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10th June The newest Spice is ...
Luciano Pavarotti? The Ginger-less Spice Girls teamed up
Tuesday with the famed tenor for their first performance
since announcing their split last week. The charity
song-fest, ``Pavarotti and Friends,'' was directed by
Spike Lee and co-starred pop performers Celine Dion and
Stevie Wonder. Proceeds were to benefit poor children in
the West African nation of Liberia. The four Spices and
Pavarotti joined forces for the song ``Viva Forever,''
their first performance since the departure of Ginger
Spice, Geri Halliwell. The 62-year-old Pavarotti has been
making fewer opera appearances in recent years, but his
pop career is on the upswing. Tuesday's show in this
northern city was broadcast live on Italy's flagship
state television station, RAI-1. Also on the program were
Vanessa Williams, Natalie Cole, Jon Bon Jovi, Trisha
Yearwood and Italian stars Eros Ramazzotti, Zucchero and
Pino Daniele. At a news conference, Lee was asked whether
the all-girl group would be as good without Ms.
Halliwell. "I'm not an expert on the Spice Girls, so
I don't know if I can answer that," he answered. The
other Spice Girls declined to discussed the split. Wednesday
10th June The dust is starting to
settle following Geri "Ginger Spice"
Halliwell's unexpected departure from the phenomenally
successful pop group, a schism brought on by
"differences between us," according to her
statement, and a power struggle between Halliwell and
Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown, according to the
hot rumours. The appropriate statements have been made --
"We are sorry to all our fans for having to go
through all this," the Spice Girls said -- and the
impact has been measured. The Spice Girls losing one of
its flavours was fodder for several days of front-page
news and for a 1.9 percent drop in the stock of its
record company, EMI. That's what happens when a
multimillion-dollar international entity loses a key
division -- and a brassy one at that, one that doesn't
mind posing nude or pinching the rear end of the heir to
the British throne, and who's also been portrayed as the
strongest Spice in the package. So now what? Now it's
back to business, the remaining Spices say. The Spice
Girls are embarking on their first-ever North American
concert tour, an outing that had high stakes even before
Halliwell left the fold. Thanks to massive ticket demand
and instant sell-outs, the Spice Girls seem poised to
silence skeptics in a country that always has been
ambivalent toward manufactured, teen-idol pop groups and
has more than a few residents who would love to see the
appeal of the group -- brought together by a 1993
talent-search ad in Great Britain -- begin to wane.
Halliwell's departure raises other questions about the
group's very survival. But as far as the Spice Girls are
concerned, they've spent their entire career -- since the
1996 release of their smash debut album "Spice"
-- battling doubts about their artistic ability and the
genuineness of their "Girl Power" philosophy.
To them, losing a member is an opportunity to prove to
the world, as their statement defiantly declares,
"The Spice Girls are here to stay." "We
don't want to try and shove any messages and say,
"Hey, like us," explains Emma "Baby
Spice" Bunton, 21. "We enjoy every minute, and
our fans seem to enjoy it, so that's the most important
thing to us." Adds Melanie "Sporty Spice"
Chisolm, 22, "I think the whole thing with us and
the whole way we've perceived the media and deal with it
is we just let them get on with it, really, and it all
goes over our heads. To us, the only opinions that really
count are the ones that reach others and our families and
our fans and people who are close to it." Beyond the
tour, however, is a mystery. Surely a great deal is at
stake; during the past 2 1/2 years, the Spice Girls have
sold more than 31 million albums worldwide, and their
movie, "Spice World," has grossed $80 million.
A new line of Spice dolls -- Ginger included -- was doing
Beanie Baby-style business when they began appearing on
store shelves. And each member of the group is estimated
to have a personal fortune of nearly $30 million. That's
quite a bit to lose, and it remains to be seen if one
member's absence can torpedo the group. It was Halliwell,
responding to fan mail questions in Britain's Q magazine,
who predicted that if one member left, "I don't
think we could carry on. It wouldn't be the same."
But while she pursues her new path, which is said to
include some possible TV roles in Britain, her former
cohorts are out to prove her wrong. They're moving
forward with plans for their third album and reportedly
have trashed tapes of Halliwell's performances.
Meanwhile, the Spices are predicting changes and
surprises for the next record -- including some different
styles and songwriting collaborations, though they demure
on specifics. "Obviously, as individuals, there's
things we want to do as well," reports Victoria
"Posh Spice" Adams, 23, who's engaged to be
married to soccer star David Beckham next summer.
"So there's going to be a couple of solos on there,
a couple of duets on there ... and obviously there's
going to be lots of tracks we're all singing on."
Chisolm -- who's generally regarded as having the best
voice of the Spice Girls -- echoes those details and goes
a step further, saying the group members may even extend
their ambitions to full-fledged solo projects. "Were
so happy together as a band, but there are other things
we want to do," she says. "There could be a
Spice Girls album out at the same time as a solo album by
me or Emma or Melanie or whoever." First, however,
the Spices have to conquer the United States, where the
first murmurs of skepticism were heard after the
comparatively weak showing of the "Spice World"
album in comparison to the debut, "Spice," and
the middling box office receipts for the "Spice
World" film. Despite strong concert ticket sales,
some in the music industry feel the group was hurt by its
lack of a strong physical presence to help pump its
product in America. Until now, the Spice Girls' U.S.
experience has been limited to brief promotional
appearances in a handful of major cities. The Spice party
line on that: it's a big world, and you Americans just
had to wait your turn. "Basically, we've been very,
very busy 'round the rest of the world," Adams says.
"We've sectioned it off so we can give each country
the respect it deserves and the time it deserves as well.
"We wanted to concentrate on America, performing
there, when we could afford to spend a lot of time there
so we can give it 110 percent," she says. Adds
Chisolm: "It's such an exciting place. Being a child
growing up in England, everything on TV, and you go to
the cinema, and everything's America. It's all very
intriguing, and to be able to actually go over there and
do our thing, it's very exciting." There are other
happy occasions ahead as well, including Adams' nuptials
(Brown also is engaged, to Jimmy Gulzer, a dancer in the
Spice Girls's show), for which the other Spices are
lobbying for positions in the wedding party.
