|
| |
George Michael News from April-June 1998
June 29, 1998
Chat with George
More details have been released about the upcoming online chat with George
Michael. The exclusive two-hour event will take place on Thursday, July
16, at 9 p.m. BST/ 3 p.m. EST/ 12 p.m. PST. on the Microsoft Network.
To e-mail questions in advance, you should write to AskGeorgeMichael@hotmail.com.
For more details, visit the Microsoft Network
and look under the "Entertainment" category.
Articles with more information are also available at the BBC,
PA NewsCentre, and BigMouth.
VH-1's "Favorite George" poll
We have a winner! The America Online
version of VH-1 recently asked its readers who their favorite George was
out of George Harrison, George Michael, or Boy George. George Michael
won with 45% of the vote. Boy George came in second with 35% of the vote,
and George Harrison received 20% of the vote.
June 28, 1998
George's (fan) birthday celebration in London
Here's a special treat for all of you. While many of us weren't able
to attend the special fan bash in London for George's 35th birthday, thanks
to Bev we all get to know about the fun time they had! Thanks, Bev!
IF YOU WERE THERE
GEORGE MICHAEL'S 35TH BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA
Saturday 27th June was the date that George's UK fans chose to get
together to celebrate George's birthday in grand style! And we were
not alone! Oh no -- on this occasion we were joined by dedicated fans
who arrived in London from as far afield as Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands,
Norway, Slovakia, France, South Africa and the USA!! We welcomed some
familiar faces (Hi Bianca and Nathalie), and were delighted to meet
a whole load of new ones, too! Thank you, AEgean for running our party
ad on your site!
My original plans to host the party had to be changed -- but for the
very best of reasons! So many people wanted to attend the celebrations
that our cottage would have been rather too "intimate" a venue!
In total, there were 45 of us, partying the evening away at the home
of Debbie Pharoah (very brave of you, Debs; thanks!). The living room
walls were covered with posters and pictures of the man himself, and
balloons were hung around the room. I can't help wondering if this was
the biggest worldwide fan gathering yet? The sheer numbers were a tribute
not only to our admiration of George himself, but also to Michelle Humphrey
and her incredible enthusiasm and organizational abilities. Once again,
Michelle, thank you -- you are amazing!!
The food was wonderful (all tastes were catered for), the company was
terrific, the drink flowed, the music was incredible (a mix of solo
George, Wham! and general 80s hits!), literally hundreds of photographs
were taken, and the talk ... well, the talk was mainly about George!
We ran a competition....what party is complete without party games?
Michelle had compiled a tape of brief instrumental snippets from 50
songs by George or Wham! The idea was to write down the titles. And
was it difficult! The first prize of a Careless Whisper picture disc
went to Holger, the second and third prizes of videos went to Zuzana
and Catherine, respectively. Congratulations to them all!
Obviously, a charge had been made for attendance at the party. Once
food and drink, and other expenses, had been deducted, we were left
with a sum of money that was unallocated. It was generously (and unanimously)
decided that this money should be donated to a charity related to a
cause close to George's heart. I was deeply honoured when Michelle asked
if I would be prepared to coordinate this.
Could there have been a more perfect way to come together in a celebration
of a very special person and his music? Thank you everyone, for making
this party such a huge success! Here's to next time!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE!
June 26, 1998
Chat with George
If you're a member of Members Online, make sure to check your e-mail
today! :)
ĘGEAN.NET Editor's Letter Updated
The Editor's Letter is once again updated at the ĘGEAN.NET site. Members
Online members have received an e-mail regarding the date and time of
the chat with George. The press will know this information on Monday,
June 29, 1998. Andreas Georgiou also said that he will be providing a
glimpse of George's birthday party (with 300 people on Saturday) in the
Members Online area.
June 25, 1998
Happy Birthday, George!
Yours Only George wishes George a very happy birthday. This year the
site collected more than 170 wishes for George. To take a look at them,
please click here.
George will be celebrating his birthday with family, according to PA
News. He will also be having a private party with 300 people on Saturday
in London. Using the theme of "Cowboys and Angels," guests will
be dressed as either cowboys or angels.
June 22, 1998
VH-1 Polls
The America Online version of VH-1 recently
conducted two polls concerning George. In the first poll, VH-1 asked:
What would be a good theme song for the George Michael scandal?
