Tag Archives: The Jacksons

046: Dangerous 25 Roundtable (Part 2)

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Welcome to the second and final instalment of our Dangerous 25 Roundtable shows. Sonically groundbreaking, spiritually profound, sexually provocative and socially conscious, Dangerous exploded onto the music market on November 26th, 1991, taking Michael to new global audiences and cementing his position not only as the King of Pop, but an artist willing to illuminate and challenge some of the world’s most important issues. In many ways, the album is relevant now more than ever. To celebrate twenty-five years of this masterpiece, The MJCast has brought together a roundtable panel of authors, academics and researchers – all mega fans.

Q, Elizabeth, Mike, James, Andy & Samar begin the show by discussing Michael’s appearances and performances during the Dangerous era followed by an analysis of Sony’s Dangerous 25 campaign. The panel members also discusses Michael’s style during the period and their favourite Dangerous era memories before closing the show out with a discussion around how the Dangerous album holds up in Michael’s discography today.

Participants
• Q, Co-Host of The MJCast.
• Elizabeth Amisu, author of The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson: His Music, His Persona, and His Artistic Afterlife.
• Mike Smallcombe, author of Making Michael: Inside the Career of Michael Jackson.
• James Alay
• Andy Healy, author of the MJ 101 series.
• Samar Habib, creator of The Michael Jackson Academia Project.

Topics
• Dangerous appearances and performances
• Dangerous style
• Memories from the era
• How does Dangerous hold up today?

Music Breaks & Ads
• Michael Jackson – Jam (Nick* Redux)
• Michael Jackson – Give In To Me (Demo)
• Michael Jackson – Who Is It (IHS Mix)
• Michael Jackson – Remember The Time (Nick* 24K Magic Mashup)

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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!

Episode 044 – World Music Awards 2006 10th Anniversary Special

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When I realised that the 10th anniversary of Michael’s appearance at the 2006 World Music Awards was fast approaching, I contacted Jamon and Q to suggest they include a segment about it in an upcoming episode. They replied suggesting I should make my own stand-alone episode, over which I would have complete creative control. It was a scary prospect – I am far from being the techno-whizz Jamon is, and it’s fair to say my attempts to record and edit his episode have been haphazard. Two interviews had to be completely re-recorded due to technical failures, the causes of which I have yet to discern and doubt I ever shall.

But despite the technological trauma, this has been an exciting project. The awards ceremony – and its aftermath – have troubled me ever since they occurred. A few years ago I told my own story in a blog entry, so with this show I knew immediately what I wanted to do; interview others who attended the ceremony and let them tell their own stories.

For too long, the dominant story about the World Music Awards has been one which was simply not true. The lie that Michael was booed off stage has been immortalised in at least one substantial biography. My hope is that this show might become a reference point for those wishing to write about or investigate the event in the future.

This show retraces my blog entry to some extent, but includes brand new research, as well as excerpts from four exclusive interviews I have conducted in the last month. My interviewees for this show were Michael’s former manager Raymone Bain, his long-time photographer Harrison Funk, and two long-time UK fans, Angela Kande and Greg Spinks.

Each was incredibly candid and generous with their time, for which I am extremely grateful. Some of their revelations and observations are really very poignant – particularly Raymone’s story about trying to find somebody who would present Michael with his award, which paints a truly sad picture of Michael’s post-acquittal existence. A lot of these stories are ones I have never heard told anywhere else. The interviewees do not all share the same recollections on certain matters, but where they contradict one another I have ensured both points of view are reflected.

All four contributors were incredibly engaging and any one of their interviews could have been released in full on its own merit (but for the extensive damage inflicted on the audio by my ham-fisted recording efforts). Some brilliant stories and observations were sadly left on the proverbial cutting room floor, purely because they diverted from the trajectory of the episode (or because I didn’t record them properly).

Perhaps on the 20th anniversary of the ceremony I will release a director’s cut. Or perhaps, as a homage to Sony, I’ll wait and release the 20th anniversary re-release on the 23rd anniversary, with no new content at all, and in inferior audio quality, with all the best bits of Raymone’s interview remixed by Pitbull so they don’t make sense anymore.

I hope you all enjoy the episode. Let’s spread some truth.

Huge thanks to Jamon and Q for this amazing and exhausting opportunity.

Charles Thomson.

Links

Harrison Funk is releasing a 10th anniversary World Music Awards photo box set, containing several exclusive images he took at the ceremony. Anybody wishing to contact him about purchasing one can do so via the email form at www.harrisonfunk.com.

