Reported this morning on the boogie by wildrosegirl - There is a piece on Taylor in the new issue of OK! Magazine (Sept. 15th - with Barack Obama and his daughters on the cover) which is available today in NY and LA. Sounds like it may be connected with the earlier piece in the NYPost in July, where they talked about the luxury building he's been living in while doing "Grease."
(Blurb from inside front page:)
TAYLOR HICKS: Single and ready to Mingle "Taylor Hicks is living in New York City and looking for his soulmate. OK! takes you inside his Big Apple bachelor pad, and reveals which A-list star is his dream gal!"
(There may be an alternate cover to this issue with the Republican VP nominee, Sara Palin on it. So, check for both Obama or Palin.)
Also, on Natalie Hill's blog this morning, when she announced the winner(s) of the auction for the backstage tour at Grease, she says that "Taylor is excited about this worthy cause, and is looking forward to meeting the winner at the backstage tour. Taylor's last performance will be September 7th. Ace Young's first performance will be on September 11th."
(Note to Ace fans who thought his first show was the 9th. We know from experience that the box office doesn't always give out the right info, and they're evidently saying the 9th - but Natalie says the 11th.)
This cracked me up when I read it,so I thought I'd share it here !
Taylor's craziest NYC story so far.............I got lost in Central Park.One of the first weeks I was here I thought I knew my way around NYC,I ended up actually getting lost in Central Park.That's a big dark forest.I was on the street in the big city,then all of a sudden,I'm lost in the dark forest.I was a little nervous to ask anyone for help.It was the middle of the day.I don't know what I would have done if it was night.That would have been pretty scary.
My husband read this looked at me and said, "you know men never will stop and ask for directions " how true,how true !! LOLl
God love him! It takes a big man to admit he was lost in Central Park in the daytime, and he was nervous to approach anybody! The poor guy was probably nervous because if it turned out that the person he spoke to was a huge fan, they might have kidnapped him and taken him home - never to be seen again!
Mama Grande........Thanks so much for the great pictures,it's always nice to see some new ones.Like BBS said I thought I'd seen them all,but these I didn't ! lol
There'll be a whole slew of new ones coming. Maybe we can get to meet the cast again and get another group photo - sigh. We had so much fun and really glad to have met you, DH and all of our friends. You're just the sweetest person and anyone who meets you will agree. Always considered you the Peace Queen and a kind spirit
There'll be a whole slew of new ones coming. Maybe we can get to meet the cast again and get another group photo - sigh. We had so much fun and really glad to have met you, DH and all of our friends. You're just the sweetest person and anyone who meets you will agree. Always considered you the Peace Queen and a kind spirit
you are about to make me cry. it was a pleasure meeting you, you ALWAYS make me smile. hubby loves meeting my friends. and I hope we can meet again during the tour. I try, but peace isn't always possible.
There'll be a whole slew of new ones coming. Maybe we can get to meet the cast again and get another group photo - sigh. We had so much fun and really glad to have met you, DH and all of our friends. You're just the sweetest person and anyone who meets you will agree. Always considered you the Peace Queen and a kind spirit
you are about to make me cry. it was a pleasure meeting you, you ALWAYS make me smile. hubby loves meeting my friends. and I hope we can meet again during the tour. I try, but peace isn't always possible.
I know just ignore, after all we need intelligent recipients
There'll be a whole slew of new ones coming. Maybe we can get to meet the cast again and get another group photo - sigh. We had so much fun and really glad to have met you, DH and all of our friends. You're just the sweetest person and anyone who meets you will agree. Always considered you the Peace Queen and a kind spirit
you are about to make me cry. it was a pleasure meeting you, you ALWAYS make me smile. hubby loves meeting my friends. and I hope we can meet again during the tour. I try, but peace isn't always possible.
