Episode 010 – Vindication Day 10th Anniversary Special with Tom Mesereau

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 17 Comments ↓

To mark this important occasion, the 10th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s acquittal from false child molestation allegations on June 13th, 2005, we are releasing this special episode. The MJCast’s Legal Correspondent Charles Thomson along with regular hosts Jamon Bull and Q interview Thomas Mesereau, one of the foremost criminal defence attorney’s in United States legal history. Mesereau served as Michael’s principal attorney during his mid 2000’s criminal trial around false child molestation allegations and continued representing Jackson and his affairs for a time afterwards. Ten years ago today Jackson was acquitted of all fourteen charges brought against him by the Arvizo family and their prosecuting lawyer, Santa Barbara Country District Attorney Tom Sneddon. In addition to Michael’s obvious innocence, his vindication and exoneration are also due to the professionalism and efforts of Tom Mesereau and his then legal partner Susan Yu. Topics of discussion include Mesereau’s childhood, his history as a lawyer, what it was like working with Michael Jackson and also the trial itself. We then delve into a dialogue around Jackson’s posthumous legacy, the legitimacy of his Estate executors, the events surrounding his death and what Michael Jackson’s victory in 2005 has meant for his legacy long term.

The MJCast would also like to thank friend of the show Dan Villalobos who has worked so hard on composing and producing our new intro music, which can be heard for the very first time on this episode! Dan is a phenomenal sound engineer, music producer and MJ fan from London, England who has worked with artists such as Maddison Wilson, Robyn Sherwell and has had his work featured on BBC Radio. Check him out at www.danvillalobos.com, and make sure to visit his Soundcloud, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Thanks Dan and we can’t wait to have you on the show.

Links
Triumph: Celebrating a Decade Since Michael Jackson’s Acquittal – An article by Syl Mortilla.
One of the Most Shameful Episodes in Journalistic History – An article by Charles Thomson.
Michael Jackson: Innocent – Author D Francis’ book which covers the mid 2000’s Michael Jackson trial. Win a free copy!
Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson – A biography by Randall Sullivan.
The MJCast’s ‘Episode 005 – Kerry Anderson Special’. Listen to this special interview with Michael’s Director of Security during the time of his mid 2000’s trial.
Mesereau Law Group – Tom Mesereu’s official website.
Charles Thomson’s Twitter account and official website.

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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. We hope you enjoy this special episode of our Michael Jackson podcast, The MJCast. Keep Michaeling!

Competition – Win a Free Copy of Michael Jackson: Innocent!

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 27 Comments ↓

Here at The MJCast we love supporting quality books on Michael Jackson, whether they’re texts that explore and analyse his genius, or even ones that delve into the complexities of his life such as his tumultuous legal battles. Michael Jackson: Innocent – 28 February 2005 Book 1 by author and legal expert D Francis is one such book, and since its release on May 5th, 2013 it has gone on to garner critical acclaim from other authors who have written on Michael Jackson such as Lynton Guest. Francis’ book offers a rich, detailed and complex discussion around the ‘trial of the century’, Michael Jackson’s penultimate court battle against child molestation allegations in the mid 2000’s.

As part of our recognition of the 10th Anniversary of Michael’s acquittal against these heinous child molestation allegations on June 13th, 2005, The MJCast is proud to announce a special competition in partnership with D Francis in which we will give away three physical copies of Francis’ fantastic book.

To enter, all you need to do is like, retweet or reblog our original post about this competition from our Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram accounts respectively. Doing this on any of our social networks will gain you one entry. If you would like an additional two entries for an even greater chance of winning, you can comment on this blog post on themjcast.com with your thoughts around what Michael’s vindication has meant for his legacy. On the very next regular podcast episode of The MJCast, we will randomly draw the three winning names and will contact the winners to find out a suitable address the books can be mailed to. We are truly honoured to do our part in spreading the truth around what happened in Michael’s mid 2000’s trial in the form of this great book.

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D Francis’ book ‘Michael Jackson: Innocent’

Lynton Guest, author of The Trials of Michael Jackson states that “D Francis has produced a book about Michael Jackson like no other. It is based on the premise that because the trial of the artist on numerous child abuse charges in 2005 was not televised, the only facts in the public domain have been filtered through the sieve of incomplete and prejudiced reporting in the media.

D Francis has gone to great lengths to acquire the actual trial transcripts, a volume running to over 14,000 pages to write a series of books straight from source.

