Lady and the tramp ... scruffy Shane and IT girl Victoria

BOYZONE scruff Shane Lynch has astonished his mates by turning up with some toff totty on his arm � It girl Victoria Hervey.

The unlikely pair met last week at an awards bash and have enjoyed a string of dates since. Friends say they have become �very close.�

Lady V, daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, attended the black-tie Pantene beauty awards in one of her many designer dresses,

Shane arrived in trademark baggy jeans and top plus a baseball cap and bandana.

Mix 'n match ... the couple on a night out

The Irish singer � who has a pierced ear, nose and eyebrow � was also sporting a sinister-looking contact lens in his left eye.

As he and Lady V tucked in to their four-course meal, Shane slouched in his chair, swigging from a bottle of red wine.

But his table manners didn�t put off 24-year-old Victoria � they left the Albert Hall bash and partied into the early hours at a nearby nightclub.

Shane then went home with Victoria and they have stayed in touch since.

Shane, 25, who is separated from wife Easther Bennett, was introduced to Victoria by mate Ben Ofeudu � the pair have teamed up to form the X-rated hip-hop band Redhill since Boyzone split up.

In the meantime, it seems that Ronan isn't going down too well in his home country of Ireland- despite being big all over Europe. He is a special guest on Irish singer Paul Brady's tour, but he isn't going down too well with Paul's maturer audience.

Ronan is also going to be on the Irish Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Celebrity Special.

21/10/01~ Shane turned up at a TOTP party on Thursday night, sporting a very scary contact lens apparently! In the meantime, the Redhill Website has been updated, and Lady Victoria Hervey made a beeline for our Shane at the Pantene Awards!

Meanwhile, Ronan is desperate to become a big Hollywood actor and is taking acting lessons in LA.

19/10/01~ Ronan and Shane both turned up at the Heat/Pantene Pro-v Awards on Wednesday night. Ronan was there to perform and Shane was just there to enjoy the ceremony, and he sat drinking from a bottle of wine, only a few metres away from where Ronan was singing. Shane blames Ronan for ending Boyzone, but is adamant that he didn't know Ronan was going to be there. Showing that there's no love lost between the pair, Shane said, "I hope he can catch bottles."

In the meantime, multi-millionaire Ronan is really pulling out all the stops with his present for Bryan Westlife and Kerry Katona's wedding in the New Year. Ronan, who will be one of many star guests at the wedding, will be buying them kettles as their wedding present.

15/10/01~ Boyband A1 have attacked Ronan Keating- branding him untalented and requesting that he be gagged! A1's Paul Marazzi says that Ronan is, "the least talented person I've ever met in the industry - ever." He also added, "he's been through a lot of hard times, our Ronan, but he still shouldn't sing." Hmn, well, at the risk of offending anyone here, I do think that Ronan is over-rated and not as talented as he is made out to be, but he certainly isn't the least talented. That honour would go to Right Said Fred, I think (very embarrassingly though, I own their first album)!

Also, someone asked me the other day why there is this Boyzone news page on a Stephen Gately site. Well, Boyzone was a big part of Steo's life and so I can hardly ignore that fact. I can also hardly ignore the fact that there are visitors to this site who are interested in the other members of Boyzone's solo career and so that is why I set up this news page!

13/10/01~ Roz from Granada Media is making a Boyzone Special for ITV. So, if you are a huge Boyzone fan, supported the band from the early days and still do, and live in and around the London area, e-mail Roz at [email protected]. She is looking to talk to a small group of dedicated fans who can appear on TV and talk about why they loved and still love the band. So, if you can help, please e-mail Roz as soon as possible!

12/10/01~ If you would like to hear some tracks from REDhill, then please go to http://www.etank.to. Once you have registered, you will be taken into a page with a direct link to a REDhill questionnaire. You are asked to listen to the songs and rate them, as well as the band's image.

6/10/01~ I forgot to put some Keith and Ronan-related news on here the other day and so I will do that in a moment. But first, Ronan has admitted that he is no longer in contact with ANY of Boyzone- but he has declared that it's not his fault. He has also talked about his disappointment in not breaking America and his disappointment in the Irish media, which slags him off. The following article is from today's Irish Independent:

***

I'd love to come home to this country like U2 do ... and people shake your hand and say 'fair play to you'

Ronan Keating talks exclusively to JOHN MEAGHER about life, love and success and why he has so far failed in his dream to make it big in America

Take a look at the top of the American album charts. Up there among the rappers, hip-hop artists and hard rockers is Enya. Her eighth album, A Day Without Rain, climbed to number four in the Billboard 200 this week. It has been on the chart for 45 weeks.

***

In the meantime, here's the other news I forgot to give you! Firstly, you can catch Keith presenting new reality TV show THE RACE on Monday on ITV1 at 11pm. After that, you can catch episodes of the show on Wednesday on ITV2 at 10pm, and Thursday on ITV2 at 10pm.

Keith has also unveiled a new female singer, who he is hoping will propel him to the top of pop management. Keith was blown away by Linda Kelly's talent, and is now auditioning for a guy to sing with her. Auditions are being held in Dublin's Lille's Bordello club. Keith says, "Everything is in place for this band. We've got the record deal, we've got the songs and we've got top producer RAY HEDGES on board. Linda has a brilliant talent and we were initially going to go solo with her, but we decided we'll try something that hasn't been done in a while - a duet. The guy needs to be able to sing, dance and look good."

Finally, Ronan has also shown that he doesn't seem to have a sense of humour. He was asked to have a cameo role in Rock Profiles- a show famed for taking the mickey out of popstars in a series of fake interviews. The "popstars" are played wonderfully by Matt Lucas. Recent mickey takes have included Elton John throwing a series of tantrums at his home with "my partner" David Furnish by his side. One new sketch features Gary Barlow and Ronan. They team up to record a charity single called Rock The Blind, in order to get their failing careers back on track. Ronan, however, didn't take kidnly to the suggestion that his popularity is fading, and so he flatly refused to take any part in the show. Matt Lucas, who plays Gary Barlow, says, "It seems he didn't see the funny side, which is a shame." Rock Profiles, featuring Gary Barlow and Ronan Keating, will be shown on BBC Choice later on in the year.

4/10/01~ Sorry I haven't been keeping this page updated lately, but I don't want to update it too often, otherwise the site might turn into a Boyzone site, whilst Stephen isn't doing much! Anyway, here's some of the news from the past month about the other BZ members:

Ronan is releasing a new single in November, entitled Love Won't Work. It is released on November 26th, and his second solo album- for which he has been collaborating with the brains behind Kylie's new smash hit, Cathy Dennis- 2 weeks later. His brother Gary also got married the other day, and Ronan sang for him there. Ronan's first attempt at cracking the States has failed. Lovin Each Day failed to set the charts alight and Ronan is said to have been "stunned" that the single only sold 25,000 copies, compared with Samantha Mumba's 410,000 copies of her debut single. Selling 25,000 copies in the UK would have guaranteed Ronan a top 20 chart position- sadly, the USA is a much bigger and harder market to crack! His record company say that, "Management are still very optimistic for him. He has a chance because there aren't very many white, clean-cut guys in the charts. 'Lovin' Each Day' didn't get the airplay they expected, so they cancelled the shows and everything." He will try again next year, this time releasing Life Is A Rollercoaster. the terrorist attacks in America are expected to delay his promo over there though. I guess pulling out of the BZ tour wasn't worth it after all then!

