Seriously? OMG! WTF?

A mature, modest and (almost) scandal-free George Michael took the stage in his first solo concert in 15 years. But the pop star couldn’t resist making another controversial dig at George Bush. At the end of the first set Michael sang his 2002 controversial anti-Bush song "Shoot the Dog." During the number, an enormous balloon depicting a cartoon-ish George Bush rose out of centre stage, drawing whoops and yells from the crowd. But the real surprise came when Michael leaned down to unzip the balloon’s trousers, and out popped a British bulldog draped with the UK flag. The dog was stuck to the balloon’s inflated crotch, wagging its tail. George Michael sang his greatest hits to 18,000 fans packed into Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi arena at the start of his new European tour. With no new album to promote, the concert indulged an audience of mostly long-time fans with favorites like "Faith," "Father Figure" and "Too Funky," while also including newer hits. In February 2005 Michael announced the end of his pop career to the international media, and the irony that less than two years later he’s here back on the stage, singing all his pop standards once again, was not lost on him. The fans, however, aren’t holding any grudges for what Michael has dubbed his "being such a tease." They clapped, cheered, swayed and sang their way through two-and-a-half-hours of ballads, covers and dance tunes. The early part of the show suffered from a few low moments when it seemed as though Michael’s slow clapping and side-to-side sway-and-shuffle style of dancing weren’t going to be enough to keep the crowd engaged throughout the night. But after a few songs the singer seemed to warm up to his audience, dominating the stage and obviously happy to be performing again. "Its coming back, its coming right back," he called out to the crowd just before launching into the unexpected second sing-through of "Too Funky", a technical glitch Michael handled with ease. "Well just go along with this," he said as both he and the audience began to sing the familiar lyrics for the second time in a night.

This is London 

I just wish the tour was coming to the states. I would love to hear him do some Wham! songs finally! 

George Michael and his American lover Kenny Goss have called off their gay ‘wedding’ after the pop star was discovered having an illicit encounter with a stranger in a London park.The couple had been looking forward to an Elton John-style ‘wedding’ ceremony followed by a lavish party to mark their 10th anniversary.
But plans for the nuptials have been called off after the singer was seen emerging from bushes following a sexual encounter with a pot-bellied, jobless van driver.They are reassessing their relationship at the moment so there are no immediate plans. Things are very much up in the air,’ a source told the Daily Mail.Michael admitted he was gay in 1998 after Californian police arrested him for lewd conduct in a public lavatory. He later poked fun at the incident in his song Outside. Earlier this year the troubled star was charged with cannabis possession after being found slumped at the wheel of his car in Hyde Park.In a separate incident, he was questioned by police after colliding with three parked cars and driving off without informing their owners.Last weekend, the News of the World caught the 43-year-old singer returning to his car after an encounter with 58-year-old Norman Kirtland on Hampstead Heath.
Police say they are not planning to investigate as no complaint had been made and the incident was not witnessed by an officer.The singer has insisted in the past that he and Goss, 48, have an open relationship, saying: ‘Gay relationships are a bit different. I’m sure we’ll be allowed to roam if we want to. But we love each other dearly.Only three months ago Michael told Michael Parkinson that he was to seal his relationship, saying: ‘We’ll do it on our tenth anniversary, we’ll probably do the formal legal thing then the party.’ But the source close to Michael yesterday admitted: ‘They do not feel that it is relevant now.’

This Is London 

News of the World investigators caught the singer red-handed and red-faced as he emerged from the bushes after cavorting with a pot-bellied, 58-year-old, jobless van driver.  When challenged George, 43, was wild-eyed and trembling. Trying to hide his face under a baseball cap, he screamed:  "I don’t believe it! F*** off! If you put those pictures in the paper I’ll sue!" Minutes earlier the one-time heart-throb had been lurking in the shadows at the notorious homosexual pick-up spot on Hampstead Heath.

George is a man with the world at his feet. He’s on the brink of a lucrative 50-concert comeback tour, which sold out in half an hour.  Yet he ignored all the risks and dangers to pull seedy Norman Kirtland.  The pair kissed and groped each other before going even further. It was all in a public place and totally illegal — just like the day in 1998 when George flashed at an undercover cop in a California park toilet. After the shock of being confronted by us, George stumbled to his flash Mercedes coupe, retrieved his keys from their hiding place on top of the rear wheel and roared off into the night — back to his world of showbiz, celebs and glitz.

George’s night of shame began just after midnight on Tuesday when he took a short drive from his Highgate house to the Hampstead home of long-term lover Kenny Goss. Five minutes later he drove to the nearby heath and spent two hours prowling around before hooking up with Kirtland. When confronted by our team, a shaken George desperately tried to justify his sordid secret quest for cheap, risky thrills, which friends fear is spiralling out of control and threatening his destruction.

In a sweat, the ashen-faced singer declared: "Are you gay? No? Then f*** off! This is my culture!" Then he claimed: "I’m not doing anything illegal. The police don’t even come up here any more. "I’m a free man, I can do whatever I want. I’m not harming anyone." "He’s just asking for serious trouble. One day he’ll be attacked in one of these dodgy late-night encounters. "It’s so sad to see a talented guy wasting himself like this."

News of the World 

WTF has happened to him?  

GEORGE MICHAEL is considering a long-awaited US tour after fans stunned promoters with ticket demands for his upcoming European tour.
Almost 600,000 tickets for his 47-date 25 Live tour, which begins in Spain in September (06), have been sold, prompting the CARELESS WHISPER star’s handlers to suggest US shows.
The singer’s manager, MICHAEL LIPPMAN, tells music industry trade paper Billboard that everyone was stunned by the race for tickets.
He says, "It was beyond our expectations in terms of speed, but I never doubted we’d sell the tickets." It has been 15 years since Michael last toured anywhere.
Lippman reveals personal issues and his legal battle with Sony Records prompted the former WHAM! star to retreat from performing live.
He adds, "He just became a bit reclusive, not really wanting to go out and engage the public. Now he’s fit and ready to go and he wants to go out and play his music for people and interact with people." As for US dates, Lippman reveals, "I am very optimistic that we will (perform there)."

PR-Inside 

OMG, I am so there too!  

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