• Categories

  • Books
  • Concerts
  • Eli Stone
  • Just for Fun
  • Kenny Goss
  • Media
  • Music
  • Music Reviews
  • Photos
  • Yours Only George

• Recent Posts

  • Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert
  • Double Date with George Michael
  • George Michael’s Appearance at Linda McCartney Exhibit
  • Save Eli Stone
  • Eli Stone Finale Tonight

• Recent Comments

  • Carine on Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert
  • barb on Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert
  • Frank Miller on Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert
  • Shira on Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert
  • bluesky on George Michael’s Appearance at Linda McCartney Exhibit
• 
  

• Subscribe

  Enter your email address:

• Site Map

  

Yes, we all know George Michael is irreplaceable.  And I still want him in MY living room (aka the office of Yours Only George)!  From: On the Futon With … Eli Stone Co-creator

Brian Ford Sullivan: Let’s start with the question on everyone’s minds - why George Michael?

Marc Guggenheim: [Laughs.] Oh God. You know, let me explain, I’ll answer the question by explaining what life was like without George Michael. Because we wrote the show with George Michael in mind. And we wrote it basically like, we picked George because of a lot of different reasons I’ll get to - but we picked him sort of knowing that he probably wouldn’t do it… wouldn’t do it in a million years. So we wrote George Michael, we got word back from his agents saying that he wasn’t interested. So then we went about the part of trying to find a replacement. And through the process of finding a replacement, we learned - or rather, really saw - it was impossible to replace him. Because no one had the right mix of ’80s icon, but not overexposed today… fun, the right song, the right name, there were like all these elicit elements that worked perfectly with George. [There were] like five elements, another artist would satisfy maybe three out of the five. George was just perfect from day one. And I don’t think we realized how perfect he was until we tried to replace him. Luckily, a different agent of his learned about the script and said, “You know, I think this is something that George would like to do.” And he went to George - and George is a big television fan, a total TV-ofile. Even when he’s in England he downloads everything off of iTunes and watches a lot of American television. And he really responded to it - as a show, as something he wanted to do - so we really got lucky because I think I did four of five drafts for different artists and they were never as good as the original one we had for George.

BFS: And he comes back beyond the pilot?

MG: Yup. We bring him [back] in episodes seven, nine and 13. And in episode nine actually he appears, not as a vision, but actually as his flesh and blood self, and wants Eli to represent him in a legal case.

There are many reviews of “Eli Stone” online today, most of which just in passing mention George Michael.  I’ve selected a few that go into more detail (good and bad.)

‘Eli Stone’: Spiritually, law and a few laughs

The show has whimsical touches. Michael appears as himself in four episodes as part of Eli’s visions and, in one, as a client.

‘Eli’ is great

Eli Stone (Jonny Lee Miller) is a tough, successful lawyer who starts having hallucinations. Who wouldn’t be unsettled if George Michael was suddenly singing “Faith” in their living room?

‘Eli Stone’ needs some tuning

Eli’s first vision - ominously, for all - is George Michael singing “Faith.”

‘Eli Stone’ goes for quirky, ‘Ally McBeal’ style, but after a while, kooky can start to get irritating

If Ally (McBeal) had her dancing baby, Eli has his George Michael.

Yes, that George Michael.

Don’t even ask why Thursday’s pilot essentially revolves around Michael singing “Faith” in the main character’s living room or why the two episodes ABC sent along with it are called “Freedom” and “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.” Berlanti, who created “Everwood” and is also an executive producer on ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters,” apparently has a soft spot for the former Wham! frontman, solo artist and troubled celebrity. He’s also, judging from the ABC schedule, insanely creative and overworked.

Eli Stone: Jonny Lee Miller Takes a Leap of Faith

“I used to be able to fill places like this!” shouts George Michael as he looks out at the middling crowd inside the Wil­tern Theatre in Los Angeles. In fact, there’s not a single paying customer in the house: The people here are extras, crew members on the new ABC series Eli Stone and connected folks who’ve wrangled an invite. (Yep, that’s Bo Derek sitting in a chair by the railing.)