Mikey has allegedly decided to give up singing and concentrate on scriptwriting and writing songs for other artists. He has written a film script about Dublin and has also written lots of songs, which he has sent out to movie soundtracks for other artists to sing. Mikey says, "You need a major record company to support your music and the sale of music. I wasn't signed to a major label, so it just wasn't going to happen. Im stepping away from it because I really don't want to be involved in it in the commercial sense. It doesn't dampen my love of music, but the whole thing has left a very bitter taste in my mouth."

After Shane has been seen out with a new blond girlfriend, the rumours about him and Amma from Big Brother are still circulating- so much so that there are even suggestions they might turn up at tonights MOBO awards together. Whether the rumours are true though, remains to be seen. Redhill are expected to release their debut single- maybe Rock da House- next year.

Keith presented the Irish Entertainment Awards the other day- and lost out on Ireland's Sexiest Male to his old pal, Ronan. Ronan wasn't there to pick up the award, however, with suggestions that he may have pulled out because Keith was going to be there. Keith did say afterwards though that he didn't mind losing out on the award because Ronan is a deserving winner. He also proved that he is a Shane Lynch in the making, by continuously swearing at the audience throughout the show! He also causd a bit of a furore at a hotel when he threatened to beat an Irish journalist up. The said journalist- Paul Martin- wrote a story recently about Ronan and Keith ignoring each other at U2's gig at Slane Castle. Mr Martin had called Keith "huffy Duffy" in his article- and Keith even got his wife Lisa to back him up that he had got the right journalist! However, Keith and Mr Martin made up later in the night, with Mr Martin even calling Keith's presenting at the show "impressive".

Also, tickets for the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party went on sale yesterday. Tickets can be ordered online at http://www.tickets-online.co.uk or, for more information, buy the current issue of Smash Hits. I have got tickets on row 9, seats 46-47, in the FLR block in the floor seats- I might see you there!

15/9/01~ Shane has reportedly got a new blond girlfriend- just don't tell Amma from Big Brother!

In the meantime, this is a picture of a Baby Keating from the current issue of Heat magazine. According to the magazine, the picture is of Jack. But I think it's of Marie- why would Jack be wearing something pink and girlie? Anyway, see what you think:

12/9/01~ Ronan, Yvonne, Keith and Lisa were all at the U2 gig at Slane Castle in Ireland the other day. Unfortunately though, Ronan and Yvonne stayed at one end, and Keith and Lisa stayed at the other end of the VIP area. The Irish Mirror states that they all said an awkward hello together, and then ignored each other for the rest of the evening!

And, Shane now calls himself SHAMROC. So he won't be introduced as Shane from Redhill- it'll be Shamroc from Redhill lol! The other members are called Big Ben, DJ Rod and Mark.

11/9/01~ Keith can currently be seen on Lorraine Kelly's new show on Sky 1. The show, appropriately entitled "Lorraine" is on weekdays from 9.25am, and Keith will pop up on a couple of shows a week as a showbiz reporter and so look out for him on that! Keith revealed to Lorraine last week that he has hurt his leg, poor love!

Shane has also been in the press again recently. Firstly, he was at the Mobo nominations party and was allegedly seen chatting to Big Brother's Amma. They apparently swapped phone numbers afterwards and plan to see each other again. Shane has also blasted Hear'say, following reports that the Popstars band has turned into a Flopstars band after poor ticket sales. Shane says that manufactured bands are over and that although Popstars was a great show, the band are rubbish musically. A lot of the media think that it's the pot calling the kettle black!

29/8/01~ This is a picture of Ronan, Yvonne and baby Marie at Bono's father's funeral:

25/8/01~ Ronan, Yvonne and baby Marie all made a surprise appearance at Bono's father's funeral in Ireland yesterday. He turned up to offer the U2 star his condolences, as shown in the picture below:

22/8/01~ Shane has been involved in a minor car crash. He was taking part in a fun car race, with Formula 1 star Nigel Mansell and the singer Kelis, when his engine caught fire. He managed to escape unharmed though. Nigel and Kelis later suffered minor scars and bruises when their cars collided.

21/8/01~ Watch out for Mr Keith Duffy, making his acting debut as a policeman, on a repeat of The Bombmaker tomorrow on Sky One from 9pm.

20/8/01~ Check out this picture of BOBZONE:

Can you guess which Bob The Builder is supposed to be which member of Boyzone? You can see the video at the moment on The Box!

17/8/01~ Ronan has given up on his attempt to crack the States. This is according to MTV:

Ronan threatens to eat his microphone if Americans don't buy his records

Ronan can't crack US

Ronan Keating has admitted that he�s "disappointed" that his attempt to crack the States has failed.

The former Boyzone frontman said that it�s always been his dream to enjoy the same kind of success across the Atlantic that he�s enjoyed in Europe but has now resigned himself to the fact that success over the pond may prove too elusive after the dismal failure of two recent singles.

Speaking to MTV, he admitted that �it�s not the be all and end all for me. You've got to go in there and work hard, but I'm a very successful artist internationally besides America.�

Despite that, fans will remember that it was Ronan�s desire to find fame in the US which ultimately brought about the demise of Boyzone when a proposed tour was scuppered because of his US promotional commitments.

In the meantime, he flew into Birmingham the other day, looking less than happy, and has been in Germany today.

In other Ronan news, the following article is from HMV:

From A Boy To A Man

Boyzone's Ronan Keating Grows Up - By Barry Walsh

Irish pop superstar Ronan Keating walks into the bar of the ultra-cushy Windsor Arms hotel with all the confidence that a man who's sold millions upon millions of records should have. Heads turn, and the eyes of assorted bar patrons focus on the scandalously photogenic singer. If he were in Europe, or probably anywhere else in the world but North America, there would probably be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. But on this side of the pond, the mere sight of Ronan isn't enough to send a room of well-to-do hotel guests into a snit. Not yet, anyway.

All that could be subject to change with the North American release of Ronan's debut solo album, simply titled 'Ronan.' Already a huge hit in the rest of the world, 'Ronan' sees the singer/songwriter attempting to step out of the shadows of his previous outfit, Irish boy band Boyzone. Emerging in 1992, these five young lads came out of the gate with a carefully cultivated image and a confection of sugary yet sexy pop that teenage girls the world over swooned for. Everywhere in the world except North America, where it would take a few more years for five neat guys from Florida to find fame, fortune and rehab as the Backstreet Boys.

Now, nine years later, boy bands are multiplying at such a rate that even the tweens are having a hard time keeping up. But this doesn't concern Ronan Keating anymore. He's more than eager to leave that world behind.

"Absolutely, yeah," he says, settling into a comfy chair in the very back of the bar. "I've been taking a lot of new steps. And it's been really scary at times, but it's really falling into place, and it's been great. I like challenge, and I believe you can kind of get stuck in the mud if you don't set yourself challenges in life all the time, both professional and personal. I think it's very important."

One could call leaving behind one of Ireland's most popular musical exports (next to Enya and that little-known bunch called U2) a challenge, or one could call it a mistake. After all, the cut-out bins in record shops are filled to the brim with the solo albums from band members aiming to strike out on their own. But if anyone can make the transition from band member to band leader, it's Keating. He's beyond driven - at the age of 24 he's sold upwards of 12 million records, toured the world several times over, managed another group (the similarly big-in-Europe Westlife), and found the time to marry and have two children (the most recent addition, Marie, being born last February). And with his new material, he's shedding the shiny pop skin of Boyzone to reveal a rougher edge. Pop fans shouldn't fret - he's not turning into Slipknot. But with tracks like the rootsy, John Cougar-esque 'If You Love Me' and the British single 'Life Is A Rollercoaster,' it's easy to tell that Ronan wants to rock, at least a little. And critics have been using a term to describe the new album that was rarely heard concerning Boyzone projects - 'mature.'