Angela Kande is the author of ‘Legacy’, a spoken word poem about the Michael Jackson fan community, which can be found here.

Charles Thomson’s original blog about the World Music Awards can be read here.

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Episode 043 – Thriller Night Special feat. CJ DeVillar

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Happy Thriller Night! To celebrate Halloween 2016, Q and Jamon are joined by host of fellow Michael Jackson podcast Moonwalk Talks, Jankins along with bassist, studio engineer and MJ collaborator CJ DeVillar. CJ collaborated with Michael on a range of songs including the unreleased and authentic version of Monster (which we discuss in detail on this episode), Blue Gangsta, A Place With No Name, Break of Dawn and multiple tracks on the HIStory album.

To kick things off, Jamon and Q spring an impromptu interview on Jankins, followed by a discussion around all the latest news in the MJ world. Topics include the recent and unfortunate passing of Thriller songwriter Rod Temperton, a new Michael Jackson project as revealed by John Landis and Nick Amideo’s Monster Movie Mash video. The team then discuss Travis DeRose’ marathon moonwalk across Europe, a competition around Smooth Criminals – The Songs of Michael Jackson and a new dance video set to Black or White. The news is capped off through an update on the Sony/ATV acquisition and a brand new book coming from The Jacksons called The Jacksons: Legacy. The main discussion topic for this episode is a chronological exploration into Michael’s horror themed work.

News

Main Discussion Topic

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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!

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Episode 039 – A Kind of Deflated Pepsi Logo

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On Episode 039 of The MJCast, Charles Thomson joins Jamon as a guest host in Q’s absence along with Samar of The Michael Jackson Academia Project. The guys begin the show with a follow-up discussion around meaningful music, especially in regards to the new Black Eyed Peas song #WHEREStheLOVE before delving into news items including the imminent Michael Jackson documentary The Last Photoshoots, Orianthi‘s possible involvement in a new posthumous project, an MJ costume exhibition at the African American History Museum and Paris Jackson’s new Facebook page. Following this, the global release of 3T’s new album Chapter III and their two upcoming Amsterdam shows are discussed before detailing the latest developments in the Cascio Case. The main discussion topic for this episode is Charles’ and Samar’s fan stories, and the current and future work of The Michael Jackson Academia Project.

Follow Up

News

  • Craig Williams hints that The Last Photoshoots documentary is imminent.
  • This Is It guitarist Orianthi says she’s involved in a new posthumous MJ project.
  • Michael Jackson costumes are to be included in an inaugural exhibition at the African American History Museum in Washington.
  • Paris Jackson has launched her new Facebook page.
  • 3T are to release their new album Chapter III globally on September 10th and perform at a recently announced once off concert The Celebration of Chapter III on the 17th of September.
  • Cascio Case update – Angelikson defendants file a demurrer to the fraud cause of action and Sony and the Estate are trying to make Judge Jones rule on the anti-SLAPP motion through the court of appeals.

Main Discussion Topic 

Finds of the Week

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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!

Episode 037 – The Land of the Piñata

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Join The MJCast crew on Episode 037 as they launch their new sister show The MJCast en Español. Sandra De la Vega joins Jamon and Q along with returning guests Jason Garcia and Ale Huerta to introduce the world to their brand new show, a version of The MJCast for Spanish speaking listeners. To begin the show, Charles Thomson calls in to discuss Michael Jackson’s nephews filing a lawsuit against Radar Online and his experiences at the recent MJ On The Wall art exhibition in London. Following this, the team discusses a never-before-seen but recently leaked fourteen and a half minute version of Michael’s short film The Way You Make me Feel, new footage from Ghosts, new Dangerous era footage of Michael, an update on the Sony/ATV catalogue sale, Diana Walczak‘s HIStory statue being unveiled at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and finally Taryll Jackson‘s imminent solo music project. The main discussion topic for this episode is Sandra’s fan story and of course discussion around the new podcast from The MJCast, The MJCast en Español.

News

  • Michael Jackson’s nephews file a libel lawsuit against Radar Online. Read the complaint here.
  • A never-before-seen 14:28 version of Michael Jackson’s short film for The Way You Make Me Feel has leaked.
  • New footage from Ghosts has leaked.
  • New Dangerous era Michael Jackson footage has leaked.
  • Sony wins unconditional approval for Sony/ATV sale.
  • Diana Walczak‘s HIStory statue unveiling at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.
  • Taryll Jackson‘s new solo music project is launching on his Birthday, August 8th.

