Hi, I'll keep this short...I have done it again, I am addicted to Bananarama.
I am
supposed to be studying and yet all I can do is listen to remixes.
You know what that means Alicia, call my excorcist in from the
surf...if I
sing "More More More" one more time, I think a disco ball may drop from
the ceiling and my cats will
start doing the hustle...
On the new release front? Read the last post, no, it's not good news...
AND AWAY WE GO...
***************************
SNAPPING-at-aol.com
(Carolyn) writes:
--------------------------------------------------------
As I posted on the message board, I am comforted by
picturing George's
Mum and mine having a spot of tea in the heavenly tearoom. Also attaching
an obit I found in the paper -
everytime I read it I feel soo much better.
Love Carolyn
"Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the
next room. I am
I and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me
by my old familiar name. Speak
to me in the easy way which you always
used. Put no difference in your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or
sorrow. Laugh
as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Plan,
smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the
household word that
it always was. Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of a
shadow on it. Life means all that
it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. Why
should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am waiting for you, for an
interval,
somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well." (From
the Salt Lake
City Tribune dated June 10, 1993 as a
tribute to David Larry Zabriskie:
lived 6/26/55-6/10/73 - 18 years).
***************************
sexybeast-at-emails.com
(Aidan Padden) writes:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Amanda, how are you?
Bad
news I'm afraid. I've just read this and thought I'd send you a copy,
it's regarding the death of Lesley. Once again, the column
was taken from
the Sun, and was written by Andy Coulson and Dominic Mohan.
George Michael At His Mum's Side As She Dies
Star Is Devastated
George Michael cradled his mother in his arms yesterday as she died.
The superstar's dad Jack, 62,
and sisters Melanie and Yioda also
tenderly held Lesley as she lost her battle agains cancer.
A pal of the singer said last
night, 'He is devastated. George and his
family feel ripped apart. His dad has told him to be strong, but he is
inconsolable -
overwhelmed with grief.'
George, 34, stayed at Lesley's side in London's Charing Cross Hospital
for two days after doctors
told him she would not last the week.
He even pulled out of Monday's Brit Awards, where he was crowned Best
Male Artist.
Friend
Elton John accepted the award on George's behalf, and said,
'I'd like to say how proud I am of George and my love goes out to his
family
tonight. He felt his family must come first.'
Lesley, in her 50s, was diagnosed with cancer last year. She learned
her
condition was terminal in December.
She was allowed home for Christmas, to the delight of George and dad
Jack who runs a
restaurant in Bushey, Herts.
Lesley looked after George's North London home, but stopped work as
she became ill.
The star
is still grieving over the death of his best friend Anselmo
Feleppa, 33, in 1993.
The pal added, 'He felt things were getting
better, but now this has
hit him for six.'
Anyway, that's it, may she rest in peace. Take care for now and I'll
see you
soon,
Aidan
***************************
yoglover-at-cris.com (Kelly) writes:
------------------------------------------------
Amanda,
We've
got to organize something here. Why don't we all get together and
send in a donation to one of George's favorite charities?
I
really want to do something. Let me know.
(Sounds like a GREAT idea! If we all kicked in a couple bucks, a $1000
could find
its way to someplace in Mrs. Panayiotou's honour. Who's
interested? AG)
ttfn,
Kel
***************************
LMPLASE-at-aol.com
(Lisa Marie) writes:
----------------------------------------------------------
Dear George and fans:
My deepest
sympathy goes to George and his family on the loss of Mrs.
Panayiotou. As every fan knows, George was very close to his mother,
because
he always mentioned her in interviews. Most of us fans have never
met George or his family, but over the years, we have learned
that George
had a very special relationship with his mother. She was very proud of her
son and his incredible music talent.
On
the MTV Unplugged show, his mother was there in the audience, and he
said, "Hi Mum!" His smile was bright and you could
sense how proud he was
to have her there! I am glad that we never heard rumors about his mothers'
illness, because that would
have meant the press would have hounded the
family. They had precious little time to spend with her, and they needed to
be
alone
as a family.
(I too was pleased that the press didn't get their hands on the story until
the
last minute. Now if they
can just be humane... AG)
George, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Please be
trong, and know that your
mother loves you very much and is watching over
you in heaven!
Love Always,
Lisa Marie Plasek
"You brushed my
eyes with angels wings, full of love"
***************************
haagh-at-post4.tele.dk (Brian Haagh) writes:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hello
Amanda..........
First of all this goes out to George :
Dear George,
It´s with sadness I have been told that your
mother has passed away,
and I just want to express all my feelings for your loss.
Best of wishes to you and you´re family.
Take
care........
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Back to you Amanda.
It was hard
to read about George losing his mother, and don´t it makes you
think about how you and I would feel when we are losing our
parents ?
But I was glad that it was you who could bring me the sad sad news......
(Very shortly after hearing about his
mom's illness, I was on the phone
with mine... AG)
I was just the other day watching the unplugged session (again), and
between
two songs George is lookin´ out in the crowd, and saying "Hi
Mom", and smiling and laughing !!!!