"I'm very happy and comfortable, and the freedom and the control of doing it on my own is a beautiful thing. And to be able to do musically what I want to do, and to put on the sort of show I want to make - I don't want to come out with dancers and big productions. I just want to put on a rock and roll show."

"Yeah - I'm not trying to tell a story here, I'm just trying to make good pop songs. But I'm also trying to get away from the cheesy, teen-pop stuff. Trying to do something a little edgier, a little cooler. I used to make music with four other people in mind, and have to consider their opinion. Everything you heard was Boyzone, and there were five people involved. It wasn't me, it wasn't my heart, it wasn't what I felt musically or lyrically.

"I'm very happy and comfortable," he continues. "And the freedom and the control of doing it on my own is a beautiful thing. And to be able to do musically what I want to do, and to put on the sort of show I want to make - I don't want to come out with dancers and big productions. I just want to put on a rock and roll show."

And that's more or less what he's doing with his solo shows. He's already toured the new album around the world to sell-out crowds and generally positive reviews - so positive in fact that most of them would mention Boyzone only in passing, while affirming that Ronan is now truly his own artist.

Which leads to a rather obvious question - where does all of this leave Boyzone? An extremely lucrative summer world tour was in the planning stages. But depending upon who you talk to, Keating's exploding solo career either sabotaged those plans, or the end was in sight anyway. Until recently, Keating was maintaining that the band would still get back together. But the UK press has started reporting some unflattering points of view from other Boyzones - the nastiest riposte coming from Shane Lynch, who told English tabloid the Sun that "I just hope I never run into him again. I will put him down so hard. One day the devil will visit him." As a result, Boyzone fans looking for a reunion are in for bad news.

"I'll be blunt about it. Shane has been mouth..." He catches himself, and then resumes. "...Saying stuff in the press and it's not been very kind, and I would've liked to think that we could've done something again. But people change. You think you're going to spend the rest of your life hanging out with your school friends, and then once you leave school you never see them again. It's sad and I wish it wasn't true, but it looks like that's the way it'll happen. It's not looking very healthy."

What is looking healthy, however, is Keating's solo career. He's already hard at work on the second album, co-writing songs at home with such contributors as Joshua Kadison, former New Radical Gregg Alexander and world Party leader Karl Wallinger. From there, it'll be another massive world tour and another assault upon North America. One has to wonder - he's young, at the prime of his life, and he's made enough quid that he need not work another day in his life. So, erm, why does he?

"It's been this way ever since I was 16, so it's what I'm used to. But two months ago, I had some time where there was no plan. That was a really nice time. But you get scared too, because you're so used to it. I like plans. Wars are won because of plans," he says with a laugh and a devilish glint in his eye. "Maybe in a few years I'll want to take it easy, but you've got to make hay while the sun shines, and that's what I'm trying to do."

15/8/01~ Happy Birthday to Mikey, who is 29 years old today! Mikey is currently resting, and will be relaunching his singing career later this year.

Look out for Bob The Builder's cover version of Lou Bega's Mambo No. 5 on The Box- in the video, he apparently dresses up as all 5 members of Boyzone!

12/8/01~ From WENN: ***

Keith to read children's stories in radio series

Ex-BOYZONE star KEITH DUFFY has landed a new job - reading Celtic children's stories on the radio.

Keith will make his debut on RTE RADIO ONE next month (SEPT01) presenting the six-week series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE.

But instead of old legends about warriors and myths, the series is ultra modern - lampooning rock stars, mobile phone-users, building developers and car boot sale-hunters.

Duffy has been carving out a successful media career ever since it emerged earlier this year (01) that Boyzone would not be getting back together.

He stood in for RTE presenter JOE DUFFY and then appeared on the celebrity version of BIG BROTHER in Britain.

***

Also from WENN:

Keating urges Spice Girls to break up

RONAN KEATING is urging the SPICE GIRLS to split up for good.

The Irish heart-throb, who used to front BOYZONE, says he thinks MEL B, MEL C, VICTORIA BECKHAM and EMMA BUNTON should call it a day.

He says, "They should have left on top. If they'd pulled out the album before, the girls would have been known as the biggest pop group of the '90s.

"But they wanted another album and now they're seen as flops, which is sad."

***

Ronan interview in the Totonto Sun:

Ronan goes alone Former Boyzone singer prepares to invade North America

While a huge pop star overseas, Dublin's Ronan Keating is not yet a household name in Canada, or North America for that matter.

But Keating, previously with huge '90s Irish band Boyzone and now just an emerging solo act on this side of the pond with the success of his song, When You Say Nothing At All, from the 1999 Notting Hill soundtrack, doesn't seem to mind.

"It's nice, it brings your feet back down to earth," said Keating, 24, yesterday afternoon holed up in a College Street bar prior to his headlining gig tomorrow night at the Kingswood Music Theatre. "It's the way it should be, 'cause you can really lose the run of yourself doing this, and I'm doing all right."

He's also got plenty of Canadian connections.

For starters, there's similarly raspy-voiced Bryan Adams, who contributed the ballad The Way You Make Me Feel to Keating's solo debut, Ronan, which hits record stores in Canada on Tuesday. It has already sold five million copies in Europe since its release last July and the followup will be ready by early next year.

"Bryan Adams came to me, which is pretty cool," said Keating, who is performing free tomorrow night as part of the Third Annual CHUM-FM Family Day at Paramount Canada's Wonderland. "We're very similar in tones in our voices with the same vibe. It's (his career) exactly pretty much where I want to be, where I want to go. Rock 'n' roll, it's in the blood."

Then there's Keating's Mississauga relations, by his marriage to Irish model Yvonne Connelly. They have two children -- two-year-old Jack and six-month-old Marie.

"The Connellys, Yvonne's uncle and auntie," said Keating. "I spend a lot of time out there. I'm going out there tonight (last night) actually, have a few beers by the pool. Been to some family weddings and stuff, been to Toronto quite a few times. I love it, (it's a) good laugh."

Keating, who just completed two sold-out arena tours overseas, says success in North America would be nice, but he's not counting on it.

"It's important 'cause you can sell 10 million albums, who doesn't want to do that?" says the blond, blue-eyed singer. "It's not the be-all and end-all for me, absolutely not. I'd like to break it as I would like to break any market. You've got to go in there and work hard, but I'm a very successful artist internationally besides America. Of course, I'd be disappointed, but I won't walk away with my tail between my legs by no means."

Despite the Beatlemania-like hysteria and record sales (12 million worldwide) that greated Boyzone in Europe, the band made no impact at all in North America.

"It was just timing," Keating explained. "We were out before the Backstreet Boys and the NSYNCs and all these bands, a long, long time before that. When we came out, there was no such thing as pop bands in America. It was Pearl Jam and all that sort of stuff when we came out -- '92-'93. So no one knew what to do with a band like Boyzone."

While not officially broken up, Keating reports he hasn't been in touch with his Boyzone bandmates for two years and there are no plans to regroup.

He doesn't exactly miss being chased down the street by girls, but will admit "it was a shock to the ego initially, but it's better for me. I'm selling more records now, but yet the hysteria's gone so it's quite strange. It's nice, but it takes a while for the ego to get ready for that."

