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Sir Elton John played a key role in helping Donatella Versace kick her longtime cocaine addiction by persuading the Italian fashion queen to attend a rehab clinic in Arizona, Italy's Corriere della Sera reported on December 14, 2005.

In an interview with the Milan-based daily, Versace said she underwent treatment in the same clinic used recently by Kate Moss, a year before the British supermodel was admitted there.

"She is fine now. She is working hard and I am sure she will be back stronger than before," Versace said of Moss.

Versace, 50, said she had her good friend Elton John to thank for kicking years of drug addiction following the death of her brother Gianni, who was shot dead outside his Miami Beach mansion on July 15, 1997.

"I had met Elton John about a month before, at a concert in Bari in memory of Gianni. I had cried all evening and through my eyes pleaded to him for help. He understood.

"On June 30 (2004) he was in my house in Milan, along with a few friends. I went to the bathroom to powder my nose and they blocked me. They told me there was a plane about to depart for Arizona. I was shocked but I understood the time had come. I slipped into a tracksuit and... alone and with no make up, caught the plane".

The glamourous blonde fashion designer said Gianni's death, coupled with the responsibilities of running the company he had founded, had proved too much for her.

"Gianni's death made me ill. It was brutal and senseless. I went into a tunnel. I could see that people were looking at me perplexed, asking themselves whether I would be able to run the business on my own. In front of them I was cocksure, I would pretend. Once home, I would collapse."

Donatella co-runs the Versace clothing company along with her brother Santo. Her glamourous friends include pop icon Madonna.

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By Anne Rice - with comments by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Go back. The quiet of the night in Berkeley, California in 1969 I was sitting there at the typewriter in the precious time, after the routine work of life was finished, and thinking: “What would it be like if you could get a vampire to tell you just what it was like? If you could get him to explain the relationship between himself and his victim -- I mean, getting that close to someone unique and living and loving, and then taking that life. What is this like?” I began to write the short story: “Interview with the Vampire.”

Flash forward to 1972. I’d done about three drafts. We were in the living room of our apartment in Berkeley, and a friend said: “I think you have something there, something you can really go with.” Just a few words. Were they determinative? I don’t know. What happened was this. I started to re-write the story for a collection of stories. And the rest of the collection fell away. I was in the story with Louis, and he had a name for the first time, and then came Lestat, the maker, a blaze into which I never really looked, a blaze that kept growing as I was Louis, being made a vampire, being forced out into a great gloom in which despair seemed the inevitable verdict. Louis refused the verdict. Louis demanded that life mean something, no matter how monstrous he was, no matter how brutal and indifferent the universe seemed. On and on, I was Louis; but there was Lestat exploding, filling the developing novel with a great pervasive heat. There was Lestat suddenly dancing under the gaslamp, cape flaring, mocking the passersby. Louis told his story. Lestat was vanquished -- punished maybe for having created Louis and the child vampire Claudia as monsters. But Lestat never really gave up; Lestat wasn’t finished. Lestat was the fire that never went out, and then years later roared into the conflagration that was the second book, Lestat’s own book, the story of one who was determined to be good at being bad, if that was what he had to do, Lestat, made a monster against his will, and insisting: “I will be the hero of this, you understand me? I will never grieve for myself .” It was Lestat who saw the world as the Savage Garden, and spoke of Hell’s Bells echoing in his mind, bells calling him to be strong, to go forth, to do what he must do to be ever more bright and fierce and irresistible in the seeming chaos and beauty that surrounded him.

Why were these characters born? Why were they everything that I knew? Why was I able to talk about what mattered to me when they started talking? Fantasy, the much abused word, was merely a doorway through which I walked to enter my reality: a doorway to the place where I could bring it all together, where I could say: I will be the hero of this, you understand me?”

Our Finest Work
By Elton John

Interview with the Vampire has long been one of my favorite books and Anne Rice one of my favorite writers. Being able to combine these worlds into one piece of musical theater has been enormously fulfilling for me and one of the highlights of my professional career. I’m tremendously proud of Lestat. I first discovered the joys of writing for the theater when I worked on The Lion King, Aida and Billy Elliot. With Lestat, it’s a whole new experience as I’ve had the chance to work with my writing partner, Bernie Taupin, on his first musical, which makes it all the more special. I’m extremely confident that this is our finest work.

A Non Vampire Vampire Musical
By Bernie Taupin

Anne Rice’s stories have always been for me more than simply tales of vampires adrift through the centuries. I have never found anything remotely clichéd about her immortals. They are in many ways more human than most of those they take in order to survive. Their senses are heightened, so their passions and the moral issues they face become magnified to a surreal intensity. This to me is what the show embodies, a moral man in an amoral world.

The traditional world of the vampire was turned upside down by Anne Rice. Her characters are sleek and sexy, infused with all the complexities of history’s great heroes. No Lugosi– pale and veiled by his cape, no hissing “Hammer” villains, in fact none of the undead’s traditional accoutrements. I suppose what I’m saying is that this could be labeled a “non-vampire, vampire musical.” Strange as it may seem it’s oddly true.

We have gone out of our way to stage something that is a composite of rich history and contemporary stylization melded with extraordinary graphic images. I am aware that skepticism is inevitable. After all, the immediate image of singing vampires can induce a veritable wave of hilarity and sarcasm. I’ve no argument other than I think you’ll be surprised how well it works and how natural it seems. Our vision has always been a stylish, sexy, intelligent show that is stripped of gothic clichés and that displays the vampire dealing with his damnation on a startlingly realistic and human level. Writing the songs for this show has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career. I was terrified at first and found the whole process daunting.

