Willa: Hi everyone! Some of Dolly Parton’s fans have decided that today, September 25th, should be Dolly Parton Day because the date 9/25 evokes her popular song “9 to 5” and her breakout performance in the movie 9 to 5. I love that! So today we’re celebrating the first annual Dolly Parton Day with a post about her and the many similarities and connections she shared with Michael Jackson.

Willa: Today I’m excited to talk with Joe Vogel, who has two new books out! And I’m very happy to be joined once again by frequent contributors Harriet Manning, author of Michael Jackson and the Blackface Mask, and Marie Plasse, who taught a popular college seminar on Michael Jackson and his art. Greetings to you all! Harriet: Hi everyone! I’m so pleased we have Joe with us today!

Harriet: Welcome everyone to Part 3 of our conversation on the Michael Jackson biopic, Michael! Hello to Nina, Marie, and Linda-Raven. And Willa and Lisha - thanks for inviting us back! Willa: Oh, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this, and it’s really deepened my appreciation of the movie. Thank you all so much for sharing your observations and ideas! Harriet: It’s been great!

Harriet: Welcome back everyone! I’m so pleased that we have been able to get together again to continue our discussion on the new Michael Jackson biopic, Michael. Welcome again to Nina Fonoroff, Marie Plasse, and Linda-Raven Woods. And hello, Willa and Lisha - thanks for having us back. I think we are all eager to chat some more! Last…

Harriet: I’m so pleased that we have such a brilliant team together today to talk about the new, eagerly awaited Michael Jackson biopic, Michael! A big welcome to Nina Fonoroff, Marie Plasse, and Linda-Raven Woods - all long-time participants on Dancing with the Elephant! Nina is a retired film studies professor, artist, and filmmaker who has created art pieces featuring Michael Jackson, and she has a huge collection of Michael Jackson images.

Lisha: So we’re back with our continuing discussion of Willa’s new book Michael Jackson’s Radical Aesthetic, Volume Two: How He Answered His Critics and Redefined Art. So pleased to talk with you both again about this remarkable book! Harriet: Hi both! Willa: Hi Lisha and Harriet! It’s always so fun to talk with you! Lisha: Last time, we took a look at the first two short films right out of the gate, post allegations, as a way to explore Michael Jackson’s artistic response to the 1993 media scandal.

Lisha: Hello again, Willa and Harriet! I am so excited to speak with you again. Willa: Hi Lisha! Hi Harriet! It’s always such a pleasure to talk with you! Harriet: Hi again both! Lisha: Last time we previewed Act Two of Willa’s new book: Michael Jackson’s Radical Aesthetic, Volume One: How His Early Films challenged and Changed White America. That’s the section of the book that deals exclusively with the allegations and the troubling cultural narratives surrounding them.

Lisha: Hi again, Willa and Harriet! So great to get to talk with you again. Willa: Oh, it’s really fun talking with you! I hope you’re both having a happy new year! Harriet: Hi, Willa and Lisha. I’m so pleased that we are able to continue our celebration of Willa’s wonderful new books, which were officially published just a few days ago!

A major new two-volume work on Michael Jackson is on the horizon, and it promises to reshape how fans, students, and scholars understand his art.

Lisha: We’re back for another sneak peak at a new two-volume book written by our very own Willa Stillwater! It’s titled Michael Jackson’s Radical Aesthetic and it is soon to be released by Routledge, one of the leading academic publishers. In our last discussion, we talked about the overall concept and structure of the book, which is an in-depth literary interpretation of Michael Jackson’s short films that has been organized chronologically.

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Willa: I’m very happy to be talking again with Harriet Manning, author of Michael Jackson and the Blackface Mask, and Steven Paul Whitsitt, who was Michael Jackson’s personal photographer in …

Willa: I’m very excited to be joined today by Harriet Manning, who wrote one of my favorite books on Michael Jackson, and Steven Paul Whitsitt, who took some of my favorite photographs of Michael J…