- Shut down his website chatroom because fans have been leaving negative comments, accusing him of being old, overweight and lazy. (July 12, 2004)
- Considers a stage musical based on his former pop group Wham! (March 27, 2004)
- Has decided he's done making albums for record labels and instead plans to distribute his tunes via the Internet and donate all of the proceeds to charity. (March 12, 2004)
- Has signed a new global recording deal with Sony, the company from which he battled to free himself in the early 1990s. (November 18, 2003)
- Michael appears on the BBC's Top of the Pops program on Friday for the first time in 17 years, but the studio filming of his anti-war song did not go off without a hitch -- Michael's four female background musicians attracted most attention as they all sported anti-war T-shirts with No War, Blair Out messages on them, the same as those showed by British designer Katharine Hamnett during last month's London Fashion Week. (March 8, 2003)
- Anti-war activist George Michael says most other pop acts are too lightweight to carry off a peace protest song -- He is criticizing plans by Lee Ryan of British boy band Blue to gather such stars as Justin Timberlake, Pink, and Kylie Minogue for song for peace in the spirit of Band Aid, the 1984 record in aid of Ethiopian famine relief. (March 1, 2003)
- His last single, Freeek!, got to a far-from-impressive No7 in March 2002, despite the singer throwing £1million at the video.
- He was warned he could be committing "professional suicide" if he released controversial single Shoot The Dog. The star's record label Universal Polydor suggested he shouldn't release the song which mocks the relationship between TONY BLAIR and US President GEORGE BUSH - for fear of a backlash.
- He's been tapped to write the theme song for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece,
- His song and video for Shoot the Dog, released July 1, have drawn outrage from listeners in the United States who see it as an insult to President George Bush.
- Michael said he began writing the song last September 2001 as a way to criticize Blair for not involving the British public in decisions regarding Iraq and its president, Saddam Hussein.
- Georgios (Yorgos) Kyriacos Panayiotou was born on 25 June 1963 in Finchley, London, England.
- First served his pop apprenticeship in the million-selling duo Wham!, the most commercially successful, teen-orientated band of the 80s.
- By the time Wham! split in 1986, he was left with the unenviable task of reinventing himself as a solo artist.
- His pilot single, 'I Want Your Sex' was banned by daytime radio stations and broke his string of number 1s in the UK.
- He replaced 'Cousin Bruce Morrow' as the early evening disc jockey at WABC Musicradio 77 in New York in 1974.
- A duet with Elton John on 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' revived his UK chart fortunes, reaching number 1 in December 1991, and also topping the US charts. In 1992, the Sunday Times announced his arrival as one of the richest men in the UK.
- Announced the formation of his own record label Aegean Records, in February 1997.
- On April 7 1998, he was arrested for 'lewd behaviour' in a toilet cubicle at the Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills, California.
Quotes- This single is the most political thing I've done. It's a massive and totally unnecessary risk for me."
- "I hope it really comes off. It would make my dad really proud." (about the song for the coming 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece)
- "This was absolutely an attack on [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair, principally, and the perspective which is really predominant in Europe right now that he's not questioning enough of Mr. Bush's policies." (about his latest song Shoot the Dog)
- "Satire is used for political purposes all the time, but obviously there's a time and a place. I think in the current climate, it can be very difficult to speak your mind, but sometimes, I believe, we're all in danger and I think this discussion needs to be widened."
Awards- American Music Awards: Favorite Male Vocalist (pop/rock); Favourite Male Artist (soul/R&B) & Favorite Album (soul/R&B)
- Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) Award: Radio Academy award (2004)
- Capital Radio Award: Best Male Singer & Outstanding Contribution To Music Award (1996)
- Ivor Novello Awards: Songwriter of the Year Award (1996)
- MTV Video Music Awards, Europe: International Viewers Choice Award, Fast Love (1996)
- Razzie Awards: Worst Original Song, BEVERLY HILLS COP II (1988) - for I Want Your Sex
- Grammy Awards: Best Album, Faith (1988)
- Won Ivor Novello Awards: Songwriter of the Year & International Hit of the Year, Faith (1988)
- Grammy Awards: Best Rhythm and Blues Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal (1987)
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