(I have a still
of that very smile, and I know treasure it more than ever...
AG)
Before saying goodbye to you - then I have two questions :
1
- Could you help me with the catalog number of the Fastlove,summer mix
single ? - If you can I would be happy.
(Sure, you
are looking for: DRMDS-59001. It was released on DreamWorks/
AEgean Records, and distributed my MCA. AG)
2 - About the
"Pasttime Paradise" song the only place you can get it is on
the "Nelson Mandela Birthday" videotape, here
you can also find George
singing "Sexual Healing" great song !
(I have the Mandela BDay special, and Pasttime
Paradise, is NOT on there.
AG)
That´s all for now
Bye Bye
Brian :-(
"With your last breath you
saved my soul,you smiled at me like Jesus to a
child"
Life isn´t always fair - But you have to move on, and remember
the good
things in life !!!
(Brian Haagh)
***************************
tomwanless-at-virgin.net (Tom) writes:
-----------------------------------------------------
I
found this in the Mirror Archives on AOL Britain. It's all about Anselmo
Feleppa and cleared up a lot for me! Thought you may
like to read it - it's
an old article from last year! Hope you haven't already read it!
Tom Wanless
tomwanless-at-virgin.net
**POP
idol George Michael is celebrating new success with poignant
memories of the gay man who transformed his life. George, 32,
surrounds
himself with beautiful women. He has escorted former movie star Brooke
Shields, French socialite Helen Tennant,
model Gail Lawson and nude
calendar girl Kay Beckenham.
But his latest smash-hit album Older is a tribute to his dead buddy, a
Brazilian
dress designer. In a note tucked away inside the CD sleeve are
the words: "This album is dedicated to . . . Anselmo Feleppa,
who changed
the way that I look at my life." Who exactly was this young man?
Anselmo Feleppa died at the age of 33 in
1993 either of a brain haemorrhage
or an AIDS-related illness, depending on which story you believe. He was
brought up in the
poor, unglamorous town of Petropolis, 50 dusty miles
outside Rio de Janeiro. Anselmo's family were devout Catholics who wanted
their boy
to work in their clothing firm and marry a dependable local girl. But
handsome Anselmo was a flamboyant homosexual,
not suited to living in a small town
where his family knew everybody and everybody knew them, and their son's
indiscretions.
He
wanted to be a star or at least to live like one. He pined for life in
the big city where he could indulge his creativity,
flounce around and behavelike one
of his many idols. Anselmo became a dress designer and developed a
passion for the music of
George Michael. Fan and star had similar features.
So Anselmo had little difficulty shaving his black beard into a copy of
George's
trademark stubble.
When George went to 1991's massive Rock in Rio festival, Anselmo decided
he had a golden opportunity to
meet the celebrity he worshipped. According
to friends, Anselmo's first gambit was to buy front row tickets to the
enormous
show, hoping that he could catch George's eye. Later that evening he hung
out at George's hotel, hoping the singer would
recognise him from the
concert.
But when the star breezed through the lobby of the deluxe Copocabana
Palace Hotel, he
failed to notice Anselmo, lounging hopefully, and no doubt
theatrically, in a corner.
Anselmo hit on the idea of wangling his
way on to the private resort island
which was George's next stop on a trip around the world. Pretending to be
a famous Italian
designer, Anselmo booked himself into oneof the rooms on
the island. The only other guests were George and his entourage. So it
was
there marooned together with hardly anyone else to talk to, that George and
Anselmo met and forged their special
friendship. It was a friendship that
developed until the two men were virtually inseparable.
Anselmo did not go straight home
after that holiday, but phoned his family
and friends back in Brazil. He told them that he was enjoying a lavish
lifestyle at
George's expense. The pair supposedly cruised the Caribbean
together in a yacht rented by George. Their world travels continued
to New
York and Los Angeles. At the Limelight, a New York club popular with
homosexuals, George and Anselmo were seen dancing
late into the night,
together with the star's large entourage.
Wealthy George, well known for his generosity, presented
Anselmo with
gifts. Anselmo claimed he was given a Cartier watch by the star. He also
telephoned home to say he had received a
Mercedes car from George. On
a trip home to Petropolis, Anselmo told friends that he had bought an
expensive apartment,
overlooking a lagoon.The new flat featured a state
-of-the-art sound system on which Anselmo could play George's CDs.
But one
night as he was overseeing the decoration of his new flat,
Anselmo collapsed and died.
The death has been attributed to a
brain haemorrhage. It has also been
reported that the haemorrhage was AIDS-related. George's long-term
publicist Connie
Filippello says that Anselmo's deathstruck George
particularly hard partly because his friend had been so young. She adds:
"Anselmo
was a friend of George and George's whole family. He was a
lovely person, a really happy guy. When somebody like that dies, it is
a
great shock." But why dedicate a whole album to him? "George is a very
private man and has not given any
explanation," says Connie.