I do after all come from a background of rock where the 4-minute fix is a staple of the genre. Please let me make this clear: this is not a rock opera.

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U2's Vertigo tour was the top-grossing trek of 2005, according to year-end figures from Billboard Boxscore that will be published in the December 24, 2005 issue of magazine, which hits newsstands December 16, 2005. Elton John ranks #7.

Vertigo reported grosses of $260 million and drew more than 3 million people to 90 concerts, all of which were sell-outs. In addition, U2's June 24-27 run at Dublin's Croke Park was named Boxscore of the year, grossing more than $21.1 million and drawing nearly 247,000 fans.

Coming in second to U2 this year were the Eagles, who grossed $117 million from 77 shows, followed by Neil Diamond, who raked in more than $71 million. Country star Kenny Chesney placed fourth with a gross of $63 million; his attendance draw of 1.1 million was second only to U2.

The top 10 touring grosses are rounded out by Paul McCartney ($60 million), Rod Stewart ($49 million), Elton John ($45.5 million touring, plus another $30 million via his Las Vegas show "The Red Piano"), Dave Matthews Band ($45 million), Jimmy Buffett ($41 million) and Green Day ($36.5 million).

The year's top-grossing arena was New York's Madison Square Garden, a distinction it has earned for six straight years. Mansfield, Mass.' Tweeter Center was the top-grossing amphitheater for the third year in a row.

In 2005, North American concerts grossed just over $2 billion, down 6.2% from 2004, according to Billboard Boxscore. Attendance was down 3.8% to 45.7 million.

The Top Ten is:

1. U2
2. The Eagles
3. Neil Diamond
4. Kenny Chesney
5. Paul McCartney
6. Rod Stewart
7. Elton John
8. The Dave Matthews Band
9. Jimmy Buffett
10. Green Day

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99Xmas Soundtrack Volume 4 CD filled with your holiday favorites performed by local Atlanta bands will be released on December 13, 2005.

Plus, if you ever wanted to hear "Twas the Night Before Christmas" read by Atlanta's most famous resident you're in luck! Elton John recites "Twas the Night Before Christmas" only the way Elton can....with a British accent!

The 99Xmas CD Volume 4 is free and available beginning December 13, 2005 at select Cingular Wireless stores listed below, while supplies last!

Atlantic Station
1380 Atlantic Dr, Ste. 14150
Atlanta, GA 30363

Athens
4125 Atlanta Highway
Athens, GA 30622
706-355-7000

Alpharetta - Brookside Station
4075 Old Milton Pkwy
Alpharetta, GA 30005
678-297-0085

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Pamela Anderson and pole dancing proved too hot for NBC, which dropped a number featuring the actress in a sexy big-screen video from the Elton John "Red Piano" special.

Elton John: The Red Piano, a Las Vegas extravaganza taped at Caesars Palace, aired December 12, 2005 without the segment in which Elton sang "The Bitch is Back" while an oversized screen behind him displayed a scantily clad Anderson.

The actress moved suggestively around a dance pole in the number, which was included in preview copies sent out to critics.

After an assessment by its standards and practices department the network decided the material didn't mesh with the time slot.

"We believed the content was not appropriate for 8 p.m.-7 central time and decided to pull the song from the special," NBC said in a statement on December 13, 2005.

A call seeking comment from Anderson, who stars in the Fox sitcom Stacked, was not immediately returned on December 13, 2005.

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Alanis Morissette, Dolly Parton and Bernie Taupin are among the Golden Globe nominees in the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture category.

The Globes further honored music by doling out three nominations to the Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash love story Walk the Line: Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy, and Best Performance by an Actor (Joaquin Phoenix) and Actress (Reese Witherspoon) in a Musical or Comedy.

Morissette's "Wunderkind" is featured in the children's epic The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Parton's "Travelin' Thru" is from Transamerica, an indie film about a transgendered woman; and Taupin's collaboration with Gustavo Santaolalla, "A Love That Will Never Grow Old," is from Ang Lee's cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain, with a performance by country legend Emmylou Harris.

Rounding out the category are nominees Tony Renis and Marva Jan Marrow's "Christmas In Love" from the film of the same name, and Mel Brooks' "There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway," from the Broadway hit turned Hollywood film The Producers.

Last year, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger won the Globe for his collaboration with Eurythmics' producer/songwriter Dave Stewart on "Old Habits Die Hard," from the movie Alfie.

The nominations for the awards, decided by the Hollywood Foreign Press, were announced this morning. The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards will be broadcast live on NBC January 16, 2005 from Los Angeles.

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Fan Review by Chris Akins.

I was anxious to see how The Red Piano would be deomonstrated on television. I had seen the show in Las Vegas this last February 2005 and will hopefully get to see the show this coming year.

Overall I must say that the television special was pretty good. I was happy with the song selection, even though "Rocket Man" was edited, but the editing was flawless and the song still soared.

There is so much that happens on that huge Colleseum stage that it is hard to get into a television screen. "Daniel" was done brilliantly, the video still gave me chills. "Candle in the Wind" was also beautiful, but much more powerful at the actual event, as the special showed audience members wiping tears from their eyes.

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Elton John has asked not to give him presents for his wedding with David. Instead he has asked for donations to his Aids Foundation.

Elton fans and visitors of eltonfan.net can make a dontation to the Elton John Aids Foundation either directly via their website or through eltonfan.net. We will compile all individual donations in a list and will forward this together with the money to Elton & David and the EJAF in time for the wedding.

