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Farmer jailed for filming cottage tenants

SWANSEA, Wales, Nov. 5 (UPI) --

A Welsh farmer was sent to prison Thursday for concealing cameras in smoke detectors in a rental cottage and filming women and girls without their clothes on.

David Sturgess, 53, said he was innocent as a judge in Swansea Crown Court imposed a 2 1/2-year sentence, the South Wales Evening Post reported. The judge said Sturgess was guilty of a gross intrusion on his victims.

He was convicted last month of voyeurism and making indecent photographs of children. Prosecutors said many of his victims were teenage girls staying at the cottage in Llandysul.

Sturgess hid cameras inside smoke detectors, allowing him to watch live and to record images for the future. Among the moments he filmed were women and girls nude or partly clothed, showering, on the toilet and shaving their legs or other areas of their bodies.

Disney theme park to open in Shanghai

SHANGHAI, Nov. 5 (UPI) --

The Walt Disney Company said authorities in China have agreed to allow a Disney theme park to be built in Shanghai.

Disney President Robert A. Iger applauded the recent decision, saying China represents a new exciting expansion opportunity for his entertainment company, China Daily reported Thursday.

China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone, Iger said.

Disney said the project in Shanghai would begin with a Magic Kingdom-style theme park with characteristics tailored to the Shanghai region and other amenities consistent with Disney's destination resorts worldwide.

The new Disney park is expected to open in 2014 and reportedly will cost nearly $3.6 billion, China Daily said.

Real estate analyst Xue Jianxiong predicted the arrival of the Disney park would also benefit Shanghai commercial property owners.

The landing of Disneyland will drive up prices of commercial property, which, in turn, will send local house prices rocketing to a new high soon, the E-House (China) Holdings Ltd. analyst said.

News Corp. net profit up on movie, cable TV showing

WASHINGTON (AFP) --

Global media giant News Corp. posted an 11 percent rise in quarterly net profit on Wednesday as strong results from its movie, cable television and book publishing divisions offset a newspaper slump.

News Corp. reported a net profit of 571 million dollars, or 22 cents per share, for the first quarter of its fiscal year compared with 515 million dollars, or 20 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago.

Revenue declined 4.1 percent to 7.2 billion dollars but was better than the 7.16 billion dollars forecast by analysts, who had also expected earnings of 18 cents per share.

News Corp. chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch welcomed what he called "exceptionally strong results" despite "continued macro-economic challenges."

"The strategic steps we took last year to ensure stability during the downturn have proven successful, with significant cost reductions offsetting much of the revenue declines in our television and newspapers and information services segments," Murdoch said.

"The economies in which we do business are clearly in better shape than they were a year ago, and we have further positioned our operations to take advantage of the improvements we are seeing globally," he said.

Operating income soared 56 percent in the film division to 391 million dollars largely on the strength of 20th Century Fox's "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," which has grossed more than 880 million dollars at the box office.

Operating income at the cable television division rose 41 percent to 495 million dollars but fell sharply at the broadcast television division to 38 million dollars from 83 million dollars a year ago.

Newspaper division revenue declined 81 percent to 25 million dollars.

Newspapers are struggling with plunging print advertising revenue, steadily declining circulation and the migration of readers to free news online and Murdoch has announced plans to start charging online readers.

Currently, the Wall Street Journal is the only the News Corp.-owned publication that charges a subscription fee to view all content on its website.

Operating income at the book publishing division rose from three million dollars a year ago to 20 million dollars.

TCM planning classic film festival

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4 (UPI) --

Turner Classic Movies says it is planning its first TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood this spring.

To take place April 22-25, the film series is billed as a landmark celebration of the history of Hollywood and its movies, presented in a way that only TCM can, with major events, celebrity appearances and screenings of classic movies.

All screenings -- more than 50 in all -- are to include special introductions to provide context about each film.

Specific details about the festival are expected to be announced in the weeks and months ahead, including appearances by actors, actresses, directors, producers and other key figures.

Robert Osborne, TCM's prime time host, will be the official emcee of the festival.

