MK Magazine News

TONIGHT! MK's Zander and Rocker Greg Miner Discuss AVN Expo On Craptabulous Radio Show

Wicked's Stephanie Swift, holding the issue of MK that Messy was on

Messy Stench's internet radio show will be back up on the air this evening at 6PM central time. Special guests Alex Zander from MK Magazine, and rocker Greg Miner of Sunwheel Psychedelic.

The Men In Black will detail their recent "business" trip to Las Vegas and the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo where they conducted countless interviews and met many porn star and legends. And they will attempt to explain the purpose behind MK's merge with the industry.

Expect the most intense X rated music and stimulating conversation tonight on Messy Stench's weekly internet radio show.

Talk with the trio live in her chat room while you listen their debaucherous shenanigans! Or call on the studio phone and be put on the air 312.345.3805

so TUNE IN:- tonight from 6-8pm central time
- go to: www.freeradiosaic.org- click "listen" at the top right of the page, next to the throbbing clit
- wait 15 seconds for the stream buffer
- leave the popup window open to chat LIVE with the stench, guests and other listeners

For details on the radio show: www.craptabulous.com/music.html
The station: www.freeradiosaic.org/
Adult Industry news blurb: www.ainews.com/story/6116/
AVN feature www.avnonline.com/issues/200311/newsarchive/news_112503_1.shtml
Gregs Band www.sunwheelpsychedelic.com

Check out Zander's full coverage at mk-magazine.com under the
editorials section of the site!

Hanoi Rocks Comeback Album Out NOW!

January 27th proves once again why Hanoi Rocks are true rock legends
with the U.S. release of their comeback album, Twelve Shots On The Rocks. The new album once again raises the fist of true rock glitz and oozes with the sleazy glam lifestyle that present day bands merely copy. Fans old and new will rejoice when listening to the record because from beginning to end the record is nothing short of pure Hanoi Rocks brilliance.

Go to the Liquor and Poker Music website www.liquorandpokermusic.com to purchase the new record and listen to an MP3 of the song "People
Like Me". Twelve Shots On The Rocks will no doubt be the rock record to beat
in 2004. Tour dates coming soon

MKs Alex Zander to Discuss AVN Expo On Craptabulous Radio Show This Friday Night

Zander and Miner with Metro Contract Babe Gauge

Messy Stench's internet radio show will be back up on the air, starting
Friday, Jan. 30th, with special guests Alex Zander from MK Magazine, and
rocker Greg Miner

They will discuss the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas they
attended earlier this month.

And will likely talk about all the tits they smothered
themselves in, as well as all the patches they had to sew over the
pant-holes their boners inflicted throughout the event. Be sure to tune
in!

For details on the radio show www.craptabulous.com/music.html
The station: www.freeradiosaic.org/
Zander's mag: www.mk-magazine.com
Adult Industry news blurb: www.ainews.com/story/6116/
AVN site: www.avnonline.com/
Stephanie Swift, holding the issue of mk that Messy was on:
www.mk-magazine.com/editorials/archives/xxxsteph.jpg

Check out Zander's full coverage at mk-magazine.com under the
editorials section of the site!

THE DARKNESS To Embark On First U.S. Tour

Rising British rockers THE DARKNESS will embark on their first U.S.
tour on March 26 in Milwaukee, according to Billboard.com. 18 dates have
been confirmed, with the trek set to wrap on April 19 in Denver.

THE DARKNESS will be touring in support of their debut album,
"Permission To Land", which has sold 165,000 copies in the U.S. since its

THE DARKNESS tour dates:

Mar. 26 - Milwaukee, WI @ Rave
Mar. 27 - Chicago, IL @ The Vic
Mar. 28 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews
Mar. 30 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
Mar. 31 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Laga
Apr. 02 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of the Living Arts
Apr. 03 - Boston, MA @ Avalon
Apr. 04 - Providence, RI @ Lupos
Apr. 06 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
Apr. 08 - Atlanta, GA @ Cotton Club
Apr. 09 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
Apr. 11 - Houston, TX @ Engine Room
Apr. 12 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
Apr. 13 - Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
Apr. 15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee
Apr. 16 - San Diego, CA @ Canes
Apr. 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
Apr. 19 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
summer release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As previously reported, THE DARKNESS received four nominations for the
2004 Brit Awards, to be held Feb. 17 at Earl's Court in London.

It's a Mad Mad Sci Fi World

The Sci Fi Channel has released details about the first four episodes
of their new reality series, MAD MAD HOUSE, which will debut on Thursdays at
9 PM in March.

The show takes ten everyday people and sends them to live in a house
run by the "Alts," five people living alternative lifestyles, to try and win
$100,000. These five "Alts" consist of a Vampire, a Wiccan, a Naturist, a
Voodoo Priestess and a Modern Primitive. Each week the "Alts" will eliminate
one person from the house. They will be judging the contestants based on
their openness to and tolerance of alternative lifestyles, their
participation in house activities, and their willingness to get to know
their hosts.

The network describes the episodes as follows:

Thursday, March 4 @ 9 PM - SERIES PREMIERE!
The Guests arrive at the house and are shocked when they lay eyes on
their unconventional hosts. The Alts pick Guests for roommates. Iya Ta'Shia
(Voodoo Priestess) introduces the Guests to the sanctity of Voodoo, and
betrayal is the name of the game at the House's first elimination ceremony.

Thursday, March 11 @ 9 PM
Guests release their fears and reveal the scars of past trauma at
Fiona's (Witch) explosive ritual. Avocado (Naturist) introduces the Guests
to the barest of Naturist games. The Alts choose a new crop of Guests to
room with and an emotional elimination ceremony startles the Alts.

Thursday, March 18 @ 9 PM
Don (Vampire), Art (Modern Primitive) and some remaining Guests head
to the supermarket. Fiona invites the women of the house to a Wiccan goddess
ritual, much to the delight of the men. Iya Ta'Shia conducts her Voodoo
trial. The Alts each select a different Guest to room with and the
elimination ceremony exposes some in-house heartbreak.

Thursday, March 25 @ 9 PM
The seven remaining Guests are awoken by a "totally raw" Avocado
(Naturist), who takes them on a nature hike. Art's (Modern Primitive) trial
puts the Guests on lockdown. The Alts hold a secret meeting and decide to
dramatically change their strategy with their Guests. The Alts' new attitude
leads to a shocking elimination ceremony.

MORTIIS Recording Update

MORTIIS frontman/namesake has posted the following message on the group's official web site:

"Better late than never, right?

"I probably should have left some sign of life up here a long time ago, and we probably should have done more to the website a long time ago as well.

"One of the reasons being that things didn't really work out between us and Johannes, and some time was spent tracking down someone to take over the control of this site, and finally found the new guy who will surely be adding his comments up here shortly.

"This all would have happened sooner if not for the fucked fact that we had additional technical issues that were recently solved and once and for all out of our lives and we should be up and running.

"Another change that occurred recently was the end of our stint with First Contact Agency, our concert agent for the last 2 years, and moving into! meetings and correspondence with a bunch of new ones.

"We also expanded our management from being based only in the US, represented by Mazur PR, to also include the UK-based Total Concept Management.

"We've been working on the new album since summer last year, and there's a number of songs now coming together, and the way it looks at the moment is that we're once again heading into a new era. In my honest opinion the new material walks all over the previous stuff (even though we're roughed that stuff up quite a lot for live).

"As a matter of fact, we're all going down to the studio in Fredrikstad again in a few days and we'll be doing work for at least a couple of weeks ahead.

"We're taking so much time trying stuff out, testing programs (so far I have probably used in excess of 30 programs, including audio and softsynth apps but not including effect plugins, which would probably bring us into the 100's) to see what happens, that it is hard ! to pinpoint a release date or date of completion, but our hearts are set at getting this album done by summer and then it's in the label's hands (Earache Records).

"For the curious, up until now, possibly half way into the album, we've gone through an unknown amount of guitar effects, 8-10 different guitars, 2 drum kits, 3 Mac computers, 6-8 hardware synthesizers, 10+ bottles of Whisky for my vocals (the "only reason I show up in the studio some seem to think, which of course is utterly false and untrue).

"On a cool (though increasingly embarrassing as the night wore on) we opened an exhibition at the Fearnley Museum in Oslo for US contemporary artist Matthew Barney, who brought his Cremaster Cycle exhibition to Norway. A really talented artists, who unfortunately forgot to hand me the scissors as I stepped on to the podium to cut the ribbon in front of 800 people, so I had to improvise, and tore the ribbons out of the walls, nails and all. I haven'! t got the bill yet, so I think I got away with it.

"Svein, our drummer, however did not get away with thinking he was Nikki Sixx and barfing Russian caviar, throwing expensive champagne glasses, spilling food, dancing on tables and insulting the nobility, in no particular order.

"He succeeded nicely in getting me and him (because I was standing next to him at the time) kicked out of the afterparty, leaving [the two guitarists] Levi and Åsmund to apologize and feel stupid.

"So hang around and watch for more news as well as comments from our new webguy."

NEW Doors 4 CD Live Set Released

BOOT YER BUTT (live) by the Doors, now available.

$79.98

Track Listing:

NEW Doors 4 CD Live Set Released

BOOT YER BUTT (live) by the Doors, now available.

This 56 songs, 4 CD set, entitled "Boot Yer Butt", contains the best live Doors tracks from 1967 through their last recorded concert in Dallas 1970, all hand-picked by Robby Krieger. The release is will be available via the Internet through "Bright Midnight Records". This release will also be available in stores.

