Search Results for: George Michael

British pop star George Michael has a tip for U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama — team up with former rival Hillary Clinton. Michael, 45, touring North America for the first time in 17 years, told fans during a concert at New York City’s Madison Square Garden that “I know you guys all need a change.” He admitted he doesn’t know what kind of change Obama would bring if elected, saying that after “months of watching CNN” he still does not know what Obama or Clinton stand for. But he went on to say that the Illinois and New York… Read more »

In what his publisher calls a record-breaking deal, British pop superstar George Michael is working on a memoir to come out in the fall of 2009. HarperCollins says the book, currently untitled, will be an “access all areas” story, with the 44-year-old Michael writing extensively about his professional and personal life. A publishing official with knowledge of the negotiations said the deal was worth at least $6 million for British rights alone, among the biggest publishing contracts ever for that market, and at least $7 million overall. “George has promised HarperCollins a no-holds barred biography, and it’s certain to be… Read more »

British pop singer George Michael, who has spoken out against a possible war on Iraq, has criticized plans by Lee Ryan of British boy band Blue to gather pop stars to record a protest song. Ryan said last week he hoped to approach stars such as Justin Timberlake, Pink and Kylie Minogue for a song in the spirit of Band Aid, the 1984 record to aid Ethiopian famine relief. But Michael, 39, said the prospective participants were too young and politically naive to carry it off. “I’m begging, I’m hoping that there will not be a Band Aid 2 because… Read more »

Could George Michael’s latest single and video, “Shoot the Dog,” actually be a shot in the foot? Never one to shy away from controversy, Michael has outdone himself with the animated clip, his first foray into the world of political satire, in which he takes on President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Queen Mum. In the song, Michael criticizes British foreign policy – at least when it comes to dealings with the Middle East – as being too closely aligned with that of the U.S. The video depicts Bush as an idiot and Blair as… Read more »

George Michael’s latest single “Freeek” has been released, accompanied by a video featuring mating dogs, nudity and swearing, which has kept censors busy in both France and Britain. “I’ve realized that… starting with this single, I’ve actually written some fairly controversial stuff for this album,” the 38-year-old star told BBC radio. “Freeek,” which has been edited by both French and British broadcasters, is Michael’s first self-written single since October 1998. Michael said he had spent nearly five years working on a new album but could not say exactly when fans should expect its release. “For me to get it out… Read more »

Thieves broke into pop singer George Michael’s mansion and drove off with his $114,000 Aston Martin sports car and $140,000 in paintings, jewelry and clothing, according to a tabloid report Sunday. Scotland Yard officials declined to confirm the victim’s identity, but said they received a call about a stolen vehicle Wednesday morning. Officers went to a home in Hampstead, where the pop star’s $4.3 million home is located, and found it had been burglarized, a police spokesman said. Police were still awaiting a statement from the victim and had made no arrests, he said. The News of the World reported… Read more »

George Michael apparently took the line “imagine no possessions” to heart – at least when it came to the white piano used by John Lennon to write his 1970 hit “Imagine.” The British pop star reportedly returned the instrument to a Liverpool museum after buying it for $2 million last year. The Steinway Model Z upright piano, which had previously been on loan to the Beatles Story museum before its owner put it up for auction in 2000, was back on display there Thursday (August 23), according to the Associated Press. Michael commented that the piano was “not the type… Read more »

Boy George doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He just wants to entertain. The British artist is planning a free concert for his one-time coworkers at the New York Department of Sanitation as a sign of appreciation for the good will he was shown while performing community service in the city two years ago. George, whose real name is George O’Dowd, will perform during the department’s annual Family Day on Aug. 17. More than 5,000 people are expected at the event. “The people I worked alongside showed great kindness to me at a very difficult time, and I wanted to thank… Read more »

R&B singer Usher included a tribute to deceased celebrities during his headlining set Saturday (May 18) at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California, which also included performances from Nas and Faith Evans. Before closing his show, Usher said he wanted to sing a song for all of the people who have “come and gone and paved the way.” He sang Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” as a big screen monitor scrolled the names of Kurt Cobain, Eazy-E, Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G., George Harrison, Aaliyah, and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. The 90-minute set included theatrical, well-choreographed, and sometimes risque… Read more »