TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Around 500 FAMU students got the opportunity to see an early screening of the new Michael Jackson biopic \u2018Michael\u2019 Monday night.<\/p>\n
Students included members of the FAMU Marching 100, who kicked off the promotional launch for the \u2018Michael\u2019 movie in February. <\/p>\n
Oluwamodupe Oloyede, the head drum major for the band says hearing the news about the promotion was surreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing that we had Michael Jackson, I thought the movie was done already,\u201d she said. \u201cSo the fact we were even doing promotion for it was, wow, people want include HBCU\u2019s in the culture and the chose our university first. That\u2019s what\u2019s up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kaden Hall, another member of the FAMU Marching 100 said going to the screening is a memory he\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something we\u2019re going to look back when we\u2019re 40, 50 and think remember when we were all on the red carpet for the Michael movie,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Actor Larenz Tate was the celebrity guest at the screening. He plays Berry Gordy in the biopic, the founder of MoTown records and a mentor to the king of pop.<\/p>\n
Tate said he hopes the students find the passion Michael Jackson had, in themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cFocus on whatever your dreams and your goals are,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is someone who wanted to be the greatest entertainer ever, and through his ambition, through his dedication, through his focus, his talent and his skills and his gifts, he was undeniable. We hope that our students can definitely see that in themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
More Tallahassee news:<\/p>\n
Tate said it was important to connect with universities to get that connection with younger audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo connect with this institution to recreate some of Michael\u2019s music, something that has made us all very proud and I\u2019m sure Michael would be proud as well,\u201d Tate said. \u201cTo see their creativity, their dedication. FAMU is incredible, so we just wanted to make sure we could stay engaged with the younger demographic.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the screening was private for FAMU, \u2018Michael\u2019 is out in theaters on April 24. <\/p>\n
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