$79.98

DISC ONE
Approximately 76:16 Total Time
Track times approximate
1. BOOTLEGGER'S CHAT 0:25 Recorded 7/10/1968 At Sam Houston Coliseum
2. ANNOUNCER INTRO Announcer 0:09 Recorded 7/6/1967 At Continental Ballroom
3. MOONLIGHT DRIVE (The Doors) 7:00 Recorded 3/4/1967 At Avalon Ballroom
4. BACK DOOR MAN (Dixon/Burnett) 5:33 Recorded 3/4/1967 Avalon Ballroom
5. BREAK ON THROUGH (The Doors) 5:55 Recorded 7/6/1967 At Continental Ballroom
6. LIGHT MY FIRE (The Doors) 8:38 Recorded 9/30/1967 At The Family Dog
7. PEOPLE ARE STRANGE (The Doors) 2:30 Recorded 10/11/1967 At Danbury High School
8. ALABAMA SONG (Brecht/Weill) 3:30 Recorded 12/16/1967 Swing Auditorium
9. CLOSE TO YOU (Dixon) 2:39 Recorded 12/26/1967 At Winterland Arena
10. I'M A MAN (McDaniel) 7:01 Recorded 12/26/1967 At Winterland Arena
11. LOVE ME TWO TIMES (The Doors) 3:16 Recorded 3/17/1968 At Back Bay Theatre
12. SOUL KITCHEN (The Doors) 7:38 Recorded 5/10/1968 At Chicago Coliseum
13. THE WASP/HELLO, I LOVE YOU (The Doors) 3:45 Recorded 7/9/1968 At Dallas Memorial Auditorium
14. MONEY (Strong) 3:19 Recorded 7/9/1968 At Dallas Memorial Auditorium
15. WHEN THE MUSIC'S OVER (The Doors) 14:58 Recorded 7/10/1968 At Sam Houston Coliseum

DISC TWO
Approximately 78:30 Total Time
Track times approximate
1. NEVER BEFORE IN PUBLIC 0:13 Recorded 8/2/1968 At Singer Bowl
2. WILD CHILD (Morrison) 2:44 Recorded 8/2/1968 At Singer Bowl
3. GONNA HAVE A REAL GOOD TIME (Rap) 0:15 Recorded 8/3/1968 At Cleveland Public Auditorium []
4. SPANISH CARAVAN (The Doors) 2:59 Recorded 8/4/1968 At Philadelphia Arena
5. FIVE TO ONE (The Doors) 5:18 Recorded 9/7/1968 At The Roundhouse
6. THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER (The Doors) 4:44 Recorded 9/14/1968 At Kongresshalle
7. VINCE TREANOR'S ANNOUNCEMENT 0:37 Recorded 9/15/1968 At Concertgebouw
8. BREAK ON THROUGH (The Doors) 5:38 Recorded 9/15/1968 At Concertgebouw
9. LITTLE RED ROOSTER (Dixon) 6:55 Recorded 11/10/1968 At Minneapolis Concert Hall
10. WILD CHILD (Morrison) 2:56 Recorded 11/10/1968 At Minneapolis Concert Hall
11. LOVE ME TWO TIMES (The Doors) 12:10 Recorded 11/10/1968 At Minneapolis Concert Hall
12. TOUCH ME (Krieger) 3:43 Recorded 12/14/1968 At L.A. Forum
13. CELEBRATION OF THE LIZARD (The Doors) 13:53 Recorded 12/14/1968 At L.A. Forum
14. THE SOFT PARADE (Morrison) 7:40 Recorded 1/24/1969 At Madison Square Garden
15. TELL ALL THE PEOPLE (Krieger) 3:24 Recorded 1/24/1969 At Madison Square Garden
16. WHO SCARED YOU? (Morrison/Krieger) 4:25 Recorded 1/24/1969 At Madison Square Garden
17. DOES ANYONE HAVE A CIGARETTE? (Rap) 0:54 Recorded 1/24/1969 At Madison Square Garden

DISC THREE
Approximately 71:00 Total Time
Track times approximate
1. BACK DOOR MAN (Dixon) 8:35 Recorded 1/24/1969 At Madison Square Garden
2. FIVE TO ONE (The Doors) 5:37 Recorded 1/24/1969 At Madison Square Garden
3. FORGET THIS IS THE SQUARE GARDEN (Rap) 0:51 Recorded 1/24/1969 Madison Square Garden
4. HITLER POEM 1:00 Recorded 1/24/1969 At Madison Square Garden
5. I'M TALKIN' ABOUT HAVING A GOOD TIME (Rap) 1:47 Recorded 3/1/1969 At Dinner Key Auditorium
6. NO LIMITS, NO LAWS (Rap) 1:15 Recorded 3/1/1969 At Dinner Key Auditorium
7. THE CRYSTAL SHIP (The Doors) 2:52 Recorded 9/13/1969 At Varsity Stadium
8. CAROL (Berry) 1:45 Recorded 2/6/1970 At Winterland Arena
9. ROCK ME (Waters) 6:24 Recorded 2/6/1970 At Winterland Arena
10. THE SPY (The Doors) 5:31 Recorded 2/7/1970 At Long Beach Sports Arena
11. IS THERE ANY LEFT (Rap) 0:56 Recorded 2/7/1970 At Long Beach Sports Arena
12. BLUE SUNDAY (The Doors) 2:00 Recorded 2/7/1970 At Long Beach Sports Arena
13. PETITION THE LORD WITH PRAYER/MAGGIE M'GILL (The Doors) 8:20 Recorded 2/7/1970 At Long Beach Sports Arena
14. WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN (Carter) 1:34 Recorded 2/15/1970 At Chicago Auditorium Theatre
15. ROADHOUSE BLUES (The Doors) 5:03 Recorded 4/18/1970 At Honolulu Convention Center
16. PEACE FROG (The Doors) 3:39 Recorded 4/18/1970 At Honolulu Convention Center
17. MYSTERY TRAIN (Parker/Phillips) 13:48 Recorded 4/18/1970 At Honolulu Convention Center

DISC FOUR
Approximately 79:33 Total Time
Track times approximate

1. LIGHT MY FIRE (The Doors) 20:59 Recorded 4/18/1970 At Honolulu Convention Center
2. LOVE HER MADLY (The Doors) 10:20 Recorded 12/11/1970 At State Fair Music Hall
3. SHIP OF FOOLS (The Doors) 8:30 Recorded 12/11/1970 At State Fair Music Hall
4. THE CHANGELING 5:07 Recorded 12/11/1970 At State Fair Music Hall
5. L.A. WOMAN (The Doors) 16:06 Recorded 12/11/1970 At State Fair Music Hall
6. THE END (The Doors) 17:01 Recorded 8/2/1968 At Singer Bowl
7. ANNOUNCER OUTRO 1:27 Recorded 8/3/1968 At Cleveland Public Auditorium

Second Script for IRON MAN Turned In

Comics Continuum is reporting that Al Gough and Miles Millar, creators of
The WB's SMALLVILLE, have turned in a second draft of an IRON MAN movie
script.

"It's an awesome draft," said Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige. "There should be
a director soon."

Feige is also aware of Tom Cruise's interest in the project. Feige added,
"There have been discussions over the last several years and there are a
number of factors involved. All we know is that we're putting all the pieces
in place and then we'll find the best Tony Stark that we can get." IRON MAN,
the adaptation of Marvel's comic book character, is set for 2005.

IRON MAN is about wealthy industrialist Tony Stark, a man who, for medical
reasons, is forced to don a suit of armor that he designed. He quickly uses
the powerful armor to be a do-gooder and fight evil. However, Stark has
another battle to fight, one with alcohol.

MINISTRY In The Studio: Video Available

from: www.animositisomina.com

A Quicktime video of MINISTRY in the studio recording the follow-up
to 2003's "Animositisomina", entitled "Houses of the Molé", is available for
download from www.bigweirdnormal.com/MINISTRY.mov (file size approx. 18 MB).

As previously reported, "Houses of the Molé" is tentatively scheduled
for release in the spring through Sanctuary Records.

MINISTRY frontman Al Jourgensen has previously stated about the
forthcoming album, " 'Houses of the Molé' will be all MINISTRY, all the
time, with a dash of sinister Southwest flavor and half the carbs."

Heavy Metal Music Site Profiles Sunwheel Psychedelic Debut

Greg Miners Sunwheel Psychedelic "Burning Doves" has been profiled at www.heavymetalmusic.biz

For more info see: www.sunwheelpsychedelic.com

The Men In Black Invade Sin City for "The Greatest Show On Earth"

MK's Alex Zander and Greg Miner Coverage of the 2004 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo

The official story is now posted online in our Editorial Section of this site. Join us for our recollection of the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in detail. As a professional courtesy some details have been omitted but none of the names were changed because nobody in Vega$ is innocent.

Set List from Type O's Johnny Kelly for Upcoming Happenin' Harry Gigs/TON

From Johnny at www.typeonegative.net

Here's some of the songs that you have a chance of hearing during the
HAPPENIN' HARRY & THE HAPTONES shows in Chicago featuring:

Highway Star (Deep Purple)
Burn (Deep Purple) HAPPENIN' HARRY
DIZZY of GUNS n ROSES
JOHNNY KELLY of TYPE O NEGATIVE
MAYUKO OKAI of THE DIZZY REED BAND
TZUSUMI OKAI of THE DIZZY REED BAND
PLUS, SPECIAL SURPRISE GUESTS !!

Christine Sixteen (Kiss)
Man In the Box (Alice In Chains)
It's So Easy (Guns n Roses)
Doctor Doctor (UFO)
Knockin On Heavens Door (Dillon)
Can't Get Enough (Bad Co)
Honky Tonk woman (Stones)
Tush (ZZ Top)
Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers (ZZ Top)
Another Thing comin' (Priest)
War Pigs (Sabbath)
Whole Lotta' Rosie (ACDC)
Doctor Love (Kiss)
Let It Bleed (Stones)
Sweet Virginia (Stones)
Dead Flowers (Stones)
Country Roads (John Denver)
Used to Love Her (Guns n Roses)
Breakin' The Law (Priest)

The following items are being auctioned by the band 100% of the profit will
be donated the National Children's Cancer Assn.
If you find the starting bids a bit higher then average, that's because it's
for God damn charity. Dig deep into those pockets, there may be a spot for
you in heaven (yeah right).
To start off the spewing of generosity, Josh and Johnny will each add $100
to the final figure to be donated. All shipping is your cost, and all sales
are final. Feel free to ask questions about all items, it may save you
grief.

4'x4' WCD lightbox art
Kenny Hickey Guitar
Peter Steele Playgirl
Fallout Single
Fallout Painted Bass Drum Head
Jumpsuits from the last tour
laminates and passes from last tour
and more!

Johnny Depp Among SAG Nominees

The Screen Actors Guild nominated Johnny Depp for best film actor for his
performance in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl as
part of its list of nominees for SAG Awards announced Jan. 15, Variety
reported.

