'One of the best moments of working with Michael is how kind he was,' former 'NSYNC member says.
By Jocelyn Vena

Few people are lucky enough to have known Michael Jackson on a personal level. Former 'NSYNC member JC Chasez not only had the opportunity to perform with Jackson on several occasions, including at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, but was able to hang out with the superstar offstage as well.

"I think one of the best moments of working with Michael is how kind he was," Chasez recalled. "He was so gracious. He always took time out to let you know he was thankful you were there. [He] wanted to make you feel good about what you were doing up there with him."

Chasez also fondly recalls the moments when they weren't performing and when Jackson was just "eating a sandwich, talking about his day."

"It was a great experience, hanging backstage, shooting the breeze," he said. "That's what I enjoyed. It was great."

Long before he got to hang with Jackson, Chasez was just a fan who used Jackson's music as an inspiration for his own career. Buying Jackson's Thriller was his first foray into becoming a music fan; later, he performed Jackson's music on the road.

"One of the first tours that 'NSYNC did on the road in America, we actually did a Jackson 5 tribute," he said. "I don't think a lot of people remember that because it was so long ago. We suited up in '70s gear and broke into a couple Jackson 5 tunes. [It was] just one more thing we learned from them." [source]

The trailer for America's Best Dance Crew Season 4 will air on MTV tonight (July 29) immediately following Run's House. That works out to 11pm ET/PT. [source]

JC Chasez performed with Jackson three times as a member of 'N Sync

You're always used to seeing Michael Jackson on stage and performing; it's a very different experience to be sitting on a couch, having a relaxed conversation. The guy is incredibly nice, gracious, wanted to make sure everyone had everything they wanted or needed. A wonderful host. People don't necessarily look at him as a person. They look at him as an action figure. We talked about music, because that's our common ground, but he was more interested about how we felt about what we were going through. Being popular, and carrying a heavy workload — you get to the point where you're doing shows 5 and 6 days a week and travel between and press between that. It's a lot, and nobody knew that better than him, because he was doing it since he was 6 years old.

It's always chaos outside, but backstage, he was so gracious. He was happy that we were there and able to perform with him. [Backstage, 'N Sync could hear Jackson doing vocal drills in the dressing room next door] They sound ridiculous. They're like gee gee gee gee gee gee. To hear that but with Michael Jackson's tone on, that quick vibrato at the end of every note, that was so crazy. It was great for me, as an artist, to see that. He was doing vocal drills for an hour before he went out. It's not something that magically appeared on him, the guy worked hard for it. Forty years old, and the guy is warming up for an hour before every show. He wanted to give that audience the best he had. There are plenty of people who just go out and sing and let the first two songs warm them up. But he cared. He cared about every note that came out of his mouth when he was on stage. That's saying something. [source]

A number of stars have penned touching tributes to Michael Jackson for a special issue of Time magazine, on stands on Monday.

JC Chasez, who performed with Michael several times during his days in *NSYNC, remembered Michael as a musician who, even as a superstar, spent hours preparing for his performances.

“He was doing vocal drills for an hour before he went out,” JC wrote. “It’s not something that magically appeared on him, the guy worked hard for it. 40 years old, and the guy is warming up for an hour before every show. He wanted to give that audience the best he had.” [source]

Several official sources at America's Best Dance Crew have confirmed to us that the show will move to Sunday nights at 10pm ET/PT for Season 4. They also stated that it will begin in early August, though the specific date is not yet confirmed. [source]

Description: JC Chasez on MTV's Lookback Special for Michael Jackson
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JC Chasez, who performed with Jackson along with 'NSYNC at the 2001 VMAs, described the show as "a childhood dream come true." "It was kind of like my life had come full-circle at that point. First you dream about being able to dance like him and the next thing you know you're standing next to him while you're dancing. As a professional, you want to reach the top of your game. Then you find yourself on the MTV awards and you share that moment with him. He's a language. He's a piece of vernacular when you talk about dancing, singing ... entertainment." [source]

MTV will play Jackson's music videos intercut with breaking news, celebrity tributes, fans' tweets, and vintage Jacko footage from the network's archives on Friday until 6 p.m. EDT. At 6 p.m., A Celebration of Michael Jackson on MTV will showcase Jackson's greatest moments. MTV News' Sway will host. Then at 7 p.m. EDT, the net will re-air an episode of Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew featuring performances set to the pop icon's greatest hits. (thanks to JinkyJibes!) [source]