Gill

Thanks CW - good one!

FANTASTIC Yoppappop! I was going to give this a try. I'd done it verbally * to my husband and kids but not typed it - just haven't had the time! You've done it much better, but then you would, wouldn't you! BY THE WAY everyone - note Mika mentions a demo he took to the record company with 33 (yes, THIRTY-THREE!!!) songs on it. What wouldn't you do to get a sneak listen to THAT! Thanks so much for your time and effort. Now we can all enjoy it. It's a really great interview.

Konichiwa! Uerukamu! Welcome!

FYI folks, I was looking up info yesterday about The Police tour announced this week. There's a subscription-based website that's been set up JUST for the tour info - remember this bit, it's not a general Police fan site. It offers members regular newsletters, merchandise discounts, advanced ticket booking, etc. etc. I thought it would be good to know about advanced ticket sales so clicked through to find out more. Wait for it... $100!!!! I want to go, but I think I'll wait a day longer for my tickets and sit a bit further back!

Zdravo! Welcome! Another nation joins our Mikaholic family!

Hi Sunny I'd also be MORE than happy to be a paying subscriber!

Wow! That's amazing. Some interesting things came out in the interview, that I hadn't heard before, eg the fact that Grace Kelly is based on one of the most famous themes from Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro"! I don't know how I didn't spot this before, but Mika demonstrates the comparison. Having said elsewhere on this site that I should really be spending less time here, I might attempt a rough translation because it's worth hearing...

We got our Birmingham Academy tickets yesterday, but I'm beginning to panic - Barfly a week today (23 Feb) and STILL NO TICKETS!!!! Yikes!

Oooh! We must have been standing close to one another then because we were right at the front too! I think badges are a must from now on so we can recognise each other!

Oh how I REALLY wish I could join you too! Haymarket? My old stomping ground! I'm a geordie lass in exile, you see. PROMISE you'll post a review afterwards? I'd go to see him every single week if I could. Too bad I can't come along. Never mind - seeing him at the Barfly in Brum the night before. I'll be looking out for anyone else wearing the fanclub badges, carrying lollipops and eating creme eggs!!! Who's going?

Hi fellow Mikaholics! I was one of the very, very, VERY lucky t-mobile competition winners and went to the t-mobile streetgig / album launch in Berkeley Square on 5 February. Oh yeah! I still can't quite believe it. Now you can all share at least part of this absolutely fantastic occasion by going to http://www.streetgigs.co.uk/previous_street_gigs_mika.aspx?page=footage Sadly, it isn't the whole gig, but there's a really good video of his GK performance, which anyone else who was there will agree captures the moment perfectly. It really was an amazing evening and he was even better than we'd hope live. There's a second video that includes interviews with the man himself, in which he is clearly relaxed and enjoying the moment, and also several interviews with fans. I've seen from some of your posts that I'm not the only one who was there. Maybe some of you will spot yourselves in the crowd, or even being interviewed! Sadly, if you don't have at least 1Mb broadband you won't be able to view this properly. I CAN'T - which is a right royal pain in the backside. But hey - I have the memories! Sorry to sound smug ;-) In the meantime, it may be half term (I work in a school), but I'm going to have to get OFF here and do some work. I've spent far too much of my time on here and the family are complaining about how I'm hogging the pc. You'll have less of my long-winded ramblings when school resumes next week, I promise! For now - Enjoy!

To Freddiesdouble and all others who remember old money - I hope you've voted in the age poll, cos the last time I looked I was the only one in my age category and I don't want to stay that way! I *was* feeling like I was amongst lots of friendly fellow Mikaholics of *all* ages, but then I saw the poll results at lunchtime today...

Hear, hear!

