|
               
| |
The 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 ]
| |
|
