Dr. Arnold Klein, Michael Jackson’s long time dermatologist, is determined to embarrass him today. Yes, Michael is dead, but his movie, “This Is It,” is opening to rave reviews. What can Dr. Klein do to steal the spotlight?

Well, he sued Michael yesterday for just under $50,000. Klein says Michael racked up that balance with him between March 23rd and June 22, 2009. Procedures were mostly facial things — Restalyne, suntanning, Botox, that sort of thing.

It’s interesting to note that Dr. Klein — for whom Debbie Rowe (they no longer speak) once worked, and who set up the birth of Blanket, Michael’s third child — charged Jackson a grotesque $5,000 for an unscheduled weekend appointment and $7,500 for another.

The purpose of the lawsuit does seem to be to reveal a laundry list of Michael’s treatments. Klein could have filed last summer, or waited until after “This Is It” was released — or even better, wrote off the amount since Jackson kept him in business for years. But greed is greed, and Klein picked yesterday to get maximum exposure. As Chrissie Hynde sings so brilliantly, “You know who your friends are.”

Now that Klein has filed suit, I do hope the Jackson executors file a complaint against him with the California Medical Board. Those fees seem usurious. The board might also look at the drugs Klein was giving Michael including Lantoprost, which is opthalmic — meaning for eye doctors, not dermatologists, to prescribe.

How ironic. Michael Jackson is dead. But in “This Is It,” the filmed chronicle of rehearsals for shows that never happened, he finally gets his greatest wish granted: He’s a movie star (here’s THR’s review from Kirk Honeycutt).

“This Is It” is quite extraordinary. If there was any doubt that Michael was in control of the shows or his decisions, those fears are allayed here. Maybe he was sleeping 15 hours a day. But during these rehearsals, he couldn’t have been more focused or hardworking. It is truly amazing considering the last 16 years of total lunacy to see him so capable.

Director Kenny Ortega was smart in his edits. You see Michael almost from the beginning, dancing up a storm, singing without assistance vibrantly. True, he is very thin. But you also see that it’s a result of working out like crazy. Yes, he could have been five pounds heavier. But I dare anyone who sees this movie to try one of Michael’s moves.

“This Is It” is also notable for its emotional moments. At the end of a rehearsal of the Jackson 5 hit “I’ll Be There,” he calls out all of his brothers for a thank-you, as well as both parents. It’s a three-hanky moment. Some of his family will be embarrassed now about the way they’ve behaved.

One thing’s for sure: AEG spent a lot of money on this show. The production numbers are spectacular and sumptuous. “Smooth Criminal” is one of the standouts. The making of the “Thriller” number in 3D is remarkable.

And just wait ’til you see and hear him sing “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and “The Way You Make Me Feel” as Michael sings the blues and teaches the musicians how to play his charts. “It needs more booty,” he tells a keyboard player trying to get the right sexiness.

Will “This Is It,” dedicated to Michael’s kids, be a hit? Let’s put it this way: I already want to see it again. The fans will see it five times. Expect Sony to extend this release. “This Is It” is the “Thriller” of the year.

As Michael himself says, it’s a great adventure.

For another take on the “This Is It” premiere on the West Coast, check out THR’s Risky Business blog. Read the film review by THR chief film critic Kirk Honeycutt here.

THE STARS COME OUT IN NYC

Spike Lee was the first boldfaced name we saw wander into Theater 9 at the Regal E Walk tonight for “This Is It.” He had his kids with him. The rest of the A-list gang followed: Gayle King, Russell Simmons, Sherri Shepherd. Famed director Lasse Hallstrom brought his 14-year-old daughter. “Law & Order: SVU” star Tamara Tunie arrived with buddy Marva Hicks. Bob and Lynne Balaban took corner seats. Clive Davis snuck in with two lady friends at the last minute. Elsewhere in the room, DJ Cassidy – a wild Michael Jackson fan– was already thinking about queueing up for the midnight show. There were rare appearances by Ed and Annie Pressman, Johnny Pigozzi and Ken Sunshine. And these were just the people Peggy Siegal stocked Theatre 9 with — Bryan Bantry had his own gang in No. 8.

