'This is It' -- The DVD release date

(Courtesy:  Sony Pictures)

I'm not going to lie to you.  When I first heard that there was a Michael Jackson rehearsal documentary in the works so soon after the pop icon's death last summer, I had no interest in seeing it.

In fact, I was a little miffed that anyone would even stoop low enough to feature Jackson's final rehearsal days for profit.

Once I saw "This Is It," which I called "Michael Jackson's posthumous curtain call" in late October, I was mesmerized by what I learned about Jackson, the totally-in-control crafter of pop tunes.

I also understood the gentle nature of the exercise and director Kenny Ortega's need to share a final glimpse of Jackson with the world.

"This is a rare first look at Jackson's meticulous creative process.  Frankly, the man's dedication and quiet insistence on doing things his way, or 'The way I wrote it,' Jackson says, makes for an enlightening, toe-tapping nearly two hours of odd cinema that is constantly revealing and, for the most part, quite brilliant," I said in my review.  (Click here to read the full review.)

According to a report on the Hollywood Reporter Web site, "This Is It," which has tallied $71 million in domestic box-office since hitting theaters Oct. 28, has been set for release on DVD and Blu-Ray on Jan. 26.

"Initially, many observers assumed the studio would push out 'This Is It' discs before the lucrative Christmas gift-buying season. Instead, Sony has opted to tag the title for post-holidays release in the hope that seasonal gift-card recipients will use their plastic to purchase discs," Carl DiOrio's Hollywood Reporter article states.