SAG also nominated the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Return
of the King for an overall award. The 10th annual Screen Actors Guild awards
will air Feb. 22 on TNT at 5 p.m. PT, the trade paper reported. A list of
nominees from SF, fantasy and supernatural films and TV series follows.

Film

Actor

.Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Supporting Actor

.Alec Baldwin, The Cooler

Supporting Actress

.Maria Bello, The Cooler

Cast

.The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Television

Actress, Drama

.Jennifer Garner, Alias

SOIL: 'Redefine' Track Listing Revealed

Chicago's SOIL have confirmed the track listing for their new album,
"Redefine", which is set to hit stores March 23 through J Records.

It is as follows:

01. Pride
02. Redefine
03. Can You Heal Me?
04. Cross My Heart
05. Suffering
06. Remember
07. Deny Me
08. Something Real
09. Say You Will
10. Love Hate Game
11. Obsession

The first four tracks from the album can currently be listened to
online.

In other news, SOIL will support STAIND at the following dates in
February:

Feb. 06 - La Crosse, WI - La Crosse Center
Feb. 08 - Dekalb, IL - NIU Convocation Center
Feb. 09 - Pittsburgh, PA - A.J. Palumbo Center

The Darkness Confident They Can Show America The Light

Europe. This year, humorous hard rockers the Darkness have their sights set on North America.

Nearly four months after its U.S. release, the band's debut album,
Permission to Land, is rocketing up the Billboard albums chart. Last week it
jumped 81 slots to #92, and this week it shot up to #39.

"It's like the three stages of rabies," frontman Justin Hawkins explained.
"First people fear us, then they start foaming at the mouth because they
want us. And then they start attacking other people."

Hawkins compared the band's Stateside success to what the Darkness
experienced in the U.K. when they were just starting out. "We've divided the
public into people who either love us or hate us," he said. "And that
percentage is about the same: 90-10 against."

In other words, there's still a lot of work to be done, which is why the
Darkness will tour North America from March 24 to April 18. They'll return
this summer to finish the job. "We're looking forward to hitting the
Midwest," said bassist Frankie Poullain, "places like Pittsburgh that helped
define rock music."

"The only British bands that have made an impact here are the ones that
toured relentlessly," Hawkins added. "And we've already made an impact
having played about 10 shows."

Some have argued that the Darkness are too English to captivate audiences
here the way they've done back home, where Permission to Land debuted at #1.
Hawkins disagrees, claiming the band's flamboyant rock and colorful costumes
were created to shatter barriers.

"I think rock is a nation in itself. It is one of the few genres that can
transcend the cultural boundaries mankind puts in place," he said before
getting somewhat incomprehensible. "If you say certain parts of America are
different animals to other ones, if you have a blunderbuss it's gonna hurt
whether it's a weevil or an elephant. It's gonna hurt and it's gonna make
some damage."

Whatever that means, one thing's for sure: The 10 shows the Darkness have
played in North America have raised eyebrows but only hint at the heights
they intend to reach. "You haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg,"
Hawkins promised. "It's the tip of the tip. It's like a snowflake atop the
iceberg. ... The question is how many snowflakes does it take to build an
iceberg? And only the Lord above can answer that because he's the one who
makes them."

Considering how much traveling the band plans to do this spring, they'll
have to be careful when entering U.S. airports if they want to stay out of
trouble. Not that they'll necessarily try to smuggle drugs across the border
or stuff their trousers with cucumbers wrapped in tinfoil (as their
forefathers Spinal Tap once did), it's just that Hawkins' looks have proven
problematic.

"I had to go to New York for a photo shoot and then go back to the U.K. the
same day," Hawkins said. "I ended up being late for the shoot because
immigration held me for an hour, asking me questions like 'Where were you on
July 4?' and 'Have you ever been to Atlanta?' Apparently there's another
bloke named Justin Hawkins who is from Atlanta and who looks a little like
me, and he has done some bad things in his life and is on the most-wanted
list. We're probably going to Atlanta on the next tour, which could be
interesting."

The tour will launch around the same time the band's second U.S. single,
"Growing on Me," hits the airwaves. The track, a cross between '80s power
rock and '70s glam, will be accompanied by a humorous video that features a
pterodactyl humping the band's spaceship. The sexual innuendo is obvious,
but some have misconstrued the song's meaning.

"People have said it's about pubic lice," Hawkins said. "But that's
obviously wrong because pubic lice don't grow on you, do they?"

So what is the ditty about?

"A sweet lady woman that you will never fully fathom or understand, but you
love her so much that after a while it doesn't matter."

The same could be said about the Darkness.

AVN ADULT ENTERTAINMENT EXPO "Photographical Evidence Now Online at MK Online"

Alex Zander and Greg Miners extensive photo research is now available for viewing in the gallery section of www.mk-magazine.com the captions have not yet been posted and the story of the brewsome twosome will be posted tonight in Editorials. Stay Tuned!

Enjoy the photos. -AZ

Nine Viagra Pills Sold Each Second

More Young Men Are Turning to 'Mr. Blue'

Hundreds of patients asking Dr. Scott Parry for Viagra at his
Virginia-Highland clinic are young, healthy and virile and they don't suffer from diabetes, hypertension or any other medical cause of impotence.

Some complain about performance anxiety. Others say their marriage is in
need of a spark. Partygoers are looking for something to offset the effects
of alcohol.

They're part of a new wave of men in their 20s, 30s and 40s who look nothing
like Viagra's first spokesman five years ago: former presidential candidate
Bob Dole, who famously used the term ''erectile dysfunction,'' or ED.
Instead, they mirror the drug manufacturer's new spokesman, home run slugger
Rafael Palmeiro, who has used Viagra but reportedly has said he didn't need
it. Or Jeff Dauler, 30, a healthy, married producer of "The Bert Show" on
Atlanta's Q-100 radio, who told listeners he tried the pill on a lark.

"Mr. Blue" --- a slang term for the drug --- has exploded into a
multibillion-dollar industry, with nine Viagra tablets dispensed every
second around the globe.

Men with ED aren't the only ones fueling the business. Curious men and
others looking for that edge in the bedroom can buy the pills from a doctor,
off the Internet or around Atlanta nightclubs, sealed in tiny zip-top bags.

"Some young men will come in for a cold or pain in the leg and say, 'By the
way, I was wondering about this Viagra, and my wife and I have been having
some problems,' or 'I could use something to build my confidence,' " said
Dr. Shangbo Guan, an internal medicine specialist in Sandy Springs, who is
seeing an uptick in the number of younger men asking for the drug.

Experts say that some of these men suffer from unrealistic expectations
about performance or are masking more deep-rooted problems, such as
relationship conflict, poor self-image or drug addiction.

"There seems to be growing interest in having a 24/7 erection and performing
sexually without looking at the context or meaning," said Dr. Gail Wyatt, a
sex therapist, professor of psychiatry at UCLA and author of the book "No
More Clueless Sex."

At other times it's even more superficial: Men simply want to be impressed
with how they function.

"Everybody has insecurity, and here's this one thing they take and they can
feel they have this power and they look good," said Atlanta sex therapist
Virginia Erhardt.

Viagra manufacturer Pfizer and other companies selling impotence drugs
vehemently deny targeting healthy men and say the drugs are intended only
for men with ED.

JESSE JANE MAKES THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER!!

Digital Playground's Jesse Jane makes celebrity sightings in the January
20th issue of The National Enquirer, America's magazine. "Porn cutie Jesse
Jane" is named and pictured with friends at a club in Miami where they
celebrated the New Year in style.

With a guaranteed rate base of 1.6 million and an estimated reading audience topping 12 million, placement in The National Enquirer affirms Digital Playground's Jesse Jane is rapidly gaining mass mainstream exposure and acceptance.

To find out exactly what Jesse Jane has been up to, pick up your copy of The
National Enquirer, January 20th issue, available on newsstands now!

Jesse Jane is a registered trademark of Digital Playground, Inc. and all
rights are reserved worldwide.

EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN Release New Album

EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN's long-awaited new studio album, Perpetuum
Mobile has arrived at last and will be released on February 10, 2004 through
Mute. This is the follow up to Silence Is Sexy (2000) and the Strategies
Against Architecture III (2001) anthology.

For Perpetuum Mobile the band, who have been operating as a constant
line-up consisting of Blixa Bargeld, Alexander Hacke, N. U. Unruh, Jochen
Arbeit and Rudi Moser since Ende Neu (1996), decided on a novel and unusual
production approach. Webcams were installed at the Neubauten studio in
Berlin to transmit the entire creative process via the Internet on their
homepage, www.neubauten.org. Interested fans were granted access to the site
after paying a one-off fee which served to guarantee the financial
independence of the production. At previously announced fixed times, their
supporters had the opportunity to watch the creative process live and to
send their comments live to the band. To be able to react to incoming
remarks, everybody in the studio, including sound engineer and webmaster,
were equipped with a laptop.

All the sessions were broadcast - and later also the rough mix
versions - were filed in an archive that could always be accessed online and
discussed later in the chat or the forum. There were a number tracks, says
Blixa Bargeld, that the band would have abandoned after a few attempts ("Ein
seltener Vogel"), but continued to work on because the supporters insisted
on their completion. So these fans, through their influence on the music,
the lyrics and the production, were supportive in these respects.

On completion of the production process, each supporter received the
Supporter Album # 1, mainly consisting of material different to the songs
now released on Perpetuum Mobile - exclusively conceived in the sessions
that were broadcast live.

North American tour dates for Spring 2004 will be announced soon.

www.neubauten.org
www.blixabargeld.com
www.mute.com

CONTEST: Design The GENE $IMMON$ Alter-Ego: FIRESTARTER!

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons is busy readying his highly
anticipated solo record, "Firestarter", the debut release on Simmons
Records/Sanctuary Music Group, and is looking for the best and most creative
designer to come up with the image for his alter-ego. "We want to leave the
creative vision to the individual designer, but as a point of reference we
see 'Firestarter' as the Dark Knight to Gene Simmons," reads a post on
Gene's web site.

If you think you have what it takes to create the "Firestarter",
submit your ideas to genesimmonsfirestartercontest@sanctuarygroup.com. The
winner will receive a choice of a cash prize or a trip to see KISS and meet
Gene Simmons.

Rules & Regulations: *ALL ENTRIES SUBMITTED WILL BECOME THE PROPERTY
OF GENE SIMMONS AND SANCTUARY MUSIC GROUP. *Please do not send a larger file
than .72 dpi jpeg when submitting your entry.