I know just ignore, after all we need intelligent recipients
How is everybody? I haven't posted in a while, but I've been reading, and unfortunately as you're all aware, this Grease Forum has turned into another site that's convenient for TH and the SP to be harassed and maligned, etc. Since Taylor isn't at the Brooks-Atkinson any more, I was wondering if maybe we should shut down our TH thread here, so that the regular Grease Forum members would be able to continue on with their site, as it was - before the trolls invaded.
This behavior is just a repetition of what happened at the beginning of Taylor's three-month role as TA, and as nasty as it was back then - when the focus was entirely on Taylor and his fans - it somehow seems worse now, because a whole new group of people are being exposed to the madness. I'm sure Ace has fans who aren't even aware of the hostility and continual harassment that the SP has been putting up with for years, and we have a chance to make it so that they don't have to become involved in the nonsense. If the SP leaves, they will too. Perhaps, not right away, because they will want to "prove" that they aren't here under false pretenses, but eventually they will - because the goal of harassment of the SP will not be able to be accomplished here.
Since Taylor isn't performing in NY, and we have many TH fan sites and boards where we can gather to support him, (without being harassed by this legion of chrolls) we would be doing the regular Grease fans a favor (IMO) if we let them try to get back to some semblance of normalcy on their forum. As it is now, the Rydell High thread is almost entirely pictures of, not just Ace, but Ace and daughtry, and any comments are now filled with daughtry talk as well. It just isn't fair to the fans of the rest of the cast to have hardly any dialogue regarding their favorites. And it definitely isn't fair to expose them to the misery that has taken over, as it always does, whenever Taylor's bashers show up. And show up they do! Pretending to be the SP at times so that they can ingratiate themselves into the threads with posts that are sure to raise hackles and turn people against TH. Or sometimes, they're a bit more subtle, and just "damn" him with praise. But for the most part they just go for the jugular, and spew vitriol and tired, old cliches tinged with vicious lies - that turn any site into misery.
When the Broadway Across America tour begins for Taylor, maybe we could just visit over here and let the regular Greasers know what's happening on the road. We could let them know, not just about Taylor, but how the entire cast is doing. We already know that many SP are purchasing tickets at most of the stops across the country. And that means lots of news and recaps from RI to CA - along with pictures and video from M&G's and stage door appearances.
In the meantime, hopefully Grease will continue to do great on Broadway, and people here will have plenty to discuss and celebrate. Fans of the cast members, who see the show will have a sane forum where they can share their experiences. If we leave, Ace's fans will be able to talk about Ace without having to worry that d's fans will make it all about cd vs TH. And maybe the entire Grease Forum won't be innundated with pictures of Ace's friends.
The Grease regulars hung in there with us through the first "round" of the chroll invasion in June/July, when they realized what was going on. And we hung in there, as well, because we wanted to be able to post about Taylor in the Grease Forum, while he was a member of the cast. That was only fair.
And we all got along wonderfully. This didn't surprise me at all, because the SP are caring, sharing people, and they were more than willing to pass on any news and pics, etc. of the entire cast - and because they were interested in the success of the show. We actually got to "know" other members of the cast, and the entire cast and crew had our support. It was nice being here. But now, Taylor isn't there anymore, so we don't have any real news or info to pass on to the regulars. And as much as we are still interested in the show, and in Ace, of course, we don't "need" to be here - if it's going to cause trouble for the members.
So, what I'm proposing, as a die-hard Taylor Hicks' fan, an ardent member of the SP, a lover of "Grease," and hopefully, a decent human being (LOL) is that we leave the Grease Forum with dignity and appreciation in the hope that sanity will prevail. And please, don't think that I'm trying to tell you all what to do, or that I feel I have any "authority" to have this thread shut down, or that I'm trying to "run the show" - or what a nerve I must have, etc. That isn't my intent at all. It's just that after reading here the last few days, it's obvious to me that it isn't fair to the Grease "family" to have their site ruined because daughtry fans hate the SP and will stop at nothing to harass us. We have the power to make sure that that doesn't happen. If we leave, they'll leave. If they're ignored, they'll move on to the next location where they can best do their damage. It's been going on for over two years now. We know it and we expect it. But let's not subject anyone else, to what we as TH fans, have grown accustomed to. As always, this is my personal opinion. Thanks for listening.
although I agree with you, azure, thisis what they want us to do. but if I leave, I will keep in touch by email with the greasers here who have shared that info with me. and you can convince the regulars that your intentions are to support Ace, but how do you 3 or 4 sleep at night? hm used to try, with me, to bring a semblance of peace to the fanbases. until she was put under dah's spell. and the message from Joey was for dah, that's not a lie. hope you are all having a good laugh at your destruction...