Main Discussion Topic 

Finds of the Week

Additional Links

Music Breaks & Ads

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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!

Episode 036 – The Other Bernie Sanders

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Episode 036 of The MJCast is dedicated to Scott Devlin who recently passed away after a brave battle with cancer. We hope you are at peace now, Scott. Our thoughts are with your family. Michael-on forever, our MJ brother…

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Ale and her friend Marisa with Michael Jackson collaborators Brad Buxer, Michael Prince, Brian Vibberts and Brad Sundberg at the recent MJU experience.

Jamon and Q are joined by Mexican mega-fan Ale Huerta to cover all the latest MJ news. Jamon, Q & Ale kick things off by talking about The MJCast’s recent interview with The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies, Sean Lennon’s bizarre new song  which references Michael Jackson’s relationship with Bubbles the chimp and Janet Jackson’s new photoshoot for Emirates Woman. Following this, the group discusses Susan Fast’s book Michael Jackson’s Dangerous (33 1/3) winning a major literary award, the new Omer Bhatti and Prince Jackson music video for Automatic and new music by Taryll Jackson of 3T. Next, Sony Music Japan’s re-release of Michael Jackson and The Jackson’s music catalogue on Blu-Spec CD 2, the Cascio family are back at it again with unreleased MJ music being auctioned off and blockbuster developments in the case that Eddie Cascio is named in. The group also discuss a range of new seminars and conventions coming featuring Michael Jackson collaborators such as LaVelle Smith Jr., Bruce Swedien and Vincent Patterson before moving into talking about a range of new photo, music and video leaks featuring Michael Jackson. The major discussion topic for this week is all around Ale’s recent trip to Brad Sundberg‘s MJU seminars, Michael’s final resting place at Forrest Lawn and Neverland Valley Ranch.

News

Main Discussion Topic 

  • Ale’s recent trip to Brad Sundberg‘s MJU experience, Michael’s final resting place at Forrest Lawn and Neverland Valley Ranch. You can also see video from the trip here and here.

Finds of the Week

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Mary Elizabeth Frye Poem

Episode 035 – MJ101 Special: The Performances

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On Episode 035 of The MJCast, Jamon and Q are joined by prominent Michael Jackson author Andy Healy. Andy has been writing on Michael for a number of years with his MJ101 series. Starting back with his debut MJ101 book in 2013 called Greatest Songs (which counts down his picks for the 101 best Michael Jackson songs) he then branched off and released other supplementary books in the 101 lineup, including The Short Films, The Remixes, Off The Wall and HIS2ORY.

ipadpro101Andy’s books are not only known for providing great factual detail and deep opinions around Michael’s art, but getting conversations going between fans around what Michael’s best work actually is.

Today, as an exclusive for The MJCast, we are proud to announce the launch of Andy’s brand new entry in the MJ101 series, The Performances. Listen to this latest episode of The MJCast which features a fascinating interview with Andy Healy to learn about his early years as a fan, his writing process, his own thoughts and opinions on Michael’s catalogue and of course lots of great detail around his new book…

Links

Music Breaks & Ads

  • Jackson Source
  • Michael Jackson – Scream (SWA Mix)
  • Michael Jackson – Rock With You (SWA Mix)
  • The Jacksons – Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) [SWA Mix]

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Episode 034 – June 25th Special feat. Kevin Stea

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Seven years ago today on June 25th, 2009 the King of Pop, Michael Jackson tragically and unexpectedly passed away amidst preparations and rehearsals for his final live concert tour, This Is It. For fans around the world, the pain still lingers on… It’s times like today the fan community comes together to remember, honour and reflect on the magical life that was Michael Jackson’s and the love and timeless art he gave to the world.

Joking on the set

World renowned dancer, singer, actor, model, director and choreographer Kevin Stea joins us on this special episode to celebrate Michael’s life and to reflect on his time working with the King of Pop. Kevin collaborated with Michael on the Black or White and Blood on the Dance Floor short films and also the MTV 10th Anniversary Special. Not only has Kevin worked with Michael Jackson but he’s also worked extensively with other industry luminaries such as Prince, Madonna, Rihanna, George Michael, David Bowie, Lady Gaga and many, many more.

Following a conversation with Kevin, Q, Jamon and guest host Paul Black explore Paul’s experiences in Los Angeles prior to Michael’s death in 2009 and during the week leading up his Memorial before handing over to some of our listeners to discuss how Michael should be remembered. Thank-you to all contributors who submitted audio. We are also honoured to have been able to use this episode as a way to debut a beautiful spoken word poem by Angela Kande Forever and the brand new Remixed by Nick* Michael Jackson track Jam (Nick* Redux).