Simply use Paypal to send your donation to paypal@eltonfan.net. Make sure to put "Elton & David wedding - EJAF donation" in the 'payment for' field.

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Elton John and David Furnish have hired a new wedding planner - the man who organised David and Victoria Beckham's marriage.

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Elton John brings his Las Vegas show to television with his first NBC special, "Elton John: The Red Piano," on December 12, 2005.

The special will feature Elton's show from Caesars Palace, incorporating his performance with videos from David LaChappelle, including two that feature Justin Timberlake as a young Elton John and Pamela Anderson performing a pole dance. Please note that the date has been moved forward to December 12, 2005!

Please note that "Elton John in Las Vagas: The Red Piano" will also be broadcast on the french TV channel France 4 on December 31, 2005 at 8.30 pm.

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The first day on which gay couples can tie the knot in a new civil partnership ceremony is now fully booked at High Wycombe's register office.

Raymond Fisher, Superintendent registrar at the Chiltern Hills register office in Easton Street, confirmed they are now fully booked for the historic date, December 21, 2005.

Mr Fisher told the Free Press: "We have had lots of interest and we have four ceremonies booked on the first day with a few others wanting to go ahead before Christmas. We have three male couples and one female couple."

Another registrar to play a part in the big day will be Flackwell Heath's Clair Williams, registrar for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Mrs Williams, who performed the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles at Windsor Guildhall, will conduct the civil ceremony for Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish at the same venue.

Sir Elton's plans were announced on December 5, 2005 after he and David posted the notification of their date in Maidenhead Town Hall. There's will be the first ceremony at the Guildhall on the day.

Mrs Williams, a former Wycombe High school pupil and mum-of-two, said: "We are delighted that Sir Elton and Mr Furnish have chosen to have their civil partnership ceremony in the Royal Borough.

"I and my colleague, Peter, will do our utmost to ensure that the ceremony is a very special and private occasion for them and their guests."

Mrs Williams had previously faced the world's media when it was announced she would be conducting Prince Charles' marriage. She has more than ten years experience in the registration service and intially had to sanction the postponement of this summer's royal wedding following the death of the Pope John PaulII.

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Elvis Presley remains the King - but Queen has overtaken The Beatles to become the third most successful act of all time. Elton in sixth place.

Elvis has spent 2,574 weeks in the UK singles and album charts, making him number one in the Top 100 Most Successful Acts of All Time.

Sir Cliff Richard remains in second place, clinching 1,982 weeks. But this year's chart, taking account of sales in 2005, shows that Queen has now overtaken The Beatles to make it into third place, with 1,755 weeks.

The Beatles have slipped to fourth place, with 1,749 weeks spent in the British singles and album charts.

With 1,660 weeks, Madonna remains one place above Sir Elton John (1,626), but is steadily closing the gap with The Beatles.

If the Queen of Pop continues producing music at the same rate, she is predicted to overtake the Fab Four in around two years.

Oasis have risen three places to overtake Status Quo and make it to 25th position. Kylie Minogue makes the biggest jump - up 13 places to number 42, with 692 weeks.

The Stereophonics are the highest climbing group in the top 100 - up 13 to 71. Eminem is the highest new entry at number 86, while Britney Spears has broken into the top 100 for the first time.

George Benson and Depeche Mode have been booted out of the list.

Top 100 Most Successful Acts of All Time
(Last year in brackets)

1 (1) Elvis Presley
2 (2) Sir Cliff Richard
3 (4) Queen
4 (3) The Beatles
5 (5) Madonna
6 (6) Sir Elton John
7 (7) The Shadows
8 (8) Michael Jackson
9 (10) U2
10 (9) David Bowie

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Photos by Jasmin Kern.

Following is the complete setlist of the Stuttgart show on December 8, 2005.

• Funeral For A Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Bennie And The Jets
  
• Daniel
  
• Turn The Lights Out When You Leave
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• Rocket Man
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• Blessed
  
• The One
  
• Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
  
• Sacrifice
  
• Sorry Seems To Be tThe Hardest Word
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Sad Songs (Say So Much)
  
• They Call Her The Cat
  
• Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• I'm Still Standing
  
• The Bitch Is Back
  
• Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
• Your Song

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By Claude Bernardin, author of "Rocket Man".

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Elton John has told guests invited to his wedding reception not to give him presents. Make a donation to the EJAF via this website instead!

Instead he has asked for donations to his Aids Foundation, which could boost the charity by millions of pounds.

Meanwhile, a huge marquee neared completion on December 7, 2005 outside his home near Windsor, in preparation for the party after his wedding to long-term partner David Furnish on December 21, 2005.

The tent for the 700 guests, including Elizabeth Hurley, Rod Stewart and Victoria Beckham, towers over the manicured Italian-style garden at the house, the venue for Sir Elton's annual White Tie and Tiara fund-raising ball.

One insider described the scene as looking like "something from Billy Smart's Circus".

A source close to the star told the Evening Standard: "Sir Elton and David Furnish are not expecting presents from any of their guests but they do appreciate some of them would like to mark the occasion with a gift so have nominated the foundation.

"Obviously a donation can be as large or small as the person giving wishes to make it. The scale of the donations will not be made public, although Sir Elton and David will know and will write personal letters of thanks. If guests want to donate anonymously that is also fine by Sir Elton. There really is no pressure at all.

"He knows some guests will want to buy him something anyway but it is fair to say there really is no need for anybody to turn up with a toaster."

Their wedding day will start with a civil partnership ceremony conducted by Superintendent Registrar Clair Williams, who presided over the wedding of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in April 2005. It is believed Sir Elton's mother and stepfather, Sheila and Fred Farebrother, and Mr Furnish's parents-will be the only guests. The pair could also have special vows, poetry, readings, messages of congratulation and music.

Ms Williams said: "We are delighted that Sir Elton and Mr Furnish have chosen to have their civil partnership ceremony in the royal borough.

"I and my colleague Peter will do our utmost to ensure that the ceremony is a very special and private occasion for them and their guests."

Elton fans and visitors of eltonfan.net can make a dontation to the Elton John Aids Foundation either directly via their website or through eltonfan.net. We will compile all individual donations in a list and will forward this together with the money to Elton & David and the EJAF in time for the wedding.

Simply use Paypal to send your donation to paypal@eltonfan.net. Make sure to put "Elton & David wedding - EJAF donation" in the 'payment for' field.

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Bride-to-be Elton John is in for a whopping great surprise on his wedding night - if the other bride-to-be David Furnish has his way, reports The Mirror.

Pondering what to buy the Queen of Showbiz to crown the occasion of their nuptials, David has come up with something that should bring immense satisfaction to them both. A honeymoon holiday over the New Year, of course!

Elton and David - who The Mirror affectionately termed "Elvid" - were among the first gay couples to sign up to be legally married.

The banns were posted at Maidenhead Town Hall on December 5, 2005 and they will tie the knot at Windsor Register Office on December 21, 2005. Afterwards, the newlyweds will celebrate with 700 of their very closest friends at their nearby mansion, Woodside.

"It's going to be a great, memorable evening, but that's all I'll say," David told The Mirror. "Honeymoon plans? That's going to be another big surprise."

The Mirror bumped into David On December 7, 2005 at the launch of his pal Liz Hurley's Sky One TV show, Project Catwalk, in the San Lorenzo restaurant in London's Knightsbridge.

He admitted to being bemused by all the furore whipped up by his forthcoming wedding to Elton and insisted that their choice of Windsor Guildhall had nothing to do with its royal connections - Prince Charles wed Camilla there in April 2005.

"Honestly, we chose it simply because it's our local registry office," David said. "There is a whole fuss around us getting married, but it'll die down soon. We decided to have the ceremony as soon as the legislation came through because we felt it's important to take a stand and encourage others to do the same. If we're going to become a symbol by making this step, so be it.

"I've been in Canada finishing my new film, It's A Boy Girl Thing, so all this fuss has caught me by surprise."

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Following is the complete setlist of the Hamburg show on December 5, 2005.

• Funeral For A Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Bennie And The Jets
  
• Daniel
  
• Turn The Lights Out When You Leave
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• Rocket Man
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• The One
  
• Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
  
• Sacrifice
  
• Sorry Seems To Be tThe Hardest Word
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Sad Songs (Say So Much)
  
• They Call Her The Cat
  
• Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• I'm Still Standing
  
• The Bitch Is Back
  
• Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
• Your Song

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Recent press reports in Russia that Sir Elton John and David Furnish were planning a wedding in St. Petersburg have been strenuously denied by the singer’s representatives in London.

Sir Elton and Furnish on December 5, 2005 formally gave notice that they would be registering a civil partnership. The notice was given at the Registrar’s office in Maidenhead. The British press was reporting on December 6, 2005 that the registration ceremony was likely to take place in Windsor.

First news that the couple were planning a ceremony in Russia first surfaced on the day Sir Elton arrived in the country for a charity event. Konstantinovski Palace in St. Petersburg was even mentioned as the venue and that the singer was using his trip as an opportunity to negotiate for the use of the palace for a lavish “wedding reception”.

Robert Key, director of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, categorically denied that Sir Elton had any plans for a ceremony or reception in St. Petersburg, after the Russian reports surfaced at the weekend in the British press, including The Independent.

Elton and David have always said that the registration ceremony was going to be a strictly family occasion with just their parents present.

After the news first appeared in the Russian media, the nationalistic liberal democratic party deputy of the State Duma (lower house of Russian parliament), Nikolai Kuryanovich said that he will not allow a wedding of the famous singer Elton John and his friend in St. Petersburg. And the remarks were made without any apparent checking of facts.

He said that he had made an official request to the Russian minister of culture asking that a stop was made to the wedding. In his request he said: “Elton John should find a more relevant place for the wedding in the perverted and dieing Western Europe – there are many such places there”.

The deputy also said that the civil partnerships registrations, which became legal on December 5, 2005 in Britain “marked the end of the British Empire”.

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Elton John invites Amazon customers to listen to "Make Me as You Are," a new song from the musical Lestat.

As part of Amazon's "Holiday A-list for Hurricane Relief" you can read Elton's message and listen to the new song on the Amazon website.

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By Bill Cadwell, cartoonist for The Sun.

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The Royal Borough said December 5, 2005 it was very pleased that Sir Elton John and Mr David Furnish has decided to hold their civil partnership ceremony in the Guildhall, Windsor.

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Elton John will wed his partner David Furnish close to his Windsor home and has been offered Legoland as a venue for his celebration, it was disclosed on December 5, 2005.

The theme park is one of 29 locations which will accept Sir Elton and Mr Furnish, who may be married by Clair Williams, the registrar who officiated at Prince Charles's wedding in April 2005.

The banns for the pop millionaire and the Canadian movie-maker were being posted at Windsor and Maidenhead Town Hall register office the afternoon of December 5, 2005.



This means they can marry on December 21, 2005, the first date available under the Act.

The Government estimates that between 11,000 and 22,000 people will marry under the new Act by 2010. Civil partnerships will give gay couples similar benefits to heterosexuals over capital gains and inheritance tax and pensions.

The Act could also see longstanding heterosexual friends of the same sex registering to take advantage of the financial incentives.

Sir Elton has said he is delighted by the Government's decision to give homosexuals the opportunity to wed. He said: "It will be a brilliant end to a brilliant year."

"I'll tell you something, though," he added, "we've had no shortage of offers for bridesmaids. We could've had the campest group of bridesmaids ever."

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As we have just learned, two of the German Elton John shows have been postponed for logistical reasons.

The show in Oberhausen, originally scheduled for December 6, 2005, has been moved to June 1, 2006. The Mannheim concert, planned for December 9, 2005, will now take place on May 31, 2006.

It seems that Elton learned about this very unfortunate situation at the beginning of his European tour leg in Helsinki on November 29, 2005, and it seems obvious that this is what caused him to proclaim the current tour as the last one for Europe.

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Fan report and photo by Tanya Friend.

After seeing Elton just the night before, we got up early in the morning to pack for Gothenburg. We traveled there by train for five hours and then were looking for a hotel for about an hour, although it really was within a twenty minute walk from the railway station.

At Scandinavium Arena we met up with some fans and exchanged Elton merchandise. Then the show started. It was a lot like the night before, but a totally different experience as we had much better seats.

Although it was row eight and not one, we had a perfect view on the whole band, particularly Elton. He had another black Yohji Yamamoto suit with something like a dragon on the back. Elton wore quite a bit darker glasses this time and had the same silver cross around his neck.

The set list was the same as the previous night in Stockholm with one exception: Elton omitted “Answer in the Sky.” Instead, the versions of “Bennie and the Jets,” “Take Me to the Pilot” and “Rocket Man” were much longer.

“Take Me to the Pilot” was particularly interesting as Elton included the chords from “Believe” in his improvisation. In the end of the song the new keyboardist Lindsay came in too early and left an “empty” space in the time slot when he was supposed to play, but by the closing chord they all came together and finished properly.

During “Turn the Lights Out When You Leave” I noticed that they were playing the video of the song on the screen. So it was rather cute seeing Elton in a cowboy hat playing the piano solo in the video and then Elton on stage going “Yeehaw!” at the end of the song.

Again we had a marvelous time at the stage during the last seven songs. We were the first ones to get to the stage (and we were in the 8th row). Only after a couple of songs of observing the crazy fanatics at the stage did the audience respond and some people started approaching the stage, too.

And then, when people warmed up and sang “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” on “I’m Still Standing” and jumped and danced, Elton started interacting with the audience more and more. During “The Bitch is Back” he jumped on the piano and pointed at the roses laying on the stage, encouraging somebody to throw them to him. Someone threw a rose to Elton, he caught it and still laying on the piano (during Davey’s guitar solo) he put the rose in his mouth (clutched it with his teeth) and started posing more! Then he dropped it from his mouth, got a little late to the piano for “I’m a bitch, I’m a bitch,” then he stood on his piano stool posing more and threw the rose into the crowd (good catching Dmitri!).

Throughout the whole ending Elton was rocking and encouraging the audience to sing and shout and dance. During “Saturday Night’s” he sang “shout out HE’s with me!” instead of “SHE’s with me.” We laughed this time during “Crocodile Rock” as Elton sang, “I remember when rock was young, me and Maynard had so much fun …” He was directing us in our “La-la-la-la-las” and finally dedicated “Your Song” to each and every one in the audience.

I have honestly never ever seen Elton enjoy the performance this much! And I’ve never seen the Swedish audience respond this well. It was a magical night. Probably the best Elton John show we’ve been to. There was no mentioning of this tour being the last European tour, which he had done in Finland. Hopefully, Elton will keep performing, ‘cause he makes so many of us so happy.

Following is the complete setlist of the Gothenburg show on December 3, 2005:

• Funeral For A Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Bennie And The Jets
  
• Daniel
  
• Turn The Lights Out When You Leave
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• Rocket Man
  
• I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues
  
• The One
  
• Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
  
• Sacrifice
  
• Sorry Seems To Be tThe Hardest Word
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Sad Songs (Say So Much)
  
• They Call Her The Cat
  
• Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• I’m Still Standing
  
• The Bitch Is Back
  
• Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
• Your Song

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Fans of George Best have been visiting his grave to pay their respects to the Belfast-born soccer legend.

Staff at Roselawn Cemetery moved in overnight to lay special paths to allow people to view the grave and the hundreds of wreaths and momentoes.

Areas nearby were roped-off to prevent the public from trampling on neighbouring graves.

Among the stars who sent tributes were Elton John, Van Morrison, Mickey Rourke, Susan George and Anita Harris.

White roses put down by Elton were accompanied by a card reading "Dear George - Thanks for the memories. You were the Mozart of football. Love Elton."

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British music and entertainment company Sanctuary Group is to raise as much as 130 million pounds in a share issue to keep itself afloat, newspaper reports said on December 4, 2005.

The Independent said Sanctuary, which is behind artists such as Elton John and James Blunt, is expected to seek 100 million pounds and would make the announcement in around two weeks, probably as it reports its annual results which are usually delivered in January 2006.

Without citing sources, the newspaper also said Sanctuary was likely to announce a management reshuffle.

Separately the Sunday Times said Sanctuary was preparing a 130 million pound fundraising to help it restructure and restate its accounts going back three years.

The fundraising drive comes as the company, which has issued a series of profit warnings this year, continues negotiations with its principal lender, HBOS, about its 120 million pounds borrowings, the report said.

No-one at Sanctuary could be reached for comment.

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Fan reports by Mattias Bruhn and Tanya Friend. Photos by Tanya Friend.

This was going to be my first Elton John concert ever. I had been waiting for this a long time, and finally, the day had come. I was so exited about this.

The show was announced to start at 7:30 p.m. and I think it almost did. I thought Elton would play the same set list as from the Finnish concerts only days before this show, but he did not. The lights, in the great almost sold-out arena, turned down and the excitement was on the top.

Unexpected, they started to play the intro of "Funeral For A Friend". As the intro went on we could see Elton enter the stage in the darkness. Then Elton started to play his piano and he got an enthusiastic applause from the 12,000 (estimated) people crowd. I had expected the audience to stand up during some songs but they didn’t. It was only at the end of the show that everyone was standing.

Next song was "Bennie And The Jets" with a great piano solo in the middle of the song. Everyone could see the screens while Elton was playing those boogie keys. It was fantastic!

It was so great to see such a mix of ages in the audience, and that there were so many people in my age (I am 17).

After "Bennie", Elton thanked the audience and introduced Daniel as a “song from the Don’t Shoot Me album”. Then we got great numbers like a rocking version of "Take Me To The Pilot", a boogie "Rocket Man", and a beautiful version of "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" – this was the first song Elton got a big applause already in the piano-intro. We got a surprising solo version of "The One" and a beautiful "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters".

The highlight for many people in the audience seemed to be "Sacrifice".

The show ended with some rocking numbers. Many people came to the front of the stage, even from the back sections. I was one of them. I sat in row 50, so I took the chance and ran to the stage. It was unbelievable to stand so near Elton and the band. During the last songs everyone in the arena was standing and singing with him. Elton left the stage, and before the encore he signed some autographs from the stage. I was one of those lucky people! I got my "Peachtree Road" tour program signed.

At last, I’d like say how much Elton appreciates his fans. He truly loves what he is doing, and he truly loves his fans. There are not many artists like Elton who sign autographs to his fans on concerts like this. I know Elton appreciates his fans as much as we appreciate him. Elton did not mention anything about retiring as in Helsinki. It doesn’t matter how many times Elton says something about that – I think he will never retire from the stage.

I think that every person who seen Elton live will be a forever fan as I have become…

Fan report by Tanya Friend.

The concert in Stockholm on December 2, 2005 was actually the first concert in several years that didn’t involve any travelling for me and my husband Ronnie. With Elton giving solo shows in obscure locations in 2003 and 2004 we visited such towns in Sweden that we probably never would have gone to otherwise.

This time, however, the day started as any other work day. After school and work we ate out and went straight to the Globe, where we met up with some Russian fans (Jane, Natasha and Maria). Of course we had bought flowers for Elton beforehand.

We and our friend Carola were all sitting in the first row, to the right of the piano. Despite the fact that the acquisition of the front row tickets did require some waiting and freezing outside the box office, those tickets were definitely not the best in the house. When Elton sat down at his piano, all we could see were his legs underneath the piano and the top of his head (his hair, in other words).

Earlier that night we were approached by the security who had instructed us on not getting up and taking photographs with a flash. They also told us that we were not to approach the stage at any part of the show. Of course, we tried to make the best of the situation.

Elton still got up and bowed every once in a while, but when he was hidden behind the piano we enjoyed watching the band play.

Visually the concert was simply incredible. Besides the two small screens on either side of the stage, there was a large screen in the center of the stage that lit up with colorful patterns.

The show started with “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” to everybody’s great joy, as it’s the best number to open the show with, in my opinion. Elton came on stage in a black Yohji Yamamoto suit with a naked mermaid embroidered on the back. Elton wore black pants with pink stripes on either side of the legs and a white shirt with a pink scarf. Across his neck hung a silver cross. On the side of his purple glasses one could see “EJ” incrusted with small shiny gems.

Elton made minimal effort to interact with the Stockholm audience. He said, however, that it was “nice to be back.” He seemed to be in a very good mood and performed flawlessly.

It was great to hear “Bennie and the Jets” with the big E-L-T-O-N letters popping up on the stage screen. “Turn the Lights out when You Leave” was followed by “Yeehaw!”

“Take Me to the Pilot” had an incredible improvisation (actually, I noticed that Nigel was the only in the band who stayed on the stage and watched Elton rock his socks off, until the band part of the song came along). “Rocket Man” was a true highlight. It was an amazing sound. I particularly enjoyed Elton’s “duet” with Davey (piano vs. guitar), the spelling out of the R-O-C-K-E-T M-A-N and the final “I’m a rocket, rocket, rocket, rocket, rocket MAN!”

For some unknown reason (probably just for fun) Elton sang “I miss the Earth so much, I miss my WIVES”. After “Rocket Man” Elton got up and walked around the stage, bowing to the audience. He was right in front of us, sitting there to the right of the piano, and I decided that I had to take the chance and violate the regulation of not getting up. I ran up to the stage and handed Elton my flowers. He smiled, accepted the flowers and shook my hand. It was certainly a very emotional highlight of the show for me.

The solo version of “The One” was the song that we were all very lucky to hear as it hadn’t been played earlier in Finland. “Sacrifice” was probably the song best received by the Swedish audience. “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” sounded more sincere than ever with John Mahon’s terrific “so sad.”

