I defy you to sit still during the Michael Jackson documentary “This is It.” The music is so infectious, so stirring you’ll want to dance along with the King of Pop.
While it isn’t a polished example of what that last concert might have been, it is pretty good — particularly since Kenny Ortega, the show’s director, pulled out so many visual gems you’ll wonder if any artist could top it.
In addition to 3-D movie segments, the concert was going to feature so many of MJ’s hits it would have had to last a good two or three hours. The show required plenty of dancing and lots of singing. And that’s where the questions begin.
Had he lived, would Jackson have been up to that kind of grueling pace? In the film he looks incredibly skinny. At one point (in a goofy jacket with big shoulder pads), he resembles Jack Skellington. He doesn’t seem fragile. He just looks it.
He’s kind of a diva, too, demanding musicians and lighting artists to come in exactly when he wants them.
Because “This is It” is such a crazy quilt of rehearsals, it’s valid to wonder if he ever got through an entire run of the show without stopping.
The man’s abilities, though, are clearly on display. Deny him any props and you’re negating pop history. He had the goods — the voice, the songwriting ability, the dancing — to earn any artist’s respect.
Healthy? He appeared to be from these scenes. Had the concerts in London gone on, he would have been back at the top of his game and people would be awaiting a different documentary — one chronicling his triumph.
This brings tears — and joy. The joy? That someone managed to capture what might have been.
It’s a wonderful film — one that easily could win the year’s Best Documentary prize.

If you’ve been looking for a horror film that doesn’t involve dismemberment, baby sitters, burn victims or killers in hockey masks then “Paranormal Activity” may be the one for you.
Made for less than most new cars, it was intended as a student project. Then Steven Spielberg got a look at it and wanted to do his version with a big-name cast. Aaah, but the “Blair Witch”-like quality to the original was too good to ignore. So, he released it as is.
And the result? It’s pretty darn scary, particularly since it looks like the $11,000 wasn’t spent on animated effects. The two actors (Katie Featherston and MIcah Sloat) are good. You’ll get at least two good jolts and you’ll probably never play with a Ouija board again.
Its message? All houses could be haunted. It just depends who’s in them. Whoooooo.
See it soon. Audiences are flocking in droves. Deservedly.

Ads for the new (and last) Michael Jackson movie are cropping up with a PG rating. The reason? Suggestive choreography and scary images. What, specifically, are they classifying as a “scary” image? Hmmm.

The film opens Oct. 28 for two weeks. Sorta like the “Hannah Montana” movie. Only “Hannah” didn’t have scary images.

Why does it seem like so many celebrities have died of late? Has something shifted? Or are we just losing performers who played an important role in our pop culture lives?
While Patrick Swayze never won an Oscar, an Emmy or a Tony he did tower as one of the industry’s great people. During the past three decades, I interviewed him with some regularity and he was also the same — funny, bright and engaging.
Friends called him “Buddy” — a fitting nickname.
During the filming of “North and South” (remember that?), I spent the better part of a week on the set. At night, Swayze and the other cast members had grand adventures planned — usually, they involved dancing. Because he was a classically trained dancer (his mother ran a school), Swayze was incredible. But the kind of dirty dancing he could do at a bar would clear the floor. He was that good. And he never lorded it over anyone. As a result, co-stars like Kirstie Alley and Genie Francis jumped at the chance to go out with Buddy. His wife, Lisa, was pretty darn good, too. But when Swayze hit the floor, he was better than any “Dancing with the Stars” professional.
It’s too bad more films didn’t take advantage of that talent. But we still have “Dirty Dancing.”
It’s a classic. And so was he.

Bruce Miller previews “9″ and “Sorority Row” in this week’s Movies in a Minute.

Daniel Radcliffe is shaving, dating and –  get this – acting up a storm in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
He’s not just good, he’s great in the sixth installment, quite likely the series’ best.
This time out, Harry has come closer to solving the riddles that surround him and avenging his parents’ deaths. He’s accepting his place as “the chosen one,” too, and realizing the value of friendship.
Friendship, in fact, is key to the Potter series. No matter how great – or chosen – the young wizard may be, he can’t tower without the help of his friends. Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) are his vice president and chief of staff. They help him make tough decisions and stand by him even when others don’t.
Loyalty? It’s the name of the game.
Surprisingly, Director David Yates hammers home the theme with scenes that give “Harry” some of its best comedy yet. The Hogwarts kids discover love and, sure enough, they start pairing off. While Hermione pines for Ron, he becomes enamored with someone else. A love potion nearly does him in and true love wins out.
Harry, meanwhile, takes up with Ron’s sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright). They share a pretty intense kiss, giving Grint one of the best lines yet. (After Ginny hides a fairly potent textbook, Harry runs into Ron. “Did you and Ginny do it?” he asks. The crowd roars.)
Grint is shaping up as a fine comedian but he’s put into play with one of the masters. Jim Broadbent shows up as a professor of potions – a bumbling sort who taught Tom Riddle, the boy behind the series’ overarching theme. Broadbent’s Horace Slughorn fumbles through many situations, then owns up to the truth in one of those seminal Harry Potter moments.
“Half-Blood Prince” has so much to say it’s surprising it wasn’t released in two parts. Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), the professor pointing Harry toward his destiny, shows him the way to solve his “riddle.” The two go on a harrowing journey and encounter the scary Death Eaters. The scenes are dark, almost colorless, and filled with moments that will make Potter-ites jump.
The film is long – “Lord of the Rings” long – but it justifies its time with plenty of drama and action (heck, there’s even a couple of games of Quidditch). Newcomers don’t need a degree in Harry Potter. Masters will appreciate the detail.
The sets are great, the effects are wonderful and Radcliffe may be the perfect Potter for troubled times. No longer a kid with a goofy birthmark, he’s a young man with a destiny. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” may well be his coronation.

