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Wind whipped down the corridors of downtown Los Angeles Tuesday night, chilling the air but not the hearts of stalwart Michael Jackson fans, who lined the long red-enamel carpet outside of the Nokia Theatre at L. A. Live hoping for a glimpse of the famous and fabulous who knew the late pop star. And they were not disappointed, as a massive crowd formed for the premiere of "Michael Jackson's This Is It," the behind-the-scenes documentary following his preparations for the comeback London concerts he was to have done last summer, before his untimely death.

It started with the family, as Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon - the rest of the original Jackson 5, the family band that sent Michael's career into the stratosphere before he was even ten years old - led the way.

"It's a celebration touched with sadness," Tito Jackson commented, in one of the interviews played live on giant screens both outside and inside the theater. There was no sign of their parents Joe and Katherine Jackson, however, nor did Michael's three children make the slightly crazed scene.

Outside, as glitter-clad female acrobats contorted in cages high above the scene and chandeliers blew in the wind (both a part of the planned staging during the concerts), Jackson fans like Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy posed proudly in front of glass cases holding Jackson's never-to-be-worn comeback costumes.

They sported MJ tee-shirts, but Jennifer Lopez dressed to the nines in a slinky black Hérve Léger cocktail dress with matching black boots. Paula Abdul chose a bright-blue gown, and Katy Perry went long and glittery in a backless number. Paris Hilton's hair blew all over but her minidress stayed in place, and Daisy Fuentes bundled up against that cold wind.

Will Smith ran in at the last minute, joining a packed-to-the-rafters audience for the emotional unspooling of the film.

Director Kenny Ortega pointed out that "this theater is where we held our auditions and rehearsals," and welcomed the 17 simultaneous premieres that
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happened from Tokyo to London. But the L. A. party was the big one, and the stars just kept coming.

Ortega, who also directed all three "High School Musical" movies, welcomed young stars Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman, as well as Disney Channel favorite Brenda Song and "90210" hotties Matt Latner and Jessica Lowndes; and the older set, too, including Allison Janney, Mario Lopez, Rosanna Arquette, Tyrese Gibson, Anne Heche, Martin Lawrence, Macy Gray, Randy Jackson, Roslyn Sanchez, Nia Long, Viveca A. Fox, and even Mickey Rooney.

At the huge after party held in a massive tent on top of the parking lot across the street, dancers from the ill-fated show put on some crunkin' moves as Ortega, Abdul, and big man Lou Ferrigno looked on; meanwhile, back across the street, the new Regal Cinemas L. A. Live Stadium 14 theaters opened with a flourish, showing "Michael Jackson's This Is It" on all 14 screens, to a long-ago sold-out audience.

It seems that even in death, Michael Jackson's career is alive and well.