MAY 2001

30.05.01 I WOULD LIKE TO BE MARYLIN TO BLAIR'S JFK - HER SONG FOR PM From The mirror

NEVER ones to duck the major issues of our time, we at 3am are proud to present an important general election exclusive. We bring you news of the full, frightening extent of Geri Halliwell's vision for her own political future. In return for her excruciating "appeal to the young voters" appearance on New Labour's election broadcast, the ginger one has demanded a central role in Tony Blair's victory celebrations. The ambitious Ms Halliwell wants to be photographed with our leader on the night he is returned to power for a second term. Moreover, the 27-year-old chart-buster has composed a special ditty she plans to sing as the "highlight" of Tony's day of triumph. Geri sees her relationship with the PM as a sort of Marilyn Monroe, John F Kennedy thing - minus the sexual aspects, of course - and is determined to recreate the magic of the blonde bombshell's rendition of "happy birthday Mr President". But we've heard that Mr Blair and his cohorts are keen to persuade their pop-star pal to take a back seat come June 7.One of our many political chums tells us: "We are rather hoping Geri might have to be away making a video or something. "It's not that we're against a couple of photo opportunities on election night. We just don't want people getting the idea that she's going to be in the next Cabinet." And the song? "Oh no," wails our man in Westminster, "there'll be no song. Can you imagine it?". Yes. We believe we can. Geri is currently in Spain filming the video for her next single which she hopes will fare a little better than It's Raining Men - her Weather Girls cover was knocked off No1 after just one week. And her album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, only made a disappointing number five. Surely she couldn't be thinking that a few pictures of her with the victorious PM might do wonders for her career. George Michael may have something to say about that.

30.05.01 CLUB DJ ACES MIX IT WITH GERI From The news

CHART-TOPPING Geri Halliwell has recruited two Portsmouth DJs to make sure her new record is a smash hit. The former Ginger Spice hit the top of the pop charts with her last single It's Raining Men and she is determined to stay at the top. But the slimmed-down star is desperate to be a hit on the club scene, which is where Portsmouth's finest, Rob Searle and Jim Sullivan, come in. Although Geri has yet to meet the remix kings, she has heard their work and ordered her record company to bring them on board for the forthcoming single, the title track from her album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. The radio play and popularity of the star will guarantee it catapults to the top of the charts but it is the extra house mixes that will benefit from the local DJs. 'The record company just phoned me,' says Rob, 27, whose remix of The Power Of Love resurrected the career of Frankie Goes To Hollywood. 'They want something that's going to work in a club, what she does on the radio wouldn't work there.'.

29.05.01 DANE BOWERS WOULD BAN GERI FROM RECORDING From Worlpop

Dane Bowers has revealed that if he had the power to ban one person from recording music, he would stop Geri Halliwell from singing. In an exclusive video interview with worldpop, Dane admitted, 'There's a hell of a lot of people I'd like to ban from the studio but at the moment - and I'm not being silly and I'm not being horrible cos she's cool - but Geri really needs to stop singing.'. Dane Bowers, who has told worldpop he has recorded a whole track for his album using an auto-tune (a studio gimmick) as a joke, laughed, 'She definitely didn't use the auto-tune. She doesn't sing, she just shouts.'. Dane Bowers is best known for his collaboration with Victoria Beckham and the True Steppers, which was narrowly held off No 1 after a mammoth battle with Spiller, last August.

29.05.01 A GERI HOT DAY From The Mirror

Geri Halliwell looked in the pink yesterday as she filmed her latest pop video.
The 28-year-old star took the chance to soak up the sun wearing just a sexy bikini during a break from filming in southern Spain.
One onlooker said: "Geri looked stunning and didn't have a care in the world.".

28.05.01 GERI TOO BUSY FOR RAID COPS QUIZZING From Sunday people

Precious Geri Halliwell has refused to help cops investigating a burglary at her flat. The ex-Spice Girl was quick to talk about the horror of raiders breaking into her pounds 1 million home. But when police went to speak to her at the London hotel where she took refuge they were kept waiting for an hour. 
Geri, 28, whose new album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster has dropped to No 10, then told them she was "too busy" to help. Fuming cops now want her to go to the police station. A police source said: "We have a tough enough job without people like her thinking they're too important to assist in inquiries." Raiders fled with pounds 4,000 of electrical equipment from Geri's Notting Hill flat. The shaken star told reporters: "It made me feel very vulnerable - it was horrible.".

28.05.01 'I'LL SING AT BLAIR BASH' From Sunday people

Pushy Geri is demanding she appears alongside Tony Blair at his celebration bash if he is elected. She's even written a special song for the occasion which she wants to sing to him. New Labour convert Geri, 28, wants to repeat the starring role she had at Prince Charles' 50th birthday when she sang Happy Birthday to him. 
A friend said: "Geri is adamant she will be centre stage on Tony's big night, if everything goes to plan and he is voted back in at No 10. "She has told certain people in high places within the party that she must be there and playing a big part on the election night in no uncertain terms.".

27.05.01 GEORGE: GERI'S NOT VERY SPICY From Daily Record

GEORGE MICHAEL has accused showbiz pal Geri Halliwell of cashing in on their friendship to sell more records. 
The singer has told friends he feels betrayed by the former Spice Girl, whom he never hears from unless she has something to plug. 
A close friend of the star said: "He feels Geri is using their friendship to sell records. 
"He feels very hurt. He thought they had a genuine friendship. But now he feels totally betrayed.".

26.05.01 GEORGE MICHAEL'S FURIOUS ATTACK From The Mirror

GEORGE Michael has launched an angry attack on Geri Halliwell, claiming the former Spice Girl is only using his name to help sell her records. 
The pair have not spoken for weeks and what was a warm relationship between them has become decidedly frosty. 
According to sources close to the two popstars, George is making sure he avoids Geri, 28, at all costs. 
A close friend of George, 37, said: "He feels Geri is using their friendship to sell records and he doesn't like it. 
"George has told friends he never hears from Geri or sees her unless she is plugging something. 
"Then when she wants to publicise her latest record or book, it's 'George this' and 'George that'. 
"She seems to constantly mention his name in interviews. He feels very hurt. He thought they had a genuine friendship - like two normal people. But now he's not so sure. George has been a fantastic friend to Geri over the years and he has supported her through some tough times. 
"But now he feels a bit betrayed." 
The bust-up will come as another blow to Geri, who is bitterly disappointed her album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster limped into the charts at No5. 
But another of Geri's other big name friends, Robbie Williams, is also said to be less than delighted that she has decided to "cool off" their friendship. 
After rumours of a romance, they had also seemed to be building a strong friendship. 
But as far as showbiz friends go, Geri and George were always going to be the odd couple. 
When they first met Geri was instantly attracted to the gay star - who has been with long-time lover Kenny Goss for several years - and desperately tried to bed him. 
She said: "I thought I was going to marry him - I was so drawn to him. 
"I gave him my telephone number, gave him big eyes and tried to flirt with him thinking I had a chance. 
"How wrong was I? I got second best and we became friends." 
At the time, Geri was still Ginger Spice and totally unaware of George's sexual preferences. 
She now accepts that she must have been the only music industry insider who was shocked by George's unscheduled "outing" in a Los Angeles public toilet in 1998. 
But the true test of their friendship came during the fallout over Geri's bitter split with the Spice Girls. Her knight in shining armour emerged in the gallant form of George. 
She took refuge at his homes in the South of France and Los Angeles as he protectively took her under his superstar wing. 
At the time, she said: "George and I were telephone buddies and when I left the group he invited me to stay for three days. I ended up staying for three months. 
"I don't know what I'd have done without that guy, he was an absolute angel. 
"He didn't know me that well, but I had nobody. I was so lonely. I needed someone to give me a cuddle and say it's all right. 
"George and Kenny were everything to me, the moral support I needed to get through that time." 
As their relationship grew closer, Geri said: "George sees through me. He told me, 'There's no rush, nobody's going to forget you. If what you're doing is good it will stand the test of time'." 
"I play him things, but it's like taking it home to your parents, desperately wanting their approval." 
He's brutally honest - sometimes I walk out with my head in my hands and sometimes I'm going 'Yes!' 
"I've never been friends with anybody famous before.".

26.05.01 GERI'S LOVE IS ALREADY TAKEN From NME

Cold water has been sloshed over Geri's "romance" with German basketball star Dirk "you must be joking" Nowitzki. 
Despite her assertions that she was a "Deutsche Fraulein" in a past life and rumours that she's been slam-dunking with Dirk for four months, it seems he has his own Deutsche Fraulein of the model variety back in Berlin in this life. 
It would never have worked anyway - Notwitzki is nearly seven feet tall and weighs 17stones. Tiny wee Geri, aka the incredible shrinking woman, is three-feet-six (possibly) and weighs six and a half stones. It'd be like her going out with her dog.

25.05.01 GERI TO SING LIVE From Megastar

CHART-TOPPING body fascist Geri Halliwell has confirmed she will be performing 'live' at the huge Party in the Park concert this summer. The massive gig, to be held in London's Hyde Park in July, will raise money for the Prince's Trust charity which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Geri, who recently scored her fourth solo number one hit with It's Raining Men, is the first female artist to confirm her appearance at the concert. All 100,000 tickets for this year's Party in the Park sold out in record time. Joining Geri on stage will be teenage sensation Craig David, Irish heart-throb Ronan Keating and US stars Wyclef Jean and Shaggy. Hosted by CD:UK's Ant McPartlin, Declan Donnelly and Cat Deeley, ITV will be screening live transmissions from the concert.
Further performers are yet to confirm their appearance, but organisers promise "nothing but the best". Last year saw Sir Elton John perform a duet with The Backstreet Boys. But it is unclear wether the former Spice Girl will actually belt out her songs live.
Stay out of tune for more details.

25.05.01 ROBBIE'S TRIBUTE TO GERI From The Sun

ROBBIE WILLIAMS has penned a touching ballad for best pal Geri Halliwell. The singer has decided to pay tribute to her on his new track Eternity, as a thank you for the rock solid support she has given him as he battles his booze and drug demons. Eternity is a weepy stripped-down track with piano and guitar, similar to his hits Angels and She's The One. It features the lines:
We sat and watched the sun go down,
Then picked a star before we lost the moon ...
You were there for summer dreaming and you are a friend indeed. 
Robbie is staying tight-lipped about the subject of the song but it obviously refers to the former Spice Girl and the summer they spent together last year. The track will be released in July as a double A-side single with The Road To Mandalay. Robbie wrote Eternity with partner Guy Chambers and is starring in a 20-minute cinema film to go with it. The singer is currently in the South Of France shooting the mini movie. It is the story of a heist set in the Seventies and is reminiscent of Michael Caine's classic movie The Italian Job. The film, which features the two new tracks, is expected to be shown before main feature films or B movies. Eternity begins with the lyrics: 
Close your eyes, so you don't feel them,
They don't need to see you cry,
I can't promise I will heal you,
But if you want to I will try.
To sing this summer serenade,
The past is done, we've been betrayed. It's true.
Some will say the truth will out.
But I believe, without a doubt, in you.
You were there for summer dreaming,
And you gave me what I need.
And I hope you find your freedom
For eternity, for eternity. 
One of the scenes will show Robbie dressed as a tennis player. It is being directed by Vaughan Arnell, the man behind the singer's controversial Rock DJ video. A source close to Robbie said: "It is about friendship and Robbie is not saying publicly who it is about. But it is obviously a big tribute to Geri who has been his guiding light and shoulder to cry on over the past year or so".

24.05.01 GERI NETS NEW FELLA From The Sun

AUF Wiedersehen, Robbie - Geri Halliwell has a German boyfriend. 
The former Spice Girl tells me she is dating one of America's top basketball stars. 
She has been out for a string of romantic dinners with 22-year-old Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki. 
She met him last year when she was dating his team-mate Steve Nash and they have now been seeing each other secretly for months. 
Geri admitted: "Dirk is my new boyfriend - I really like German boys." 
A coach with the Mavericks added: "Dirk is hot on Geri and really likes speaking to her. 
"He doesn't talk too openly about their relationship but we all know they have dated and are close." 
Geri and Dirk certainly make an odd couple - he is 6ft 11in and weighs 17stone, while tiny Geri is just 5ft 2in and tips the scales at 6½stone. 
Dirk is apparently so smitten with his new catch that he has even given her a set of language tapes so she can learn German. 
At Christmas the sax-playing giant took her for a meal at the Liberty Noodles restaurant in Dallas. 
The pair keep in touch by phone and send each other text messages when Geri is away working and they try to meet whenever she goes to the States. 
Geri netted her man after her short romance with Nash broke down early last year. 
She has since been linked with Robbie Williams but has refused to admit whether they were ever more than just friends. 
A touchingly enthusiastic Geri says: "I'm learning German - I love the language and I love the country. In fact, I feel I was a Deutsche Fräulein in a past life." 
Presumably her sudden love of boys in lederhosen has nothing to do with her album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, just being released there. Hmm ...

