Speaking of the Twins:


Maximum Jackson is pleased to present an exclusive interview with The Twinz- Maya and Nandy McClean- who auditioned for Michael Jackson in LA last week.

MaxJax: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, it’s an absolute pleasure to be able to speak with you about what it was like auditioning for Michael Jackson! We'd like to start by asking what you’re both doing at this stage in your careers.

Maya and Nandy: We are singer/songwriters and we are currently working on our album and looking to shop for a deal. We play the guitar so the sound is very acoustic pop with a lot of guitar lead tracks. We have been told it sounds like “Beautiful Pop music”. On the side we have been back up singing for various artist in the U.S.

How did you get selected to audition for Michael Jackson?

All the top agency’s in the US and internationally were contacted to send in their top dancers. It was picture submission. So we were selected off our headshots and resume.

Were you told to specifically plan or prepare a dance piece for the audition?

No we were just told to bring head shots, resumes and they taught us all the choreography.

Were you given any indication of what Michael was looking for?

Yes it was all specified in the email from our agency. Attractive model types dressed cabaret/catwalk and stars in their own right.

How did you personally prepare for the auditions?

Wow…We had been preparing our whole lives for that moment! We started dancing because of Michael Jackson when we were little. It was crazy! We got the email Friday and the audition was the next Tuesday so we had 4 days to prepare. We jumped online immediately started watching all his shows. We had a friend audition for the boys on Monday, so he told us what choreography they were learning “Smooth Criminal” and “Dangerous” and started going over those performances. Sit up’s push ups, coordinated what we were wearing, make up and drove round listening to MJ for the next 4 days lol!

What happened on the first day of auditions? Please tell us a little about who was there from Michael Jackson’s camp and what you had to learn and perform.

The first day was so exciting! They had a documentary crew filming. They chose us to give them an interview. Director Kenny Ortega was present, Travis Payne Choreographer/Associate Director and AEG Live. It was so intense!

When did you learn that you had been called back for the second day?

There were over 200 girls and we all went in together, learned the choreography, then got cut into smaller groups of 12 to be seen by the judges. Then we performed in front of Kenny, Travis and assistant choreographers and they told the ones they wound like to stay for the call backs to take a step forward and they asked us both to step forward!

How many dancers were called back?

They kept around 50 female dancers and around 80 for male callbacks.

What was the second day of auditions like? Please tell us a little about who was there and what you were asked to perform.

Before we left for the callbacks the next day they taught the ones who stayed the rest of the choreography, so that’s what we performed the next day. The minute we got inside to sign up a friend came up to us and said, “ He is here”! Michael Jackson was in the building and would soon be seeing us audition. We were so excited!

Did you know in advance that Michael Jackson himself would be there?

On the first day Kenny said they would hope Michael would show up for the call backs, but wasn’t sure.

How long was Michael Jackson there on the second day?

He was there to watch the boy’s audition and when we came into audition for the next round he came in to watch. We then performed in groups of round 8 at a time and we got to do what we do.

Did Michael Jackson talk to the dancers or address them at any stage?

He got introduced as he came through the stalls and he waved hello. I blew him a kiss and he blew one back!

Did you personally get to speak to Michael Jackson at any stage?

Unfortunately not, we were there to work and only saw him from the stage.

Can you tell us a little about his demeanor and what he was wearing?

He was in black, had dark glasses on and his hair was done Jet black. One of the boy dancers said when they saw him he was wearing a white hat, so he must have taken it off before we saw him.

How did it feel to be able to perform for Michael Jackson himself? Were you very nervous?

Yes very, although he had come to one of Prince's show in Las Vegas before and seen us perform there as backup singers and dancers, but it was a totally different experience auditioning for him, for his show, to have his eye study you for his approval.

Please feel free to tell us any additional details you remember or would like to share.

They were only casting 2 girls and 6 boys out of over four hundred people. So we were very grateful to be in the few and to have made it that far. All we can say is that it was the experience of a life time and brought back so many feelings and memories from when we were kids and how far we have come since growing up in Australia and how dreams can come true if you believe.

Again, thank you so much from Maximum Jackson- we appreciate the time taken to conduct this interview and wish you the very best in your future endeavours.

Thanks you so much and we love Maximum Jackson and MJ! Maya and Nandy

http://www.maximum-jackso...php?t=8692

Thanks for the interview, Patrick.

LOL @ Max Jax getting an interview with the Twinz. Seeing as Marni is personal friends with them and grew up with them it can't have been hard making contact

Thanks for interview Patsy.

dag said:

You're welcome!

dag said:

Thanks that's cool hope to see them in london again.....

^^^They haven't been selected! Probably Michael feared the fall-out from angry Prince fans!

PatrickS77 said:

Still waiting to see the complete band lineup...

PatrickS77 said:

Oh come on Patsy!!! MJ wouldn't want Prince's cast-offs!! He's always been jealous!!!!

PatrickS77 said:

Always felt they were quite ordinary personally, pretty, and competant back up vocalists, but dancing-wise? no, not for me.

.
[Edited 4/21/09 15:04pm]

^^Yeah! I'm glad they didn't get selected!

Michael Jackson Takes Rehearsals Break To Shop For Antiques
http://www.gigwise.com/ar...=2#gallery

Michael Jackson was photographed shopping for antiques in Los Angeles yesterday (April 21).
The singer wore a colourful hoodie and surgical mask on the brief excursion.

