Names and faces

LITTLE ROCK — The Spice Girls reunited onstage Tuesday to announce the details of a musical based on their songs.Producers stress that the stage show Viva Forever isn’t a biography of the band, but there are plenty of real-life similarities for the 1990s “Girl Power” group in its tale of female empowerment and friendship tested by fame. The show opens in London in December. “We’re going to be introducing a whole new generation to ‘Girl Power,”’ said Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham, who attended a media launch alongside Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Chisholm and Melanie Brown - also known as Baby, Ginger, Sporty and Scary Spice. Viva Forever aims to tap the same vast female fan base as world-conquering ABBA musical Mamma Mia, which has been produced in 14 languages and spawned a hit film starring Meryl Streep. The Spice Girls show tells the story of four friends whose bond becomes strained when their band enters a TV talent show. Scored to Spice Girls hits including “Wannabe,” “Spice Up Your Life,” “Mama” and the title track, it was written by comedian Jennifer Saunders - co-creator of the celebrity-skewering sitcom Absolutely Fabulous - and produced by Judy Craymer, the woman behind Mamma Mia. Craymer called the musical, with its focus on female friends and motherdaughter relationships, “a heartwarming family tale” that touches on the role of media and celebrity in the modern world. The Spice Girls said they were delighted with the show, which was unveiled for the media in the grand neo-Gothic hotel where the video for their 1996 breakthrough hit “Wannabe” was filmed. The Spice Girls sold 75 million records around the world. Halliwell left the group acrimoniously in 1998 and the Spice Girls effectively split a decade ago. The five members have not appeared together since a 2007-2008 reunion tour.

A representative for 50 Cent said the rapper is out of the hospital after being injured in a car accident in New York on Tuesday morning. The representative said 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, was taken to New York Hospital Queens where he was treated for “minor neck and back injuries” and is now “doing fine.” Bruce Miller, who was driving the car in which 50 Cent was riding, was also injured and hasbeen released from the hospital.