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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 82.134.28.194 (talk) at 06:10, 2 July 2013 (→Too much like publicist hype). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Britishisms in the drugs section

need some help on the words shunted ?) and traffic bollard(?) Thanks.Kitten b (talk) 04:16, 10 January 2008 (UTC) kitten b[reply]

"to shunt" is to slowly push something (usually a fairly heavy thing, and usually for a short time or in short bursts). A shunt in a car (automobile) is a slow-speed collision with an other slow-moving or stationary object. In this case the stationary object was a traffic bollard. Now, I have lived in the US but I genuinely cannot recall ever hearing a US word for this. It is an internally illuminated post, usually square in cross section, a couple of feet in diameter and about a yard high, which may serve to divide two lanes or to indicate the boundary of a pedestrian refuge. The wikipedia page indicates that they are rare in the US but are called traffic bollards there too.
Just looked up "shunt" on the OED and it says:
  • verb 1 slowly push or pull (a railway vehicle or vehicles) so as to make up or remove from a train. 2 push or shove. 3 direct or divert to a less important place or position.
  • noun 1 an act of shunting. 2 Brit. informal a motor accident, especially a collision of vehicles travelling one close behind the other. 3 an electrical conductor joining two points of a circuit.
Rachel Pearce (talk) 12:43, 10 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sales figures

I just want to know what is going on with the sales figures for George Michael's albums?? someone is messing with the numbers constantly, for example the Discography chapter listed that the album Older sold 12 Millions, and that was a month ago, now the number is down to 10!!! same thing with the rest of the albums... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hoppaluppa (talk • contribs) 21:13, 11 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Too much like publicist hype

IMHO this article looks like it could have been written by Mr. Michael's publicists. With all due respect to Mr. Michael's skills and accomplishments an article that says...

Whether half of the duo Wham! or a solo artist, Michael has enjoyed massive global success with his unique brand of soul-influenced pop.

...does not seem encyclopedic in nature. Filmteknik (talk) 17:45, 23 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

We call those Peacock Terms. I make a motion so strike... —  X  S  G  20:59, 2 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I do not think of the article of a marketing project. They even mention that Harper and Row are proud of being in a deal to publish his memoirs. Harper and Row do have a page where they list their authors, and I am still trying to find George Michael. --82.134.28.194 (talk) 06:10, 2 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Eli Stone

Shouldn't more be made of his prominent role in the TV series?71.63.15.156 (talk) 06:43, 12 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

He appeared in several episodes and each episode was named after a George Michael tune. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.59.203.174 (talk) 21:03, 8 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Press articles in violation of WP:NOTNEWS

The following links were languishing in the External Links section under the subtitle "Press articles". This is in direct violation of WP:NOTNEWS and if truely relevent to the main article would be better used as source material and added as references (WP:RS). I have removed them from the article but preserved them here for potential reuse or comment.

Press articles

—Teahot (talk) 22:28, 15 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Cypriot

Is he pure Greek Cypriot? Or half British? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.225.209.234 (talk) 20:13, 28 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

As stated in the Early Life section, he is a mixture of Greek Cypriot, Anglo-Saxon, and Jewish DNA. - 02:11, 15 December 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Eligius (talk • contribs)

Request for consensus on inclusion of Greek name

George Michael's Greek name (Greek: Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου) has been added and reverted several times. Perhaps we can reach consensus here before applying WP:3RR? Please discuss here so that we can agree a policy for future edits.—Teahot (talk) 13:00, 11 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Freddie, Michael, Elton

Could it be a possibility that Michael's tribute album for Freddie Mercury was influenced by the fact that both of them were gays? Elton John was also in that tribute album. Maybe this is rainbow club connection needs to be explored and included in the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.101.152.12 (talk) 20:02, 6 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Later gay sex flap in London

I notice the conspicuous omission of the 2006 incident in London concerning GM having gay sex with a singularly unattractive man in a park (apparently a popular gay cruising area) not far from GM's London home. This was particularly notable for the notorious GM quote, "Are you gay? No? Then f*** off! This is my culture!" One URL covering this, unfortunately with a significantly negative spin, is http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2006/07/this-is-my-culture.html Dick Kimball (talk) 14:03, 16 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Gay or bisexual?