But this afternoon’s shoot, one of several appearances Michael will make during the season, centers less on the singer on stage than the guy in a dark suit who sits at a table watching him. Eli Stone, played by British actor Jonny Lee Miller, is an ethically challenged San Francisco lawyer who’s told he has a brain aneurysm and suddenly begins to have visions, many involving the pop idol known for a string of No. 1 hits in the ’80s and an infamous scandal a decade later.

 ‘Eli Stone’ explores new life inside his head

There are two explanations for everything, Chen tells Eli, “the scientific and the divine.” But as is usual in our sentimental world, the divine is given the edge here. Chen’s pidgin injunction to “Make peace George Michael,” for instance, later turns up in a wall of alphabet blocks that a client’s autistic son is building. And the client, who has convinced Eli to take her case — a lawsuit against a vaccine manufacturer represented by his own company — also happens to be the woman to whom he lost his virginity, while a George Michael tape played in the background. Everything is connected.

 Victor Garber, who plays Eli’s boss, Jordan Wethersby, on “Eli Stone” said the following in ‘Eli Stone’: A Supernatural Comedic Legal Drama?

Garber has seen his share of legal roles, including Fox casualty Justice. “I didn’t need to play another lawyer,” he says. But, for an actor with a Broadway background, “a lawyer who bursts out into song? A George Michael song? That’s up my alley.”

The initial page on the official George Michael web site is promoting George Michael’s performance on “Eli Stone” with a photo from the show.

Natasha Henstridge talks about George Michael in Natasha Henstridge puts ‘Species’ behind her as she debuts two new TV roles:

Henstridge said Michael was affable on set and even joked around after suffering an embarrassing fall.

“He took a little trip once on the stage,” said Henstridge, who has a cottage in Triton, N.L.

“There was a stage built for one of the scenes and he had a little trip. Everybody else around him … made such a big deal about him being there and yet he was the most humble of them all which is really funny. We had a good time.”

Did Princess Diana try to have an affair with George Michael? is a long, thought-provoking article on what George might write in his autobiography.

The Access Hollywood web site has an interview of George Michael on his part in “Eli Stone.”

George Michael cast in “Eli Stone” says to tune into the television program “Extra” today.  It also quotes George Michael as saying:

“I said yes the minute I heard. They said they wanted to name each episode after a song of mine. It’s all flattering to the ego, isn’t it?”

Admitting he wasn’t the show’s first choice, Michael says, “Apparently, the studio didn’t think I’d say yes. They wrote it again for, I think, Phil Collins.”

Not only does Michael belt out his tunes, his co-stars sing his songs as well. “I think Loretta Devine sings One More Try… Victor Garber gets to sing some of them which he says is very nerve wracking,” Michael says.

According to George Michael’s Confident Lover, Kenny Goss isn’t asking for editing privileges when it comes to George Michael’s upcoming autobiography:

Kenny Goss, who began dating the former Wham! star in 1996, insists he will not be demanding any “red pen” rights after George revealed plans for an explosive tome.

He said: “I’m not asking for anything like that. But it should be an interesting book because George is a very honest person. Anyway, I’m not expecting to read anything I don’t already know.”

ABC.com now has a 7-minute clip of the pilot for Eli Stone, which includes the clip of George Michael singing “Faith” in Eli Stone’s living room.  It is available under full episodes.

Also, there is one photo of George Michael in the photos section for Jonny Lee Miller.

Okay, everyone!  Let’s show ABC that we love George Michael on Eli Stone by nominating the Yours Only George news blog as your favorite Eli Stone fan site! From the ABC site:

What’s your favorite Eli Stone fan site?   Nominate your favorite Eli Stone fan site and share the love!   We’ll feature the top fan sites in an upcoming feature on ABC.com.

You can vote for Yours Only George (http://www.yogworld.com/blog/category/eli-stone/) on the ABC site:

http://abc.go.com/primetime/elistone/index?pn=mb&cat=76380&tid=189500

Let’s show ABC that we want to continue to see George Michael on Eli Stone!

Considering that ABC has been giving George Michael a lot of love by featuring him in the multitude of promotional commercials for “Eli Stone,” I wonder if the tides are going to change about George Michael in the U.S. The article, Tribute-show Acts are not the Real Deal, Professional Copycats Complain, goes to show that the powers that be on The One and Only wouldn’t let a George Michael impersonator on the show because George Michael was too controversial.