In Michael Jackson: Innocent she concentrates on the trial testimony and adds her commentary; in the process revealing exactly why Michael Jackson was acquitted on all charges.

The Author believes that international media coverage at the time focused far too heavily and uncritically on the prosecution case, which is why so many believed the Michael Jackson was guilty, despite the verdict. So, centring mainly on the defence case and the various legal arguments, she shows precisely how we were all misinformed by a media whose main interest was always in boosting the titillation count rather than giving us a true picture of events.

Michael Jackson: Innocent 28 February 2005 is in fact the first in a series of mini-books, each of which narrates a day in the trial. It is a mammoth project. When it is complete, it will comprise a must-have archive both for the general interest reader, students of journalism and the US criminal justice system.

Michael Jackson: Innocent will thus be a unique series of books, which will stand as a legitimate and factual account of Michael Jackson’s vindication.

This book highlights the cracks in the prosecution case, the shifting timeline of allegations, and inconsistencies in the prosecution Opening Statement. You will be left wondering how this case ever made it to trial.

The first book in the series, Michael Jackson: Innocent 28 February 2005, has been on the Amazon Best Seller’s Kindle list, frequently reaching #1 or within the top #100 in the book category of Biographies & Memoirs for Michael Jackson.

Between 2003 to 2005 the media misrepresented what actually happened at court. It is time that those myths, and mistruths are addressed and the truth is made visible and available. By purchasing a new book you support this project.

Ultimately, this project seeks to look behind the media misrepresentations that has cast doubt on Michael Jackson’s reputation for over 20 years”.

Along with releasing this series of books on Michael’s innocence, D Francis is also releasing a series of podcast like audio snippets on her YouTube channel which serve to introduce Michael’s fan community to her work. Below you will find the first episode, which features Francis herself reading an excerpt from the book.

Francis has also explored other avenues in promoting Michael’s innocence and the truth behind the trial, going as far as commissioning an artist to create a line of hand painted t-shirts that can be bought through her website, www.13june2005.com. If you’d like to support D Francis in her work, then make sure to take a look at these great shirts. From all accounts, they also serve as a fantastic conversation starter around Michael, his trial and what his acquittal has meant for his legacy. D Francis does not receive any money from the sale of the hand painted t-shirts, this is purely fashion to inspire discussion.

We hope you participate in this great competition. It’s a wonderful chance to win a free copy of ‘Michael Jackson: Innocent’ and to also assist D Francis in her quest to promote the truth around Michael’s trials and tribulations. Francis is currently researching her second book which is to focus on Martin Bashir and the media’s impact on the trial. She is aiming to release the book late in 2015 or 2016.

Update: The competition is now closed. Thank-you for your participation. Winners will be announced on Episode 12 of The MJCast.

D Francis’ official website for the book series ‘Michael Jackson: Innocent’
Michael Jackson: Innocent – 28 February 2005 Book 1 on Amazon
An excerpt of ‘Michael Jackson: Innocent’ as read by Lynton Guest
D Francis’ Facebook and Twitter pages

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Episode 009 – Sausage Fest?

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 3 Comments ↓

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Jamon and Q discuss a range of exciting issues with guests Jerome Horne and Marni Carlsson. Topics include The Jackson’s recent appearance on American Idol and their upcoming ‘Proms in the Park’ performance, a new Janet Jackson album for 2015 and further discussion on Dimitri Reeves and the Baltimore Riots. We also delve into a fantastic question which was sent in by listener Austin Ernst around what Michael would be doing artistically if he were still alive. Please note, the recording of this show wrapped just minutes prior to Janet Jackson announcing her new album and world tour on the 16th of May, 2015. We’re pretty good at predicting the future though right…?

News
The Jackson’s performance on the American Idol Season 14 finale.
The Jacksons to headline BBC’s Proms in the Park 2015.
New Janet Jackson album coming in 2015?
Revisiting the Baltimore Riots and Dimitri Reeves.

Discussion Topic
Austin Ernst AKA @TheCreativeArtAPE asks on Twitter “If Michael would’ve never passed, where would he be and what do you think he’d be doing right now in terms of the arts?”

Finds of the Week
Q – Le P’s History remix on Soundcloud
Jerome Horne – Best of Billie Jean Live montage on YouTube
Marni Carlsson – S.H. Figuarts ‘Smooth Criminal’ Michael Jackson action figure on Amazon
Jamon – Where Michael Got His Looks: Michael Jackson’s Beautiful Grandmother Crystal Lee King-Jackson. An article by Raven at AllForLoveBlog.

