Fabrice Morvan

Since that November day last year when Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan sadly admitted that they'd never sung a note as Milli Vanilli, the pair has been the butt of jokes around the world. The very name Milli Vanilli has become generic for fake . Now Pilatus and Morvan are ready to talk about their first public step toward what they hope will be a renewed show-biz life.

In the tiny space of a Hollywood cantina where he has come to perform, Fabrice Morvan executes a bouncy spin that looks familiar. But where there once were famously false long braids, now there are natural waves. The stylized costume he used to wear has been replaced by a casual shirt and baggy pants, and the relentlessly orchestrated production that was a trademark has been stripped to the basics: an acoustic guitar and a voice.

A circuit judge in Chicago is expected to grant preliminary approval today to an unprecedented settlement to resolve a class-action fraud lawsuit filed against Milli Vanilli's record company. If approved, the settlement could take effect as early as September and potentially cost Arista Records and its parent company, Bertelsmann Music Group, millions of dollars--$225,000 of which the company has pledged to donate to court-approved charities.

A circuit judge in Chicago is expected to grant preliminary approval today to an unprecedented settlement to resolve a class-action fraud lawsuit filed against Milli Vanilli's record company. If approved, the settlement could take effect as early as September and potentially cost Arista Records and its parent company, Bertelsmann Music Group, millions of dollars--$225,000 of which the company has pledged to donate to court-approved charities.

In the tiny space of a Hollywood cantina where he has come to perform, Fabrice Morvan executes a bouncy spin that looks familiar. But where there once were famously false long braids, now there are natural waves. The stylized costume he used to wear has been replaced by a casual shirt and baggy pants, and the relentlessly orchestrated production that was a trademark has been stripped to the basics: an acoustic guitar and a voice.

A Hollywood Municipal Court judge on Monday recalled an arrest warrant for Robert Pilatus, former member of the disgraced pop duo Milli Vanilli, after Pilatus' attorney said his client had left a North Hollywood rehabilitation center only to check into another, authorities said. On Wednesday, Pilatus, 31, walked out the back door of Cri-Help, where he had been staying after pleading no contest to charges stemming from three assaults last winter, authorities said.

Read Their Lips: Milli Vanilli's infamous lip-syncers Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan will be appearing in Care-Free Sugarless gum television commercials that poke fun at their lip-syncing scandal. The two pretend to be singing opera--until they are exposed by a scratchy record while an announcer asks, "How long does the flavor (of the gum) last? Until these guys sing for themselves."

The Milli Vanilli Matter: A proposed settlement in the Milli Vanilli lip-syncing case--an offer of refunds on future purchases--rubs an Illinois judge "the wrong way," but he is considering it anyway and plans to announce his decision Monday. At least 26 lawsuits claim Los Angeles-based Arista Records defrauded fans by implying that Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan sang on the best-selling album "Girl You Know It's True."

John Davis, one of the real voices behind the Milli Vanilli pop music facade, says he is finally getting some recognition. "Everywhere I go now, when I'm getting on a plane, people wave and say, 'There goes the Milli Vanilli guy,' " Davis said during a holiday visit to his parents' home here. Davis, 36, gained attention when German record producer Frank Farian acknowledged that Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan had not not sung a note on Milli Vanilli's hit album, "Girl You Know It's True."

It's tough to think of a fallen pop idol facing a more challenging road to return than Fabrice Morvan, one-half of the disgraced duo Milli Vanilli. Morvan and partner Rob Pilatus secured their pop infamy when they were found to be lip-syncing during their concerts--and to have sung not a note on their hit 1989 album "Girl You Know It's True." Yet less than a decade after giving back his Grammy for best new artist, Morvan has come back to the stage.

Since that November day last year when Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan sadly admitted that they'd never sung a note as Milli Vanilli, the pair has been the butt of jokes around the world. The very name Milli Vanilli has become generic for fake . Now Pilatus and Morvan are ready to talk about their first public step toward what they hope will be a renewed show-biz life.

Rob Pilatus, a member of the lip-syncing pop duo Milli Vanilli, was arrested for investigation of sexual battery Tuesday in West Los Angeles, police said. Pilatus, 26, was arrested at his home on North Beverly Glen Boulevard at 5:30 a.m., officers said. His alleged victim is a 25-year-old woman, police said. Pilatus, whose name was spelled "Pilatos" in the police report, was freed on $10,485 bail shortly after being booked, officers said.

Pop poseurs Milli Vanilli shared TV Guide's "phony baloney" award and were joined by Roseanne Barr and Kathie Lee Gifford as recipients of the magazine's annual ZAP awards. TV Guide's Jan. 5 edition gives 1990 Zap awards to the year's most memorable TV botches and blunders. Milli Vanilli, the duo of Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus, admitted that they never sang on their hit album and were stripped of their best new artist Grammy award.