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George Michael News from April 2006April 28, 2006
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George Michael is the topic of the following articles:
The news release on the tour says:
25 Live: George Michael Announces His First European Tour in Fifteen Years
NEW YORK, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --
After years of rumor and speculation, legendary superstar George Michael has officially announced that he will be touring for the first time since 1991.
The tour is entitled 25 Live and tickets will go on sale this Sunday, April 23 at 9am. This promises to be an unprecedented celebration of George's 25 year career in music.
George Michael will be performing a selection of songs taken from ALL of his albums, including some classic Wham! tracks.
George Michael has enjoyed one of the most successful and enduring careers in the history of pop music, selling more than 85 million records globally and encompassing 11 British No. 1 singles, seven British No. 1 albums and six US No. 1 singles. In 2004, he was declared the most played British artist on radio over the course of the last 20 years.
The tour will kick off in Madrid on September 27 and will reach British shores in November.
Tour dates for 25 Live to follow shortly. http://www.georgemichael.com
Web site: http://www.georgemichael.com
Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of George Michael
The Associated Press has some footage on the tour.
"He is the Last Transcendent World Pop Star, and It's a Shame His Problems Have Restrained his Musical Output" is one of the few good articles that's been online this week. As it says: "Tabloids may say that George Michael is going off the rails, but his talent has never been in doubt."
Lizzie sends us an article from The Independent, which quotes George Michael:
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On the recent car incident, George Michael said, "I thought I'd hit one car. The papers say I rushed away and didn't tell anybody, which is rubbish. By the time I'd sent somebody to get details of what I thought was one incident, the Daily Mail was already there and, from that point, it just escalated." |
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Of the February incident, George Michael said, "I don't know how it happened. I guess it was momentary. I was at the lights with my foot still on the brake and I must have nodded off ... of course they [the police] had to check out whether I was fit to drive because I was asleep." |
The article also says:
Michael is to play a series of 50 concert dates, kicking off in Spain in September and ending in the UK in December, where he will perform at Wembley Arena.
"I Blame Elton for Crash, Says Singer" (yeah, that's really the title!) says:
George Michael said that the root of his difficulties was a gibe made by his sometime friend Sir Elton two years ago, when he was accused of “wasting his talent” by refusing to sing live because he suffered from “a deep-rooted unhappiness”.
Michael said: “He hadn’t seen me for years and from that moment on I’ve suffered this kind of wishful thinking from the press. I have to be honest. The subtext is, ‘He was all right before he came out and now he lives this depraved gay life and he’s miserable and he’s fat’. It’s a new angle because Elton said he thought I was really miserable for some reason and from that point on I’ ve been trying to prove that I’m not.”
In the ITV1 programme, screened tomorrow night, Michael said that another factor in the crash was his excitement at recording a duet with Tony Bennett that day.
Julian wrote telling us that SeeTickets has announced on their front page that George Michael will tour and dates/tickets will go on sale this Sunday at 10am.
Upon further research, I also found "George Michael's First Tour in 15 years," which says:
The former Wham idol’s greatest hits tour will kick off
in Madrid on September 27 and will reach the UK in November.
It is described as a “celebration of his 25-year career in music”.
Entitled 25 Live, Michael will be performing a selection of songs taken
from all his albums, including some classic Wham tracks.
A statement said: “This promises to be a celebration of his 25-year career
in music, a career that has brought us some of the world’s most loved
songs and marked Michael out as one of the globe’s brightest stars.”
Tickets for 25 Live go on sale from Sunday at 9am and tour dates are yet
to be announced.
Also, the official site says there will be a "special announcement" coming soon.
According to The Sun, George Michael sat safely in the passenger seat as a pal drove him last night — his first public appearance since a weekend car smash. He also smiled as he left home in Highgate, North London, where he allegedly pranged three parked cars in his Range Rover.
The Mirror is reporting that George Michael had a £50,000 BMW delivered yesterday to run around in while his Range Rover is repaired. George, paying £1,028 a week to hire the BMW X5, has worried music pal Toby Bourke who told the Mirror the star's addiction to cannabis could end up wrecking his life.