24.05.01 AUCTION FOR PILLOW CASE From ITN

You will be able soon to snap up Geri's pillowcase at a celebrity auction in order to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation (remember the Debbie story?). Pillowcases of the likes of JK Rowling (the Harry Potter writer), popstars Westlife, S Club 7 and Hear'Say have already been auctioned. Geri will be followed by John Travolta and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

24.05.01 GERI CONFIRMS PARTY IN THE PARK GIG From ITN

Geri Halliwell has confirmed that she will perform at this summer's Party In The Park concert. The bubbly former Spice Girl is the first female artist to confirm her appearance at the huge festival in London's Hyde Park. It will raise money for the Prince's Trust charity which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Geri is back in the media spotlight at the moment after scoring her fourth solo number one hit with It's Raining Men. But fans of the singer will not be able to see her if they have not already booked - all 100,000 tickets for this year's Party in the Park sold out in record time. Joining Geri on stage will be teenage sensation Craig David and Irish heartthrob Ronan. The mainstream pop music event will be hosted by CD:UK's Ant and Dec plus Cat Deeley and screened live on TV. Further performers are yet to confirm their appearance but organisers promise "nothing but the best". Last year saw music legend Sir Elton John perform a duet with US superstars The Backstreet Boys

24.05.01 WHEN GERI MET JERRY! From BBC

Geri Halliwell had better get her appointment booked at the cricked-neck doctors if press reports about the new fella in her life are to be believed. The 5ft 2 former ginger singer has been dating a 6ft 11 German (hence the 'Jerry' joke, pop slowpokes!) basketball player Dirk Nowitzki on the quiet for the last couple of months. This would make Geri's well-publicised recent claims of being off men and celibate nothing short of a complete fabrication. Not that Geri seems to have noticed. She's been gushing to the Sun: "Dirk is my new boyfriend - I really like German boys...I'm learning German - I love the language and I love the country. In fact, I feel I was a Deutsche Fräulein in a past life.""

23.05.01 GERI WANTS A GERMAN BOYFRIEND From ananova

Geri Halliwell is looking for a German boyfriend, but says he has to have a sense of humour.
The former Spice Girl is currently in Germany promoting her new album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster.
She says she likes the honesty and directness of the Germans.
In a talk show organised by radio ffn and the newspaper Bild she said: "I'm looking for a nice big German boyfriend - but he has to have a sense of humour."

21.05.01 GERI EATS!!!

Call the cops - Geri Halliwell has eaten. According to a report in the Daily Star today (May 21), the Incredible Shrinking Woman enjoyed a "slap-up meal" in "London" on Friday night with cricket legend Brian Lara. According to "a source close to the singer" "they had a lovely dinner date together. They are very good friends." There is no mention of the menu, though it is likely to have included more than the fairy dust and dew drops Geri had been subsisting on in recent weeks. Brian, a world-record-setting West Indies batsman, is also very good friends with Manchester United's ever-smiling but currently out-of-sorts striker Dwight Yorke. Who is himself very good friends with the terrifyingly pneumatic Jordan. Strikingly, as Geri's body has diminished in volume, Jordan has had implants in every part of her body, especially the lips and breasts. And following weeks of blanket advertising and promotion, Geri entered the album chart with a bullet at Five yesterday, behind other kids' favourites REM and Bon Jovi

21.05.01 GERI GOT THE 5TH POSITION IN THE UK ALBUM CHARTS

Despite her hard work, Geri Halliwell only managed to enter the TOP 5 with her second solo album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. Ger who promoted the album so much only reached the 5th position Her first album entered the Chart at the 4th place. The only fifference between the 1sta dn the 2nd album is that this time Geri sold more copies. Some people are still waiting for Geri to release another single from the album and decide whether to buy it or not... So far Geri's sold over 22,000 copies in it's first week... Only in the UK

UK Albums CHART
1. REM - Reveal
2. Bon Jovi- One Wild Night 1985-2001
3. Dido - No Angel
4. Shaggy - Hot Shot
5. Geri Halliwell - Scream If You Wanna Go Faster

21.05.01 GERI WENT TO NUMBER 2 IN THE SINGLES CHART

Geri Halliwell failed to get the third week at the number one spot with It's raining Men. The super-slim singer, who released her sophomore album last week went to number 2 being knocked off by S Club 7 who bounced back to the top of the charts... Geri's number 9 in the TOP 20 2001 though, Here's the Top 3

UK SINGLES CHART
1. S Club 7 - Don't Stop Moving
2. Geri Halliwell - It's raining men
3. Nelly - Ride Wit Me

21.05.01 GERI'S POLITICS WORLD From Telegraph.co.uk

Geri Halliwell once said that what she feared most in life was being misunderstood. So it would be kinder and less traumatising for her if we take her at face value when she gives her reasons for campaigning for Tony Blair in this election. "I genuinely admire and believe in Tony Blair," she said in a statement explaining why she "agreed" to appear in Labour's party election broadcast this week. "I think he has done a lot of good work in the last four years." 
Geri didn't go into any precise detail, or any detail at all for that matter, about which good works had inspired her, but she did mention that she and Cherie had worked together for the charity Breast Cancer Care and that she thinks Cherie is fantastic too. It's nice that Geri and Cherie are such good mates, friends in need perhaps, and that they can help each other out at such times as this. It was nice that Cherie's husband was able to call on his wife's friend to inject a bit of spice into his election campaign. 
And it was really great for Geri that, in return for her help, she was rewarded with a timely publicity boost for her new album, Scream If You Want To Go Faster, last Tuesday. But is this really how it happened, or was it the other way round? Did Geri phone Cherie? Who, in other words, screamed first? If Geri's own brilliantly sustained and orchestrated publicity campaign is anything to go by, it would be hard to believe that she, or one of her people, did not pick up the phone first. In the months, weeks and days leading up to last week's airing of the Labour broadcast, Ms Halliwell has rarely been out of the papers. And most of what we have read has been pro-Geri. 
You can't, after all, criticise the girl for her rapid weight loss, unveiled spectacularly at the Brit Awards: she is bulimic. When she hijacked the premiere of Bridget Jones's Diary, saying poignantly that she had experienced her own "Bridget Jones moments", we had to feel sorry for her because she doesn't have a steady boyfriend. So lonely was she that she was compelled to abduct a teenage boy from the crowd to be her escort for the evening. Last week we learnt that she takes her vitamins by injections. The health experts say it's not good for her, but what can she do? She has an eating disorder and she's a hard-working girl on a punishing schedule. 
Not many people would get away with stunts like this, or such a preponderance of baby pink in their wardrobes. But Geri does because she is clever, strangely endearing and so desperately transparent. She is a sweet manipulator who appears to have put one over on Labour. The clue, though, to whether she approached them or they approached her lies in her use of the word "agreed". She said: "I think Tony and Cherie are great examples to the rest of us. That's why I agreed to be involved in this party election broadcast." 
Jonathan Hackford, Geri's publicist at Freud Communications, appears to back this up. He says: "I believe Cherie mooted it to Geri, but I think it was suggested first by Tony. I'm not sure. I mean, Cherie suggested it originally to Geri, but I presume Blair had already suggested it to Cherie and asked her to ask Geri." So Tony asked Cherie to ask Geri. And was this on the basis of Cherie and Geri's close friendship? "They don't hang out at each other's houses," says Hackford, "so I suppose it was in an official capacity." 
Perhaps the idea came to Mr Blair when he attended the Mirror's Pride of Britain awards - which honour those whose achievements the paper thinks merit recognition - last month. According to Piers Morgan, the editor of the Mirror, who suffered the indignity of being turfed out of his spot next to the Prime Minister by Geri Halliwell, the former Spice Girl made it clear what a great fan she was of the Blairs. "She said she quite fancied him and wanted to talk to him," says Morgan. "So Geri chatted to him for about 40 minutes and they got along famously. They talked about everything. I'm sure she put her hand on his thigh . . . she asked him all sorts of things. She says anything for a laugh." 
Did she say that she supports New Labour, for instance? If so, did she say that for her own publicity purposes, or because she has deep and meaningful feelings about the politics of this country? Is she a paid-up Labour member? "No," says Jonathan Hackford. But will she vote Labour? "You'd have to ask her, but I imagine she'll be voting for him, bearing in mind she's done the party election broadcast. She would vote. Come to think of it, absolutely she'd vote for him. I'm sure." 
Of course, there is always the danger that Ms Halliwell will have reinvented herself again by polling day and will be supporting another party altogether. For she does have a tendency to capriciousness. In 1996, she came out in support of the Tories when, in the persona of Ginger Spice, she told The Spectator that she admired Margaret Thatcher and that she saw the former prime minister as the founder of the Girl Power movement. Simon Sebag Montefiore, who conducted the interview, recalls: "Geri was the only one of the Spice Girls and their entourage of PRs who understood what the interview could do. The only two people there who realised the potential of it were me and her. She's very intelligent in an instinctive way and she immediately knew that this would change things. She is in a class of her own when it comes to publicity; I don't think anyone else has turned so little into so much. Equally I don't know anyone else who does it with such cheerful, jovial charm." 
Nobody really believed that Geri Halliwell was a Tory, but it gave the media a marvellous mental image of Margaret Thatcher in a girl band and it proved conclusively that Geri Halliwell was very bright. There was no question that it was Ginger who provided the savvy behind an otherwise banal pop act. She had a good ear for a sound bite and her grasp of good PR was crucial to the band's success. It should also be noted that, in 1997, Geri said of Mr Blair: "His hair's all right, but we don't agree with his tax policies. He's just not a safe pair of hands with the economy." 
It is hardly credible that the chubby pop star whose defining Spice moments were pinching Prince Charles's bottom and bursting bustily out of a Union flag dress at the Brit Awards is now supporting Labour because, as she claims, she admires Tony and Cherie's parenting skills. More likely is the explanation that, as Geri chatted away for those 40 minutes, as she placed her hand on Mr Blair's knee, she was labouring hard at making it once more on to the front pages in time for her album launch. One opportunity that Geri Halliwell did miss, though, and one that she herself says she regrets, was appearing at Wembley Stadium after she jumped ship from the Spice Girls in 1998. 
But it was too late; she'd left the band and gone on the run from the press, finding what she described as "sanctuary" at George Michael's house in the south of France. Sanctuary it may have been for Geri, but not the kind that most of us would want and it wasn't long before the cameras of a Molly Dineen documentary film crew were trained on her every move. Yet she thrived on it. She looked vulnerable, hurt and confused, and at the time she probably was, but she still thrived on it. She still had her autobiography in the pipeline, in which she was going to spill the beans on her bulimia, and she was still getting masses of attention. Looking back at that documentary, at the "out-of-work" Geri, it is poignant to remember her ridiculous over-excitement at the possibility that she might be picked as a Bond girl. She wasn't. 
The role that she was eventually given, as a UN ambassador, served her better in the end. Her specialism was reproductive health. She said that the UN job gave her "a real feeling of recognition". So that was nice of the UN. There then followed, early last year, a television programme, Geri's World Walkabout, in which she visited a rubbish heap in Manila, a German concentration camp and talked to a former Nazi. "Nazis are people who have turned their negativity outward on to other people," she said, and it made you wonder if she was really that clever, or if she was about to turn into Sarah Ferguson. 
Robbie Williams saved the day, imbuing her with a timely dose of pop-star cool. When questioned about their relationship, she demonstrated true Spice Girl form saying: "We're friends who shag occasionally." Last week, at her album launch, she said: "I am not telling people who they should vote for, but I do want people to realise how important it is to vote." So important, it seems, that Geri herself will not be voting. There seems to have been an oversight on the part of Geri, Freud Communications and Tony Blair - she is not on the electoral roll. This time, Ms Halliwell really has put one over on the Blairs.

21.05.01 GERI WROTE A SONG FOR A SICK GIRL From Sunday Mirror

This is the tragic teenage girl whose bravery inspired Geri Halliwell to write her most emotional song. Unknown to her army of fans, the former Spice Girl made dozens of secret visits to Debbie Curran as she lay dying from cystic fibrosis in hospital. Geri performed the song she wrote for 16-year-old Debbie, Love Is The Only Light, on Top Of The Pops last week. But few people watching the show realised the lyrics - "When the lights go down on me, when the truth is hard to see, when hope is fading out of sight, love is the only light" - referred specifically to her brave young friend. Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, Geri, 28, told how she penned the song - now featured on her latest album Scream If You Want To Go Faster - in tribute to Debbie. 
She said: "Debbie wanted to meet a pop star - but I feel as if I met a real angel. I wrote the song after meeting her a few times. I was really inspired by Debbie and gained strength from her." Geri added: "Then she died and I was devastated - I was so angry with God. What I learned from the experience is that you have no control and there is no point in trying to manipulate relationships, work or anything. The only way to win is to give up the fight and just go with it." 
Sadly, Debbie slipped into a coma six months ago before the song was fully complete and she never heard the words. But Geri played an early version of the tune to Debbie, from Denham, Bucks, during her last hours at the Royal Brompton Hospital, in Kensington. The pop star even cut short a holiday to be with Debbie as she prepared for a her most important operation last December. Surgeons performed an 18-hour heart and lung transplant on January 4 last year to save her life. But Debbie never recovered from the ordeal and two weeks later she died in intensive care. Last night Debbie's mother Philomena, 44, told how Geri's friendship helped her daughter in her darkest days. 
She said: "Debbie adored the Spice Girls and Geri was her favourite. She was amazed when Geri began to visit her in hospital. She so looked forward to the visits, even though she was really ill. Geri was lovely to her. She would sit with Debbie for long periods. They talked about all sorts of things and Geri always took gifts and cards to cheer her up. I knew all about the song, of course, and the reasons Geri felt the need to write it. She played it to Debbie after her operation while she lay in intensive care. I am delighted her song has been released because everybody who heard it kept asking me where they could buy it. 
"Geri is a lovely person and it was wonderful that she took time to become close to Debbie. It made her last days extra special. I love the song. It is a fitting and enduring tribute to Debbie." She added: "Debbie was an amazing child who fought bravely all her life. She was an artistic teenager who loved poetry." 
Geri, who has had an on-off relationship with pop star Robbie Williams, had been introduced to Debbie by Chris Evans. One of Debbie's dying wishes was to meet the DJ and visit him on his show TFI Friday. The meeting was arranged through the charity Make a Wish Foundation, which helps the dreams of dying youngsters to come true. Last night, the charity's regional co-ordinator Frances Heath said: "Debbie and Chris became good friends. Through that relationship, Debbie was introduced to Geri whom she also wanted to meet. The song by Geri really is a wonderful tribute to Debbie. Debbie was a really special girl and she inspired everyone who met her - including Geri." 
A spokesman for the Royal Brompton Hospital said: "This song is a wonderful tribute.".

