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Creating Kylie
28.01.2007

The world knew her as the girl from Neighbours with the daggy dungarees - until she met the stylist William Baker. Now an exhibition at the V&A shows the extent of his influence on her reinvention. He tells Kate Finnigan all about their beautiful friendship

Styling Minogue: Baker is responsible for some the most iconic looks

In 1989 when Kylie Minogue was a very famous Stock, Aitken & Waterman popette, William Baker - the man who now calls Minogue boss, muse and best friend - was 16 and living in Manchester, the coolest city on earth. Back then Manchester boasted the most exciting bands, clubs and style.

'You felt you were in the best place in the world to grow up,' says Baker, 33. 'It was all about music, stars and image. It was a city of icons.'

As a teenager in Manchester at the same time, I remember Baker being a bit of an icon himself, at least among a certain set of suburban kids. A pupil at Manchester Grammar School, Baker stood out because of his good looks and Boy George style. 'Oh yeah, Bill Baker was there' was something to casually drop into conversation after a night out.

More than 16 years later William Baker is still a name with cachet, but now the people dropping it are journalists, designers and pop stars. Since 1994 when he first met Minogue - Min to her best friends - Baker has helped transform her into a 21st-century showgirl.

Rising from occasional stylist to creative director he put the camp into Kylie. Although most famous for dressing her in tiny gold hot-hot-hotpants for 2001's Spinning Around video, he does 'a bit of everything. Photography, styling, directing shows and videos, writing" If I had to do just one of those things, I'd get frustrated.'

Museum Dress; Silk screen-printed dress with fitted bodice and random fabric
swatches and trim. Pink and black tulle underskirt Designed Kylie Minogue,
Frank Strachan (UK) and Lisa King (UK) Realised by Ed Meedham (UK)
© Darenote Ltd 2004

There's no danger of that happening on the January day when we meet. Baker arrives at the canteen in Wembley Arena almost an hour late.

Three days into Showgirl: The Homecoming, Minogue's critically acclaimed 'comeback' tour following her recovery from breast cancer, he's operating at a level marked 'frantic'.

It charts the rise of Miss Minogue from Neighbours girl next door Charlene,
to megastar of first name proportions. Kylie said about the exhibition:
'I feel honoured to have such an important part of my career, and
something so personal to me, being recognised in this way.'

The exhibition gives a close-up view of Kylie's style secrets.

Still nursing a hangover after a spectacular New Year's Eve show, all his resolutions - gym at 8am, no smoking - are broken. But he looks good: handsome and well-honed in a white T-shirt and grey waistcoat.

He's been editing tour footage for a new DVD and is so late he's run into his slot for photographing Minogue, who's apparently waiting downstairs. ('Quiff and show make-up,' he briefs the stylist who comes searching for him.)

We rush to a dining-room where he bolts down some chilli and considers his other major project: 'Kylie - The Exhibition', a showcase of Minogue's stage wardrobe that will be arriving at the V&A next month.

A few critics have got their hotpants in a twist about this one.

'I've read things in the papers. People saying, "Kylie at the V&A?" It's opened up this debate about what is culture and what isn't,' says Baker.

'But ultimately she is part of pop culture. Whether people think that's good or bad, art or not, I guess it's not up to us to say.' Baker hates sniffiness.

Kylie's changing image is charted through the costumes she has worn.
...used in the memorable 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' video...

One of the best things about working with Minogue, he says, is that 'being pleasant to everyone and not taking anyone for granted is really important to her'.

Discussing the young-gun London designers Gareth Pugh and Christopher Kane, who created costumes for Showgirl, he admires them for being 'free of pretension. They're not snobby or snotty.'

So, yah-boo-sucks, critics: 'Kylie - The Exhibition' is one for the masses. And utterly enjoyable it is, too. For women (and men) in their twenties and thirties it will recall a forgotten adolescence of fashion aspiration, like looking back at your own wardrobe.

Kylie Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, 2005 ...to the corsets by Galliano worn for
the Showgirls tour.

'Kylie's audience grew up with her,' says Baker. 'You shared this bond because you saw her on the telly every day.'

Such familiarity means that even the dodgy early outfits provoke a squeal of nostalgia: the white muslin I Should Be So Lucky dress, that awful yellow frock from the Hand on Your Heart video.

They're all there alongside legendary designers - Alaïa, Dolce & Gabbana, Galliano, Westwood - who've dressed Minogue along the way. Some pieces do make Baker cringe a bit.

'It's an incredible accolade but at the same time it's quite weird,' he says. 'We never created those outfits thinking they'd be at the V&A.

KylieFever Tour - Act One – Silvanemesis; Crystal mesh bra, mini skirt and choker
Designed by Dolce and Gabbana (Italy); (Performance photograph by Ken McKay)
© Darenote Ltd

' In fact, he thinks two of his key pieces - the hotpants and the white catsuit from the Can't Get You Out of My Head video - 'look shit' when taken out of context. 'They need Kylie to bring them to life. They're great examples of how clothing works - it needs to adorn the female body.'

The exhibition provides some delicious insight into how designer pieces have to be, ahem, 'adapted' for live shows.

When Minogue duetted with Justin Timberlake at the 2003 Brit Awards, a last-minute change meant she couldn't wear the dress they'd chosen.

Baker put a call in to Julien Macdonald who recalls: 'It was the day of my [London Fashion Week] show and I had only one thing - a couture crystal gown that went straight from the catwalk into William's bag.'

Gold jersey top with gold chain neck and back straps; Designed by Stella McCartney (UK) for Chloé (France)
Gold lamé hot pants ruched at sides Vintage; ‘Spinning Around’ video, from the album Light Years, 2000 Video
directed by Dawn Shadforth; Performance photograph by Paulo Sutch; © Darenote Ltd

As he was watching the Brits that night, Macdonald's heart stopped: Minogue and Baker had cut the dress into a micro-mini. (They were forgiven when it made all the front pages the next day.) 'That happens all the time,' sighs Baker.