"Hopefully we're all going to be bridesmaids,"
Bunton says, "but we'll have to wait and see."
But, Chisolm reports, Adams "doesn't want us to be
bridesmaid because she's frightened we're all going to
turn up looking a complete state ... wearing these
hideous dresses just to ruin the whole day. We wouldn't,
really." Will they sing at their fellow Spice's
wedding? "I think we'll all be too drunk,"
Chisolm says, though Bunton counters that Adams will
"probably want someone a bit bigger. She'll probably
get Michael Jackson." Tuesday
9th June New-look Spice Girls
bounce into post-Ginger era MODENA, Italy - The Spice
Girls held hands, bantered with the press and put on a
"business as usual" face Monday -- as if Ginger
Spice had never existed. In their first appearance as the
new-look foursome following the departure of Geri
"Ginger Spice" Halliwell, the remaining members
of the group insisted that "Spice Power" would
last forever. Halliwell, the feisty redhead who fronted
the group, confirmed in a statement issued May 31 that
she had left the band, citing "differences between
us." Her former cohorts were tight-lipped Monday
about Halliwell's exit, which has left many wondering if
the British pop sensation can last, and reporters were
banned from asking questions about the erstwhile Ginger
Spice. Baby, Sporty, Scary and Posh Spice are scheduled
to perform Tuesday at a charity concert with superstar
opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti in the northern Italian
town of Modena. "We're just so excited about the
future! Girl Power will go on forever," the foursome
chimed at a news conference during rehearsals for the
show, to raise funds for young victims of Liberia's civil
war. But music critics are not so sure. The four have a
grueling 40-date tour of the United States ahead of them,
and many expect them to go their separate ways afterward.
But the girls, who have been hailed as Britain's biggest
pop phenomenon since the Beatles, were keen to stress
that four is still fab. "We're currently working on
our third album," said Victoria Adams, aka Posh
Spice. Halliwell, seen as the brains behind Britain's
all-femaleband, quit after a vicious row erupted in
Helsinki. The self-proclaimed leader of the group that
has sold 30 million albums was its most extroverted
member and was behind such publicity stunts as kissing
Prince Charles and bantering with South African President
Nelson Mandela. But other artists rehearsing at the
"Pavarotti and friends" concert were rather
baffled by all the fuss. "I'm not missing
Geri," said Italian singer Zucchero. American film
director Spike Lee, who is lending his talents to the
charity show by directing a film and video for the event,
had to be reminded how many members were in the group.
Pavarotti was reported to have begged Halliwell to set
aside her differences with the other Spice Girls and
perform at his concert, but for "legal and
geographical reasons" she declined. Halliwell, who
was reported to be considering a career in television or
film, arrived in Los Angeles on a British Airways jet
Sunday night but declined to answer reporters' questions.
The remaining four Spice Girls said they were delighted
to be performing with "Pav," as they called the
portly opera star. Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder and Jon Bon
Jovi are among other artists performing at the event. Monday
8th June The Spice
Girls have started a flood of calls to suicide hotlines
after the news that Ginger Spice has left the group. Suicide
telephone companies around the world have had to take on
extra staff since the news of Ginger's departure broke on
Sunday. Many young teenage girls are apparently feeling
suicidal about their favourite Spice Girl leaving the
group. In America millions of young girls besieged
suicide hotlines on Monday claiming that they too were
feeling suicidal because Ginger would no longer be with
the group on their summer American tour. One employee for
a US teen suicide helpline company reports: "We are
worked that many young girls will feel despondent about
Ginger leaving the group and we have taken on extra
people to man the phones to cope with the number of
distraught teenagers that have been in contact with us.
We hope that nobody feels that this is enough to make
them give up on life, but teenagers can become obsessed
with pop idols and to many young girls Ginger leaving the
group is the beginning of the end of the Spice Girls and
they just can't face that. Things should get back to
normal in a few weeks, but in the meantime suicide
hotlines around the world are dealing with the brunt of
this news 24 hours a day." Sunday
7th June The whole world was
stunned almost a week ago by the shock announcement that
Geri "Ginger Spice", from the highly successful
UK group, The Spice Girls, would no longer be part of the
group. Over 40 sell-out U.S. concerts would be
performed without her, and rumors began flying over what
made her leave. Sick of being a Spice Girl for 24
hours a day and a major power struggle with Mel B
"Scary Spice" were two of many
speculations. With an estimated worth of over 30
million dollars, money will be no hinderance to Geri as
she now pursues a solo career. In the meantime, the
Spice Girls' latest hit, "Stop", turns out now
to be the highest charting single from their
"Spiceworld" album, eclipsing the number 8 peak
of "Spice Up Your Life" and the number 9
success of the ballad "Too Much", as it bullets
into the top 5 this week. While they've enjoyed six
number one singles and one number two single in the UK,
their only Australian chart-topper was their debut
release, "Wannabe". "Stop" may
challenge this record as it now becomes the third highest
charting single of all their releases in Australia. Thursday
4th June POSH SPICE is
doing what England expects: lying back and thinking of
David Beckham.He is just days away from playing against
Tunisia but looks on top of the world as he holidays with
his fiancee. Becks, 24, is helping Posh, 23, come to
terms with being shafted by Ginger Spice AND try to
prepare for the Spice Girls' US tour as a foursome. These
three peaceful days are the last precious hours the pair
will spend together for weeks. And Becks, who dined in a
trendy £120 silk sarong given to him by Posh, made sure
he made the most of every second. The lovebirds have been
spending long, happy hours, side-by-side on sunloungers
soaking up the sun. And at night they have strolled,
hand-in-hand, just like any other couple, to dine at
nearby restaurants. Sir Elton John offered his mansion
near Nice to the Spice Girls to help them unwind after
Geri's decision to quit. Essex-born David, who became
friendly with the rocker after meeting him at a Versace
fashion show two years ago, flew over to re-kindle the
flames of passion with Posh. On Friday he will join the
rest of the England squad at Burnham Beeches and Victoria
will join Mel B, Mel C and Emma in Dublin putting down
tracks for their third album. Meanwhile, legendary tenor
Pavarotti failed to achieve the impossible and reunite
Geri with the other Spice Girls for a charity concert in
Italy. The remaining four will keep their promise made
before Geri quit to sing with the opera star Pavarotti
next Tuesday. They will take part in the fourth of his
famous Modena concerts for War Child, alongside Celine
Dion, Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder and other stars. Geri's
spokesman said yesterday "It is geographically
impossible and legally impossible for her to be
there." Pavarotti will now sing her part. Thursday
4th June The former
Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has been talking to the BBC
about a possible television presenting role. Discussions
are said to be at a formative stage and, as yet, there is
no sign what direction a TV role might take for the
ex-pop star. A spokeswoman for the corporation confirmed
that talks had taken place since Geri - known as Ginger
Spice - left the group last week. "The channels are
open but there is nothing concrete," said the
spokeswoman. "The BBC is always on the lookout for
top talent, if Geri was interested in doing
something," she added. The news came as it was
revealed that a heart-felt plea from the celebrated opera
singer, Luciano Pavarotti, had failed to reunite Geri
with her former band members for a one-off charity
concert. The remaining girls will keep their promise to
sing with the Italian tenor during a star-studded show on
Tuesday. Celine Dion, Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder are
among the other big names booked for the concert, in aid
of the War Child charity. There has been much speculation
that Geri's next career move would be as a TV presenter.