As previously reported, Simmons' first solo record in 25 years will
feature songs co-written by Bob Dylan and the late Frank Zappa.

Among the tracks set to be included on the effort are the following:

01. Waiting for the Morning Light
02. Black Tongue
03. Dog
04. Looking Out The Window
05. Asshole

No release date has yet been announced for "Firestarter".

Ted Nugent Slices Self With Chainsaw Taping His Reality Show

Ted Nugent is having a tough time surviving his own reality show.

Currently taping the second installment of his VH1 series Surviving Nugent:
The Ted Commandments, the Motor City rocker was injured on the show's Texas set when a chainsaw cut through his leg.

Nugent needed 40 stitches to close the gash in his leg, but did not miss any
time on the series, which is scheduled to tape through Sunday, according to
a VH1 spokesperson.

With the help of a brace, the 55-year-old musician and outdoor enthusiast
continued to man the show on which he attempts to turn unsuspecting city
slickers into wary woodsman.

In the first installment of Surviving Nugent, the victims, er, contestants
were shot with paintballs, forced to sleep in a barn, build an outhouse and
skin a boar--all in the hopes of capturing a $25,000 purse and prizes.

Nugent challenged the contestants to survive off the land on his rural
compound 70 miles west of Detroit. The resulting footage was aired as a
two-hour special last October.

For the second installment, contestants have been shifted to Nugent's ranch
outside of Waco, Texas for a whole new set of challenges.

Nugent, his wife Shemane and son Rocco will be featured prominently in the
show, along with ranch hands Big John and Big Jim.

The show will air in a series of episodes in its second installment, and is
scheduled to begin April. The stakes are higher this time around, as
competitors are dueling for a grand prize of $100,000

Two Students Arrested In Alleged Plot To Re-Create Columbine Massacre

DUTCHTOWN, La. - Two high school students were arrested and accused of creating an elaborate plan to re-create the bloody Columbine high school massacre on its five-year anniversary in April.

Christopher Levins, 17, of Prairieville and Adam Sinclair, 19, of Geismar were each booked Monday with one count of terrorizing — a felony punishable with up to 15 years in prison, Ascension Parish Sheriff Jeff Wiley said.

"This is not just a case of kids just talking to be cool," Wiley said. "These students had plans all worked out."

The alleged plot was discovered after an anonymous call was made to Dutchtown High School on Friday indicated some kind of armed disturbance was being planned. Levins and Sinclair admitted some of the planning but called it a "fantasy" and a joke, and said they never really planned to go through with it, Lt. Kevin Hanna said.

Deputies said they found drawings and papers about the April 20, 1999, shootings at Columbine High in Littleton, Colo. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people before committing suicide. Twenty-three others were wounded.

Poems by the pair about being bullied and numerous writings in which Levins, a senior, and Sinclair, a sophomore, refer to themselves as "The Trenchcoat Mafia" were also found, authorities said. Harris and Klebold had been said to belong to a loosely knit group with that name at Columbine, though investigators later said they were not part of it.

"We found one drawing that had the student blowing the brains out of a particular teacher," Wiley said. Another depicted Levins and Sinclair on a school roof celebrating around dead bodies hanging out of windows, officers said.

"Apparently, they were planning to wake up at 4:20 a.m. on April 20 of this year to do this," Maj. Tony Bacala said.

Authorities said said no weapons were found, although detectives did find evidence that Levins and Sinclair had obtained information on buying shotguns and rifles.

The investigation is continuing and more arrests are possible, Wiley said. Neither student has a criminal record, and school officials said neither was a discipline problem.

Efforts to reach the two students' families for comment were unsuccesful Tuesday morning. There were no telephone listings for Levins or Sinclair in the area.

JACKSON® GUITARS ENLISTS ADULT MEGA STAR JENNA JAMESON TO MARKET ITS LINE OF CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – (January 13, 2004) – Adult mega star Jenna Jameson has teamed up with guitar maker Jackson to help market a line of Jackson clothing, accessories and even a skateboard. The company is so impressed with Jenna’s draw as a spokesperson that it is working on a separate line of Jenna/Jackson merchandise, which is expected to be announced soon.

Sexy photos of Jameson appear on the Jackson Guitar home page and throughout the company’s Website (www.jacksonguitar.com) with invitations to check out a gallery of even more pictures at the gateway to the company’s online store. Throughout, she wears a tight-fitting halter-top and a barely-there thong that reveals the notorious “Heartbreaker” tattoo on her backside. The copy on the site notes that Jackson “asked our good friend Jenna Jameson to model for us. Want to see more? You know you do! To see more of Jenna, click the thumbnails below.”

Jenna also appears in the most recent Jackson printed catalog, which features a pullout poster of her with a Jackson guitar.

“I’ve always loved the sound of a Jackson guitar and so I’m thrilled to be helping to market their clothing and accessories store,” says Jenna. “It’s even more exciting because Jackson is based here in Scottsdale where I live and it’s a terrific company.”

Jenna has had a long association with rock ‘n’ roll music. She has been the cover girl on the Guitar World “2003 Guitar Buyer’s Guide” catalog and she’s made appearances on smash hit music videos by Eminem and KORN. She has been featured in and honored by Revolver magazine, has appeared on several VH1 programs, and has been profiled in rock star turned publisher Gene Simmons’ Tongue magazine. She also has been a celebrity presenter at Motley Crue singer Vince Neil’s annual Skylar Neil Memorial Golf Tournament.

About Jenna Jameson: According to Rolling Stone. Jenna Jameson is the actress who "put the star in porn star," and to New York Magazine she’s a “cultural icon.” Recognized by Adult Video News as the leading female adult star of all time, she has won virtually every honor the adult industry bestows. She has written a highly anticipated book on her life and sexual adventures for the ReganBooks imprint of HarperCollins, and was profiled by The E! True Hollywood Story in one of its highest-rated shows of 2003. She has had numerous mainstream movie and television roles, has hosted E!'s 'Wild On' program, has made countless television appearances and has debated and won at Oxford University in England. Jenna Jameson is the chairwoman of ClubJenna, Inc., a product licensing and Internet management firm that handles the Web activities for more than a dozen adult stars. Vivid Entertainment Group has selected Jenna as a Vivid Girl and films produced by her own production company are distributed by Vivid. Ms. Jameson, who began her career as a Las Vegas showgirl, has appeared in more than 1,000 magazines articles and graced approximately 400 magazine covers from Playboy, New York, Esquire and Penthouse to Glamour, Paper, Cosmopolitan, Allure and Jane. FHM ranks her as one of the 100 Most Beautiful Girls in the World.

HAPPENIN' HARRY & THE HAPTONES IN "CHICAGO" IN JANUARY with Type O Negative's Johnny Kelly

From Johnny at typeonegative.net

DIZZY of GUNS n ROSES
JOHNNY KELLY of TYPE O NEGATIVE
MAYUKO OKAI of THE DIZZY REED BAND
TZUSUMI OKAI of THE DIZZY REED BAND
PLUS, SPECIAL SURPRISE GUESTS !!
www.happeninharry.com
www.dizzyreed.com
www.typeonegative.net

Friday, January 30st Joilet, Il.
Saturday, January 31st Nitecap Lounge Chicago, Il.
the other 2 dates TBA...

This is the "all-star" cover band I jammed with two nights during this last
tour. Great players, great songs and a big bar tab! Harry invited me back up
to Chicago for a run of 4 shows in January - Hell, I'd do it for the drinks!

I'll post the setlist soon...Deep Purple's Burn is gonna kill me! -Johnny

Prong's Scorpio Rising-Coming To States Next Month

Prong will finally release their long awaited new studio album 'Scorpio Rising' in the States next month.

The current incarnation of Prong includes singer/guitarist/founder Tommy Victor, drummer Dan Laudo. and guitarist Monte Pittman, a longtime friend of Victor and an alumnus of Madonna's recent Drowned World Tour.

A tour is said to be in the works for this Spring.

The track listing is:

1. Detached
2. All Knowing Force
3. Embrace The Depth
4. Reactive Mind
5. Regal
6. Inner Truth
7. Avoid Promises
8. Siriusly Emerging
9. Assurances
10. Out Of This Realm
11. Letter To A 'Friend'
12. Entrance Of The Eclipse
13. Red Martial Workings

14. Hidden Agendas

DANZIG To Return To The Studio This Month

Thanks To Blabbermouth:

According to a posting at www.7thhouse.com, DANZIG will be heading
back into the studio at the end of the month to continue work on the
follow-up 2002's "777: I Luciferi". "As [singer] Glenn [Danzig] has
continued to write, the band will record the foundations for some new songs
in the upcoming studio sessions. There has been one working song title
released, 'Skin Carver'."

DANZIG recently inked a European deal with
Sweden's Regain Records and are said to be still looking into offers from
several U.S. labels for the American release of the band's eighth studio
album, tentatively due in the spring. DANZIG's current lineup (click here to
view photo) consists of Glenn Danzig (vocals), Tommy Victor (guitar, PRONG),
Bevan Davies (drums, COMES WITH THE FALL), and Jerry Montano (bass, ex-THE DEADLIGHTS).

AVN AEE the Wildest So Far

from www.avn.com
By: Acme Andersson

LAS VEGAS - Saturday was definitely the wildest day so far at the 2004 Adult Entertainment Expo, with vendors, distributors, stars and fans packing the convention center. While final numbers won’t be available until the show is over, AVN officials were certain that this year’s turnout has been the largest in the show’s history.

Superstars in adult and mainstream populated the center, including Mike Tyson, 50 Cent, Hulk Hogan, Vince Neil, Luke Skywalker, Dino Cazares of Fear Factory Alex and Greg from MK Magazine and a bevy of former LA Glamsters.

Larry Flynt commanded an enormous crowd at the Hustler booth, where he signed copies of the new issue of Hustler for fans flanked by a pair of sweet things, Alyssa Lovelace and Laurie Wallice, as well as some very attentive security guards. At the other end of the Hustler booth, AVN Best New Starlet nominee Lauren Phoenix entertained a respectable crowd with her beauty, grace and autographs.