'Boy George designed an outfit for this tour and we had a little falling-out because we had to make a change to the jacket. George said, "You wouldn't do that to a Galliano," and I said, "Well, actually, we have."'

White cotton muslin dress with over-sized pocket detail; Designed by Jenny Bannister (Australia); Worn for 'I Should Be So Lucky' video [1987] from the album Kylie, 1988

How far he's come - tiffing with his former idol! Baker owes George a lot.

The pop star inspired the gay teenaged William to be himself. (Or as much himself as he could bear. After he came out to his mum she was so upset that he retracted it, said it was 'just a phase' and had to repeat the whole process years later.)

But George led him to music and fashion. Through him Baker learnt about Judy Blame, George's genius stylist, and became fascinated with the creative process behind icon-making. 'I realised that styling could be a way of expressing yourself without actually being a designer.'

After A-levels Baker studied theology at King's College London and got a part-time job at Vivienne Westwood.

It was in the store in Conduit Street, London, that he met Kylie. He 'bombarded' her with ideas, asked her out for a coffee and a friendship blossomed.

His first official Kylie job was putting her in a green Owen Gaster dress for a Top of the Pops performance of the Nick Cave duet Where the Wild Roses Grow.

Now, over a decade later, their tastes and influences are so fused it's hard to see where Minogue ends and Baker begins. He describes the Showgirl tour as 'a very honest expression of who we are', but seeing the show two days later I'm amazed at how Baker-ish it is.

White jersey paneled catsuit with silk waist sincher, studded with Swarovski
crystals; Designed by Stevie Stewart for Bodymap (UK) Worn for 'Money
Can't Buy' Concert, London, 2003; Gift of Kylie Minogue, 2004 Performing
Arts Collection, Melbourne Arts Centre

Cybermen (he's a Dr Who fan), an acid-house set that could be taken direct from the legendary Flesh night back at the Hacienda in Manchester and, of course, the controversial Boy George ensemble.

'Kylie takes great joy in playing the muse,' Baker says. 'Far from being a blank canvas she is really shrewd. She's a dynamic, funny person. There's a lot there to inspire.'

After such a long, strong friendship it was a shock when, during the last tour, Baker quit. 'Our relationship didn't become difficult but the work did,' he admits.

'We had to do a greatest-hits album and it was so mind-numbingly not creative, it finished us off.' No, they didn't fall out, he insists.

'I just had a holiday and didn't go back. I'd given all that I had and she had, too. And she was obviously ill then, though she didn't know it.'

When Minogue's breast cancer was announced, Baker says, 'the world stopped'. Any rift was mended.

Black lycra catsuit with silver, blue, gold and red sequin patches to create 'Mondrian' effect; Designed by Ian McMough; Worn for Enjoy Yourself tour, (Australia, UK, Europe and Asia) 1990

Multi-coloured leather ribbon dress with blanket stitch detail; Designed by Fee Doran for Mrs Jones Video directed by Dawn Shadforth; Worn for 'In Your Eyes' (2002), video from the album Fever, 2001

'When that's happening to your best friend, it's about her, nothing else. As she got better everything else restored itself.' This tour was bound to be emotional, but it didn't really affect him until Kylie and her sister Dannii performed the duet Kids in Melbourne.

'That was so upsetting,' he says. 'Kylie is family now and seeing those girls on stage, supporting each other, it dawned on me, "God, she could really not have been here."'

He and Minogue are now so firmly reunited that, when I ask him what he does when he's not ordering 15 tonnes of feathers and living out cybermen fantasies, he draws a blank.

'Nothing,' he says. He briefly remembers he's got a male underwear line coming out in June but today that seems very far away.

He's currently single so there's no other intimate relationship to distract him from Min. 'Most of our time is spent together and most of that is spent working. We don't know how to do anything else apart from work.'

He pauses - a vision of quiffs and show make-up swirls in the air. 'But then it's not like working really, is it?

Quelle: Telegraph

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KYLIE - THE EXHIBITION
28.01.2007

Money Can't Buy concert, London 2003; Breton striped wool cropped sweater
- designed by John Paul Gaultier; Leggings - designed by Stevie Stewart for
Body map; Suede peep-toe shoes - designed by Vivienne Westwood

Kylie - The Exhibition explores and celebrates Kylie Minogue, who began her career playing the character of Charlene, the girl next door in Neighbours, and went on to become an international pop sensation known the world over simply as Kylie.

The exhibition features costumes and memorabilia collected over Kylie's career and was inspired by her donation to the Arts Centre's Performing Arts Collection in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003. The Kylie Minogue Collection contains over 600 costumes and accessories, many created by the world's leading fashion designers. A selection of them are presented in this exhibition which has been divided into six themes - Music and Video, On Tour, On Stage, Image, Icon, and Backstage - to reflect the many aspects of Kylie's career.

Music and Video

White jersey hooded jumpsuit with draped front opening and extended slits
in pants and sleeves; Designed by Fee Doran for Mrs Jones, UK 2001

When Kylie’s first single ‘Locomotion’ was released in 1987 it became a number one hit in Australia. It took Kylie to London where she began to transform her image from the girl next door to the stylish, sexy Kylie first seen in the video for ‘Better the Devil You Know’ (1990).

In 1993 Kylie signed to independent UK recording label deConstruction. She began to focus on writing, producing and performing with other artists, achieving new credibility. Videos such as ‘Confide in Me’ (1994) were more experimental and cutting-edge.

When disco-inspired ‘Spinning Around’ (2000) was released, Kylie entered a new phase in her career. From the sophisticated glamour of ‘On a Night Like This’ (2000) to the funky electronica of ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ (2001), Kylie yet again transformed herself both musically and visually. ‘Slow’ (2003) presented another version of sexy, glamorous Kylie.