- 44% - Divinyls "I Touch Myself"
- 37% - Michael Jackson "Beat It"
- 19% - Celine Dion "All By Myself"
In the second poll, VH-1 asked: What kind of community service should
George perform?
- 55% suggested cleaning L.A. public bathrooms
- 29% felt a Wham! reunion tour would be cruel and unusual punishment
- 16% voted for "anything as long as its not solitary confinement
- you know the problems with repeat offenders."
If you're on America Online, remember to vote for your favorite George
this week at Keyword VH1.
June 19, 1998
Chat with George
In his weekly editor's letter at the ĘGEAN.NET
site, president Andreas Georgiou says:
- The online chat with George Michael will be sometime within the next
4 weeks. Members Online members will receive an e-mail in the next 10
days about the date of the chat.
- The world's media is also being invited to this online chat.
- The new site will premiere on the same day as the chat.
- The new Members Online section will premiere about a week before the
opening of the new main area.
June 8, 1998
ĘGEAN.NET Editor's Letter Updated
In his weekly editor's letter at the ĘGEAN.NET
site, president Andreas Georgiou says:
- The announcement of the online chat with George has been postponed
for another week.
- The editor's letter will be in the new update page of their site;
it will be more like a weekly magazine with updated news.
New George Michael Book
A new book called The Complete Guide To The Music Of George Michael
will be available from EQS Music
on August 2. The size of a compact disc with about 130 pages, the book
contains a history of all the songs/albums with photographs. The price
is $10.99, plus shipping and handling.
A second book, Older: The Definitive Biography, will be available
in October. This book is written by Tim Wapshott and has 288 pages. It
will cost $21.99, plus shipping and handling.
EQS is a company located in the United States. You might want to check
locally for these books if you live outside of the U.S.
June 1, 1998
Yours Only George celebrates its first birthday today!
Today marks Yours Only George's first birthday! It's been an
interesting year to say the least. Who would have thought that we'd have
more than 100,000 hits on this website or that someone from Newsweek
(among several other media outlets) would visit this site?
A special thank you goes out to all the fans who continue to visit this
site. Your support means everything. :)
May 29, 1998
ĘGEAN.NET Editor's Letter Updated
According to Andreas Georgiou, president of ĘGEAN,
in his editor's letter:
- They are excited about the relaunch of the site with its new design.
- Georgiou will announce the date of the chat with George next week.
Members Online members will be the first to know.
May 20, 1998
DotMusic's Greatest Albums of All Time Awards
If you live in the UK and are 18 or older, remember to vote for (George
in) The Greatest
Albums of All Time awards at DotMusic. The results are tabulated weekly.
No "Rockumentary Remix" on MTV
The "Rockumentary Remix" that had been scheduled for today
on MTV has been pulled from the schedule. However, you can still catch
a glimpse of George on VH-1's "Before They Were Stars" at 7
a.m. on Friday, May 22.
May 15, 1998
ĘGEAN.NET Editor's Letter Updated
The Editor's Letter from Andreas Georgiou at the ĘGEAN.NET
site has been updated. This week's letter consists mainly of a detailed
explanation about why the CD for Members Online 2 will not be out until
1999. Fans with memberships will have their memberships extended through
next year (or in other words twelve months free). For those fans who haven't
joined yet, membership will cost £15.99 per year. Also, George will give
his "only online interview this year in a forum online." Fans
with memberships will be the first ones to know via the Members Online
area.
May 14, 1998
George pleads "no contest"
George has pleaded "no contest" through his attorney on charges
of lewd conduct. By George's pleading "no contest," it means
that the police had enough evidence to warrant a conviction, according
to the Associated Press. As a result, George:
- is on "informal" probation for two years
- must pay a fine of $810
- must perform 80 hours of community service in Los Angeles
- must undergo at least five hours of psychological counseling (in one
hour increments) with a counselor who has read the police report
- is banned from the Will Rogers State Park where he was arrested
For more information, please read these articles: BBC
(includes RealAudio clip), Reuters,
PA
News, and MTV.
May 13, 1998
1998 BMI Pop Awards
"FastLove" was honored at the 46th BMI Pop Awards according
to the PRNewswire.