Across the aisle at the Vivid booth, sexy and smiling Tera Patrick signed posters and posed for pictures with eager fans who lined up around the corner, packing the aisles, though few seemed to mind the inconvenience, especially since it allowed the a slow stroll past Tera, something enjoyed by many.

The lines at the Digital Playground booth for Jesse Jane and Devon seemed to form almost before the show started and have lasted throughout each day of the show.

At 12:50 at the Shane’s World booth, an anticipatory Calli Cox said, “It’s about to get nuts.” Rapper 50 Cent was scheduled to show up at 1 o’clock and rumors were rampant that he was bringing Eminem along. While Eminem wasn’t in the house, 50 Cent did arrive and immediately the crowd swelled to ridiculous proportions.

Calli noted that she’s seen tremendous growth in the five years she has attended AEE, the first two as a fan and the latter three as talent. The Shane’s World booth was set up largely to promote the company’s College Invasion line with appearances by Drunky the Bear and fans had the opportunity to spin the College Invasion wheel to win prizes. Calli said the response had been “huge.” Shane’s World had several starlets signing, including Serena South, Jamie Brookes, Kristy Lee and Calli.

After a traumatic scene at the JM Productions booth in 2003 when a fan slipped a finger into the ass of an unsuspecting Ashley Blue who ended up crying and cowering under a podium, owner Jeff Steward designed his 2004 booth differently so that fans wouldn’t have the opportunity to violate the stars. “It’s been very successful,” he told AVN. “I’ve never been so drunk. And there haven’t been any molestations thanks to our new design. This year JM had Ashley Blue, Katie Gold, Francesca Lé and Gen Padova meeting and greeting fans.

Digital Playground publicist Adella was ecstatic about this year’s turnout. “We did more business the first day of this year’s show than we’ve done in the entirety of any previous show,” she told AVN. “And look at the line out there for Jesse and Devon. It’s been non-stop.”

“I think the separate trade and fan hours have worked very well this year,” Digital Playground President Samantha Lewis added.

Director Robby D, who is nominated for 11 AVN Awards at tonight’s show said he was “overwhelmed by the response to Jack’s Playground. Even guys are asking for my autograph! It kind of creeps me out, but it’s really, really cool. I can’t believe it.”

Adam & Eve had their usual major presence with a booth that included startlets like Nicole Sheridan, Carmen Luvana, Nina Hartley, Alexandra Silk, Kitty and Catalina Cruz. Also, Wankus and others broadcasted live on KSEXradio.com while the starlets signed and mingled. In the early afternoon, Nick Manning dropped by to an amazing response from fans and Layla-Jade talked to fans. “It’s a lot nicer this year because the fans aren’t so grabby,” she said.

Wicked Pictures owner Steve Orenstein said he was “thrilled” with the show and that everything was going well. “It’s a bigger crowd this year, if that’s even possible,” he told AVN. “The aisles have been busy even before the fans come in.” This year Wicked featured a very impressive booth that included a kiosk that allowed attendees to download screensavers and wallpapers to their cell phones. And yesterday Wicked became the first adult company to unveil the first 24-hour streaming to cell phone via XTC Mobile. “It’s only been on day and we’ve already had thousands of hits,” a pleased Orenstein said. All seven contract stars – Sydnee Steele, Devinn Lane, Stormy, Kaylani Lei, Julia Ann, Jessica Drake, Stephanie Swift – were on hand to sign photos and posters as well as pose for pictures with fans.

“We’ve done a lot of business this year,” Orenstein said. “Usually there’s a lot of talk, but this year we’re closing deals.”

Boo, Alexis Malone, Sky Lopez, Tanya James, Tanya Danielle, Rachel Rotten and Sunset Thomas all signed at the VCA Pictures booth. VCA publicist Misha pointed out that the company had built a new booth this year and that it has worked out well. Since the company was bought by Hustler last year, the two companies had sister booths.

“The girls have been great and the fans have been wonderful. I have absolutely no complaints.”

Outside the hall there was a heavy stream of traffic headed for the convention and, at times, enormously long lines.

One fan, Tony, said the long lines would be much more intimidating if not for the steady stream of beautiful women going by. “I got seven autographs already and I haven’t even gone inside.” Like many fans, he traveled a great distance to attend the show, flying in from Arkansas Thursday morning. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for years and it’s been one of the greatest times of my life,” he said. “It’s crazy!”

One scantily-clad beauty that caught the attention of the madding crowd was Jaymee from Sheri’s Brothel. Asked how big of a suitcase she needed for the trip, she said, “I have a very small bag for the clothes and a big one for the dildos.” Granted, Sheri’s is located right outside Vegas, but one suspects that the result would have been the same no matter where they traveled from.

MINISTRY Working On New Record Photos Online

Ministry are currently working hard in the studio and to prove this, a new
gallery of Ministry in the studio taken by Austin Rhodes are posted online
at www.animositisomina.com/pics/studio/.

MINISTRY's new release entitled: "Houses of the Molé", is scheduled for May
2004 release on Sanctuary Records.

ROCK CITY MORGUE To Support MURDERDOLLS In California

From BLABBERMOUTH:

This is the perfect package for a rock n roll show. - AZ

ROCK CITY MORGUE, the New Orleans, Louisiana-based band featuring
former WHITE ZOMBIE bassist Sean Yseult, ex-MAN SCOUTS OF AMERICA frontman
Rik Slave, and ex-THE B MOVIE RATS drummer Andy Baker, will be supporting
the MURDERDOLLS at their two gigs in California later this week.

As previously reported, ROCK CITY MORGUE recorded a new four-song EP
in November with producer/engineer J Yuenger (ex-WHITE ZOMBIE guitarist). A
spring release through Antidote Records is expected.

Iggy Pop: The Godfather of Punk

from: www.canoe.ca/JamMusic/

"If I had the choice, I'd rather sing than talk," the Godfather of Punk
says down the line from his Miami Beach home recently.

And yet, for the next 45 minutes, Iggy Pop chats away -- in an exclusive
Canadian newspaper interview with the Sun -- telling both highly
entertaining and informative tales in that unmistakable deep voice.

Topics range from seeing Jim Morrison for the first time -- the catalyst for
Pop forming seminal Detroit punk band The Stooges in 1967 -- to his apparent
invention of the stage dive and torn jeans, to reuniting with Stooges
bandmates Ron and Scott Asheton for the first time in 30 years on his latest
album, Skull Ring.

Not bad for a reluctant interview.

"I'm never going to be Maria Callas but I could imitate Jim Morrison pretty
well," Pop says of his reaction after catching The Lizard King at a
homecoming dance at the University of Michigan when he was just 19.

"He had a great sense of occasion. And the first night I saw him, his sense
of occasion was totally out of hand and he had no sense of anything else. He
was just LSD'd out of his mind and reeling like a drunk, singing like Betty
Boop, and refusing to be correct, basically. And I thought, 'This is great.
This is really great.' "

Given that anecdote alone, it's a shame Pop is doing fewer and fewer
interviews these days.

STARTLING PHYSIQUE

He's one of those rare rockers who has improved with age -- still a dynamo
in concert -- and he's articulate, blunt and funny in conversation.

"There's a lot of energy that flies out when you've got your mouth open,"
explains Pop, 56. "It's really true. Yogis and Tai Chi masters will tell you
that."

Which leads to how the famously toned rocker has maintained his incredible,
some might say startling, physique, despite early years of abuse, which
included cutting himself with broken glass during performances, and a couple
of battles with heroin addiction.

"Basically I've got a Tai Chi master," says Pop, whose biggest vices these
days are a nightly glass of red wine and Cuban coffee. "And I do about 40
minutes a day, if I'm not working in showbiz. And, if I am, then I do about
20 minutes or a half-hour a day. And that really does the trick. Other than
that, there's a little heredity, the luxury of being able to go to the beach
whenever I want to, and then ... I managed to figure out that what my mother
told me was good (adopts matronly tone): 'Eat three square meals and early
to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.' It works."

Pop -- shirtless, tanned, bleached-blond, barefoot and in tight jeans -- was
definitely a sight to behold as he hurled himself off the stage at one point
during a two-song set with Ajax pop-punk outfit Sum 41 at the Casby Awards
last November at Kool Haus bar in Toronto.

In fact, a recent Rolling Stone profile even suggested he invented the move.

"I think I did. I think so," says Pop. "How do you stake a claim?" he adds
with a chuckle. "The first one I did was in 1968, it was the second show I
ever did, and I was opening for Frank Zappa, for the Mothers of Invention.
And I couldn't think of another way to get attention and I did this thing --
ever seen how little boys sometimes when they want attention, they'll make
themselves perfectly stiff and then they'll just fall flat-faced on the
floor? -- I did that, except off a five-foot stage."

Pop says he was inspired by those who came before him.

"Obviously, I was a keen student of R&B and blues, gospel. And there is the
tradition in gospel, the preacher he'll get down from time to time, but I'd
also see the R&B singers rip their pants. They'd rip them, some of them,
during almost every performance. They'd just make sure they were really,
really tight sheer pants. And the first time I ripped mine, by accident, I
thought, 'This is cool. I want to go out with my pants ripped. Start from
there.' I think I was the first one to do that, too."

In Rolling Stone, Pop declared: "Today's rock is just embarrassing. It's
white men on MSG."

He jokes now: "I wondered if anybody would understand what MSG was."

Still, that assessment obviously doesn't extend to Toronto electro-rap
artist -- and fellow rock terrorist -- Peaches and Sum 41, who both appear
on Skull Ring.

'ART GHETTO'

"It was capital-R rock that I was talking about," Pop says. "Peaches is
funny because she's really good. But because she's adventurous or witty or
whatever it is, she ventures pretty far afield, she's kind of shoved over to
the art ghetto and she doesn't really want to be there, at least ghetto-ized
there."

Pop says Sum 41, who co-wrote and performed on the first single, Little Know
It All, came to his attention late in the recording of Skull Ring courtesy
of his label's A&R guy.

"And, in fact, I hadn't told anyone else this ... but I actually used them
before I did the last record," he says. "Beat 'Em Up (his 2001 release) was
a very heavy record and I wanted to hear what the skill level and the
recording technique level was for hard bands at that point. And I used them
as my kind of bar. I went out and got one of their (CDs). I didn't listen to
the songs. I didn't want be influenced. I just listened to the first 30
seconds. It was a little too good. The skill level is extremely high there.
It's really, really precise."