Jackson has been spotted in public increasingly over recent weeks as he rehearses for his comeback shows in London this summer.

Despite reports the singer is not in good health, he is scheduled to play 50 dates at the O2 Arena over a period of eight months. ("me...me")


The self-proclaimed King of Pop will perform to over a million people during his residency.

Jackson, now 50, has not performed a full concert since he was cleared of child molestation charges in 2005.

His last full tour, entitled HIStory, took place in 1996 and '97

LondonStyle said:

I hate the way everyone calls Madonna the "Queen of Pop" and Elvis "the Kind of Rock ´n´Roll", yet they call MJ "self-proclaimed King of Pop" as if he didn´t deserve that title.

dag said:

me too!!

Thank you for posting the interview. It is safe to say Michael will probably be performing "Smooth Criminal" and "Dangerous," given that he had them audition those songs. Or at the very least - "Dangerous" with the "Smooth Criminal" dance break in it. I'm excited.

dag said:

madonna never called herself the queen of pop, and neither did elvis, but MJ called himself that, which is why he is the self proclaimed king of pop, as he proclaimed it himself, no-one else did. i don't think anyone would consider him the king of pop anymore

it's interesting to see him get his priorities in order by shopping for antiques instead of getting ready for his tour. like he hasn't bought enough crap already with his money

unique said:

Really? He wasn´t the first one to come up with that title. I wonder who ese would anyone consider King of Pop nowadays.

Who says he´s not getting ready for the tour?

unique said:

Blablabla... his fans called him that... and whether you like it or not, no one but him is the king of pop! He sold 1 million tickets for 50 concerts in the same town... he still is the king of pop!

Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. Get over it people.

dag said:

the first person who came up with that title, i dunno, you tell me, but that's irrelevant, as the point is that he proclaimed himself that title and continues to do so, and that's what's different with the other artists that were mentioned

and no one says he wasn't getting ready for the tour, it's just been noted that his priorities perhaps need reconsidering. the shows start shortly and he's dicking about in LA buying old crap, and all that anyone knows about the shows is about dancers. not a diddly squat about the music or anything remotely important

as to king of pop, well i think justin timberlake is perhaps the biggest name at the moment, and he has both commercial and critical acclaim. he doesn't have any dodgy rumours either, nevermind any scandals. and when it comes to live performances, having seen him in the flesh, front row at an impromptu aftershow, singing and playing guitar and keyboards, and not dancing for one second, i can tell you he had the audience lapping it up, more than i've seen any other person, not even prince

Oh yes... Justin Timberlake, not Michael Jackson, is the King of Pop! Glad we got that settled!

PatrickS77 said:

so who do you think is the current king of pop? MJ hasn't released a record in almost a decade, so who do you think is the top pop act of the current age? who do you consider a more talented or commercial successful male artist of the current age?

dag said:

i believe the first person to call him that was Liz Taylor, though i can't remember if he asked her to or if she came up with it.

Elvis is dead since 30 years and he's still the king! As long as no one overtakes Michael and his achievements or comes at least close (with the greatest generousity possible) no one but MJ is the King of Pop! Timberlake is an ant compared to MJ! Can you see him selling out 50 concerts in the same city?? I don't and probably no one else either! So he is not the King of Pop! MJ is a world wide recognized phenomeon, a legend, Timberlake is not!
[Edited 4/22/09 12:48pm]

ehuffnsd said:

She called him "the true King of pop rock and soul" at an award show in '89! Problem is, fans had already banners on the Bad Tour calling him King of pop!

unique said:

You know, Elvis is dead for couple of years and that does not take away his title. James will always be the Godfather of Soul. The fact that MJ has not released anything in year does not mean he is not commercially successful or that he does not deserve the title! You are saying he is not commercially successful anymore. To me, that means releasing albums that do not sell, not not releasing anything. If MJ released 5 albums that did not sell than he would not be commercially successful anymore. But his ridiculous re-release of Thriller that everyone in the world already has made in in the TOP 10 of best-sellers after 20 years of its first release. MJ´s 50 concerts in one city sell out in few hours and you are saying he´s not commercially successful? Nobody´s more commercially successful than MJ. The very little he´s done professionally has gotten way too much response from the public.
BTW, do you really think that anyone would remember Justin if he took 10 year break? I am not sure. To me, he´s one of many "current" pop artists, besides I hear and see MJ in most of the stuff he does, nothing of his own.
As for the scandals, I do not mix them with music. I´d take that weirdos Jackson or Prince anytime over any of the "normal, non-original" artists anytime. And btw, what proves his incredible commercial success is that he still sells (the concerts, for example) despite the scandals.
[Edited 4/22/09 13:49pm]
[Edited 4/22/09 13:54pm]

PatrickS77 said:

than it was probably him. he had MTV called the Video Vanguard Award the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, even though Madonna had won the first one the year before him.
[Edited 4/22/09 14:10pm]

Jacko Buys More Gaudy Crap
Filed under: Michael Jackson







With all the $$$$$ Michael Jackson is raking in with his record-breaking upcoming sold-out residency in the UK, why not blow some of that hard-earned cash on overpriced, tacky crap???

Jacko shopped the sweltering hot day away in Los Angeles on Tuesday, picking up a few new relics to add to his horrendous collection of antiques.

Here's an idea:

Maybe Wacko Jacko should try saving his money for once????

http://perezhilton.com/20...gaudy-crap
[Edited 4/22/09 14:14pm]

ehuffnsd said:

Urban Legend! Nothing more!