Boy George's Sobering Advice for George Michael: 'Get Yourself Clean'

Boy George appeared on Britain's The Alan Titmarsh Show, and had some advice for George Michael, who was arrested in a men's room last weekend for possession of crack cocaine and cannabis, and let off with a warning.

Said George: "I'm sober now - I don't drink or take drugs and I can see that it's chaotic and miserable. I watch it from the outside and say, 'God I was there.' I made a decision last year to hve no more of that. That was it for me...I do sympathise with George... you need perspective and the only way to do that is to get away from your drug problems and get yourself clean."

He added: "If I was going give advice to George Michael, I'd say you're very lucky to do what you do and get paid for it, as we all are. You've really got to get a perspective and get away from drug problems and get yourself clean and you begin seeing things in a much more sensible way...I do sympathize with him, I do. I don't want to sit here and make laughs about him and point the finger because it wouldn't be right.

George Michael was seen packing his bags and leaving London with boyfriend Kenny Goss yesterday. Said a witness: "They looked like they were going away for some time judging by all the luggage."

The clip is sideways, sorry...AFTER THE JUMP...

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George Michael Arrested Again, Apologizes

Old habits die hard for George Michael. In a statement released on Sunday, Michael apologized to his fans and the public after being arrested once again over the weekend.

Both the venue in which his arrest was made — in men's toilets near London's Hampstead Heath — and the reasons for his arrest — possession of crack cocaine and cannabis — are not unfamiliar to Michael.

Michael came out of the closet in 1998 after exposing himself to an undercover cop in toilets in Will Rogers Park in Beverly Hills, California in 1998. He has also been caught coming out of a "cottaging" area on Hampstead Heath in 2006 with another man, and has had prior drug arrests after being found passed out in the driver's seat of his car.

A police spokesman confirmed the arrest: "I can confirm that a 45-year-old man was arrested on September 19 on suspicion of possession of drugs in the Hampstead Heath area. He was taken to a north London police station where he received a caution for possession of class A and class C drugs."

Michael got lucky this time. Police, who were tipped off by a lavatory attendant, gave him a warning and sent him on his way, saying the singer showed "remorse."

Said Michael on Sunday: "I want to apologise to my fans for screwing up again, and to promise them I'll sort myself out. And to say sorry to everybody else, just for boring them."

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George Michael: I Don't Inhale the Fame...

GMA aired the second part of their George Michael interview this morning. Part one here. Michael talked about living in Texas, his boyfriend Kenny Goss, and the future of his music. He also talked about his female fan base:

"What is it about me that women seem to ignore the fact that I'm gay? I think women really get the feeling that I understand them. And I grew up with two sisters. I went out with women when I was younger. I do understand them, unfortunately. And I write from the heart. I write from the place where most straight men are really a little too — there's a little too much pride going on to write. And then it's a pride that's built into us as men."

And the possibility of having kids with the boyfriend who "saved his life," Kenny Goss:

"I've lived such a ridiculously free life. I think I'd be a responsible but miserable parent. I think once I decided to have a child it would have to be the most important thing in my life, and it would make me very miserable at this stage because I'm 45, and I'm very spoiled. I do look at the future and think — because I don't have nieces and nephews, because that's when parents get their reward - that's what keeps them going, that's what keeps them alive."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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George Michael: Sex Arrest was Deliberate

George Michael talks about losing his partner to AIDS, the death of his mother, getting caught cruising in a bathroom in a park in Beverly Hills, and his drug arrests.

Said the singer: "I lost my partner to HIV then it took about three years to grieve; then after that I lost my mother. I felt almost like I was cursed. The only thing that got me through it was my music. It survived. I wrote very, very little, but the little I wrote did well and kept my head above water...It was depression and shock which just went on for years."

He also says he's come to realize his arrest for public sex was something he did deliberately.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Music News: Jay-Z Burns Oasis At Glastonbury, George Michael, Annie, Kurt Cobain, Sam Sparro, Labelle

Robbie Daw presents a weekly pop music update here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own site called Chart Rigger.

Jay-Z headlined England's famed Glastonbury festival on Saturday, a controversial move given the rock-heavy bill the event usually touts. Perhaps no one was more vocal about their disdain for Hova as headliner than Noel Gallagher of Oasis: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you start to break it then people aren't going to go. I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance."

In turn, the rapper and music mogul clearly wowed the crowd with his opening song choice: a cover of "Wonderwall."

On a bit more tame note -- well, lately, at least -- George Michael brought his 25 Live tour to The Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday. It was the first time he's played L.A. since 1988.

Just before the final encore, in which he performed "Freedom '90," Michael was surprised by Bo Derek, who walked on stage to give him a birthday cake as his band played "Happy Birthday." The London-born singer is 45.

Enough about Jay-Z...what were the reviews like for Sam Sparro's appearance at Glastonbury?