Classic movies are something that link the past to the present and form a vital part of our culture, Osborne said in a statement Wednesday. This new festival will give those who love movies a way to connect with each other. It is a first-of-its-kind chance for TCM fans to experience the network in-person, meet others with the same interests and immerse themselves in a wide array of classic films.

China OKs Disney theme park in Shanghai

SHANGHAI (AFP) --

China has given the green light for Walt Disney Co. to build its long-awaited first theme park on the mainland in Shanghai, after a decade of negotiations, both sides said.

The announcement of the deal, which would be one of the biggest ever foreign investments in China, comes less than two weeks before US President Barack Obama makes his first official visit here, starting November 15 in Shanghai.

Neither side disclosed any figures, or gave a time frame for reaching a final agreement, but previous reports have said the US entertainment giant will invest 3.6 billion dollars in the 10-square-kilometre (four-square mile) park.

"China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone for The Walt Disney Company in mainland China," Disney president and CEO Robert Iger said.

Approval of the project would "enable Disney and its Shanghai partners to move forward toward a final agreement to build and operate the park and begin preliminary development work," the company said in a statement.

The new Chinese venture would be a "Magic Kingdom-style theme park with characteristics tailored to the Shanghai region," it added.

The Shanghai government said approval of the project application report (PAR) had been granted late last month, and that both sides had "started in-depth talks on details of the project" in the city's Pudong New district.

A Shanghai-based Disney executive told AFP on Wednesday: "It's just a PAR and not the final deal yet."

When asked how long negotiations could last, the executive said: "It may take several more months."

China's official Xinhua news agency, quoting Shanghai municipal officials, said "several big state-owned firms" would form a joint venture with Walt Disney to invest in the project.

Analysts say the Shanghai park would be part of a major push by Disney into China, to build the iconic brand in the world's most populous nation of 1.3 billion people.

"The Disney park will become a huge advertisement and a landmark project," Wang Liang, deputy head of the Shanghai Circulation Economics Research Institute, a think-tank linked to the city government, told AFP.

"Disney is not just eyeing the output from the park itself. Rather, it aims to cultivate little consumers, cultivate children's loyalty to the Disney and Mickey Mouse brands. Profits would then come from the relevant stationery, garments and toys."

Disney is one of the most active foreign entertainment companies in China, with more than 600 employees in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, according to corporate data.

Its products are sold in 5,000 branded, free-standing locations and retail corners in more than 25 Chinese cities. Last year, the company launched its first English learning centre in Shanghai for children aged two to 10.

The park would be the fourth for Disney outside the United States and the third in Asia, after Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong, where an amusement park opened in 2005.

Earlier reports said Disney had hoped to open the Shanghai park to coincide with next year's World Expo in the city, but that time frame has now been pushed back until at least 2012 or 2013.

Wang said the amusement park would give China's financial centre a boost in terms of jobs creation and revenue, but not solely from the millions of tourists visiting the rides and attractions.

"The revenue and new jobs from industries deriving from the Disney park, such as animation, will be much higher than tourists to the park itself. It will become an engine to drive relevant industries," Wang said.

China OKs Disney theme park in Shanghai: official

SHANGHAI (AFP) --

China's central government has given the green light to the Walt Disney Co. to build its long-awaited first theme park on the mainland in Shanghai, after a decade of negotiations, both sides announced.

"The Project Application Report (PAR) for a Disney theme park in the Pudong district of Shanghai has received approval from the relevant authorities of the central government of China," Walt Disney said in a statement.

The Shanghai government said in a statement that approval had been granted late last month, and that both sides had "started in-depth talks on details of the project, to build a world-class Disneyland".

Disney said the government approval of the project would allow both sides to "move forward toward a final agreement" to build and operate the "Magic Kingdom-style theme park with characteristics tailored to the Shanghai region."

A Shanghai-based Disney executive told AFP on Wednesday: "It's just a PAR and not the final deal yet."

When asked how long negotiations could last, the executive said: "It may take several more months."

The Shanghai park would be part of a major push by Disney into China, to push the giant's other products in the market of 1.3 billion people.

