=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S [tm] Volume 7, Issue 1 - January 20, 1995 DDDDD D D D D GGGG D D G DDDDD G GGG G G GGGG A Debbie Gibson Discussion Forum =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CONTENTS =- ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES INTRO BY BRIAN LOFTIN - Brian Loftin INTRO BY VICKY VILLARI - Vicky Villari INTRO BY ANDY RODRIGUEZ - Andy Rodriguez INTRO BY ROBERT EVANS - Robert Evans INTRO BY JOSEPH RICCITELLI, JR. - Joseph Riccitelli, Jr. INTRO BY D.G.I.F. - Debbie Gibson Int'l Fan Club D.G.I.F. 6.3 REVIEW - Michael Falkner "SILENT NIGHT" 1994 - Myra Wong 1995 DEBBIE GIBSON CALENDAR REVIEW - Shaun Stuart D.G.I.F. ONLINE - BtL moderators / D.G.I.F. A SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT FOR DEBORAH - Myra Wong CLOSING REMARKS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DISCLAIMER =- Between the Lines (ISSN 1201-4826, electronic publication ISSN 1201-4834) operates on a non-profit basis. Distribution is permissible only under the condition that no part of it will be used for profit. "Between the Lines" and "BtL" are trademarks of Between the Lines. Copyright 1995, Between the Lines. This forum does not necessarily reflect the views of Deborah Gibson, Gibson Management Inc. (GMI), Electronic Music Industries (EMI), or any organizations to which members belong or represent. Opinions expressed in Between the Lines are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire forum. All lyrics by Debbie Gibson are copyrighted by Deborah Ann's Music, ASCAP or Possibilities Publishing, Inc./EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES =- Between the Lines has a central account and e-mail address. Please send all administrative requests and submissions to: BtL@egbt.org To submit articles by postal mail, please proofread and send them to the postal address listed below. Submissions should be typed or written legibly. To submit articles by FAX, please call (604) 322-5936. We reserve the right to edit, defer, or reject submissions without notice. Submissions become the property of BtL. BETWEEN THE LINES 2137 Qualicum Drive Vancouver, B.C. V5P 2M3 CANADA For those of you who do not have access to electronic mail, you may subscribe via postal mail. Issues are printed with a laser printer which allows six pages of text to be printed on both sides of one sheet of paper. Back issues are also available on one MS-DOS 3.5" or 5.25" high density disk (please specify disk format when ordering). Prices are at cost and are subject to change: Canada $3.25 Cdn. for 5 issues / $2.75 Cdn. for back issues on disk United States $3.25 U.S. for 5 issues / $2.75 U.S. for back issues on disk International $5.00 U.S. for 5 issues / $4.00 U.S. for back issues on disk Please make a cheque or money order payable to Felix Ng and mail it to the postal address mentioned above. We are not responsible for cash lost or stolen in the mail. Issues are always mailed via first class. -= BtL moderators =- Myra Wong : mkwong@ucsd.edu mkwong@ucsd.bitnet Felix Ng : fng@acca.nmsu.edu =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY BRIAN LOFTIN =- Brian Loftin - Port Arthur, Texas September 7, 1994 Hey! I'm a new member, and I'm already crazy about this cool newsletter. My name is Brian Loftin, and I'm almost 17. I became a Debbie Gibson fan when I was about 10. The first song I heard by her was the third single, "Out of the Blue." Ever since then, I have been addicted. I have all of Deb's albums and videos, plus a lot of other stuff, some of it rare. I don't consider myself a die-hard collector, but I am definitely a die-hard fan. I prefer Deborah's most recent CD, although I love them all. God knows I will be camping outside of the record store on the night before her next album is released. I am really looking forward to the new material. Deborah, I hope and pray you're reading this. I know you have no idea who I am, but I feel like you're my best friend. I know it sounds silly, but it's true. I feel like I have grown up with you over the past 7 years. I've changed, and you've changed too. Your music, your beautiful voice, your kind heart, and your whole outlook on life gives me inspiration. Deb, you have been my all-time favorite entertainer for years, and you will remain my favorite until the day I die. I am confident your upcoming album will carry you back to the top of the charts, where you belong. Well, that's about it. If anyone would like to get in contact with me (especially you, Deborah!), send letters to: Brian Loftin 6351 Diamond Avenue Port Arthur, Texas 77640 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY VICKY VILLARI =- Vicky Villari - Springhill, Florida September 6, 1994 Hello!!! Good day Debbie Gibson fans. My name is Vicky Villari. I'll be 26 in a few weeks. I live in Springhill, Florida. I used to live in New York, in Long Island in a town called Merrick. I lived there for 23 years. You all have probably heard of Merrick. It was Debbie's hometown. I lived around the corner from Calhoun High School, the school that she attended. I went there in my sophomore year for 3 months. I was in a grade higher than Debbie. She was still in junior high at the time. I then transferred to another high school in the next town. When I was in my senior year of high school I heard about a young girl who lived in the same town as I did and who was going to become a pop singer. I was told her name. Deborah Gibson, or Debbie as she likes to be called. I did not