And given the fate of the last Spice Girls' album, Keating thinks it's been a wise choice for Boyzone to go their separate ways.

"They should have left on top," said Keating of the Spice Girls. "If they'd pulled out the album before, the girls would have been known as the biggest pop group of the '90s, but they wanted another album and now they're seen as flops, which is sad."

***

From ALLPOP:

Boyzone's Ronan Keating finds solo success

A little over a year ago, Irish heartthrob Ronan Keating -- then the overseas equivalent of *Nsync's Justin Timberlake -- decided to take a step back from the boy band Boyzone and try to make it on his own.

"The change into a solo artist was the most nerve-wracking situation to be in," says Ronan, sitting in the cigar bar at the Windsor Arms hotel in Toronto. "You've sold 12 million albums, why change that? It's a big risk to take, and you could land on your arse pretty quickly."

But Ronan risked bruising his tail bone for a taste of musical freedom. After all, he'd been singing and dancing with Boyzone members Shane, Keith, Stephen, and Mikey since he was 16. He felt it was time to work with different people and try some new sounds.

"I really enjoyed being in the band, it was great fun and I loved it, but I really needed freedom and control on my own, because other people speaking for ya, and their taste in music ... when you're as involved in music as I am, it's a very difficult thing to let someone else do it, especially when they're into something totally different than what you're into."

So Ronan and his fellow Boyzoners decided they'd all take some time off from the group to pursue their own interests. Everyone intended to regroup and tour once their side projects were complete.

Ronan teamed up with Bryan Adams and former New Radicals star Gregg Alexander for his solo album, simply titled "Ronan". It was a hit overseas, especially the ballad "When You Say Nothing At All", which can be heard (constantly) throughout the Julia Roberts' movie "Notting Hill".

"It's an edgy pop album," says Ronan of his solo effort which will be released in North America on Tuesday, more than a year after it was released in the U.K.

He says "Ronan" is the "perfect first album for me", but will take his "edgy" sound a step further with his second solo album, which is almost complete.

Meanwhile, trouble has been brewing with the other four members of Boyzone. Their solo efforts and extracurricular projects have been less than stellar, while Ronan's success has continued to climb.

Shane started a one-sided verbal war through the U.K. tabloids saying that Ronan is ruining Boyzone by pulling out of the planned tour. Ronan hasn't responded.

"Shane has a problem with me. He's gone a bit bitter and sour. It's sad," says Ronan. "I had every intention of doing it [the Boyzone tour], but I had a solo album. I had to commit to that album."

Ronan said the bad blood erupted before he could even talk to the other group members.

"It's sad, what can I do?" he sighs. "Success can be a very dangerous thing to people that don't have it."

But Ronan refuses to defend himself by insulting Shane.

"I'm not going to knock them, they're my friends. We've been through too much together, and I wish them the best and I hope they do well."

And Ronan has been through a lot of Boyzone. Thrown into the music business -- which he refers to as "f****** mad" -- while still a teenager, he has been dealing with squealing fans and intrusive tabloids for more than six years now.

"The workload was unbelievable, promoting, touring, never at home," he says of his time with Boyzone. "For six years I didn't spend any time in Ireland whatsoever. Everybody thought it was fancy hotels and limos ... not a chance."

Now that Ronan is focusing on a solo career, he spends more time at home in Dublin with his wife Yvonne and their two young children.

He's also learned to take control of the tabloids that can creep into his personal life and the Irish media which has been less than kind to their own pop star.

"There's quite a large amount of 'begrudgery' that goes on in Ireland -- they build you up to knock you down," he says about the way he's been treated in his homeland. "I don't do any press or anything in Ireland anymore. They turn around then and they start wanting more of you so they start writing nicer things again. It's just the way people are ... the way it is."

But don't think that Ronan is a George Clooney figure who sniffs at photographers and journalists. He knows he needs them to survive.

"When I'm doing what I do, thank God they want to take photos. It's a good thing. It would be worse if they didn't."

The interest in Ronan still exists overseas and he hopes it will catch on in North America, but he has no plans to begin fretting about singles sales and chart battles.

"I'm an album-selling artist, that's what I care about", he says, "and touring the world, people appreciating the music. It's not about being number one."

10/8/01~

Some more Shane news! Former Boyzone manager Louis Walsh has said that he has heard Redhill's CD, and he thinks it's quite good. But, as for Shane, he says, "Shane can't sing. He wasn't on any of the Boyzone releases." Not that the record companies are listening to Louis- 3 record companies are still waving their cash at Shane, in a bid to sign Redhill up!

9/8/01~ Shane has spoken out again about Ronan- saying that he "hates the guy". In an interview with The Mirror, Shane says, "I'm not going back. I couldn't work any more with a guy like Ronan. We made hundreds of thousands of people very happy with our music and the way we looked and performed on stage. He never gives a straight answer and never has done about us doing another tour or another record. So I have decided that that's it. I'm out - and sod you Mr Keating. We've been messed around by you for far too long. When Mr Keating decided Boyzone should take a year off as a break because we had been working like crazy - and, yes, we all have to move on in life - he said he was going to do a solo album. No problem there - and all due respect to him. Good luck to you, I said, and so did the other guys. And we meant it. We all believed he'd be back and we'd be together again to do more albums as Boyzone. We were still signed up with two record companies as far as I and the rest of the guys were concerned. We were just taking a welcome and well deserved year off. But in the back of Keating's mind, I suspect it always knew he wasn't coming back. So there we were all sitting back, relaxing and having a good time in a nice year off, believing like idiots that everything was fine and dandy. For that reason, as far as i'm concerned, there is no Boyzone and there is no Ronan Keating. That is sad and disappointing because we used to be such great pals. More than that, he was my best mate. We shared a house together, we did everything together - and we made a world of success, and a good few bob, out of boyzone as mates. The band was a lovely tight unit, we were all firm and true friends who got on with each other. We had fun - and I think everybody who saw us perform could see that. It was all brought to an end by Keating." So, I think we can safely say that Boyzone is over :( If you'd like to vent your anger or disappointment (as it always helps to do that!), then you're quite welcome to on the message board

8/8/01~ Shane has quit Boyzone for good. In an interview with Smash Hits, he says that he is now concentrating on Redhill. He says, �I�ve left Boyzone. I�ve got nothing to do with that project anymore. Boyzone was a wise business move- a great thing to make money with- but I don�t have to do that anymore. I�m only interested in doing what I want to do and that�s Redhill. At the end of the day, we�re all bosses of what we do so, regardless of whether the rest of Boyzone are cool about it or not, it�s my decision. I made that decision about six months ago and now it�s happened, it�s a big relief. At the end of the day I didn�t stand at the back of Boyzone for no reason. I stood there because I wasn�t interested in pop music, I wasn�t interested in singing. I wanted to do hip hop. What I brought to Boyzone was my style and image and now I�m going to be bringing that style and image into the music I want to do.� Redhill are currently in the middle of a bidding war between 3 major record labels. Shane will be joined in the band by Ben from Phats and Small, Mark Wrightman and Rodney Williams. They have been working together for 4 months and have completed a CD of 6 tracks. About his new project, Shane says, "we looked at a hip hop/rock sound, we�re now going to be pure hip hop. It�s the right time for us- hip hop is massive! Right now, we�re shopping for our deal. We�ve got a CD of six tracks and it�s not a case of giving it to labels and seeing what they think- we know it�s good, we know we�re going to have hits. We�re saying, �When do you wanna sign us and how much do you wanna give us?� It�s currently a battle between three major record labels.� Check out the first picture of Redhill below:

In the meantime, Cerys from Catatonia has blasted Ronan- for being a crap dancer. She says, "what are you doing, Ronan? He can't dance. He's like a yellow pack Tom Jones stroked with Cliff Richard. Just because you've got a pair of leather trousers on, it doesn't mean you've got a c**k in there, does it? Someone really should tell him. It's true, isn't it?"