As for Peaches -- who has been known to disrobe and spit blood during her
manic performances -- he definitely sees himself in her.

"It happened accidentally," Pop says of his introduction to Peaches. "I
appeared at The Short List (ceremony) a year-and-a-half ago and some critics
were discussing her and I was eavesdropping and she sounded really immense,
in terms of what they thought she was doing. I thought, 'Oh this is
important.' And then I didn't think anything more about it. But she crashed
my dressing room that night and she's a real heathen, you know. I would have
thrown her out usually but I went, 'Oh, it's Peaches!' And she's wearing her
little pink suit and she was interesting. So I got her record the next day
and it was really good -- The Teaches of Peaches -- a really good piece of
work."

STOOGES REUNION

Finally then, and perhaps most significantly, there's Pop's long-awaited
reunion with The Stooges on Skull Ring on four songs.

It took 30 years to get Pop back with the Asheton brothers -- guitarist Ron
and drummer Scott -- after his label put up some resistance to him working
solely with his current band The Trolls.

Pop says his old bandmates had wanted to reunite for a long time but he
resisted "doing a reunion, oldies thing."

But, as they say, people change.

"They're more focused now than they were," he says. "They're hungry. They've
had a long time to wait for this and they're ravenous. Because of that,
they've managed to muster something that passes for maturity when we're
working. So they're very keyed in."

Pop has since performed eight shows with The Stooges this year and will play
with them in Toyko and Osaka for arena shows in the spring.

He says he's forsaking a traditional North American tour to support Skull
Ring in favour of diversification.

"I'm flexible and available, basically, if the situation is right," Pop
says. "So it's sort of like today's army. I have one set with The Stooges
that I can do that is still growing and I have another set that has
different material with The Trolls.

"And I can also do acoustic -- maybe if you're having a birthday party?" he
adds with a laugh.

Ted Nugent Reality TV Show Bizarre

Motor City Madman set to kick TV butt with his reality show

HOLLYWOOD -- Ozzy Osbourne move over. Ted Nugent is the new tube freak in
town.

The Motor City Madman went straight at TV critics yesterday who were
attending the press launch of Surviving Nugent: The Ted Commandments, a
bizarre new reality show featuring the rocker/gun advocate/conservationist.

The series, which tosses 11 city slickers onto Nugent's Texas ranch, will
debut in April on the U.S. music channel VH1. We'll have to wait to see if
any Canadian broadcaster has the balls to buy it.

What's the show about? "We like to refer to it as a spiritual erection --
write that down," said Nugent, who doesn't suffer fools -- or journalists --
lightly.

At 55, the lanky Detroit native, who had a hit decades ago with Cat Scratch
Fever and still works 100 rock shows a year, says he is more dangerous than
ever because "in a world of political correct, cult of denial, the truth is
a beautiful thing. And though I offer it like a gentleman, if I sense
resistance, I will bend you over."

Nugent shared the stage with his busty wife, Shemane, and buddy Big Jim. He
says for all his bluster, Shemane is the real boss in the family.

The couple have been married for 15 years. "I am pussy whipped," Nugent
declared. "She is my Lord and Master."

And translator. Shemane had to repeat several questions for the literally
shell-shocked rocker.

"He's had hearing loss for quite some time," Shemane said, "but it's
actually not because of the rock 'n' roll so much but partially because of
shooting guns."

Nugent is a strident NRA advocate. He's also a big beef eater, but has no
beef with wimps who aren't mad for cow. "If Paul McCartney came up here
today I would say, 'Paul, have a seat, we'll get you some tofu, you son of a
bitch.' "

Nugent insists he's really a very tolerant guy. "If you want salad, have a
damn salad. If you don't want to carry a gun, I'll carry it for you."

"I love my fellow man," he continued. "I just want to give them directions
so they live longer and healthier."

Oh yeah, the show. Nugent puts the 11 contestants to work on his farm
shovelling manure and butchering cattle. It's a survivalists' boot camp with
Nugent a one-man tribal council, and, at the end, some poor sucker wins a
truck.

Being accepted and understood by Joe America is good, Nugent confirmed, but
he takes even more satisfaction in "pissing off assholes."

When one brave reporter dared ask who those assholes were, Nugent invited
the guy up on stage. Most a--holes carried microphones or cameras, he
suggested.

He finally defined a--holes as people who consume but don't turn back in.

"I am so far from being an a--hole I almost feel like Mother Teresa with a
Glock. Sometimes I have to adjust my halo because I am involved in excess of
100 charities across the nation."

He says he doesn't watch much TV (except for Seinfeld reruns, which he
watches religiously), and has no time for network news anchors such as
"Rather, Brokaw, Jennings or Blitzer."

"I'm not interested in bullshit," he needlessly explained.

THE DARKNESS GROWING ON THE US CHARTS!

THE DARKNESS have started their assault on the US charts, making their first
appearance in the Top 100 as the highest climbing album of the week.

'Permission To Land' hit the Number One spot in the UK during the summer
2003, and in this week jumped from 173 to 92 in the Billboard chart
Stateside.

The spandex rockers have started promoting the album in the US, explaining
its climb up the charts.As previously reported on NME.COM, The Darkness are
also trying to break the notoriously hard American market through computer
games.

Tracks from the band's 'Permission To Land' are to be used on the soundtrack
for the 2004 instalment of the hugely successful John Madden Football
series - a move which could prove make or break for the band's US fortunes.

UPDATE FROM AVN EXPO IN LAS VEGAS

Day Three. I am tired. Did countless interviews yesterday and it was a lot of fun but wore me out. I was on Channel 8 here in Las Vegas last night. A lot of people stopped me on the street to inform me of that. Hung out with a lot of industry types and have more porn memorabilia than I can handle. Hung out with Jesse Jane, Gauge, Devon, (she was really hungover or still drunk) and many others. The lines for Ginger Lynn and Jenna are really long. I ran into Hulk Hogan and got a picture. Mike Tyson is running around with a huge posse/entourage. Grego was in rare form as we hung out with Rob Black from Extreme Associates and saw some old friends from LA. I saw one guy from Chicago who works security at our Riviera.

Overall everyone in this business is really nice. They are all straight up and honest. It can’t be beat. I feel as at home here as I do in rock n roll only sans the bullshit. Seymour Butts is a realty nice guy and Mattt from Real Dolls was gracious as well. I got a bunch of the his and hers Viagra equivalent that Vivid introduced to the market. Got lots of various lube samples.

The floor is very crowed. I’ve never seen so many people attending an event. This thing is huge.

The photos are around 150 now and we’ve shot over an hour of video. It’s hard to sum everything us when you’re surrounded by sex all day long. So I’ll go into depth with the details when I am in the office and can use the photos to help illustrate the entire feel of this thing. I do know this; I plan to be here next year.

I am very tired. I fell asleep by 730 last night and Grego came in like a raging mad man at 3 AM and woke me up. I’ve been awake ever since. More later – AZ in Las Vegas

Day One AVN Expo

Well the fight was on time but it took over an hour to get to our hotel. The Paste Eater Convention (Computer and Electronics) is also the same time as this smut fest. And it is packed. Grego and I could sense the aroma of silicone and collagen before we even got out of the cab. We got out press badges and they took our photos. We went in through the private press entrance after they scanned our passes to properly identify us.

After that it was a sea of smut. There are porn starlets as far as we could see, and the lines to meet them were ridiculous. Grego got on the camera immediately and I started pressing palm, putting names with faces, handing out and collecting business cards as fast as I could.

Now for the record I have to let you know that these girls are all tiny. Not one that we’ve seen is over 5 ft so far. And nobody can weigh even 100 lbs. wet. Gauge is beyond petite and Aurora Snow actually looks completely different clothed.

Its funny how many faces and asses and breasts we recognize and the starts of adult cinema float around us like they are invisible.

I’ve met many publicists so far and they all seemed to await meeting me. They are the nicest people in entertainment I’ve ever met. Though a few of them are running really late today, partially due to opening night. I guess last nights parties we something to behold. There are a lot of squinty eyes and tired faces.

We got out VIP pass for Jill Kelly’s party. It was funny cause a lot of other guys from the press were trying to scam them, and Scott from JKP gave me a pass for Grego and I and that was it. We walked away cooly.

We’re looking for Matt from Real Dolls, he’s late as well. Felt the specimen and it was much too firm and creepy cold. That’s all I can say about that. Grego got a photo of me putting my finger in its bunghole. They are no Stepford Wife and we both took a pass on the loaner they offered us to try out this evening.

Everyone in the biz loves MK. I feel right at home here. Plus a sea of blatantly promiscuous adult stars dozen't hurt.

Well it’s packed and the lines run through the Sands. Luckily we don’t have to wait in them.

From the press room at 3PM Pacific Time. We’ll write more later. Prepare for a crazy update tomorrow.

AZ

AVN Adult Entertainment Expo Launches Today

LAS VEGAS - Today over 200 companies will welcome retailers, manufacturers,
distributors, buyers, press and fans on the opening day of the AVN Adult
Entertainment Expo (AEE).

Show organizers anticipate that this year they will have their largest
turnout ever with over 200 adult companies committed to the show that brings
businesses and fans together for fours days of exposure to the largest
comprehensive collection of adult talent, exhibitors and product.

"The AVN Adult Entertainment Expo not only highlights the economic strength
of the industry but also the strong connections that fans have to their
favorite adult stars and products," said Carrie Dieterich, spokesperson for
Home Entertainment Events (HEE), the company that presents the annual event.

Last year's AEE drew more than 8,000 industry professionals and more than
15,000 fans, establish new attendance records. Industry and fan attendance
continues to be a driving factor behind the success of the AVN Adult
Entertainment Expo.

New to the 2004 AEE is the addition of the B2B Marketplace and the Gay
Product Showcase. The B2B Marketplace is a "trade only" area of the exhibit
floor for companies that feature products such as point of sale systems,
carpeting, shelving, and other display-type merchandise.

The Gay Product Showcase is an area of the exhibit floor that will be
devoted to gay and lesbian-themed products. This special showcase is being
sponsored by Cybersocket, Paladin Video, and Specialty Publications.

Exhibits at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo will be open on Thursday,
January 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Friday, January 9 from 10:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m., Saturday, January 10 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday,
January 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The show is open to only trade professionals until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday
and Friday and until noon on Saturday.

