Professor George Michael?

Okay, this article speaks for itself, so I'll only preface it with - Huh, what are they thinking? The concept is good (breaking street violence through encouragement of artistic endeavours) but I don't know if the practice works if George Michael is to be relied upon for seeing this through. No offence to Mr. Michael, but I don't believe that he has a reputation of being particularly reliable:

Anne Lu - Celebrity News Service News Writer

London, England (BANG) - George Michael's neighbors want him to fight knife crime. Residents and school officials in Highgate, north London, wrote to the "Faith" singer asking him to support a scheme designed to reduce knife crime in the area where he lives.

A source said: "In the interests on discouraging knife crime, a safer neighborhood group in Highgate has written to ask George for help."

The former "Wham!" star - who sponsored this year's Highgate Summer Festival - has been asked to get involved with a program that encourages children to express themselves through music instead of violent behavior.

The source added to Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "They're trying to get local children to focus on the challenges they face living in the area and express it in creative songwriting instead of violence. They've asked George to use his contacts ideally in organizing a songwriting competition in schools."

Since January, 65 British teenagers have died as a result of violent crime. Almost 60 percent were stabbed to death.

The 45-year-old singer - whose fans can download his festive single "I Dreamed of Christmas" for free on Christmas Day - is yet to respond to the request.

Technorati : Seminars, Songwriting