I'm really not trying to tell anyone what to do, but honestly I don't think it's fair to the regular people. And I also know that this is what the trolls want - but who cares? We know it and they know it - we'd just be doing the right thing. If they want to think they "won" - well, fine. We're not playing a game here. What are they winning? It's a sick situation, for sure. But, unfortunately, you can't reason with insanity.
Honestly, at this point, I just feel sorry for everyone involved. Sorry for the regular posters on the Grease Forum; sorry for us (SP) for having to put up with this crap, ad infinitum; and if you can believe it - sorry for the trolls - who live in such a constant state of misery. For all the trouble they cause, what do they get? Us, leaving this site. Will that make them happy in the long run? Of course not. Will it make us feel good knowing we did the right thing. I think it will.
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to restore some normalcy to this forum. This may be just what these people ( trolls,or whatever they're called want ) but you know what ? There's no glory in what they do,because in the final analysis it's the good that people do for one another that is remembered. The regular posters here have been so gracious and don't deserve another round of this nonsense. Let it be and give them back the peace that they deserve !
Thank you, Judy. We can keep in touch with friends that we've made here, and when we have any news to share from the tour, etc., we can surely make it available to them. I guess we'll see what the consensus is from the few people who still post here, and then we can just leave.
Azure, BBS, Judy and all my other friends and fans of Taylor, please don't leave because some people came here for seemingly, the sole purpose of causing trouble.
I like Ace, I like Chris and you know I like Taylor (when will he be around in a concert?) and would hate to lose any of my friends here because of some troublemakers who can't just comment without being negative. These people will end up being banned (hopefully) and we will have our board back again.
Azure, BBS, Judy and all my other friends and fans of Taylor, please don't leave because some people came here for seemingly, the sole purpose of causing trouble.
I like Ace, I like Chris and you know I like Taylor (when will he be around in a concert?) and would hate to lose any of my friends here because of some troublemakers who can't just comment without being negative. These people will end up being banned (hopefully) and we will have our board back again.
-- Edited by DogsandBirds at 23:53, 2008-09-25
I agree! We'll "weather the storm" with all of you!
Azure, BBS, Judy and all my other friends and fans of Taylor, please don't leave because some people came here for seemingly, the sole purpose of causing trouble.
I like Ace, I like Chris and you know I like Taylor (when will he be around in a concert?) and would hate to lose any of my friends here because of some troublemakers who can't just comment without being negative. These people will end up being banned (hopefully) and we will have our board back again.
-- Edited by DogsandBirds at 23:53, 2008-09-25
I agree! We'll "weather the storm" with all of you!
Azure, BBS, Judy and all my other friends and fans of Taylor, please don't leave because some people came here for seemingly, the sole purpose of causing trouble.
I like Ace, I like Chris and you know I like Taylor (when will he be around in a concert?) and would hate to lose any of my friends here because of some troublemakers who can't just comment without being negative. These people will end up being banned (hopefully) and we will have our board back again.
-- Edited by DogsandBirds at 23:53, 2008-09-25
I agree! We'll "weather the storm" with all of you!
I don't post that much around here anymore, but I must say we've come a long way since May. You guys have weathered several storms with us. It's nice to have that kind of back up. Thanks for being so smart, kind and supportive.
__________________
A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him . ~ David Brinkley
Azure, BBS, Judy and all my other friends and fans of Taylor, please don't leave because some people came here for seemingly, the sole purpose of causing trouble.