21.05.01 GERI WILL NOT VOTE FOR "SECURITY REASONS" From Ananova

Geri Halliwell who this week urged people to 'use their vote' will not be taking part in the General Election herself for "security reasons." The former Spice Girl, who this week expressed strong admiration for Tony Blair and appeared in a Labour Party broadcast, apparently made a "conscious decision" not to register her to vote. She and her management made the decision because, by registering, it would be easy for people to find out where she lives. Geri first stepped into the political spotlight when she expressed support for the Conservatives in 1996, famously calling Baroness Thatcher the original Spice Girl. 
Earlier this week, however, she made a cameo appearance in the Labour broadcast, entitled The Work Goes On, making and serving tea to a group of pensioners. Her new album was launched on the same day, sparking accusations that her political campaigning was a stunt but the singer said the timing had been a "happy accident". At the album launch at a Virgin Megastore in central London, she said: "It's up to every individual to make their own decision but I would urge everybody to use their vote." She said her own support for the Government was based on "faith and trust" in Mr Blair, adding: "I think he's done a lot of good work in the last four years.".

21.05.01 ROBBIE'S FEAR OVER GERI JABS From Sunday Mirror

ROBBIE Williams has pleaded with close friend Geri Halliwell to stop her weight-loss injections because he's worried she might be ruining her health. 
Last week it was revealed one of the secrets of Geri's amazing new body are multi-vitamin supplement injections. 
But after experts warned the cocktail could cause serious illnesses including kidney damage and liver failure, Robbie has advised Geri to consider the dangers before taking the injections again. 
"Geri is one of Rob's best friends so he's obviously very concerned that she is having these injections," a close pal told the diary. "He thinks they are so dangerous and he is naturally worried about what she is doing to her body. 
"She has helped him out with his diet and he has been following it strictly. But he thinks you should do these things naturally. He wouldn't never recommend going to those extremes." 
It is thought Geri discovered the injections on a trip to LA and has been taking them over the last month whilst promoting her album. 
Playing down rumours that she is using them to lose weight, her spokesman said they were more of a energy boost to help deal with her workload. 
Last night Robbie's spokesman confirmed the singer's worries about Geri. "It's something he is very much against," she said.

21.05.01 DEBBIE'S STORY From Sunday PeopleToday for the first time, Debbie's mum Philomena tells of the extraordinary tender relationship between her daughter and Geri. And she reveals her delight that the tribute song to Debbie - Love Is The Only Light - is a key track on the singer's new album Scream If You Want To Go Faster, which has shot straight to No 5. Philomena told the Sunday People: "Geri helped make Debbie's last months really happy and I'll always be grateful. 
"After the transplant she came to her in intensive care. Geri held Debbie's hand and played the CD of the song she had written for her. "Debbie wasn't fully conscious but squeezed Geri's hand, so we are sure that she could hear. Now, through that song, I know the memory of Debbie will live on for ever." 
Debbie met her idol last November through the Make A Wish Foundation, a charity which tries to fulfil the dreams of sick and dying children. The youngster, who was in the Royal Brompton Hospital, Chelsea, waiting for her transplant, said she longed to see Geri - whom she had admired since the star's days as Ginger Spice. The singer was pleased to help - not realising what a deeply moving experience it would be. Last night a spokesman for Geri, 28, said: "I was inspired by Debbie's strength and maturity in the face of such a dreadful disease. "She was a beautiful girl who managed to smile through the most extraordinary circumstances. Debbie had wished to meet a star but I felt I had met an angel." Debbie's mum was waiting in the hospital corridor when Geri first turned up alone to visit. Philomena recalled: "I had expected her to arrive with lots of people and act like a big star but she was refreshingly normal. 
"She was chatty and friendly and Debbie was over the moon. Geri hugged her and gave her a silver keyring from Tiffany's and a copy of her autobiography. She sat on the bed and talked to Debbie for nearly two hours about everything from films to make-up. Geri told Debbie how she loved the film Breakfast At Tiffany's." Two weeks later, Geri, 28, paid a surprise second visit to the hospital with a video of the movie and a pink Ralph Lauren jacket for Debbie. 
Philomena, of Denham, Bucks, said: "She was down-to-earth and they got on like a house on fire. "Afterwards she phoned the hospital nearly every day no matter where she was in the world. Sometimes she also spoke to me and even on days when I felt so low Geri always had something encouraging to say." Geri continued visiting whenever she could and even dropped in to see Debbie on Boxing Day only to find she had been allowed home for a couple of days. Philomena said: "She pinned messages on the bed saying 'Love from Geri' and 'Be happy' and left Debbie a jumper and cardigan." Debbie had her transplant in January - and caring Geri was at her bedside in intensive care two days later. Although Debbie wasn't conscious Geri held her hand and talked to her. The star returned to the hospital a week later. 
Philomena said: "Geri told me she had written a song for Debbie then played it on the CD. I was so moved." But only days later brave Debbie lost her battle for life. Philomena said: "When I rang Geri to let her know, she was very upset. She came to the wake at our home and even though there were lots of people, Geri had no airs and graces. "We all said prayers. I knew how much it would have meant to Debbie that Geri was there." Geri was desperately disappointed that she was unable to attend Debbie's funeral in Ireland - Philomena's home - because of long-standing commitments. But she sent flowers and was there in spirit because her song for Debbie was played at the service. 
Geri is in regular contact with Debbie's family. She knew Debbie loved writing poetry and asked to have examples of her work. Earlier this month the star invited Philomena and her youngest daughter Christine to a studio recording of Love Is The Only Light for Top Of The Pops. Philomena said: "I cried because it was so moving. Debbie would have loved the song. "Words cannot express how much I appreciate everything Geri has done. And thanks to her Debbie will be remembered by millions."

21.05.01 GERI HALLIWELL WILL NOT VOTE DESPITE LABOUR ELECTION PLEDGE

GERI HALLIWELL has not registered to vote despite declaring that she believes it is "important" and publicly backing the Labour Party, The Telegraph has learned. The singer and former Spice Girl was considered Labour's secret weapon when she appeared in its party election broadcast on Monday. The day after the broadcast Miss Halliwell said: "I am not telling people who they should vote for, but I do want people to realise how important it is to vote and have their say". Her failure to register, however, means that she has now missed the deadline and faces a fine of up to £1,000. The disclosure is an embarrassment for New Labour which hoped that her support would attract young voters. It is believed that the Blairs approached Miss Halliwell personally in mid-April to take part in the election broadcast. She became friends with Cherie Blair, the Prime Minister's wife, last year when she was invited to be a patron of the cancer charity Breast Care. Her switch to Labour took many people by surprise, as she had formerly expressed support for the Conservative Party and in 1996 described Lady Thatcher as "the first Spice Girl". At that time she was registered to vote at her mother's house in Watford. This year, however, Miss Halliwell failed to register in either Watford, a west London apartment she rented until April, or at her Berkshire home. The revelation will leave Miss Halliwell open to the accusation that she manipulated the Labour Party to get publicity for her new album which was launched last week. A spokesman for Miss Halliwell initially insisted that she would vote for Mr Blair. Last night he admitted: "She is not registered to vote because people can find out where she lives and there have been problems with security in the past. "She had a meeting with her manager and they made a conscious and deliberate decision not to register her vote this year. I don't know if the Labour Party knows about this." Iain Duncan Smith, the shadow defence minister, said: "This is all spin and no delivery. She's crossed over to Labour and she's caught their disease.".

21.05.01 DOTMUSIC'S REVIEW OF SIYWGF 

Being a pop star - how hard can it be? C'mon... it's a TV appearance here, a famous boyfriend there. Sure you can no longer eat, or have a private life. Oh, and one more thing, you must create songs to make the kids either fill dance floors with their fabulous backsides or sway slowly along to at school discos.
Cue everyone's favorite pop tartini Geri, with her fit, fantastic body, soul-searching interviews and famous best friends. Yes, she no longer wickedly fills out a Union Jack mini-dress, but she still has apple cheeks and a cherry tomato nose. And she still knows how to make a pop album.
Ms G co-wrote all 12 tracks and serves as the executive producer on her latest offering. Riding high on the Number One smash 'It's Raining Men' (a note-for-note cover of The Weather Girls' roller boogie classic), it should be smooth chart sailing for 'Scream If You Want To Go Faster'.
Not a cohesive body of work, it scampers (quite sweetly) all over the joint. A key of icons (a heart 'for the heart', lips for 'sexy') is included in the liner notes to help the listener understand what the hardly Shakespearian lyrics are trying to say.
Surprisingly, it's when Geri hangs up her dancing shoes that the album really sparkles. 'Calling' is a bossa nova flecked ballad celebrating the to-ing and fro-ing game that new lovers play. While it won't make Astrud Gilberto worry, it shines with sun-streaked melodies and bright vocals.
Tingly guitars, a Bacharach-like singing style and trumpet lilts makes 'Circles Round The Moon' lift right off the player and twirl around the room. The chorus of 'Love Is The Only Light' is a textbook example of faultless pop structure. Vocals rise and fall in perfect harmony with the refrain, resulting in smiles all around.
'Strength Of A Woman' is a chirpy ditty about how women should seek empowerment within themselves, and not through blokes. Nice sentiment, but it is hard to swallow when the woman saying it has transformed herself into what society determines as attractive through slavish devotion to exercise and diet.
Those tracks tagged with a rollerblade icon (meaning 'to make you move') are dance by numbers and just blend into one another, with the slight exception of the whirling mirrorball groover 'Shake Your Bootie Cutie'.
Lyrics are not the strong point of this new baby. Most of them are worthy of the doodles on a teenage girl's notebook, complete with puffy hearts dotting the i's. Geri should stop worrying about being taken seriously as a musician, and just take great pleasure in giving us what she does best -brightly coloured sweeties to make both your teeth and heart ache. A considerable part of the enjoyment of the album is gained from knowing Geri is out there doing her thing, not caring that she wears her emotions on her sleeve.
'Scream If You Want To Go Faster' is never going to be a seminal album to change your life and return to again and again. But it is an album you can happily bop along to and sing along with at the top of your lungs during a drunken night out. You can't really ask more of a pop album than that. 
Lisa Oliver.

19.05.01 WHEN NICKKI MET GERI From The Citizen

A CHORLEY youngster added spice to her life -- when she met chart-topping superstar Geri Halliwell through a children's TV competition. 
Nickki Presley, 12, entered the competition and ended up on BBC TV's Saturday morning show "Live and Kicking" after searching a Geri website on the Internet. 
She met her pop idol live on TV -- and also took along her mum Marie, stepdad Mick Bell and school mate Kim Moss. They were all whisked off to Glasgow, put up in a plush hotel and had a super time. 
Nickki, of Willow Drive, Charnock Richard, who attends Albany High School, wrote to the children's TV show and then answered pop trivia on Geri's glittering career live on television. She was whittled down from more than 3,000 youngsters who entered. 
And though she only came runner-up on the show -- and got a 'gungeing' off Geri, who pulled the lever to cover the Chorley youngster in a right mess -- she was still absolutely thrilled to have been there. 
An excited Nickki said:"I only came second in the competition but after the show I was with Geri for 10 minutes backstage. 
"She just said `how are you?' and said she was sorry she gunged me." 
Marie said: "Nickki absolutely loved it, she really did. She first got in to Geri Halliwell when she was in the Spice Girls, but as soon as she left the band, Nicki followed Geri's career and bought all her records. 
"Nickki went on live TV where she met Geri before she performed her song and was over the moon." 
Nickki came away with prizes including a signed album and photograph of her with Geri. 
"She's a lovely person. I just feel lucky to have met her," said the youngster.