But yesterday the singer's assistant said: "George is fine."
"Drugs Could Kill George" quotes Toby Bourke, who dueted with George on the 1997 single "Waltz Away Dreaming," as saying:
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"Drugs have turned him into a stoned waster and made him depressed. Dope is his poison." |
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"Dope destroyed his will to work. When you smoke as much as George has done you simply cease to function. Cannabis has wrecked his career. All that dope put paid to it." |
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"I don't think you'll see much more work from him. He is basically lazy - and it is all the cannabis he's smoked that has made him like that." |
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"And it is even more heartbreaking to see how much worse he has got in recent years. I fear he's putting his life at risk. He needs to get professional help before it is too late." |
Much more is said in the article, so don't miss it.
According to Dotmusic:
Singer George Michael has been interviewed by police over claims that he collided with three parked cars while behind the wheel of his Range Rover and then drove off without informing the owners.
Scotland Yard said the "registered owner" of the vehicle involved had been "interviewed under caution" and added that the Met's traffic division would now consider the case.
A representative of the 42-year-old popstar reported the accident to officers on Monday - a day after the smash took place in Highgate, north London.
Police then met with the singer at his home to question him about the allegations.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "The registered owner has now been spoken to. He was not arrested. He was interviewed under caution and a file will be submitted to the Metropolitan Police's Operational Command Unit."
The development came after ITV confirmed that the star would go ahead with an interview on Parkinson scheduled to be aired on Saturday.
An ITV spokesman said the programme was going ahead as planned, adding: "We look forward to seeing him at the end of the week."
The interview will give veteran host Michael Parkinson the chance to ask the former Wham! star about his latest problems.
"George Michael Quizzed by Police" says that:
Today two plain clothes police officers arrived a Michael's three storey home at 3.15pm.
One of the singer's representatives came out of the house and confirmed that the two men were police officers saying "Yes, they are."
Earlier, Michael sent out tea and chocolate biscuits to waiting reporters and photographers.
According to the Sun:
George Michael faced being quizzed by cops last night after he allegedly pranged three parked cars in his Range Rover and failed to report it.
The singer has gone into hiding since fleeing the scene — raising fears he could drop out of an interview on TV’s Parkinson show.
Failing to report an accident to cops carries a maximum six months in jail.
But last night he had even refused to talk to close pals or his agent following the incident near his home in Highgate, North London, on Sunday morning.
From "Police to Quiz George Michael over Car Crash Claims"
British pop star George Michael will be quizzed by police over claims he crashed into three parked cars in London and drove off in his SUV, a police spokeswoman indicated.
A representative of the 42-year-old former Wham! singer reported the accident to officers earlier in the day, one day after it took place.
A Metropolitan police spokeswoman said: "An appointment has been made to speak to the registered owner (of the vehicle) in due course."
Michael's spokeswoman was unavailable for comment.
From "George Michael Sought in Crash Probe"
London police were seeking former Wham! frontman George Michael Monday for questioning in a series of hit-and-runs less than a mile from his home.
Neighbors reportedly told police they saw Michael, 42, smash his Range Rover into parked cars Sunday morning, the Sun reported Monday. No injuries were reported, but at least three cars were damaged.
Police later found the star's damaged vehicle.
"The Range Rover was found outside George Michael's home but police have so far had no response from him," a police spokesman told the Sun. "We do not know if he was driving when the crashes happened."
More information is available:
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WHAM! SCRAM! |
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Wham! George crash quiz |
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Careless Driver |
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Star's Hits and Misses |
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Has George Michael written off his career? |
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George Under Investigation |
The original Wham! In China almost saw the light of day, according to "Plug Pulled on Screening of ‘Rogue’ Wham! Film" and "How Wham! Made Lindsay Anderson See Red in China."
PLANS by Stirling University to hold the first public screening of a film featuring the pop group Wham! have been shelved after George Michael’s manager refused permission.
