20th MARCH 1999 

*            The Daily Mirror 
(thanx a lot to Karen Johnson" <D3304287@infotrade.co.uk>   for the information) 
BABY JOY FOR RONAN 
Boyzone star Ronan Keating was celebrating last night after his wife gave birth to a baby boy.Jack Keating arrived 12 days late, weighing a bonny 10lbs 4oz at a Dublin hospital.Ronan, 22, said last night: "He's a star. And his mum is simply super.We had a long wait, but I'm over the moon. This is the happiest day of my life."His wife Yvonne, 25, went into labour in the early hours of the morning at their home in Weston, Co Kildare.Ronan went on: " Both mother and baby are doing very well even if they are a bit tired."Ronan and Yvonne knew each other as teenagers but met up again three years ago and wed in April after eloping. 

*            AIRPLAY FOR RONAN - The Sun, Friday March 12th 99 
(thanx a lot to Lucy Witts <lucy.witts@diamond.co.uk>   for the information) 
Dad-to-be Ronan Keating kept his cool on a helicopter-flying lesson yesterday - despite admitting he's anxious about the long overdue birth of the baby.The Boyzone heart-throb, whose band's Comic Relief single When The Going Gets Tough shot to No1 in the charts this week, piloted the craft with an instructor at his side.Wife Yvonne, who was due to give birth 9 days ago, bought Ronan the flying lessons as a Christmas present. Earlier, Ronan took tired-looking Yvonne shopping near their home in Weston, Co. Kildare.Ronan has told pals: "I'm s******* myself, it's a very nervous time at the moment."But one who watched the copter flight said: "He seemed really relaxed and enjoying himself." 

15th MARCH 1999 

*             Smash Hits 24/2-10/3/99  
(thanx a lot to "Helen R." <helen_ri@hotmail.com>   for the information) 
Home Boyz... Globetrotters that may be, but what are Boyzone like when they're at home? Well, it seems Shane's handy when it comes to motors, Keith likes a bit of a polish, Mikey gets out of control, Stephen folds his socks and Ronan's just, erm...messy! 
SH= Smash Hits  
SG= Stephen Gately 
RK= Ronan Keating 
Stephen - the Tidy One. 
SH: Are you domesticated in general?  
SG:(Proudly) I've taken care of myself since I was 18.  I've lived on my own for four years and I've always cooked and washed and cleaned for myself.  
SH: How good are you in the kitchen?  
SG: I love cooking. (Mikey scoffs loudly in the background)  I'm being slagged by Mikey, but I do love it!  I can do chicken, spaghetti bolagnese and roast potatoes and beef. (Mikey continues to chortle away) What about DIY? I can do it.  I can put up shelves, and I hung up a couple of pictures the other day. 
SH: Who's the best at DIY and cooking?  
SG: Shane.  He could fix anything.  He's always got screwdrivers on him. I'm very good at cooking (more laughing from Mikey) but Ronan's the best.  
SH: Who's the messiest?  
SG: Ronan again.  He's always very messy, but so is Keith.  When I stay in a hotel, the bed is already made before the maid has arrived.  
SH: Who does your cleaning?  
SG: I always wash my own clothes and I always wash my own underwear. (Proudly) After I've had a meal, I'll always put the plates in thedishwasher.  
SH: How hi-tech is your flat?  