Word on the street has it that Norwegian pop blondie Annie, of "Chewing Gum" fame, has got a new EP out. Towleroad vehemently looks down upon illegal filesharing, but something tells me that if you typed in "Annie" and "EP" into a search engine, you might be taking the first step to finding out more information on this bit of noise.

This Delicate Film We've Made, a live concert DVD containing the last night of Darren Hayes' 2007 tour, will be released from his own Powdered Sugar Productions on July 22.

Creole Lady Marmalade! All three original members of seminal '70s funk-glam trio LaBelle are set to reunite for their first album together since 1976. The group will also perform this Saturday during the Essence Festival -- where else -- down in ol' New Orleans.

London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum will unveil a statue of Amy Winehouse later this year: "We are really pleased to be creating Amy; she is a real icon in mondern British music, a continual award winner and an internationally recognized star widely requested by our guests.

So imagine if a bunch of Alanis Morissette fans got together online and did karaoke to try to win free concert tickets...

Did you know you can now purchase Converse sneakers from Nordstrom with writing from Kurt Cobain's journals on them? This seems like something to get up in arms over, but if Courtney Love says it's ok, then... Oh, well. Whatever. Nevermind.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler finally admits he checked into rehab to recover from more than just foot surgery: "I don't know about (guitarist) Joe (Perry) but I was off and running and I didn't like the me that was me. This was a month ago, so I just put the brakes on and checked into detox and just pulled the plug on all of it."

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES:

Where The Light Is, a live CD/DVD from John Mayer recorded at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater.

High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens' second solo effort, Identified.

R.E.M.'s iTunes-only set, Live: From London.

Love To Make Music To, from L.A.-based electronica producer Daedelus.

New singles from The Faint ("The Geeks Were Right"), LL Cool J ("Baby") and Lee Ann Womack ("Last Call").

Guilt, a new EP from Sheffield indie band The Long Blondes.

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George Michael: Same-Sex Marriage 'Way Overdue'

George Michael, who just began his multi-city U.S. tour at the San Diego sports arena, talked to AP via USA Today about same-sex marriage: "It's way overdue. It's something that happened ... almost without a whisper in England, but it was basically because we weren't that concerned about the word 'marriage.' ...because this is a much more religious society, there are a huge number of people who want (their) unions to be part of something that they can place in their religion, so (marriage is) much more important here. I think that's why it's so long in arriving here, but I think it's fantastic, obviously."

Michael also reportedly made the crowd at his first show go nuts when he referenced the weddings, saying: "I was watching TV yesterday and saw two women get married." He then sang the song "Amazing" and dedicated it to his longtime partner Kenny Goss.

Michael also talked about why it's been so long since he's toured here and why these concerts are likely to be his last: "The '90s were a bit of a disaster for me in so many ways. On a personal level, I don't think I could have toured. Also, I had some physical problems with my back that are now sorted and I just wasn't in the right state of mind. I have got other interests than just making music. I would like to follow those interests through. You never know, in five years I might be back here begging you all to forgive me. But I really think I can do much more constructive work as an artist if I step out of this again."

AFTER THE JUMP, Michael tells CNN that a wedding for he and Goss is currently "not in the cards..."

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News: Thailand, Dick Cheney, Brazil Wedding, Diva Clinton

Jay Leno and Ryan Phillippe are still on good terms after the "gayest look" incident. Said Leno: "No, we talked about it before. We're friends. I mean, it's a talk show. That's what you do."

Same-sex weddings, civil unions, commitment ceremonies big business in New England: "Throughout the Northeast, competition has spiked among wedding sites, hotels, resorts and inns as the travel industry has realized that same-sex ceremonies can draw scores of guests, who turn these destinations weddings into weekend stays."

Ashlee Simpson is another straight woman who loves that gay guys love her man.

Red Cross in Thailand changes screening process for gay blood donors: "Gay-rights activists had complained that one question, which was meant to target people more likely to have diseases transmitted by sex and drugs, had effectively blocked all gay men from donating by only asking about same-sex relations. 'We didn't mean to hurt anyone,' said Soisaang Pikulsod, director of the Thai Red Cross National Blood Centre. 'It was just to ensure the highest possible safety of our patients.' The Red Cross will rework the form to include more questions about all types of sexual behaviour, gay or heterosexual, that could increase the risk of diseases such as AIDS, she said."

Kathy Griffin and Adnan Ghalib in most obvious paparazzi punk'd ever.

Dick Cheney has either a naked woman or an alien entity in his lenses. Or Lynne Cheney, in which case it would be both.

American Idol loses one of the guys [SPOILER].

Gay-friendly college fairs a budding trend: "Students are coming out at a much younger age. That process isn't beginning in college or after college like we may have seen 10 or 20 years ago. So these high school students who are out come looking for a range of things that show a college will generally have students like them, and a university with an inclusive mission."