May 9, 1998
"Music Too Hot For Mom" on VH-1
VH-1 will be airing the special "Music Too Hot For Mom" tomorrow
at 2 p.m. (I assume EDT), which will include a video from George.
"Rockumentary Remix" on MTV
And before I forget, MTV will be airing a "Rockumentary Remix"
of George on May 20th. "Rockumentary Remix" shows are usually
old "Rockumentary" shows with little bits of updated information
if I'm not mistaken.
ĘGEAN.NET Editor's Letter Updated
The Editor's Letter at the ĘGEAN.NET
site has been updated. Among the news items: a letter from George will
be on the site next week; the site will be updated, especially the Members
Online areas; and "something very exciting" is going to happen
in iCHAT.
May 5, 1998
Arraignment postponed until May 15
According to the Associated
Press, George's arraignment on a misdemeanor lewd conduct charge was
postponed until May 15 because his new lawyer, Ira Reiner, wanted more
time to examine the case. As reported earlier, George did not attend the
proceedings today. During a brief news conference outside of the courtroom,
Reiner said that George is "in very good humor and good spirits."
"Waiting for that Day"
For those wondering what could happen if George pleads guilty or not
guilty, you might want to check out this article.
May 4, 1998
George is a no-show for his day in court
According to a BBC
article, George will be represented by his lawyer, Ira Reiner, tomorrow.
Reiner reportedly will ask for an additional week to examine the documents
regarding the case.
April 18, 1998
Quicktime clips of CNN interview
If you missed seeing the CNN interview, MTV
has two clips of it. As mentioned previously, you can read the transcript
from the interview, if you click here.
Also today's MTV Windbag Poll asks
if you're surprised about George's announcement.
The tabloids
George is upset about the "total falsehoods" that are being
printed in the U.S. tabloid "press." To read more about it,
click here.
April 16, 1998
George charged with lewd conduct
According to an Associated Press article, George was charged today with
lewd conduct. The Deputy District Attorney Ellen Aragon said the charge
carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and $1,000 fine upon
conviction. The standard penalty for a first-time offender (which is George's
case) is one to two years probation, a $250 fine or community service
and an order to stay away from the park restroom, Aragon said. She also
said that a misdemeanor indecent exposure charge was considered but rejected.
Also, George isn't required to show up personally for his court date as
long as his attorney appears for him.
To see the UPI story, click here,
or for the AP story, click here.
April 13, 1998
Transcript of CNN interview
Click here to
read the complete transcript of the CNN interview with George.
April 12, 1998
George has made a £50,000 donation to Help a London Child
Check out the PA News
article on George's contribution to Help a London Child this year.
The Daily
Telegraph has an extensive article on the CNN interview.
April 11, 1998
George announces that he is gay
1:30 a.m. EDT - It's official. According to CNN,
George has announced that he is gay. So, now can we finally start discussing
the music again, everyone?
April 10, 1998
It feels like 1988
Just like during the Faith era, George is all over the news
in the U.S., except this time the media vultures are looking for blood
and tears. (Well, aren't they always?) In the last few days alone, "Entertainment
Tonight," "Extra," "The View," "The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "Inside
Edition," "Geraldo," and "Access Hollywood" have
mentioned George. Tabloids are also supposedly bidding on pictures of
George in the park from a few months ago.
George will be doing an interview with "Dateline" on NBC, and
it will aire some time within the next seven days, according to PA News.
It was scheduled for tonight (Friday) but was postponed. PA News also
quoted George as saying, "I've done nothing to be ashamed of"
and that he says he was entrapped by undercover police officers.
On Thursday, George dined at Spago restaurant, and the media joined him
(and not by invitation). George did tell them, "I'll say something
but not yet." In the pictures that were shown on "Extra"
this evening, George was actually smiling. The Daily Telegraph
has an article on his night out here.
Many different rumours are going around, but we will only print what
we believe to be true in the News Flash section. Please be aware that
even some of the legitimate news sources have had incorrect information
in their articles and news segments.
April 9, 1998
Show George Your Support
Tara of the George
Michael FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) site is creating a page full
of support statements for George on her website. We know from the many
messages on our message board and from the radical increase in our mail
that many of you want to express your concern and support for George so
please contribute to Tara's page.