It was a far cry from the shallow nuttiness we watched on the screen from Hollywood. Leanza Cornett, once a Miss America, is no Katie Couric, that’s for sure. She looked at a loss as a gaggle of ferociously unimportant people filed by her: Jennifer Love Hewitt and her boyfriend, Jamie Kennedy; American Idols Adam Lambert and David Cook; a bewildered Paula Abdul. Nia Long. Will Smith was smart and didn’t go near her. Also seen on the red carpet: fake Jackson kid Omer Bhatti and his mom, Pia Bhatti, still looking for some spotlight. And then the Jackson brothers Marlon, Tito, and Jackie -- nice guys. They almost got to speak, but then Jermaine –resplendent in a blue magic carpet of a coat that looked like it was made by Persian Bob’s Cut Rate Carpets — horned in and started answering questions. The other brothers barely looked at him. In the background was a guy known only as Raffles, a Joe Jackson lackey with a sketchy history who skipped his usual yellow jacket full of black question marks. The whole thing was summed up in its total lack of importance by Cornett interviewing Mary Hart. All they were missing was Bubbles the Chimp…

Michael Jackson’s recorded music will likely stay with Sony Music.

Contrary to reports today, no one connected with Michael Jackson has any idea of talks to move Jackson’s records to Universal Music Group.

A source close to the action says of Michael’s post-2004 unreleased catalog, “There is much music.”

But how much completed music is another issue. Jackson was arrested in 2003, and endured two years of trial-related misery. It’s unknown if he was writing very much at the time.

Following his acquittal, Jackson spent a year or more abroad, in Bahrain, Ireland, and briefly in France. In Bahrain he was supposed to be recording an album for Prince Abdulla under an agreement that was never fulfilled. Following that he wrote a few songs with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, and another with Pras of the Fugees. A few of those recordings exist for inclusion on a CD. Also, the charity single “What More Can I Give?” featuring Celine Dion and a bunch of stars has never officially been released. Sony’s Tommy Mottola refused to put it out in 2001 after Jackson recorded it.

Moving from Sony would be a problem anyway. Jackson’s estate is still a 50% owner of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The estate has representatives on the board of directors of that company. For better or worse, Michael Jackson and Sony are a marriage with divorce a minor possibility.

‘This Is It’ on THR.com

Join us Tuesday at 4 p.m. PT for a live stream from the red carpet (courtesy of UStream below) at the “This Is It” premiere. Stick around as THR’s Steven Zeitchik and Matthew Belloni give you the inside scoop on the world-premiere screening from Los Angeles. And look for a instant review to arrive right after the movie!

Live TV : Ustream

The world may come to an end on November 13th for Columbia Pictures/Sony. Or make that November 14, aka “the day after tomorrow.”

Even as Sony braces itself for the Michael Jackson release, “This Is It,” another movie looms larger right after it. Roland Emerich’s “2012,” which cost a minimum of $200 million and was supposed to have been released last summer, is finally on its way.

“2012″ looks a lot like another Emmerich movie, “The Day After Tomorrow,” which featured Jake Gyllenhaal trudging through blizzards, tornadoes, and tidal waves. From the trailers, it sure seems like John Cusack is about to escape the collapse of — gasp! — the whole physical world as he drives through computer generated earthquakes, crumbling buildings, and general subsidence.

The theme song should be, “It’s the End of the World As We Know It — And I Feel Fine.”

No doubt trailers for “2012″ will be tacked onto the beginning of “This Is It.” It will be interesting to see the reaction. Are audiences yearning for a 70s style disaster movie? Or is “2012″ a disaster of a movie? Even more important, do normal people really believe the world will come to an end on December 21, 2012? Or this just a Y2K kind of marketing ploy that will blow up (yes. I said it) in everyone’s faces?

Sony’s had a pretty good run this fall with “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “Zombieland,” and the remake of “The Stepfather.” But those three were all relatively low budget — as everything is — compared to “2012.” Big Sony doesn’t look for Oscars; they’ve got Sony Pictures Classics for that, where “An Education,” “The Last Station,” “Lebanon,” and “Broken Embraces” could all be in the awards mix. Big Sony is where the money is, and so far, so good.

Maybe “2012″ will be the blockbuster that Emmerich’s “Independence Day” (one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies of all time) was. Maybe not. But having seen “The Road,” with Viggo Mortensen, I can tell you that John Hillcoat’s film is the more serious meditation on the end of the world. It resonates for days after viewing.  “2012″ will be the dessert.

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” opens worldwide in theaters on Wednesday. But you won’t be seeing it on DVD until February.

That’s because the movie studios have a deal with DVD companies. There has to be a 90-day window after the movie has played in theaters before it’s available in stores.

“This Is It” is set to play for two weeks, from Oct. 28-Nov. 13. Sony won’t admit it, but if it does well, the documentary could get a one or two week extension in theaters.

Either way, count 90 days from the end of its theater run before you can buy it as a DVD. That means no Michael Jackson Christmas. The earliest it would turn up is Feb. 13.

That nugget of info should create even more demand for tickets to the theater run. Even this reporter assumed “This Is It” would be the stocking stuffer of all time. But sources inside say no, and that’s it. Fans will have to rely on the collector’s item soundtrack CD featuring the songs from the movie in their original recorded versions.