According to Michael's bio, he had at least one straight relationship before coming out of the closet.--70.254.47.126 (talk) 08:37, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Who hasn't done that? If he hasn't dated any women since deciding he's gay then he's gay. Bisexuals actively date, or intend to date in the future, both sexes.209.152.56.29 (talk) 23:34, 8 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Lead

I've changed the lead. If you have any thoughts put it here DavidGilmours.solo (talk) 21:58, 6 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Looks a fair bit better to me. Off2riorob (talk) 22:02, 6 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for editing. I like it better now. But I think that we should have one paragraph about Wham! and one about his solo career. not mixed like now. DavidGilmours.solo (talk) 23:38, 6 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Well, feel free to work it a bit more and i'll cast an eye over it tomorrow as im going ofline now, best regards. Off2riorob (talk) 23:42, 6 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Okay just tell me your opinion tomorrow. Thanks again brother. DavidGilmours.solo (talk) 00:23, 7 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I add careless whisper in the lead because I think it should be mentioned, specially beacause it is his first solo single. 62.61.164.162 (talk) 13:41, 25 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It should be mentioned in the Twenty-Five section that there was also a new song called "A Moment With You"

Should his private concert in Russia which he was payed an exhoribitant amount be mentioned?

Should his relationship with Kathy Jeung be mentioned, as she starred in the video for "I Want Your Sex"?

Can we update the article to include information about "December Song" and "Jingle"?

Can his writing relationship with Johnny Douglas be mentioned?

Should there be a note about the instruments he plays and the fact that he plays all the instruments on a number of his songs? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.59.203.174 (talk) 21:08, 8 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Place of birth

 Done Should be Finchley, as per photograph of the birth certificate of Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou contained in the biography 'George Michael:The Making Of A Superstar' Bruce Dessau, Sidgwick & Jackson, London 198982.23.55.41 (talk) 12:46, 6 February 2010 (UTC)C Noble 06 Feb 2010[reply]

Is there a citation to support this? Off2riorob (talk) 13:03, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I found a cite for north london and changed to that,[1] thanks for pointing it out, perhaps it was finchley, I will look for a cite to support that, perhaps the book would do? Has anyone got a support for this? Off2riorob (talk) 13:23, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Changed to east finchley, t appears to have been vandaled out, thanks for pointing it out. Off2riorob (talk) 13:30, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

HIV

Is George Michael HIV-positive? The article mentions that he started a relationship in 1991 with a guy who subsequently died of AIDS in 1993. Stonemason89 (talk) 21:10, 23 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This is not really the correct place to speculate about that, better to first find a citation. Off2riorob (talk) 21:44, 23 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Well, here's a citation [2] indicating Michael himself doesn't even know....apparently, he has refused to take an HIV test because he is afraid it might be positive. He also says that he "doesn't believe in" tests. I suppose we could put that in the article. Stonemason89 (talk) 02:55, 24 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think so, the first para of the cite says the bbc cut the interview coz george complained it was too personal, blp and all that, there is nothing valuable adding, george does not know as he has not had a test, the vast majority of people have not had a test either, so ..no test no addition.Off2riorob (talk) 12:20, 24 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Criminality

GM has been arrested, charged and convicted with drugs, driving and sexual offences. How about listing these in a section entitled "criminality"? New Thought (talk) 16:36, 24 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The citation from Stonemason89 doesn't work. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.129.89.93 (talk) 11:39, 24 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

George Michael Bluth

This character from Arrested Development is popular enough to have a tiny dab sentence for it. Correct me if I'm wrong... providing valid reasons, of course (not just the words "not notable"). Hearfourmewesique (talk) 01:40, 12 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Amitriptyline

Can someone please explain to me why adding to the article that George Michael had been on the prescription medication, Amitriptyline, pointing out the side effects, include dizziness, hallucinating, drowsiness, with a link to the side effects of Amitriptyline as described by MEDLINE (not me) is not valid for inclusion?

