Yet another day of Cameronology (for a certain set) as the “Avatar” trailer premieres. Unlike previous teaser material, which did more to mystify than to reveal, this one goes for exposition, explaining who Sam Worthington’s character is, what he must do and why he must do it. Some of that is welcome — the fact that the movie is based on Cameron’s own creation and not an existing mythology requires Fox to start ’splainin’ — but some of it feels a little too spelled-out for a trailer meant to dazzle.

Also noticeable: the generic military dialogue (”they can take whatever they want but we will send them a message”), which somehow stands out more given the originality of the images. And that grab-you-by-the-collar score is just a little too insistent/melodramatic. Check out a fuller take on THR’s Heat Vision blog, where you can also watch the trailer.

By Steven Zeitchik

It’s time for musical chairs on musical pics.

Kenny Ortega, fresh off the growing global phenom that is “This Is It,” is contemplating a number of gigs now that he’s off “Footloose,” including the Universal feature version of Broadway hit “In the Heights.”

The “High School Musical” helmer is busy promoting his new pic, but he’s had conversations with producers about the job, according to sources.

“In the Heights” shares some similarities to the director’s previous work, though with a theme of urban identity and ethnicity, it could also offer something meatier for him.

The Paradigm-repped director and choreographer faces a dream twofer: a likely hit movie and no imminent commitments, which should give him a host of projects to choose from.

Meanwhile, the pic Ortega is no longer on is still aiming for a first-quarter shoot, as the studio intensifies the hunt for a new director.

By Steven Zeitchik

So the boxoffice for “This Is It” is stupendous, but this time of year, it’s always fair to ask about a different kind of gold.

Since bowing Tuesday night, Kenny Ortega’s pic about the elaborate Michael Jackson concert rehearsals has been drawing highly favorable critical response in addition to a solid commercial reaction ($2.2m domestically on Tuesday). Critics have praised the pop icon’s dedication and artistry as well as the film’s stylishly executed musical numbers.

Those endorsements have encouraged Sony to consider an awards play, while a number of commentators have painted a what-if scenario on its chances for an Oscar best picture nomination.

The studio is submitting the film for Academy Awards consideration, as all studios do for pretty much any film that opens during the course of the year. While the best picture talk is quiet so far, the field’s expansion to 10 pics and the hybrid film’s clear eligibility in the category could land it in the mix with other dark-horse titles like “The Hangover” — especially if voters are swayed by its phenom status.

By Steven Zeitchik

Pretty much any suggestion that “This Is It” would feel like a quickie, cash-in concert doc was wiped away at the Nokia Theatre on Tuesday night as Sony pulled the wraps off Michael Jackson concert pic (here’s THR’s review from Kirk Honeycutt).

Jackson’s presence hovered over the theater as one elaborately staged musical number after another came to the screen, with showstoppers from the Kenny Ortega pic playing like showstoppers to the 5,000-strong screening.

And while the movie, as you could pretty much expect, didn’t expose too many warts, it wasn’t above a blemish here and there, particularly in showing Jackson’s perfectionist attitude toward the musicians and dancers around him — though it ultimately depicted a likable, even engaged performer that evoked none of the tabloid stuff that followed (and preceded) his death.

All that adds up to a mega-hit for Sony that may surprise even the most optimistic of forecasters. The question of repeat viewings itself has hovered over the film, but if the reaction at the Nokia is even half an indication, a surprisingly broad base of fans will come out and possibly even see it multiple times. Love it or dread the overkill, this has phenomenon over it.

What the film doesn’t have is a lot of tabloid fodder. That could dent its publicity with a certain type of news outlet. But the favorable word-of-mouth should more than compensate for it.

The focus on Jackson has been on the salacious. Get ready for it to go back to the music (for a little while).

For another take on “This Is It” premiere, check out THR’s Showbiz411 blog. Read the film review by THR’s Kirk Honeycutt here.

By Steven Zeitchik

The strangest thing about the downtown L.A. premiere of “This Is It” is that it’s actually playing like a real concert. Fans are milling about outside dressed in white gloves and clamoring for tickets, or at least a peek at the red carpet.

And inside the lobby of the Nokia Theatre, the usual film-premiere pre-screening mingle is merging with pre-concert rituals: fans (more than 5,000 of them) talking about the music, die-hard fans lining up to buy T-shirts.

If Sony gets this kind of event-esque vibe at normal screenings (and there are 14 simultaneous ones set to start in a few hours right next door), they’ll be chuckling all the way to the boxoffice.

Of course, even as the buzz of a film-premiere dovetails with the excitement of a concert’s opening night — indeed, this could, but for a slightly better-dressed crowd, be the start of the thwarted 02 run — it’s fair to ask the if the concerts themselves would have drawn this kind of press attention had Michael Jackson lived.