Michael Jackson gets a big tribute on Wednesday night Oct 28th at the annual T. J. Martell dinner in New York.

The T.J. Martell Foundation is the premiere charity in the music business, set up by Columbia Records’ beloved Tony Martell in memory of his son, T.J.

The foundation is a leader in raising money for cancer, leukemia, and AIDS research. Every year, the dinner honors a record exec for his humanitarian efforts. This year it’s Bruce Lundvall, the popular veteran chief of Blue Note Records. Bruce is one of the last great music men in the record biz. Among his many successes: Dexter Gordon, Willie Nelson, James Taylor, Natalie Cole, Wynton Marsalis, and Norah Jones.

Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis, Diane Reeves, Michelle Branch, Big Kenny of Big & Rich, and a host of other musicians will serenade the Martell crowd. And at the end of the night, there’s a big, secret tribute planned to Michael Jackson.

Martell will also honor board members who passed away this year including my pal, and everyone’s, the great Michael Klenfner. Michael, one of the most successful promotion men in the history of the record business, loved the Martell Foundation and all its events. His passing is a loss for them.

There are probably tickets still available. Email kfitzpatrick@tjmartellfoundation.org for more information. As Tony Martell said to me yesterday: “Cancer does not know about a bad economy. It just keeps going.” 

When audiences finally see “This Is It” next week, they will also have a lump in the throat moment at the end: a dedication of the movie to Michael’s kids, Prince, Paris, and Blanket.

I’m told the decision was made to dedicate the film that way by Jackson’s executors, John Branca and John McClain. They are also the film’s executive producers.

Also, the Jackson brothers who added vocals to Michael’s Paul Anka song, “This Is It,” get credit as back up singers.

Sony is also releasing a companion album to the movie next Tuesday. But it won’t contain any of the live music played during rehearsals in the film. Instead, it’s an album “inspired by the film.” In other words: it will contain the known studio recordings of songs included in the movie like “Human Nature” and “Billie Jean.” Fans who expected a true “live” album from Jackson may be a tad disappointed. The album does include the title song, however. That’s something!

Meantime, here’s the latest clip from the movie. Jackson is thin, no question. But he’s also in charge, giving instructions on how to perform his songs to director Kenny Ortega. And his voice sounds perfectly Michael, lovely and all there.

And flash: Jackson’s kids will finally see the movie either today or on Saturday, sources tell me. The producers of the film have been offering tickets to the family for the last couple of weeks, but there had been no response. Now, they say, Prince and Paris saw “This Is It” trailed on TV and asked when they were going to see the movie. It’s unclear who else from the family will see it with them.

Michael Jackson’s documentary, “This Is It,” had a special, secret screening the other night at Sony. None other than Elizabeth Taylor got her own private viewing. And the word is, she loved it.

Taylor brought with her several family members. Also in the audience, acccording to sources, were Michael’s longtime insiders Miko Brando and Evvy Tavasci. Also there was famed international hairdresser Jose Eber. Michael and his kids spent last Easter with the Taylor clan and Eber. That’s who he considered family.

Taylor, who knows from having to go on when you’re sick, apparently told everyone involved that Jackson looked great, and that the film was “brilliant.” She did not express any concern over his appearance during rehearsals. The others in the screening room, an insider relayed to me, “were very pleased.”

“This Is It” is causing quite a rift in the various sections of Jackson’s camp. So far no one from his family has asked for a ticket or shown up to see the film at invitation from Sony. The only member of the family to be at all interested is Joe Jackson, who’s charging $3,000 a ticket on opening night for fans to meet him and see the film.

Liz Taylor’s imprimatur will certainly carry a lot of weight among Jackson’s rabid fans. It will be interesting to see who else Sony allows in before the big opening night in Los Angeles on October 27th.

Fans of Michael Jackson should see this video interview with Joe Jackson. In addition to Joe exploiting Michael on the premiere of “This Is It,” there’s also a question of permission for using “Man in the Mirror” in the background.

Good work!

Don’t miss all six parts of the interview Joe gives Jerry Olivarez of Brenden Theatres as they try to scrub clean Joe’s much chronicled terrible relationship with Michael. As the saying goes, “You can’t beat it with a stick.”

Was Joe paid for all this, too? Since this is a man who promoted a record label four days after Michael died, and brought a Jackson imitator to the BET Awards, all I can say is: you decide.

Joe Jackson cannot stop himself. Here’s the VIP Package details for his $3,000 ticket event for the two nights leading up to the opening of his dead son’s documentary. As a Jackson insider said to me last night: “I’d spend $3,000 to NOT spend time with him.” Indeed.

These details are reprinted from Jackson’s email invite:

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