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682388.html#side-effects

I see I even get a level1 warning, whatever that is? It's as if you want people to think it was the cannabis that caused George Michael to drive into that shop window.

Is Wikipedia sponsored by Big Pharma by any chance?—Preceding unsigned comment added by Christopherbrian (talk • contribs) 01:15, 11 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You need to cite a reliable source for sensitive information on a biography of a living person. Did it appear in the newspaper, or did you read it online? What is your source for this information? Any experienced user will help you add your citation. Thanks. --Diannaa (Talk) 01:18, 11 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3138060/George-Michael-jailed-for-cannabis-crash.html
The musician admitted smoking a "small quantity" of cannabis about 10pm the previous evening and said he also took the anti-depressant Amitriptyline to help him sleep.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23877664-george-michael-faces-jail-over-drug-driving-crash.do
His lawyer, Mukul Chawla QC, said the star had taken a sleeping pill, amitriptyline, which he had been prescribed eight days earlier.
just two examples, it was widely reported in the press he had taken amitriptyline, if I read you right, I can put it back in if I put a link to those articles, or will I get another warning or banned? I think it's quite relevant that he had been taking this drug, I have cited the effects from MEDLINE, which is the most authoritative OFFICIAL medical website on this planet. Christopherbrian (talk) 01:33, 11 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I am pretty sure if we re-add it with the citations it will stay. Let's use them both. But if people want more information about the drug, they can follow the link; the article is already very long. I have gone ahead and posted the material along with correctly formatted citations. You know Wikipedia just has to be sure everything is properly sourced so as to avoid lawsuits. Happy editing. --Diannaa (Talk) 01:52, 11 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
oh it looks like I changed it while you were already changing it back with my citations, I think it's the same, but please check. I've used wiki for many years, but fairly new to the editing process, to be fair what you said makes sense, thank you for your consideration. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Christopherbrian (talk • contribs) 02:01, 11 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Multi-instrumentalist

While a great category, Multi-instrumentalist/Multiple instruments in the bio box is very uninformative. What instruments, please? 71.234.215.133 (talk) 17:51, 15 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"A Different Story"

Now, I know very well that WP is full of speculations and rumors, so I'd rather refrain from immediately putting in everything which I think is logical: The documentary's title, A Different Story, lets me think of an allusion to Michael's 1985 solo hit "A Different Corner". That plausible ? -andy 217.50.56.37 (talk) 11:26, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Prisoner cats

I believe these should be included on every bio of those who have been prisoners or detainees. Wikipedia doesn't do many 'former' or 'current' cats. If an actor stops acting and becomes a politician, we don't remove the actor acts because he's no longer an actor. We keep child actor cats on people who are now old, they are not removed because the subject is no longer a child. Where does it say, in BLP or elesewhere, that prisoner cats should be any different? Jim Michael (talk) 13:35, 2 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Its just part of or BLP guidelines to be respectful in our reporting and classification of living people - not everyone who has committed a crime should be labeled as a criminal and it is quite common practice to remove living people from the prisoner cat when they are no longer a prisoner - please remember that Michael is a notable singer and not a notable criminal. Off2riorob (talk) 13:41, 2 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Article expansion

There is a recent edit, added by an IP, that I think is well-worth including in the article, but that I reverted due to BLP concerns. Please have a look through and add the things that are already referenced. If you can find references for the other statements, I think they should go in too. I think the style of using years in the section headings should be adopted also. Does anyone have any concerns about adopting it? All the best. — Mr. Stradivarius (drop me a line) 14:01, 2 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, its difficult to see which bits of that edit would be beneficial, parts of it look ok but I would suggest picking them out and adding them one by one. As for the dates - it seems reasonable to me, are other major stars arranged in such a way? This section needs work and the title is confusing George_Michael#Life_after_Twenty_Five - does it mean after the album 25 or the age 25? Off2riorob (talk) 15:05, 2 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Hi , first I want to thank Mr. Stradivarius for appreciating my edits in the article. About the edits I made, it not something new really. Most of my edits were in-fact in Wikipedia and I just organized them and made it look new and attractive for the readers. However, I'll try to get references ASAP and provide them here. About the section Life_after_Twenty_Five, I think it talks about the life of George Michael after the album Twenty Five. 188.135.88.134 (talk) 15:43, 2 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I provided references for statements in the Musical career section ,except the sub-section of Life after Twenty Five 188.66.145.55 (talk) 18:20, 5 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