Judge tosses Florida lawsuit filed by high school student denied the right to form a gay-straight alliance: "The former student, Yasmin Gonzalez, has graduated, so she's no longer affected by the school's decision to ban the club, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore said in a ruling Wednesday. Gonzalez's attorneys with the ACLU tried to maintain her stake in the case by seeking nominal monetary damages, but Moore ruled she isn't entitled to any money because she wasn't claiming violations of due process. 'We were surprised and disappointed by his interpretation,' said Rob Rosenwald, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. Rosenwald plans to ask the judge to reconsider. Attorneys for the school board declined to comment."

Brazil televises "tacky" gay wedding.

George Michael = God?

East Village Boys offer T-shirt that big shooters wear with pride.

TPM suggests "diva theory" behind Hillary's appeal: "Hillary is the diva, the fabulous woman who is fabulous just because she says so. She's the woman who is abused (by her husband), ridiculed (by the press), hated (by Republican mouth-breathers), yet she's still standing. She's like from some exploitation film where the heroine is beaten and barely raped before pulling a knife out of her sock and slicing the mean guy's balls off. Her supporters have stood by her and fought her battles with her - and sometimes for her - since the 1990s. The emotional connection runs too deep. R-e-s-p-e-c-t, she shakes her finger. Find out what it means to me. And the crowd eats it up." Can any shallower arguments be made?

Michigan's Aquinas College cancels speech by gay rights activist. President: "I'm not trying to keep people from seeing him. I'm trying to prevent the college from sponsoring an event that displays an attack on Catholic teaching values."

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George Michael and Kenny Goss Show Off Preserved Carcasses

While George Michael waits for Banksy to tag his English mansion, his partner Kenny Goss holds up the Texas end of the art fortune.

"Most people initially freak a little bit about Sebastian, then they stare and stare at it and they say, 'That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," said Kenny Goss about Damien Hirst's "Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain" (above) which Goss and his partner George Michael purchased last summer and which is now on display in Dallas at a Hirst-curated show at the couple's gallery.

Goss and Michael are also giving back to the community: "The foundation will be awarding two $5,000 scholarships to students at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, one in Michael's name for music and one in Goss' name for art. There are also two more $5,000 scholarships offered, one for Dallas-Fort Worth area students, the other for students statewide."

Said Goss: "We want to expose the Dallas art community to work that they've quite potentially never seen if they weren't able to travel, these works that in some ways may be a little controversial for one thing, a little strong. But let's face it, art a lot of times is about sex, love, death, loss."

George Michael Brings His Art Collection to Texas [fox news]

Previously
George Michael's Wallet Feels "Exquisite Pain" with Hirst Purchase [tr]

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George Michael Wants to be Targeted by Street Artist Banksy

George Michael has reportedly asked secretive graffiti artist Banksy to target one of the walls of his North London home.

The UK Mirror tab reports: "The "Careless Whisper" singer has already spent £400,000 on two huge canvasses by the mysterious artist - but he now wants to see the master in action, and is willing to pay £2 million. We're told: 'George is a huge fan of Banksy's work and asked his representative if he would reveal himself to the singer. He also asked if Banksy would paint one wall in his house for £2million. Apparently, Banksy has insisted on remaining undercover and will only go ahead if George goes out for the duration! 'The pair are in discussions over how to organise things.'"

Michael is about to start a summer U.S. tour.

Previously
George Michael Announces Summer U.S. Tour [tr]
Nurse's Sexual Advances Toward George Michael Prove Unsuccessful [tr]
George Michael Talks Worms, Weed, and Amy Winehouse [tr]
George Michael's Wallet Feels "Exquisite Pain" with Hirst Purchase [tr]

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Music News: Matt Lauer Interviews Kylie Minogue, Plus Jesse McCartney, Fall Out Boy, George Michael

Robbie Daw presents a weekly pop music update here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own site called Chart Rigger.

Between R.E.M., George Michael and Kylie Minogue, it's a gay ol' week as far as new music releases. Kylie's X finally officially drops in the U.S. today, after making a brief three-week appearance on iTunes back in February.

Australia's "singing budgie" is doing stateside promotion all week for X -- including performances of new single "All I See" tonight on Dancing With The Stars, tomorrow on the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson and then Thursday on Ellen -- and yesterday she sat down for an interview with the Today Show's Matt Lauer.

During their chat, Kylie responded to rumors that she'll soon marry French actor Olivier Martinez, tried to explain her elusive chart success in America and instructed Lauer on how he'll have to greet her once she's awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) this summer by the Queen of England.

The U.S. version of X contains an extra mix of "All I See," featuring rapper Mims.

SEEING DOUBLE: The pixelated cover of Jesse McCartney's new album Departure, due out May 20, might evoke some "rude" thoughts from Robbie Williams.

Amy Winehouse to appear alongside David Tennant on Dr. Who? April Fool's!

