Biographic - Sunday December 2, 2007 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

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The Spice Girls. In 1994, a London management company had the idea of forming an all-girl group to rival the boy bands who were dominating the pop charts. They began recruiting from dance schools and drama colleges, and 400 young women turned up for auditions. The hopefuls were whitted down to final cut of Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Victoria Adams, Geri Halliwell and michelle Stephenson. When Michelle didn't work out, she was replaced in the line-up of Touch. As the group was originally named, by teenager Emma Bunton. The girls moved into a house together and began intensive rehearsals. Ambitious and determined, the girls soon parted ways with their management company and began to network in the London music biz. Changing their name to The Spice Girls, the group joined forces with manager Simon Fuller and stormed the world's pop charts in 1996 with the debut single "Wannabe" within a few months, Sporty, Ginger, Scary, Baby and Posh, as the girls were named, were the biggest selling album in the U.S. and Europe in 1997, the follow-up "Spice World" shipped seven million copies in just two weeks, and the movie of the same name took $70 million at the box office. But internal disputes raged, and in late 1997 Simon Fuller and the Spice Girls parted company. Following a world tour, Geri Halliwell, quit in 1998, leaving The Spice Girls to continue as a quartet. But by early 2001, the group was effectively over. All five have enjoyed solo hits around the world, without ever scaling the chart heights that The Spice Girls- who sold over 53 million records- enjoyed in their heyday. But between them, their solo achievements have ranged from hosting and presenting tv shows to writing best-selling autobiographies, Geri has worked as a united nations ambassador, and Victoria's marriage to soccer star David Beckham has brought her even greater wealth and fame. Four of five have started families. Meanwhile, having created "American Idol" Simon Fuller is now one of the most powerful figures in entertainment. The recent confirmation that all five girls, managed once more by Fuller, have reunited for a world tour timed to coincide with the release of a greatest-hits album, sparked a ticket Frenzy, with dates selling out in seconds. "Spicemania" is back!

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