The Big MJ Debate

We’ve all seen them! AI-generated “alternative shots” of Michael Jackson. Familiar photos, re-imagined…or completely altered. But are these creations harmless fun, or do they raise bigger questions about authenticity, ownership and legacy? In this episode, we sit down with Steven Paul Whitsitt, Michael Jackson’s personal photographer, to explore the impact of AI on Michael’s image. We dig into how...

We just watched the Michael Jackson biopic trailer for the first time — and went straight on camera to talk about it. In this episode, we break down the moments that instantly grabbed our attention, the surprisingly accurate costumes, and the parts of the trailer that made us stop and question the timeline being shown. We also share what we loved, what left us feeling cautious as fans, and the det...

So we couldn't just enter the Michael Jackson Biopic year without a bit of drama then?! In early January 2026 a collection of unreleased Michael Jackson tracks, songs, snippets and instrumentals leaked on the internet, presumably from the Michael Jackson vault. As we've anything new and MJ they've spread like wildfire! In this episode we're our great friend Maicon returns to discus...

It's the end of 2025! What a year it's been for Michael Jackson fans! We finally got the release of the trailer for the Michael Jackson Biopic being released in 2026! We also dealt with the Estate's continued and questionable Ai upscalings of Michael's Iconic short films. Plus there was a whole host of new merchandise to add to the mix. In this extended New Year's Eve special,...

Finally!!! The teaser for the Michael Jackson Biopic has dropped! 🎬🔥It feels like we've waited a lifetime to say it, but we get our first glimpse of Jafaar Jackson as The King of Pop. In true fan analysis, we look at every nuance, detailing our favourite parts, that Thriller video clip and that big reveal with the studio moment between Michael and Quincy. This episode we were joined by retur...

In this episode, Pez (a dedicated MJ Collector) and Char (a non-collector) dive into the world of what it means to own and collect Michael Jackson Memorabilia. We look at why some fans choose to collect, is there such a thing as 'too much' or 'not enough' and our favourite items which each carry a special memory. Whether you're an MJ mega-fan with a shelf full of memorabilia or...

It's been 30 years since Michael Jackson released his groundbreaking double album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I - and we're taking a deep dive into its legacy. Was it misunderstood? Was it ahead of its time? Did Michael say enough? or did he say too much? In this episode of The Big MJ Debate we discuss the impact of songs such as "Scream", "They Don't Care A...

Too often, many claim that their favourite artist is the Greatest Performer of all time or that they've surpassed Michael Jackson. We love the confidence in your artist - but you're wrong. Michael Jackson remains the Greatest performer of all time - and this isn't just fans making the claim without looking at the facts. In this episode, we explore why Michael Jackson is considered the...

In this episode of The Big MJ Debate, hosts Pez Jax and Char McLachlan delve into the world of Michael Jackson's iconic music videos, focusing on the recent trend of upscaling these classics to 4K resolution. With only five official upscaled releases to date, including fan favorites "Rock With You" and "She's Out of My Life," Pez and Char discuss the impact of these hig...

For the final episode of the year, we've created this special bumper episode to see you through the final hours of 2024 with highlights and discussions from moments in our year as Michael Jackson fans. We also welcome some other MJ friends to join us in discussing topics including Kingvention, MJ One, MJ Merch and controversial opinions turned into a drinking game! We've had a lot of fun and laugh...

After years of banging on about MJ ONE, we finally went to see the show together in Las Vegas. For Char, this was her first time. For Pez, this was his 9th. In this episode, we discuss a typical arrival to the Michael Jackson One feature and cover Char's experience for the first time, as well as what's on offer inside the Michael Jackson One Boutique. We then go through the show sharing our favour...

In this extra special extended episode of The Big MJ Debate, we've put together a panel of Michael Jackson fans to discuss and debate MJ The Musical. The panel is made up of a mix of fans - Those who have seen it and those who have not to give a broad spectrum of opinions. We also cover what's in the show, highlights and favourite moments and the controversy surrounding comments made by the writer...

We can all agree that we were robbed of Hot Street's place on Thriller 40. We imagine it to be some dark neon street with mystery and intrigue. So this was the perfect backdrop for this episode... We decided to pick 10 difficult Michael Jackson Fan Questions to ask each other, as we were in the metaphorical 'Hot Seat'. And let's be clear, it wasn't easy! This is Hot Seat On Hot Street

What would you say is 'The Greatest Night In Pop'? After watching Netflix's new documentary declaring the recording of We Are The World, The Greatest Night In Pop, we're inclined to agree. Directed by Bao Nguyen, the doc takes us behind the scenes the creation of the 1985 20+ million seller. Written by ‪@MichaelJackson‬ and ‪@lionelrichie‬ , the story of how the full session came together is one o...

After a long hiatus and a refresh, we're back with a brand new episode and what better day than the 10th Anniversary of Xscape - The posthumous Michael Jackson album. To say we disagree on a few things....would be an understatement! We go track by track through the unreleased Michael Jackson songs that were included in the 2014 release and share our thoughts and reflections 10 years later! Wha...

In this episode of The Big MJ Debate, we're taking it back to the beginning and discussing how we became fans of Michael Jackson and our first introduction to the infamous Michael Jackson fan community. We explore some of the terms used by other fans and what, if anything should be the "rules" that we as MJ fans should stick to.

In this episode, we're discussing the Michael Jackson biopic! We share our thoughts about whether a biopic is a good idea and what impact it might have, as well as the casting of Jafaar Jackson as Michael. Finally, we share our own ideal cast!

Recent news that a Michael Jackson fan who attended Brad Sundberg's In The Studio With MJ event and stole his laptop and hard drive is the topic of discussion for this episode.   We're looking into what happened, how 50GB of Michael Jackson's material ended up on the internet for free, who is the legitimate owner of the material and what the impact has been on the Michael Jackson fan com...

Now that Thriller 40 is mostly at an end, Pez Jax & Char McLachlan caught up after the album's release to discuss the full campaign from the announcement back in May to the events, the Thriller 40 documentary and the official release of Thriller 40.  As the first global Michael Jackson release in some years, we've focused heavily on Thriller 40 over the past few months, and this episode f...

After seeing the Michael Jackson Thriller 40 Documentary at the London Premiere (see Episode 8 for details), Pez Jax & Char McLachlan sit down to discuss their thoughts on what they saw, with Ilia Mizani joining via video link.  We talked about what we liked seeing, such as Michael Jackson in the studio, the Making of Thriller, the Making of Beat It and The Making of Billie Jean and of co...

Pez Jax, Ilia Mizani and Char McLachlan are back together to discuss disc 2 of Thriller 40 which celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller album.   Thankfully we're all great friends as we just cannot agree on each of these new Michael Jackson songs. We share our thoughts: 1. Starlight 2. Got The Hots 3. Who Do You Know 4. Carousel 5. Behind The Mask (Mike's Mix) 6. C...

Pez Jax, Char McLachlan and Ilia Mizani return happy and exhausted from Kingvention 2022 to discuss the event over the years. This extended episode features never-before-seen clips from Kingvention over the years and our favourite and funny memories.

In this episode, Pez, Ilia and Charlotte discuss Michael Jackson's infamous music archives, commonly known as 'the vault', as well as the removal of the Cascio tracks from the posthumous album 'MICHAEL'.

Pez Jax, Ilia Mizani and Charlotte McLachlan are uncensored in part 2 of the discussion on Thriller 40

You've seen the announcement - Thriller 40 is coming! As we wait with intrigue to find out what's going to be included, Pez Jax, Ilia Mizani and Charlotte McLachlan discuss what we're expecting, what we're looking forward to...and that new logo.