Disney is one of the most active foreign entertainment companies in China, with more than 600 employees in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, according to corporate data.

Disney products are sold in 5,000 branded, free-standing locations and retail corners in more than 25 Chinese cities. Last year, the company launched its first English learning centre in Shanghai for children aged two to 10.

Hong Kong opened a Disney theme park in 2005.

Girl hurt in mishap at Disney resort

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 3 (UPI) --

A 4-year-old girl had surgery after injuring her neck, head and face in a golf-cart mishap at Disney's Fort Wilderness in Florida, officials said.

The girl was seriously injured at the resort during the weekend when she was thrown from a golf cart she was riding in with her father, Charles Wickt, and partially pinned underneath, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported.

Wickt told officers he swerved to avoid another cart driving toward them without lights, causing his vehicle to overturn, the Sentinel said.

The girl was listed in stable condition at Arnold Palmer Hospital and the incident is under investigation, the newspaper said.

Jackson Rathbone Dishes On New Moon

VANCOUVER, BC. Nov.3 (TOTI) --

Jackson Rathbone recently dished on the upcoming film, New Moon, the second installation in the Twilight saga. Rathbone plays the part of Jasper Hale, a vampire with an ability
to transform and manipulate the emotions of people that are around them.

Of the upcoming film, Jackson told Pixie magazine, "We do a little bit more with Jasper's character, which is really nice. We actually get to showcase his special skill: the ability
to manipulate emotions. Everything that I was holding back in the first film, I got to unleash a little bit in the second film. We are going to do even more in the third film."

New Moon Trailer

New Moon is set for a November 20, 2009 theatrical release in the United States. New Moon also stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in their respective roles as Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. Taylor Lautner returns as Jacob Black, a werewolf that vies for the affection of vampire loving Bella.

Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight saga, has a tentative release date of June 30, 2010.

Are you going to see the midnight screening of New Moon when it's released?

Shanghai set to build Disneyland: report

HONG KONG (AFP) --

The Chinese government could give the green light this week for a multi-billion dollar Disney theme park in Shanghai, a report said Monday.

Quoting an unnamed government official with direct knowledge of the project, the South China Morning Post said the 3.6 billion dollar amusement park had been approved.

Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng told media Sunday that there would be an announcement later this week, but he declined to confirm whether the plan had received final approval, the report said.

"What I can say at this moment is that we will hold a press conference to announce the details of the project in the near future," Han was quoted as saying.

In a statement, Disney said the park had yet to be confirmed although the company and Shanghai officials submitted a proposal to China's central government.

"No deal has been agreed to, no project has been approved," Leslie Goodman, Disney's executive vice president for worldwide public affairs, said in the statement Monday.

Shanghai has been working for almost a decade to land a world-class amusement park, partly to shore up its lagging economic growth compared with other Chinese cities, the report said.

There had been speculation that the announcement would be made during US President Barack Obama's visit to China later this month, the report said.

Hong Kong opened a Disney theme park in 2005.

Safari guide killed during CBBC filming

DODOMA, Tanzania, Oct. 31 (UPI) --

A 38-year-old safari guide was killed by a wild elephant in Tanzania during filming for the CBBC series Serious Explorers, a friend says.

Ryan Wienand said his best friend, Anton Turner, was escorting the crew of the BBC's children's TV program Friday when the elephant charged the safari guide and inflicted fatal injuries, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

It's a huge shock and we are all very upset because it such a great loss. He had a pregnant fiancee, who is absolutely devastated, Wienand told the British newspaper.

The Telegraph said the incident took place in the Mburika Mountains area of Tanzania's 21,000-square-mile Selous game reserve. No other injuries were reported.

Wienand told the Telegraph the deadly attack was surprising given Turner's knowledge and experiences with elephants.

Anton was the most experienced person I have ever known when it comes to elephants, he had an expert knowledge of their behavior, he said.

So for him to die in this way is a complete freak event. He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him.

U.S. theaters prepping for holiday films

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 31 (UPI) --

There could be up to 2,500 3-D cinema locations in the United States in time for the release of major 3-D films this holiday season, 20th Century Fox says.

The film studio said while only 900 theaters nationwide were able to show 3-D works at the start of 2009, a major effort through the year has greatly increased the number of 3-D screens in time for the holiday release of Avatar, Variety.com reported Friday.

Avatar, a highly anticipated film from director James Cameron, is to be released Dec. 18.

U.S. theaters also are attempting to install 3-D technology in time for the Nov. 6 release of A Christmas Carol, an animated Disney version of the classic Christmas tale.

Variety said while all of the planned 3-D locations may not be completed next month, they should be ready for a slew of 3-D films due in 2010.

Among the 16 3-D films already scheduled for release next year is Alice in Wonderland, which Disney will release March 5.

Disney Dream ship details announced

NEW YORK, Oct. 30 (UPI) --

Disney Cruise Line revealed details about the Disney Dream, a new cruise ship expected to set sail out of a Florida home port in January 2011.

The ship will include a water coaster, the AquaDuck, a tubular ride with a section that extends 13-feet beyond the deck of of the ship, 150 feet above the ocean, the Orlando Sentinel reported Friday.

For the 12 percent of the cabins that do not have a natural view, the Disney Dream will have virtual portholes that show the outside view others have with an added attraction: Disney characters from Finding Nemo, or Mary Poppins might swim or float by, the newspaper said.

It isn't a passive experience -- from top to bottom, said director of design and production for Walt Disney Imagineering Greg Dauberger.

The ship will be use for trips from three to five nights to Nassau, Bahamas, and Castaway Cay, a private island owned by Disney.

The 4,000-passenger ship will include restaurants with themes from Disney films, and separate clubs for tweens, teens and adults.

We think that the family cruise market is one that we have just skimmed the surface of, said Jay Rasulo, chairman of the Walt Disney Co.'s parks-and-resorts division.

Ukraine closes all schools, cinemas over swine flu

by Anya Tsukanova KIEV (AFP) --

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Friday ordered a three-week closure of Ukraine's schools and cinemas in the toughest measures adopted yet to combat the swine flu virus in Europe.

"From today, all the school establishments in Ukraine -- be they private or public -- will be put on three weeks of holiday," she told her cabinet in comments carried on Ukrainian television.

Tymoshenko said the government would also be banning "all public gatherings, every concert and every cinema showing for three weeks."

The government will also introduce "special regimes" to limit the movement of Ukraine's citizens from one region to another for non-urgent purposes, she said. Ukraine has borders with four EU countries.

The prime minister's tough actions came as Ukraine confirmed its first deaths from the A(H1N1) virus, amid a growing panic over several dozen unexplained deaths in the west of the country.

Four people in Ukraine are now confirmed to have died from the virus, the secretary of the country's national security council Raisa Bogatyriova said, according to the Ukrainian presidency.

In the Ternopil region alone in western Ukraine, 30 people have died of unexplained causes in the last days, health ministry spokeswoman Lyudmila Gordon told reporters.

Tymoshenko also threatened to revoke the licenses of pharmacies that failed to stock the appropriate level of anti-flu medicine and masks.

"We can say today that Ukraine has entered into the zone of the swine flu epidemic," Health Minister Vassyl Kniazevich said.

AFP correspondents in Kiev and the western city of Lviv said there had been long queues outside pharmacies in the past days as the population stocked up on anti-flu masks.

Many students whose courses were cancelled in Lviv and Ternopil left the cities, while those who remained were frequently seen wearing masks in public places.

Lemons, a traditional anti-flu remedy, sold out at markets in Lviv while supermarkets were selling them at double price.

There is currently only enough anti-flu medication in Lviv to last three to four days but central authorities have promised to make additional deliveries, said Lviv governor Mykola Kmit.

Tymoshenko will travel to the affected western Ternopil region later Friday to visit the "epicentre" of the epidemic, a government statement said.

The country's politicians, including Tymoshenko, have just started official campaigning for presidential elections scheduled for January 17.

The prime minister on Saturday held a mass outdoor rally in the centre of Kiev attended by tens of thousands of people to mark her party's confirmation of her candidacy in the presidential race.