Before joining the Spice Girls she worked as a game-show
hostess on Turkish television. Some reports suggested she
had been talking to TV executives before making the
split, with an eye to organising a back-up career. The
BBC spokeswoman said there had been no specific role
mentioned for Geri and the discussions had been simply
about her plans.
Meanwhile, the New York Post reports that one of the
producers of the Broadway show "The Life," a
musical about the pimps and prostitutes who inhabited New
York's Times Square before its recent clean-up (wags call
the show "Orgy and Bess"), is racing across the
Atlantic to offer Halliwell a leading role in the
soon-to-open London production. Wednesday
3rd June The Spice Girls are
putting their troubles behind them and have again
concentrated on producing work for their next album.
Publicists for the group said Sporty Spice Mel C has gone
to Dublin over the last few days to record vocals for the
band's as yet untitled third Album during a break in
their touring schedule. The rest of the group - minus
Geri Halliwell, are due to record their contributions to
the tracks in the near future after the return from Elton
Johns villa in the south of France. However it is unlikly
that Geri will feature on the new album at all instead
the other girls will sing any planned lyrics for Geri
themselves. Tuesday
2nd June SPICED-OUT Geri Halliwell
became obsessed with the paranormal as she battled to
decide what she really, really wanted to do with her
life. Mixed-up Ginger sought guidance from psychics and
stargazers but was taunted over it by the other
Spice Girls. A source close to the pop babes revealed she
even used a clairvoyant to ask her DEAD dad for advice.
Geri plotted her departure for almost two months,
consulting Chris Evans, PR guru Matthew Freud and
lawyers, as well as her paranormal pals, before making
the final decision to quit, the insider said. Tuesday
2nd June Geri Halliwell's departure
from the Spice Girls might have broken youngsters' hearts
but the makers of dolls featuring the pop group believes
it will boost sales of its products. Chairman of
Character Group, Richard King, said the company had
received "substantial re-orders" for its Spice
Girls world tour dolls from shops since the split became
official. And the Ginger Spice doll is as popular as
ever. He said: "Geri could become popular for fans
who want to be reminded of the original five." Tuesday
2nd June TORONTO (CP) -- The
65-year-old mayor of Toronto, sounding like 12-year-old
fans everywhere, is urging Ginger Spice to make up with
the rest of the Spice Girls. Mel Lastman sent a letter
Monday to Geri (Ginger Spice) Halliwell, begging the
redheaded chanteuse to reconsider her decision to leave
the British pop group. "I have read that your
separation from the group is the result of 'differences'
you have had with the other girls," Mel Lastman
wrote in a letter addressed to Halliwell, misspelling her
name "Gerri." "Please get over your
differences and make your appearance in Toronto with the
rest of the band members. I know you can work things out
to make an appearance in Toronto." The outspoken
mayor of Canada's largest city says he wants to see all
five Spice Girls when the pop group plays a concert in
the city July 11. He bought tickets to the concert
for two of his grandchildren. Despite Halliwell's
departure, the three-city tour in Canada will continue as
scheduled, said promoters Universal Concerts, with the
group performing as a quartet. "We've been given
every indication that the show is happening," said
Paul Corcoran, the general manager with Universal in
charge of the Toronto stadium where the Spice Girls are
scheduled to perform. But the assurances didn't
seem to appease Lastman, whose letterhead features a
cartoon sketch of the curly headed mayor tap dancing and
singing above the maxim There's No Business Like Show
Business. He reminds Halliwell of the cancelled
Spice Girls visit to Toronto to promote their movie Spice
World. "Many of your fans were devastated when
you cancelled your appearance. I know the only bright
part of the day was your promise to return during the
world tour. "Now thousands of your fans,
especially the youngest ones, have had their hearts
broken again." Lastman closes with an admonishment
urging Halliwell to keep her promises. "You made a
commitment to your fans in Toronto to perform in
July. People deserve it and I hope you will live up
to your word." Tuesday
2nd June The Spice Girls are locked
in crisis talks over the group's future at Sir Elton
John's luxury villa in the South of France. Emma,
Victoria, Mel C and Mel B flew to Nice after Sir Elton,
51, persuaded them they needed to "get away from it
all". Meanwhile, Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell - whose
decision to quit the group was officially announced on
Sunday - is still in hiding. The four Spice Girls, who
have vowed to continue with a US tour starting in two
weeks, are relaxing at Sir Elton's £3.5 million pink
mansion. The superstar, who is in Britain preparing for
sell-out concerts at Wembley, has laid on nine staff to
look after them. The secluded villa, set high on a hill
with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean, boasts a
swimming pool for them to enjoy. The singer struck up a
friendship with the group last year when they sang on the
television show An Audience With Elton John. Monday
1st June PACKS of lawyers are now
battling to solve the mystery of just who owns the Spice
Girls' goldmine. The big question is whether Geri can
still get a cut of band earnings which are more than
£50million a year. The girls have personal fortunes of
almost £18million each. At the launch of the Spiceworld
movie in Istanbul, Mel B said: "It's not about
making money. We want to spread the message of Girl
Power." But it most definitely IS about the money
now. After ditching their manager, Simon Fuller, the
girls set up individual companies - Firecracker, now Geri
Productions Ltd (Ginger), Fijou (Baby), Moody (Posh),
Money Spider (Scary) and Red Girl (Sporty). They are paid
via a holding company, Spice Girls Ltd, which owns the
right to the band's name. In theory, it means Geri is
forever entitled to a share of any money the band makes
in the future. That could come to a cool £6million in
the next few months alone, as they begin their US tour.
But lawyers for Geri and the others are likely to strike
a deal whereby she will forfeit her share of the cash
from touring if the band promise not to sue her for the
millions they might lose from her shock exit. Amid
rumours of her splitting, EMI - who ultimately own the
band's name - saw their share price drop by 4.5per cent
to 518p. The City will be watching as the full effect of
Geri's departure becomes apparent this week. And it may
not just be legions of young fans shedding a tear. The
split will worry a host of companies with product
endorsements. Pepsi, Walkers, Polaroid, ASDA and Chupa
Chups lollipops bought into the Spice Girls for
£5million. But Geri can still expect a cash bonanza for
years to come. All five girls are registered co-writers
for their three biggest singles, Wannabe, 2 Become 1 and
Say You'll Be There. Last year, Virgin paid them
£10.7million in song-writing royalties for just those
three hits, on top of £28.6million for royalties on
world-wide album and single sales. They are now
officially one of Britain's biggest exports, earning in
excess of £200 million for the UK record industry. But
Geri was definitely out of the spotlight when the
wheeling and dealing over her future was underway over
the past few days. Her departure was orchestrated by
lawyer Julian Turton who has been trying to safeguard her
future income and protect against law suits for damaging
the Spice Girls brand image by walking out. The most
marketed band in history make £103-a-minute for the
brand name and are listed as the 32nd richest
entertainers in the world by Forbes magazine. If the four
sing on without Geri, merchandisers will rush out more
products to cash in on the possible twilight of the Spice
Phenomenon. Monday
1st June Geri Halliwell finally
quit the Spice Girls yesterday - but told her fans:
"I'll be back". Ginger Spice is already
planning her future career - probably in television. The
four remaining band members will continue with their
40-date American tour and their Wembley Stadium gigs. The
split came after mounting rumours of clashing egos within
the all-girl group since sacking their manager Simon
Fuller late last year. The official end to the band, who
have had six straight UK number one hit singles in a
meteoric career, came yesterday afternoon. Media lawyer
Julian Turton read a statement from Geri at London. It
read: "This is a message to the fans. Sadly I would
like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls.
"This is because of differences between us. I'm sure
the group will continue to be successful and I wish them
all the best. "I have no immediate plans. I wish to
apologise to all the fans and to thank them." Geri
stands to lose £5million in band earnings - and could be
sued by the Stateside promoters if they feel the US tour
has been undermined by her walk-out. But she has a new PR
adviser Matthew Freud, who also works for Ginger >
Media Group chief Chris Evans. Geri discussed her plans
to leave the group, the biggest British pop phenomenon
since The Beatles, with Evans at his home two weeks ago.
It is understood they mapped out several career options -
and singing was not one of them. One television executive
said: "Geri wants to go solo - but that doesn't mean
singing. "She has always said she is a
jack-of-all-trades and now that she has money in the bank
and a famous face she wants to spread her wings.
"Geri really only wants to do interviews. She's
exhausted with all the touring - it isn't really her.
"At the moment she just wants to get out - but a
telly career or managing other bands and passing on the
Girl Power ethic is the future Geri will want to
develop." Last night, Geri was still in hiding on
the Continent after refusing to perform with the rest of
the group on last Wednesday's National Lottery show and
the last two concerts of their European tour in Oslo.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the other four Spices, Alan
Edwards, gave a short statement: "The Spice Girls
are here to stay - see you at the stadiums. "We are
sorry to all our fans for having to go through all of
this." The statement ended: "Friendship never
ends" - a line from their 1996 debut hit Wannabe.
Edwards added that the American tour, due to start on
June 15 in Miami, would go ahead. The Spice Girls are
also due to appear on June 9 in Medina, Italy, for a
charity concert with Luciano Pavarotti for War Child. The
band has always thrived on maximum publicity - and true
to form kept the world's media waiting for 30 minutes
before delivering their two sides of the story. The
announcements ended a weekend of intense speculation when
the only official comment about Geri's disappearance was
that she had "gastro-enteritis". But what
slowly emerged was that the five friends had argued in
the worst row they'd ever had. Geri was very hurt by how
her old pals had turned on her. The arguments began in
Helsinki and carried on at the airport lounge and on the
plane until they landed back in Britain - three hours
later. At Heathrow, Geri stomped off- but the band
expected her to be back for the National Lottery show.
She didn't show up and before the show phoned them up on
a mobile saying she would never sing with them again. The
band's publicity machine went into overdrive to cover up
the split - and it may have worked if it had been anyone
else in the group. But the world knew that Geri, the
spirit of Girl Power and the Spice Girl who desperately
wanted fame, wouldn't skip a gig for a tummy bug. The
four remaining Spice Girls then soldiered on without her
in the Norway gigs. Now the question is how long the
Spice Girls can continue as a viable group without Geri
Halliwell. The father of Scary Spice, Mel Brown, hinted
the long-term future of the band may still be in doubt.
Dennis Brown said it remained to be seen what would
happen after the band's American tour. Speaking at the
family's semi-detached home in Burley, Leeds, he said:
"They will be going ahead with the American tour,
which takes them into August - after that we'll have to
wait and see. "Mel is still a member of the Spice
Girls and will be for the foreseeable future. "I am
happy that she is carrying on with the group - that is
her job." And Tony Adams, Victoria's dad, talked
about the "awful strain" that a gruelling tour
schedule had put on the Spice Girls prior to their split.