Additional Links
Prince’s song Baltimore on Soundcloud
Marni Carlsson’s ‘MJ 50 Files’ Max Music TV Spot
Damien Shields’ ‘MJ 50 Files’ Max Music TV Spot
Damien Shields‘ Xscape Origins book
Jankins‘ Moonwalk Talks Michael Jackson podcast
Jerome Horne’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts

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Episode 008 – Xscape Origins Special

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 6 Comments ↓

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On this special episode of The MJCast, Jamon and Q interview acclaimed author Damien Shields on his new book Xscape Origins. Topics include Damien’s writing process, his collaborative partner James Alay’s contributions to the project, Damien’s experiences talking with Michael’s collaborators, a never before heard story about Damien’s ill fated interview with Michael Jackson himself. We also take the opportunity to capture some of Damien’s fascinating opinions on a range of Jackson related topics. As a special treat for listeners of The MJCast, you will also hear an exclusive audio snippet of an interview Damien conducted with C. J. DeVillar (Michael’s bassist and recording engineer during the early Invincible sessions) and a never before released version of the song She Was Lovin’ Me which was co-produced by Cory Rooney and Taryll Jackson.

As explained on Damien’s website, “Xscape Origins pieces together stories about the real Michael Jackson; the musical genius at work. As told by the songwriters, producers, musicians, and technicians who worked intimately with him in the studio, and featuring a touching foreword written by his longtime engineer Matt Forger, the book takes you inside the recording studio, delivering captivating fly-on-the-wall insights into the creative process of the greatest artistic visionary the world has ever known”. At its heart, Xscape Origins delves into the history of the eight original Michael Jackson songs which were remixed for the 2014 album Xscape, released in partnership between Sony Music and the Estate of Michael Jackson. Reading Damien’s work will give you a level of knowledge that will allow you to appreciate the songs in a much deeper way. If it’s Michael’s artistic process you love learning about, look no further than this fantastic book. It’s undoubtedly the best book on Michael’s art that I’ve ever read.

Links
Get your physical copy of Xscape Origins today at xscapeorigins.com.
Xscape Origins is also on Amazon, iBooks and Google Play as eBooks.
Read Damien’s latest Michael Jackson related articles at damienshields.com.
Joseph Vogel’s book on Michael’s artistry, Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson
Chris Cadman’s book series ‘The Maestro’ Volume’s I and II, excellent reference books on Michael’s creative work.
Keith Murphy’s fantastic Vibe article on Michael’s final (and still mostly unreleased) musical work. Read ‘Redemption Songs’.
Damien’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages

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Episode 007 – We Come in Peace

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 3 Comments ↓

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Q returns from his US/Canada/Hong Kong trip and is back on board to discuss the future (or lack thereof) of Captain EO in Disney parks, Michael Jackson being nominated by the Billboard Music Awards for Top R&B Album of 2015 with Xscape and the upcoming Broadway version of The Wiz. We also discuss Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson, MJ tribute artist Dimitri Reeves performing Michael’s music amidst the Baltimore Riots, the Estate of Michael Jackson partnering with Authentic Brands Group for an international merchandising business relationship, Kingvention 2015 and the Thriller Studio Tour at Westlake Recording Studios, Hollywood! Lastly, we launch into an in depth discussion around Q’s experiences at the Cirque Du Soleil MJOne show at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

News
Disney’s Captain EO to be closed?! What’s really going on here?
Michael Jackson’s Xscape album is nominated for Top R&B Album of 2015 by the Billboard Music Awards.
The Wiz is set to be NBC’s next live musical in late 2015, also coming to broadway in 2016 with Cirque Du Soleil‘s inolvement!
Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson is out. Read all about this great album on this NBC article.
Michael Jackson tribute artist Dimitri Reeves performs MJ songs amidst the Baltimore Riots and gives an interview about it here!
The Estate of Michael Jackson and Authentic Brands Group partner to expand the Michael Jackson brand worldwide.
A Michael Jackson convention called Kingvention 2015 is happening in London on Saturday the 12^th of September, 2015.
Thriller Studio Tour at Westlake Recording Studios in Hollywood is Back for 2015!

Discussion Topic
Q’s thoughts on Michael Jackson One, the Cirque Du Soleil/Michael Jackson show at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Finds of the Week
Jamon – Tristan Jackson’s #MakeThatChange video project
Q – 2CELLOS They Don’t Care About Us music video

Additional Links
Messenger King: Michael Jackson and the politics of #BlackLivesMatter by D.B. Anderson
Kerry Anderson’s Facebook page and Agape Love, the Facebook page for his upcoming book.
Red Bubble’s Keep Michaeling t-shirt
Xscapeorigins.com, the website for the new book on Michael Jackson’s creative process, by Damien Shields.