Following suit with Madonna, U2 have signed a 12-year deal with concert promoting firm Live Nation, though Universal will continue to distribute the Irish band's actual music. Says Bono of Live Nation, who has managed U2's tours for three decades: "We've been dating for over 20 years now. It's about time we tied the knot."

U.K. gossip site Digital Spy finds Beyoncé, Limp Bizkit, Sugababes, Steps, Fiona Apple, Blink 182 and Michael Jackson all have one thing in common: they've got the worst album titles of our times.

Think you've got what it takes to remix Radiohead? Five separate tracks from their new single "Nude" are up for purchase on iTunes, and buyers are encouraged to create and upload their own GarageBand creation to Radioheadremix.com. Net surfers have to May 1 to vote for their favorite mix on the site.

Fall Out Boy's plan to gig on every continent within two weeks falls apart. FOB frontman Pete Wentz: “It’s an utter disappointment… I read [on the MTV Newsroom blog] someone compared it to Geraldo opening Capone's vault, but it's worse than that, because, like, Capone's stuff is in there, you just can't get the light on. There's no spin for it; we got two hours away from Antarctica and we can't go.”

POP BLOG WATCH: Miss feeling like a clove-smoking, coffee-drinking teenage girl running rampant in the record store? Hit up Eurovision- and Swede-obsessed Poster Girl.

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES:

George Michael's Twenty Five, a two-disc collection of various hits -- including four from Wham! -- and six songs previously unreleased in the U.S. The deluxe edition contains Michael's music videos.

R.E.M.'s 14th album Accelerate, produced by Jacknife Lee.

Moby's Last Night, which finds him returning to his dance roots.

A Town And Two Cities, the debut from British alt rockers Your Vegas. They also have a line of fashion accessories coming to U.S. Bloomingdale's.

Van Morrison's Keep It Simple, his 33rd studio album, and first since 1999.

Attack & Release, from Akron, Ohio blues-rock duo The Black Keys.

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George Michael Announces Summer U.S. Tour

Calling it a "rounding off" of the first phase of his career, George Michael says he'll tour the U.S. in June for the first time in nearly two decades as a prelude to phase two, which may or may not include television production, an autobiography, and producing more music, which he says he'll likely give away for free:

"Disturbed by the increasing trend of downloadable music rendering CDs obsolete and talent shows such as American Idol taking the passion out of pop music, Michael says, 'it's the end of a certain era, and I'm not sure how much I really want to be a part of what's next. So, it's a kind of a way of saying thank you to everybody before I move on.' But this is not a farewell tour for the Grammy winner who shot to stardom in the '80s with the band Wham! and crashed when he was arrested for lewd conduct in a Beverly Hills public bathroom in 1998. Hoping to release more music in the future, Michael suspects he will offer it up to fans gratis to allow for artistic freedom. 'There are other ways I can express the things I want to. And pop music stopped being a place to express much lyrically awhile back.'"

Michael says fans can expect "the best show of their lives" which will feature tunes from his retrospective album Twenty-Five, out the first week of April. He also says this will be his last big tour: "I don't want to do anything on this scale again. No more stadiums. I'd like to be the Tony Bennett for my generation."

Tour dates AFTER THE JUMP...

Tour dates and stops for George Michael's first U.S. tour in nearly 20 years:

June 17: San Diego/San Diego Sports Arena
June 19: San Jose, Calif./HP Pavilion
June 21: Las Vegas/MGM Grand
June 22: Phoenix/US Airways Center
June 25: Los Angeles/Great Western Forum
July 2: Seattle/Key Arena
July 4: Vancouver/General Motors Place
July 7: St. Paul/Xcel Energy Center
July 9: Chicago/United Center
July 13: Dallas/American Airlines Center
July 14: Houston/Toyota Center
July 17: Toronto/Air Canada Centre
July 18: Montreal/Bell Centre
July 21 and 23: New York/Madison Square Garden
July 26: Philadelphia/Wachovia Center
July 27: Boston/TD Banknorth Garden
July 29: Washington, D.C./Verizon Center
July 31: Atlanta/Philips Arena
Aug. 2: Tampa/St. Pete Times Forum
Aug. 3: Sunrise, Fla./Bank Atlantic Center

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #234

SPACESHIP TWO: The unveiling of Richard Branson's new spacecraft.

CUECA FUNK: Brazil's newest dance sensation?

GEORGE MICHAEL: His cameo as guardian angel on the new TV show Eli Stone.

UFOs: Larry King on the recent spate of sightings in Stephenville, Texas.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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News: Giant Rat, RENT, Seth Green, KGB Attack, Sia

Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth kicks off gay-bashing over MRSA staph infections.

Scientists discover ancient skull of a rat that was the size of a car: "The creature lived about four million years ago, weighed about a tonne and ate mostly soft vegetation. It was so big that it probably spent much of its life semi-submerged in water, like a hippo, to reduce the stresses caused by its size."

EVICTED: Broadway musical RENT to end run on June 1st after 5,012 performances.

