


"He turned to me, and he says, 'Are you scared?' I was like, 'What? Scared of what?' 'You know, the people and everything. Aren't you scared of them?' I was like, 'Nah, Mike. I grew up here. This is all good. Are you scared?' He was like, 'Yeah, a little.'"

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/snipes-turned-bodyguard-for-terrified-jackson-on-bad-video-set_1137633

Ich kanbn mir das sehr gut vorstellen, dass Michael sich an diesem Ort unwohl fühlte. Er kannte das "wahre" Leben da draussen nicht ...
und dann gleich Harlem!!!
Aber irgendwie auch süß, unser Michael.

Fand ich heute. Mr Aberjhani ist wohl eher ein Zeitgenosse, aber es passt hier trotzdem hin. Leider wieder nur auf englisch, bevor der eigentliche Test losgeht, müßt ihr die Seite etwas runtergehen...

http://www.redroom.com/blog/aberjhani/to-walk-a-lifetime-michael-jacksons-moccasins

DAnke ruth, ein sehr schöner Text. Besonders der letzte Absatz ist wirklich spitze!!!!