Menu
The MJCast
Connect
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Email
Search
  • Home
  • Specials
  • Shop
  • Sponsor
  • Op-eds
  • Video
  • Mixtapes
  • About Us

The MJCast

A Michael Jackson Podcast

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Email

Post navigation

← Previous Next →

Episode 019 – Thriller Night Halloween Special with LaVelle Smith Jr.

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Jamon Bull (Admin) — 7 Comments ↓
http://media.blubrry.com/themjcast/p/content.blubrry.com/themjcast/019.mp3

Podcast: Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Episode 019 - Thriller Night Halloween Special With LaVelle Smith Jr. YouTube Art‘Cause this is Thriller…Thriller Night… Happy Halloween, listeners! To celebrate Halloween 2015 we are releasing this special episode with none other than LaVelle Smith Jr.

LaVelle Smith Jr. is one of the entertainment industry’s most decorated and influential dance choreographers. Known for his work with artists such as Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles, Smith has won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography five times. In addition to these accolades he is also a two-time recipient of the Bob Fosse Award and Music Video Producers Award for Outstanding Choreography. Smith has been inducted into the DuPont Manuel Hall of Fame and was the youngest inductee into the Millers Gallery of Greats.

Smith’s work with Michael Jackson began in the late 1980s, during the Bad era. Jackson recognised Smith’s unique style and began incorporating his collaborative efforts into works such as The Way You Make Me Feel and other Bad era pieces. Smith also toured with Jackson on The Bad World Tour which sparked a collaborative relationship around live performance that would endure two additional world tours (Dangerous and HIStory), the Michael Jackson and Friends benefit concerts in South Korea and Germany in 1999, and ended with the 2008 private rehearsal sessions for what evolved into Michael’s ill-fated tour, This Is It.

Smith has collaborated with Jackson on most of his dance-heavy music videos, all of his adult solo tours, and a range of other projects including his seminal horror musical film Ghosts. This interview will take you inside the mind of LaVelle Smith Jr. and his collaborative and creative process with the King of Pop. Topics include Smith’s origins in the entertainment industry, his initial work with Michael, their creative process around Ghosts, their work together in the late 2000’s and lastly, Smith’s views on choreography. We also delve into what his hopes and dreams are for the future of his already incredible career. So sit back, relax, and enjoy our Thriller Night Halloween special for 2015!

Links
LaVelle Smith Jr.’s official website and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Syl Mortilla’s halloween article Visionary: An Article on Michael Jackson’s Long Game
Michael Jackson’s Ghosts
Michael Jackson’s Thriller
Nick*’s Threatened (The Dementor’s Kiss Remix)
Dangerous live. AMA’s 1993, Wetten Das 1995, Munich 1999 & American Bandstand 2002.
Damien Shields article Inside the King of Pop’s 1995 HBO special that never was; ‘Michael Jackson: One Night Only’
Glee’s Thriller/Heads Will Roll video
Michael’s Dream Foundation
VH1’s Making of Ghosts
Michael Jackson’s The Making of Thriller
Jamon’s Halloween movie recommendations. Sinister and The Babadook.

Connect With Us
TheMJCast.com
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tumblr.
YouTube

If you have any thoughts, opinions, or feedback on the show, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Michael On!

This entry was posted in Specials, The MJCast, Uncategorised and tagged Bad, Bad World Tour, Beyonce, Bob Fosse, Choreography, Damien Shields, Dance, Dangerous, Dangerous World Tour, Halloween, HIStory World Tour, Janet Jackson, LaVelle Smith Jr., Making of Ghosts, Making of Thriller, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson and Friends, Michael's Dream Foundation, Special, Syl Mortilla, The Way You Make Me Feel, This Is It, Thriller, Thriller Night, ThrillerWeen by Jamon Bull (Admin). Bookmark the permalink.

About Jamon Bull (Admin)

An Australian guy who loves tech, sci-fi, music, film & history. I also host a Michael Jackson podcast called The MJCast.
View all posts by Jamon Bull (Admin) →

7 Replies to “Episode 019 – Thriller Night Halloween Special with LaVelle Smith Jr.”

  1. MP November 1, 2015 at 11:43 pm

    Hello MJCast folks,
    Love the show! Thanks so much for all you’re doing to help shed light on MJ’s art and preserve his legacy. A quick question about Episode 19 with Lavelle Smith, Jr. Great interview! But is there any way you could put up a podcast without the background music? I’ve been listening for a while now and finding the music really distracting as I try to focus on tyhe discussion. Maybe it’s just my ears, so no worries if you can’t. Many thanks, again, for all you do.
    MP

    Reply ↓
  2. Louise Greer November 2, 2015 at 8:26 pm

    Love your shows, thank you for supporting Michael’s Dream and the opportunity to get the message out there. <3