know her but my older brother John who is 3 years older than me remembered Debbie when she was in grammar school. My brother played tennis with Debbie every Sunday for a long time. That was way before she was somebody. Debbie's home was very close to mine. I would ride my bike past her home a lot. I can remember going past her home with my _Out of the Blue_ album in my hand which I had just gotten the day before, hoping to see her and ask her to autograph it for me. I never did meet Debbie in that home. I remember going past the house and a huge moving van was there; that was when she moved out of Merrick. I saw her sister Denise; that's about it. I said to myself, "Goodbye, Debbie." I worked in the Merrick post office and I helped do all of her fan mail. It was a lot of fun. Her dad Joe would come in sometime to pick up her mail -- sacks and sacks full, packages and more. He was so nice. I was later laid off from that job. They were very slow. You would think living in the same town as Debbie, doing her fan mail, I would have personally known her and have met her hundreds of times but no, I didn't meet her until her Electric Youth World Tour. I saw her in concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was an excellent concert. After the show, we heard that she was going to be at the Hard Rock Cafe for an after show party. My friend and I went. Her dad was at the door. He was nice and let us in. We only stood a little while before I met Debbie and shook her hand. I will remember that night for the rest of my life. I met her a second time at the New York Music Awards I got my picture taken with her and got an autograph. She was busy so I let her be. Also, I met Michael Bolton that night. I was even picked to go to the preview party for the _Anything Is Possible_ album. That was fun. We got to pick songs that we liked best for the album. We had pizza with Debbie and took lots of photos and autographs that day. I gave Debbie a dozen roses. She loved them. I met Debbie many other times but that would take too long to write down. Now that I live here in Florida, I don't really know what's going on too much with Debbie. That's why I joined Between the Lines and with the help of my pen pals I find out what Debbie is up to. Throughout the years I have collected on her. I had so many friends that loved her but a lot gave up on her. Not me, I will be a forever fan of Debbie Gibson. If you would like to write meet a new life long friend talk about life and Debbie then write me. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks a lot. From a devoted Deborah Ann Gibson fan now and forever, Vicky Villari 8260 Philatelic Drive Springhill, Florida 34606 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY ANDY RODRIGUEZ =- Andy Rodriguez - New Jersey (Andy459@aol.com) November 3, 1994 THE ROAD TO DEBVILLE My name is Andy Rodriguez. If you're a fan of pro-wrestling, you may know me as a writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, The Wrestler, and that group of magazines. I also work in a bookstore. Let me tell you how it all started for me. When Deb rose to prominence, I paid her very little attention. I was living on Long Island at the time (which is where the wrestling magazines were published) and I did think it was kind of cool that this girl from LI had become a pop star. That was it, though. "Only In My Dreams" was a cute little song and nothing more. I remember the guy sitting behind me at work singing it. Another co-worker had this opinion of DG: "Whenever I hear Tiffany or Debbie Gibson, all I can think is: Go do your homework!" I thought that was funny. I also smiled at a review in NEWSDAY of Deb's Out of the Blue concert appearance at Nassau Coliseum. The reviewer wrote about all the "little Debbers" waiting for the "Big Deb" to take the stage. Later, I remembered the big deal surrounding the release of _Electric Youth_. I recall having watched the EY video on MTV a couple of times, but still didn't give Deb a second thought. Then, sometime in 1991, I was watching Channel 4 in New York when I saw Deb on one of those five-second previews for upcoming programs. You know, "Tomorrow on Live at Five -- Debbie Gibson." I thought she looked good, and decided not only to watch the interview, but to videotape it. They began with a clip from the "Anything Is Possible" video, then followed with an interview of about three minutes. Looking back, I think it's the first time I began giving Deb more than a passing thought. Some time later, I was watching Entertainment Tonight when they showed a little interview with Deb regarding her appearance on Street Justice. I was determined to tape the show, but I never did catch that particular episode. In April 1993 I moved back to New Jersey. (I'll add here I don't remember seeing ANY publicity on _Body Mind Soul_. I wasn't really looking, though. I know now she was on ET a couple of times late in '92; apparently, I wasn't watching.) Early in June I was shopping for a PC when I decided to stop at one of the music stores in the mall. I don't remember if I actually was looking for any Debstuff, but that's when I saw the "Shock Your Mama" poster. I was surprised to see she had changed her image so dramatically. That evening I went to the library to dig up some news clippings on Deb and even stopped in a used record store to see what I could find. The next day I bought the AIP cassette, not for the music, but for the photos. I played the tape and remember not liking the music