068: Thriller Night Special with Ola Ray

Thirty-five years after Thriller album’s release, Michael Jackson’s titular short film remains a Halloween staple. To mark the anniversary, Q and Jamon are joined on this special episode by none other than Michael’s Thriller co-star, Ola Ray.

In 1983, it seemed like every young woman wanted to be Ola Ray, strutting hand-in-hand with the King of Pop at the zenith of his career. But in this exclusive chat with The MJCast, Ola talks about the dark side of Hollywood. Among her revelations is that she was high the first time she joined Michael on the set of the video.

After discussing her brief friendship with Michael – including the last time she ever saw him – Ola speaks of her annoyance and not being invited to Sony/Estate events organised to mark Thriller’s 35th anniversary, and also gives an insight into her ongoing legal action against the Estate over its alleged failure to pay her the royalties demanded by her contract.

Additionally, Ola gives listeners a preview of her upcoming book, The Thrill Of It All, in which she says she will spill the beans about her time as one of Hugh Hefner’s playmates and – in the wake of the recent litany of allegations against various powerful men in Hollywood – claims she will expose how she was taken advantage of as a young, aspiring actress.

Links
• 
Ola Maria Ray’s Instagram and Facebook pages
• 
The MJCast – Episode 019: Thriller Night Halloween Special with LaVelle Smith Jr.
• The MJCast – Episode 043: Thriller Night Special feat. CJ DeVillar
• The MJCast – Episode 064: Vincent Patterson Special
• Ola Ray’s Playmate of the Day page
• Michael Jackson’s Thriller short film
• The Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller
• Michael discusses Thriller on MTV’s ‘100 Greatest Videos Ever Made’ TV special
• The MJCast – Episode 066: Long Hair Don’t Care
• MJ’s Halloween Crypt; a terrific MJ/Halloween playlist free on Soundcloud by listener @DoggoneLover88

Ad & Music Breaks
• 
Michael Jackson – PYT (The Reflex Edit)
• Michael Jackson – Thriller (Louis La Roche Remix)
• Michael Jackson – Threatened (Nick* Crook County Remix)
• Taylor Davis – Thriller

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• 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.comKeep Michaeling!

064: Vincent Paterson Special

Choreographer Vincent Patterson was at Michael Jackson’s side for many of the key moments which helped cement his status as an entertainment legend, first working with Michael as an assistant choreographer and lead dancer on the pioneering Beat It and Thriller music video shoots. When it came time to devise the videos for Michael’s next album, Bad, Vincent was brought back into the fold, working on the short films for The Way You Make Me Feel, Speed Demon, Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal.

But it wasn’t just short films he collaborated on with Michael. He also helped shape some of the most historic live performances of Michael’s career, from directing the Bad World Tour to helping to choreograph Michael’s 1988 Grammy Awards performance.

Vincent’s association with Michael continued throughout the 1990s. He choreographed for the Black or White music video and Michael’s MTV 10th anniversary performance, helped devise Michael’s groundbreaking Superbowl half-time show and directed the Blood on the Dance Floor music video.

Today he joins Jamon and Q to discuss Michael Jackson as both an artist and a man, explaining their collaborative working process and telling the stories behind some of pop culture’s most historic moments. He also discusses his involvement in the documentary, The Man Behind the Throne, which is the focus of his work with Michael Jackson, Madonna and other celebrities.

Links
• 
Vincent Patterson’s website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
• Madonna’s Blonde Ambition World Tour
• Strike a Pose documentary trailer
• Mikail Baryshnikov in Giselle
• Alvin Ailey – Cry
• Evita film trailer
• Michael Jackson – Beat It
• Making of Michael Jackson’s Beat It
• Michael Jackson – Thriller
• Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller
• Michael Jackson – Black or White
• Making of Michael Jackson’s Black or White
• Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal
• Making of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal
• Girl Hunt Ballet from Fred Astaire’s Bandwagon
• The Man Behind the Throne documentary website
• The MJCast – Episode 011: June 25th Special with Darren Hayes

Music Breaks & Ads
• 
Michael Jackson – For All Time (Eric Hudson Remix)
• Cyrano, Esq – Peace For Your Soul (Michael Jackson Tribute)
• LaToya Jackson – Home
• Michael Jackson Orchestral Medley – London Symphony Orchestra

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• 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.comKeep Michaeling!

Thanks to listener Cody Covington, we now have a full transcript available for this episode. Our deepest thanks and gratitude, Cody.