George Michael has announced a concert tour for the fall which I feel is relevant to the post. I wrote up the following on this for inclusion in the '2006–present: 25 Live and beyond' section: On May 11, 2011, George Michael announced he would be embarking on a European tour starting with the August 22 date in Prague. Michael will be accompanied on the tour by a backing orchestra, and he will be performing rearranged versions of his songs. The tour is slated to visit 40 cities throughtout Europe. Michael anticipates a second leg of the tour will launch in March 2012 in Paris. [1]

Jewish maternal grandmother

It seems that other Wikipedia users want to hide the fact that George Michael is Jewish according to Jewish law. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-georgemichael14-2008jun14,1,217446.story 184.59.7.32 (talk)

Many Wikipedia biographies mention the subject's ancestry back to grandparents, great-grandparents and occasionally even further. This is relevant enough to warrant a brief mention in the Early life section. Jim Michael (talk) 15:32, 25 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It's just the Gentiles trying to white-wash History again...I have added this truth back into the main article. Thanks.GrandmaHebrew (talk) 04:30, 9 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hey GrandmaHebrew ^ If anyone white-washes's history, over and over and over and over again, it's you people! (120.149.121.133 (talk) 03:40, 20 May 2013 (UTC))[reply]

The article mentions that his maternal grandmother was Jewish because we have a reliable source for that fact. It does not say that he is Jewish because we do not have a reliable source for that. - SummerPhD (talk) 02:00, 10 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure why George Michael believes this (if he does), but his maternal grandmother was not Jewish. Her name was Daisy Angold Young, and she was the daughter of Edward Reuben Young and Sarah Susannah Angold (Sarah's lineage is documented here). Perhaps Michael (incorrectly) believes the surname "Angold" to be indicative of Jewish ancestry, but it isn't (his great-great-grandfather Henry Angold's line is traced here). George Michael's last matrilineal ancestor that I can find was his great-great-grandmother, Catharine Clarke, who was born in Hackney, Middlesex, England, in 1828, the daughter of Elizabeth and Thomas Clarke. Since she almost certainly wasn't Jewish, Michael isn't halachically Jewish (and doesn't appear to have any Jewish ancestry anyway). Michael's claim is disputed here, as well. So, I am going to remove this from the article, because I think it's pointless to go around spreading an incorrect piece of genealogical information. All Hallow's Wraith (talk) 01:04, 3 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

To ^ you... I'm pretty sure the only person who knows if George Michael's maternal grandmother is Jewish or not is George Michael HIMSELF! (idiot!)(120.149.119.252 (talk) 10:27, 11 January 2013 (UTC))[reply]

English or British Cypriot?

The article states "an English musician", yet his father is of Greek Cypriot decent. Should it be changed to British Cypriot? WWETrishMickiefan (talk) 12:16, 30 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps Michael's father, Kyriacos Panayiotou (who moved to England years before Michael was born and changed his name to Jack Panos) should be described as British Cypriot. As far as I can tell, Michael is English born and raised. We're not talking about breeding dogs here. / edg ☺ ☭ 12:09, 10 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Missing Duets

IDK how to edit that section. However, a duet with Jody Watley is missing from the Duets list "Learn to Say No."

He also collaborated with Dion Estes (sp?) for "Heaven Help Me." Dion was the bass player for Wham. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Amyanda2000 (talk • contribs) 01:10, 11 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

  1. ^ "George Michael Prepares Orchestra Tour in Europe". concerttour.org. 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
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