that much. Later that month, I subscribed to Prodigy. A few days later I decided to go in search of someone who liked -- heck, who remembered -- Debbie Gibson. As you may imagine, I was pleasantly surprised to find Deb still had such a strong following. My reaction was typical of the reaction I've seen several times since: "Wow, I didn't know there were still Debbie Gibson fans!" Since then I've been a big fan of hers. I've gone back and bought all her albums. I guess in that regard I'm an oddity. I mean, how many of you became DG fans after the release of BMS? I'll spend hours in record stores and at shows looking for Debstuff. Sure, I could order stuff from the many mailing lists or from Goldmine, but as I told a fellow Debhead recently, it is very satisfying to me to search for and find an item of Debstuff in a shop or at a show. Besides, I like to see things before I buy them. Last month I spent a few days in London. I got a kick out of standing in front of the Dominion Theatre, where Grease in playing. I didn't see the show (I'm not crazy about the music), but I definitely would have if Deb were still performing. A couple of months ago I posted to Debhead that a customer at the bookstore at which I work had ordered a copy of _Between The Lines_. A few days after it arrived at the store, a fellow bookseller (who doesn't know I'm a Deb fan) showed it to me and joked, "Hey, Andy, I know you ordered this Debbie Gibson book." If she only knew. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY ROBERT EVANS =- Robert Evans - Rogersville, Tennessee (VRQL91A@PRODIGY.COM) January 5, 1995 Hello everyone! My name is Robert Evans & I have loved Deborah's music since the _Out of the Blue_ album hit the stores. Finding out about Between the Lines was a great experience for me because I love to hear any and all Debbie Gibson news. I will never forget the day I went to the mail box and found a invitation to see Debbie Gibson perform a special benefit concert at Oheka Castle in Long Island this past summer. Right away, I knew I had to see Deborah perform, but in order to make my dream come true I would have to fly from the closest airport (Knoxville, TN) to LaGuardia airport in New York. I had never flown or traveled to a city the size of New York before, yet in order to see Deborah this was the only way. I loved the flight and the people of Long Island were wonderfully nice. I met several other Debbie Gibson fans at Oheka who are now great pen pals via the Internet and postal mail. Deborah put on a very strong and impressive stage performance! After the show was over, I got the chance of a lifetime to meet Deborah in person. I will always cherish the night I experienced with Debbie Gibson. I thought she was so nice to all of her devoted fans. Thanks Deborah! You will always have a special place in my heart...I love to correspond with Debbie Gibson fans if anyone would like to talk; I can be reached by e-mail: VRQL91A@PRODIGY.COM Telephone & fax: 615-272-5769 Mailing address: Route-7, Box-280 Rogersville, TN 37857 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY JOSEPH RICCITELLI, JR. =- Joseph Riccitelli - East Haven, Connecticut (moosejoe@aol.com) January 7, 1995 Hi, My name is Joseph Riccitelli, Jr., and I have been a Debbie Gibson fan since late 1987 when I first heard "Only In My Dreams" on the radio. I rushed right out and bought a copy of the cassette. (I didn't own a CD player then, but do now and have all her stuff on CD.) Currently I am a student at Quinnipiac College here in Connecticut where I live. After years of bouncing from one bad job to the next I decided to clean up my act and go back to school and pursue my dream of becoming an accountant. After all, Debbie taught me that "Anything Is Possible." I couldn't have done it without her. I first heard about BtL from the newsgroup about Debbie. I immediately joined up. I absolutely love Debbie and her music, she is so inspiring and talented, how could you not LOVE her!!!! I hope that she attains the same heights that she reached during her "early years" with her next album. It's a shame how much music has changed since Debbie first burst onto the scene in '87. Good music like Debbie's and a few others like my favorite male singer (after Elvis), Steve Perry, have been almost ignored by fans, critics, and consumers. What has happened with the World? Hopefully, there will be a musical revolution in '95 that will bring this GREAT music back into the mainstream. But, I have gotten far off the subject of this letter, it is supposed to be about me and my relationship with Debbie. I've never met her, but always wanted to (who hasn't?). I've never seen her in concert (shame on me!), but I do have all her American CDs, as well as a few imports (some singles like "Without You" and "Eyes of the Child" and full remix albums like _Super-Mix Club_, all Japanese releases). Well, all I hope is that '95 brings a prosperous and happy year for Debbie and all her wonderful fans. Keep in touch at my e-mail address - moosejoe@aol.com I look forward to hearing from everyone, as well as reading the next issue of BtL. Sincerely, Joe Riccitelli, Jr. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY D.G.I.F. =- D.G.I.F. - Merrick, New York (DGIF@aol.com) January 18, 1995 Yes...it's really D.G.I.F. online. To those who may not know who and what D.G.I.F. is, we are the Debbie Gibson International Fan Club - Deborah's official fan club. We recently set up an account on America OnLine and we can be reached at DGIF@aol.com. Since we're relatively new to the Internet, we're only just starting to discover what it has to offer and how it can help us keep in touch with everyone faster. I'd like to thank all of the people who have been helping us become acquainted and giving us suggestions. For the time being, any late-breaking news is going to be serviced to BtL, the Debhead mailing list and the newsgroup (alt.fan.debbie.gibson). We may eventually create our own mailing list to get messages out quickly, but we're thankful to be able plug into the already existing network of fans so quickly and easily. Many people have been asking us what our purpose is. It started out as a personal thing for me. I'd heard a lot about the Internet and wanted to get online and learn about it. At the time I hadn't thought about getting D.G.I.F. involved. Once there, people directed me to the forums, newsgroups, mailing lists and other things related to Deborah and I thought it would be a good idea to set up an address for D.G.I.F. I didn't realize how active you all were or how good us being online would be for everyone. Our goal is not to inhibit the freewheeling discussions and debates that everyone engages in, or to monitor or censure anyone. Rather, we want to be able to find out what everyone is thinking and to be able to contribute information when it's relevant. Sometimes we may simply read BtL, the newsgroup or Debhead and not post anything regarding what's being said. Other times, we may offer our opinions and insights, ask for ideas, input, suggestions or start a conversation to find out what you think about things that are going on with Deborah, her music, the fan club, etc. We appreciate everyone being considerate about the e-mail situation. It's a little daunting sometimes to log on and see the amount of mail waiting. The one thing I would like to suggest to everyone is that they clearly mark in the "Subject" field what the message is about. That will let us sort it out much quicker and give it to the appropriate person to take care of. I've listed below a brief outline of some suggestions we have. E-MAIL SUBJECT FIELDS: D.G.I.F. INFO - To find out information about how to join D.G.I.F., how much it costs, what we offer, etc. ADDRESS CHANGE - Please make sure you include your old address and your new address. MEMBERSHIP PROBLEM - If you need help sorting out your membership, didn't receive a magazine, didn't get a renewal notice, need to know if you are up for renewal or things along those lines, please use this. QUESTIONS - If it's a question for the Q&A section of the magazine or just a general question. We may answer it directly back to you or if it's a frequently asked question, post the question and answer to the newsgroup alt.fan.debbie.gibson. SUGGESTIONS - Ways to make D.G.I.F. better, online suggestions, contest ideas, etc. These may be included in the D.G.I.F. newsletter in a new section called "Letters To The Editor." PEN PALS - We will be encouraging not only "snail mail" pen pals, but e-mail ones as well. If you'd like to get listed with your e-mail address let us know. MERCHANDISE - To receive a complete list of merchandise available. If you are e-mailing us about something not listed above, be creative and descriptive so I can sort them out quickly! A lot of people have also been asking us "who is reading the messages at D.G.I.F." Right now it's just me. I'm Deborah's older sister and besides supervising the fan club, I also help manage Deborah as well as the other artists we represent. As I become more familiar with the Internet, I'll start having some of the other fan club people reading the e-mail and answering it. Well, I guess that's about all for now. We're glad to be here and look forward to being part of the Internet and Between The Lines! Karen Gibson D.G.I.F. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= D.G.I.F. 6.3 REVIEW =- Michael Falkner - Milwaukee, Wisconsin (mfalkner@csd.uwm.edu) January 17, 1995 It is often said that the more things change, the more they will stay the same. The biggest news from D.G.I.F. magazine 6.3 is a change in format about D.G.I.F. The fan club will now alternate full-color magazines with shorter newsletters. The fan club sent out its most recent issue last September, tying up a lot of loose ends while getting us primed for the new album: Front -- From Oheka Castle, and the concert therein. Deborah's belting out Cover a song from the opening portion of the show [in her dark, flowered sundress], and is at her best. Pages -- A letter from Deborah - probably from about June. She thinks we're 2-3 wondering what Deb can talk about, and goes through her itinerary since her return from London, including a benefit concert for "Songmasters," as well as leaving us a list of her favorite country music picks for the summer -- as well as a funny anecdote about meeting Bill Murray. Page 4 -- Deborah remarked earlier about how much she enjoyed a Garth Brooks concert that she attended. Three pictures of the event were put on this page. It's funny how she can still get as excited about seeing her favorites as we all can get of seeing Deborah in concert. Page 5 -- Goofy pictures of Deb with BtL'er Sara Gauchat and Jennifer Mussi in London, as well as a Japanese fan and one of Deb just being her old goofy self. Pages -- Questions and Answers: Highlights: 6-8 - The new album will be more ballad-oriented. - Deb feels that "One Hand, One Heart" was very special. (We agree with