He said: "They have all been working very long
hours. "They have 42 concerts coming up in America
and Canada, but knowing the girls I'm sure they'll go a
head with them all." Posh's mum Jackie added:
"I've spoken to Victoria and she is very sad. But
there will still be a Spice Girls, won't there? They'll
still go on. They are the hardest working group
around." Geri was never one to boast of her singing
and dancing abilities - and some reports over the weekend
suggested it was Mel B's constant sniping about her two
left feet which made her leave. What Geri has is a feisty
personality which let her pat Prince Charles' bottom and
flirt with Nelson Mandela. She was also said to be the
main influence behind the sacking of Simon Fuller. The
first rumblings that she was leaving began when she met
Virgin Radio and Ginger Media Group boss Chris Evans. She
already had a taste of life on the small screen as a
Turkish game show hostess and loves interviewing fellow
stars. A spokesman for the group's label, Virgin Records,
said: "We're not in touch with any of the band just
now." The band's spokesman Alan Edwards insisted:
"There will be another album and everything else.
"Spice will live for many years to come." What
he still wasn't sure about yesterday was whether Geri
will make one final appearance with the rest of the
group. But for the band's young fans, the real question
today is whether the Spice Girl's rift can ever be healed
- or, like Take That before them, the split is for good. Monday
1st June As the long-term future of
the Spice Girls' music empire is left in question after
Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell's recent departure, the
group's lawyers and mangers are in the process of carving
up the financial half of the SpiceWorld, which appeared
to be strained in the weeks leading up to the break.
Sunday's split only confirmed suspicions which had been
mounting all week, both before and after Halliwell's
no-show on a British lottery TV show. "The Sun"
and other press sources reported that there had been a
"blazing row" and described the girls as having
an airport "tiff" followed by
"sniping" on the plane and "flouncing
off" after landing. Stories circulated that
Halliwell was conferring with TV and movie agents
followed by reports that she was retaining her own PR
person and legal counsel. When she failed to appear with
the band Wednesday in London, and Thursday and Friday for
concerts in Norway, "The Daily Mirror" reported
that Halliwell had walked out on the band and had left
the country for an undisclosed location. Spokespeople for
the group, however, steadfastly claimed that Halliwell's
absence was due to exhaustion and a stomach ache, and
denied reports of a split. Rumors of dissension had been
dogging the Spice Girls since they fired manager Simon
Fuller last September and began handling their own
careers. Halliwell appeared to be at the helm, although
the girls later told a TV audience (unconvincingly) that
Posh Spice Victoria Adams had been the ringleader leading
up to the decision to fire Fuller. The lawyers are
currently hammering out the financial details of the pop
music divorce. "The Mirror" reports that the
girls own equal shares in Spice Girls Ltd, which owns the
right to the band's name and image, and all five share
songwriting credits on their major hits. According to the
paper, The Spice Girls made $88 million US last year,
Fuller was paid $25 million and the band split the rest
to give them total personal fortunes of close to $30
million each. Their pending 40-city tour is expected to
pull in another $10 million. Sunday
31th May As we
first reported before any Spice Girl site on Thursday
this week, Geri is to leave the Spice Girls, the news was
finally announced this afternoon by Julian Turton, Geri's
Lawyer that this was to be the case. He said: "Geri Halliwell has left
the Spice Girls because of "differences" with
the other four members of the group but Geri wants to say
to the fans: "I'll be back." In the statement
read - Ginger Spice - wished the remaining four girls
success for the future and was sorry about her decision
to leave especially to the fans. Bookmakers have slashed
the odds of Geri achieving a solo Christmas number one
from 100-1 to 33-1. The four remaining Spice Girls were
"upset and saddened" but will carry on and
fulfil their commitments including the forthcoming
American tour, their spokesman Alan Edwards said. Sunday
31th May SPICE Girl Geri
Halliwell's decision to quit the band halfway through
their world tour could cost her as much as £5million.
According to music industry experts, that's the figure
Ginger Spice could have made from ticket sales,
merchandising and sponsorship deals if she hadn't left on
Wednesday claiming nervous exhaustion. She could be even
more out of pocket if promoters of the 40-date US leg of
the Spiceworld tour pull out having already sold a
million tickets. That could lead to the band being sued
and Geri being drawn into a legal wrangle with her fellow
group members who may blame her for any possible loss of
earnings. Last night promoters were insisting they would
wait for confirmation of a split. That is likely to come
today after a meeting in London between the girls, their
financial team and their media adviser Alan Edwards. A
spokesman at his office said that handling the Spice
Girls was becoming 'a nightmare job'. He added:
"With all the interested parties vying for control
tension is inevitable, but I really believe this one can
be resolved." The current unrest emerged on
Wednesday when Geri failed to turn up for the girls'
appearance on the National Lottery. It was later reported
that she had walked out on the band and had vowed
"never to sing with them again".One music biz
insider, who worked with Take That when Robbie Williams
left in similar circumstances three years ago, says that
leaving a huge group like the Spice Girls is a bit like a
divorce. "Take That's legal problems are still going
on now. Geri needs to sit down and really consider what
she might be letting herself in for," he said. The
Spice Girls seemed to have ridden the storm which erupted
after they sacked manager Simon Fuller last November. But
insiders claim unrest has been brewing ever since Fuller
went. One said last night: "There were a lot of rows
on the tour and the well-oiled machine seemed to be
breaking down daily. "They all knew they would split
eventually. But the other girls desperately wanted their
Wembley Stadium gigs in September to be the pinnacle of
their career. What better stage could there be for the
band to go out on top?" Now, with Geri's walkout, it
looks like Girl Power will go out with a fizz rather than
a bang. Sunday
31th May AN amazing row between
Geri Halliwell and her mum over sex before marriage
triggered her decision to quit the Spice Girls, it was
revealed last night. Geri turned to the rest of the band
for a shoulder to cry on after the bust-up - and was
shocked when the other girls simply laughed and taunted
her. Ginger Spice decided it was the last straw and she
had to quit. Geri, 25, clashed with her mum Anna-Marie
over the sexy singer's plans to live with her new love,
dancer Christian Horsfall. Anna, a deeply-religious
Jehovah's Witness, was furious and told Geri that sex
before marriage was "morally wrong in the eyes of
God". The bust-up three weeks ago was too much for
the exhausted singer - already under pressure trying to
combine the band's gruelling schedule with her role as
unofficial manager. She got no sympathy from the rest of
the girls who thought it was bizarre that one of the
world's sexiest singers should be lectured by her mum on
morals. After failing to turn up for the band's
appearance on BBC's Midweek Lottery Live on Wednesday,
Geri phoned each of the Spice Girls to say she was
quitting. Ginger Spice called them one by one on their
mobile phones and wept as she said: "I'm sorry, it's
all over. I've had enough. I'm out of here."The
bombshell message was short and sweet and ended one of
pop's most successful partnerships. Geri refused to give
her friends a reason for her shock exit from the
supergroup. But a friend revealed that the row with her
cleaner mum over plans for Christian to move into her
mansion at Berkhamstead, Herts, sent her over the edge.