19.05.01 Q&A WITH GERI HALLIWELL From Toronto Sun

Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell released her second solo album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster this week. She already has a No. 1 hit in the U.K. with her campy cover of It's Raining Men, also on the Bridget Jones's Diary soundtrack. Halliwell will be in Toronto on June 9 as a guest of Fashion Cares, the 15th annual benefit for the AIDS Committe Of Toronto. She talks to Jane Stevenson. 
THE SUN: What's with that album title? 
HALLIWELL: "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster is saying find the joy in life, no matter how old you are. Whether you're six or 60 or 26, don't lose the kid within you. We all become inhibited in our old age, but don't let life pass you by." 
THE SUN: What made you decide to cover It's Raining Men? 
HALLIWELL: "I did it for fun, no other reason. I didn't know it was going to be a single, and I was going to go with one of my own songs, and then that happened. I was really proud to be part of the movie because, as a female, I really identify with Bridget Jones. And I love connecting with other females struggling to manage themselves through life." 
THE SUN: What are you going to do at Fashion Cares? 
HALLIWELL: "I'm going to present or something. I'll participate in some shape or form in a very loving, giving way. I would love to perform. Actually maybe I'm going to say, 'I want to perform.' " 
THE SUN: What about an actual tour sometime? Scream is your second album and you have yet to hit the road. 
HALLIWELL: "That's on my wish list, that's one thing I want to do. But it really depends on you guys, really, the public, how well my album is received. And I'm optimistic with it, but we shall see. I could go on tour now but I really want to do a big tour. If I was going to go for it, I want to go for it, you know, not half-heartedly. "

19.05.01 NOT GERI NICE From BBC

Never one to miss the opportunity of a spot of press coverage, Geri Halliwell has spoken out in support for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott who lashed out at an egg-lobbing protestor this week.
Gezza - who recently appeared in a Labour Party Political Broadcast - said that she would have gone one step further and head-butted anyone who pelted her. In Manchester to promote her new album, she told a local radio presenter that she'd give them a "Glasgow kiss". And Geri wonders why she's single!

19.05.01 GERI 'PHONES A FRIEND' AT RECORD SIGNING From Manchester Online

STARRY-eyed David Darlington was left hanging around when chart queen Geri Halliwell took his mobile phone off him - and had a chat with his girlfriend.
David, 17, from Ashton, left his mobile turned on when he went to see Geri promote her new album at HMV in Manchester.
For his girlfriend Sam, from Kent, is also a big fan of Geri and wanted to listen-in on the signing.
But when he finally got to meet the star, Geri took the phone off him and began chatting with Sam.
David said: ''Sam was really shocked and excited at the same time. Geri just came on the phone, called her by her name and asked her how she was. She then told Sam she was a lucky girl to have me. 
''Sam is a really big Geri fan. So it was a dream come true to have a real life chat with her.''

19.05.01 GERI LOSES OUT TO WRINKLIES From the Sun

Despite hard work Geri's album loses out to REM
SHE'S spent thousands of pounds and travelled thousands of miles but Geri Halliwell still can't outsell a bunch of old rockers. 
Geri's new album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, will enter tomorrow's album charts at No3, having sold only 22,295 copies so far. 
Despite publicity overkill over the past week, Geri is, amazingly, being outsold 3 TO 1 by the new REM album. Reveal is at No1 after shifting more than 71,000 copies. 
To make matters worse, Geri is even lagging behind Eighties has-beens Bon Jovi. Their One Wild Night Live CD of old concert tracks is at No2 having so far sold 25,356 copies this week. 
If all that wasn't enough, Geri's single It's Raining Men is due to be toppled by S Club 7's Don't Stop Movin'. 
Geri has done everything to ensure she reaches No1 in the album charts. 
In the past weeks she's travelled 4,000 miles. Her stunts have included standing on car roofs with a megaphone, appearing on SM:tv with Ant and Dec, posing with her dog Harry and wading into the John "Two Jabs" Prescott debate. Flaunting her new, flat body, she's described herself as loving sex, as hating sex, as a virgin, as a lesbian and as Robbie Williams' "special" lover. 
She even appeared in a Labour election broadcast ... the same day her album went on sale. (She's forgotten that as a Spice Girl she was a huge Maggie Thatcher fan.) 
And don't forget the magazine covers and TV and radio appearances. 
So how frustrating it must be to lag behind those wrinkly rockers!

19.05.01 GERI WILL BE PERFORMING 'CIRCLES ROUND THE MOON'

GERI HALLIWELL celebrated a second week at Number One last week - and she's back again to perform 'Circles Round the Moon' EXCLUSIVELY for CD:UK. The track is taken from her new album 'Scream If You Wanna Go Faster' which was released this week. She's still riding high in the singles chart - and may make it three in a row - when we run down our special Saturday Chart this weekend!!!

19.05.01 GERI HALLIWELL SAYS SHE WOULD HEADBUTT PROTESTERS From Ananova

Labour fan Geri Halliwell says she would brutally attack anyone who threw an egg at her. 
The former Spice Girl, in Manchester promoting her new album, was asked how she would react if she was involved in a similar incident to that involving Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. 
She told Key 103 radio presenter Mike Toolan: "I'd give them a Glasgow kiss", which is slang for a headbutt. 
Hundreds of fans gathered outside HMV record store in the pouring rain to catch a glimpse of the singer. 
Others gathered inside to have copies of her album - Scream If You Wanna Go Faster - signed. 
Geri, wearing a red and white scoop necked top and red leather trousers, was accompanied by her shih tzu dog named Harry. 
She kissed fans and accepted gifts of bracelets. 
Earlier this week Geri appearing in a five minute TV broadcast for the Labour Party as a tea maker having previously pronounced herself a fan of Baroness Thatcher. 
At the time she said it was a "happy accident" that the release of her album coincided with her appearance in the political broadcast. 
The signing took place hours before Prime Minister Tony Blair was due to arrive in Manchester but a spokeswoman for the star said she did not believe Geri would be meeting him. 
Geri's album is expected to sell 40,000 to 50,000 copies in its first week but is facing stiff competition for the number one spot in the charts from rock band REM..

19.05.01 IT'S RAINING REM FOR GERI From Planet Fame

Geri Halliwell's hope of topping the album chart next week look slim after figures show that REM is outselling Geri by three to one. Halliwell's Scream If You Wanna Go Faster and REM's Reveal were both released on Monday, but initial figures show the American band sold far more on the first day. Geri looks hot for a number one spot in the singles chart though, as she is neck and neck with S Club 7.

19.05.01 MINISTER DEFENDS GERI ELECTION BROADCAST From Ananova

Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell has defended Labour's decision to use Geri Halliwell in their first party election broadcast. 
Geri has said she does not understand politics and relies on her gut instinct to decide which party to follow. 
Mrs Liddell told the BBC that the singer is an ideal role model for voters because the majority of people share her attitude towards politics. 
The minister said: "Most people in this country are not anoraks about every detail of political policy, but they know what's decent, they know what's right and they know what works for them. 
"People have other things that they do with their lives and people like Geri Halliwell are very representative."

19.05.01 GERI'S JABS 'BIZARRE AND IRRATIONAL' From ITN

"For a perfectly healthy person to be using intravenous vitamins is bizarre and irrational." 
Geri Halliwell has been criticised by nutritionists after it was revealed that she was having vitamins injected into her bloodstream to combat fatigue. 
Catherine Collins, chief nutritionist at St George's Hospital in south London, was shocked by Geri's jabs, "For a perfectly healthy person to be using intravenous vitamins is bizarre and irrational." 
The former Spice Girl is receiving the jabs from a visiting nurse to boost energy levels and improve her immune system in a bid to cope with a gruelling workload. 
Her publicist has rejected the criticism that Geri could be putting herself at risk from liver damage, vomiting, nausea, dizziness and even blood clots. 
She said that that singer, who has had a history of eating disorders was feeling "happier and healthier" after beginning the vitamin injections. 
But Mrs Collins argued that the injections were only ever useful to people with "nutritional disorders". 
She said that for most normal people "a balanced diet and maybe a multivitamin tablet would be sufficient." 
Super-slim Geri is taking the vitamins to cope with her busy schedule as she promotes her new album. 
Her publicist said that the injections were "par for the course" for many performers. 
She explained that Geri was "doing 12 to 18 hour days and travelling all over the world." 
"Geri would not take anything that would harm her. I imagine that you would have to be taking them a lot before they would start harming you." 
But Mrs Collins stressed tiredness could be rectified simply with a healthy diet. 
"Depending on which vitamins she is taking and at what levels, blood clotting and thrombosis are also a risk." 
She said that the gut should normally filter out unwanted vitamins, and that this procedure bypassed that defence. 
She said that eating properly was the solution for the pop star, "If Geri is feeling lethargic, it's because she's not eating enough." 
"She should adopt a healthy eating plan. It would save her money and be far more beneficial for her health."

19.05.01 GERI MUST STOP HARMFUL JABS From Dotmusic

Geri Halliwell was last night warned to stop having vitamin injections, or risk serious health problems. 
Halliwell, currently topping the singles charts with 'It's Raining Men', employs a nurse to give her energy-boosting jabs which she believes help her cope with her gruelling work load and improve her immune system. 
Medical experts however have warned the 28-year-old singer that the controversial treatment can cause liver damage, vomiting, nausea, dizziness and blood clots. 
According to British tabloid The Mirror, nutritionist Catherine Collins of St George's Hospital, Tooting, South London said: "For a healthy person to be using intravenous vitamins is bizarre and irrational. 
"Under medical supervision, small amounts of injected vitamins and nutrients are beneficial to people with nutritional disorders. 
"But for someone leading an active, healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, maybe a multi-vitamin tablet would be sufficient." 
A spokesman for the former Spice Girl said: "Geri would not take anything that would harm her. I imagine you would have to be taking them a lot before they start harming you." 
A former bulimic, Halliwell has caused some concern by the fact that she has lost over two stones in weight over the past few months. But she insists that it has all been done by regular exercise and on three meals a day

17.05.01 GERI SHOOTS UP 

She may be the new face of Labour, but there's a body of opinion that believes Geri Halliwell may be a little thin on substance as it emerged today that the singer has taken on a private nurse to regularly inject a cocktail of vitamins straight into her bloodstream. Medical experts are warning that the jabs she is having are an "extreme and dangerous fad" and may be doing the singer permanent internal damage. A spokesman for Halliwell last night confirmed she regularly has vitamin injections to "boost her energy" - even though, according to nutrition experts, they may be wrecking her liver, kidneys, eyes and skin. Halliwell's publicist said last night: "It is right that Geri is having regular injections of a cocktail of vitamins at the moment to boost her energy. She has a very gruelling schedule. Last week she had a whistle-stop tour of the UK, Italy and Spain. And coming up is Germany, England again and Canada. She is, however, fitter than ever." The news comes at a time when Halliwell is experiencing unprecedented popularity - topping UK singles charts this week and also hitting our TV screens for the first time last night as the new face of the Labour election campaign. Nutritionists believe the reason she has resorted to having the injections is because she has cut fat out of her diet and cannot absorb vitamins properly, but they were also quick to warn of the dangers. Claire MacEvilly, who has been a nutrition scientist for nine years and works for the British Nutrition Foundation, explained: "Where a person has a limited amount of fat in their diet, the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D E and K cannot be absorbed properly by the body. This is why some people who have a low fat intake can suffer from vitamin deficiency. Vitamin injections are an extreme and dangerous fad which has come from the US - it is not very popular over here yet and hopefully will not take off. Overdosing on the non-soluble vitamins by injecting them is easy to do and is a real concern. "It can cause cramps, nose-bleeds, nausea, blurred vision, dry skin, liver disease, weight loss, kidney stones and permanent kidney damage, irritability and jaundice. In the most extreme cases it can lead to death. In the case of Geri Halliwell, my advice for her would be to snack on fruit and vegetables throughout the day. The injections are an extreme and dangerous practice."

16.05.01 REM LEAD GERI IN ALBUM RACE From BBC

REM are set to beat Geri Halliwell to the top of the album chart after selling more than three times as many albums as the former Spice Girl. 
Halliwell's Scream If You Wanna Go Faster and REM's Reveal were both released on Monday, but initial figures show the American band sold far more on the first day. 
Both parties were making headlines on Monday - REM lead singer Michael Stipe admitted he is gay, while Halliwell starred in the Labour Party's first election broadcast. 
The race for the top of the singles chart is much closer, though, with Halliwell and S Club 7 neck-and-neck in the midweek sales figures. 
After extensive publicity, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster sold just over 9,000 copies on Monday. 
But REM shifted more than 33,000 copies of Reveal, their twelfth studio album. 
New albums by Bon Jovi and Depeche Mode are also ahead of Halliwell's second solo release in the initial figures - but that could change before the final chart placings are announced on Sunday. 
Chart expert Gennaro Castaldo, of the HMV retail chain, says Halliwell is up against stiff competition. 
"I don't think it necessarily reflects that she has lost her touch," he said. "If anything, she's at the peak of her powers. 
"Over the coming weeks she can probably expect to sell fairly well. It will be a slow burner." 
Halliwell's debut solo album Schizophonic was also denied the top spot, settling for number two behind Boyzone in 1999. 
Scream If You Wanna Go Faster has been criticised by some who think it could tempt fans to copy Halliwell's front-cover stunt of being pulled behind a car on a pair of rollerblades. 
She has held the number one spot in the single chart for two weeks with It's Raining Men, from the Bridget Jones Soundtrack. 
The single, a cover of the Weather Girls' classic, is currently battling with S Club 7's Don't Stop Movin' for the top spot in this Sunday's singles chart. 
Don't Stop Movin' was number one before it was dislodged by Halliwell, but now looks like it may bounce back to the top. 
Both sold just over 11,000 copies on Monday, with S Club 7 narrowly in the lead.