Reviewers of the album, have commented on the "overtly homosexual
sentiments expressed in
the lyrics" and reminded readers that George is
already an icon to millions of gay men in many countries.But this should
not
concern London-based George, who told MTV in 1993 that he did not
care what people thought about his sexuality. He said: "If
people look at
me and they think, 'This is a gay man' fine. If they look at me and think,
'This is a straight man' fine
also."
The final twist is that the Feleppa family in Brazil are distancing George
from Anselmo. According to Anselmo's
brother, Alexandre, the singer never
gave him anything, not the Mercedes, the Cartier, nothing. "Maybe George
Michael
sent flowers to his funeral, but I don't know that for a fact,'' he
said.
"If he did, they weren't under his name."
Only
George knows how important Anselmo really was to his life. The
subject of his undoubted affection now lies in a Brazilian
cemetery under a
granite slab inscribed: "The tears of the interred will turn to joy in
Heaven.
Love has made your
life eternal." Anselmo's mother Alice said that she
and George visited the tomb arm in arm."We wept together," she
said.
Thousands of miles away back in Britain, pop songs are the legacy of the
two men's relationship songs accompanied by
videos of George with
beautiful women.**
***************************
clegend-at-ix.netcom.com (clegend) writes:
-------------------------------------------------------------
OK
its 11:00pm and I have to get up in 5 hours to be to work on time for
5:00am. I just want you all to know I have been able to go
in to GM web
page several times and for those who do not know it is SOOO COOL!!! It
took me a few tries to get the video
viewer down loaded but you can actually
view at least 4 videos on his web page!!!
Like Jesus to a Child
Fastlove
Spinning
the Wheel
Older
You have a choice of Low or High bandwidth. For those of us who are a little
new to all this computer stuff
I finally figured out that you just have to
sit there and let it load. Than finally (it takes FOREVER!) you have your own little
bit
of GM on you computer. Now I have it booked marked so the videos are there
when ever I want to see a great performer in action.
Of course this is the
closest I will ever get since I keep seeing you mention that he will probably
not be coming to the US.
Oh well if I become a millionaire in the CA.
lottery I am jumping on the first plane for the UK!! Any one with me???
I have
seen LJTAC on TV, but except for a small part of Fastlove which I
caught in a bar in Reno NV. I have never seen any of the other
videos from
the Older Album. Of course you have your typical server slowdowns so it is not
as continuous or smooth as on the
TV but for those of us who do not get VH1
and I am sorry MTV NEVER plays GM videos any more. Well I guess I should
not say
never because I have given up even watching that channel…Any ways
where was I??? Oh yea, they have information on two new
performers that
Ægean has now under their label. One is a Girl named Jo who, get this, was
dared to play her tape at a
photo shoot for GM and he loved her voice so much
they signed her!! She really must be talented. I hope she makes it.
(She
is the wonderful Jo Bryant, and did all the non-George backing vocals on
Older--the FastLove "forget me nots" and
Spinning the Wheel "baby loves".
AG)
Well it is now almost 12:00am and I am in deep trouble if I am late for
work.
Keep up the good work Amanda and everyone else. I am sure we all
tell you this over and over again but THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!
THANK
YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!
THANK YOU!!!
(You're welcome. AG)
Chery (I
will confess to skimming through the Nana news myself, but I try to sit ... just can't believe you have 545 members! And you get the darn thing (And you mocked me in that race to 100 didn't you? "Na
na na na, na Cheers and all that, JT I called
Tower Records today to make sure they had Star People, (I guess they don't feel George needs to hear himself sing "Maybe Take care BTW, "BTW" means by the way. "Never
state, what you can't imply."
***************************
FratboyTX-at-aol.com
(JT) writes:
----------------------------------------------
I must confess, I occasionally miss an issue of Yogmael due to
lack
of time. However, I would NEVER miss the Yogmael Honours! You've
done a FABULOUS job on these! I'm so PROUD of you...
down and give them proper read once a month. I am glad I
have done you
proud JT! And I say this with complete honesty, without you, there would
be no YOGMAEL. Yes ladies and gents, JT
had to deal with a hundred
questions about starting mailing lists from this total stranger who signed
onto his Bananarama list
and then promptly got into a fight with him over
a comment he made about George...but he was the first person to ASK
to sign
up to YM, so I think we can forgive him. AG)
out a
lot more often than I get the Nana list out. I have no excuse...
na na na hey hey goodbye..." Love always from the "goddess on the
mountaintop of Yog" to her
mentor, the almighty JT. BTW, if there are
any Bananarama fans on here interested in signing on to the NanaNews,
who aren't
already, I read the newly alphabetized--hmmm, where'd you
get that idea JT?--To/CC stuff, and know there is a fair bit of
crossover
already, drop JT a line at Bananamail-at-aol.com -- wonder where he got
that from? AG)
***************************
christie-at-intercomm.com
(Christie Calkins) writes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi All
guess what they told me. It wont be out until the 18th :( Why am
I not
surprised???
your mama gave you up boy" right
now... AG)
Christie
***************************
To Wrap it Up: