It has the potential to be “one of our most memorable moments,” Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich said Wednesday, but it’s somewhat of a departure from the original plan.
“We talked with Michael a year ago about performing on last year’s show,” said Ehrlich. “And he finally told us he’d do it next year.”
After Jackson’s death on June 25, Ehrlich said he approached the Jackson family with a proposal for a tribute built around the 3-D film of “Earth Song.” He said the family “was very receptive. . . . They got it right away.”
The Grammy team considered and rejected the idea of having other artists perform Jackson songs, said Ehrlich.
“Songs like ‘Billie Jean,’ ‘Beat It,’ those are songs you really only want to hear Michael Jackson perform,” he said. “This song reflects Michael’s deeply held feelings about the Earth.”
Ehrlich said the “Earth Song” duet will not be exactly like the part-video duets he has done in the past between Nat and Natalie Cole or Frank Sinatra and Alicia Keyes. “You won’t see Michael lip-synching along,” he said.
Regular TV viewers will be able to watch the film “normally,” said Ehrlich, with “only a little softness” on some of the wide shots Viewers can enhance the experience by picking up a pair of 3-D glasses, which will be distributed free at Target stores starting Sunday. –gerald radford
