MOVIES: ‘This Is It’— the Vegas show that never was

  If we didn't already know how much Michael Jackson loved Las Vegas, we do now.
  That's because "This Is It" — the documentary featuring footage of Jackson rehearsing for his planned London comeback concerts — plays like a blueprint for a killer Vegas extravaganza, complete with pyrotechnics, filmed segments and other snazzy stage effects that would be at home in any current high-tech showroom.
  This hardly seems a coincidence, given Jackson's longtime affection for Las Vegas — and his repeated attempts to find a headliner gig here following his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges.
  Anyone who watches "This Is It" can't help but ponder the many what-might-have-beens, given Jackson's catalog of pop chart-toppers, still-potent star presence and legions of adoring fans, some of whom wound up working alongside him as dancers, musicians, choreographers, designers and other roles in his announced stage farewell.
  Those of us in Las Vegas can't help but wonder what might have been if MJ had ever made it back to a showroom stage as part of the comeback that was never to be.