President Viktor Yushchenko, Tymoshenko's political arch-rival who is also standing in the elections, was due to hold his own rally on Sunday but it is now unclear whether this can go ahead.

Residents of Kiev meanwhile were asking pharmacies for masks and medication but these were not always to be found in stock.

Manhattan moves to Doha for Tribeca film festival

by Acil Tabbara DOHA (AFP) --

A part of Manhattan and Hollywood stars moved to Qatar with the glittering opening on Thursday night of the inaugural "Doha Tribeca Film Festival."

Martin Scorsese and Ben Kingsley were among the stars who graced the digital red carpet at the entrance of the new Islamic Museum of Doha, designed by Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei.

"We want to bring the best of world cinema to this part of the world, we want to inspire the new generation to make films," festival director Amanda Palmer told AFP.

New York's Tribeca Film Festival -- founded by Robert De Niro in a bid to reinvigorate cultural life in Manhattan after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 -- helped organise the festival with Qatari authorities.

De Niro is expected to join on Sunday when the curtains come down on the four-day film festival, organisers said.

The Doha festival's organisers are keen to stress the Doha event is not merely a copy of the original in New York, but rather a means to open up avenues of collaboration.

"It's a true cultural partnership to support local and emerging film makers from the region -- it wasn't dominated by one side," said Jeff Gilmore, one of the main organisers.

Kingsley agreed that the festival was an opportunity to bolster cultural exchanges. "We have to learn from other cultures," he told AFP, noting what he said was "the great past and great future of Arab movies."

Scorsese said he was "inspired by Egyptian movies."

In fact a foundation chaired by Scorsese was responsible for restoring the classing Egyptian 1969 movie "The Mummy" which will be among the films aired at the festival.

Eleven films from the Middle East are among the 31 pictures selected for the festival and they will be projected on outdoor screens, either on the beach or in the reconstructed souk of Doha.

The brand new festival kicked off with the first Middle East showing of Amelia, directed by Indian Mira Nair and telling the story of the aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.

VIP guests were seated inside the new Islamic Museum for the screening of the film, while more than 3,000 people gathered in an open theatre built especially for the festival on the grounds of the museum.

The jury will award two top prizes worth 50,000 dollars each, with one going to the best international film and another to the best Middle East film.

50 Cent's new film to screen in 10 cities

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29 (UPI) --

Rapper 50 Cent says his feature film directorial debut, Before I Self Destruct, will be screened in 10 U.S. cities next month.

Fans can download tickets for the screenings at MovieTickets.com, Interscope Records said Thursday.

Inspired by 50 Cent's latest album of the same title, 'Before I Self Destruct' is a gritty 90-minute film, written, directed and starring Curtis Jackson -- a.k.a. 50 Cent, the record label said. The film is a coming-of-age story about an inner-city youth raised by a hardworking single mother. When his dream of becoming a basketball player fails to materialize after his mother is tragically gunned down, Clarence, played by Jackson, is consumed by revenge and takes up a life of crime in order to support his younger brother.

The album and film will be released as a set by Shady/Aftermath Nov. 23.

'Jaws' tops non-horror scary movie roster

DALLAS, Oct. 29 (UPI) --

Jaws, a 1975 film about a great white shark terrorizing a U.S. resort town, ranked No. 1 on Blockbuster's survey of The 10 Most Terrifying Non-Horror Movies.

Nearly one in three respondents to the poll chose Jaws, the movie rental company noted in a release Thursday. Blockbuster did not say how many people participated in the survey or when it was conducted.

Coming in at No. 2 on the list is Misery, followed by Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at No. 3, Deliverance at No. 4 and A Clockwork Orange at No. 5.

Rounding out the top tier are Fatal Attraction at No. 6, No Country For Old Men at No. 7, Requiem for a Dream at No. 8, Mommie Dearest at No. 9 and Dead Calm at No. 10.

Thornton joins 'Faster' film cast

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28 (UPI) --

U.S. actor Billy Bob Thornton has signed on to star opposite Dwayne Johnson in Faster, a co-production of CBS Films and Sony Pictures.