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Michael Jackson – Planet Earth (An Earth Day Project)

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 6 Comments ↓

Earth Day Network and Michael Jackson, two immutable forces who have spent decades crying out in defence of our planet. On April 22nd, 2015 it will be the 45th annual Earth Day, which is in my estimation one of most important annual events on the global calendar. On this day, literally hundreds of millions of people around the world unify, focusing on our planet and its perfection, but also its plight. Many of these individuals will just so happen to be fans of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson as well. Being one of them, it’s almost impossible to think of the wellbeing of our planet without reflecting on the selfless and timeless activism that Michael engaged in too.

One could argue that Michael’s ability to entertain the world through his music and dance is perhaps the most central part of his legacy. We would certainly hope he is remembered for such genius considering the nature of his impact on modern popular culture. Yet it is also important to remember that Michael was deeply passionate around other noble efforts in addition to his groundbreaking art. One such effort included bringing awareness, awakening and hope to people regarding the plight of Planet Earth…our home, our place.

Not only did Michael write and perform entire songs with the purpose of tapping into humanities empathy for our planet, but he also wrote poetry for this cause and raised vast sums of money for it as well. This wasn’t a passion that waned with time, or was done for some selfish cause, Michael genuinely cared for “Mother Earth” and felt the pain we as humans inflict on her quite acutely.

From deforestation, to climate change, to the extinction of species and overpopulation, Michael had the wellbeing of the planet and by extension its inhabitants foremost in his mind. Evidently, this shines through in his art, and in many of his public speeches and discussions also.

During the rehearsal’s for his final concert tour, Michael Jackson took the time to explain his ethos around nature and the planet in detail as evidenced in the documentary film This Is It. “I respect the secrets and magic of nature. That’s why it makes me so angry when I see these things that are happening, that every second, I hear, the size of a football field is torn down in the Amazon. I mean, that kind of stuff really bothers me. That’s why I write these kinds of songs, you know. It gives some sense of awareness and awakening and hope to people. I love the Planet, I love the trees. I have this thing for trees – the colors and changing of leaves. I love it. I respect those kind of things. I really feel that nature is trying so hard to compensate for man’s mismanagement of the planet. Because the planet is sick, like a fever. If we don’t fix it now, it’s at the point of no return. This is our last chance to fix this problem that we have, where it’s like a runway train. And the times has come, This Is It. People are always saying: ‘They’ll take care of it. The government’ll–Don’t worry, they’ll–‘ ‘They’ who? It starts with us. It’s us. Or else it’ll never be done…”

On October 26th, 2009 the Estate of Michael Jackson released Michael’s first posthumous album, a companion product to the film and ill fated concert tour entitled This Is It. The album featured many of the songs Michael was to perform live on his comeback tour, but with the interesting and intriguing inclusion of one spoken word track entitled ‘Planet Earth’. This previously unreleased track is a simple, poetic piece which focuses on Michael’s love for our planet. Prior to 2009, it had only ever been engaged with by fans in its written form as published in Michael Jackson’s brilliant book, Dancing the Dream. The piece clearly demonstrates the sense of wonderment Michael must have felt when contemplating our planet, but it’s the contrast that draws the listener in. The quiet and simple vocal delivery, with subtle revelations of Michael’s emotional depth, juxtaposed against the sheer cosmic scope of the lyrical content. Planet Earth is a stroke of genius that only Michael could have delivered.

“Do you care, have you a part
In the deepest emotions of my own heart
Tender with breezes, caressing and whole
Alive with music, haunting my soul.”

So with all of this in mind, I felt it important to acknowledge Michael’s efforts on this extraordinary day, and to also do my part in bringing awareness, awakening and hope to people regarding the beauty of this planet. And so I edited together a video. My goal for this project was to create an extension to the piece Michael had already crafted. To draw on a range of source material and add musical and visual elements that add an entirely new dimension for the audience. Hopefully I’ve succeeded in my mission and have done Michael proud.

