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Dramatic until the witching hour: “The link is open until Friday, April 10th at midnight.” Until then, journalists could submit questions they wanted to ask the cast and crew of “Michael.” The world premiere of the Michael Jackson biopic took place in Berlin on Friday evening, in the presence of, among others, leading actor Jaafar Jackson, director Antoine Fuqua and producer Graham King. The start of a three-day “celebration” in the Uber Eats Music Hall, to which celebrities, journalists and countless Michael Jackson truthers were invited – with their typical mixture of constant ecstasy and slightly manic looks. Red “Beat It” jackets everywhere, “Smooth Criminal” fedoras, glitter gloves and “Hee-Hee” impersonators.
One is amazed at the admirable fact that Michael Jackson is here more of a feeling than an aesthetic role model; There are many different body shapes, sizes and pigmentations among the Jackson cosplayers.
Some of the Jackson clan are also present, including the polite Jermaine Jackson, with that wind tunnel-smoothed, permanently fixed smile, the goblin-like Randy Jackson, Michael Jackson’s youngest son Blanket “Hotel Adlon” Jackson and Prince Michael, who looks so refreshingly deviant, as if he could play a bully in a Guy Ritchie film.
Old Royalty: The Jackson Clan in Berlin
The Jacksons are Old Royalty, once one of music’s most powerful families. Today they are at least making a good living from Michael’s inheritance, because after him and his younger sister Janet they have not been able to establish a comparable successor.
The fact that Berlin was so happy to host the world premiere of “Michael” was also shown by the fact that even one of the Buddy Bear sculptures – that tourist attempt at demonstrative casualness – was costumed as Michael Jackson. The Jacksons probably didn’t even notice.
“What can I say, I cried,” says Jermaine about the acting performance of his nephew Jaafar, who took on the role of his brother Michael for the film. His first acting role, an impressive one at that (the review embargo falls on April 21st, you can read the review of the film on rollingstone.de).
At the panel on Saturday evening, the phrase “I agree” was one of the most common, followed by “it was a journey” and “an experience of a lifetime”. What remains most memorable is: “The cast was made of people who were obsessive in ways above the norm.” The production, controlled by the Jackson estate, ensured that everything would turn out their way.
Everything is “awesome” – but no free questions
Why is the Q&A rather, shall we say, generic? Because none of the submitted journalist questions were read out. There can be two reasons for this: Either none were submitted. Or some were submitted that were then not taken into account. One can only speculate about this. However, the fact that no questions were allowed to be asked freely does not promote journalistic willingness. Fortunately, the fact that journalists not only have to authorize answers but also questions is not a common practice, at least in this country.
It stands to reason that critical questions revolved primarily around the allegations of sexual abuse against Michael Jackson, which accompanied him from 1993 until his death and which became particularly public in the documentary “Leaving Neverland”. From Friday evening to Saturday lunchtime, not a word is said about it. Ignoring Neverland.
So: everything is “awesome”. Moderator Steven Gätjen cannot be blamed here. The TV host is also a film expert, a rare combination in this combination, and moderates every event with confidence. He is assisted today by an ex-journalist from “Bravo”, but no journalistic escalation is to be expected from him either. The youth magazine has always stood by Jackson, and Jackson dutifully held the “Bravo Ottos” into the camera year after year.
A faux pas – and what it reveals
“Celebration” doesn’t want to show any moral gray areas. That is their right. It is a “Celebration”, not unlike a “Star Wars Celebration”. The biggest and at the same time most relieving laugh of the evening is telling: Steven Gätjen asks eleven-year-old Michael Jackson, played by Juliano Krue Valdi: “What was it like when you were beaten by Colman Domingo in the film?” There is laughter on stage and in the audience because Gätjen unintentionally made it sound as if the actor Colman Domingo himself had struck and not the patriarch Joseph Jackson he embodied. Gätjen apologizes for the harmless faux pas.
But the reaction in the audience shows that they had definitely expected moments that deviated from the expected script. And that people were relieved that this one reference to physical abuse remained in the Jackson family. They wanted to have a nice day. Nobody that forces you to think.
