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| Spice girls deny split with sporty: Onse again, rumors suggesting the Spice Girls' demise appear to be greatly exaggerated. The newest round of gossip foretelling the end of the girl-power group came following an interview conducted with Mel C on a British talk show Monday. Reuters reports that during the program, Mel C said "I have been luckier since i left(the Spice Girls)-well, since I've been doing my own thing," adding, "Oh, I'm glad that you didn't pick up on that one." Despite her retraction, the Spice Girls' U.K. handlers issued a statement late Monday, saying Mel C had not left the group and that "the misinterpreted quotes were no more than light hearted banter." Contacted on Tuesday, the group's American publicists at Virgin Records confirmed that Mel C had not left the group and that the Spice Girls had not broken up! Despite assurances from both sides of the Atlantic, the incident marks the second time in less than a week in which questions have been raised about the group's future after seemingly fatalistic comments from Mel C. Prior to the Spice Girls' appearance at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Stockholm, Sweden, last week, Mel C told the British newspaper Daily Record that the group's performance would likely be it's last. "The last time we will probably all be together on stage is at the MTV Music Awards. After that, I don't know." Mel C told the newspaper, adding, "There will be no Spice Tour. Next year i'll be doing a solo tour." But after performing their new single, "Holler", for the show, the Spice Girls told Reuters Television that they were excited to have reconvened on stage for the first time since a brief U.K. tour last December. "I'm a bit gobsmacked" Mel C explained to the TV outlet. "It all went so quickly." It was very nerve-racking, Emma added, "but it's so much more fun when we do it together." According to Virgin Records, there are currently no plans for the Spice Girls to mount a global tour to support their new album, Forever, which sold a little over 33.000 copies in the U.S. during its first week in release. Shortly before the release of Forever, Spice Girl Vicktoria Beckham said that some of the rumors and half-truths surrounding the group's future and the members' personal lives were part of the territory. "It can be a bit frustrating." Vicktoria admitted, "but i suppose we can't complain, because that's part of being an artist. It's not just about being a good singer and writing good songs. It's the whole package that goes with it. I think we have to take(te attention) as flattery" she added, "that people are interested in us individually and (in) our private lives and what we're getting up to, because it's part of that that sells records." |