Warrantless wiretapping will be a "walk in the park" comapred to the plans that National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell has for cyberspace that would give the government the authority to examine the content of any e-mail, file transfer or Web search.

Seth Green wins the prize for cheesiest mustache ever.

Yesterday, I posted that a judge ruled Dennis Kucinich could participate in the Las Vegas MSNBC debate. At the last minute, the Nevada Supreme Court overturned that decision. Here are the details: "The Supreme Court's unanimous order said that blocking the debate unless Kucinich got to participate would be “an unconstitutional prior restraint” on the news network's First Amendment rights. Justices also said the lower court exceeded its jurisdiction by ordering Kucinich's participation even though “he first requested and was denied relief” from the Federal Communications Commission."

HARD LABOR for Homosexuality: Sentence handed down in Cameroon.

KGB and militia raid apartment of Russian gay TV journalist: "A group of his gay friends soon arrived to support the journalist. They offered to be witnesses of the search. But the militia and KGB agents forced them to leave. The hard disk from the journalist’s computer was confiscated, along with a video camera and a flash memory stick. Mr. Padsasonny is said to have fled Gomel and is now in hiding."

Miss the American Idol premiere? Here are last night's four audition tragedies.

Australian singer Sia (you may remember her "Breathe Me" song that covered the final moments of Six Feet Under) is a lesbian. She also says she was "born out of the butthole of a unicorn called Steve."

For British man with gigantic 13 1/2-incher, bigger is not better.

McDreamy wants to show he's more than just a suit.

mtvU looking for people willing to talk about their HIV-positive status or how AIDS/HIV has affected them in some way: "MTV's college channel, mtvU, and the Kaiser Family Foundation have teamed up to develop an anti-stigma campaign in partnership with POZ Magazine. The goal of the project is to challenge common misperceptions about people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. The heart of the project will be a collection of photos and stories about real people who are either HIV positive, or are HIV negative but have in some way been affected by the virus. We are seeking a diverse group of people willing to be featured online and perhaps on-air with their photo, their HIV status, and their story about why HIV is an important issue to them. If you are U.S.-based person, 18 years of age or over and would like to lend your face and story to this project, please contact noopur.agarwal@mtvstaff.com as soon as possible. No direct link to HIV/AIDS is necessary - an interest in the issue is sufficient."

George Michael lands multi-millon dollar deal for his memoirs: "one of the biggest book deals ever concluded in UK publishing."

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Nurse's Sexual Advances Toward George Michael Prove Unsuccessful

Striking the pose last seen by a paparazzo at the wheel of his SUV, George Michael passed out near a plate of cookies rather than have sex with a female nurse — played by British comic Catherine Tate in her new Christmas special.

The Daily Mail reports: "Bernie (Tate's recurring character) can't believe her luck when George turns up. She's oblivious to the fact he's gay and tries to seduce him. But the closest she gets is a snog. When he spurns her she stops singing Wham songs and starts on Duran Duran numbers to annoy him."

Catherine Tate attempts to bed George Michael - but it's all for her Christmas special [tr]

You may have missed...
George Michael Talks Worms, Weed, and Amy Winehouse [tr]
George Michael Pulls Out of Stephen Fry BBC HIV Documentary [tr]
George Michael's Wallet Feels "Exquisite Pain" with Hirst Purchase [tr]

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George Michael Talks Worms, Weed, and Amy Winehouse

George Michael told Kirsty Young of BBC's Radio 1 over the weekend that after receiving a "bump on the head" his childhood interest in bugs and insects suddenly turned to an interest in music:

Said Michael: "At the age of about eight I had a head injury and I know it sounds bizarre and unlikely, but it was quite a bad bang, and I had it stitched up and stuff, but all my interests changed, everything changed in six months. I had been obsessed with insects and creepy crawlies, I used to get up at five o'clock in the morning and go out into this field behind our garden and collect insects before everyone else got up and, suddenly, all I wanted to know about was music, it just seemed a very, very strange thing. And I have a theory that maybe it was something to do with this accident, this whole left-brain right-brain thing. Nobody in my family seemed to notice but I became absolutely obsessed with music and everything changed after that."

Michael was appearing on a show called Desert Island Discs, on which performers are asked to list what records they might bring with them to a desert island.

He also talked about the past year and his tour: "It's been a very bizarre year because you can't imagine what it's like playing to people who have been loyal to you for 25 years and haven't seen you for 15, that's been the most life-affirming thing I could have done. I'm so glad I did it [went on tour]. It's not the adulation that's been nice, it's the absolute warmth, it's the complete generosity. I genuinely believe the purpose of what I do is a positive one. I really do genuinely believe that most of my songs are life-affirming in some way. And actually people who don't care about your music, thinking lots of things about you that aren't true, it really doesn't matter. And what's wonderful is that a lot of them who think they are true, really don't care, so I'm such a lucky man. It's so annoying people trying to give the impression the world is a totally screwed up place and I really needed those people in front of me night after night to tell me that it wasn't. I really needed it so badly, I'm so grateful to them."

