The changes in the top tier MCM program are now public and blogged about by Paul Randal
http://www.sqlskills.com/BLOGS/PAUL/category/MCM.aspx
First the cost is way down at just 500 dollars for the exam and 2,000 dollars for the lab. secondly no need to travel to Redmond for the 3 week training (It used to be five weeks!).
I could name five to six people in Ireland who would be great candidates for the SQL MCM programme, of course I don’t think anyone can pass without some serious preparation.
These free videos are a great way to gauge the standard of the MCM. if you can watch them all and say “I already knew all that”, then your ready 
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/ff977043.aspx
I’m currently watching Brent Ozars virtualisation web cast to check we haven’t missed any tricks or tips for own consolidation and virtualisation Masterclass seminar on 24th November.
http://www.prodata.ie/Events/2010/SQL-Consolidatation-and-Virtualisation.aspx
