George Michael: His Life and Career Quiz

Answer: James Corden

James was in his car when he got a call from Lenny Henry. James was in character from his role on "Gavin and Stacey" as Smithy. Lenny was trying to tell Smithy who he was. He listed all his acting credits, but Smithy did not know who he was. He finally said he was in a series of well-received adverts and Smithy knew right away. Lenny asked Smithy to come in and help with Comic Relief 2011. Smithy said he was with his mate and couldn't really do it. Lenny convinced him to come in and help organize. Smithy looked over at his mate, who until this very moment was unseen. It was George Michael. Both George and Smithy were dressed in identical tracksuits. George said "I thought we were going to get my photos today". Smithy replied they would do it after the meeting. George asked Smithy if he could go to Comic Relief 2011 with him. Smithy looked at him and said no. George then replied, "Is it because you's don't want to be seen with a gay man?". Smithy replied, "no, it's because you are you". Smithy called George a joke and said Comic Relief was for people like George. George turned to the side pouting. Smithy then turned on the car radio and there was a Wham song. Smithy started singing," Baby, I'm Your Man" by Wham. George would eventually join in and the two sang all the way to the building that Comic Relief was being held in. Smithy told George to sit in the car and don't do anything he would normally do. The skit finished when Smithy returned to the car and told George what happened at the meeting. The two drove off and were singing again.

This was a hilarious bit by both men. George clearly had a sense of humor about him. He took the ribs from James and gave them right back to him. George would often be tongue and cheek with his interviews as well. George would find levity in his problems with the law and the subsequent interviews that arose from the problems. George's popularity did not diminish during his legal woes. He would often joke and be jovial about the situation. I think his honesty during these events was the key to his still being seen in a good light by his fans. The skit is still available on YouTube to be viewed.

Answer: East Finchley

George was born on June 25,1963 as Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. His father was of Greek descent. Kyriacos Panayiotou would be more commonly known by his family and friends as Jack. His mom, Lesley Angold, was a dancer of English descent. George's father was a restaurateur who had emigrated to England in the 1950s.

East Finchley is part of the Finchley Common which was first established in the 1400s. It was once the hunting grounds of the Bishop of London. The village would prosper with the railroad that was built in the late 1860s. George was not the only famous singer from East Finchley. Amy Winehouse would also live there in her youth.

Answer: Somebody To Love

The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was held on April 20th, 1992. The event sold out in a little over three hours. This was amazing because no official acts had been announced at the time of the tickets going on sale. The event was held at Wembley Stadium in London. The concert was meant as a tribute to the work of the late Freddie Mercury. Freddie had died from complications of AIDS the year before.

The lineup for the event was truly star-studded. Def Leppard, Elton John, David Bowie, and Annie Lennox were just a few of the musicians who participated. George would perform a total of three songs with Queen. George did an outstanding job with the song, "Somebody to Love". It was later revealed in an interview that this particular song was the favorite of Freddie's mom. George also performed the song "39" as well as "These Are The Days of Our Lives" with Lisa Stansfield.

Answer: Ridgeley

George and Andrew Ridgeley met while in school. Quite the opposites of each other from all accounts. Andrew was popular and attractive according to George. George would say he was the complete opposite of Andrew. He would state he was fat, ugly, and had a bad complexion. George did joke during an interview and say he did have a great personality though. George and Andrew despite being opposites had a common goal. Both of the young men wanted to be musicians. The young men were in one other band together before they formed Wham!.

Andrew was almost six months older than George. Andrew was born on January 26th, 1963. He was born in Windlesham, Surrey. His parents were Alberto and Jennifer. His dad's last name was Zacharia until he later changed it to Ridgeley. Andrew's mom was a schoolteacher at Bushey Health Primary School. After Andrew and George had achieved success as musicians, Andrew decided he had fulfilled his dream and decided to leave the industry. George of course continued to a highly successful solo career. The two men would remain lifelong friends.

Answer: Do They Know It's Christmas?

Much like The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert held seven years later, Live Aid was held at Wembley Stadium, on July 13, 1985. The event was also held in America in Philadelphia. George would sing his vocals from the original recording of the song. He would also be one of the artists who was highly featured during this live performance. George's bandmate and friend, Andrew Ridgeley was also right next to George during the performance. Live Aid was a charitable event to help eradicate worldwide famine.

Midge Ure and Bob Geldof wrote the song in 1984. Though the song was extremely popular at the time of release, it did not reach the top ten in the United States. It did however hit number one on the UK Charts. The song is still played in heavy rotation during the Christmas season. The song featured the vocal talent of Sting, Boy George, and Bono to name a few.

Answer: Every one of these is a title of a biography about George Michael

All of these are authorized biographies of the late great George Michael. The one that interested me the most however was the one penned by Andrew Ridgeley. Andrew was asked during several interviews why he had decided to write a book on his former colleague.

His answer was genuine and heartfelt. He explained all of the negative press surrounding his friend especially that of a legal nature was overshadowing George's legacy. He wanted his friend's life to be celebrated for his accomplishments. He did not want George to be remembered for simply his mistakes.

The other two biographies were written by Rob Jovanovic and David Nolan.

Answer: Father Figure

The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. It like most of George's songs was written by George. The song would spend two weeks in the number one position of the United States Billboard Hot 100. The video for the song would garner a "Best Direction of a Video Award", at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards. George was extremely popular and often one of the artists who were in high rotation during the 80s for MTV.

Answer: Tropicana

The song was actually written two years earlier by George and Andrew. The song was featured on the album "Fantastic". The video for the song fully shows, in my opinion, the arrogance and hedonism that ran rapid in the 1980s. It would feature both Andrew and George most often times shirtless in bathing trunks. In one of the scenes in the video, we would see a white speedo-clad George pouring an alcoholic beverage into the pool. George was sitting on a raft in the pool when he dumped out his drink. The two men were often seen chasing after two pretty young women.

The song has a very catchy beat to it. It truly showcased not only the vocal talent but the writing ability of the two young men. It was off the strength of this and two other singles that Wham! signed a record deal.

Answer: False

George was the youngest of three siblings. He was also the only boy. Yioda who born in 1958. Melanie was born in 1960. George was extremely close with Melanie, as she would often accompany him on his tours. Both Yioda and Melanie were hairdressers professionally. Yioda Panayiotou is the only surviving sibling of George Michael. Melanie Panayiotou nearly three years to the day of her brother's death died from a diabetic coma. Melanie died in the house that George had lived in and left to her in his will. George took great care of his family, especially his two sisters.

Answer: Jesus To A Child

George was long-suffering over the death of his partner, Anselmo Feleppa. He had not written or recorded any new music in a little under two years. George was able to find the inspiration to honor Anselmo and wrote the song in a little over an hour. The song was officially released in 1996. It would peak on the United States Billboard Hot 100 at number seven. It did however reach the number one position in the United Kingdom and several other countries.

The song was deeply emotional and melancholy almost. It was obvious George was going through something emotionally, perhaps healing and/or grieving at the same time. The song was and is so personal to me still to this day. The loss of a loved one is never easy and George being the talent that he was turned it into a smash hit for himself. The song would appear on the album "Older". This was George's third solo studio album.