3/8/01~ Shane has revealed how Boyzone were planning on giving the American market one more try- before Ronan decided not to rejoin the band. In an interview with The Sun, Shane fumes: " "The big bucks were going to roll in. That was my next house in the Carribean. I was looking to the future and it didn't happen. It's Ronan's fault, no one else's. We all wanted to do America so all four of us feel like this. I just hope I never run into him again. I will put him down so hard. One day the Devil will visit him." Shane also says that he wants to "punch Ronan's lights out", saying that he feels upset that Ronan has decided not to rejoin the band. Shane says: "If we had known he wasn't coming back we could have got on with our lives. That's why I'm p***ed off." Read the full article by clicking below:

25/7/01~Ronan and Boyzone were given a mention on Big Brother last night! The 4 remaining housemates- Dean, Elizabeth, Helen and, my fave, BRIAN- were discussing celebrity fights and who would win. After pitching Ronan up against Chris Evans, they agreed that Chris would win easily. Elizabeth didn't understand though and asked "who's Ronan Keating?", to which Dean replied, "the lead singer out of Boyzone", and BRIAN added, "he's got blond hair."

21/7/01~

Keith was on Patrick Kielty's show on BBC1 on Friday and was being very diplomatic about the whole Boyzone issue, simply saying that he doesn't know what's going on with Boyzone!! He was, however, tricked into blowing up some of Ronan's CDs, but it was all in good humour! He looked very tanned and well after just flying in from a holiday in Spain with wife Lisa, and children Jordan and Mia.

Speaking of Ronan, he is playing 3 dates at Butlins in Minehead this November. Tickets are due to go on sale on July 30th and so now's the time to convince your parents/partner/families to take a holiday out there this winter! The dates are from 9th to 11th November. It has also been revealed that Ronan asked U2 to support them on their US tour- only to be turned down, amid much laughter from the Irish rock group.

And, finally, rumours have recirculated about Boyzone reforming for some gigs next summer. From what Keith said on TV on Friday, it seems that these could just be more rumours, but I'll keep you posted!

20/7/01~In the meantime, Shane is writing a warts-and-all book about life in Boyzone and it is meant to set the record straight on a few things. Some sources even reckon it will shock a few people. There is no release date on the book as yet, but it could be released in time for Christmas and the New Year.

19/7/01~Shane also admits in this month's Vauxhall Magazine that he doesn't believe Boyzone will ever tour again, and that he doesn't believe either that he is still a part of the band :(

12/7/01~ Ronan appeared at both Summerpops and Party in the Park this weekend. Shane wasn't at Party in the Park though. Seems that rumours of Redhill performing there were grossly exaggerated! Ronan has also written a song with Dina Carroll for her new album. And, according to the Sunday Mirror, Keith is "taking time out from wanting to deck Ronan Keating" (LOL!) and has landed his own show on ITV2. It's called The Race, a reality show where contestants get the chance to travel the world chasing a prize. Sounds interesting!

6/7/01~

Now Louis Walsh's new Irish girl group Bellefire have slammed Boyzone by saying they had no talent! Hmn, well let's just see where their debut single enters the charts this week and then we'll see who has talent and who doesn't...

5/7/01~ Boyzone have been put at odds of 10-1 for getting the UK Christmas Number 1 this year! Hmm, either the bookies have been living under a rock for the past 2 years, or they do actually think there is a possibility of Boyzone actually getting back together before the year's end!

4/7/01~ Shane has apparently written an anti-Ronan song for his new band Redhill. The track is said to be about the Boyzone split, and isn't too favourable about Ronan. At the moment, FIVE record companies are in a bidding war to sign Redhill up (hey, how come Shane can get a deal and Stephen can't?!?!?!?). Shane says that the companies aren't interested in the fact that he was a mamber of Boyzone- they are more interested in the songs which Redhill have presented to them. Ronan was at a race meeting at the weekend, which Shane was also involved in, and they both avoided each other like the plague. Things could be very interesting on Sunday though when they are both appearing at Party in the Park, and there is no way of avoiding each other!

3/7/01~

Ronan is to team up with pop diva Anastacia on his new album. Ronan and Nicole Appleton-lookalike Anastacia are said to be massive fans of each other's work and so it was only going to be a matter of time before a duet happened. It is also rumoured that they will be singing together at Party in the Park on Sunday, where they will also be appearing as solo performer's. This is Ronan's latest bid in an attempt to crack the US market, where Anastacia is huge and counts Michael Jackson amongst her biggest fans!

Oh, and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Mr Shane Lynch, who is 25 today!!

1/7/01~ Louis Walsh has said that Boyzone had no talent whatsoever. Hmmm, considering he still manages Ronan, I wonder if Ronan is included in his latest "no talent" comment too?

28/6/01~ Live Aid 2 is happening later this year. A lot of you might be too young to remember Live Aid first time round (I was only about 2/3!), but it was a concert held to raise lots of money for Aids and people like George Michael and Bob Geldof performed. Billions of people saw the concert on TV. Well, a Live Aid 2 is being planned for later this year. Artists like Madonna will be performing songs from musicals, whilst artists like S Club 7 will be singing pop songs. Boyzone were given a mention on a news show yesterday when they were talking about the concert and so, you never know, maybe Boyzone will reform for the concert and sing No Matter What which was, of course, a big hit from the musical Whistle Down The Wind. Boyzone do a lot of work for aids charities and so, you never know, it's a possibility. Or Stephen singing it on his own would be good!

And it seems that footballers like Boyzone! Yep, both Michael Owen and David Beckham have admitted to liking the lads' music. Hmm, wonder what Eminem-loving Victoria Beckham thinks of that?

And, finally, the Boyzone fan club is shutting down. If you have any outstanding subscriptions or anything (I'm sure you won't have), then you'll need to contact them about it. I don't know what will happen to the individual fan clubs they are *supposed* to be setting up for solo members.

26/6/01~Keith was on E4's Big Brother interview show "Big Brother's Little Brother" on Sunday. The presenter Dermot O'Leary interviewed the 3rd Big Brother evictee Narinder Kaur, and Keith was on hand to discuss his experience of being in the Celebrity Big Brother house, saying that it was good for him to do as he was never noticed in Boyzone as it was Ronan and Stephen who got all the attention!! It seems that things are going very well for Keith at the moment- he has just landed a lead role in forthcoming Steven Spielberg gangster film "The Gift". Keith plays a bit of a hardman driver, alongside current Phats and Small vocallist Tony Thompson. Tony says, "Keith's an awesome actor, a very talented man. He's an old friend of mine- we've known each other since the days when Boyzone were just starting out. Boyzone had their thing going on but I think they've decided it's time to move on to other things- and this film is just one of the projects Keith is going to be working on." Keith and Tony have started working on the film already and are having to fit it in with theirs, and everybody else's schedules. The Gift is due to hit UK screens late this year/early next year.

23/6/01~ I should think that you'll be displeased to hear that Ronan has apparently told some fans that he doesn't give a toss about Boyzone, and that he thinks the die-hard Boyzone fans need to get a life and accept that Boyzone is over. Charming!

