Est. 1998
Facebook For Fans
Michael Jackson TribuTe PorTraiT
Michael Jackson Tribute Website Becomes “Facebook for Fans”
Interactive Work of Art Connects Thousands Worldwide with Common Thread –
Their Love for the King of Pop
Michael Jackson fans worldwide are responding overwhelmingly to The Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait currently in the works by celebrity artist David Ilan. The Tribute website is being referred to by participants as a “Facebook for Michael Jackson fans.”
The unique interactive portrait of The King of Pop is being created using a series of hand drawn dots in a technique called pointillism, where each dot in Jackson’s portrait represents a fan somewhere in the world. Ilan began the unique portrait on August 28 at a special ribbon cutting ceremony in Hollywood, California, which was attended by some of Jackson’s friends and associates who worked with him. The thousands of fans who have joined since the launch are expressing that the tribute website is a one-of-a-kind community, and they just can’t get enough of it. Among the comments from those who have gone to the website to get a dot in their name in Jackson’s portrait, are:
Username: lisabridges00 / Dot Number: 14962 / Country: Australia – “Thank you to all who have created this Tribute!! It’s awesome to be able to come here and talk to other ppl that love Michael. Miss him so much and I love coming here to see the progress of the portrait …”
Username: amydiane78 / Dot Number: 2224 / Country: USA – “This site has brought SO many MJ fans together. I have made sooo many friends here & they are friends for life. And like so many people have said, this tribute is what Michael has done for so many years… bring people together, no matter the race, culture, etc…”
Username: taitkers / Dot Number: 13948 / Country: USA – “I just want to say thank you for creating a place for us to come together over our love of this man…this has got the be the sweetest, most caring and sincere group of people online.”
Statistically, The Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait website is ranked higher than some of the biggest and most well-known websites for the length of time that people visit.
In just three weeks, more than a quarter of a million fans from more than160 countries pre-registered online to get the portrait started. At least one million dots are needed to complete the image of Michael Jackson, and Ilan says fans are encouraged to become part of Jackson’s legacy by visiting the website to sign up for a free dot and connect their dot with other fans.
“A portrait like this, where one dot = one fan, will take a few months to complete, so we can make sure that fans around the world have an opportunity to hear about it and join,” said Ilan. “Behind every single dot I place on the canvas, there is a fan who loved Michael and is mourning his death. It’s very fitting that the portrait of Michael will be created by dots representing those fans, because Michael loved and respected them as much as they loved and respected him. I am honored to be placing dots in Michael’s portrait for all his fans.”
A dot is not drawn on the canvas until someone signs up for it.
“Everyday fans tell us they are literally addicted to this website,” said Jerry Biederman, Tribute organizer and executive producer. “They first come to the site to get their dot in Michael’s Portrait, but they stay because of the friendships they are developing with people from all over the world who share one common interest – their love and devotion for Michael. This is their way of not only honoring him, but it’s a place for keeping his spirit and vision alive. The tribute site represents the next step for a new trend in social networking websites, and that is social networking with a targeted theme. In this case, Michael Jackson. You can’t get bigger than that.”
The Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait is a partnership of many major international fan clubs, including The Michael Jackson Fan Club (http://www.MJfanclub.net), the largest such fan club in the world and established by the King of Pop himself. Organizers of this tribute have the support of a number of those who were close to Jackson, including Don Wilson, Director /Producer of the “Man in the Mirror” video, Ken Kragen, organizer of “We Are the World” and friends Joy Robson and Deborah Dannelly.
Fans can go to http://www.MichaelJacksonTributePortrait.com to sign up for their free dot, witness daily progress of the portrait as it grows to completion, and connect with other fans.
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