Hello Mikaholics I've mentioned this in passing somewhere else on here, but think it worthy of repeating. There's a really good interview and podcast (over 30 mins long, I think) from a couple of weeks ago available from The Times online at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/audio_video/podcasts/article1186634.ece When you go to download, select "To download the podcast click here", and then SAVE IT TO YOUR HARD DRIVE! If you subscribe through itunes, or if you download but just click open, it won't be saved. The problem with subscribing to the podcast (as I discovered when I first did it) is that it appears to be in your itunes podcast library and you think you're sorted, but in fact the next time The Times updates its most recent music podcast it will supercede Mika. I bet most of you already knew that, but I didn't! New to podcasts, me. I really recommend doing it this way as we don't know how long The Times will keep the page up! Good luck!

Bienvenue Sevfromelsass! Bienvenue! Tu vas trouver pleins d'amis ici, parce'que nous sommes tous Mika-mad! Si tu veux, peut-être tu aimerias donner l'occasion à tout le monde te dire bonjour ici: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3 Et maintenant je vais visiter ce site français dont t'as parlé... (excuses mes fautes aussi - mon français est rouillée comme une vieille roue!)

Ahem - you forgot one of the most important steps in your step-by-step procedure above: 11) Sing your head off while dancing around living room! ** (** advisable to put down cup of tea first)

Good afternoon Lollipop Lovers everywhere! Just picked up this week's Radio Times - it seems our hero will be on Radio 2 this coming Sunday 18 Feb, BBC Radio 2, 4.30 - 6.30. Set your recorders now!!

SORE POINT! We've got tickets to the Barfly gig, and I can't wait (even though it's only a week since we last saw him). However we also bought 4 tickets to the 17/5/07 Birmingham gig so that our children can see him too (it's the only one I've seen NOT advertising a minimum age) but then that night discovered it's SATs week! Poor daughter can't go and it wouldn't be fair to leave her with the babysitter while we swan off with her brother, now would it? Aaarrgghh!

Oo oooh! I got another bit! ...e 30 mila "amici" = and 30,000 friends. Must be talking about my space. That's meee that is! I'm one of them! I've made it into the Italian press! (Along with the rest of us). Anyone fancy having a go at translating? Now if it was in French, that would be another matter. I can do French, me. But Italian? Nope.

Oh yeah - Love Today *is* next single. I stand corrected - got mixed up. There's a podcast of a Times interview that mentions it. If anyone's not heard this yet you can listen / download to itunes from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/audio_video/podcasts/ It's really good - long too.

'Normal Mika fan'? What's one of those? I don't feel 'normal' any more. I've been too excited for the last few months, in a way I've not been for years. And judging by the way everyone else talks around here, I'm not alone!!

Nah - 'My interpretation' is set to be the next single, apparently. Must be downloads only. So that's THREE chart positions at once! Wow, he must be on such a high!

Number one in the singles chart at the SAME TIME as the album!! Fantastic! How much better could we all be feeling??? Not much!

Oooh! I managed to record it. Got a digital dvd recorder thingy. Perhaps you were trying to record Sky+ ? Don't know whether that works or not as we don't have it. Well, the Maida Vale broadcast was almost the same set as the t-mobile gig on Monday night - the album party launch that we were lucky enough to win tickets to (still can't believe it). I have to say though that there didn't seem to be as good an atmosphere as at the t-mobile gig. There was such a party going on there, with all the circus acts etc. The man also smiled a whole lot more at Monday's gig. Was he perhaps a bit more nervous at Maida Vale gig due to filming for broadcast? The audience seemed more reserved too. Whatever, we'd only be guessing. In any case, it was still a great performance! It could also be my own perception, as I was there in person, in the party mood and *so* excited!

First, great news - a gig with no mimum age limit so we can take our equally Mikaholic children. So 9am hubbie was on the phone and bought 4 tickets to Mika's Birmingham gig on 17 May. Then last night we realised... our 10 year old has a Key Stage 2 maths exam at 9am the next day! There's no way she can be up until 12.30 or 1am during Sats week. Sadly, we'd already told them the good news, so had to break the bad news last night. If it wasn't KS2 Sats I might not have ruled out the gig, but these exams decide her level for secondary school in September. What's more, I work at the children's school. Wouldn't look good, now would it!