The George Michael impersonator Robert Lamberti, who is a former Stars In Their Eyes heat winner, was told he could not be on The One and Only because the former Wham! star was too controversial.

“They replied back to me with a list of acts and I asked them why he was not on it. They said it was because of his political views about the US President, George Bush. Because the winner goes to Las Vegas, they didn’t feel that the American people were liking George Michael at the moment,” he said.

For Mr Lamberti, business is showing no signs of abating. Riding the crest of the wave of the 1980s revival, he was returning from performing at a Marks & Spencer staff party in London on Thursday night before a gig last night in Doncaster. “The more that George is in the news, the more work I get. When he was arrested it was absolutely brilliant,” he added.

Most George Michael fans know George Michael’s opinions on Rupert Murdoch, and so the following article, Rupert, He’s Your Man Now, quoted in part below, is perplexing.

Ask George Michael whom he hates above all other, and the answer, throughout the course of his troubled life, will always be the same: Rupert Murdoch. … So I’m amused to hear that 44-year-old Mr Michael has sold his soul to the devil. The former Wham! star has just signed an alleged £5 million deal with Harper Collins - part of Mr Murdoch’s News Corporation.

Andrea sends us George Michael signs multi-million pound deal for ‘no holds barred’ memoirs, which says in part:

George Michael has signed a multimillion-pound deal to pen a “no-holds-barred” autobiography, it was announced today. 

HarperCollins said former Wham! star Michael, 44, would write the “access-all-areas” autobiography “entirely himself”.

Publishers said the deal is “one of the biggest ever concluded in UK publishing”, but would not divulge figures.

The following “Eli Stone” titles are based on George Michael song titles:

Episode 1.01 - 31 Jan 08 - Pilot
Episode 1.02 - 07 Feb 08 - Freedom
Episode 1.03 - 14 Feb 08 - Father Figure
Episode 1.04 - 21 Feb 08 - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Episode 1.05 - 28 Feb 08 - One More Try
Episode 1.06 - 06 Mar 08 - Something to Save
Episode 1.07 - 13 Mar 08 - Heal the Pain
Episode 1.08 - 20 Mar 08 - Praying for Time

Much more is listed at the above link.

Here is a positive review of “Eli Stone” from someone who has seen the pilot: Strike TV: “Lost”, “Eli Stone”, “Law & Order” are Scripted Bright Spots

… premiere of Eli Stone, a super new drama series from Greg Berlanti (Everwood, Brothers & Sisters) about a successful attorney at a cutthroat law firm who begins to experience life-changing visions. I saw the first cut of the pilot for this show last spring and thought at the time that it was the second best freshman show of the 2007-08 season (after Pushing Daisies). ABC chose not to schedule it last September, but the fall’s loss is the spring’s gain. If the overall quality of its pilot holds up, Eli will do much to help fans of scripted programming through the prolonged ordeal of the strike.

(On a side note, I read at an “Eli Stone” unofficial forum that the pilot had been leaked to the Internet.  Has anyone seen it?)

Here’s something I ran across that’s just for fun and not news:

Slowing Down Kylie Minogue Makes her Sound like George Michael

The Houston Chronicle’s article “Please Pass the Remote” lists “Eli Stone” as one of the new programs of which you should record all episodes.

Eli Stone: Hunky Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting) has prophetic visions of George Michael. Need I say more? (Debuts at 9 p.m. Jan. 31 on ABC)

Denise shares a link to the Cipriani Wall Street Concert Series, in which George Michael appeared in December.

Once launched, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” plays.

At the bottom, click on PHOTOS … a drop-down menu appears to the left … select GEORGE MICHAEL & ARETHA FRANKLIN at the bottom of the list.

Select PERFORMANCE … photos 10-20 are of George Michael’s performance. You can bypass “slideshow” mode by clicking on the box beside the word “slideshow” to advance through the photos at your own pace.  Large arrows will appear center left and center right of the photo.

ABC has added four promotional clips of “Eli Stone” to the “Eli Stone” page, for a total of five clips.  Each clip includes footage of George Michael, except for one which ends with a toned-down version of “Faith.”

Next Page →

• Sponsored Links

• Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

• Subscribe via RSS