News Sources
Yahoo! has a list of articles on George here.
To our knowledge, no official statement has been made from any of George's
representatives.
April 8, 1998
Update to George in the News
2:40 p.m. EDT - Click here
for more information. This story is constantly being updated.
George in the News
We're sure by now that you've heard or read about something that allegedly
happened yesterday. We at Yours Only George have no official comment about
these unconfirmed and contradictory reports, other than to say that --
according to our source -- George is doing fine.
April 7, 1998
iCHAT with Andreas Georgiou
The iCHAT with Andreas Georgiou, President of ĘGEAN.NET,
was fast and furious! So many questions were asked that it was difficult
to keep up!
- George is currently in Los Angeles and will be flying back to London
on Thursday. He will be on Capital
FM on Sunday for Help A London Child. He will be on live sometime
between 3 and 4 p.m. London time.
- The worldwide tour (yes, you heard us correctly) will start in early
1999. Tickets will probably be limited to four tickets per fan through
the site, according to Georgiou. He also said, "There will be a
contest to win tickets for various fans in various countries."
In addition, he said they will be filming the next tour.
- The new single, which won't be released until September, is "fantastic!!"
according to the ĘGEAN.NET president. (But of course!) It will be released
on Sony in the U.S. as expected. (As a result of the lawsuit, one of
the stipulations to freeing himself from Sony was that George would
release a Greatest Hits CD with new material.) Other information about
the new single is hush-hush, including the song title. The new single
will not be with Babyface and Mary J. Blige, although at a previous
chat Georgiou said George will be working with Babyface and Mary J.
Blige on a future song, which will most likely be one of the songs on
the George Michael Greatest Hits CD next fall.
- As for Members Online, Georgiou said that they will try to bring the
price down for the membership next year. They will be selling membership
through mail order soon. He also said, "The second MOL will be
more secure with new software"
- No one has won the latest Members Online trivia contest because they
haven't received an entry with the correct answers yet.
- If you're all wondering how George is doing right now, Georgiou said,
"George is doing very well at the moment."
- Someone asked when George will be getting married in the future, and
Georgiou responded, "GM will not be marrying in the future!"
- The Wham! Greatest Hits will not be released in the U.S. And, if you're
wondering about Older and Upper being released in your country,
you'd better order it from England because Georgiou said the record
companies did not want to release it worldwide.
- Georgiou was asked if the official biography, Bare, would
ever be sold on their website, and he said that the biography would
never be in print again.
- Georgiou also said he knows when George will be appearing in iCHAT
but he doesn't know yet how/if they're going to announce it because
it would be "chaos."
- Moreover, Georgiou requested that fans send questions to him before
posting them on a fan site. He also apologized for not answering some
mail, but he doesn't have enough hours in the day. (And if you think
about it, a President of a company has to keep tabs on all aspects of
the business so that's totally understandable.)
- Trojan Souls is on hold.
- Big laugh of the chat: "GM hates camping, he needs air conditioning
and a hair dryer," Georgiou said.
- George's favourite song of his is "You Have Been Loved."
- And last but not least, Georgiou said to be prepared for a "major
image change" from George. We don't know quite what that means,
but Georgiou did say that George is growing his hair out at the moment.
April 6, 1998
ĘGEAN Letter from the Editor
The Editor's Letter at ĘGEAN.NET,
has been updated again. Here are a few of the main points:
- AEGEAN will be beta testing a new Java-based application soon. It
will allow all visitors to the site to "communicate across all
platforms." The installer for this application will be free.
- Pepsi and Shirlie have recorded a radio show for the new audio technology
AEGEAN will be using.
- Version 2 of the Members Online will be ready for shipment in the
next 4-6 weeks.
- Andreas Georgiou will be appearing in the iCHAT room on Tuesday, April
7, at 5 p.m. BST.
April 1, 1998
Pepsi and Shirlie in iCHAT
If you were fortunate enough to be in iCHAT today, you would have been
able to talk to our favorite female duo, Pepsi and Shirlie. Unfortunately,
we couldn't be there, but we heard it was lots of fun!
[ October-December
1998 News ] [ July-September
1998 News ] [ April-June 1998 News ] [ January-March
1998 News ]
|
|
|