Mad Mad House To Debut On Sci-Fi

FIONA HORNE

As reported here last week:

SCI FI Channel announced that its reality series Mad Mad House will debut
March 4 and will air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT as part of a new original
programming block called SCI FI Thursday. The 10-episode weekly series
chronicles the unhinging of 10 everyday people who move into a house run by
a vampire, a Wiccan, a naturist, a voodoo priestess and a "modern primitive"
to compete for a $100,000 prize, the network reported.

The one-hour series is part reality, part variety and part game. The 10
guests will be judged by the so-called Alts to determine their openness to
and tolerance of alternative lifestyles. From their participation in house
activities to their willingness to get to know the Alts, the guests will be
subject to constant evaluation. The Alts will determine which of their
guests will be banished in the weekly elimination ceremony and which one
will ultimately walk away with the six-figure prize.

Mad Mad House will feature Fiona Horne who was interviewed by Alex Zander in
last Falls issue of MK.

Created by Arthur Smith and Kent Weed, Mad Mad House is produced by A. Smith
& Co. Productions (Paradise Hotel).

Spiderman 2 Script Spoilers

A short but interesting review of the superhero sequel's script has gone
online over at TrekBBS, Here's a glimpse at the scooper's reaction.

- MJ gets engaged to John Jameson
- Spidey loses his powers
- Doc Ock is portrayed as a good man subverted by a malfunctioning neural
chip that allowed him to control the mechanical arms
- Everybody and their mother finds out that Spider-Man is Peter Parker
(well, not really, but Peter's identity is used for great emotional effect
in three places)
- Harry has visions of Norman at the very end, and finds the Goblin lair

The script reads very much like a sequel. There's some of the (what I know
consider to be) old fashioned beat-for-beat plot progression mirroring the
first movie in the beginning (starting with a voice over of Peter angsting
about MJ, etc). I honestly felt the script started a little slow, but it
builds nicely to a very strong climax. Having as good an actor as Alfred
Molina playing Ock (something that rather baffled me at first) now makes
sense, because our villain here is a man torn, confused, seduced even. He's
a pretty classic mad scientist - much about the story I would call
"classic", though I'm certain many in the audience, jaded fanboys that they
are, are going to whinge about lack of originality. Like the first film,
this is a straight portrayal of traditional Spider-Man all the way down the
line. There's one plot hole of a sort that I see, regarding the loss of
Peter's powers. I think the script means to put it down to a psychological
struggle and MacGuire may well be able to pull that off much better than it
comes across in the mere words - but in the script it struck me as a little
weak. All in all, by the end I felt that I could confidently predict this
will be another crowd-pleasing, straight-up superhero movie, and I know I'm
going to enjoy it. The FX appear to have been smoothed out considerably, the
script has broad appeal. It should satisfy Spidey fans and the general
audience both.

Extensive Batman Movie Spoilers

From www.darkhorizons.com
by Garth Franklin

Having just read a full and in-depth synopsis of the shooting script of the
upcoming "Batman" from yesterday's source, its time to share some small
light on the spoiler details which will hopefully quell all the rampant
speculation that will no doubt continue unless something like this is done.

First off to those wondering I don't have the script or any pages from it -
even if I did there's not a cat's chance in hell of me doing anything other
than glancing over it and then locking it away in a drawer. I almost never
read scripts because I don't like to be spoiled, and they are the studio's
copyright so those who post scripts online whether it be a single page or
the full baby, you are breaking all sorts of laws.

Reviews of scripts are fine, but again like most I don't want to be spoiled
too much, thus what follows is tailored to that taste - there is some
spoiler stuff here, almost all of it from the opening third or so, but what
I've included doesn't have any real bearing on the plot, is stuff you're
already familiar with and/or you'll find revealed in the film's trailers or
official notes in any case. There's a few clever twists and jibes in the
script, none of which I want to ruin for anyone

I was sent a multi-page breakdown/major spoiler review by this source and
have since independently confirmed its genuine. The breakdown fits in with
and spells out clearer the rumours heard so far, adds some whole new angles
and is understandably critical about a number of points. In Nolan's hands it
should be VERY different from what we come to expect from a "Batman" film
(it took me a while to get used to it but I quite liked it).

After penning this item I have since deleted that breakdown as well so
please don't ask me for or about it as I no longer have it. Like Warners, I
don't want to see this spoiled but I will clear up some of the talk and
lingering questions. This is a one-off as well, there won't be follow-up
pieces or any more new details revealed although I will be able to shoot
down inaccurate speculation as it comes up:

- All the characters mentioned so far are in it - Bruce Wayne/Batman,
Alfred, Jim Gordon, DA asst. prosecutor Rachel, Jonathan Crane, and Ra's Al
Ghul.

- Other characters include Ra's protege Ducard, Wayne Enterprise's Applied
Science Dept. head Lucius Fox, mob boss Falcone, acting Wayne Enterprise
head Earle, and various crims & law officials and a bunch of ninjas.

- There's no link or mention of the previous film's events, this not only
ignores them completely but restarts the franchise as its essentially an
'origin' movie which changes elements such as the 'parents being shot' and
'how Bruce found the cave and took up the mantle' subplots.

- Despite the filming in London, almost all of the film is set around Gotham
City (there's no mention of London) though there's numerous flashbacks to
the past and early on the footage is set around a mountain monastery in
China.

- The first portion of the film swaps between flashbacks and the present. In
the past we see stuff we're all familiar with from the comics and earlier
movies - Bruce as a child with his father Thomas Wayne, the famous alley
shooting of his parents, being cared for by a younger Alfred, meeting
regular beat cop Jim Gordon, etc. In the present its Wayne mano-a-mano
fighting with Ducard whose 'training/testing' him as such for his master
Ra's Al-Ghul whose watching from the shadows. This is no doubt the sequence
being filmed in Iceland at the start of production

- With Ra's Al-Ghul he does have insidious plans but there seems to be no
mention of immortality, the Lazarus Pit, or Talia. His sub-ordinate Ducard
is an interesting character with a clever connection to his master.

- One subplot has Wayne Enterprise head Earle trying to take over the
company and using his influence on public officials. Its revealed Gordon in
the present is a Sargeant. There's also a small storyline about a mob boss
whom Bruce has a personal score to settle with.

- One element I like is the discovery of the cave and its various entrances
and the clever finding of the Batsuit described as "prototype spandex body
armour". The Batman in full costume however doesn't appear for a while on
screen (once he's there, he's there in force) which is a clever move and
keeps one in anticipation.

- The Scarecrow is referred to only as Jonathan Crane who is the head of
medicine at Arkham Asylum. There's a clever origin story to the fear toxin,
and at certain points he covers his head in a sack/mask for protection.

- The second half (basically once the 'origin' elements are over) are more
like a Batman movie we know but some cool new stuff and shots too which I
won't spoil. Suffice it to say there's an elaborate plan which will wreak
chaos on downtown Gotham. Key characters get drugged, Alfred pops in at the
right time and place to save his master and offer wise counsel, and so on.

- Action fans will be happy with an extensive Batmobile chase through the
streets, alleys and 'other surfaces' of Gotham. A decaying monorail system
built by Thomas Wayne serves as the backdrop for some story elements.

- The coda includes mention of one of the Dark Knight's most famous
villains - its pretty easy to guess which one.

Opinion: In the end this is one of those stories which at first glance will
shock you, but then give time to process I think you'll come to really like
it - fans of the comic especially should go nuts for this. With the Batman
live-action movies we've become used to formula - Bats in costume hunting
down a wildly costumed baddie who gets far more character development than
our hero, and a dark twisted gothic fantasy sense.

That's all out the window, in this Batman really is the focus of the movie
with the villains taking a sidestep. The villains themselves aren't garishly
colourful or obsessively dark pastel-clothed freaks, they actually seem to
be believable nutters and their connection is a quite clever twist even if
their ultimate motives still feel underdone.

The love interest isn't a screaming helpless girl and how they handle it
especially towards the end is quite mature, but she's not a particularly
interesting character either. Alfred is handled nicely, Gordon especially
seems to get some good stuff here. Even some of the plain human side
characters like Lucius, Earle, Falcone, etc. are going to be interesting to
see onscreen.

The action towards the end admittedly gets overly theatrical, but otherwise
its quite shocking how un-blockbusterish this is, it plays more like an
old-fashioned movie which allows its story to unfold than a big action
spectacle - indeed the closest film I can think of in comparison is the
first "Superman" and even to some extent "Spider-Man", in other words its
very much a restart right from the beginning. With Nolan in charge it'll be
interesting to see how it all turns out.

Depp To Continue His Adventures In The Past

Johnny Depp is set to star along side John Malkovich and Samantha Morton in THE LIBERTINE.

The film is based on a true story about 17th Century poet John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, who was a courtier and notorious rake.

This will be the debut of British commercials director Laurence Dunmore. The screenplay will be adapted by Stephen Jeffreys, tho wrote the actual play the film is being adapted from. Production starts February 23rd.

Orgy Turns Up The 'Static'

L.A.-based industrial act Orgy has wrapped its third album and will release
it on Feb. 24 on the band's own D1 Music Label. Dubbed "Punk Static
Paranoia," the set was produced by lead singer Jay Gordon. Orgy was
previously inked to Korn's Warner Bros. imprint Elementree Records.

First single "The Obvious" was shipped to U.S. radio outlets in early
December, and is available for streaming on the band's official Web site
www.orgymusic.com

Orgy's breakthrough was a cover of New Order's "Blue Monday," which was
featured on the band's 1998 debut, "Candyass." Its follow-up, "Vapor
Transmission," was released in 2000 and peaked at No. 16 on The Billboard
200. It has sold about 334,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen
SoundScan.

The nine-track "Punk Static Paranoia" will be supported by a North American
tour, dates for which will be announced at the end of the month, according
to a spokesperson. Orgy intends to build D1 into a fully functioning label
with a roster of young acts.

BILE, Join SIX FEET UNDER, FULL BLOWN CHAOS For U.S. Tour

Bile's Krztoff, w/ AZ and KMFDM's Lucia

BILE, SIX FEET UNDER and FULL BLOWN CHAOS will be teaming up
for the "Kings Of The Roadkill" U.S. tour beginning in late January.