I particularly would like to point out what fun we all had observing him play the percussion and sing the backing vocals. John has a wonderful voice range.

When “Philadelphia Freedom” started, the Voice of Atlanta Choir came on stage and rocked the house down. After “Sad Songs” Elton introduced the band members by inventing the names of their home towns, so that John Mahon came from the town of Clam, Ohio; Lindsay Vannoy came from Beaver Creek, Colorado; Bob Birch came from Eckles Cake in Detroit; and Davey came from Longprick, Dumbtreeshire.

Elton introduced Nigel by saying that he was a part of the original Elton John band and that he “obviously has some Swedish in him.” I think Elton had a lot of fun with these invented names just because the audience took them seriously and clapped after each introduction. A curious thing is that Nigel was holding an oxygen mask to his face during the introduction of the choir members.

During “Answer in the Sky” one of the Elton John crew men approached the security at the stage who immediately started putting their chairs away.

For us experienced Elton fans it was a sign that we could run to the stage after the song. When Elton introduced “They Call Her the Cat,” he said that it was about a sex change and that all of his band are thinking about changing sex so that they can appear as bridesmaids on the 21st of December.

As soon as Elton hit the first chords we rushed to the stage and stayed their for good. We situated ourselves right in front of Elton and were “hopping and bopping” not only to “Crocodile Rock” but also to “I’m Still Standing,” “The Bitch is Back” (while Elton was posing on the piano, laying down and jumping in the air with his legs up) and “Saturday Night’s.”

During “Crocodile Rock” Elton sang “I remember when rock was young, Swedish smorgasbord was so much fun!” It was a marvelous experience to have been so close to Elton, to watch him play and sing along with him. The most important thing is that he seemed very content and just kept smiling at the audience. He even signed some autographs (took my pen, signed all the autographs with it and then gave it back to me!).

Elton seemed to be a bit upset at people taking pictures with a flash as I could see him mime “no more pictures.” Otherwise, he seemed extremely happy and so were we, the fans.

For the final “Your Song” Elton changed into a black sweat suit with “Wingbeat” written on the back. “Your Song” was echoing in the Globe as the whole audience seemed to know the words to it. And the twinkling stars on the dark screen behind Elton made it feel so peaceful and calm. A fantastic show! Thank you, Elton!

Following is the complete setlist of the Stockhom show on December 2, 2005.

• Funeral For Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Bennie And The Jets
  
• Daniel
  
• Turn The Lights When You Leave
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• Rocket Man
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• The One
  
• Monas Lisas And Mad Hatters
  
• Sacrifice
  
• Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Sad Songs (Say So Much)
  
• Answer In The Sky
  
• They Call Her The Cat
  
• Don´t Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• I´m Still Standing
  
• The Bitch Is Back
  
• Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
• Your Song

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Plans of Elton John and partner David Furnish to wed in a St. Petersburg palace in December 2005 have sparked protests in the Russian parliament, media in Moscow reported December 2, 2005.

At a ceremony thought to be set for December 21, 2005, the day civil partnerships between gay couples become legal in Britain, Elton will formalise his 12-year relationship with David.

In a letter of protest forwarded to the Kremlin and the Culture Ministry, Nikolai Kuryanovich of the Duma's nationalist LDPR faction demanded steps "to prevent the defilement of the Konstantin Palace or any other important architectural memorials in Russia".

But a spokeswoman for the baroque palace outside the northern city dismissed reports of the service as a "bad joke". Control of the premises by the Kremlin administration precluded such events, she said.

Same-sex marriage is not legal in Russia, but there is no law specifically banning it.

In February 2005 the country's supreme court rejected a plea by a gay politician and his journalist partner seeking amendments to the Family Code to allow same-sex marriages.

Homosexuality was illegal under the old Soviet regime but was decriminalized in 1993.

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Three of the world’s most popular entertainers – Celine Dion, Elton John and Jerry Seinfeld – will join for a one-night-only performance at Caesars Palace, on Monday, February 20, 2006.

The Presidents Day evening gala in the resort’s Colosseum will benefit the recovery fund for hurricane-affected employees of the resort’s parent company, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc.

“We are deeply grateful to Celine, Elton and Jerry for the generosity that will create a once-in-a-lifetime entertainment experience for our guests and sustain the important work that is helping thousands of Gulf Coast families get their lives back,” said Gary Loveman, chairman, president and chief executive officer for Harrah’s Entertainment.

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina closed Harrah’s casino/resorts in Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi, and in New Orleans, Louisiana, the company seeded an Employee Recovery Fund with a donation of $1 million from the Harrah’s Foundation. With added donations from employees, guests and industry associates, the total has grown to $3 million, and has expanded to assist Hurricane Rita-affected employees of Harrah’s, Lake Charles, Louisiana. Funds are deployed in regional resource centers, directly to Gulf Coast employees through the company’s 501-3-c non-profit foundation.

At Caesars Palace, Celine Dion stars in “A New Day…,” Elton John performs “The Red Piano,” and Jerry Seinfeld presents his acclaimed stand-up comedy. The three world renowned performers form the core of the resort’s headliner policy, which has been responsible for Pollstar magazine ranking The Colosseum among the top two ticket selling venues of any size in the United States (Pollstar, Jan. 2004, Jan. 2005).

Tickets, priced from $100 to $1,000 (plus tax and handling fee), will go on sale at 10 a.m. PST on Friday, December 2, 2005, at Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com and in person at the Caesars Palace Box Office.

