Sony Corp.'s movie studio has bid $50 million to acquire the worldwide distribution rights to a film based on rehearsal footage for Michael Jackson's “This Is It” comeback concert series, according to a person familiar with the bid. The person said Monday that the bid came after several studios, including Paramount, Universal and 20th Century Fox, were shown footage starting early last week. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the bidding had not been completed. None of the studios would comment on the record. The winning studio would produce the film with Jackson's concert promoter, AEG Live, and his estate. It would go a long way to helping AEG Live recoup some of the $30 million to $32 million it spent producing the concert before Jackson died June 25. ‘Never' to Neverland as tourist site Neighbors of Neverland are organizing against any move to turn Michael Jackson's former home into a tourist destination that could disturb the area's rural tranquility. Residents of the rural Santa Ynez Valley announced a new group Monday called “Never!” It is backed by area community organizations that want to head off any attempts to convert the Neverland ranch in remote Los Olivos into a commercial venue, spokesman Bob Field said. Field said the area doesn't have the roads, police or other infrastructure to support crowds drawn to a Graceland-like tourist attraction, which he said would disrupt the enclave's tranquility.