On Tour

'Dancing Queen' corset and tiara, Intimate and Live tour, Australia
and London, 1998. Pink, silver and white sequin, bugle bead and
fringe 'showgirl' corset Designed by Kylie Minogue and William Baker,
UK; Realised by Suzanna Burgess, UK

Kylie has always enjoyed touring and performing live in front of large audiences. Her costumes are working outfits and by the end of the tour reflect the wear and tear caused by costume changes, microphone packs and make-up. That so many of her costumes have survived the rigours of international touring is remarkable.

Kylie’s early tours featured the costumes of prominent Australian designers, each one revealing a different look. Later she took a more integrated approach to create distinct moods and themes. In the KylieFever2002 tour Kylie wore costumes specifically designed for her by Dolce & Gabbana. The concert took the audience on a journey across time through six acts and featured eight costume changes.

Kylie Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour featured costumes by several major UK and European designers.

On Stage

Outfit by John Galliano 1992

Kylie has appeared at a wide range of charity occasions, special events and award ceremonies including the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2002 BRIT Awards.

While many of her appearances are tied to tours, music releases and videos, Kylie will often appear in stand-alone outfits created especially for the particular occasion.

One of her most high-profile appearances was at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Closing Ceremony. She arrived in the stadium on the back of a giant ‘flip-flop’ in a pink sequined showgirl costume.

Kylie has also made many appearances at gay nightclubs, such as G-A-Y at the London Astoria, and at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Image

Kylie as 'Judy Lamour' Vogue Australia, 1994

Kylie is one of the most photographed people in the world. Over 25 photographers are represented in this exhibition, allowing us to see the evolution and experimentation that characterise images of Kylie. The photographs are all formal - that is, staged for a purpose - whether that be a video shoot, album cover or magazine feature.

When Kylie began taking greater control of her image through her costumes she also began to use photography in new ways and to work with some of the world’s leading photographers. Throughout her career, images of Kylie have also appeared in international fashion and music magazines including i-D, The Face, Pop, Vogue and GQ.

Kylie’s image as projected through photography provides another way to explore her as a modern-day performer and celebrity.

Icon

'Spinning Around' video from the album Light Years, 2000.

Kylie is a cultural icon known the world over, dating from her first appearance as tomboy mechanic Charlene in Neighbours.

The 50p gold hotpants in the video for ‘Spinning Around’, a song that became a musical and visual anthem, and her memorable performance in the video ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’, wearing a deceptively simple white jersey hooded jumpsuit have helped to build this iconic status.

Backstage

'Silvanemesis' costume design D&G, 2002

This is where the creative ideas and staging behind some of Kylie’s videos, tours and special events take place. Her performances on screen and stage are the result of months of creative brainstorming, writing, design, rehearsals and production. She works closely with a core team, including her stylist William Baker and her musical director Steve Anderson. Depending on the project, there may also be video directors, designers and choreographers who work to develop and realise all creative elements.

It’s easy for the audience to forget that much of Kylie’s world revolves around the spaces backstage. Before a show there will be a flurry of activity as she puts on her first costume and gets ready to make her appearance. After stepping around equipment and over leads, her microphone is switched on and she emerges for another performance.

Quelle: V&A

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Kylie Minogue Plans To Launch Mens' Fragrance Line?
By Staff
26.01.2007

Kylie Minogue is reportedly planning to launch a men's fragrance. The pop superstar apparently came up with the idea when her partner, French actor Olivier Martinez, kept spraying himself with her best-selling women's fragrance 'Darling'.

'Darling' hit the stores last November and outsold many perfumes released by other stars, including Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

The phenomenal sales were boosted by the increasing popularity of celebrity scents, a factor which may make Kylie's new men's line a success.

Quelle: The Post Cronicle

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KYLIE MINOGUE will 2007 kürzer treten
26.01.2007

MELBOURNE - Kylie Minogue hat eingesehen, dass sie sich in den letzten Monaten zu sehr verausgabt hat. Wie die britische Zeitung "The Sun" berichtet, erklärte die kleine Australierin: "Ich habe mich zu sehr angetrieben, aber so bin ich halt." 2007 werde sie deshalb definitiv einen Gang zurückschalten. Kylie wörtlich: "Mein Ziel ist es, ein ausgeglichenes Leben zu führen. Mein Ziel ist es, mich zu entspannen."

Vor kurzem schlugen Kylies Ärzte Alarm. Sie erklärten, die 38-Jährige würde sich mit ihrer Karriere völlig verausgaben. Ein Mitglied ihres Ärzte-Teams erklärte: "Wenn sie weiter leben will, darf sie nicht mehr auf die Bühne."

Quelle: Die News

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 MSN präsentiert: Kylie Minogue live! 
Am: 24.01.2007

Lange mussten die Fans auf ihre Rückkehr warten. Nun ist Kylie Minogue wieder zurück und zeigt eindrucksvoll auf der Bühne, welch große Lücke sie in der Riege der wenigen absoluten Superstars hinterließ, als sie wegen ihrer Krebserkrankung pausieren musste.

Karten für einen der wenigen Auftritte während der aktuellen Tour des "Showgirls" zu bekommen ist schwer bis unmöglich. Als MSN-Nutzer muss das aber auch nicht unbedingt sein. Denn MSN hat zu Beginn des Jahres gleich eine wundervolle Überraschung für die Fans des aufregenden Stars aus "Down Under":
 Wir zeigen im Rahmen der Konzertreihe "MSN präsentiert" am 24. Januar 2007 live und ungekürzt den gesamten Live-Auftritt, den Kylie am 11. Dezember im Rod Laver Auditorium in Melbourne/Australien gab - und das selbstverständlich völlig kostenfrei! 
Doch damit nicht genug der Geschenke: Die Höhepunkte des Konzerts werden über den 24. Januar hinaus weiterhin gratis zum Abruf bei MSN verfügbar sein.