21/6/01~It seems that Ronan may have abandoned his American trip. According to the Mirror, his record label over there has left his schedule free until they see how his first American single, Lovin' Each Day, does in the US charts. However, the Mirror states that, despite already doing some promotion in the US, Ronan's label haven't set up a return date for him. What this means, and how true it is, I don't know. But I'm still holding out for a Boyzone tour!

And, finally, Shane has also been in the press today, again slagging off Ronan for refusing to do the Boyzone farewell tour. Shane admits that he was disappointed in not doing the tour, and that he would have loved to have landed �4 million for doing it. He says, "Ronan strung everyone along, not only the lads, but everybody involved who wasn't brown tonguing him. He has a lot of a***holes in his ear, filling his head with a lot madness. He's a very easily led man. If we had done a tour and filled places such as the Birmingham NEC for three or four nights that would have made a lot of people happy. It�s very sad." Ronan, reported annanova, was unavailble for comment about Shane's remarks.

11/6/01~ There are rumours doing the rounds that Boyzone have pencilled in 11 tour dates for Summer 2002. The rumours are unconfirmed at the moment but if I hear anymore, I'll let you know.

5/6/01~Boyzone have received the ultimate accolade (er, not) by having Picture Of You covered by none other than Louis Walsh and Ronan Keating's proteg�s Westlife! Grrrreat, another song murdered then. . . (sorry if you're a Westlife fan)

31/5/01~Ronan's brother Gary is getting married later this year- congrats! And next time you read something about Shane Lynch, it won't say "Shane from Boyzone"- it'll be "Shane from Redhill"!!! Yep, it seems that Shane has formed a new band. The band is called Redhill, named after the place Shane calls home these days. It is a hip-hop based group, formed by Shane and Ben, who used to be in dance outfit Phats and Small. Ben and Shane have been mates for a while and Shane even appeared with Keith in one of Ben's videos. It is something they have talked about for a while, and have now decided to go for it. Shane says, "Everyone knows that hip-hop is my real love, I've just been waiting for the right time and the right people to get involved with. I've known Ben for some time and we both share the same love of hip-hop. I'm up for it now and Redhill are going to be big. We have recorded a lot of new material and a single is ready to go." The band are rumoured to be appearing at this year's Party In The Park, in what the Daily Star call "a showdown with Ronan". Their first single should be released sometime in September and the radio stations actually reckon it's a good song. The band will also be doing some gigs in Amsterdam very soon and whilst there, no doubt Shane will pop in and visit Stephen on the way!

24/5/01~Ronan will now only be going to America for 4 weeks and not 6 months like originally planned. Hmm, wonder why? Maybe he's come to his senses and agreed to a Boyzone your after all! here's hoping!

14/5/01~According to worldpop, fans have been angered by Ronan's decision to sing 3 Boyzone songs during his tour. One fan ranted, 'Talk about sacrilege ... I thought that he'd have enough material to not have to do them any more!' Worldpop also says that many fans see Ronan using a backing singer to sing Stephen's part of Love Me For A Reason disrespectful: 'Sacrilege doesn't even describe it. Is that his way of cancelling Stephen out of our memories? What was the purpose of that? I was so close to tears,' I myself went to the concert last night. I was literally forced to go by my mother, who had no one else to go with. Being a non-Ronan-solo-artist-fan, I decided to go in with as much as an open mind as possible. In my opinion, the show just made me realise how, and I hate to say it, big-headed he really is. Maybe I took what he said the wrong way, I don't know, but I certainly got arrogant vibes from him. He actually said that there has been a lot of slagging in the press lately "but all that matters is that you're all here to see me." I just felt that he was basically touching on the jealousy subject again. When he said that, I was just sooooooo angry! And when he sang LMFAR, I thought that it was unforgiveable. I couldn't bear to listen to some girl singing Stephen's part- I just felt that it was almost like he had erased the rest of BZ from his memory. I don't even know why he had to sing Boyzone songs, and even why he had to sing one that has steo on lead too- there are plenty of songs he sang lead on by himself! I actually got the impression that he sang LMFAR to try and prove that he could do it without Boyzone. And, at one point in the show, he started saying how he sang to 50,000 people last tour and now he's singing to 250,000 people- I just thought that was so big-headed! These are my impressions from the show, so sorry if I offend any Ronan fans out there. Perhaps you have a different opinion and want to tell me about it on my message board?

22/4/01~It would seem that Boyzone definitely IS over. Speaking on today's TOTP Plus, Ronan said that he can't see the band ever getting back together as "there's been a lot of bitchiness going on". He also claimed that the rest of Boyzone are JEALOUS of him. It would seem that Keith is really upset about the 'Ronan rift' at the moment. Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Keith nearly broke down crying a couple of times when talking about how Ronan has snubbed him and the rest of the band. As I thought you might like to read the interview, I have placed it on the site, under the FEATURES section of the main menu. So, to read it, click here now!

21/4/01~Meanwhile, Ronan will be seen admitting on BBC 1's Parkinson show tonight that Boyzone is over. When asked about the future of Boyzone, Ronan admitted, "I had every intention - I still have every intention - of going back with the band and doing a tour. But a lot has gone on, and I haven't talked to the guys in quite a while, so to be really honest, I don't think anything's going to happen with the band. I don't know what's going on, but I can't see it coming back together, by no fault of mine." When Parkinson said, "The situation as far as you're concerned is that you think it's in your past now?", Ronan replied with, "Oh okay, but you said that."

19/4/01~Please visit the Boyzone Fan Site and submit your messages for Mikey. Even if you're not a big Mikey fan, he really needs the Boyzone fans' love and support right now :-(

18/4/01~Ronan's latest single is at number 2 in the midweek chart. Destiny's Child's 'Survivor' is at number 1 according to the latest figures.

13/4/01~Mikey's tour has been cancelled. If you were planning to go, you will be able to get a refund by ringing the ticket company you bought the tickets from.

11/4/01~Ronan's Life Is A Rollercoaster won Favourite International Single at today's Capital FM Awards.

10/4/01~In some sad news, it would seem that Mikey's suffering from some kind of nervous breakdown. Mikey is actually bigger than Ronan in Germany and has been working hard over there and it all has got a bit too much for him. Get well soon Mikey!

5/4/01~ Mikey is set to chart at number 61 with his current single You Could Be My Everything. This is probably due to the fact that only 2 or 3 shops are selling it. Poor Mikey! :-(

2/4/01~ It seems that Ronan has decided to sell pictures of baby Marie to Hello magazine.

29/3/01~ Yesterday I told you of Shane's attack on Ronan, and today I bring you news of an attack by Mikey on Ronan! Speaking to Independent Radio News, Mikey said that he and Ronan are no longer in contact after Ronan pulled out of a Boyzone reunion tour. He said, "He doesn't phone, he doesn't call, he doesn't write. He's just looking in a different direction. The boys aren't too happy with him. It's not really a good thing to do - it took five people to make Boyzone and five people to make Ronan Keating. We were supposed to do a tour at the end of the year for the fans and there was �4 million involved. And he turned round and said he didn't want to do it." Mikey said he could vaguely see a time when the band might reunite "when everybody is satisfied with their solo careers and what they're doing". And if they did reform Mikey said that he wasnt big changes, with a move away from the slick (ahem!) dance routines. He said, "If Boyzone ever come back together then, yes, I would be interested, but it would have to be a different Boyzone for me. If I successfully establish myself as a credible singer-songwriter I'm not going to go back prancing around the stage, that kid stuff, you know? "

28/3/01~ Shane has launched yet another vicious attack on Ronan. This time he says, "Ronan is a posh lad now who doesn't have time to talk to anyone unless they have Sir in their title." Miaow!!