you!!) - Green is her favorite color, and she always wants to be like Peter Pan. - Another Deborah vs. Debbie question. - and a response to her interview in "The Advocate" from 1993. Page 9 -- Deborah appeared at a charity event in New York -- "Songmasters," and got to rub elbows with the likes of Dion (of "The Wanderer" fame), Ben E. King, as well as performing on the program and getting a picture with Brian Koppleman, who is working with Deborah on SBK. Page -- From Oheka: Eight pictures... Included are a shot of Deborah at 10-11 at her piano, with Richard Jay Alexander, one of her friends from St. Mary's, as well as the two choirs she performed with that night, as well as several fans, including BtL'er Jeff Tharp. Page -- "When I Meet Debbie" stories: Gauchat, Tharp, and Mussi have 12-14 stories from London. One other London story, and one from Oheka. Page 15 -- Deborah actually got to perform incognito for once!! She helped Bryan Austin out at Fanfest in Los Angeles, where country music fans can meet present and future country stars. Pictures of the event, as well as a cute shot of Deb and Denise, are included. Page 16 -- Pen pals. Page 17 -- Tying up the final loose ends from London, four pictures from one of her last days in London, wearing a black dress with a black coat. There almost seem to be four different feelings expressed here. Perhaps four different sides to Deb: The attractiveness, the carefree, the contemplative, and the friendly. A real good balance. Page 18 -- Two pictures. One looks like it's on a ship of some sort with a classic Deb-grin. The other looks like from either her home in New York or her hotel in London. Administrivia, and the announcement of the format change, take up the rest of the page. Page 19 -- Administrivia. Back -- Another shot from what appears to be a ship -- Deb next to a Cover railing. A lot more contemplative in this one. With the change in format, the next issue will be a shorter newsletter, but there are indications of changes. One is a new font style for the fan club, changing the old letter-type for the D.G.I.F. font to a flatter style. It is hopeful that the changes to splitting newsletters and magazines will be only temporary, but who knows at this point? As long as D.G.I.F. can try to get us the latest information, especially with the album coming out sometime in the spring or early summer of 1995, D.G.I.F can continue to serve the fans well no matter what their magazine format. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= "SILENT NIGHT" 1994 =- Myra Wong - San Diego, California (mkwong@ucsd.edu) January 7, 1995 For Christmas 1994, Debbie Gibson recorded a new version of "Silent Night" which appears on two separate CDs from Steve Vaus Productions. Debbie's earlier version was recorded in 1988 and distributed as a holiday promotional tape by Atlantic Records. A review of Deb's three studio-recorded, unreleased Christmas songs appears in BtL 4.11, written by Michael Falkner. "Silent Night"'s new arrangement is more complex and reflects how Debbie's voice has matured over the years. It is 3 minutes and 10 seconds of vibrant, musical talent. "Sleep in heavenly peace sleep in heavenly peace" The track begins with an acapella three-part harmony of this simple line, repeated. It leads into a music-box-like-piano playing a delicate tune. "Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright 'round yon virgin Mother and Child Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peace" The first verse has Debbie singing a strong solo. Imagine yourself sitting in a school auditorium for a Christmas pageant with the audience completely silent. If you closed your eyes, that is what you would have heard. "Silent night, holy night Shepherds quake at the sight Glories stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia Christ the Savior is born Christ the Savior is born" The second verse, which most recordings don't seem to include, starts with Debbie, with a second vocal track, harmonizing with herself. The last line is sung with great proclamation. A brief piano interlude leads into the final verse. "Silent night, holy night Son of God loves pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace Jesus, Lord at Thy birth Jesus, Lord at Thy birth" For this last verse, Debbie includes some improvisational background vocals. I feel that this touch is what makes this rendition of "Silent Night" uniquely hers. The song ends quietly with another short piano interlude. "Silent Night" by Debbie Gibson is track 19 on _Make A Wish For Christmas_ Volume II, "benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America," sold by Target Stores. The song also appears as track 6 of _The Stars Come Out For Christmas_ Volume VI, "a very special benefit album." This CD includes "I'll Be Home For Christmas" by Bryan Austin, a country artist managed by GMI. In the CD insert, it mentions "Debbie Gibson appears courtesy of SBK," a "special thanks to Karen Gibson" among others, and an address and phone number to purchase "The Stars..." CDs by mail: STARS Post Office Box 288017 San Diego, CA 92128 1-800-HIT-SONG Thanks to fellow BtL member, Ronald Coulter, for initially finding the _Make A Wish For Christmas_ album. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= 1995 DEBBIE GIBSON CALENDAR REVIEW =- Shaun Stuart - Fullerton, California (shaun@acca.nmsu.edu) January 13, 1995 My 1995 Debbie Gibson calendar arrived in the mail today and I must say, it was worth the wait! All the photos were taken by Kevin Mazur except for the May, June, and August shots, which were taken by Lynda O'Keefe. The calendar has 15 photos - one for each month, one for the front and back covers, and one for the first page, which has all the months of 1995 listed. One day each month has been picked as a special "Deb Day" (for lack of a better name). The calendar is about the same size as last year's. For all the pictures, Deborah's hair is back to the blond/brown it was some years ago. It is also about 4 to 5 inches below her shoulders. The cover is a close up of Debbie's face. She's got a slight smile and a stud earring is visible. The words "Debbie Gibson 1995 Calendar" are printed in gray in the lower left corner in a font I have not seen used by D.G.I.F. before. The first page is another picture of Debbie's face, not as close as the previous one though. She's got her hand to her chin and is smiling. January features her smiling and holding on to what looks like a bed frame. She's wearing a black top and her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, which is barely visible. She has some bangs hanging down over her forehead and she looks very cute. The 18th is designated "Hat Day." February - Remember the picture on the postcard D.G.I.F. members got asking us to call radio stations and request "One Hand, One Heart"? This is virtually a mirror-image of the same pose with a few exceptions - Deb is looking up and slightly smiling and she's wearing nicer clothes. She has on a white V-neck sweater and black and white pants. She appears to be barefoot. The 1st is "Hug A Stranger Day." March is cowboy month! Debbie is looking back over her shoulder wearing a black cowboy hat (she's one of the bad guys?) and an open white shirt over a whitish-pink shirt. Her hair is blowing back in the breeze. A very nice picture. The 30th is "Country Music Day." April has Deborah looking like she's either a painter, a taxi driver, or a Parisian. She's got one of those nifty little tweed berets and is wearing overalls, holding her head on her hand and smiling. The 6th is "Pen Pal Day." Three small shots of Debbie make up the page for May. In them, Debbie is wearing a blue and white checkered sun dress out on a boardwalk somewhere. In one, she's getting a glass of lemonade from a vendor. In another she's sitting on some steps holding some flowers. In the last, she's leaning against a railing wearing sunglasses. The 22nd is "Anything Is Possible Day." June - Wow! A great shot! A waist up shot of Deborah with one hand on her hip and the other holding a cup of what looks like an iced cappucino, from which she is drinking with a straw. She's wearing a black sleeveless dress or top - I can't tell with a white jacket tied around her waist. The picture looks like it was taken in a street or plaza. The 3rd is "Friendship Day." The July photo is a nice picture of Deb brushing her hair out of her face with on hand while wearing a white short-sleeved top. It looks like the ocean is behind her. She's got a rather serious look on her face and a ring on her finger. The 11th is "50's Day." The August photo is my favorite of all of them! Wow!! This picture is taken from the side and Debbie is looking back towards the camera over her mostly bare shoulder. She's wearing a white top with thin straps. Again, the wind is blowing her hair, which casts a shadow over part of her face. The top rather nicely accents her breast. The 16th is "Make A New Friend Day." The 31st is also denoted as Deborah's 25th birthday. September features a great waist-up shot of Deborah smiling widely and crossing her arms in front of her: her left hand in on her right shoulder and her right hand in on her left elbow. She's wearing a red top with white buttons. The 20th is "Send Someone Flowers Day." Debbie is back to painting in October. She's got her arms up, adjusting brown beret and again, she's wearing overalls. She's got a flannel shirt tied around her waist and is wearing necklace with a big, round pendant on it. Her hair is pulled into two ponytails on the back of her head. Very cute! The 26th is "Charity Day." November shows Debbie close-up and resting her head in her hand. She's wearing long sleeves and slightly smiling. The 1st is "Pasta Day"! December - Another great smiling picture! Deborah is wearing a black hat, a black sleeveless top and a dark colored necklace. Her hair is mostly tucked into the hat, with a few long strands falling down. She's flashing a great smile!! The photo on the postcard advertising the sale of the calendar was taken from this same photo session. The 6th is "Buy Yourself A Present Day." The back cover is a picture of Debbie sitting down with her knees up in front of her. She's resting one elbow on her knee and her hand on her head. She's wearing the same outfit she is in the October picture minus the hat. All in all, a great calendar! I'm glad to see her hair is longer again and it's back to that blond/brown color I like. If this is Debbie's new image, I'm all for it!