Dabei dürfen Sie sich auf viele Hits und wundervolle Momente freuen, denn Kylie wird die Stationen ihrer unglaublich erfolgreichen Karriere auf der Bühne noch einmal musikalisch Revue passieren lassen. Und was gibt es für alle Anhänger der kleinen Powerfrau aus Australien Schöneres, als die Songs aus ihrem aktuellen Live-Album "Kylie Showgirl Coming Home" visuell noch einmal mitzuverfolgen.

Seien Sie also dabei, wenn Kylie am 24. Januar 2007 bei MSN in voller Länge per Videostream zu sehen ist. MSN wünscht bereits jetzt viel Vergnügen.

MSN präsentiert: Kylie Minogue - Showgirl Homecoming - Live (MSN Control Room / Deutsch)
MSN presents: Kylie Minogue - Showgirl Homecoming - Live (MSN Control Room / English)

NOTE: Our thanks for this information go to Lauren Goldberg (Beverly Hills); KYA Germany

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Kylie: I do push myself too hard
23.01.2007

Pushing herself too hard

Just days after calling off some of her tour shows because of a bout of flu, pop princess Kylie Minogue has apparently admitted: "Yes, I do push myself too hard."

The singer - who has recently recovered following an 18-month battle with breast cancer - told Grazia magazine: "I do push myself too hard. But that's me. After I was ill I had all sorts of people asking me what I was going to do, as if everything in my life was going to change.

"But, you know, being a singer and living my life like this is the only thing I know how to do.

"I don't have any form of CV. I'm not trained to do anything else useful. I did typing in year 11 at school and was pretty good at it - and maybe I'll look good in a secretarial outfit. But to be honest, I'm never going to do anything else."

The Aussie star, 38, says she wants to learn to relax.

"My aim this year is to try to find the balance and harmony in my life - my aim is to relax. I'm learning not to sweat the small stuff," she said.

"A lot of it is I keep things bottled in, I need to flip out every now and again."

Quelle: Metro

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ÄRZTE WARNEN: KYLIE MINOGUE MUSS IHRE KARRIERE BEENDEN!
22.01.2007

Kylie Minogue | Picture: kya.pytalhost.net

LONDON - Kylie Minogue muss aus dem Showgeschäft aussteigen. Das fordern jetzt die Ärzte der Sängerin. Ein Mitarbeiter des Doktoren-Teams erklärte: "Wenn sie weiter leben will, darf sie nicht mehr auf die Bühne."

Außerdem, so die britische Zeitung "Sunday Mirror" weiter, sei Kylies Form von Krebs gefährlicher als bisher berichtet. Zudem heißt es, Kylie habe Ratschläge ihrer Ärzte immer wieder in den Wind geschlagen. Erst vor gut einer Woche (13.01.) musste die 38-Jährige mehrere Konzerte in Manchester absagen. Der Grund: eine Grippe.

Der Mitarbeiter sagte dazu: "Es ist, als glaube sie, sie sei unsterblich, nur weil sie berühmt ist. Es besteht jedoch kein Zweifel, dass Stress den Krebs unterstützt. Sie kann dieses Tempo aber nicht mehr lange durchhalten." Kylie Minogue müsse sich jetzt pflegen und nicht um die halbe Welt fliegen, so der Insider weiter.

Kylie Minogue ist derzeit im Rahmen ihrer großen Comeback-Tournee unterwegs. Sie setzt damit ihre "Showgirl"-Tour fort, die sie Anfang 2005 wegen ihrer Brustkrebserkrankung vorzeitig beenden musste.

Quelle: Chart-King

î  Ärzte warnen: Kylie muss Karriere beenden - RTL NEWS Video - click here [1:36min. *.asf WMP]

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Charlotte's Kylie rant
22.01.2007

Charlotte out on the town with boyfriend Gavin Henson

Charlotte Church has reportedly slammed Kylie Minogue, saying she doesn't give "a f**k" about her.

TheView the profile for Charlotte Church on Celebrity Spotlight 'Crazy Chick' singer stunned onlookers as she launched into the foul-mouthed tirade against Kylie outside trendy Manchester restaurant, Living Room.

The Welsh star had been enjoying a romantic meal with her boyfriend, rugby ace Gavin Henson, when they were confronted by a group of photographers outside the eatery.

When the couple refused to pose for a picture because Gavin had an injured eye one snapper pointed out that Kylie, who was in a restaurant across the road, had been happy to stop for the paparazzi. View the profile for Kylie Minogue on Celebrity Spotlight> An onlooker said: "Charlotte blew up and ranted she couldn't give a fat f**k about Kylie. We couldn't believe she was so bitchy."

This is not the first time Charlotte, 20, has got into trouble because of her fiery temper.

She was recently reported to have shouted abuse at Gavin, 24, while the pair were having a meal at the exclusive Chamonix Mont Blanc ski resort in France.

She allegedly screamed: "Eat the f***ing pizza Gav or I'll rub it all over your f***ing face."

(C) BANG Media International

Quelle: People

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EXCLUSIVE: KYLIE DOCS TELL HER 'QUIT SHOWBIZ'
EXCLUSIVE KYLIE DOCTORS' SHOCK WARNING Medics tell her: Prolong your life... give up showbiz Tour is just too much too soon but she won't listen Friends fear Martinez is not in it for the long term
By Stephen Martin And Adam Lee-Potter
21.01.2007

Kylie: told to give up showbiz (Pic: Blooms/Xposure)

KYLIE Minogue has repeatedly ignored advice to slow down and is putting her recovery from breast cancer at risk, says a source close to her medical team.