I like Ace, I like Chris and you know I like Taylor (when will he be around in a concert?) and would hate to lose any of my friends here because of some troublemakers who can't just comment without being negative. These people will end up being banned (hopefully) and we will have our board back again.
-- Edited by DogsandBirds at 23:53, 2008-09-25
I agree! We'll "weather the storm" with all of you!
I don't post that much around here anymore, but I must say we've come a long way since May. You guys have weathered several storms with us. It's nice to have that kind of back up. Thanks for being so smart, kind and supportive.
You forgot good looking too! LOL. Thank you for your kind words, but the loyalty is easy when you see wonderful people being abused and I still don't get the reason why.
Thank you so much for the kind words! As you've read, my other TH friends here are very appreciative of your support.
When I wrote my "book" earlier, I didn't mean to speak for anyone else, but I needed to reach out to the other SP still here at the Forum, to see if they felt as strongly as I do over this recent return to insanity. As I said, I feel it was one thing for us to "stand our ground" and not be driven off by these people, back in June - when Taylor was a cast member. I figured we owed it to him, as much as to ourselves, to make sure that the regulars knew that the nasty things being said about him, just weren't true. So, I considered it important for us to try to ignore the trolls, maintain some dignity, and make sure people knew the truth about this great guy.
I remember not being really sure how I felt back then, when I logged on one day and found out we had been "banished" to our own Taylor Hicks forum! Because of the way it was worded, it sounded like the SP was nothing but trouble. "Enter at your own risk." Indeed! But we hung in there, and tried to remain positive. It wasn't easy, but it didn't take very long for a few intelligent, rational people to catch on to what was happening. Suddenly, the bashers were gone, and within days, it seemed like we were all old friends! And we (and Grease) had a great summer!
Before we knew it, Taylor's time was up and it was time for him to move on. But that didn't mean that we had to move on. We could still hang around and support the rest of the "family" he was leaving behind! Then lo and behold, Ace joined the cast. The SP was thrilled that they could offer support and encouragement to Ace - who had always been a favorite in the collective TH fan base.
So, everything was fine. Everyone was happy. Taylor had loved his Broadway experience. Broadway had loved him. Now it was time for the "Ace of Hearts" (as Taylor calls him) to light up the stage. So, what happened? Ace arrives in NY and his fans arrive at the Grease Forum. The SP, who are fans of Ace, are still at the Grease Forum. Ace is a good friend of little d. Most of Ace's fans are also fans of "d." Fans of "d" who had been banned from the Grease Forum, come back under various names - pretending to be here for the sole purpose of supporting Ace - when in fact, they are using his Grease status to once again attack TH and the SP.
This time, it seems more intrusive somehow. Taylor's not "here" anymore. Should we stay to support Ace and the rest of the cast, if it's going to subject the regulars to the misery? After days of reading comments, which are only getting worse, and are taking the focus off the production and the cast - I came to the conclusion that the only way to "fix" it, was for us to leave. I never dreamed that the regulars would be so understanding as to offer to "ride it out" with us - taking the chance their site will implode! So, I am touched at your generous offer of support - and I'll go along with whatever the consensus is. Thanks again. (Should I delete my "book?")
I loved the heartfelt thoughts behind what you wrote in your "book." To me, it is an important document in SP history. Please don't delete it. I think both of your posts have captured the spirit of good will that has developed here between SPers and the nice people of the GREASE forum. It sort of parallels Taylor's journey.
The relationship between the regulars here and Taylor fans certainly wasn't love at first sight. We were thorns in the sides of a lot of people, but we hung in there for a cause we believed in.....while the bad guys were nipping at our heels, trying to tear us apart. This puts me in mind of Taylor going out after winning AI, attempting to win over new fans. Every attempt he made was met with the vile and vitriol of Simon, Nigel, Clive and the rest of the AI vultures, looking to feed on him. They took pleasure in knocking him down, just like the trolls here have taken such great pleasure in bashing him and us. Thanks to the kindness of people with the intelligence to make up their own minds, Taylor and we are still standing strong at the GREASE forum. Score one for the good guys!