The announcement was made Wednesday by Amy Baer, president and chief executive officer of CBS Films, the feature film division of CBS Corp.

The action thriller, which is scheduled to start principal photography in mid-January, will be directed by George Tillman, Jr.

Written by Joe and Tony Gayton, the movie is about an ex-con, played by Johnson, who sets out to avenge his brother's murder with a deadly to-do list.

Trailed by a veteran cop (played by Thornton) and an egocentric hit man, he methodically races against time to bring those responsible to 'justice.' Casting for the hit man is currently underway, CBS Films said in a news release.

The movie is being produced by Castle Rock Entertainment's Martin Shafer and Liz Glotzer, alongside Tony Gayton and Robert Teitel. Joe Gayton will executive produce.

Thornton's film credits include Sling Blade, A Simple Plan, Pushing Tin, Armageddon, Monster's Ball, Bad Santa and Eagle Eye.

Bugliosi's 'Bush' book adapted as film

DETROIT, Oct. 28 (UPI) --

A documentary based on Vincent Bugliosi's book The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder is to be released in U.S. theaters next year, NAFTC Studios said.

The film was directed by David J. Burke, produced by Kip and Kern Konwiser and executive produced by Peter Miller. It is slated for release in February.

A trailer can be viewed at www.indiegogo.com/bush

Bugliosi, a former prosecutor, also wrote the blockbuster true-crime books Helter Skelter, And the Sea Will Tell, Outrage and Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Fans get final thrill at world premier of Jackson film

by Rob Woollard LOS ANGELES (AFP) --

Michael Jackson delivered a posthumous thriller Tuesday as fans flocked to worldwide premieres of a documentary film billed as the final concert performance of the King of Pop.

Four months after Jackson's death, red carpets were rolled out for 18 simultaneous screenings on five continents for "This Is It," culled from more than 100 hours of footage taken from rehearsals for the pop icon's comeback.

The Los Angeles premiere began as parts of the city were plunged into darkness as punishing gusts downed dozens of power lines.

Gesturing to the strong winds buffeting the event, Jackson's former manager Frank DiLeo joked: "He's happy. You can feel him spinning around in the air here ... He's looking down right now laughing his rear end off."

Travis Payne, choreographer for the show, added: "It's time to celebrate Michael, to rejoice in his wonderful message of peace and love. People will enjoy seeing the Michael Jackson I always got to see."

The Hollywood screening mirrored events being held in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America before the two-hour film comes out in 99 countries on Wednesday for a limited two-week release.

In Beijing, a troupe of Jackson impersonators grabbed their crotches and moonwalked for hundreds of screaming fans as the movie premiered in China.

Fans wearing single white gloves and clutching posters of the late pop star shrieked as the lookalikes danced in unison to hits like "Thriller" and "Beat It" outside the central Beijing cinema where the film was screened at midnight.

Early reviews of the movie were positive.

The USA Today newspaper said that while the film did not "restore Jackson to his past glory" it did "offer glimpses of his bygone greatness."

"The songs remind us that early this summer, the world lost a genuine, if genuinely troubled, star," it said.

Melanie Hillman, a television producer who attended the Los Angeles premiere, said the movie had captured the imagination of the audience.

"Sometimes you were sitting in your seat like, 'wow.' People were crying, clapping, cheering," she told AFP.

Advance tickets to shows in several countries sold out within days as fans scrambled to be among the first to see a film billed by Sony Pictures as the movie of "a concert that never happened."

Jackson, who died on June 25 aged 50, spent the previous four months rehearsing in Los Angeles for a grueling series of 50 concert spectaculars scheduled to begin at London's 02 Arena in July.

More than 800,000 tickets had been sold for the concerts, with organizers promising one of the "most expensive and technically advanced" live shows ever.

Video footage from the rehearsals had been intended to help organizers critique the show and was never intended for public viewing. Sony bought the footage for 60 million dollars after executives saw only several minutes.

The movie also got a stamp of approval from Jackson's long-time friend and confidante, actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was privy to a sneak preview.