Sponsor packages that include luxury hotel accommodations, premium seating, fine dining and a pre-show VIP reception in PURE nightclub at Caesars Palace also are available online at www.caesarspalace.com.

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Fan report by Jouni Nippala.

Elton John continued his "last European tour" (see the comment he made during the Helsinki show the night before) with the band and Voice of Atlanta Choir in Elysè Arena, Turku Finland on November 30, 2005.

Elton was in an even better mood than in Helsinki. He introduced his band by saying that they have a solo album out with the name 'Soft Turkey' which can be downloaded over the Internet! Davey Johnstone again got to hear about his folk music background which gave all big laughs. Elton was wearing a beautiful black suit with a mermaid embroided in the back.

The show again was very good with almost the same setlist as in Helsinki. "I´m Still Standing" was dropped off possibly because of some hassle with Davey's guitars. Elton was standing on his piano and waiting for some time for Davey to begin. Finally they started with "The Bitch Is Back" and gave us, the most eager fans, including a group of enthusiastic EJFC-members from St Petersburg (hi there Anna and the rest!), a long-awaited chance to get up dancing by the stagefront.

Again the audience was typical Finnish: strong and polite applauses from middle-agers taking care of their children and businesses with their cell-phones during songs! Good feeling but no overjoyous fiesta!

But I guess that`s to be expected considering that most people, including me, had to make their way to the Arena driving many hours in this winters worst snow storm! The Germans would probably have been stuck in their motorways :)

The one encore was Elton solo singing beautifully "Candle In The Wind" and "Circle Of Life" in his traditional black jogging suit. Yes, this evening he had time to change costume! Again a very strong show, probably the best of the eight ones I`ve had a chance to see since 1982!

Following is the complete setlist of the Turku show on November 30, 2005:

• Your Song
  
• Bennie And The Jets
  
• Daniel
  
• Turn The Lights Out When You Leave
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• Rocket Man
  
• I Guess That`s Why They Call It The Blues
  
• Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
  
• Sacrifice
  
• Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• Funeral For A Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Sad Songs (Say So Much)
  
• Answer In the Sky
  
• They Call Her The Cat
  
• Don`t Let the Sun Go Down On Me
  
• The Bitch Is Back
  
• Saturday Night`s Alright (For Fighting)
  
• Candle In The Wind
  
• Circle Of Life

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In their most candid (and touching) interview about their relationship ever, Elton and David talk exclusively to Attitude about their forthcoming wedding and reveal the secrets to why it’s lasted so long...

As this is new territory for all of us, what is your marriage going to be?

Elton: Probably no different than it has been for the last twelve years, really.

David: As far as I’m concerned I’ve always considered myself committed to

Elton and he’s the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. So in that sense I don’t feel like the dynamic of our relationship is going to change. But from a social standpoint, I think it’s hugely significant. It is a major, major change. It is one of the defining issues of our times. And I applaud Britain for embracing the diversity of our society... Elton: ...and for recognising that relationships come in many shapes and sizes.

Beyond the simple political ramifications there are huge emotional repercussions of this for young gay men, aren’t there?

David: If I think back to growing up in Toronto, I left the place nearly twenty years ago and that was largely because of my sexuality. There was a sense of shame and a sense of not being accepted attached to it for me back then. I had to live a double life. Walking around Toronto now, all these years later [he’s currently shooting a film there], it stirs up so many emotions and anxieties that are just full of self-loathing for me. I remember at the time trying to come out to my family and my mother sitting at the table and bawling her eyes out and saying I’d never have a life or a future. There were no role models. There was no-one I could talk to or even point to and say, but hang on, this person’s doing this and that person’s doing that and they’re happy. I think that the fact that society is legally accepting same sex relationships and giving them a certification or credence will just remove so much of the stigma around homosexuality.

Elton: Being such a high profile couple and the fact that we decided to do it straight away does carry a certain message. I’m doing this first and foremost because I want to do it for David and I want to be with David for the rest of my life, but I also want to do it to say that it shouldn’t be something that just sits there in law. It should be embraced.

In a sense you both doing it is as significant as the law itself. My aunties will understand it more because you’ve done it than they would because it’s been legalised.

Elton: I know that I sometimes have that role of being the acceptable face of gay for people of a certain generation. I think you’re absolutely right. If we go ahead and do it then people will say ‘ah, isn’t that great’ and they’ll be interested in the event and hopefully a bit of that will rub off. I think the fact of gay men just being able to express commitment is another very important issue.

Continued in December 2005 Issue of Attitude.

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Robbie Williams has snubbed Elton's wedding - because he doesn't want to socialise with old Take That bandmate Gary Barlow who is singing at the reception.

The superstar singer had a huge row with Gary when he left the popular boyband in 1995.

Despite settling his differences with Gary and the other band members - Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Jason Orange - Robbie is not ready to be in the same room as the man he once branded a "fat bully".

A source told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "Hopefully Robbie's snub won't upset Elton, who has only recently forgiven Robbie for claiming in his autobiography that Elton kidnapped him and forced him into rehab."

Gary was devastated Rob rejected £5million to reunite with Take That for their 11-date-tour. And he was hoping he could finally catch up with Robbie at the wedding.

Gary said: "Its been 10 years since I talked to Robbie. I've had messages from friends saying he sends his love. If he really wanted to reach out he could do."

But despite the problems with Robbie, Gary says he is thrilled to be performing at Elton and partner David Furnish's wedding on December 21, 2005.

He said: "I'll perform something from the back catalogue."

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