16.05.01 THAT'S A REAL BATTLE! From NME

S CLUB 7 and current chart topper GERI HALLIWELL are currently neck and neck in the race to become this week's UK Number One single. Initial sales figures based on purchases yesterday (May 14) show that 'Don't Stop Movin'' by S Club 7 is currently outselling Geri Halliwell's cover of The Weather Girls' 'It's Raining Men' by only 210 copies. The songs have sold 11,369 and 11,159 copies respectively.

16.05.01 GERI COMPARES SPICE GIRLS TO VIETNAM From Mtv.co.uk

Geri Halliwell has compared being in the Spice Girls to fighting in the Vietnam war, insisting the camaraderie she shares with her former bandmates was similar to that between soldiers at war. 
"I think it's like if you went to university with somebody or you went to Vietnam with somebody and you've got that kind of camaraderie that you survived and you endured something together. So when you see each other it's a delight," Geri claimed. 
Geri is not in close contact with the remaining Spice Girls, but recently bumped into Mel B on the publicity trail as Mel promoted her forthcoming single, 'Lullaby'. Each of the Spice Girls is now pursuing solo careers, with Victoria Beckham's solo debut, 'Girlfriend', due out later this year. "I'm dead proud of them," Geri added. "It's like we were away at college together studying pop and now we're all doing our own thesis."

16.05.01 GERI ADMITS TO INJECTING VITAMINS From ananova

Geri Halliwell has reportedly hired a private nurse to regularly inject vitamins into her bloodstream. The singer says she has the injections to boost her energy, despite warnings they could be doing permanent internal damage.
Medical experts claim the jabs are a dangerous fad that is putting her liver, kidneys, eyes and skin at risk, according to reports. A spokesperson for Geri told the London Standard: "It is right that Geri is having regular injections of a cocktail of vitamins at the moment to boost her energy.
"She has a very gruelling schedule. Last week she had a whistle-stop tour of the UK, Italy and Spain. And coming up is Germany, England again and Canada. "She is, however, fitter than ever."

16.05.01 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER

For those of you who didn't know my new album "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" is out now! I'm really proud of it because I've put my whole heart and soul into it over the past year. Each song tells a different story, and some of the tracks are extremely personal to me. "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" is all about seeking a way to change your mood and get an adrenaline rush.
The album ultimately signifies me as a person - quirky, fun, camp and heartfelt, and most of all pop! There are loads of great tracks including the feisty and funky ‘Feels Like Sex’, the adrenaline packed title track ‘Scream If You Wanna Go Faster’, the emotional ballad ‘Calling’, ‘Shake Your Bootie, Cutie’, a call for everyone to get down to the dancefloor, and my No.1 disco cover of ‘It’s Raining Men’. 
In all the column inches written about me over the past three years it’s easy to forget that this is what I do best - loud, proud, glorious pop!. Music with a heart, soul and great hooklines. So forget the new image, the friendship with George Michael and Robbie Williams, the yoga, the shopping, the gossip and pictures. If you really want to know the truth about me, then play my album.
Also, don't forget that my new website is now up and running and you can buy merchandise from it - just go to www.geri-halliwell.com.
So far, it’s been one hell of a roller-coaster ride. And now it’s time to get set to go round again
Love you all
Geri xxx

16.05.01 THE COOKIE MONSTER

GERI HALLIWELL celebrated the release of her second album 'SCREAM IF YOU WANNA GO FASTER' and her second week at Number One with current single 'IT'S RAINING MEN' with an instore appearance this afternoon at the LONDON PICCADILLY VIRGIN MEGASTORE. 
Five hundred eager fans met Geri after winning 250 pairs of tickets in competitions via the Internet and radio. 
Despite Geri not appearing til 4.30pm, competition winners were instructed to turn up at 3pm. However, fans started queuing as early as 9am, lead by Gemma, 19, of Croydon who claimed to have met Geri "several hundred times". 
As well as CDs to be signed, Gemma had brought a ten-inch cookie, iced with the title of Geri's new album as a gift for the singer. 
The super-thin star was later seen by NME.COM feeding the sweet treat to her pet dog, Harry, her companion for the evening. 
After posing for photographers with the pooch, Geri then disappeared for a few minutes before meeting her fans. 
David, 20, from London said he was told to move on as soon as he approached her. Nonetheless, in his allowed 15 seconds, David got two albums and two singles signed, as well a having a photo taken with his idol. 

16.05.01 GERI RECORD SIGNING From Geri Halliwell Canadian Style

Over 500 fans turned up to an in-store appearance by Geri Halliwell at the Virgin Megastore in London's Picadilly on Monday afternoon. Geri arrived with her Shitzu pet dog Harry who sat on the table while Geri signed copies of her new album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. Fans, including several lookalikes dressed in legwarmers, bombarded the singer with presents including flowers, boxes of chocolates, teddy bears and greetings chards. Geri even sang Happy Birthday to one fan. 'You should feel lucky. I usually only do this for Princes,' said Geri referring to the time she sang for Prince Charles at his 50th birthday celebrations. Geri was also asked her views on the Euro currency by quizzical hacks following her decision to support Labour in the forthcoming General Election. The star stayed for over 90 minutes. Geri's album is released today. On Sunday Geri became the first British solo female singer to achieve four No 1 records

16.05.01 MEL C COMMENTS ON IRM From Geri Halliwell Canadian Style

Melanie C has spoken out about Geri Halliwell's cover of The Weather Girls' It's Raining Men and has revealed she has a rather lukewarm view of the No 1 hit.Chatting on her official site, Melanie, whose debut album Northern Star has been met with critical acclaim since its release in 1999, wouldn't commit to preferring Geri's cover of the single. She made her comments when answering a fan's question on the subject: 'I was just wondering what you think of Geri's remake of the single, It's Raining Men. Do you think it was better than the original one, or just a complete turn-off?'Melanie's full reply was, 'I think it's very risky to cover songs. It's very difficult to better or do the original justice especially The Weather Girls, who are complete divas.'Geri Halliwell meanwhile is looking set to dominate the album charts this weekend with her second solo release Scream If You Wanna Go Faster

16.05.01 GERI TAPES

GERI Halliwell yesterday revealed a secret shared by glamorous celebrities - their sexy tops are held on with sticky tape. The strategically placed device is a favourite of fashion designers to keep clothes firmly fixed in the right place but it usually stays well-hidden. Double-sided toupe tape is fixed inside the clothes and pressed against the body. Stars including Davina McCall and Jennifer Lopez swear by it. But former Spice Girl Geri didn't have any spare material in her skin-tight black top to hide the tape, so she stuck it on the outside. She revealed the trick-of-the-trade by accident yesterday while launching her new album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. Hundreds of fans mobbed the 28-year-old singer, whose skimpy outfit showed off her well-toned midriff, as she signed copies of the album in the Virgin Megastore at London's Piccadilly. Last night Geri - No1 in the singles charts with It's Raining Men - was back in the spotlight again, singing Tony Blair's praises while playing a tea lady serving up cuppas for pensioners in Labour's first election TV broadcast. It's a U-turn for her. In earlier days she was an enthusiastic fan of Margaret Thatcher, calling her "the first Spice Girl." But she has seen the light, saying: "I genuinely admire and believe in Tony Blair." Stick with it, Geri

16.05.01 HALLIWELL UNFAZED BY GOD AND BAD PUBLICITY From NME

Geri Halliwell's latest physical transformation -- a shorter-haired, blonder, thinner version of her former red-headed, buxom self --has been the talk of the British tabloids. Not to mention her rumoured dalliance with fellow pop star Robbie Williams, her recent vow of celibacy, sadness at losing her bountiful breasts, passing thoughts of lesbian conversion, eating disorder battles, and unfortunate passing of wind upon meeting one of her heroes, Shirley Bassey. And that's just for starters. "Obviously I can't help notice that I am featured in the press a lot but I try not to pick it up too much and get validation from it because a pat on the back is six inches away from a kick up the ass," says the outspoken Halliwell, 28, down the line recently from London. "I have a love-hate relationship with the press. I don't mind them. There's some good journalists and some bad. And I don't think the bad ones are journalists. The ones that step over the mark are just lazy. It's like there's bad pop artists and there's good pop artists. There's Damien Hurst and there's Michaelangelo. "I consider myself the Damien Hurst of the pop world. Some people, you either get it or you don't. It pushes your button. It's bright and colourful but there's deeper meaning underneath if you care and chose to look. Some of it is deep as puddle, some of it is a bottomless pit, like a well." Halliwell is talking about the material on Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, her sophomore solo album in Canadian record stores today. It follows her 1999 solo debut, Schizophonic, which sold platinum in Canada (100,000 copies) and 2 million worldwide. She's already got a No. 1 hit in England -- her fourth such solo achievement -- with Scream's first single, It's Raining Men. The song is a cover of the Weather Girls '80s disco classic co-written by Canadian Paul Schaffer. "You know what I like about Canadians?" she says apropos of nothing. "You've got the optimism of Americans, and you've got the prestige a little bit more fine than the Brits but then you tell it how it is. There's no bulls---t." Back to the single, which got a big boost when it was included on the soundtrack to the film hit, Bridget Jones's Diary. "It's Raining Men was a bit of the red herring of the album 'cause it's the only one that I didn't write and it was like a last minute gift given to me by the makers of the movie," explains Halliwell, who adds both George Michael and Gabrielle were ahead of line of her to sing the frothy dance number. "But I actually think that I worked very jolly hard on this last album and I didn't rush it at all and I feel very confident about writing pop music. I've been to the school of pop and back." Halliwell is referring to, of course, the Spice Girls, who she abruptly left at the height of their success in May, 1998. The remaining four girls are all pursing solo careers now. "I'm dead proud of them," says Halliwell. "It's like we were away at college together studying pop and now we're all doing our own thesis. I think it's like if you went to university with somebody or you went to Vietnam with somebody and you've got that kind of camaraderie that you survived and you endured something together and so when you see each other it's a delight. "Occasionally you call each other, see how you're doing, but we don't see each other every day." Despite her fetching new look, which Halliwell attributes to a disciplined workout routine, no dieting and avoiding sugar, she claims to be single despite reports linking her to Williams. "Rob is like one of my best friends," she says. "We're like two six-year-old children. We're playmates, that's it. We play cards, backgammon, and we kind of playfight." As for going blonde, Halliwell says she's not necessarily having more fun. "The hair colour's just a dressing, it's a salad dressing. I've been every colour. I dyed my hair blonde when I was 12. I've experienced black, red and blonde." 
Geri continues her promotional tour at HMV in Manchester this Thursday (May 17)

15.05.01 KENNEDY CRACKS GERI 'WALKWOUT' JOKE

Charles Kennedy says he hopes Geri Halliwell doesn't walk out on the Labour Party the way she walked out on the Spice Girls.
The Liberal Democrat leader cracked the joke about the former Spice Girl who has announced she is backing the Labour Party in the election battle.
She is also set to appear in a TV party broadcast.
Mr Kennedy said: "Speaking as one redhead to a former redhead, I think Miss Halliwell is a talented entertaining artiste.
"She is entirely open to give her support to the party that she wishes. But I hope she does not walk out on the Labour Party the way she walked out on the Spice Girls."
The broadcast will be transmitted on Monday at 1825 BST on ITV, at 1855 BST on BBC1 and at 1955 BST on both Channel 4 and Channel 5. 
A radio version will also go out.

14.05.01 GERI REIGNS FOR ANOTHER WEEK

Geri Halliwell kept the number one spot this week with "It's Raining Men". Followed by S clcub 7 and Nelly, Geri's album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster is due out on monday in the UK

14.05.01 GERI TO SUPPORT LABOURS PARTY 

Geri Halliwell, test cricket umpire Dickie Bird and paralympic athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson all make cameo appearances in Labour’s first PEB, to be shown on TV (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky) tomorrow (Monday).
The broadcast, one hundred percent positive in tone, lists a number of first term achievements, to the soundtrack of Labour’s official campaign song, "Lifted" by the Lighthouse Family.
Films have been made to reflect Labour’s distinct achievements in Scotland, Wales and England. 
All three start with the question: Has Britain changed since 1997? And then, to a succession of pictures of life in Britain, lists changes. 
The film closes with the line: The work goes on. 
The three celebrities appear briefly in the film, Geri first making tea and then serving it to pensioners, Dickie in his England blazer at his home in Barnsley, Tanni with a group of children at a youth sports event in Bristol. 
Geri said: "A lot of people knock Britain, but I have to say, I’m proud of this country, and the opportunities it offers people. I genuinely admire and believe in Tony Blair – I think he’s done a lot of good work in the last four years. Cherie and I have worked together for Breast Cancer Care and I think she’s also fantastic, a great role model. We all need good parenting with love and guidance, and I think Tony and Cherie are great examples to us. That’s why I agreed to be involved in this election broadcast."

14.05.01 GERI'S INCOME From News Of THe World

In second part of our investigation, cash experts Philip Beresford and Dominic Prince probe the purses of more celebrities. Geri Halliwell, 28. Wealth: £14m. Singer. Forget PR stunts like "dating" Chris Evans - former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is doing OK on her own thank you very much. She severed her connections with the Spices in 1999, quitting as director of the three main companies, Octopus Direct, Spice Girls Limited and Spice Girls Touring. But her own company, Geri Productions, which handles her royalties and touring income, seems in pretty good shape. 
She will not starve with a £2,012,800 salary in 1999, although this was about a third of the £5,827,364 she drew out the previous year as a fully-fledged Spice. But Geri won’t be too downcast at the drop because the remaining Spice Girls all saw their incomes fall by a similar amount. Geri Productions still had £974,846 sitting in the bank, earning Geri a nice return. And she clearly enjoys spending a bob or two. Geri Productions runs a director’s current account for her which had £620,838 in 1998, but was down to £195,283 a year later. That is some spending - a mind-boggling £425,555 -in a year. All those dinky dresses for premieres soon add up you know!