For fans who are struggling during this time of year, we hope this episode acts as a way for you to connect with other MJ fans around the world. In this episode there are moments of joy and moments of sadness, but through it all, remember that we are all fans of Michael. We will carry on his message of love and positivity as a way of honouring his memory and everything that he gave to the world. Together we will Michael on.

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A 2016 piece by artist and Michael Jackson collaborator Nate Giorgio.

Episode 033 – Vindication Day Special with Scott Ross

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Eleven years ago today, on June 13th 2005, the King of Pop Michael Jackson was acquitted of molestation allegations in a trial that took an insurmountable toll on his life. Although this day is not one we celebrate, it is one we remember each year for the fact that Michael was finally vindicated for the heinous allegations brought against him. On this special episode, The MJCast’s Legal Correspondent Charles Thomson along with regular hosts Jamon Bull and Q interview Scott Ross, a somewhat overlooked figure of the trial, but one whose work lead attorney Tom Mesereau says was crucial to the defence team’s success.

Scott+Ross+Michael+Jackson+Pre+trial+Hearing+HikD4nt5YlelScott Ross has been Tom Mesereau’s go-to private investigator ever since they met in 2002 on the Robert Blake murder case. Mesereau describes him as the best investigator he has ever worked with. Scott has worked on notorious cases including the McMarten Pre-school molestation trial and the Scott Peterson murder case, as well as collaborating with former Michael Jackson attorney Mark Geragos on cases such Chris Brown’s assault on Rihanna and the Winona Ryder shoplifting trial. In 2011 he worked for the defence in Conrad Murray’s trial, where Murray was convicted of Michael Jackson’s homicide. Topics of discussion include Ross’s early career, the Michael Jackson trial itself and his contributions to the defence, his thoughts around the Conrad Murray trial and Scott’s valued reflections on Michael Jackson the man.

Note: The MJCast would like to apologise for the background noise in the first eight minutes of this episode.

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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!

Episode 032 – Dammn Baby, Dammn Indeed

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Welcome to Episode 032 of The MJCast. On this episode, Jamon and Q talk all about LaVelle Smith Jr. and Bryan Loren‘s upcoming Michael Jackson seminars, Apollo Theatre‘s education program on Michael’s solo career, Kingvention 2016 and a new book by the prolific Michael Jackson author Chris Cadman called Off The Wall For the Record. Following this, the boys delve into 3T‘s upcoming September gig in Amsterdam, Tito Jackson‘s new single Get It Baby (feat. Big Daddy Kane), Janet Jackson‘s new music video for Dammn Baby before covering some heavier news topics such as Pulse Evolution‘s new virtual Michael Jackson model, an update from Charles Thomson on the Cascio Case and the Michael Jackson Estate’s 4th annual birthday bash in Las Vegas. The major discussion topic for this episode is the Chinese release of the official Michael Jackson book Dancing the Dream.

News

  • LaVelle Smith Jr. shows new footage from the 1995 MTV rehearsals and unveils his upcoming Michael Jackson seminars.
  • Songwriter and record producer Bryan Loren will be hosting a seminar September 26th. View the official trailer here.
  • Apollo Theatre‘s education program on Michael Jackson’s epic years.
  • Kingvention 2016‘s official website and their ticket page.
  • Chris Cadman has released Off the Wall For the Record. Check it out at Amazon and Book Depository.
  • 3T are set to perform a one time only concert in The Netherlands.
  • Tito Jackson has release his new single Get It Baby (feat. Big Daddy Kane) on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and Amazon.
  • Janet Jackson has dropped a video for the next Unbreakable single Dammn Baby. Check it this behind the scenes video courtesy of Rolling Stone.
  • Pulse Evolution Corporation reveals that they are working on a new virtual Michael Jackson digital model. MJVibe continues to update us on developments.
  • New footage has been released of Michael Jackson in Japan during 2007.
  • Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris reveals a new Dangerous tattoo on her Instagram page.
  • The 4th annual official Michael Jackson ‘birthday bash’ has been announced.

Main Discussion Topic 

  • Michael Jackson’s Dancing the Dream has been released in Chinese for the first time.

Finds of the Week

  • Jamon – Penn State staff gets the proposal of her life!
  • Q –  Make-A-Wish Foundation’s How Meeting Michael Jackson Changed Her Life video

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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. Keep Michaeling!