Michael also lavished praise on in-and-out-of-rehab singer Amy Winehouse: "This is the best female vocalist I've heard in my entire career and one of the best writers, so all I can say is, 'Please, please understand how brilliant you are', and I wish her every success in the future and I know she can get past the media, I don't know if she can get past other things but she's a fantastic talent and we should support her."

As for his own drug habits, Michael said : "Absolutely I would like to take less [marijuana], no question. To that degree, it's a problem. Is it getting in the way of my life in any way? I don't think so."

Desert Island Discs clip (listen)

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George Michael Pulls Out of Stephen Fry BBC HIV Documentary

George Michael has demanded that scenes featuring his interviews be removed from a new Stephen Fry documentary entitled HIV and Me scheduled to be broadcast on the BBC in October.

The BBC released a statement: "George Michael isn't in the documentary because, on reflection, this was too personal a journey for George to revisit."

Michael's spokeswoman added that revisiting his ex-lover's death from AIDS would be too painful for the singer: "On reflection, he felt it was too close and too personal a journey for George to take and he asked for his contribution to be removed. It was too personal for Anselmo's family to revisit."

The Daily Mail speculates that Michael may have been unhappy over advance publicity by the documentary's producer Ross Wilson, who said last June: "George says he does not believe in [HIV] tests. He says he finds the wait for results too harrowing and that he hasn't had a test since at least 2004 due to his fears it might be positive."

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News: O.J. Simpson, Michael Mukasey, Alan Keyes, New Zealand

Human Rights Campaign releases 2008 Corporate Equality Index: "195 major U.S. businesses earned the top rating of 100 percent, up from 138 last year - a 41 percent increase." (PDF)

Bush nominates retired judge Michael Mukasey to replace Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy: "The next attorney general needs to be someone who can begin the process of restoring the Department of Justice to its proper mission."

Some gamers see coded message in Super Mario Galaxy packaging.

Anti-gay Republican wingnut Alan Keyes announces 3rd bid for Presidency. Keyes: "The one thing I've always been called to do is to raise the standard . . . of our allegiance to God and His authority that has been the foundation stone of our nation's life...We're putting together an effort that's not going to be like anything before, because it's going to be entirely based on citizen action. We're going to be challenging people to take a pledge for America's revival."

What has Helmut Lang been up to lately? "Lang remains as allergic to publicity as ever — he politely refused to be interviewed for this story — and spends most of his time at the East Hampton property he shares with his longtime companion. He is working on a number of art projects, including “Long Island Diaries” (a chronicle he began in 2005) and “Selective Memory Series” (a constantly updated scrapbook of his A-list life, parts of which were released earlier this year in conjunction with Purple magazine)."

Rex Wockner offers a few thoughts about GLAAD and the reclamation of the F-word.

Are you a closeted Republican looking for the perfect romantic liaison? Give GOP-Harmony a try.

Madonna in Rosh Hashana summit with Israeli leader Shimon Peres. Spokeswoman: "The president and Madonna discussed how to advance the peace process, and conciliation and tolerance throughout the world. Madonna told the president she wants to promote those messages in her songs and books, and how important it was to educate children with those ideas. She also said that meeting President Peres and welcoming in the new Jewish year together with him was the fulfillment of a dream."

O.J. Simpson adds "two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit burglary and burglary with a firearm" to his resume.

Air New Zealand announces drag queen-staffed "Pink Flight" to Sydney Mardi Gras: "The flight will be modeled after an Auckland-to-Sydney trip Air New Zealand made this year for the gay Mardi Gras, according to Williams. Before that full flight, the crew put on pink feather boas and sang for its couple hundreds passengers, she said. 'Even the pilot was wearing fairy wings and got into it,' [marketing director Jodi]Williams said."

Lost Without Careless Whisper: George Michael meets Robin Thicke.

Promoter Jeffrey Sanker invites Britney Spears to redeem herself at Las Vegas White Party: "I would love to offer Britney the chance to return to...the Palms Hotel, her own ‘ground zero,’ where all those are saying she so ‘imploded,’ and redeem herself with her very loyal gay community." Will invite Chris Crocker if Brit signs on... PLUS: Britney recreates VMAs disaster in The Sims.

Gay banker Peter Lewis loses long-running discrimination suit against HSBC: "The case was one of the first high-profile legal actions to be heard at an employment tribunal after sex discrimination laws were extended to gay and lesbian people. It raised a number of novel legal issues, including what comparisons should be used when trying to decide whether the treatment of a gay employee was discriminatory. In the past fortnight a London employment tribunal reheard evidence surrounding four specific allegations of bias against the former head of equity trading during internal disciplinary proceedings at HSBC. On Friday it said: 'The judgment of the tribunal is that the claimant’s complaints are not well-founded and are accordingly dismissed.'"