Rated PG-13, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” features some intense scenes.

On a four star-scale, it gets:
Four stars

File this under dumb ideas: The Academy Awards folks will nominate 10 films for Best Picture next year. They say they decided to go back to their roots. What they didn’t include was the quality of films we see. Back in 1939 (when they did have 10 nominees), the landscape was filled with “Gone With the Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” and seven other notable pics.
Now, we’re lucky to find five films that even deserve to be nominated.
What’s behind it? Methinks the studios want to be able to put “Best Picture Nominee” on their advertising so they can sell more tickets and DVDs.
In recent years, the majors have been shut out of the top prize while independents have gone home happy.
Now, it’s clobberin’ time.
Can you see the swill that’ll make the cut? Oy.

If the MTV Movie Awards didn’t exist, someone would have to invent them.
They’re a great promotional tool for popcorn movies and they give actors a chance to lampoon their images.
At Sunday’s affair, even those “High School Musical” kids weren’t immune. Jonah Hill made an off-color remark about Vanessa Hudgens’ extra-curricular activities; the “Twilight” kids got to tweak their uber-popularity.
Best of all, Sacha Baron Cohen dropped out of the ceiling (as his new character Bruno) and landed in the face of Eminem, who pretended (at least that’s what we think) to be offended before storming out.
LeAnn Rimes got to sing a heavily orchestrated version of Andy Samberg’s “D— in a Box” and Will Ferrell and Jim Carrey got to demonstrate why they’re icons in this world.
Obviously, the show is scripted to within an inch of its life (only the acceptance speeches seem bad) but it’s more fun than the Oscars and no one cares what anyone’s wearing.
No one, that is, except Eminem. Bruno’s outfit was little more than a thong. And Cohen arrived butt first.

The awards have been handed out and ‘Slumdog Millinaire’ was the big winner, taking home seven Academy Awards.

Here are photos from the evening of gold, glitz and glamour.

In case you missed them, here are photos from the red carpet as the stars arrived.

What’d I tell you?
It was a “Slumdog” kind of night. The little film that could, did, winning Best Picture, Director and slew of other awards to cap the Oscars.
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” didn’t do too badly, either. But “Frost/Nixon” was iced from the awards.
Best Speech: Kate Winslet, bowing down to her royal highness Meryl Streep.
Best Dress: Natalie Portman and Penelope Cruz.
Best Moment: Heath Ledger winning Best Supporting Actor. His family accepted and they were very gracious.
Best Surprise: Bringing out past winners to present the acting awards. It was a stroke of genius — one that should be repeated in the future. Instead of showing those worn-out clips of the performances, they let the winners speak about the nominees. And, best of all, they didn’t cut off the newest members of the Oscar family.
The musical numbers were good, too, and Hugh Jackman is a pleasant, talented hosted. Bring him back next year.

Now the interesting stuff:
Did you notice Jennifer Aniston was with her boyfriend John Mayer? And that they flashed to Brad and Angelina when she presented an award?
Did you also know Whoopi Goldberg dated Frank Langella  at one time?

Miley Cyrus had the worst dress (it looked like she was auditioning for “The Little Mermaid”) and Mickey Rourke had the worst male ensemble. He had a locket containing the photo of his dead dog and enough chains on his belt to qualify as a cast member of “Guys and Dolls.”
Sarah Jessica Parker had a nice dress but, um, did she get, um, new, um, breasts? Just asking.
Sean Penn was the only American actor to win Sunday night, but considering no Americans won last year, we’re making some headway.
The set looked good. The idea of putting the audience in the round was good. And pulling Anne Hathaway out of the audience for the opening number was brilliant. That should happen more often.
In all, it was a good show. It moved quickly (even though it clocked in at a long time) and it seemed like the kind of tribute the film industry deserved.
Then, too, the “Slumdog” folks won. It doesn’t get much better than that. If you haven’t seen the film, go. It’s a worthy winner. Golden, you might say.