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Town talking TV as CBS preps 2-hour Jackson concert show Gest also gave a sneak screening at the Sony studios in Manhattan for several of the powerhouse talents in the show, including Liza Minnelli, Whitney Houston (there with hubby Bobby Brown), Usher, Deborah Cox, Monica, Mya and the 98 Degrees foursome. To quote Liza M.: "The show moves at such a rapid pace that by the time it finishes, you wish it had lasted a few hours more." (Actual running time: two hours, though the European version will run three.) All this looks to mean a happy, and wildly profitable, ending for the show that has drawn the biggest money total in the history of concert stagings ( $14 million for two performances, plus a postshow party that had a $5,000 top ticket price). That first MSG performance Sept. 7 drew an extraordinary amount of media attention but also a mixed critical reaction, while the second show, which followed Sept. 10, the night before you-know-what, was vastly sharpened up and drew unqualified raves. The TV version, co-produced by Gest and Michael Dempsey and directed by Bruce Gowers, consists mainly of footage taped the second night, including 61 minutes of Jackson in action, reunited for the first time in years with his brothers, and also performing with 'N Sync. As TV Guide's Jennifer Graham tells me: "It seems like every big-name pop star in the industry is on the stage at one point or another. But by far the highlight is seeing Michael emerge, join the Jackson 5 and then do some of his solo material. He looks and sounds as good as he ever did." Many are predicting that this can be CBS' and Leslie Moonves' ratings topper for the year.
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