First she insisted - against doctors' orders - on going back on the road with her 33-date Showgirl Homecoming tour.

Then she dropped plans for a relaxing family Christmas in Melbourne to fly thousands of miles around the world to spend it in Paris with her French lover Olivier Martinez.

And last weekend there were fears her cancer may have returned when she was forced to pull out half-way through her Manchester concert, telling fans: "I'm struggling a bit. Do you mind if I just stand here and pose all night?"

Fortunately it turned out only to be flu, and on Friday night Kylie was back on stage at the MEN Arena.

Besotted: Kylie and lover Martinez (Pic: Rowan Griffiths)

However, a source close to her medical team has gone public to voice her serious concern. The source hopes it will encourage Kylie, 38, to see sense - "We all love Kylie. She is a very nice, caring person.

But she seems to be ignoring medical advice time and time again.

"She should be nurturing herself, looking after number one. Instead she changes her plans at the last minute to fly halfway round the world. The harsh fact is she's not out of the woods yet, and she cannot keep up this pace much longer.

It's as if because she's famous she thinks she's immortal. Without a doubt, stress is a contributing factor to this type of cancer."

After making a startling recovery from breast cancer after 18 months of radiotherapy in Melbourne and chemotherapy in Paris, Kylie is in remission.

But she has not been given the all-clear.

Doctors at St Frances Xavier Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne, led by specialists Dr Jenny Senior and Kate Stern, say she faces a four-year wait to know whether she has beaten the disease.

Kylie's doctors are especially worried because the cancer is more serious than previously reported.

Kylie has had to have her left breast removed and, as a precaution, has also told surgeons she intends to have her right breast removed as well.

Our source said: "The team were initially very worried last weekend when she pulled out of the Manchester concerts. But they have been in touch with her in the UK and are happy it is just a cold. They are quite pleased she had to have a rest but are disappointed that she has rescheduled so soon because they don't think she will be well enough. One of the docs said they are always telling her to chill out."

Kylie was treated at the Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne (Pic: LFI)

The pop icon announced to a shocked world in May 2005 that she had breast cancer at the age of 36. After undergoing the radiotherapy in Melbourne, doctors and her family were united. Her medics wanted her to wait at least a year to resume performing. Her parents Carol and Ron pleaded with their eldest daughter to recuperate with them. But half-way through her treatment in Australia she uprooted herself to Paris to be with Martinez, who arranged treatment with unconventional Dr Lucien Israel, whose consulting rooms are styled to look like Bedouin tents. The source went on: "Her doctors in Melbourne sent him lengthy reports about her illness and the proposed next stage of treatment."

But most of the feedback they received came via mum Carol, who went with Kylie to Paris, where they rented an apartment together on the Left Bank, near Martinez's home. It was Carol who accompanied Kylie to most of her treatment sessions rather than Martinez, raising eyebrows among medics.

It's no secret that Carol and Ron are not huge fans of Martinez, who is seen by the Minogue clan as too stand-offish and overly macho. They question his long-term commitment to their daughter and feel he has too strong a hold over her.

What was announced lin January ast year as Kylie's all-clear was actually the fact her cancer was in remission following her final chemotherapy session in Paris on December 18.

Our source said: "Remission and all-clear are different, particularly when the cancer was as aggressive as hers. The team were unanimous in their view that she should rest and gradually rebuild her strength."

So the medics were troubled to see, in March pictures of a beaming Kylie straddling an elephant in Sri Lanka to honour a pledge to open an orphanage for tsunami children. Days earlier, grateful Kylie held a dinner at her parents home to thank the Australian medics involved in her care.

"In no uncertain terms, they spelled it out to her what she had to do to prolong her life," the source said. "In short it was give up showbiz.

"They said she had been doing too much and she needed to live a stress-free relaxed lifestyle.

If she looked after herself properly she might be in with a chance of beating the cancer."

A month later there were more globe-trotting pictures - this time in glamorous Portofino, Italy, taken by Martinez and flashed up on Kylie's official website.

Our source said: "This wasn't what the team had in mind and they were perplexed to be seeing their patient throwing herself so quickly back into the limelight."

Further tests in June showed Kylie had been cancer-free for six months - grounds for cautious optimism to the medics, but for Kylie the green light to crank up to even more activity.

On June 22, her promoters Down Under announced with a fanfare: "The moment has arrived. Absolute confirmation of what is arguably the most anticipated tour announcement in Australian concert history. Pop's premier princess is back."

Kylie was going back on the road, starting in Sydney on November 11. And if medics were taken aback by the speed of it all, they were even more surprised that she began a gruelling rehearsal programme in August... much earlier than expected.

Kylie also went into the recording studio and launched her own brand of perfume, called Darling.

She said: "My energy's coming back now. I'm so revved up. I can't wait to get back to my day job."

THE resumed tour was a triumph - with dancers creating the illusion there was a lot happening on stage. In fact, Kylie hardly moved. And the costumes were flamboyant rather than revealing.

She gave her medical team tickets to her Melbourne concert but they were anxious about how cautious she looked. Our source said: "They told her to move more so people weren't waiting for her to keel over. She looked very stiff and restrained."

Behind the scenes Martinez was once more causing concern. The Sunday Mirror revealed in December how the actor and Israeli model Sarai Givati, 24, spent three days in Paris together while Kylie was performing in Australia.

She was the latest in a list of encounters with other women while he and Kylie have been apart due to her work.

It begged the obvious question of why Martinez, apparently with time on his hands, was spending it with another woman rather than going to his girlfriend's side on her comeback tour.

When the Australian leg of the tour finished, Kylie cancelled a celebration party for her promoter Michael Gudinski and flew to Paris. Kylie, according to another insider, had already confronted Martinez, 40, about Sari over the phone, to which he snapped: "Don't even insult me by asking about it."