Here's hoping things can return to the way they were a couple of weeks ago when Taylor fans, Ace fans and the GREASE regulars had two important things in common. (1) We respected each other. (2) We were all fans of GREASE!
__________________
A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him . ~ David Brinkley
Azure, don't delete your post, it was very nice! And very well said Aragall. The regular Grease posters HAVE been great. I don't post here very much either, but I do read, and it's just so obvious why certain people are here, no matter what nonsense they make up, or how they try to twist things now. You're right azure, it's very clear in the subject matter of posts by bullies who want to take over threads with their own agenda and sort of put new people in their place if they utter any little protest, when everyone knows why they were here in the first place. Now is a perfect opportunity to push their own agenda. Of course new people think the SP is the bad guys! (some though, are quite obviously "friends" of the troublemakers who have had a number of different names here, which they used to harass people, and are acting all innocent now ) They weren't here for the constant new names and obsessive harassment and stalking of especially certain posters in the Taylor threads, by people who are now trying to pretend it didn't happen and they've always been here for the right reasons! But other people know, and so do we, and that's all that matters. But you really do have to laugh at how ridiculous these people are. All your posts are great, and I think whoever wants to still post here should do so and just ignore the real trolls came here in the first place to cause trouble, and are now such angels!
I'm happy that Taylor is touring with Grease! I can't wait til it's near me. I'm anxious to see who else is in the touring cast. I'm hoping to go to a couple while it's here, one a matinee maybe that I can take my daughter to, who is IN LOVE with the movie Grease. She watches it everytime it's on, and got the deluxe DVD with a song book. Her favorite is Summer Nights. I did tell her that the play is a little different than the movie though. She's nine, and I think it would be a fun thing for us to do together, since we both love Grease, and of course the added bonus for me of seeing Taylor in it! I couldn't go to New York, so this is perfect. Is anyone else going if it comes near you?
I still love New York/Broadway but yes, I'll be attending at Columbus, Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio. Kentucky didn't get lucky, we weren't on the schedule but these are short drives for me. I'm anxious to see who the touring cast will be.
Thanks guys. OK, so we'll try to hang in and see how it goes.
Andee, where are you going to see Grease on tour? So many people are planning on going, but they're spread out all over. Seems the most in one group are going to Cincinnati. If I do go, it will be to Providence - probably on Opening Night, Dec. 2nd.
coder - You're a lucky woman! How does Brendan feel about you getting to see TH without him?
Don't post a lot here but always come here. Have been a fan of Grease (before Taylor was born) and will always love it. Many times I don't come directly to the forum. Purposely sign on to the main page just to hear the music, see the cast and I enjoy it. It's really fun to read here and belong to this community, I'm not leaving the "hood."
Must admit it does get frustrating at times when reading; that's just the way it was, just the way it is and just the way it's going to be. It's just impossible to keep rationlizing, justifying and defending things out of our control. It is very clear why the Taylor Hicks fans came here. It's a cool site, friendships born, a place to hang out or just pass by -- whether you're an old/new/original/TaylorHicks/Grease/Ace/Yummy Cast poster, we're all one here for the same reason.
Azure that was a great book, Nobel Piece Prize for you!
((((((Azure, BBS, Aragall, D&B, Judy, Mama, Andee, Silvia, Kentucky, Ray, Tay4Me, Muselover)))))) Just love giving SP/Grease hugs!!!
(hope I've included everyone in this thread - of course I mean everyone on this site)
ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD A special ((((((((Eris)))))))) hug!
Two of Taylor's Grease harmonicas have sold on Ebay -- one for $690 with a case, and the other without a case for $355.
I just thought I'd mention, for the Grease regulars that don't know, that they were sold by a really awesome Taylor fan (bluzkat), who runs a charity, and that the money raised from them goes to help buy harmonicas for children, and to support their program, that helps introduce children to music. Here's the website link, for those interested in reading more about it. http://www.bluzkat.com/index2.htm