    Reply ↓
  3. Pingback: Episode 029 – Just the Q of Us – The MJCast

  4. Pingback: Episode 032 – Dammn Baby, Dammn Indeed – The MJCast

  5. Pingback: Episode 068 – Thriller Night Special with Ola Ray – The MJCast

  6. Pingback: Episode 090 – Thriller 3D Roundtable – The MJCast

  7. alexinou February 2, 2020 at 5:16 pm

    Great guest and well done Q for leading the interview! Q had a relaxing way of asking questions and reacting to LaVelle’s answers that put everyone at ease. Sometimes it feels like Q is reading his questions but it makes sense as it becomnes clear that some questions he asks on behalf of others, as he thanks them for submitted questions for LaVelle towards the end of the episode.
    LaVelle’s choice of answers often leaves you wanting for more and he mentions wanting to write a book… could it be that he left out a lot on purpose to keep it for his book?
    That Dangerous perfomance based on Clockwork Orange would have been an amazing fusion of such different elements from pop culture.
    It was fantastic to have him as a guest, thank you!

    Can you share the soundtrack of this episode? Not only does it make great Halloween background music but also… is it an instrumental of Little Suzie that we hear at some point?

    I love that remix by Nick*, the first time I heard that maniacal laughter at the end I couldn’t believe it!

    The conversation at the end was great fun. I love how Q starts saying “Oh I haven’t seen the making of Thriller for d… many many many years”. And the story of being startled by his husband while ironing cracked me up (same happens to me regularly while doing the dishes).

    I agree on The Ring being one of the scariest movies.

    So, has Jamon got his hands on the Thriller book with the hollogram cover?

    Great episode, guys.

    Alexandre (he/him/his)

    Reply ↓

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to The MJCast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS

Tags

3T Andy Healy Bad Blood on the Dance Floor Books Brad Sundberg Cascio Case Cascio Tracks Charles Thomson Damien Shields Dangerous Dangerous World Tour Ghosts History HIStory World Tour Interview Jackson Source Janet Jackson Jankins Jermaine Jackson Katherine Jackson Kingvention Leaks Leaving Neverland Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Estate Moonwalker Moonwalk Talks Neverland Valley Ranch Paris Jackson podcast Prince Remixed by Nick* Sony Special Taj Jackson Taryll Jackson The Jackson 5 The Jacksons The MJCast They Don't Care About Us This Is It Thriller Tito Jackson Xscape Origins