At its heart, this video is a love letter to and celebration of Planet Earth, but it also represents an alignment between these two extraordinary forces that are Michael Jackson and Earth Day Network. This network is an eco-activism phenomenon which co-ordinates an event that involves over one billion people, twenty two thousand official partners in one hundred and ninety-two countries every single year. It is the world’s largest, non-secular celebration and truly represents what’s possible when our modern world and its billions of people mobilise for a positive cause. Visit www.earthday.org to learn how you can help heal the world. Happy 45th anniversary, Earth Day!

#MJ4EarthDay

Episode 006 – Tommy Organ Special

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 3 Comments ↓

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Listeners of The MJCast, here’s our sixth episode! This week we’re honoured to present an interview with Tommy Organ, one of Michael Jackson’s guitarists during the rehearsals for his This Is It concert tour. Topics of discussion include Tommy’s history as a musician, his experiences in coming to work for Michael and what it was like to work with the King of Pop. Enjoy!

Links
Tommy Organ’s official website and his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
The official website for Michael Jackson’s This Is It

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Episode 005 – Kerry Anderson Special

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 13 Comments ↓

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As a surprise for listeners of The MJCast, we are releasing this special episode in addition to our fortnightly release schedule! Recently, we were lucky enough to secure an interview with Kerry Anderson, Michael Jackson’s Director of Security during one of the most tumultuous times of his life. Topics of discussion include Kerry’s upcoming book, his experiences in originally coming to work for Michael, life as an Executive Protection Specialist, protecting Michael during his mid 2000’s trial against child molestation allegations and spending time with MJ and his family in the Middle East.

The MJCast would also like to apologise for the nature of the audio in this interview. There were some technical difficulties during the recording process and in post production which has resulted in excessive background noise and also an echo on the vocal. Hopefully you will still be able to enjoy this fascinating interview with Kerry Anderson.

Links
Agape Love, the Facebook page for Kerry Anderson’s upcoming book on Michael Jackson
Kerry Anderson’s personal Facebook profile page

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Episode 004 – That’s Enough Plugging!

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 4 Comments ↓

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Author Damien Shields of damienshields.com joins us to discuss the Detroit Mosaic Youth Centre Michael Jackson tribute concerts, his new book called Xscape Origins which can be found at xscapeorigins.com, 3T returning to the stage on June 26^th and 27^th in the Netherlands and a Swedish film director creating a documentary feature film on MJ choreographer ‘Vincent Paterson’. We also discuss new MJ vocals from the Human Nature sessions, a new video of Michael performing Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough ‘live’ and Cirque Du Soleil’s documentary on the Immortal World Tour.

News
The Detroit Mosaic Youth Theatre MJ tribute show called ‘Make That Change’ has been a massive success!
Author Damien Shields has released his new book ‘Xscape Origins’ at xscapeorigins.com. Use offer code FriendOfMine before the 7^th of April for a 15% discount!
3T will be performing on June 26^th and 27^th in the Netherlands.
A Swedish film director is doing a crowd funding campaign to make a documentary about one of Michael Jackson’s choreographers, Vincent Paterson. Pledge $1000 or more to see a private screening of never before seen MJ rehearsal footage!
Kon on SoundCloud has released a Human Nature remix with never before heard studio vocals from the Thriller sessions.
YouTube user 1710barton has uploaded footage of MJ performing Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough in full at a bay area nightclub in 1979.

Discussion Topic
Cirque Du Soleil and the Michael Jackson Estate have released a documentary feature film on the Immortal World Tour.

Finds of the Week
Jamon – Detroit Mosaic Youth Theatre’s ‘Human Nature’ rehearsal footage
Damien – MJ101

Additional Links
Damien Shields’ ‘Hold My Hand’ article
Charles Thomson’s Huffington Post review of Xscape Origins
Chris Cadman’s ‘The Maestro‘ book
Warren Eagles ‘Grading Michael Jackson’ article on the International Colorist Academy website
The Piano Guys’ ‘I Want You Bach’

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Episode 003 – Syl Mortilla Special

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Jamon Bull — 3 Comments ↓

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On The MJCast’s first special, Jamon and Q interview acclaimed author Syl Mortilla on his book ‘The First Book of Michael’. Topics include Syl’s writing process, the book itself, discussion around Michael’s art and legacy and how his art has been handled post June 2009.

Links
Syl Mortilla’s official website/blog
Syl Mortilla’s Facebook and Twitter pages
‘The First Book of Michael’ on Amazon and Smashwords
Warren Eagles’ ‘Grading Michael Jackson’ article on the International Colorist Academy’s website
Michael Jackson’s Legacy – a charitable organisation dedicated to continuing Michael Jackson’s humanitarian legacy.

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