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= D.G.I.F. ONLINE =- BtL moderators (btl@egbt.org) D.G.I.F. (DGIF@aol.com) January 18, 1995 1995 is the year that D.G.I.F. joins over 400 Debbie Gibson fans online. For each issue, BtL hopes to include our latest section "D.G.I.F. ONLINE." As originally noted in the Administrative Notes of BtL #7 (Volume 1), "This forum is not intended to be a replacement for D.G.I.F., the only authorized fan club." We encourage all BtL members to join D.G.I.F. For more information about the fan club, please e-mail them at DGIF@aol.com. To join D.G.I.F., send your name, address, phone number, birthdate, nearest major city, and a check or money order for $17.00 for U.S. members ($19.00 for International members) made payable to "D.G.I.F." to: D.G.I.F. Membership Committee P.O. Box 489 Merrick NY 11566 U.S.A. The following items were originally posted by D.G.I.F. to the Debhead mailing list and/or the Usenet newsgroup alt.fan.debbie.gibson. In the future, D.G.I.F. will be directly writing this section. UPCOMING ALBUM The new album should be released in May/June. It's primarily ballads and is an "AC" (adult contemporary) record. Deborah wrote all the (eleven) songs by herself, except one cover song, and produced the album as well. It was recorded mostly in New York City with all live musicians. She used an orchestra/string section which she recorded in London and NYC. It's an amazing album - exactly what everyone is waiting to hear from her! Great songs, great REAL production and very much her. We're not allowed to say too much about it yet... it's the best kept secret of 1995. She was going to do "Streets of London." However, once she started writing the material for the album, she decided not to include it. More to come... NATIONAL ITALIAN-AMERICAN DINNER (October 29, 1994) Deborah was invited to attend the National Italian-American Foundation dinner at the White House. Coincidently, it was the same day there was that sniper attack there, so there was a lot of publicity around Clinton that day and they [CNN] showed clips from him at the dinner. She was there with Nicholas Cage, Isabella Rossalini, Giorgio Armani and Lee Radziwill Ross. She thought the whole thing was amazing! They had dinner at the Italian ambassadors' house (all pasta, of course - Deborah was in her glory), met the "Sons Of Italy" who were over from Italy as representative to their country. All in all, a very interesting night! 1995 CALENDARS We've been getting quite a few questions from fan-club and non-fan-club members about the 1995 calendar. The calendar is $15.00 in the U.S. and $18.00 International (includes shipping - NY residents please add sales tax) and you can mail your check (in U.S. funds) to: D.G.I.F. Calendars, P.O. Box 568, Merrick, NY 11566. And yes, there are a few 1994 calendars left which are discounted - $8 for U.S. and $10 for International (same thing - NY people please add sales tax). If you are ordering a 1994 calendar, please make sure you mark that clearly. The calendars are being sent out as the orders come in and you should all be getting them as we speak! NEW D.G.I.F. NEWSLETTER The new newsletter is going out Thursday (1/19) and Friday (1/20). It's a six page black-and-white newsletter featuring pictures from the Italian-American Dinner in Washington, D.C., the Academy of Country Music Awards and the LIFEBEAT event in New York City. This is not the exact format the newsletters will always take. We will probably make them eight pages and more text-oriented. For this issue, we wanted to get something out as timely as possible (which is never all that timely) and there wasn't a lot of real "news" this time to print (we're not allowed to give out too much information on the new album yet), so we opted for the picture highlight format. To supplement the current newsletter, I'm working on putting together a "bonus" newsletter and I'd love to hear from people. (This bonus newsletter will not count towards your membership - it's a bonus!) We'd like some contributions in the following departments: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - Suggestions about things D.G.I.F. can be doing or offering, comments, general questions, etc. PEN PALS - E-Mail and regular postal mail. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS - Questions for Deborah to answer. MEMORABLE MOMENTS - Let us know when Deborah's music and a special event in your life created a "memorable moment" for you! For any of the above, please e-mail us and include the "department" in your subject field. Also, we are working on a D.G.I.F. "Scrap Book" and would love to get copies of pictures you guys may have taken of yourself with Deborah, candids of Deborah, concert photos, interesting clippings, memorable moments, etc. We're open for suggestions on this one, so send us things you think we might be interested in. Please mail them to us at: D.G.I.F. SCRAP BOOK, P.O. Box 568, Merrick NY 11566 Please don't send us anything you only have one copy of as we will not be able to return them. But this will only be as good as everyone makes it, so please contribute if you can! P.S. Sorry about mailing issues at bulk rate, but it makes a big difference in fan club finances. (You'd be surprised at the monetary difference.) We know it takes longer, but it let's us do more than we might be able to otherwise. Also, we're trying to get faster about getting the magazines out on time, but we're only human also. What we are starting to do (as we mentioned in the last magazine) is to alternate shorter black-and-white newsletters (6-8 pages) with full color 16-page issues. Hopefully, we might even be able to throw in a few extra newsletters now and then if there is enough going on to warrant it. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= A SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT FOR DEBORAH =- Myra Wong - San Diego, California (mkwong@ucsd.edu) January 14, 1995 With the 1994 holiday season approaching quickly, on November 1st, I proposed to organize a group gift from Debbie Gibson fans on the Internet to present to Deborah. This idea started when Hayden Jones suggested passing around a birthday card for everyone to sign. However Deb's birthday was just around the corner, and passing around a card through postal mail is difficult to do quickly. I suggested -- because I remembered that Thomas Montalto did the same on Prodigy two years ago -- that we take up a collection of money to donate to the charity of Deborah's choice. (An article about the Prodigy donation appears in BtL 5.1.) In early December, I called up GMI to inquire which charity Deborah would like the donation to go to. I was told by Caroline Marcus, Director of Artist Relations, that currently there are three organizations which Deborah has been working closely with: St. Mary's, Lifebeat and the Children's Miracle Network. We decided that the donation would go to St. Mary's Children And Family Services. This is the same organization that benefitted from the special dinner and show put on by Debbie Gibson And Friends at the Oheka Castle on June 24th, 1994. By the deadline of December 9th, a total of $532.00 from 19 donors had been collected. The letter explaining our gift and containing all of the contributors' names and cities was sent to St. Mary's with a check for the entire amount. Deborah was sent a copy of that letter and check, personal one-page letters from each of the contributors, along with a formal letter presenting her with this special holiday gift. In early January, all of the donors had each received a personal thank you note from Debbie (on the back of a 4"x6" picture, like the one from D.G.I.F. used for the holiday postcard/1995 calendar offer). At the same time, I received a kind response from St. Mary's: ST. MARY'S CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES 525 Convent Road Syosset, NY 11791-3864 December 30, 1994 Fans of Debbie Gibson c/o Myra Wong P.O. Box 927325 San Diego, CA 92192-7325 Dear Ms. Wong: Thank you so much for your generous donation of $532.00 to St. Mary's Children and Family Services. I'm sure Miss Gibson will be pleased that you chose St. Mary's on her behalf, and we are, indeed, most grateful. This year celebrates our Centennial Anniversary of caring for neglected, abused and troubled youth. In fact, there are over 800 children receiving Agency services. All that we accomplish would not be possible without the help of generous friends like yourself. Thank you again for thinking of us. Sincerely, Liz Giordano Executive Director cc: Miss Deborah Gibson Cathy M. LaSusa And this delightful surprise showed up on the Usenet newsgroup alt.fan.debbie.gibson: From: dgif@aol.com (DGIF) Newsgroups: alt.fan.debbie.gibson Subject: WHAT GREAT FANS!!!! Date: 5 Jan 1995 13:36:29 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 18 Message-ID: <3ehe7d$h3i@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Reply-To: dgif@aol.com (DGIF) The Fan Club just found out about the donation put together by Myra Wong and friends. We let Deborah know what GREAT FANS AND FRIENDS she has and she wanted to say a big THANK YOU!!! To fill everyone in, Myra and a bunch of people on the Internet put together a holiday donation to be made to the charity of Deborah's choice. Deborah chose St.Mary's Children & Family Foundation on Long Island. They are a home for abused, orphaned and/or neglected children that has a wonderful program to help these kids get a good education in a loving, supportive environment. Deborah recently did a black-tie private benefit concert for them which many of her fans were generous enough to attend or make donations to. Deborah has a personal connection to St. Mary's because her father, who was an orphan, lived there for a few years in his childhood. So, hats off to everyone for the great thought and generosity! Thanks Myra, Mike, Mike, Jason, Shaun, Karim, Hayden, Bob, Winthrop, Ronald, Keith, David, Felix, Natalie, Leslie, Don, Justin, Kimberley and "anonymous"! Because of you, the fan club is considering how to put together a fundraiser to raise money for some worthy causes! I want to thank everyone who contributed to make this an amazing gift; all your generosity was overwhelming. I'd like to sum everything up by saying: After all the words, melodies, and inspirations that Debbie Gibson has given to us, I am pleased to finally give something back. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CLOSING REMARKS =- On December 3rd, Debbie was at J&R Music World in Manhattan, New York signing autographs and raising donations for the Lifebeat Counter Aid fundraiser for AIDS research. And on December 20th, she was at Radio City Music Hall in New York singing Christmas carols with a childrens choir. Sara Gauchat who attended the earlier event reports that the animated movie "A Fairy's Tale" is still "in the works". This year we will be holding a contest for best article, as was first done in 1990 (Volume 2). At the end of the year, and possibly during the summer, the current BtL moderators will select the best article(s) (moderator-penned articles excluded) so far in Volume 7. The author(s) will win a prize (to be determined). Get ready to write those articles! Thanks to all those who contributed articles for this issue during the lull between Grease and Deb's fifth studio album. We especially want to extend a huge thank you to D.G.I.F. for joining BtL and contributing so much. Here's to an already bright 1995!