Janet Jackson has paid tribute to her late brother Michael Jackson on his 60th birthday by filming a homage to one of his most famous videos.
Michael, who died in 2009 after suffering a cardiac arrest, would have turned 60 on Wednesday (29Aug18), and fans around the world have been remembering the star.
To celebrate her sibling, Janet teamed up with Kwaylon Rogers, an internet comedian who performs under the name Blame It On Kway, on a project inspired by the video to the King of Pop’s 1992 hit Remember the Time.
A preview clip of the video released by TMZ.com shows Janet dressed like an Egyptian queen – just like the model Iman was in the original promo, when she was flanked by Eddie Murphy as a Pharaoh.
In the video, which was co-directed by Kway and his fellow internet star Diamond Batiste, the 52-year-old judges several dancers – as Eddie and Iman did back in 1992.
According to TMZ, the project came to fruition after Kway and the Together Again singer met backstage at this year’s Billboard Music Awards. The social media funnyman then pitched the idea of a re-imagining of her brother’s famous video.
The nine-minute-long original featured Michael as a hooded wizard who enters an Egyptian palace and attempts to entertain the Pharaoh’s bored Queen, who has already ordered the execution of two less impressive performers. The new video features Kway and actor and comedian King Bach as hapless dancers judged by Janet.
Remember the Time’s promo is still thought to be one of the most expensive ever made, costing an estimated $2 million (£1.6 million) – and featured groundbreaking visual effects. It also starred basketball legend Magic Johnson, hip-hop collective The Pharcyde, and the actor Tom ‘Tiny’ Lister, Jr.
Fans of the Thriller singer dubbed Wednesday ‘Michael Jackson Day’ – with many pledging to stream his music and share their memories of the star on social media.
The full version of Janet’s homage will be released to mark the milestone.
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