The screening appears to be set to start. (Is it the first screening to ever start on time? This is historic.) More after the movie.

UPDATE: 6:05 p.m.: The lights keep dimming, the red-carpet feed has stopped telling us how special Paula Abdul feels about the evening, but this is still not it.

6:10 p.m.: Now Kenny Ortega comes out, stands in corner of a large stage and says of Jackson: “A man whose heart pumped to make this world a better place … This is and always has been for the fans.”

And now random foreign-language salutations to people around the world. People in the room are less impressed.

He finishes quickly — oh wait, no, intro for several brothers, including Jermaine … and more about the partnership, the journey, the sacred documentation. Start the movie. Please.

UPDATE: Read the film review by THR’s Kirk Honeycutt here.

By Steven Zeitchik

You can almost sense the film world’s bemusement to the growing tsunami of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It.”

The feature community — that quaint place of development that lasts years and rollouts that take months — is suddenly at the center of a quick-turnaround media storm typically reserved for live events and television. Tuesday will see simultaneous theatrical premieres at theaters in 15 cities around the world (follow our Twitter feed from the Los Angeles one), followed immediately after by public screenings  (which means that, somewhere in London, people will be lining up to watch a documentary at 4 a.m.).

That’s hardly the only anomaly for the Sony release. “This Is It” will be one of the only major film rollouts — with exposure on more than 3,400 screens, it will be more widely seen on its opening weekend than “The Hangover” and “Fast & Furious” were on theirs — that doesn’t need a costly marketing campaign. Why spend tens of millions when CNN and other outlets are doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you?

The pic will also be as much a driver for album sales (a double-disc album is being timed to release with the pic) as it is for boxoffice receipts. (Well, not quite. But close.) It also turns on its head the idea that filmgoers don’t want to pay to see a subject on movie screens that they can get more than enough of at home.

By Steven Zeitchik

There’s a lot of debate (among people who haven’t seen it) about the creative merits of :This Is It,” a concert doc which was put together in the wake of Michael Jackson’s death. But Elizabeth Taylor has seen the concert pic, and, in it, she has seen a best picture candidate (incidentally, it’s eligible for that category but not for best doc — it missed the Sep 1 deadline). We give you her A.O. Scott turn in its entirety.

“I was honored with the great privilege of seeing ‘This Is It’ last week. I was sworn to secrecy, but now I can let you know about it. It is the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen. It cements forever Michael’s genius in every aspect of creativity.

“To say the man is a genius is an understatement. He cradles each note, coaxes the music to depths beyond reality. I wept from pure joy at his God given gift. There will never, ever be the likes of him again. And we have this piece of film to remind us forever and ever that once there was such a man. God kissed him. God blessed him and squandered nothing, but loved it all. Michael knew how to put together every tone, every nuance to make magic. To say he was a genius seems so little. I wish my vocabulary encompassed what I feel.

“You owe it to yourselves and your loved ones to see this again and again. Memorize it and say to yourselves, ‘I saw genius in my lifetime.’ I loved genius in my lifetime. God was so good to me. I will love Michael forever and so will you, if you don’t already. I hope I don’t sound condescending. I’m sure you already know what I’m talking about, but go to see it again and again. I meant to repeat myself. I love you. I remember Michael loved you. He was totally up to now and the message of today in all his songs.

“If you listen to his lyrics they are those of a modern day prophet and it beseeches us to listen to him and what he sang. I won’t use words like preaching because that is off-putting, but listen. Listen to his messages. From ‘Black And White,’ ‘Man In The Mirror.’ The inspiration behind ‘We Are The World.’ We must take his words of responsibility seriously. We cannot let his life be in vain / and always done with love. Remember that. Remember him and thank God for him and his genius.

“Kenny Ortega did a masterful job of directing the process that goes into making a complete show before hitting the stage.  From A to Z you get Michael’s input on every level. Michael’s genius at work with the dancers. Mr. Ortega catches Michael in his every mood. You see in front of your eyes Michael’s genius blossoming on this piece of film thanks to Kenny Ortega and his crews.

“I truly believe this film should be nominated in every category conceivable.”

By Steven Zeitchik

Warner Bros. and Steve Carell are aiming for the fairway.

The studio has acquired “Missing Links,” a golf comedy based on a novel from ESPN’s Rick Reilly, with Carell loosely attached to star as a golfer angling for a better place to play.

Carell will produce via his Carousel Prods banner, while the company’s Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock are on board as exec producers. Bobby Cohen (”Revolutionary Road”) is also producing.

“The Break-Up” scribe Jay Lavender is writing the screenplay. Greg Silverman will oversee for Warners.

Reilly’s 1997 comedic novel tells of the group of bumblers who, after playing for years at a run-down municipal golf course in a working-class Boston neighborhood, concoct a series of schemes that they hope will lead to them teeing off at a nearby elite club.