The friend said: "Geri was shocked that at the age
of 25 she had to listen to her mum rant and rave about
how wrong it was to have sex out of marriage. "This
is a sexy young girl who has traded on her raunchy image
to reach the top of the pop world. "And she's never
made any secret of her affairs and how important a
healthy sex life is to her, even if she did stop short of
going into details with her mum. "Anna lives with
her boyfriend but told Geri that they don't sleep
together because they're not married. She adopted this
strict line on sex with Geri's two sisters and brother as
well but it was Geri who really blew her top about it.
"Despite rumours to the contrary, Geri is still in
love with Christian and told her family she wants him to
move into her new home. "But Anna went beserk and
said, 'Don't you know this is wrong? I haven't brought
you up to behave like this'. "Things then got really
nasty between them and Geri launched into her mum
accusing her of being a hypocrite. " Ambitious Geri
took control of the Spice Girls when they sacked manager
Simon Fuller last friend. The friend said she was finding
the extra responsibility hard to handle. "Geri's
nerves were frazzled because she was finding it hard to
cope. "The band work hard enough as it and on top of
that she had the extra pressure ofbeing the virtual
manager. To be lectured by her mum was just the last
straw really. "She stormed out of Anna's house and
hasn't spoken to her since. It's as if that row made her
think, 'What the hell. It's my life and I'll do what I
want'. Then of course she quit the group." Mel B,
Victoria, Mel C and Emma were left reeling by her
decision. Afterwards they convened an emergency meeting
and remained at the BBC after the Lottery show to
untangle the legal nightmare they face. All five share
the same lawyers and are entitled to an equal share of
the profits. Yesterday Geri was in hiding as her lawyers
were locked in a meeting with the band's lawyers trying
to hammer out the group's future. The Spice Girls divided
their business interests into separate companies after
sacking Fuller. Geri's was called Firecracker
Productions, named after her sister Karen's dress
company. But three weeks ago she changed the name of the
business to Geri Productions in preparation for launching
her solo career. The Spice Girls are now taking a week
off at the end of the European leg of the Spiceworld
tour. But all four remaining girls have vowed the band
WILL continue - and they will go ahead with their
upcoming tour of the US. One member of their production
team said: "Geri is very much part of the brains
behind the group but in fact she is easily the least
competent musically." Geri has been credited as the
driving force behing the Spice Girls since Fuller was
sacked. A source revealed: "Geri decided not to go
on the lottery show and when the girls were backstage
afterwards, they all got a call from her. They were
stunned." Yesterday Anna-Marie refused to comment on
her daughter as she left her detached home near Watford,
Herts, with her boyfriend. Saturday
30th May After we exclusively
revealed early this morning before any other Spice Girl
web site that Geri has confirmed she is to leave the
other Spice Girls and go her own way, we have dug even
deeper all day to find out more news. We can exclusively
reveal Ginger Spice, 25, has hired a legal team for her
split from the world's top pop band. A source said last
night "The situation looks terminal. Geri has told
the Spice Girls she does not want to sing with them
again. She's had enough and wants out. Geri won't talk to
them in person. Lawyers are handling everything."
Geri has recruited Turton of top London firm Simkins to
represent her. The bombshell was revealed as Mel B, Mel
C, Victoria and Emma took to the stage without Geri for a
second night running. The feisty redhead was still in
hiding after refusing to join the others in Oslo, Norway.
Last night she was at a secret bolthole on the continent.
Lawyer Turton, who has already informed the others Geri
wants to quit, was travelling to meet her. The source
said: "Geri effectively sacked the group's lawyer
and has appointed her own man. "It would be terrible
if one of the greatest pop stories ended in this
way." The remaining Spice Girls have vowed to carry
on as a foursome if Geri does not return for the US leg
of their Spice World Tour. But their lawyer Andrew
Thompson and Virgin Records are battling to change Geri's
mind. Last night a spokesman for the group continued to
blame Geri's absence on a stomach bug. He said: "
All I know is Geri is not well." Geri may decide NOT
to launch a solo career - but to stay behind the scenes
of her own production company. The source said;
"right now she doesn't even want to think about
singing. "She has not been well for a while but
that's not the reason she has quit. "There have been
tensions and problems within the group for some time.