14.05.01 GERI CAUSES STINK MEETING SHIRLEY BASSEY From Ananova

Geri Halliwell blew it with Shirley Bassey after she caused a stink on their first meeting, she has revealed. Halliwell was chuffed to meet the veteran singer, a long-time heroine, but the excitement was all too much and she broke wind during the encounter. The It's Raining Men singer admitted the incident was her most embarrassing moment as she turned DJ for London radio station Capital FM. 
"I've always been a big fan of Shirley's and as I shook her hand I did a silent but deadly one and I just died," she admitted on the Capital Takeover show. "I pretended it didn't belong to me and swiftly walked away and left a lingering smell, but that was quite embarrassing and I do tend to go red. That's the beauty of having a dog around actually you can blame those kind of incidents on them." 
The star also spoke about how she turned down the chance to go on Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother. "I was the first person they asked and I was the first person to say no because I couldn't think of anything worse being in a house for seven days under that public scrutiny. I don't know if you saw that documentary I did. But having that camera pointed at you constantly is kind of terrifying and you can't keep up the personality, it would be too much pressure to do it, I couldn't do it." 
Halliwell, 28, was given free rein to choose whichever songs she wanted to play on the show, and chose Who Do You Think You Are? by her old bandmates the Spice Girls. She said: "I'm dead proud of those girls, they've all done well, we've been to the school of pop and back and I think we're all doing very very well. Respect."

14.05.01 GERI LOST GINGER BY LOSING WEIGHT From Sunday People

On the subject of flesh, have you noticed how people don't even call skinny Geri Halliwell Ginger Spice anymore? Have you noticed how she still can't sing a single note yet she's just got to Number One with something that sounds like a flymo falling down a lift shaft? We've all been sucked in by one of the marketing successes of the day. All that Robbie Williams bedroom stuff edged her to the top of the celebrity tree. But what really clinched the deal was the six months of work outs, nips, tucks and yoghurt to give her that transformation into a tight-as-a-drum post-spice. 
Now it's all gone to her head. She's even got one of those bug-eyed four inch long poodles to show that she's really made it. But judging by her tubby, big-boned form in the past, the new pie-free super slick Geri could be short-lived. I'd say just a few missed days of exercise and just half a dozen choccy biccies and she'll quickly balloon back to her old self. It'll be raining then all right. Not men, but bits of busted bikini

14.05.01 HARRY WAS ATACKED! From Sunday People

Geri Halliwell's tiny Shih-tzu dog Harry was attacked by geese when she visited Top of the Pops last week. Harry dashed out of the Thames-side studio and chased a flock on the river bank. Big mistake. The birds got ugly - and ended up chasing terrified Harry!

14.05.01 GERI HAD A GREAT PERFORMANCE AT TOTP From TOTP

There was a scary moment or two for Geri Halliwell when she recorded her performance of dreamy album track 'Love Is The Only Light' for TOTP the other night. Firstly, the slender one was literally kept hanging around when a technical hitch kept her suspended for almost 10 minutes in a large plastic ball above the stage. Geri eventually gave a cracking performance, but panic set in as she left the stage. 
The hemline of her nymph-like outfit swished over some candles and she almost set fire to herself. Luckily, the production crew rushed over to sort everything out. Undeterred, Geri went on to deliver an utterly camptastic rendition of 'It's Raining Men' complete with exercise routines, a New York cab and flashes of lightning!!

13.05.01 THE CD:UK INTERVIEW WITH GERI HALLIWEL

If you missed Geri Halliwell's recent exclusive chat with Ant, Dec and Cat or if you just fancy seeing such a top bit of telly all over again, you can watch and read the interview in full right here on worldpop.

Cat: Why did you decide to release a cover of The Weather Girls' It's Raining Men?
Geri: Well, I actually didn't decide. It was really odd because I was all ready to go with my new album. I had the single, I had the video idea all ready and then the producers of the movie said to me, 'do you want to record It's Raining Men for the soundtrack?' I thought it would be fun and I love Bridget Jones cos I've read both books and so I just did it really quickly. They all loved it and wanted it to be a single and I thought it was a bit of a gift, so I released it.

Ant: Is there anything else you'd like to achieve before you turn 30?
Geri: Well, I've got two years to do it! Let me see, get married at least twice, have 10 kids, be happily divorced and another few albums and a world tour ... and maybe have a day off in between!

Dec: We've had an anonymous question sent in for you saying, 'My 13 year-old daughter is obsessed with her weight to the point that I am worried she may have developed an eating disorder. You've admitted to having battled with this yourself when you were younger. What advice, if any, would you have for her?
Geri: Oh, it's such a tough one because I think for girls it's really common, the whole 'does my bum look big in this?' thing. But it's whether you take it to an extreme. There's no right or wrong but for me, I've struggled with this for years and so now what I do is just eat three meals a day and I cut out sugar cos that sort of sets me off a bit. But just eat healthily. Diets for me do not work because then you can swing from dieting to over-eating. The best thing is to be honest about it, that's the key. Just talk about it with your friends or your mum.

Dec: But starvation certainly isn't the answer.
Geri: It does not work because you're on your way to the other end so I really wouldn't do that. Starving makes you fat in the end because your metabolism changes.

Cat: It's rumoured that you used a body double for parts of your new video. Is this true?
Geri: OK right. I'm going to show you that I can do the splits so that everyone can make their own minds up. I might have had a little help here and there but that's it.

Ant: At the premier for Bridget Jones's Diary it was reported you took a fan along as your date. What actually happened?
Geri: A girlfriend was meant to come with me and she couldn't at the last minute so I had this spare ticket in my bag. Do you remember Charlie And The Chocolate Factory? Well I just thought, 'How cool would it be if I turned up and said to someone, 'do you want to come?'' I just saw this little guy there and his eyes were all shining and I said, 'Do you want to come with me?'

Ant: Was he over the moon?
Geri: He certainly was! He was a bit gobsmacked. He had a great time.
Dec: Did he buy you a hotdog or anything?
Geri: No, he didn't actually.
Dec: What a lousy date!

12.05.01 GERI DOES THE "IT'S RAINING MEN" SPLITS From Worldpop

To prove her gymnastic abilities Geri Halliwell recently did the splits live on TV for the pleasure of cd:uk viewers - and worldpop have the evidence here on video. When Cat asked Geri about the rumours of a body double used in the video for her No 1 hit It's Raining Men, the ex-Spice Girl was swift to point out that although she may have required some assistance on some of the more difficult moves she's supple enough to manage the splits. "OK right. I'm going to show you that I can do the splits," she told Cat Deeley on a recent edition of cd:uk's award-winning music show explaining that it would enable everyone to, "make their own minds up." 
The extrovert star then refers to the more complex dance moves in the video confessing, "I might have had a little help here and there but that's it." Click here to watch Geri do the splits! Geri's full chat with Cat and Dec from cd:uk can be viewed from tomorrow on worldpop's cd:uk backstage pages. Click here from 1pm on Saturday afternoon. If you missed the original interview on cd:uk then this is the only place you can catch the chat. Geri also reveals exactly what she intends to achieve by the time she's thirty and believe us... it's one hell of a feat including the mothering of 10 kids!!

12.05.01 GERI IN SPAIN: YOGA ON HER? From The Mirror

Despite her mother being half Spanish, Geri Halliwell doesn't appear to have mastered the language. In the country this week to plug her new album, she appeared on a TV show in Madrid where she was asked to give a demonstration of the yoga she's become so keen on. Struggling to communicate, the ex-Spice Girl tried to say she would only do it if the presenter agreed to do it with her. But instead of saying: "You do yoga with me," she actually asked the host to perform yoga on her, er, nether regions. The presenter's jaw hit the floor, but, oblivious to any offence she may have caused, Geri carried on regardless and performed a few yoga moves. Doh!

12.05.01 GERI'S HARRY SET FOR STARDOM From People News

Geri Halliwell's lapdog Harry is on the road to becoming a canine superstar. The little shih-tzu has already left his mark on the floor of the Joseph store in Chelsea, sparking a flurry of newspaper headlines. Now his fame is set to become more enduring as dog food manufacturers race to sign up Harry. Several firms are keen to use the mutt, rescued by Halliwell from Battersea Dogs' Home in 1999, for a major TV advertising campaign which would, of course, also feature Halliwell. Their interest followed a spate of pictures of Halliwell carrying Harry across the capital as she promoted her No 1 hit It's Raining Men. A friend of the 28-year-old singer said: 'Some of the big firms like Pedigree Chum are apparently interested in using Harry as part of a sales pitch about food especially for small dogs. But I don't think Geri's agreed to anything yet because she's very protective of Harry.' Halliwell has joked that Harry's life story would be worth a fortune because he spent time sniffing around the homes of her celebrity pals including Robbie Williams and George Michael

12.05.01 GERI MAKES SAUCY SLIP-UP ON SPANISH TV From Ananova

Geri Halliwell has stunned Spanish TV viewers with an X-rated slip of the tongue.
She was asked by the presenter to perform some yoga skills during an interview conducted in Spanish on the show El Informal.
Instead of replying: "Will you do yoga with me?" Geri said: "Will do yoga on my fanny?"
Both the presenter and the audience were gobsmacked but Geri, whose own mother is Spanish, seemed oblivious to her slip-up and went on to perform a series of yoga moves.

11.05.01 GERI'S REVIEW OF SIYWGF From The Sun

Geri Halliwell releases her new album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster next week - and here's a review by the ex-Spice Girl just for Bizarre readers: Scream If You Wanna Go Faster: I had the title before I wrote the song with Rick Nowels. It's about seeking ways to change your mood, and, one of the album's themes, the child within. Shake Your Bootie Cutie: I wrote this with Gregg Alexander from New Radicals and it's inspired by a Ricky Martin concert. There's a rap on it that's so Wham! George hasn't heard it yet but I'm sure he won't mind. Calling: I'm really proud of this track because it's some of the most mature writing I've done. It's about wanting romance. I wrote it with Peter Vetesse, who is a genius on the piano. Feels Like Sex: I wanted to write a record about sex but with a positive message. You know when you get on top of someone but keep your clothes on? To me, that anticipation is so sexy. 
Circles Round The Moon: Inspired by the Harry Potter books. It's a loving song. Some of my lyrics are as deep as puddles - then the next will be so expressive. Love Is The Only Light: A little girl waiting for a heart transplant asked to meet a "star" - me. I felt I'd met an angel and she inspired me to write this. When she died I was devastated. Strength Of A Woman: I worked with Rick Nowels to make this one sound really Sixties. It's all about my relationships with women, which is so important. Don't Call Me Baby: When I wrote this song I was in a depressed mood. All the pain people cause me I use productively - thank God! When the Madison Avenue track came out with the same name, I was gutted. 
Lovey Dovey Stuff: I explored lots of different reggae beats and came up with one that worked. The lyrics are simple, sweet and intimate - about a partnership. It's Raining Men: I loved Bridget Jones. So when they asked me to do this for the film, it was like a gift - and such a great excuse to put leg warmers on! It's fun. It's Heaven It's Hell (Being Geri Halliwell): I wrote this with Jorgen Elofsson - it was his idea. It's using my experiences to examine what it's like being famous today. Rob (Williams) loves it. I Was Made That Way: This is a song to my audience. It's admitting my moods and contradictions but saying: "I hope you love me anyway."

11.05.01 GERI JETS OFF TO SPAIN From The Sun

Sexy Geri Halliwell jets off to Spain from Heathrow yesterday as she celebrates her single It's Raining Men notching up her 11th Number One. We don't like to put the dampers on her hol, but stunner Geri, 28, won't be getting deluged with fellas there. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. 
Also, quick note to the visitors that Geri will be in Montreal, Canada, for the promotion of her new album, Sream if You Wanna Go Faster, on June 6. She will also be touring Canada according to her record label EMI. And this Friday's TOTP in the UK will be seeing Geri perform a new track titled "Love Is The Only Light."

11.05.01 GERI ON CAPITAL FM From Capital Fm

Geri Halliwell's 'It's Raining Men' is heading for the top of the Pepsi Chart this weekend, and we can confirm she will be presiding over the Capital FM studios very soon for a Capital Takeover. She's so in demand these days, getting the gal to sit down for a full hour is rare, so if you've got a question you'd like to ask Geri, just send them in to us and we'll pack as many in to the show as possible. 
You can ask her about her famous health and beauty routines or if those "is she, isn't she," rumours about her relationship with Robbie Williams are keeping you awake at night, now's your chance to find out the truth. Email your questions using the form below and we'll select the pick of the bunch for Miss Halliwell to answer personally!

11.05.01 GERI INSPIRED BY HARRY POTTER'S BOOKS From Sunday mail

Pop queen Geri Halliwell's new song is really magic - it was inspired by the Harry Potter books. The former Spice Girl says she is "obsessed" by the best-selling books about the young wizard, written by Edinburgh-based author J.K. Rowling. She wrote her new track, Circles Round The Moon, as a homage to Harry. Geri said: "I soak up whatever I'm reading at the time. I read all four of the Harry Potter books in one go and off I went, completely obsessed. Circles Round The Moon, is inspired by the books. It is a loving, romantic song." 
Friends say Geri is hoping it will be used on the soundtrack of the new film, Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone. And it is tipped as a future single from Geri's new album

10.05.01 NO 'MEN' TROUBLE FOR GERI! From NME

GERI HALLIWELL is on course for a second week at Number One, with her cover of 'IT'S RAINING MEN' currently the biggest selling single of the week. 
Initial midweek sales figures show that the ex-Spice Girl's cover of The Weather Girls original has sold over 30,000 copies so far this week, roughly 4,000 more than current Number Two single 'Don't Stop Movin'' by S Club 7

10.05.01 GERI HALLIWELL: 'SCREAM IF YOU WANNA GO FASTER' From Rainbow network

Rainbow Rating: 4/5

Scream If You Wanna Go Faster
The title track (nah, you don’t say!) and it’s not hard to see why. Beginning with a revving runaway car, it’s straight into a 60s tinged Austin Powers meets the Monkees meets rock, monster of a tune. Yeah Baby!

Shake Your Beauty Cutie
How thoughtful. Geri’s given us her very own workout number. “Hello Daddy baby, Hello sexy mummas,” she purrs before asking in her normal dulcet tones “Is anybody there? Bring your bad arse self down here and get out of your bed and into your body.” How could anyone resist? Naff, but addictive.

Calling
In a recent interview on ‘That Gay Show’, Geri revealed that George Michael had raved about this track. It’s not hard to understand why: it’s a composing-by-numbers George slushy number if ever there was one! Still mighty fine though.

Feels Like Sex
Has Geri been adopted by kick-ass aliens? Think what would happen if Destiny’s Child discovered rock, add a healthy slice of funk, and you’re not even getting warm.

Circles Round The Moon
Back in familiar waters. The album’s ‘Lift Me Up’, will those dinky aliens make a comeback on the video to accompany the inevitable single release?

Love is the Only Light
Recalling Eric Clapton’s ‘Change The Way You Feel’, this is another quality sloppy number, proving that Geri’s done George proud. OK, we’re half way there; where’s the filler?

Strength of a Woman
OK, here it is. “Step by step, hour by hour, what we’ve got is a woman’s power.” Crikey, Geri’s still harping on about Girl Power after all these years. At least she’s consistent.

Don’t Call Me Baby
Virtually a note-for-note rip-off of Vanessa Paradis’ slice of Motown, ‘Be My Baby’. Highly unoriginal it may be but darn the girl, it still manages to hook you.

Lovey Dovey Stuff
Just when you thought she’d left no musical style untouched, Geri discovers reggae, mixing it with a bit of harp. Strange, I normally hate reggae but this kinda works.

It’s Raining Men
The lamer than lame Weather Girls cover highlights weaknesses as a singer. Skip the track and wait for the fab Fame/Flashdance inspired video on MTV instead.

Heaven and Hell (Being Geri Halliwell)
Clever stuff this. “Fame costs, and write here is where you start paying.” Poking fun at her own popular persona, the press and the whole 15-minute fame thing is not enough for our Geri – she wraps it in a mighty fine pop tune. 

I Was Made That Way
Tonight Matthew, Geri is gonna be George again. Unfortunately, on this duller than dull track, she doesn’t quite pull it off.

Verdict: A pure pop package that proves Geri knows her stuff, but is not afraid to have some fun along the way"

08.05.01 GERI GETS HER OATS From Daily record

GERI HALLIWELL'S big secret is out - she loves her oats first thing every morning. 
The singer, who had her fourth No.1 yesterday with It's Raining Men, always starts her day with a hot and tasty Scot by tucking into a bowl of Scott's Porage Oats. 
Geri, 27, who claims she is single and celibate these days, always carries a packet of the famous Scottish breakfast cereal with her. 
And when she arrived in Glasgow on Saturday to record Live & Kicking, the first thing she did was to devour a bowl. 
OTR can reveal she is a true Scot because she asked for hot water - no milk, sugar or even salt. 
A BBC Scotland insider said: "One of the production staff asked her about it and she said she always travels with a box of porridge. 
"She has it for breakfast every morning." 
Last night Geri was thrilled with her latest No.1 which follows Mi Chico Latino, Lift Me Up and Bag It Up to the top spot. 
And now she's hoping her new album, Scream If You Want To Go Faster, will follow her debut Schizophonic to the top of the album charts.
Geri said: "I feel confident as a pop writer. I know that I can do it. At the end of the day if God wanted me to be an accountant, he would have made me good at maths. 
"I'm getting great feedback about my new stuff, which is really encouraging. 
"But nothing's changed in the sense of what I contribute. 
"I've always been committed and had a huge creative input."
And it's just as well she's got her porridge as the singer admitted if she was stranded on a desert island she'd resort to cannibalism.
She said: "I would totally eat somebody. I have no problem with that. I saw the move Alive the other day. If I was starving I would so eat the cheek of your a***."

07.05.01 GERI'S THE RAINING SPICE GIRL From The Sun

Geri ... she's at No 1 
EX-SPICE Girl Geri Halliwell landed her FOURTH solo Number One yesterday - confirming her as the band's most successful star. 
Her cover of It's Raining Men went straight to pop's top slot on the week of its release. 
Geri, 28, who quit the Spice Girls in 1998, has also hit No 1 with Mi Chico Latino, Lift Me Up, and Bag It Up. 
Sporty Spice Mel C, her closest rival, has notched up two solo Number Ones - Never Be The Same Again and I Turn To You. 
Baby Spice Emma Bunton has had one chart-topper - What Took You So Long? - as has Scary Spice Mel B, with I Want You Back. 
Posh Spice Victoria Beckham has yet to release a solo single. 
Geri said last night: "It's fantastic to be No 1 again. A big thank you to my fans. I wouldn't be here today without you."

07.05.01 GERI IS NUMBER ONE! From Dotmusic

Geri Halliwell has got her 4th solo number one selling over 200000 copies of her single in its first week accoording to Dotmusic .
Geri Halliwell has lived up to expectations and shot straight to the top of the UK charts with the old Weathergirls classic, 'It's Raining Men'. Before we start properly this week, a short history lesson. Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes were the regular backing singers for disco legend Sylvester, often dubbed Two Tons Of Fun on account of their size and personalities. After Sylvester's star waned they began making records of their own but without much in the way of success until 1982 when writer and producer Paul Jabara asked them to record his song It's Raining Men. The pair dubbed themselves The Weather Girls for the purposes of the song and although a flop the first time around, the single grew to become a classic gay disco anthem and eventually reached Number 2 in 1984.
17 years on and the song has been resurrected by Geri Haliwell who has as usual made sure she has been all over the printed and broadcast media in the run up to its release, whether it by appearing at the Brit awards to show off that body, giving coy interviews about the exact nature of her friendship with Robbie Williams or simply forgetting to wear her bra when performing the song on television. Even the Flashdance aping video has caused some debate thanks to net-sourced gossip about exactly how the self-acknowledged worst dancer in the Spice Girls suddenly became able to perform such astonishing acrobatic dance moves. The track has also benefitted from exposure as part of the soundtrack to Bridget Jones' Diary, accompanying as it does one of the funniest fight scenes in recent cinema history. There have been plenty of negative reviews of the single, many comparing it perhaps unfairly to the original and suggesting it contains little of the kick of the orignial. Actually I have to confess to loving this version, playing as it does to Geri Halliwell's vocal strengths rather than attemtping to match the lung-busting vocal track of the original. This is the kind of record you would expect her to make and had it not been a cover version you can bet that there would be plenty of people lining up to hail it as a work of pop genius. If nothing else the single is by an order of magnitude less terrible than the 1998 remake of the track which saw Martha Wash tread all over the legacy of her most famous recording by teaming up with RuPaul for It's Raining Men - The Sequel which made Number 21.
Onto the stats and this is no less than the fourth solo Number One single for Geri Halliwell, continuing her claim of being far and away the most successful solo Spice Girl. Melanie C has only had two solo Number One hits but of course has featured on two more Spice Girls chart-toppers than Geri so in overall terms the two women are actually neck and neck. Producer of the track is Stephen Lipson who thus celebtrates his third Number One hit. Strangely enough the other two were for Gary Barlow (Love Won't Wait) and Ronan Keating (When You Say Nothing At All) which means he is making something of a career out of taking solo members of pop bands to the top. For those keeping count, It's Raining Men is the 897th Number One hit and the second cover version of an 80s classic to top the charts this year, following Westlife's Uptown Girl back in March. Good on yer girl, and if Robbie Williams really isn't the man for you then all you have to do is ask, you know where to find me..

UK SINGLES CHART:
1. Geri Halliwell - It's raining men
2. S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'
3. Jennifer Lopez - Play
4. M.O.P - Cold as life
5. Gabrielle - Out of reach

07.05.01 GERI: I'M WORTH POUNDS 1BN 

POP star Geri Halliwell yesterday joked about re-joining the Spice Girls - but said it would take pounds 1 billion for it to happen. 
Speaking on BBC's Live and Kicking in Glasgow, she told viewer Neil Lewis during a phone-in: "Oh yeah I would. Yeah. I think we all would for pounds 1 billion." 
Geri also revealed she has a secret crush on Prime Minister Tony Blair. But she quickly made sure that his wife Cherie didn't get the wrong idea. 
Answering a viewer's question asking if she had ever fancied Mr Blair, the slimline singer said: "A little. I think he is quite handsome and he has lots of charisma, but I think that Cherie is even better." 
Geri says she has given up sex in favour of yoga. But she recently admitted that she and Robbie Williams run around naked together. The pair have been the subject of speculation, but Geri refuses to confirm if he is her lover, saying simply: "Robbie and I are friends through the heart and mind." 
But she revealed to thousands of BBC viewers that she has cheated on boyfriends in the past. She told caller Jodie Warrington: "I have never two-timed people but I admit there may have been a slight overlap." 
Geri performed her latest single, a cover of the 80s classic Its Raining Men, the theme to movie blockbuster Bridget Jones, starring Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant. 
Strings of fans gave up their Saturday morning to stand outside the main gates of the BBC from 8am to welcome the singer. 
But they could only catch a glimpse of the star as she was driven past in her silver Chrysler Jeep with blacked out windows.
They stood patiently waiting until noon, when the jeep procession drove out again.

07.05.01 BATTLE OF THE BODIES From Sunday Mail

Posh wants to look like Geri
LOOKS like Geri Halliwell's supertoned body has caught the eye of an oldfriend.
Her former Spice Girl buddy Victoria Beckham has just hired a personal trainer after seeing the sensation Geri's new look has caused. 
Posh is now working out at least three times a week at gyms near her homes in Cheshire and Hertfordshire in preparation for the media frenzy when she releases her debut solo album later this year. 
"Victoria saw Geri's new video and said she wanted a body just like hers," a close friend told the diary. "She thinks Geri has really upped the stakes this time." 
"She's always hated going to the gym but she knows she is going to have to make at least four videos and do tons of promotional work for her new album."
"The last thing she wants is for people to turn round and say: 'Nice body Posh, but it's not as good as Geri's'."
Although Posh, 27, has kept her slim figure since giving birth to Brooklyn I understand she's keen to work on her stomach muscles. 
She also wants to improve the definition on her arms and legs and has been doing exercises aimed at increasing suppleness. 
One fellow fitness fanatic who uses the same gym as Posh at the David Lloyd Centre in Handforth Dean, Cheshire, says Posh looks incredibly committed. 
"I was on the cycling machine one day and couldn't believe it was her," she says. "She was really going flat out. I knew she used the club but normally she'd just have a sunbed while David worked out." 
Personally, I'm all for Posh doing a few extra chin-ups, as long as she doesn't chin ME the next time she sees me.
GERI'S PLAN
EXERCISE: Runs six miles a day with her personal trainer, does yoga and goes 'power walking'. 
DIET: Formerly bulimic, she now sticks to a low-carbohydrate regime. 
SURGERY: Rumoured liposuction to her chin, hips and thighs to achieve her current 7st frame. 
POSH'S PLAN 
EXERCISE: Used to do 100 sit-ups with husband Becks. 
DIET: Was 91/2st but says giving birth left her at 7st. Claims to eat three healthy meals a day plus crisps.
SURGERY: Believed to have had two ops to enhance her breasts.’

06.06.01 GERI ON LIVE 'N' KICKING From Halliwell News

Did you catch Geri on Live n' Kicking this morning? Wearing a pink sleeveless shirt, she looked great. She sung 'It's Raining Men', and then appeared on 'The Leakiest Sink', asking contestants questions about her past, her singles and her future plans. 
She then went on 'Talk To The Hand', along with the presenter, she answered questions from viewers at home. One of the questions somebody asked was: 'In a documentary, we could all see you didn't get on with Mel B'. Geri's face lit up with surprisement and instantly asked which documentary that was. It turned out to be 'Raw Spice' so Geri said that they were like sisters back then, and that sisters love each other, but fight all the time. Nothing more was said. 
Another question, which rather amused Geri, was: 'If you were offered £1 billion would you return to the Spice Girls?' She quickly answered 'Yes!!!’