The university, which holds a copy of If You Were There, a 90-minute documentary charting Wham!’s 1985 tour of China, was given permission for the screening by Sony Music, Michael’s record company.
However, the showing of the film, which was shot by Lindsay Anderson, the cult director, has been cancelled following an intervention by Andy Stephens, Michael’s manager, who claims that the film is “dreadful” and should never be seen in public.
Xavier tells us that a documentary "All Eye's on George Michael" will show on the MTV IDOL channel in France on April 14th at 9:30 p.m. and April 16th at 2 p.m.
Portrait du chanteur George Michael, de ses débuts au sein du groupe Wham à son dernier tube, «Amazing», extrait de l'album, «Patience», sorti en mars 2004.
GMFREEK tells us that VH1 Classic is showing "Headline Act: George Michael" next week.
According to "Warner/Chappell Music Extends and Expands Publishing Agreement With George Michael,"
NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/04/2006 -- Warner/Chappell Music, the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE: WMG), announced today that Warner/Chappell Music U.K. has extended its publishing agreement with George Michael, one of the music industry's most influential and accomplished songwriters and performers, and expanded the deal to cover all territories worldwide.
Under the agreement, Warner/Chappell Music U.K. will administer the rights to Michael's legendary catalog of songs -- as a solo artist and as a member of Wham! -- identifying opportunities for placement in television programs, films and commercials as well as in the online and mobile spaces. Warner/Chappell Music U.K. has had rights to Michael's catalog since 1982; the territories covered under the previous agreements excluded the U.K. and Ireland.
In making the announcement, Richard Blackstone, Chairman and CEO of Warner/Chappell Music, said, "George Michael's success with Wham! and as an award-winning solo artist have made him one of contemporary music's most successful singer/songwriters. We're delighted to continue and expand our relationship with George and look forward to putting Warner/Chappell's resources behind his amazing body of work and seeking opportunities through traditional outlets as well as the growing digital platform."
"Since George's career started in the U.K., we're particularly thrilled that his agreement with Warner/Chappell now includes the U.K. in addition to the rest of the world. It is an absolute honor to represent his songs, many of which are true modern classics," said Richard Manners, Managing Director, Warner/Chappell Music U.K.
In 1984, Michael released his first solo single while still with Wham!, "Careless Whisper," which became one of the signature songs of the 80s and one of the most-played radio songs of the decade. In 1989, George Michael's first solo album, "Faith," won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, two Ivor Novello Awards for Songwriter of the Year and International Hit of the Year, and featured six U.S. No. 1 singles, including "I Want Your Sex," "Faith," "Father Figure," "One More Try," "Monkey" and "Kissing a Fool." Michael's album "Listen Without Prejudice: Vol. 1" was released in 1990 and became a British No. 1. His single "Too Funky" earned the distinction of being Europe's most played record of 1992. In 1996, Michael won the Capital Radio award for "Best Male Singer" and was honored with an "Outstanding Contribution To Music" award. Michael's album "Patience" was released in 2004 and immediately made it to the No. 1 spot in the U.K. In 2004, Michael was honored by the U.K.-based Phonographic Performance Ltd. as the most played artist on British radio over the past 20 years.
About Warner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music is WMG's award-winning global music publishing company. The Warner/Chappell Music catalog includes standards such as "Happy Birthday To You," "Rhapsody in Blue," "Winter Wonderland," the songs of Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin, as well as the music of Dido, Dr. Dre, Eric Clapton, Green Day, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Nickelback, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sheryl Crow, T.I. and others. Warner/Chappell Music is a leader in creating innovative strategies for marketing and promoting its songwriters and their music. The company's extensive catalog makes it a natural first stop for A&R executives and record producers, feature film and television production companies, and others looking to record or license some of the world's greatest music.
(Thanks, Evelyn!)
Mary J. Blige is supporting George Michael following his recent caution for possessing cannabis.
"I love and respect George and it's not my place to make a judgment call," she tells the BBC News website.
"His life is his life. Being human beings, we all make mistakes and we all mess up."
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