Yet for all her efforts to be at Martinez's side in Paris - going so far as to pull out of her family Christmas - there's been no sign of him this week as Kylie fought off her flu amid renewed fears for her health.

Our source said: "The medics and Kylie have struck up a close bond. When Kylie was on tour in Australia, she'd buy them little presents, and send them tickets, laying on transport to her gigs.

She treated them like the very close members of her entourage that they have become.

"As medics, they worry about the burden her schedule is putting on her health.

As friends, they have deep-seated reservations about her relationship with Olivier, and want to see her happy and content."

Quelle: Sunday Mirror

---

Fears for frail Kylie
From Narelle Muller in Melbourne
21.01.2007

THE showgirl must go on, but at what price? That’s the question many are asking as Kylie Minogue returns to the stage tonight.

Friends say the tiny star’s health is still fragile and fear she may have pushed herself to the limit in the first 12 months of recovery from breast cancer.

"Kylie looks fabulously fit, but she must take care of her inner self and not try to be all things to all people," a source said.

A week ago the 38-year-old singer pulled out midway through a Manchester show, citing flu as the cause.

Doctors advised complete rest and concert dates were rescheduled, starting again tonight - in Manchester.

Minogue’s family in Australia is on tenterhooks. "There’s nothing they can do but support and hope she is ok," a friend said.

"Kylie doesn’t like to let people down and as a result she can stretch herself too far.

"She has nothing more to prove. She’s risen to the top in her career time and again - proving all her critics wrong."

Quelle: UK Express

---

WANTED: KYLIE'S BOTTY DOUBLE
EXCLUSIVE She needs clone at fashion shoot
By Melanie Swan
21.01.2007

POP princess Kylie Minogue is searching for a botty double to take her place in an allaction film shoot.

Doctors ordered Kylie to pull out because it would be too gruelling for her.

Now showbiz agents across Britain are trying to find a lookalike who matches her 5ft 1in height, 32B bust, 23in waist and 28in inner leg.

But the candidate must also have a gorgeous, pert bottom just like the star.

A source said: "It's a tough challenge. Kylie's so tiny and her figure is hard to match. "But there's no way that Kylie could take it on herself."

Kylie, 38, battled back against breast cancer. But she pulled out of tour dates last week with flu, amid fears she was taking on too much, too soon.

The ad shoot in South Africa later this month is to promote her new clothing range.

But it means five 14-hour days filled with swimming, diving, dancing and driving.

Our source said: "Kylie was gutted but clearly she needs to take care of herself."

Quelle: The People

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Can't get her out of our heads
By Gordon Barr, The Evening Chronicle
20.01.2007

It was a cold November evening, 1991, and anticipation was high - not least from myself.

My first time seeing Kylie Minogue in the flesh. And I was beside myself.

I was also beside a Kylie wannabe - my best friend, who had dressed up in boob tube and hotpants especially for the occasion. She turned heads, as did Kylie when she took to the stage of Whitley Bay Ice Rink - her second gig there in 18 months.

A night to remember for sure - and who would have thought more than 15 years down the line she would be bigger and better than ever?

Certainly her shows have become more "events" than concerts these days and her voice is stronger - plus the fact she keeps coming up with the goods in the songs department.

Kylie is one of those rarities; adored by male, female, gay, straight, whatever - and her fight against breast cancer has only added to that adoration.

Her 1990 gig at Whitley Bay was one of only three in Britain as part of her first world tour. The November 1991 show, I wrote at the time, saw Kylie melt the ice, the dancers were outstanding, the band terrific...but the venue stank.

I continued: "More than 4,000 fans packed into the ice rink to see the controversial Aussie superstar perform, but I'm sure many only caught a glimpse of her. For those unfortunate enough to be standing on the ground level, as opposed to the sides of the arena, had to strain their necks to see little Kylie. And if anyone dared stand on their seats, they were quickly ushered down by the bouncers.

"It was the only down-point to the evening. The crowd worked themselves into a frenzy before the raunchy star took to the stage to sing Step Back In Time. There was no stopping her, as she strutted her stuff in outrageous, skimpy outfits that left little to the imagination. There was little talk with the audience - but we didn't want any. Everyone was content to boogie on down with the band. Her new material, though unfamiliar to many, received warm ovations. Especially the sexy ditty Let's Get To It, the title track of her new album.

But it was the oldies we loved best. Hand On Your Heart, Wouldn't Change a Thing and Tears On My Pillow. She closed with What Do I Have To Do, to which the crowd went wild, before encoring with club favourites I Guess I Like It Like That, followed by Locomotion, Shocked and Better The Devil You Know.

The ice rink was at fever pitch, but alas she was gone. The older fans loved the voluptuous new image and the mums and dads of the younger boppers also seemed to approve. Forget the critics, come back soon Kylie and give us another show to be proud of...we should be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky."

Well, we had to wait 11 long years before the Fever tour played two sell-out nights at the Arena in Newcastle, at the time the fastest-selling shows ever there. Again, she could do no wrong.

That time, I wrote: "Come Into My World, she sang as her opening number, and that's just what 10,000 ecstatic fans did as Ms Minogue belted out hit after hit in a futuristic two-hour extravaganza last night.

"Kylie's first gig on Tyneside in 11 years already looks set to go down as the show of the year and the audience, which spanned four generations, lapped up every moment. The Fever tour is a far cry from her Let's Get To It show, which she brought to Whitley Bay in 1991 to an audience of mainly children. Her sets are tighter, her voice has grown in stature - and her costumes leave little to the imagination.

"The gig of the year? More than likely."

I'm probably saying exactly the same today of last night's show in Manchester. Just a pity she didn't make it to the Toon this time.