06.06.01 GERI'S NEW PASSION: BALLET From People News

Geri Halliwell has developed a passion for ballet, PeopleNews can reveal. According to friends, the former Spice Girl is enchanted by classical dance, and has taken to attending the ballet at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden whenever possible. "She loves it," PeopleNews has been told. "She's had this romantic idea of ballet since she was a child, but it's only recently that she's been able to properly indulge it." 
Geri's passion was renewed when she met Torje Eike, her current personal trainer and diet advisor. Eike, the man who is widely credited as being responsible for the astonishing transformation in Geri's physique, has previously worked with Jerry Hall and also advises an array of top athletes and ballet dancers as to how they can best stay in shape. It is thought to be a result of his tutelage that Geri decided to use ballet moves in her latest video, It's Raining Men, and has taken to attending the ballet so frequently. 
"She went to see Gisele last week," says the source, "and she's now a Friend of the Royal Ballet, so she can go whenever she likes."

06.06.01 GERI'S NUMBER ONE! From CD:UK

!!!Schizo:Geri is proud to announce that Geri got her 4th solo number one with a cover of the Weathergirls' 1984 hit "It's raining men".!!!!. Geri's now got 11 number ones since she started her music career in 1996 with the Spice Girls. Congratulations GERI!!! According to CD:UK Geri is leading the UK single chart. Scream If You Wanna Go Faster Will be out in May 14th. The Chart, According to CD:UK is like this... 

CD:UK SINGLES CHART
1. Geri Halliwell - It's raining men
2. S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'
3. Jennifer Lopez - Play
4. M.O.P - Cold as life
5. REM - Imitation of life
6. Gabrielle - Out of reach
7. Destiny's Child - Survivor
8. Ronan Keating - Lovin Each Day
9. Missy Elliot - Get UR Freak on
10. Stephen Gately - Stay

06.06.01 GERI'S NUMBER ONE ON CD:UK From Worlpop

Geri Halliwell was over the moon to have picked up her fourth (count 'em!) Saturday chart No 1. 'It means so much,' she gushed! As ever Geri was accompanied by best mate and pet pooch Harry who insisted on coming into the studio to watch her performance. And the summery weather meant Harry didn't have to sport a puppy-shaped pullover as he did on the Brian Conley show. He was quite happy to trot around in the nude! Geri was heading off after the show to enjoy a well-earned rest. 'That dance routine's hard work,' she grinned.

05.06.01 GERI T'S UP IDEA From The Sun 

I THINK I've got to the bottom of why Geri Halliwell called her new album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. 
The svelte former Spice Girl got her inspiration from a trendy T-shirt, one of two she bought from a clothes store in Camden four months ago. 
One read "Scream To Go Faster." 
A month later, hey presto, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster was born. 
The message on the other T-shirt is "Yoga Kills." 
But Geri has been photographed in it quite a lot lately so it's highly unlikely she'll name her next album after it. 
I reckon she'll probably call it My Auntie Went To Skegness And All She Bought Me Was This Lousy T-Shirt. .

05.06.01 "I'M A TRAPPED GAY MAN IN A GIRL'S BODY" From Daily Star

Geri Halliwell has revealed she could be gay, is scared of male genitals and her pet dog Harry is bisexual. In an interview tonight on BBC Choice's That Gay Show, Geri says she's going through a "gay phase". She surrounds herself with homosexual friends such as George Michael and is the scene's latest icon, covering gay club anthem, It's Raining Men. Geri said: "I find women sexy. I find men sexy. I'm having a gay phase. I've always liked the company of gay men. I'm a gay man almost trapped in a girl's body. I like male company but without the penis threat." 
She gushes when talking about George Michael - and says he and Robbie Williams both like her new album, Scream If You Want To Go Faster - which appears to be targeted at the pink pound. She added: "I love the gays. I do have a few gay friends. But George is like an older brother. I ask him for advice when I'm in deep crap." In the programme Geri also outs her pet dog Harry. She said: "Harry, we're on the Gay Show so it's time to come out the closet. Harry's got a confession to make. He's very camp. I think he's bisexual. He's dating a girl called sexy Sadie but he was flirting with a dog called Jasper on a kids' TV show." 
But Harry's romantic success hasn't rubbed off on Geri, who has been very unlucky in love. She dated Chris Evans for two weeks, although it was dismissed as a publicity stunt. And although she holidays with Robbie Williams, they both deny they're an item. However, her odd taste in men could explain the attraction to Robbie and the Ginger Whinger. She said: "I like someone physical and who can charge around as much as me but I don't mind if he has a bit of a belly ... in fact, I like beer breath." 
Geri is hungry for a relationship, would like to marry and admits she'd follow Calista Flockhart, Nicole Kidman and Sharon Stone and adopt a baby. She said: "I'd like to have at least a few marriages. And to have kids, multi-coloured children, perhaps even adopt them. Maybe even a gay one." 
And on the show, she defends her weigh loss. She said: "I'm not into perfection, I'm after progression. I was struggling with my own weight and food issues. But my body shape has just manifested into the way it is. It was what I tackled within first and the way I was eating. I stopped dieting. I trained more and was different before the Spice Girls and before Ginger. I was like an anorexic and my hair was a different colour. From the age of 12 I've been dyeing my hair. I went through frizzy perm, then I went through black hair, then my Marilyn Monroe phase. I think it's like the weather, you need changes."

05.05.01 GERI KEEPS TIGHT-LIPPED OVER ROBBIE From Ananova

Geri Halliwell will be keeping tight-lipped about her relationship with Robbie Williams when she appears on tonight's The Brian Conley Show.
The singer agreed to give an interview on the ITV show providing she was not asked about Robbie.
She reportedly signed an agreement with producers to that effect.
Geri will also perform her latest single It's Raining Men on the show.
The Brian Conley Show is on ITV tonight at 8pm.

05.05.01 I DON'T MIND A BIT OF BELLY, SAYS THIN-LOOK GERI From Ananova

Geri Halliwell says her ideal man could have a beer belly.
And the singer says she would consider adopting children.
Halliwell, currently single and abstaining from sex, made her comments on That Gay Show on digital channel BBC Choice.
The pop princess recently ruled out anything other than friendship with Robbie Williams, who has won a battle to trim his waistline.
Asked about what she would look for in a man, she said: "I don't think a six-pack is on the menu, but I like someone who is physical and who can charge around as much as me, but I don't mind if he has a bit of a belly on him.
"In fact I like beer breath - ask the doctor about that one. Yeah, and then I like height, and that's all about genetics I think."
The singer says she would like "a few marriages" and "kids, multi-coloured children, maybe even adopt them".
Speaking about how she enjoyed the company of gay men, she said: "I'm a tomboy who likes to dress like a Barbie. I'm a gay man almost trapped in a girl's body."

05.05.01 SIYWGF'S AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW From Amazon.co.uk

Like her or loathe her, Geri Halliwell can't seem to do anything quietly, which is why her second solo album is appropriately titled Scream if you Wanna Go Faster. Gone are the strings, breathy vocals and Diva like aspirations of her debut Schizophonic, Geri instead settling on a more straightforward pop approach. After the pointless motor-engine samples of "Dragster" (bizarrely a track on their own) she launches into "Scream if you Wanna Go Faster", a 1960s tinged rock track. What follows is a rather hotchpotch of style and influences that refuse to settle into a cohesive whole. Geri serves up helpings of acoustic ballads in "Circle Round the Moon" and "Love is the Only Light", up-beat funk with "Shake Your Bootie Cutie" and "Feels Like Sex". She is again extolling the virtues of girl power in "Strength of a Woman and even slips back into Spice Girls mode for "Don't Call Me Baby", which sounds rather similar to her former group's "Stop". Geri's vocal range is particularly limited but she wisely never stretches herself. The bad apple and easily the worst song on the album is her pointless, tacky cover of "It's Raining Men", which manages to trample all over the melody and subvert the innocent playful lyrics of the original and create something rather more tawdry. Penultimate track "Heaven and Hell (Being Geri Halliwell)" is an enjoyable send-up of her celebrity image and a poke at tabloid journalists but Heaven and Hell is also a fitting description of this brave but ultimately flawed second album. --Duncan Whitlam

04.05.01 JET SET GERI'S FLYING TO No1 From The Sun

STUNNING Geri Halliwell is sitting pretty - ready to soar to the top of the charts this weekend. 
The sexy singer's new single It's Raining Men is set to hit the No1 spot on Sunday, early sales figures show. 
And these amazing pictures are an exclusive first glimpse of the artwork for her new album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. 
Gorgeous Geri, 27, shows off her fantastic new slimline look in the shots, wearing a range of skimpy outfits. 
In one she perches on top of a plane's jet engine in a short Union Jack logo dress with a plunging neckline. 
And Geri gets all racy for one daring pose, snapped speeding along on a powerful quad bike. 
In another shot the singer's skimpy undies peek over the top of her tiny denim cut-off shorts as she hollers into a mega-phone, stood in a convertible motor. 
She is seen zooming along on roller skates clinging to the back of a car on the cover of her album - out on May 14 - which we pictured on our front page two weeks ago.
But Geri is on course to leave other acts trailing in this week's chart battle. 
Her version of It's Raining Men - a No2 hit for the Weather Girls in 1984 - has sold 59,000 copies. 
If it hits the top spot it will be her FOURTH solo No1. Geri's nearest rivals are S Club 7, who are currently No1 after selling 42,000 copies of Don't Stop Movin'. 
And the ex-Spice Girl has also trounced Jennifer Lopez's Play, which was released on the same day as Geri's single but is only set to make No3. 
It's Raining Men features on the soundtrack to the box office smash film Bridget Jones's Diary. 
Geri spent weeks training as a ballet dancer for the video - and stunned onlookers at the movie's premiere by plucking a fan out of the crowd to accompany her. 
The star recently denied she was bedding pop pal Robbie Williams, ending months of rumours. 
But she did admit that the pair like to run around naked together. 
She said: "I do run around naked with my friends present so the fact that I would be naked with Robbie is no great secret or surprise to anyone. 
"The pair of us are certainly not bashful about out bodies. He's always pulling his trousers down and I'm always pulling my top up."

03.05.01 GERI SPORTS THE UNION JACK AGAIN From Ananova

Geri Halliwell is showing her patriotic side again.
She has been pictured wearing a creation incorporating the Union Jack for a series of images promoting her second solo album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster.
She famously wore a skimpy minidress with the flag on when the Spice Girls performed at the 1997 Brit Awards.
Her album is released on the EMI Chrysalis label on May 14.
She said: "I am really proud of this album - I have put my whole heart and soul into it over the past year.
"Each song tells a story, and some of the tracks are extremely personal to me.
"As a performer, I have three-and-a-half minutes to give people a lift. That's what a good pop song should do, and that's what I will always try to achieve with my music."

03.05.01 WORLDPOP'S REVIEW SIYWGF From Worldpop

worldpop is proud to present the very first track-by-track review of Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, the brand new album from Geri Halliwell.
Contrary to rumours, Geri has not collaborated with best mates Robbie Williams and George Michael on the album. Instead she's drafted in the songwriting talents of Rick Nowels, (Madonna), Gregg Alexander, (who's also worked with Ronan Keating) and the Absolute team to provide a listening experience that boasts disco, rock, rap and even reggae! And if you're after something in particular, the album sleeve offers a handy key to the songs. You've got the choice of tracks for the heart, for the broken heart, to make you move, sexy or for the mind!
There are no romantic thank yous on the album although Robbie does get a mention, if only by Geri's nickname for him, Stinky! Geri also thanks her dog Harry, 'clever girls and silly boys' and éclair chocolate.

Scream If You Wanna Go Faster
A rocky upbeat tune that gets the album off to a bang. 'Gimme some gasoline,' sings Geri while organ and electric guitar crash in the background. Hold on tight, we're in for quite a ride!

Shake Your Bootie Cutie
A vintage Geri disco track for which Ms Halliwell adopts a Lulu-style growl. Ends with a rap simultaneously influenced by Wham (George could have given her a helping hand on this one) and Daphne and Celeste (the same, speeded-up chipmunk effect is employed). And isn't 'Quit your bitchin' and get out of the kitchen' a line from Ooh Stick You?

Calling
The pace slows with this Latin-influenced ballad. This could be either the last song at the school disco or the closing credits to a '70s James Bond film. Very Shirley Bassey.

Feels Like Sex
It's back on the dancefloor with this funk track. The most X-rated song Geri's ever come up with, Feels Like Sex features the line 'Have you ever felt too hot to go to bed / Touched yourself instead.' A bit Prince, a bit En Vogue and dare we say it again, a bit George Michael!

Circles Round The Moon
The best track so far. Scream If You Wanna Go Faster's Lift Me Up. Definitely one for the heart, Circles Round The Moon is a straightforward upbeat love song featuring strings, trumpets and a gloriously hummable melody. 

Love Is The Only Light
A Bedtime Stories-era Madonna-esque ballad, Love Is The Only Light is a slightly more thoughtful love song, or as Geri puts it, one for the heart and one for the mind. Perfectly pleasant, although Geri's voice never quite lives up to Madge's.

Strength Of A Woman
Geri goes all self-help on this guitary mid-tempo. 'When the cup is half empty, make it half full' she reasonably advises, before inexplicably offering, 'There's an underground river shaping us all.'

Don't Call Me Baby
Not a cover of the Madison Avenue smash but a Motown-inspired burst of girl power about getting over a dodgy man. One for the girls to dance to.

Lovey Dovey Stuff<