SG: I've got loads of videos.  I've also got a TV and hi-fi system, DVD (digital video disc) player and all my CDs.  I've got about five remotecontrols!  
SH: What's the most useless gagdet you own?  
SG: Probably a can opener (Erm, they're actually quite useful, Steve) I do own an electric toothbrush, but they're very useful.  
SH: What's the best thing in your flat?  
SG: I've got a sword, which was a gift from my brother.  It's about 250 years old and looks really cool.  i've also got a church stove converted into a table, and a real dinosaur's egg, which is ten million years old (blimey!) I'm very house-proud. 
SH: Do you own a supermarket loyalty card?  
SG: No, but that's because I shop in Marks and Spencer and they don't have one.  I buy everything there. 
SH: Even your underwear?SG: No, that's all Gucci!  
SH: Who's the most domesticated member of Boyzone?  
SG: I'm definitely the most domesticated. (Mikey collapses in hysterics yet again.) 
Ronan - The Messy One. 
SH: Who's the most domesticated member of Boyzone?  
RK: I'd say that's Stephen.  But I put my head to it, I'm the best.  
SH: Do you go to the supermarket a lot?  
RK: Always!  But I don't have a loyalty card - I'm not that sad!  
SH: How many remote controls do you have?  
RK: About a million!  I wish I only had the one for everything.  Mikey may have 20, but I've got, er, 21! 
SH: Have you built a home studio like Mikey?  
RK: Yeah, I've got a portable studio at home.  I've got friends who are producers and they helped me.  It's not as big as Mikey's though.  
SH: Are you any good at DIY?  
RK: (Proudly) I'm not that bad at that!  I'm not up to Shane's level though. He's a machine! 
SH: And cooking?  
RK: I can marinate a mean steak. The last meal I cooked was potato augratin.  
SH: Do you do your own cleaning?  
RK: No. (sighs sadly) I get it done by someone else, or Yvonne will do it. I don't mind getting the gloves on and getting down to the dirt, but i don't have a lot of time. 
SH: Do you have any pets?  
RK: (beams) Yes, two Great Danes and two King Charles Spaniels.  Yvonne and I take them out walking all the time.  
SH: Is it true you're the messiest member of the band?  
(Rolls his eyes) I'm the cleanest...as a person, but...(pauses)I'm the messiest at home, I admit it! So who really is the most domesticated member of Boyzone?? Keen in the kitchen, handy with a hammer and with five sisters to help him out, MIKEY has to come tops.  Now, if only he could get his remote controls in the right order... He always tidies his bed (even in a hotel) and stocks up in the supermarket...STEPHEN has to come a close second.  We just can't trust his claims that he's a great cook after hearing Mikey's giggles! If you want some shelves put up, light bulbs screws in or your motor fixed, then SHANE's yer man.  But as for cooking?  Forget it!  This fella's a living advert for takeaway pizzas! KEITH makes great noises about being clean and tidy, but you wouldn't leave him to clean your floors.  And don't ever ask him to change a lightbulb for you either - he'll end up frazzling himself! No Matter What the cheeky fella says hinself, claiming not to "have a lot of time", all the Boyz are agreed - RONAN is the messiest.  Shame on you, young man!  What must Yvonne think?  
End of article  