Quelle: icNewcastle

---

Why Kylie is risking her health
By RICHARD PRICE
18.01.2007

As she lay tucked up in bed at her Chelsea home yesterday, slowly recuperating from yet another health scare, Kylie Minogue's thoughts may have drifted to an old metaphor she was once fond of trotting out.

Back when she first hit the big time, with her music topping the charts worldwide and an image of her pert backside on every teenage boy's wall, it seemed appropriate.

'I'm a show pony,' she trilled to all and sundry. 'Even when I'm a grandmother, I'll still be dressed up in tassels and sequins, jumping around on stage. I'm going to keep doing it until I drop.'

Delivered with her trademark toothy smile, it was a disarmingly positive message.

Time, however, lends a different, altogether darker context to her words. Since last weekend, she has been holed up in her flat, pole-axed by illness and fretting about how soon she will be able to work.

Indeed, on Saturday night the chirpy singer nearly fulfilled her own prophecy - cutting short a performance in Manchester because she was on the verge of collapsing in front of 20,000 horrified fans.

Officially, she is suffering from a severe respiratory tract infection. Informally, representatives insist she has nothing worse than a bout of flu.

Yet given her recent battle with breast cancer, it is hardly surprising that many of those closest to Kylie are worried it may be a harbinger of something far more severe.

The Mail understands that friends and family are becoming desperately worried about the singer's health.

'The fact is that she is only in remission from the cancer - contrary to the positive spin that's been put on her recovery, she absolutely has not been given the all clear - and pushing herself to the limit is just silly,' says a source close to the star.

'But at the moment, getting Kylie to slow down is like trying to stop a freight train. All the time she was ill she was dreaming of being back on stage and now it seems nothing is going to stop her.' Her schedule, punctuated by energy-sapping 24-hour flights, is hugely punishing. As well as her 33-date world tour, the singer has just released a new album, written a book and launched a fragrance.

Even in the week of her collapse, she spent the time between shows laying a foundation stone with her handprints at Wembley and unveiling a new waxwork.

So why, after 18 months of operations, chemotherapy and obsessively healthy living, put her delicate recovery at risk?

The answer, friends say, lies in her troubled personal life.

Her three-year relationship with Olivier Martinez has been rocked by rumours that he is having an affair with a stunning model 14 years her junior.

And when she issued an ultimatum to Olivier, summoning him to spend Christmas in Australia where she was in the midst of her Showgirl tour, he refused.

Instead, Kylie abandoned a planned family Christmas in Melbourne to fly back to Paris to see him.

Sources close to Olivier in France maintain he was not unfaithful (despite spending three days escorting the woman in question - Israeli beauty Sarai Givati - around the city), yet they admit Kylie was shocked by his defiant refusal even to discuss the allegations with her.

Now friends say the couple's relationship is 'very rocky' and facing a bigger challenge as work commitments keep them apart.

'Kylie admitted recently that she does push herself too hard, but she says hard work is the only thing she knows,' says a source.

'When she's being honest, Kylie admits that she defines herself by her career.

'She's had a string of long-term relationships with men, but all of them have gone wrong in the end. Her relationships with Michael Hutchence and the model James Gooding ended in tears, and even the situation with Ollie doesn't look too healthy.

'Most of her family are back in Australia, so she hardly sees them. Now, she refers to her team - the dancers, musicians and gofers who surround her - as her "family". So the only thing she feels she can rely on is her career. That's the only unconditional love affair she's ever had.'

Some put it even more strongly, stating that as far as the singer is concerned, being back on stage is synonymous with good health.

'All the time she was going through chemotherapy, Kylie used to visualise performing in front of thousands of fans - it's all about positive thinking,' says a source.

'She's mentally very strong, but it also makes her stubborn.

'Kylie was advised not to go on stage on Saturday, but said she couldn't let fans down. In her condition, that was a stupid decision, but who was going to overrule her?'

Indeed, the Mail understands that the doctors who have been overseeing her recovery, at the world-renowned Institut Gustave-Roussy in the Parisian suburb of Villejuif, are less than impressed with her itinerary.

A spokesman for the hospital said: 'Breast surgery affects people in many ways. It's not just the physical effects of the surgery, but also the psychological aspects.

'Extreme fatigue is common after treatment. This can also affect somebody's mood. If a patient takes on too much after an operation, it can be dangerous.'

Yet not only did Kylie embark on a world tour barely 18 months after being diagnosed with breast cancer, she also introduced new songs and dance routines, requiring hours in rehearsal, and a new set of stresses.

'She is, by her own admission, a perfectionist and all these new routines are hard work,' says a member of her touring party.

This gruelling regime has left Kylie's parents, Carol and Ron, deeply worried about their daughter's wellbeing.

Friends say they are not close to Olivier, who maintains an icy Gallic distance, yet in what little time off she is allowing herself Kylie plans to visit him in Paris.

And while they would like nothing more than for their beloved daughter to take another year off, she has discovered that since her diagnosis her earning potential is greater than ever.

'It's a bitter pill to swallow but the fact is that Kylie's stock has never been higher,' says an industry insider.

'She already had a huge fanbase, but now since she got ill the level of public support has gone through the roof. She could perform every day of the year and it would be a sell-out. And her new album is a guaranteed winner. Don't expect Kylie to get off the merry-go-round any time soon.'

Meanwhile, Olivier is back in Paris, where he celebrated his 41st birthday last Friday, surrounded by friends and family, but notably sans girlfriend. She was struggling to complete yet another show in Manchester.

Despite him having reportedly proposed to Kylie, there is no sign of a ring on her finger. As one waspish friend puts it:

'Nobody is holding their breath.'

All of which puts Kylie's desire to have children in doubt. Prior to surgery, she took the precaution of having slivers of her ovaries removed and frozen, but doctors say that at 38 her chances of having children through this method are slim.

As a result, she is becoming resigned to the fact that adoption may be her only chance of becoming a mother.