Taylor, who recently underwent heart surgery, hailed the movie as the "single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen" in a post on micro-blogging site Twitter.

"It cements forever Michael's genius in every aspect of creativity."

Despite the anticipation surrounding the film, a group of diehard Jackson fans had launched an online campaign urging devotees to boycott the movie, claiming it hides the truth about his final days.

The group claims on its website -- "This-Is-Not-It" -- that the movie attempts to mask Jackson's physical frailty as he maintained a punishing schedule of rehearsals.

But audience members at the first screening said Jackson looked healthy in the film.

"Michael Jackson was very fit. Very healthy. It was the old Michael Jackson, the young Michael Jackson," Hillman said. "I was really surprised how creative and healthy and rhythmic he was."

Los Angeles government workers Fernando Ramirez and Jacqueline Martinez also gave the film the stamp of approval, saying the documentary hinted that Jackson might have made a successful comeback.

"I thought it showed that he still had it, he had the strength to continue," Ramirez said. "His attention to detail really came across in the film."

Jackson movie a thriller in worldwide premiere

by Rob Woollard LOS ANGELES (AFP) --

Michael Jackson delivered a posthumous thriller as fans flocked to worldwide premieres of a documentary film billed as the final concert performance of the King of Pop.

The Los Angeles premiere began on Tuesday as parts of the city were plunged into darkness by outages caused by powerful winds.

Gesturing to the gusts buffeting the event, Jackson's former manager Frank DiLeo joked: "He's happy. You can feel him spinning around in the air here ... He's looking down right now laughing his rear end off."

The Hollywood screening mirrored events being held in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America before the movie makes its formal release in 99 countries on Wednesday for a limited two-week release.

In Beijing, a troupe of Jackson impersonators grabbed their crotches and moonwalked for hundreds of screaming fans as the movie premiered in China.

One diehard Chinese fan, 60-year-old Zhao Min, said Jackson's music was "full of vitality."

"I love his moonwalk very much," Zhao said.

Early reviews of the movie Tuesday were positive. The USA Today newspaper said that while the film did not "restore Jackson to his past glory" it did "offer glimpses of his bygone greatness."

"The songs remind us that early this summer, the world lost a genuine, if genuinely troubled, star," the paper opined.

Melanie Hillman, a television producer who attended the Los Angeles premiere, said the movie had captured the imagination of the audience.

"His way of rehearsing was that he was giving 110 percent. It was unbelievable, you could feel it," she told AFP.

"Sometimes you were sitting in your seat like, 'wow.' People were crying, clapping, cheering."

Advance tickets to shows in several countries sold out within days as fans scrambled to be among the first to see a film billed by Sony Pictures as the movie of "a concert that never happened."

Jackson, who died on June 25 aged 50, spent the previous four months rehearsing in Los Angeles for a grueling series of 50 concert spectaculars scheduled to begin at London's 02 Arena in July.

More than 800,000 tickets had been sold for the concerts, with organizers promising one of the "most expensive and technically advanced" live shows ever.

The movie also got a stamp of approval from Jackson's long-time friend and confidante, actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was privy to a sneak preview.

Taylor, who recently underwent heart surgery, hailed the movie as the "single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen" in a tweet on micro-blogging site Twitter.

"It cements forever Michael's genius in every aspect of creativity."

Despite the anticipation surrounding the film, a group of diehard Jackson fans had launched an online campaign urging devotees of the singer to boycott the movie, claiming it hides the truth about his final days.

The group claims on its website -- "This-Is-Not-It" -- that the movie attempts to mask Jackson's physical frailty as he maintained a punishing schedule of rehearsals.

"In the weeks leading up to Michael Jackson's death, while this footage was being shot, people around him knew that he looked like he might have died," the group said. "Those who stood to make a profit chose to ignore it."

However audience members who saw the first screening on Tuesday said Jackson looked healthy in the film.

"Michael Jackson was very fit. Very healthy. It was the old Michael Jackson, the young Michael Jackson," Hillman said. "I was really surprised how creative and healthy and rhythmic he was."