"Basically she feels she should be allowed to be her
own person and to promote her own causes - like breast
cancer." Geri was delighted with the positive
response after she revealed her own cancer scare. Geri
fled abroad after a blazing row with her fellow Spices
when she refused to join them on BBC1's National Lottery
show. She also wanted to film a TV interview about her
cancer scare. That angered the other girls. Geri reacted
by refusing to perform the final two dates of the
European leg of their World Tour. Saturday
30th May "I will never work
with the Spice Girls again", the last words to have
been spoken by Geri Halliwell as she confirms that she is
indeed to split from the rest of the group. Geri
Halliwell, Ginger Spice has asked her lawyer to make it
official to the other Spice Girl that she will leave the
group. However the former Take That manager having heard
this news said: " 6 months ago they said the Spice
Girls would split when they fired the manager, now they
say the Spice Girls will break up because Geri is
leaving. Girl Power will continue without Geri and so
will the Spice Girls. However it does start to ask the
question why this has all come about. This straight out
of the blue event seemed to start when it was revealed
that Geri had a Breast Cancer scare at 18. Maybe this
should have not been brought to light, who knows? Send us
your views to our Back Chat team. We want to hear. Friday
29th May THE Spice Girls were
reeling last night at the threat of the Feisty Five cut
to the Fab Four. As the mystery deepened over missing
Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell, the rest of the girls were
said to be "in the dark" about her plans. A
source close to the band - whose hits include 2 Become 1
and Wannabe - confirmed: "They feel she seems to
want to go off and do her own thing where as they like to
do everything together" And an official spokesman
said "The girls are obviously shocked by what has
happened. "They are not sure yet how serious the
situation is with Geri. "They very much hope they
can sort out any problems - but are well aware that it is
a critical time." Pop insiders have tipped
headstrong Geri, 25 - Girl Power's biggest fan - or
favourite among the Spice Girls to carve a solo career.
She was thrust into the role of unofficial leader of the
band last November when the girls sensationally sacked
the man who had catapulted them to fame. Geri was the
prime mover in the decision to ditch manager Simon
Fuller. As the other girls wept, Geri coolly announced:
"The girls have made the ultimate Girl Power move.
"We want to control our own careers. "A Spice
insider said: Geri is the real power behind the Spice
Girls. Not only is she the most outspoken member of the
group but she genuinely believes in real girl power. She
wants to take control of her OWN career - end is not
about to let anyone else tell her what to do. She is well
aware that if the group does decide to go separate ways
then she must be the first one to make the break just
like Robbie Williams when he left Take That. She knows
that whoever takes the plunge and goes first is more
likely to be a success. It is a worrying time for the
girl. But Geri is a very astute businesswoman and she
would not make a rash decision to quit if she didn't
think the time was right. The Source also shed light on
why Geri ducked appearing with the other girls on
Wednesday night's UK's BBC1 National Lottery show. Her
refusal came just a day after Geri exclusively revealed
how she had undergone an emergency operation after a
breast cancer scare. The insider said: "Geri didn't
want to do the Lottery show because she been asked to do
something else for TV about her support for breast cancer
charities. "After it was revealed about her breast
cancer scare the interest in Geri just exploded.
"She was delighted at the positive response it got
and wanted to do everything she could to promote greater
awareness of the disease. "But the other girls knew
they were committed to doing the Lottery and didn't want
to disappoint the BBC and the fans." The other girls
were furious that she let them down - sparking last
night's crisis. Scary Spice Mel B, Posh Spice Victoria
Adams, Baby Spice Emma Bunton and Sporty Spice Mel C were
forced to frantically revamp their concert in Oslo,
Norway. But a cloud still hangs over their planned US
tour next month. The spokesman said: "No one knows
at the moment whether Geri will do the American dates of
the tour. "But it is a little way off yet so they
have time to talk. "They will all sit down next week
and discuss the future. They've got some time off to
think about it all. "They are hoping that this is
not something that will spilt the band." The Girls
meteoric rise is believed to have netted them each
£6million. Their second album Spiceworld has sold
millions around the world. And their hit movie of the
same name grossed £50 million. But just weeks ago their
run of chart topping singles ended when their latest
release Stop stalled at No 2 in the UK. A music industry
insider said "They're no longer the hot new product
they were when they first burst upon the scene. "No
band can stay on top forever and the Spice Girls are no
exception." Friday
29th May THE Spice Girls were in
crisis last night after Geri Halliwell walked out on
their tour. Ginger Spice, 25 fled Into hiding-leaving the
four others to perform two concerts without her. They
have not spoken to the feisty redhead since having a
blazing row with her on Wednesday after she refused to
join them on TV's. National Lottery show. They fear she
may have quit the Spice Girls for good - and were
described as "shell-shocked." Mel B, Mel C,
Victoria and Emma pressed ahead with a gig in Oslo,
Norway, last night. They face another in the same city
tonight at the end of the European leg of their
Spiceworld tour. Then, after a l0-day break, they must
take on the crucial challenge of touring America. The
four remaining Girls plan to hold a crunch meeting with
Geri next week. And they are desperately hoping she will
join them in the States. But a source close to the band
said last night: "There has a been a lot of friction
between the Girls recently. "There was a major row
because the others felt Geri wasn't working with them as
part of a team" Geri took a flight out Britain on
Wednesday and headed to secret hideaway. But the other
Girls managed to put a brave face on her vanishing when
reporters spoke to them outside their Oslo hotel last
night. They were about to be drive off to prepare for
their gig in the Spektrum concert hall. And Scary Spice
Mel B said "Of course we're going ahead with the
show." But when asked if anyone had spoken to Geri
since the Lottery row, she replied: "No, it's a bit
too early at the moment." The four were forced to do
extra rehearsals to cover Geri's absence. As well as
their tour they are scheduled to perform with Pavarotti
at his War Child Charity concert next month. And the
source warned: "No one knows if Geri will continue
with the American dates. "Everything is up in the
air at the moment. "The girls have always been so
close end done everything to together, and they are
shell-shocked. "But they hope Geri will stay with
the group" Friday
29th May As North America prepares
itself for the invasion of the Spice Girls, businessmen
in New York and London are rubbing their hands with glee.
The sell-out tour will mean a money spinning bonanza for
those lucky manufacturers with licensed merchandise. When
the Spice Girls arrive for their tour, a huge collection
of quality merchandise will already be in the shops. It
was the Beatles who spearheaded the first British
invasion of the States back in the '60s - but all fans
could buy then was a framed photo, a lunchbox and a
Mersey wig! These days, youngsters scramble to collect
items such as toy mobile telephones that allow them to
speak directly to the Spice Girls. This item is hotly
tipped to knock the Spice Girls dolls off the top of the
toy bestseller charts. Other merchandise includes Spice
Girl photo frames, lunch boxes, stationery, bags,
umbrellas, jigsaw puzzles, baseball hats, coffee mugs,
party products, postcards, and keyrings, all in the Spice
Girls official colours of magenta and white. "Our
own collection consists of nearly 200 separate items --
it's been very good business for us so far,'' says Paul
Beverley, director of PMS International Far East Ltd, a
cross-Continent toy, gift and novelty manufacturer, which
had the foresight to pick up a host of Spice Girls
licenses shortly after they were launched as a group. The
merchandise is good for the Girls as well -- since they
earn a royalty from every sale. Few realised at the time,
that the group's first single "Wannabe'' would be
such a huge success, but PMS International, based in Hong
Kong and with offices in London and China, and sales
agents in the US, tied up merchandise rights early on.