*             Top of the Pops, March 10,1999  
(thanx a lot to "Celdron Jedrick" <celdron@glink.net.hk>  for the information) 
Boyz hit the Top!  
A hearty slap on the back is due for Boyzone who have managed a most timely piece of chart action with their new single. The Boyz' version of the Billy Ocean 80's disco stormer 'When the Going Gets Tough', which is this year's single for Comic Relief, has shot straight to the top of the Charts just in time for Red Nose Day on Friday. So far the single has sold 213,000 copies and has raised over £100,000 for the charity. Little Steven Gately, the band's deputy lead singer, told Radio 1: "We are thrilled!"  

*          BOYWATCH  
(thanx a lot to Lucy Witts <lucybz@yahoo.com> for the information) 
WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?  
With a brand new house to furnish, Ronan's always on the look out for a posh household bargain these days - which might explain why he popped up at Harrods on the 1st day of the London department store's January sale… By pure coincidence, No.1 songstress Cher was also having a browse round, so thoughtful Ro took the opportunity to present her with a special gold disc in recognition of record breaking sales of her chart topping single Believe! What a love…  
TOP POP TRIBUTE  
Following on from their visit to Omagh to meet Clare Gallagher with Noel Edmonds Christmas Presents at the end of last year, BZ returned to the town still recovering from a horrific bomb attack to perform two special charity concerts at the start if the new year. The shows, attended by over 2000 residents of the town, were the most emotional the band have ever performed, but at the same time they were all very proud that they were able to do something to bring a little happiness back into Omagh. The boys also met up with 150 young people who had been affected by the bombing, for a special signing session. John McKinney of Omagh's District Council was extremely touched…"This was a very emotional day for the youth of Omagh," he said after the event. "It was an opportunity for the young people of the town to enjoy themselves. I think the fact that Boyzone came here to perform for us is a testament to their generosity. This was a great start to 1999".  
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH…  
BZ are set to front this year's Comic Relief campaign, by singing it's theme tune in aid of the charity! The track is one you might recognise since it's a cover version of 80's singing sensation Billy Ocean's track When the Going Gets Tough. The boys are shooting the video (co-starring alongside a selection of top comedy types) as we go to press - and the single will be on sale in shops in aid of Comic Relief from March 1st!  
BOWIE AND KEATING SURF THE NET!  
None other than top music legend and huge rock star David Bowie invited Ronan to the Cyberio internet café in London earlier this month, for a live internet chat via David's official website, when the two answered questions e-mailed from David's fanclub members. The pair exchanged plenty of pop gossip, and not surprisingly managed to squeeze in more than a few laughs at the same time - check out some of these extracts from their showbiz computer interview and find out what we mean…  
RONAN - WHAT'S YOUR GOLF HANDICAP, WHAT GOLF CLUBS DO YOU USE AND HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED ST. ANDREWS?  
<RK> My golf handicap is 18, and I have played at St. Andrews - it's a  
beautiful course. I play with Calloway clubs. David - do you golf?  
<DB> I had one once, but the door fell off.  
<DB> Ronan - do you fell a Celtic connection or do you not find that  
part of your life?  
<RK> No, I'm very proud of where I come from and I'm very interested  
in the history of Ireland. It's a wonderful, mystical country.  
<DB> I feel much the same about Bromley.  
<DB> Ronan - do you hang around with Bono or any of U2?  
<RK> I know Bono and Larry very well, but I'm a terrible name dropper!  
<DB> Drop some famous names then  
<RK> Elvis, Roy Orbison…  
<DB> Oasis are NOT huge in America!  
<RK> Yes they are  
<DB> No they aren't  
<RK> Are!  
<DB> Na!  
<RK> R!  
<DB>N!  
Tsk boys…  
BZ IN YET ANOTHER NOT SPLITTING UP SHOCKER!  
Will anyone get bored with making up stories about BZ splitting up? Judging by yet more scary BZ headlines which appeared in the newspapers over Christmas and the new year, it seems not. For those of you who have written to us in a panic to find out if it's true - well, it's not, of course! With very busy plans, rehearsals and recording more than underway for the Greatest Hits album and tour, along with tours across Europe and South East Asia organised for the summer, Boyzone just don't have time to be splitting up, quite frankly! Feel better now? Good!  
RO'S RETURN TO THE MOVIE SCREEN!  
Ronan was invited over to London just before Christmas to record a new track for forthcoming Brit movie Notting Hill. The movie, produced by the makers of the hugely successful Four Weddings and a Funeral, stars Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant - and will also feature Ro's new song When You Say Nothing At All. Notting Hill is set to hit cinema screens later in the year - but of course, we'll let you know more news about that as soon as we have some!  
TOUR TYPE MISCHIEF…  
As you'd expect, there were cheeky antics a-plenty going on during BZ's final show of the Where We Belong tour at Dublin's Point Depot. Poor Mikey was left feeling slightly nauseous when the spinning circular platform used during Baby Can I Hold You was placed into speed overdrive, leaving the boys to spin very fast and sing at the same time. Barrie Knight stood in for Ronan during his duet with Keith, leaving Duster in hysterics - but cutest comedy moment of all was when Duster Jr, Jordan joined the Melting Pot kids to dance alongside his Daddy!  
SHANNO'S FIRST WITH FORD!  
Congratulations to Shane for securing a very exciting rally driving contract with motor car champions Ford!  
CHILD'S PLAY! 
After the success of last year's Childline concert in Dublin, the show made a very welcome return in '99… Last year's celebrity packed Childline concert raised a massive £100,000 for the Irish kids' charity - so this year the show made a welcome return to Dublin's Point Depot, to raise even more cash and give yet another huge audience a very entertaining night out! And this year, the bill was yet again full to the brim with top celebrity names - including E-17, WestSide, Ultra, Honeyz, Kavana, 911 and Five! Stephen was there too, hosting the show alongside Denise Van Outen - with Ronan also making a very special appearance! Ro performed his track, When You Say Nothing At All, from the movie Notting Hill - then teamed up with Brian Kennedy to thrill the crowds with an exclusive rendition of their duet, These Days! This year's show, launched again with the support of Ballymore Properties and Coca Cola, managed to beat 1998's record breaking cash total by raising £110,000 for Ireland's Childline charity - and most entertaining moment of the night just had to be the show's encore, which had all the concert's participants joining Ro and Stephen to do a very special rendition of No Matter What. Luckily almost everybody remembered the words…