Final Jackson Rehearsal Footage Released

Update

Final Jackson Rehearsal Footage Released

Sat., Jul. 4, 2009 7:25 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

The last video shot of Michael Jackson in preparation for his This Is It! tour shows what might have been.

Two days before he died, the fallen hitmaker tore into "They Don't Care About Us"—a sentiment the King of Pop's fans probably can't identify with.

While tour organizer AEG Live has started refunding the roughly $85 million worth of tickets that were sold for Jackson's 50-night London run, it turns out scalpers are still cashing in on the scuttled comeback series because AEG is also offering buyers the option of claiming the one-of-a-kind, Jackson-designed tickets as souvenirs.

"It is one of the hottest items on the memorabilia market right now," says a source working on the AEG-sanctioned refunding process. "People realize they can get more money selling them to collectors than getting a refund."

Tickets to the O2 arena shows are selling for as much as $400 on sites like eBay and Gumtree.com—a London-based equivalent of Craigslist.

Meanwhile, AEG is said to be planning to release Jackson's rehearsal footage on CD and DVD, packaged as "live concert" recordings. A movie version is also being considered.

The entertainment conglomerate, which also owns Staples Center, where a memorial for Jackson is set to take place Tuesday, is contemplating the idea of turning its planned M.J. extravaganza into some sort of tribute event.

(Originally published July 2, 2009, at 3:06 p.m. PT)