Recent

  • 128: An Exotic Location Called Ohio February 20, 2021
  • 127: Season Six Christmas Special December 22, 2020
  • 126: TJ Jackson Special December 18, 2020
  • 125: It’s All for Love December 5, 2020
  • 124: Travis Payne Special October 23, 2020
  • 123: The Story of HIStory Special with Pez Jax September 20, 2020
  • 122: Eddie Garcia Special August 29, 2020
  • 121: The New Adventures of Charlie Thomson August 2, 2020
  • 120: I’ve Found Peace Within Myself July 5, 2020
  • 119: HIStory 25 Roundtable June 21, 2020
  • 118: Steven Paul Whitsitt Special May 26, 2020
  • 117: Howard Bloom Special May 3, 2020
  • 116: We’re All Experts in the Rearview Mirror April 8, 2020
  • 115: Kevin Dorsey Special March 15, 2020
  • 113: Season Five Christmas Special December 24, 2019
  • 112: Oiling Lanes December 18, 2019
  • 111: It’s Not a Hangover November 19, 2019
  • Theater Review: “Never Ever Land” Explores the Michael Jackson Allegations Through a Problematic Lens October 31, 2019
  • 110: Thriller Night Special with Paul Black and Adam Green October 26, 2019
  • 109: Michael Trapson Special October 5, 2019
  • Film Review: Danny Wu Goes Back to Square One with a Crucial Michael Jackson Allegations Documentary October 2, 2019
  • 108: Back to Square One September 19, 2019
  • 107: Allan ‘Big Al’ Scanlan Special August 24, 2019
  • 106: That’s Why I Do the Hashtags July 27, 2019
  • 105: Don’t Forget Your Lanyard July 12, 2019
  • 104: June 25th Special with Jenny Winings June 25, 2019
  • 103: Vindication Day Special with Larry Nimmer June 13, 2019
  • 102: Eggs for Breakfast June 8, 2019
  • 101: Taryll Jackson Special May 18, 2019
  • 100: Brad Buxer Special May 5, 2019
  • 099: Leaving Neverland Q&A April 18, 2019
  • 098: We Had a Break…Allegedly… March 31, 2019
  • 097: Bill Whitfield Special March 16, 2019
  • 095: Leaving Neverland Roundtable February 3, 2019
  • 094: Harrison Funk Special January 14, 2019
  • Stop Leaving Neverland Now January 10, 2019
  • 093: Season Four Christmas Special December 24, 2018
  • 092: Humanitarian: The Real Michael Jackson Special December 9, 2018
  • 091: The Rarest of Beards November 22, 2018
  • Remove Cascio Tracks Now November 11, 2018
  • 090: Thriller 3D Roundtable October 27, 2018
  • 089: John Barnes Special October 14, 2018
  • 088: Janet Got Busy September 22, 2018
  • 087: Happy 60th Birthday MJ! August 29, 2018
  • 086: Dick Zimmerman Special August 17, 2018
  • Thoughts on Sony… August 5, 2018
  • 085: For all the YANA Lovers Out There? July 28, 2018
  • 084: Judith Hill Special July 13, 2018
  • 083: Reflections on Joseph Jackson Roundtable July 2, 2018
  • 082: June 25th Special with Damien Shields and TJ June 23, 2018
  • 081: Vindication Day Special with Aphrodite Jones June 13, 2018
  • 080: A Good Kind of Weird June 6, 2018
  • 079: Bryan Loren Special May 19, 2018
  • 078: That was a Q-incidence May 5, 2018
  • 077: Let’s Make HIStory Special with Brice Najar April 21, 2018
  • 076: MJ101 Special: Thriller 35 April 7, 2018
  • 075: I’m a Strange Guy March 23, 2018
  • 074: J Q&A February 18, 2018
  • 072: Season Three Christmas Special December 24, 2017
  • 071: MJ101 Special: Bad 30 December 18, 2017
  • 070: Nobody Gonna be Payin’ Us December 1, 2017
  • 069: C Q&A November 15, 2017
  • 068: Thriller Night Special with Ola Ray October 30, 2017
  • 067: Joseph Vogel Special October 21, 2017
  • 066: Long Hair Don’t Care October 7, 2017
  • 065: Hector Barjot Special September 16, 2017
  • 064: Vincent Paterson Special August 28, 2017
  • 063: Q Q&A August 17, 2017
  • 062: They Didn’t Need an Expert to Say That August 7, 2017
  • 061: Jonathan ‘Sugarfoot’ Moffett Special July 21, 2017
  • 060: The Laura Comedy Hour July 7, 2017
  • 059: June 25th Special with Isabelle Petitjean and Brice Najar June 24, 2017
  • 058: Vindication Day Special (Pirates in Neverland: The Michael Jackson Allegations) June 13, 2017
  • 057: We Are Not as Young as We Look May 25, 2017
  • 056: Remixed by Nick* Special (Urban Jungle Mix) May 14, 2017
  • 055: You’re Muted for Two Weeks April 29, 2017
  • 054: CJ DeVillar Special April 12, 2017
  • Thoughts on Leaks… April 10, 2017
  • 053: You Don’t Feel it Coming? April 4, 2017
  • 052: Michael Prince Special March 19, 2017
  • 051: He’s a Lover, Not a Fighter March 5, 2017
  • 050: Tito Jackson Special February 18, 2017
  • 048: Season Two Christmas Special December 16, 2016
  • 047: The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson Special with Elizabeth Amisu and Karin Merx December 12, 2016
  • 046: Dangerous 25 Roundtable (Part 2) December 3, 2016
  • 045: Dangerous 25 Roundtable (Part 1) November 26, 2016
  • Episode 044 – World Music Awards 2006 10th Anniversary Special November 15, 2016
  • Episode 043 – Thriller Night Special feat. CJ DeVillar October 30, 2016
  • Episode 042 – Michael Jackson & Prince Roundtable (Part 2) October 22, 2016
  • Episode 041 – Michael Jackson & Prince Roundtable (Part 1) October 8, 2016
  • Episode 040 – The Gold Pants Brigade September 25, 2016
  • Episode 039 – A Kind of Deflated Pepsi Logo September 11, 2016
  • Episode 038 – Michael It’s Your Birthday, Happy Birthday Michael August 28, 2016
  • Episode 037 – The Land of the Piñata August 6, 2016
  • Episode 036 – The Other Bernie Sanders July 23, 2016
  • Episode 035 – MJ101 Special: The Performances July 9, 2016
  • Episode 034 – June 25th Special feat. Kevin Stea June 25, 2016
  • Episode 033 – Vindication Day Special with Scott Ross June 12, 2016
  • Episode 032 – Dammn Baby, Dammn Indeed June 4, 2016
  • Episode 031 – Making Michael Special with Mike Smallcombe May 28, 2016
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Email
Copyright © 2021 The MJCast All Rights Reserved.
Theme: Catch Flames by Catch Themes
  • Home
  • Specials
  • Shop
  • Sponsor
  • Op-eds
  • Video
  • Mixtapes
  • About Us