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George Michael's Wallet Feels "Exquisite Pain" with Hirst Purchase

George Michael, who is said to have his eye on Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull, has gone ahead and opened his wallet for something a bit darker, a work by the artist entitled "Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain":

"The installation features the body of a black calf pierced by dozens of arrows and attached with cable to a steel post, set in a tank of formaldehyde. The artwork is based on the story of the martyr Saint Sebastian, whose biblical story inspired the 1976 homo-erotic film 'Sebastiane.'

At $7 million, it's reportedly Hirst's fourth most expensive creation.

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News: John Stamos, AIDS and HIV, Megan Mullally, Jerusalem

The state of the AIDS epidemic is currently getting worked over in the blogs. Andrew Sullivan, who reiterated his theory in a recent issue of The Stranger that 1996 was the end of AIDS, has inspired a strong reaction from Gabriel Rotello responding to Sullivan's claims in The Huffington Post. Sullivan, in turn, has fired off another reply.

Producer of new Stephen Fry documentary called HIV and Me says that interviewee George Michael won't get tested: "George says he does not believe in tests. He says he finds the wait for results too harrowing and that he hasn’t had a test since at least 2004 due to his fears it might be positive."

CNN opinion poll reveals shifting attitudes about the nature of homosexuality: "Fifty-six percent of about 515 poll respondents said they do not believe sexual orientation can be changed. In 2001, 45 percent of those responding to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll held that belief. In 1998, according to a CNN/Time poll, the number was 36 percent. In addition, 42 percent of respondents to the current poll said they believe homosexuality results from upbringing and environment, while 39 percent said they believe it is something a person is born with -- a close division that reflects the national debate over the issue. However, those numbers are greatly changed from the 1970s and '80s, in which fewer than 20 percent of Americans said a person is born homosexual. In a 1977 poll, the number was 13 percent." Another new poll reveals that young Americans are leaning left...

Megan Mullally will play the role popularized by Madeline Kahn in the new Mel Brooks stage musical Young Frankenstein to open on Broadway this fall.

Protests by ultra-orthodox Haredi jews against this year's gay pride in Jerusalem cost the city $100,000. city council member Saar Netanel: "It is impossible that tax payers in Jerusalem bare the brunt of the illegal protests carried out by the haredim. It is obviously legal to protest against the gay pride parade, but damaging municipal property is violent and illegal."

John Stamos in drunken Aussie talk show appearance?

Paris Hilton's jailhouse scrawl.

NPR: Wealthy gay donors a new force in politics. Patrick Guerriero, former head of the Log Cabin Republicans and now mogul-turned-philanthropist Tim Gill's political director: "I think what folks like Tim Gill are trying to do is to basically level the playing field. I think a lot of folks who believe in basic equality were caught blindsided when the issue of marriage equality was used as a wedge issue in elections around the 2004 cycle. And what happened was a lot of really decent, fair-minded legislators were thrown out of office based on those issues."

OUT magazine is looking for nominations for this year's "Out 100".

Summer drinks: imbibe.

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George Michael Banned from Driving, Gets Community Service

George Michael arrived at Brent Magistrates Court this morning, where District Judge Katherine Marshall said that she had ruled out a prison sentence for the singer.

Instead, the judge banned Michael from driving for two years and ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service.

According to the Daily Mail, "As Michael left the court, he told the assembled media that he would not answer any questions. He posed for waiting photographers, and then read a short statement. In his statement he called the 'media coverage of this trial farcical', and said he fully accepted responsibility for being guilty of the charge due to "tiredness" and his use of 'prescription drugs'. Michael added he was glad to put the trial behind him, and was now off 'to play the biggest show of my life at Wembley.'"

Last week, the court heard about the results of a drug test given to Michael following the incident. They reported that levels of cannabis, GHB, a "therapeutic quantity" of an anti-depressant, and a sleep drug were all detected in Michael's blood.

In a frank interview with the UK's Gay Times due to hit newsstands at the end of the month, Michael talks about his childhood:

"My mother had this fear of me being gay. She had this definite fear that I was going to be like her brother - she thought that it meant I wouldn't cope with life. She almost felt like she had brought this gene. So there were very pointed areas where she let my dad be - supposedly protectively - homophobic. There was this gay waiter who lived above our family restaurant and I wasn't allowed to go to the top flat when he was in the restaurant. You know, in case I caught something. In case I caught gay. Knowing my father, he couldn't even consider he had a gay son because he is of his generation, a Greek Cypriot man. But my mother was afraid of my father's judgment of me. I also now realise she was afraid that if the 'gene' was in me it would turn out the same way for me as it had for [my late uncle] Colin. My mother didn't talk about her brother until I was 16. I don't know if that was a decision on her part or whether she just plucked up the courage. It changed my opinion of her entirely because it wasn't just that - she's also seen her own father die the same way. They'd both put their heads in the gas oven. And, lucky old Mum, she found both of them. She spent years being so remorseful that it's impossible to hold that time against her. And in the last 20 years of her life, I don't think we had a cross word actually."