23/3/01~ Mikey Graham has been reported as saying that Boyzone has now been put on ice for a while. Talking to the German press, he said that they are now concentrating solely on their solo projects, but don't rule out getting back together in the future. However, Mikey says that this will be the "very distant future". Stefan Kahe, a spokesperson for Boyzone's German label Koch Records, says: "Nobody would say that the band disbanded, but in truth it has."

18/3/01~ It would seem that Keith is in the doghouse with his wife, Lisa, following on from comments he made about their sex life on Celebrity Big Brother last week. Instead of turning up to greet him from the Big Brother house, she was at a shoe fayre in Germany, still reeling from the embarrassment of Keith's comments.

17/3/01~ You may be interested to know that comedian Jack Dee won Big Brother. Brooksides' Claire Sweeney was runner up, and Keith (bless!) went to get her from the house!

16/3/01~ Check out my Big Brother page for info on what's just happened to Keith!
Big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Stephen for tomorrow, who'll be 25 years old! Don't forget to send your St Patricks Day cards either!

14/3/01~ If you've been checking out my new Big Brother page regularly, then you will know that Keith is down to the last 3 celebrities left inside the house. 2 more evictions will take place on Friday, with the eventual winner being announced then as well. Voting commences tonight at 9.30pm and you can vote via the official website. But, remember, you are now voting for WHO YOU WANT TO WIN!!!! So make sure you VOTE FOR KEITH, okay?
In the meantime, Mikey Graham has accused Ronan Keating of turning his back on the people who helped him make it big. Mikey has accused Ronan of forgetting his bandmates- and also costing the band more than �6 million too. Mikey says, "I won't be speaking to him about this or calling him, I'll just leave it the way it is now. I don't expect him to call me either. It's true that there is no Boyzone without Ronan -- he was the lead singer. But I feel very upset that he won't do the tour. He could have done it if he wanted to, no matter what he's doing in America. But his solo career is the important thing to him now. He should have done the Boyzone tour for the guys who put him where he is now, but he chose not to and of course that hurts. It's as if Ronan has forgotten where he comes from in a way, and forgotten the people who were there at the start for him."

8/3/01~ Make sure you check out Keith on Celebrity Big Brother in the coming week! An all-celebrity version of the hit Reality TV show is being created in aid of Comic Relief. The show will run simultaneously on both BBC1 and channel 4 all week, reaching its end on Red Nose Day on March 16th on BBC1. Oher celebrities confirmed for the show are TV presenters Vanessa Feltz and Anthea Turner, Comedian Jack Dee, Brookside's Lindsay Corkhill aka Claire Sweeney and boxer Chris Eubank. Keith admits that the show will be worth watching just to see the tension between him and Eubank- the pair haven't seen eye to eye since he performed backing vocals during Boyzone's rendition of When The Going Gets Tough at the Brit Awards 1999. Keith, and the other celebrities, will be seen on camera for 24 hours a day online like with the normal Big Brother at www.comicrelief.com/bigbrother. Highlights of each day in the Big Brother house will be shown on BBC1 and Channel 4. Just like the normal version, viewers will get to vote on which celebrity is evicted, this time every couple of days instead of each week.
Celebrity Big Brother begins on Channel 4 at 8.30pm on Friday 9th March 2001.

6/3/01~ According to reports in The Sun today, Boyzone may not tour together again for TWO YEARS, after Ronan has pulled out of a planned tour for this year. The band were expected to receive a �3 million payout for doing the tour which now is not happening. Mikey is quoted saying, "We had everything planned. There was a lot of money on the table and we were all looking forward to it. But Ronan suddenly pulled out and we don't know why. Now none of us has any room in our diaries for at least two years- so the fans are in for a long wait." A spokesperson for the band has denied these reports, stating that the band had never even agreed to tour this year in the first place. Polydor have also confirmed that no tour will be going ahead this year :-(

2/3/01~ Polydor have confirmed that there will indeed be a big Boyzone announcement of some sort in the next couple of weeks, therefore proving that the rumour of a press conference on March 17th- as previously mentioned on this page- is certainly true. The announcement sounds like it's going to be quite a big one and so make sure you keep your eye on all the newspapers, TV, radio, magazines and, of course, this site, for all the news about this mysterious announcement.

23/2/01~ Yvonne Keating is now back home from hospital with baby Marie. Watch out for pics of the baby in OK Magazine. Ronan and Yvonne have signed a �300, 000 deal. And Shane has gone missing! Or, er, hasn't as the case may be! It would seem that Mikey has been trying to contact Shane for 2 weeks now, but without any success. For a while it seemed that he'd gone missing. However, Shane's B*witched sister Edele rang in to a radio station the other day to deny reports that her twin sister Keavy is pregnant. Whilst on the show, she also denied that Shane has gone missing by saying that he was out with their dad at the weekend. "Mikey doesn't know what he's talking about," she said.

18/2/01~ Congratulations to Yvonne Keating, who gave birth to baby girl Marie in Dublin at 2.30am this morning! Mother and baby are said to be doing fine, as are father and son!
In the meantime, there is a RUMOUR, I repeat RUMOUR, going around that Boyzone are to announce a farewell tour, and their split, in an international press conference on March 17th. This is only a RUMOUR though, and so please don't panic just yet!

16/2/01~ Still no news on Yvonne's baby, which is now 8 days overdue!

9/2/01~ The Boyzone website has been totally revamped! Take a look at www.boyzone.co.uk.
And, finally, Keith has been doing what can only be described as "a Shane", by slagging off Ronan, only a lot more moderately than Shane did! Keith has been expressing his disappointment at the fact that Ronan is the only Boyzone member not to sign a contract for a tour next year. Keith believes that, if Ronan doesn't sign, he will be putting his solo career before the Boyzone fans.

4/2/01~ Kian Egan from Westlife has been banned from hanging out with Shane. Louis Walsh believes that Shane's antics could destroy his plans for Westlife. Kian and Shane went out drinking after the Childline Concert last Saturday. They started drinking at Dublin's posh Fitzwilliam Hotel after performing at the concert, and then finally left at 5am after being told that the bar was closed.

30/1/01~ Shane appeared on Irish radio yesterday in order to make a half-hearted apology. He said, "I apologise to any children who have never used the f-word, or the arse word. I don't think there was anyone there who has never used bad language." He then repeated his little outburst at the weekend on the radio show by saying "All you tabloid writers can f**k off". He then added "I can't sing and I can't dance," adding that he was going to focus on becoming a rap star. He also said that he would only tour with Boyzone again for the money, and that his involvement with Boyzone was "past tense".

29/1/01~ Shane has been banned from ever appearing at a Childline Concert again! After his little, ahem "outburst" at the charity concert on Saturday, the producer Catherine Downey said, "He will never do Childline again."

17/1/01~ If you are planning on going to see Mikey on tour this year, he has rescheduled the dates, in order to enable him to finish his album Meet Me Halfway. The new dates are as follows:

York Barbican (April 26)
Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall (27)
Cardiff St David's Hall (29)
Croydon Fairfield Hall (30)
Cheltenham Town Hall (May 1)
Sheffield City Hall (3)
Leicester De Montfort Hall (4)
Irvine Magnum Centre (5)
Motherwell Civic Hall (7)
Glenrothes Rothes Hall (8)
Bridlington Spa (9)
Warrington Parr Hall (11)
Newcastle City Hall (12)
Liverpool Philharmonic (13)
Southend Cliffs Pavilion (15)
Aylesbury Civic (16)
London Shepherd's Bush Empire (17)

Mikey will be releasing the album, as well as a new single, around this time.

