“In which Jack and Cohen are joined by Step Up Revolution's Misha Gabriel for a chat about dancing, MJ and stealing your girlfriend.”
Guests: Jack Morrissey, Misha Gabriel and Matt Cohen
Annotated by Kathleen @kaybeevee
8:00 Guest Intro: Misha Gabriel aka Misha Gabriel Hamilton @mishagabriel
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2298016/
23,000 followers on twitter! Misha recording at Jack’s house:
Misha’s “This is It” lanyard...Hey Yo!
Jack recording Episode 44:
Misha doing WORK!
Misha dancing with Michael Jackson in rehearsals for the “This Is It” tour:
Scenes from Step Up: Revolution (on yellow car):
9:50 Jack met Misha through Kenny Wormald, lead actor in the Footloose movie remake
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1552693/
. Jack first became aware of him on the Dance Life tv series and through casting for Center Stage 2, Misha was also in both of those series.
Kenny:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1145144/combined
11:10 Misha auditioned for the lead in “Center Stage 2” and ended up being cast as a back up dancer, says he looked like Kevin Federline at the time. In the opening and club scenes.
Kevin Federline? Pretty much, yeah:
11:50 Kenny and Misha were in a “number” in Clerks 2. Jay and Silent Bob do a “magical” choreographed dance number to Jackson 5. This was Misha’s first film, also in Jackass 2.
Misha had punk rocker look in Clerks 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXJu2YoQ-aw
14:55 After Center Stage 2, did Michael Jackson’s This Is It, and then Step Up Revolution.
Alternative Foreign Title for Step Up Revolution-spicy:
15:50 Sharon/Twi Between for Team Jack is in the house! Matt discusses various Step Up movies. He loves the second one. Matt and Jack:
18:05 Who else has Misha danced for? Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera etc...Is doing more choreography now, does not have his “own artist” though. More acting is an ultimate goal too.
Misha with Miss Janet:
20:00 Kenny Wormald successfully made the switch to actor with Footloose remake.
20:45 How old was he when he started dancing? His mother was a ballerina in Russia, competed against Baryshnikov. He was dancing before he could talk, “bred for dance.” Grew up mostly in Colorado and moved to California at 17. First met Kenny at an audition with Justin Timberlake’s choreographer, Marty Kudelka.
23:40 Best and worst artists to work with? Won’t admit to worst (boo!) but best was by far Michael Jackson on This Is It. Bittersweet. Was originally cut in second round of auditions but they ended up adding two more dancers and he got the spot.
26:07 Michael Jackson/This Is It story. Misha is the bleached blonde (!) with Kenny Ortega, Director of This Is It:
Eventually rehearsals were at the Staples Center in LA. Michael Jackson showed up about two weeks after rehearsals started. Nice MJ story about telling the dancers-”You already have the job, you don’t have to prove anything to me.” Very different with Janet Jackson, where he felt like he could be cut any minute. B roll footage was what the eventual movie was based on, Misha signed a release and so got nothing from the profits of the movie.
29:50 MJ passed away three months after rehearsals started, a week away from going to London where they were supposed to have fifty shows. Found out he died while the dancers were at rehearsals. They pulled the stage down the same night he died. Surreal experience.
This Is It trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUniG6F_RzY
Misha Gabriel in action (Dangerous and a little Smooth Criminal):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mprMRMshZdI&feature=related
Footage from final rehearsal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qE22UOlQts&feature=youtube_gdata_player
33:50 Misha's mom is even in This Is It-did some ballet training for the dancers and provides some comic relief in the movie. Michael Jackson even did a ballet pose for his mom and she "was out of her mind she was so happy."
38:00 Experience with Step Up? Amazing, all shot in Miami. Step Up movies started with Disney produced by Adam Shankman, now entirely Summit. Directed by Scott Speer, Misha had worked with him before, Fatima Robinson is choreographer who had also worked on Dreamgirls and many many other things. Jack: "Love her."
http://www.fatimarobinson.com/fatima.html
Step Up 4 DVD release date is November 27th , theater release was July 27th.
43:00 Step Up character description. Auditioned for lead but the character he ended up playing was totally him. Auditioning now, no agency yet. Hard to balance choreography gigs with acting auditions. Also does Dancing with the Stars, has done it six times and American Idol.
Fatima Robinson has been a huge help to Misha, an inspiration. She wants to swim naked in Jack's pool!
49:00 Matt asks Misha about dancing at parties? Dance to your all or tone it down? Misha says depends on the situation...especially if there's a girl! Definitely uses it to his advantage! Probably with this look:
50:25 Podcast listener questions! Amy Allen: If you could have a superpower what would it be and why? Matt explains that Misha already has one! “The ability to steal people’s girlfriends through dancing.” Talks about going out (or not) in L.A.
52:00 Jack talks about his clubbing life. Heaven club in London where Freddie Mercury used to go. Likes huge cavernous spaces. No dance clubs in LA anymore, Misha agrees.
54:00 LA Stock Exchange Building now just “The Exchange.” Jack read this article about it:
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/07/entertainment/la-et-insomniac-exchangela-20120907
and so went to check it out but was not impressed. “Blade Runner done for Syfy channel.”
57:40 Kenny’s take on where to watch great dance in LA. Jack likes this Flo Rida video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgM3r8xKfGE
but people probably think LA is like that-nonstop limos and humvees where “all this crazy shit is happening.”
59:20 Music discussion. Scrillex?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skrillex
Electronica muppet?
1:00:55 Misha talks about Dancers Alliance Event
http://www.dancersalliance.org/dancersalliance/MAin_Home.html
1:03:48 What are Misha’s days like? Teaches at Millenium, various places. Been in LA for eight years, considers it home. LA location discussion. Matt looking at houses?
1:07:12 Jack doesn’t listen to his podcasts repeatedly anymore. Spider discussion-name Jack’s spider on Facebook!
1:08:45 Fatima story. Jack wanted help on his dance moves before his trip to London later this year so he went to Fatima’s house with Erik Odom and his friend Chauncey. Session #1 was terrible. Session #2 got better, even blissful.
Like this?
Or this?
1:14:20 Private dance lessons with Misha in Jack’s future?
1:16:42 Misha Gabriel origin story. Jack couldn’t believe it was the same guy as the one in his IMDB headshot. Cute!
1:18:40 Jack discusses dinner out with Bill Condon and people from The Academy the other night. Talked about events around the Oscars, what may happen at the show, new ideas. Jack’s ready to do stuff like that every night! Doesn’t want to sit at home with a stack of DVD’s. He wants a nightlife!!!!! He wants to boogie!!!!!
Jack and Matt tell racist jokes (not really).
OUT!