He also talks about his partner Anselmo, who died of complications from AIDS in 1993:

"I sat at the table not knowing if this man I was in love with was terminally ill and not knowing whether I was terminally ill. It was possibly the loneliest time of my life. I wrote [my parents] a four-page letter which was the easiest thing I've ever written considering it was the only unresolved issue - to come out to my parents. My mum said it was the most beautiful letter she had ever read, that it explained completely how I felt and why she didn't have to worry about me. It was the easiest thing that should have been the most difficult."

Michael also talks about his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgely and says the two never slept together, despite rumors: "Andrew loved camp clothes. He'd go to school in cherry silk trousers and have three little Adam Ant braids. Everyone spent their time going: 'Is he gay?' And I'd go: 'He's really not!' He was beautiful but not in a way that was going to attract me. He was too pretty, too feminine, too elegant. I can understand everyone thinking we were sleeping together - but he loves women."

Michael is set to be the first artist to play the new Wembley Stadium, in two concerts this weekend.

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News: Wiiitis, NYC Club Assault, Paris Hilton, Jason Knight

Gay man assaulted by staff at New York nightclub Pacha: " The victim was passed out in the West 46th Street club's bathroom early Sunday morning when he was allegedly dragged out and assaulted before being thrown out the back door. A source said that anti-gay slurs were made during the attack, which is being investigated as a hate crime. Cops executed a search warrant last night, seizing computers, video equipment and business records. During the raid, the club's manager, who was not identified, was arrested on a warrant."

First documented case of Wiiitis: "If a player gets too engrossed, he may 'play tennis' for many hours. With the growing use of this new video game system, the risk of the Wiiitis variant may be higher than that of Nintendinitis reported in the literature, especially among adults. Physicians should be aware that there may be multiple, possibly puzzling presentations of Wiiitis.”

Party at the Hilton Hilton: "After extensive consultation with Los Angeles County Medical Personnel, including doctors at the Century Regional Detention Facility, it has been determined that Paris Hilton will be reassigned to the Community-Based Alternatives to Custody: The CBAC Program. Ms. Hilton has been fitted with an electronic monitoring device and will serve the remained of her sentence confined to her home. She will now serve the full 45 day sentence. Ms. Hilton has been in custody for five days and therefore will be serving 40 days in the Electronic Monitoring Program under the supervision of the Los Angeles County Probation Department." More...

Liza Minnelli to rap on new album: "There's always a man that you love. There's always a man that you didn't love. There's always a man that you love to love, and a man that you love too much."

Human rights watchdog calls on governments to step up prosecution of hate crimes.

George Michael says the press is jealous of him: "Me, I don't want any children, I don't want responsibility. I am gay, I smoke weed and I do exactly what I want in my life because of my talent. I represent an ideal which others have had to let go and they blame me for that. Especially men."

Jason Knight, the petty officer second class who was discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" but called back to active duty and subsequently discharged again, says that the papers regarding his most recent discharge leave the door open for him to be called back to active duty: "I can’t do anything but laugh. It’s getting to the point of being ridiculous."

Former U.S. House Clerk Jeff Trandahl breaks silence on Mark Foley case: "Trandahl resigned from his post as House clerk and announced his new job in the fall of 2005, shortly after he began questioning Foley’s behavior toward pages in private conversations with both Foley and House GOP staffers. In his remarks last week, Trandahl refuted the speculation that GOP leaders forced him out of his job. He said he had long planned to retire after 20 years of government service and noted that his departure was set well before the scandal broke. Trandahl thanked former House Speakers Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and current Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for supporting him during his tenure in the House. But he said former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) had long sought to oust him from the job because he is openly gay."

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Court Hears About George Michael's Drug Cocktail

The judge in George Michael's drug-driving case delayed his sentence until June 8th, the day before Michael is to play the new Wembley Stadium, but not before the court heard about the "cocktail of drugs" that was found in his system after police discovered him slumped over the wheel of his car in north London in October of last year:

"Prosecutor Andrew Torrington told Brent magistrates court that tests showed the 43-year-old singer, who admitted driving while unfit earlier this month, had a sleeping drug and a therapeutic quantity of an anti-depressant in his system, as well as the illegal dance club drug GHB - a class C substance. Mr Torrington said cannabis was also found in his blood, but the prosecution did not maintain that this was the cause of his intoxication."

Michael was not present at today's hearing, though his attorney Michael Grieve argued that prescription drugs and not illegal substances were the cause of his client's state that night:

"[Grieve] said there was a strong body of opinion that said a sleeping drug was the most likely explanation for his state. He added it was common ground that GHB could be present in the blood without any illegal substances having been taken. The court heard that while GHB was banned, its effects could be created by legal substances, including a drug called GBL. Mr Grieve agreed with the district judge