15/1/01~ Lene from Aqua has just announced her engagement to Keith's brother-in-law Graham Smith. Graham is Keith's wife's 19 year old brother and is a convicted drug dealer, and the Brit Award nominations were announced today. Ronan is up for Best International Male Solo and Best Pop Act. And, GOOD NEWS, Billy Elliot is up for Best Soundtrack!

3/1/01~ Boyzone's Greatest Hits album By Request has re-entered the UK album chart at a very impressive 18!

20/12/00~ Shane and Keith's on single record deal won't be renewed following the disappointing chart position of Girl You Know It's True. Polydor, however, are denying this.
Finally, Boyzone have just been announced as the biggest touring band of last year. They played to nearly 500, 000 people, more than any other act.

13/12/00~ Don't forget that Keith 'n' Shane's single is out now in the UK- although it is only number 35 in the midweek chart. If you can't get hold of a copy, then you can order it from my online shop. Unfortunately, it is only available at the moment in � sterling.
In the meantime, Ronan has denied that there is to be a crisis meeting about the future of Boyzone. They had an informal meeting on Monday with lots of Jack Daniels!

7/12/00~ Ronan has said that Boyzone are holding crisis talks in 2 weeks time about Boyzone's future. Ronan says he doesn't know whether all 5 will agree that the band has a future. It will be the first time all 5 members have been in 1 room together since January.

20/11/00~ The News Of The World yesterday reported that Boyzone are no more. A Polydor executive was quoted as saying 'It's definitely over for the boys as a band.' And Louis Walsh was overheard saying 'It's the end of the road for Boyzone. they have split up.'
So, what's the REAL story?
Well, Keith spoke to his ex-FBi mate Vernon Kay on the phone during yesterday's TOTP Plus TV show on BBC 2. He said that him and Ronan haven't had a row- despite worldpop.com printing quotes from Keith saying otherwise. He also said that Boyzone aren't splitting up. He said 'The only thing that's splitting is our sides!' Good one Keith! He also revealed that the band will be touring in December 2001 for a Christmas Tour.

17/11/00~ Following on from the rumours yesterday that Keith and Ronan have had a bust-up, it appears that there IS some truth in the rumour after all. Shane and Keith exclusively told all to worldpop.com. Shane said, 'I'd like to think we are still as good friends as before. I'd like to believe we still have that same understanding and friendship that we bonded for 7 years with and we left behind 8 months ago. I don't see any reason for it to change and I'd really hate to think it has but it remains to be seen.' Keith added, 'It's very difficult for a solo artist. There were 5 of us in the band so if anybody was getting a bit too big for their boots, there was always 4 other fellas to pull them back down to the ground again. As a solo artist, you haven't got 4 people to pull you back down when you ask. Sometimes you drift and don't realise where you're drifting to and then you're drifting for so long you don't remember your way back.'
Keith and Shane also revealed that they were the only ones who didn't want to take a break from the band- although they do respect the fact that Stephen, Mikey and Ronan wanted to try solo careers. They also revealed that Boyzone have been offered around 6 MILLION POUNDS- not 3 million, like originally thought- to tour next year. A meeting was held about a possible tour this time next year last Thursday.
And, in a completely unrelated interview, Mikey revealed that Boyzone are now managing themselves, like the Spice Girls!

16/11/00~ Rumours in The Sun today suggest that Keith and Ronan have had a massive arguement, resulting in Keith vowing never to go and see Ronan perform solo ever again. Apparently, Keith went to see Ronan at his recent solo gig with Elton John in New York's Madison Square Gardens. Afterwards, Ronan reportedly chucked Keith out of a party in his dressing room. Keith believes that he was treated like a nobody and that Ronan is only interested in his own success. Keith also said that he will be meeting up with Boyzone in a few weeks time. . . but Ronan won't be there.

14/11/00~ Boyzone have reportedly been offered THREE MILLION POUNDS to tour the UK next year. They will tour 25 venues around the UK, including London's Hyde Park, although it's not yet been decided whether a European Tour will follow. Fingers crossed.
In the meantime, the band's contract with Louis Walsh has expired and so they are, at present, without management!
Keith and Shane are now doing their promo for their forthcoming duet and so, if you live in the UK, look out for them on TV, radio and the Smash Hits Tour soon! They did appear on The Big Breakfast yesterday and consequently managed to get themselves banned from it for life after being very rude about A1 and Martine McCutcheon, and then saying that Britney Spears bats on the other side of the fence! Tsk, tsk, boys!

17/10/00~ Mikey is quoted as saying in the paper today that Boyzone should release an album and do a tour each year until they're 60! YAY!!!!!

6/8/00~ Congratulations (again) to Ronan who's album has gone straight to number 1 in the UK. Unfortunately, his album only made number 2 in the Irish charts as The Corrs is still at number 1 over there.

4/8/00~ Congratulations to Ronan and Yvonne who are expecting their second child in February! Click on the dotmusic link above for more information. And, don't forget to leave your messages and comments in my forum!

1/8/00~ Ronan's album looks set to go straight to the top of the UK album chart on Sunday after selling 50, 000 copies of the album so far. It is outselling the current number 1 album, "In Blue" by The Corrs, by 3-1. In other news, Shane will be following Keith into TV presenting in October when he presents the show "Shane's World" for Granada Men & Motors on cable TV. Naturally, it is about his first love- cars!

29/7/00~ More Boyzone film news: Louis Walsh has said that Hollywood film star John Cusack may be in the forthcoming Boyzone movie. John, who has Irish roots, may be in line for the role of the Boyz manager, after it was confirmed that U2 frontman Bono would no longer be playing that role. Fiona Looney is now writing the film script, which the Boyz are apparently pleased with, after a few false starts with rubbish scripts.

18/7/00~ Ronan apparently sold 95, 000 copies of his single to get to number 1. It would have been more, but he broke some kind of chart regulation with one of the 2 CDs available and so sales of only one CD counted. Ricky Martin almost broke the same regulation last year with Livin' La Vida Loca. CDs have to last no more than 25 minutes overall, and so it looks like Ronan's lasted a lot longer than that. This is all still unconfirmed at the moment.

16/7/00~ Ronan has gone straight to number 1 in both the UK and Irish singles charts.

18/6/00~Keith and Shane are going to be recording a duet together and releasing it at Christmas- yes, really! Christmas number 1 perhaps? Don't forget to buy Stephen's album tomorrow. Buy it from Woolworths and you get a free calendar!

11/6/00~After 2 years of marriage, Shane and Easther are rumoured to have separated. Shane, allegedly, had an affair with a lap dancer and, consequently, he and Easther separated 2 months ago.

27/2/00~Last night, Boyzone were officially announced as the biggest boy band EVER on the Top Ten Boy Bands programme on Channel 4. GO DA BOYZ!! But, Louis Walsh had to go and spoil it all by stirring up *those* split rumours again. Good thing Shanno was on hand to set the record straight!!

25/2/00~Boyzone Magazine has been suspended from publication. This is because the boys are going to be more difficult to get hold of now that they are all doing their individual things. However, there will be a special issue soon with all the updates and what each member of the band has been doing.