With the 52nd annual Grammy Awards just around the corner, it has today been announced that the show will feature a spectacular, star-studded tribute to the late, great King of Pop Michael Jackson. For viewers at home, the segment of the show will air in 3D. Peep the report via Billboard after the jump…
Last year, as the Grammys were approaching, the show’s executive producer was in frequent talks with Michael Jackson to appear on the telecast to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Thriller.”
Ken Ehrlich, the Grammy telecast’s co-executive producer, had presented several ideas for performers, including Justin Timberlake and Usher, all of which excited Jackson. But in the end, he declined the show’s invitation.
“He just wasn’t ready for it,” Ehrlich said.
This year, Jackson will be a focal point of the show, with an unprecedented posthumous tribute. The Grammys will broadcast a 3-D clip the singer made for his hit “Earth Song,” a video that was to be integral to his comeback concerts in London in July 2009 – shows that never happened because of his June 25 death in Los Angeles.
Usher, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson will perform alongside the clip, which Ehrlich says will be the first time an awards show will feature 3-D.
“Whenever we would do a show with [Jackson], the first thing he would say to me was, `How can we do something that we [have] never done before?’ And now we’re doing something that hasn’t been done before,” said Ehrlich, who worked with Jackson for almost 30 years, in an interview Tuesday.
Ehrlich produced the televised memorial to Jackson last year. He was with the singer the night before he died – and that’s when he first saw the 3-D clip of “Earth Song,” a call to action about the destruction of nature and animals by man.
“There are these incredible images of the beauties of nature, and then they are seen through the eyes of a little girl, and that girl falls asleep and when she wakes up, she is witness to the destruction of nature,” said Ehrlich. “It’s all about questioning what our values are.”
While a part of the clip was shown in the recent movie documentary “This Is It,” Ehrlich says the Grammys will show the full piece in 3-D. When he saw it with Jackson that night, Ehrlich said the singer was moved to tears.
“It was pretty emotional for him,” Ehrlich said. “Afterward he said to me that that song and that piece and that portion of the concert was as important to him than anything else in the show.”Ehrlich decided to use the five-minute 3-D clip at the Grammys to produce a show-stopper worthy of Jackson, who provided the awards show with some of its most memorable moments, including his then-historic eight Grammy wins in 1984.
“The promise is this is going to be pretty spectacular,” he said.
Viewers can get free 3-D “Grammy” glasses from Target stores nationwide from Jan. 24 through Jan. 31, when the 52nd annual Grammy Awards will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS (8 p.m. EST). Ehrlich says TV viewers can see the clip without the glasses, but won’t see the 3-D effect.
Jackson will be honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy during the show.
“This is the one award from us that Michael never received,” said Recording Academy President and CEO Neil Portnow.
Portnow said he expected Jackson’s family to be in the audience but their attendance hasn’t been confirmed.
I cannot wait!
I can’t wait for this. I’m so happy they got Jennifer to be apart of this 🙂
they should add C.Breezy on this.
i tried to watch my tv with my avatar 3D glasses and it did not work!!
on a real, i dnt care for the grammys so next!!
I wonder if the Grammys will now be embracing Janet?
I can’t remember the last time I ever watched the grammy’s..i swear.
it’s sad it took his death for them to honor him smh. Well at least it’s being done. I think Chris brown should be invited it would only make it right.
a michael jackson tribute isn’t a good tribute without Chris Brown.
Mj is the best
I DONT WANNA SEE A DAMN CARRIE UNDERWOOD I WANNA SEE CHRIS BROWN
forget chris brown
if janet’s not involved, the tribute will be wack IMO.
Chris Brown and Janet on the same stage. Now that would be epic!
JANET ALREADY DID A TRIBUTE SHUT THE HELL UP ABOUT HER
WE WANNA SEE SOMEONE WHO HASN’T
MICHAEL JACKSON, B******!! 🙂
Will Grammy invites Janet to perform ? I hope so. Janet is the best performer besides MJ.
This is great, though he should have gotten this award a long time ago. I am also surprised The BET Awards never game him his lifetime achievement award either. They might do it this year though.
It such a shame he wasn’t recognised with this award when he was alive!! Not that excited about the earth song, saw it in the movie and wasn’t that move, however it was close to MJ heart …so why not?? BTW CARRIE who… ???
Heck yeah! A tribute to Michael jackson at the Grammy’s. Courious, will Michael Jackson break another record ? Most watched Grammy award show? Can’t wait!
is there a specific brand of 3-D glasses needed to watch the effects of the tribute? i really want one of those glasses. i wish my 3-D glasses are enough ’cause it’ll be aired here in the philippines. can’t wait =)
i dont give a f*** who he hit, why he hit or when he hit, chris brown should, no must be a part of this tribute!! i love usher but he will do what chris can to this tribute!! the world is missing him for this and we all know it!! who wants to disagree cuz he hit rihanna can f*** off cuz his personal life has nothin to do wit this! i cant wait to see this tribute though cuz it cant suck any less than the one BET did or the one MTV did
oh i meant usher will not do what chris could
its going to be great for the idiots saying chris brown should b on stage u guys do realize that earth song is purely about vocal skills and has nothing to do with dancing so why would chris brown make this a better tribute he’s not a vocal master piece they have gotten the right ppl michael really loved carrie underwood that’s why she was picked if u really dont know who she is then u have some issue thhat need to be taken care of she’s very very talented and obviously celine dion is CELINE DION and JHUD is just enough said and everyone knew usher would b a part of this and smokey idk y he’s there but why not its going to b great o and noone cares if u guys dont know or care for the grammy’s or that song its not for u its to honor him he was passionate about the earth so it only seems right that they do this song though i’d love for them to get everyone together to do we are the world or man in the mirror
Be sure you don’t throw those Michael Jackson’s This Is It 3D Grammys Glasses away. Why you ask?
You can use them here
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=23670782
Over 1100 pictures you can view in 3D using those glasses.