And while she has discussed the subject with Olivier, it has never come up for firm consideration. More ominously, Olivier has been telling friends on the Left Bank he has become tired of being known as 'Mr Minogue' rather than as a serious actor in his own right.

'Olivier's a very private man and he's fed up being followed by photographers,' says one.

'But he can't end the relationship now. People have been accusing him of being a cheat and a liar, which is unfair.

'What would they say about a man who dumps his girlfriend when she gets breast cancer? It's unthinkable.'

Kylie, meanwhile, tells friends that her favourite place in the entire world is 'in Ollie's arms'. Yet she has also told them that she does not want him to propose, because she would not know if he was doing it for real or because of her cancer scare.

Meanwhile, she will climb out of her sickbed and into the spotlight at the Manchester MEN Arena again tonight, after four days of enforced rest.

Surrounding the stage will be dozens of crew members dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan: 'Kylie says Relax.'

She's trying harder than ever, but sadly it seems Kylie is incapable of taking her own advice.

Quelle: Daily Mail

---

Minogue bestreitet falschen Ehrgeiz
17.01.2007

Kylie Minogue | Picture: kya.pytalhost.net

Die australische Pop-Sängerin Kylie Minogue weist Vorwürfe zurück, sie sei nach ihrer überstandenen Krebserkrankung zu früh auf die Bühne zurückgekehrt.

"Ich habe zu keiner Zeit Anweisungen oder Warnungen meiner Ärzte ignoriert", erklärte die 38-Jährige auf ihrer Homepage. Entsprechende Berichte in den Medien seien falsch.

Die britische Presse hatte zuvor darüber spekuliert, ob sich Minogue nach überstandener Chemotherapie mit ihrer "Showgirl Homecoming"-Tour möglicherweise zu viel zugemutet habe. Bei der Sängerin war im Mai 2005 Brustkrebs festgestellt worden.

Großteil der Tour-Crew außer Gefecht gesetzt

Sie habe ihre beiden Konzerte in Manchester am Wochenende nur aufgrund einer schweren Grippe absagen müssen, betonte Minogue. Der Virus habe beinahe die gesamte Tour-Crew außer Gefecht gesetzt. Ihre Ärzte hätten ihr geraten, für ein paar Tage kürzer zu treten, um nicht die gesamte Tour zu gefährden. Sie werde bereits am Donnerstag wieder in Manchester auf der Bühne stehen.

Nach Angaben ihrer Plattenfirma sollen die beiden abgesagten Auftritte bereits in der kommenden Woche nachgeholt werden. Während in der "M.E.N. Arena Manchester" insgesamt sechs Konzerte auf dem Programm stehen, sind in Deutschland vorerst keine Auftritte geplant.

Doppel-Live-Album als Trost für deutsche Fans

Ihre deutschen Fans können sich bald mit einem Doppel-Live-Album von der aktuellen Tour trösten. "Kylie Showgirl - Homecoming Live" erscheint am 9. Februar und wartet unter anderem mit einem Duett von "Kids" mit U2-Sänger Bono auf.

Quelle: Focus

---

ADDITIONAL MANCHESTER DATE ANNOUNCED!
16.01.2007

In addition to the two new shows announced yesterday: Sunday 21/1 (replacing Monday 15/1) and Monday 22/1 (replacing Tuesday 16/1) we are pleased to announce a third and final additional show on Tuesday 23/1 for those who attended last Saturday night's show which finished early.

Kylie said today: "Firstly, I'd like to apologise to those who attended last Saturday night's show at the M.E.N. Arena; I was hoping to feel better as the day progressed unfortunately the opposite was true. I'm sorry too for all those inconvenienced by the postponements.

I would just like to clarify the situation after seeing false reports in today's press claiming that I had ignored doctors instructions. I have not at any stage ignored the advice of my doctors, in fact I postponed two shows this week on their advice in order to be healthy enough to finish the "Showgirl Homecoming" tour.

Nearly all of my crew were hit by this terrible 'flu during the course of this tour and despite my best efforts I too succumbed last week.

I am now overjoyed to announce that I have been declared fit to return to the stage on Thursday and we will now be adding three replacement shows next week so as not to disappoint anyone!"

Quelle: kylie.com

---

Kylie Minogue schießt Warnung in den Wind
16.01.2007

Kylie at her hotel

London (dpa) - Kylie Minogue kann es nicht lassen - trotz eines gesundheitlichen Warnschusses: Die australische Pop-Ikone hatte wegen eines grippalen Infekts ihre Comeback-Tour unterbrechen müssen.

Nach 45 Minuten ging sie im englischen Manchester von der Bühne. Dennoch ignoriert Minogue den Rat ihrer Ärzte, in nächster Zeit kürzer zu treten und sich ein wenig mehr Ruhe zu gönnen, berichtet die «Sun» in ihrer Online-Ausgabe. Das Gegenteil scheint der Fall zu sein: Anstatt sich nach überstandener Krebstherapie zu schonen, will die zierliche Sängerin nun noch mehr Konzerte geben. Zumindest soll sie inzwischen weitere Termine in Australien und Großbritannien bestätigt haben.

Quelle: Rhein-Neckar Zeitung

---

Sick Kylie 'ignored doctors'
16.01.2007

Kylie leaving the hotel

POORLY singer Kylie Minogue IGNORED doctors’ advice when she added more dates to her comeback tour.

The pop princess, given the all-clear from breast cancer just months ago, was warned exhaustion would take its toll.

But she still added more dates in Australia and the UK for fans left disappointed when the initial gigs sold out.

A source said: “She was told to rest up for several months. But nobody could stop her.”

On Saturday Kylie had to pull out of a Manchester gig, blaming flu. Last night and tonight’s shows were cancelled and rescheduled for January 21 and 22.

Quelle: The Sun

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