"Our belief was that this was the first group with
the potential to match the success of the Beatles. They
also had a target age range much wider than any
comparable pop group of today,'' says Paul Beverley.
"They are extremely popular with the four to eight
year old age group. We produced goods that appeal both to
the teenagers, and a comprehensive range suitable for the
younger age group too.'' The products were launched at
the New York Toy Fair in February through Canco Sales of
Forest Hills, New York, prior to tickets going on sale
for the Spice Girls summer stadium tour. The New York
concert tickets were sold out in less than twenty minutes
and the rest of the country swiftly followed suit. It
helped that every individual item had been approved by
the Girls themselves. There's little point in a group
whose slogan is "Girl Power'' handing over control
to men in suits. Thursday
28th May The Spice Girls were
making their concert debut as a quartet after illness
forced Geri Halliwell to miss the show. Ginger Spice was
forced to stay in Britain as the rest of the band flew
out to Oslo, Norway, to play a sell-out show for 8,600
fans at the city's Spektrum venue. A band spokeswoman
said Geri was resting in bed to make sure she was over
the stomach bug and fit to continue with the group's
touring commitments. However the rest of Spice Girls
landed in a private jet at Oslo's Gardermoen airport late
last night. The girls however, refused to put their
feet on Norwegian soil until the army of press
photographers were removed. The last two of their in all
94 concerts of their world tour in the European leg will
be performed in Oslo over the next two days. They had
given a clear message to the concert's organisers that
they did not want any media at their arrival yesterday. Thursday
28th May
Tuesday
26th May THE Spice Girls movie got
a lukewarm response from fans when it was released on
video yesterday. Many shops only managed to sell a few
handfuls of Spiceworld The Movie. And bosses revealed
Girl Power was no match for The Full Monty. Brian McGill,
of Tower Records in Glasgow, said: "Sales can't
compare with the rush for copies of The Full Monty.
"We sold 11 Spiceworld videos this morning. The Full
Monty flew out of the door as fast as we could open the
boxes." Die hard Spice fans did queue outside some
stores to pick up their copy. Some were waiting at the
door of the Virgin Megastore in Dundee when it opened
yesterday morning. A spokesman said:"We had about 10
people waiting outside. Then it quietened down. We sold
about 20.'' HMV in Aberdeen sold up to 25 copies of the
video. A spokesman said: "It's not been as hectic as
we expected.'' But Girl Power is truly on the wane in
Perth. The local John Menzies didn't sell a single copy
of Spiceworld. ABSOLUTE SPICE would like to remind
fans that if you did enjoy the movie then get yourself a
copy. Overall this film is not that bad. Think of the
future having a copy of a Spice Girl product will be
worth quite a lot especially if you get hold of the
Limited Edition version in a silver tin. Look how much
Beatles items are selling for now. Spice Girls will have
the impact. Tuesday
26th May Ginger Spice Geri
Halliwell has had surgery in a breast cancer scare. The
buxom 25-year-old needed the emergency operation to
remove a small lump from her right breast. Geri then had
a terrifying three-day wait while tests were carried out
on the lump before doctors gave her the all clear. An
l8-year-old unknown dancer at the time, she feared she
might lose a breast or worse if she had the disease, a
major killer. She told a national newspaper: "It was
a absolutely hideous time. "'I thought "Oh my
God". I've got cancer. I feared I might lose one of
my boobs. The idea was absolutely hideous. "I hadn't
been checking my breasts or examining them in any regular
routine - you don't think you need to at that age.
"But one day I noticed this lump protruding from my
right breast and when I felt it, it was about the size of
a Smartie. I was so scared." Geri was speaking out
in the hope that other young women would be encouraged to
get proper advice on breast cancer. She added: "I
will always live with the thought that next time I might
not be so lucky. Delyth Morgan, chief executive of the
Break through Breast Cancer charity, said: "We were
very sorry to hear that Geri had had such a distressing
experience at such a young age. "We are concerned
that she will have experienced such worry about breast
cancer. "But we should remember that nine out of
every 10 breast lumps are benign and it is very rare for
very young women to develop breast cancer. "We
welcome the Spice Girls commitment to take up the issue
of breast cancer and raise awareness. "We are
extremely excited that they will be supporting our
Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign by wearing
T-shirts on their next appearance of Top of the Pops and
helping to raise £1million for breast cancer
research." Geri said: "If by reading my story
other young girls are encouraged to check their breasts
and find out more about it, then it will have been
worthwhile. THE REST OF THE NEWS | BACK TO THE TOP © March Online Publishing 1998. All Rights Reserved |
STOP PRESS - Geri is to
leave the Spice Girls
The show
goes on for the Spice Girls as they prepare to wow the
crowds of Norway tonight. However, mystery surrounds
wheather Ginger Spice will join them. Geri missed a date
with the band for the first time last night when she
failed to show for the midweek National Lottery show. But
officials at Oslo Spektrum, where the Spice Girls are due
to play to a sell out crowd tonight, said the show would
be going ahead. A spokesman at the 8,600 capacity venue
said: "We all heard rumours. But as far as I know
the shows are going to go on today and tomorrow."
Vibeke Johnsen of the Norwegian news agaency Norsk
Telegrambyra said the band landed in Oslo in the early
hours of this morning, although it was unclear wheather
Geri was with the group. "I've spoken to the record
company here and they haven't mentioned that anything was
wrong." she added. Last night the girls played their
new single Viva Forver on the Lottery show as a four
piece after jetting in from Scandinavia. This morning a
spokeswomen for the band put Geri's absence down to a
heavy workload and a stomach upset.