Nate Giorgio, right, a Vestal native, was a friend and professional artist for legendary singer Michael Jackson. Giorgio did the artwork for the cover on the only tribute to the King of Pop authorized by Jackson's estate.
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Vestal native's artwork to be the cover of Michael Jackson tribute book[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]By William Moyer[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]wmoyer@gannett.com[/FONT]
The figurative-style silhouette dancing across a red background is immediately recognizable as Michael Jackson.
The artwork on the cover of a soon-to-be released international tribute to the King of Pop was drawn by Nate Giorgio, a 1979 graduate of Vestal High School who often found himself in Jackson's inner circle during a 25-year collaboration that documented the pop icon's career in art.
"It's a drawing I did for the book," said Giorgio, 48, whose parents still live in Vestal. "It's a simple drawing, but it captures the essence of him."
The leather-bound book, "The Official Michael Jackson OPUS," will be released Dec. 7 with a hefty $249 price tag.
About a dozen of Giorgio's drawings and paintings of Jackson are included in the book, as well as various illustrations.
In time, Giorgio expects the 404-page book -- which measures 13 by 18 inches and weighs 38 pounds -- to become the definitive tribute to the legendary singer. The book is the only tribute officially endorsed by Jackson's estate after the singer's death.
Besides a dozen full-page drawings of Jackson, Giorgio also contributed some personal letters to the book. In particular, Giorgio recalled a handwritten thank-you note after he had called the singer to express concern when Jackson was sick.
"He just said he appreciated my call; he was that kind of guy," said Giorgio, who last saw Jackson about a month before the singer died June 25 at the age of 50. "I wish the public could have seen that side of him."
The book has contributions from others who knew Jackson, including Motown founder Berry Gordy, Paula Abdul, Smokey Robinson and Quincy Jones.
"We're really proud that his drawing is on the cover," said Neil Giorgio, Nate's father and a retired Security Mutual Insurance employee who lives in Vestal. "This is a big deal."
The younger Giorgio's association with Jackson began in the 1980s when the singer took a liking to the local artist's work. The then-fledgling artist had mailed some portraits to the singer while still living in Vestal. Jackson invited Giorgio to his home in California to talk and do artwork.
Gradually, Giorgio earned Jackson's confidence as an artist and friend. Through the years, Jackson commissioned Giorgio to do artwork, including paintings, posters and illustrations for the book "Dancing the Dream." Some of Giorgio's artwork was displayed at the Neverland ranch.
In the past several weeks, Giorgio has been interviewed by national media outlets about Jackson and the tribute book. In the current issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Giorgio recalled Jackson asking him to do a "Superhero" painting based on a Superman drawing. The handwritten note and the drawing are included in the OPUS book.
When the singer died, he and Giorgio were working on murals Jackson wanted of himself and his children walking through a forest.
About his days in Vestal, Giorgio said "small town" life instilled a motivation to set high goals, but also required working harder to get noticed than someone who was raised in Los Angeles.
In 1996, Vestal added Giorgio to the school's Hall of Fame.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20091129/NEWS01/911290348
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Documentary Channel To Debut First Original Weekly Series
Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 11/30/2009 12:01:00 AM
The Documentary Channel will ring in the new year with its initial original half-hour series.
The network will debut DocTalk on Friday, Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). Produced by Documentary Channel Original Productions, the series will tip off the network's primetime lineup every Friday throughout 2010.
Created and executive produced by Documentary Channel founder and chief creative officers Tom Neff, and produced by Barry Rubinow, the network's senior vice president of creative services, DocTalk takes an inside look at the modern world of documentary film. Through extensive, in- depth interviews with the world's top documentary filmmakers, along with scenes from their films, DocTalk will delve into the filmmakers' process and motivations for how and why they made their films.
In the premiere episode, the series will explore a quartet of films. Director Kenny Ortega and his team recall the warm memories and musical mastery of working with the king of pop, in Michael Jackson's This is It. Michael Moore follows the money from Wall Street to Capitol Hill to the country's heartland in Capitalism: A Love Story. Director Davis Guggenheim and producer Leslie Chillicott give insight into the making of the rock guitar saga, It Might Get Loud, with added commentary from Jack White and Jimmie Page, two of the film's subjects. Finally, director Aaron Marshall discusses the unique challenges of following a 12-year-old girl and her mom as they make a blood-filled horror movie in Zombie Girl: The Movie.
"DocTalk is an entertaining, informative and emotionally moving series that we feel is a must see for any hard core or casual documentary fan," said Neff in a statement.
Noted Rubinow: "It has been a great pleasure to talk one on one with the great documentary filmmakers of our time and I think our audience will thoroughly enjoy the films and the fresh perspective given in these thoughtful, revealing interviews."
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Today in
Michael Jackson History
1991 - Michael Jackson's album "Dangerous" debuted at #1 in the U.K. Michael Jackson History
2003 - Jermaine Jackson appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live."
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