Confirmed dates so far are as follows:

Jan. 31 - Hartley's House Of Rock - High Point, NC
Feb. 01 - Club Eastcoast - Woodbridge, Va
Feb. 02 - Cbgb - New York City, NY
Feb. 03 - The Kave - Bucksport, ME
Feb. 04 - Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT
Feb. 05 - Club Excess - Virginia Beach, VA
Feb. 06 - The Sanctuary - Stroudsburg, PA
Feb. 07 - Recher Theatre - Towson, MD
Feb. 08 - The Palace - South Bend, IN
Feb. 11 - Rock Island - Denver, CO
Feb. 14 - Engine Room - Houston, TX
Feb. 15 - Vino's - Little Rock, AR
Feb. 16 - The Riot - Memphis, TN
Feb. 17 - Headliners - Louisville, KY

The State of Unions - The Mainstreaming Of Porn

From The Porning Report www.variety.com
Written by Frank Meyer, AVN Online Associate Editor

If you're looking for hard proof (forgive the pun) of the mainstreaming of pornography, just cruise on over the Las Vegas this week for two tradeshows, Internext and the Adult Entertainment Expo (visit the site to see some creative ways to wear admission badges), and immerse yourself in the throngs of porn fans and business people.

Internext is for the online-savvy. Webmasters, rev-sharers and affiliates meet, greet and schmooze, all intently trying to figure out how to keep making money in an otherwise slim economy. These attendees are the ones left from the great Internet boom, whose subscription-based digital flesh trade survived while free content took a major nose dive. However, even these folks are also wondering how they are going to fare in the long haul. For all of the hedonism and fun, there is an underlying sense of worry among adult Webmasters.

AEE (Disclosure: My employer, AVN, sponsors the event), on the other hand, is geared towards retail, video and DVD, and these folks are doing just fine in the current economy. In fact, companies like Vivid Entertainment Group, Wicked Pictures and Digital Playground are having banner years, with their contract girls making crossover appearances in mainstream, their titles selling at record numbers, and their profiles as high as can be (witness Vivid's Steve Hirsh favorably profiled on Fox last night). The drum beat here is jubilant and decadent, just like the porn biz used to be.

No matter which convention is to your liking, the very fact that these -- and many others that take place around the world -- are expanding every year, is evidence that business is growing quick and strong -- and that's good news in any industry.

Viewers Tune Out Jackson/Passport Revoked Again

Michael Jackson's Number Ones couldn't reach number one on the pop charts.
The greatest-hits collection didn't have any better luck in prime time.
Jackson's CBS special ran third in its Friday time slot, behind a college
bowl game on ABC and Dateline on NBC.

Overall, the show, titled, like the album, Michael Jackson Number Ones,
ranked 26th for the TV week ended Sunday, with 10.5 million viewers, per
Nielsen Media Research.

By comparison, ABC's broadcast of the Fiesta Bowl, pitting Ohio State
against Kansas State, averaged 13.7 million viewers for its four-hour
telecast (13th place); while NBC's two-hour Friday edition of Dateline
booked 12.3 million true-crime fans (19th place).

Number Ones originally was to air in November, but was pulled when the
Jackson child-molestation case broke that same month. The network revived
the show after Jackson agreed to grant his first post-arrest interview to
CBS' very own 60 Minutes.

Jackson, the subject of scandal, proved to be a much more popular commodity
than Jackson, the entertainer. Jackson's 60 Minutes appearance outdrew
Number Ones by more than 8 million viewers.

(I suppose that now he'll accuse CBS execs of racism as he did Sony main man
Tommy Mottola. -AZ)
Jackson was due to leave the States on December 20, though reports at the
time claimed the trip had been cancelled. Santa Barbara District Attorney
Thomas Sneddon demanded two days later that the singer prove he was
travelling or return the passport.

As reported by BBC News, Sneddon said that he had resolved the matter with
Jackson and his lawyer, Mark Geragos, on Christmas Eve.

Sneddon's spokeswoman confirmed the passport had been returned, but did not
reveal whether Jackson had provided proof he had travelled. The initial
plans for the trip would have seen him return to the US yesterday (January
6).

Kevin McLin, Jackson's new spokesman, has not commented on the matter,
though the singer's then-spokesman Stuart Backerman said on December 22 that
he believed that the trips were still on. Backerman resigned one week later
over 'strategic differences' with other members of Jackson's entourage.

Brian Oxman, a family friend of the Jacksons, previously told the Associated
Press that Michael's brother Randy had told him that commitments in the UK
had been cancelled.

WE'VE GOT MAIL

Letters Section Added

Also, we are updating a lot of the older ViXXXen Galleries with new images of our hottest babes.

Tuman's Alcohol Abuse Center Re Opens For Business

"Tuman's is the kind of place you take a Lincoln Park Trixie if you want to dump her. First off, she won't appreciate being taken to a no frills beer-drinkers bar with quite possibly the best jukebox second to Marie's Riptide Lounge. Secondly, the people there are 'real' which will immediately turn her off. And lastly, when you can get hammered on drinks that cheap, you have enough cash left to send her home via cab!"– Anonymous posting on Citysearch: Chicago

One of Chicagos legenadry drinking establishments has reopened it's doors for the first time ia a year. It was during the wee hours, on a cold January night in 2003 when Tuman's died a "loud, naked death". Now the alterna-dive known as Tuman's Alcohol Abuse Center at 2201 W. Chicago Ave. (800N, 2200W) is ready to soak the massses who haven't been able to live without it's fix.

From www.seanparnell.com

Passing through the ancient portal, you'd find a room, much like the a turn of many a century pub only darker, with the rest of the old wooden bar running along the east end of the room. Behind the bar hung a romance era nude from a large, Tiffany-style lamp, in front of a mirrored bar back that separated a set of cabinets. Bartenders, surprisingly attitude-free and expeditious, served Guinness, Rolling Rock and Bass on tap for $2.50 each every night, thank you very much. Actually, the price for a long time was an even more meager $2.00 but they had to hike prices 50¢ to pay for a new floor. A dozen more brewskies were available in bottles including Double Diamond, Killian's (50¢ on Mondays), Heineken, Harp, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Stella Artois (for $2.50 – take note bw-3), and dirt cheap bourbon, Scotch and whatever else you wanted. Ingredients to mixed drinks were never measured. Let's put it this way: you could get roaring drunk for $20. How many other places can say the same? (aside from Rich's First One Today of course) Across from the bar was a series of low-slung wooden tables with formations at the point where the legs met the surface of the table that looked like it was, if covered, where one might stash alcohol in a Prohibition-era, speakeasy bust (ala the Sidestreet Café in Toledo). Amongst the tables, and perched under an unlit neon "Alcohol Abuse Center" sign, mounted prominently on the ornate, cream-painted tin western wall, used to be a '97 Golden Tee machine that was actually turned off and serving as an ashtray rest.

If you could make your way past the earthy bottleneck formed by a throng of alcohol abusers, the red (clay) brick road led to a pool table surrounded by a hodgepodge of furniture, including a barber's chair with a footrest and built-in ashtray, intermingled with kegs with circular plywood "covers" that provided seating. Here, those playing billiards would fight for a shot amongst elbows, street vendors wandering in to sell tamales or pot brownies, and a plume of smoke hung eternally under a colorful table lamp when it wasn't being pushed around by a few fans hanging from a blackened ceiling. For the truly adventurous, a pair of frightening bathrooms with knotted rope for doorknobs could be found in the back, down a foul-smelling corridor and past the watchful gaze of Bela Lugosi as Dracula, illuminated in lighting the color of urine.

The most fascinating aspect of Tuman's was the people. The macabre saloon was a favorite to bike messengers, online diarists/blogs, musicians, urban yokels, writers, bartenders from the area, adventurous North Siders, art students, ruers of hygiene, cheapskates, scruffmeisters, poseurs, toadstools, Ralph Nader supporters, neighborhood "usuals," booze sponges, pedantists, foolish Suburbanites, trust fund slummers, munchy vendors, nuevo hippies, post-grunge flannelists, would-be poets, secretly homeless, High Fidelity worshipers, drummers, drug addicts, Polkaholics, Dead Kennedy admirers, Shaggy look-a-likes, experimenters in facial hair, Ragstock shoppers, roaches, and an old lady pool shark. All of the above subtly grooved to an eclectic jukebox under the digital Old Style clock set 30 minutes fast that featured Fugazi, Velvet Underground, Hank Williams, the Swans, ZZ Top, Gang of Four, Motorhead, the Melvins, the Clash, Nirvana, Burning Spear, Johnny Cash, Spacemen 3, and MC5. The juke at Tuman's was even ranked #4 in the city for Best Jukebox in Citysearch: Chicago's 2001 audience poll and was one of five bars nominated by the editors. To illustrate the scene at Tuman's, I submit the following to you for consideration: I overheard Nietzsche pronounced "Neetch-uh" by a pseudo-intellectual when talking to his friend wearing a t-shirt with Shakespeare quoted on it, while an exceedingly drunk regular paced up and down the bar, and outside, with a bottle of Miller Lite – all this while an inebriated alterna-couple tried to dance and failed in the antechamber. Tuman's was not only the antithesis to Alcoholics Anonymous and the Betty Ford Clinic, but also to other Chicago bars like Cherry Red, the Gramercy and the Northside, as you could get plowed wearing whatever you wanted and with your hair buggered in any which way. Not only would you be accepted, but you may also have been the rotten apple of someone's eye. In fact, Tuman's was the #1 Audience Winner for Best Pick-Up Bar in Citysearch: Chicago's annual poll in 2001.

Help Lisa Fight Cancer Campaign Update

So far MK readers, visitors of this site and staffers have helped to put a small dent in our friend Lisa's battle against cancer and the medial bills and treatment that are accumulating. So far the website www.Helplisafightcancer.com has raised a total $15,830.50 0f $70,000.00 but we still have a long way to go.

As of last Decembers stats we approached the 750,000 hits mark, partially due to the exposure we received through AVN Magazine and AVN online. If we can get each person who visits our site to donate $1 only Lisa and Paul will have the mountain of expenses conquered.

As I stated last fall, I cannot stress how much Lisa and Paul have helped me in the past and they have a lot to do with why MK Online is still going strong today.

The website www.Helplisafightcancer.com accepts pay pal. If you have not please take a look at their site, read their story and take $1 and put it toward the most precious cause, a human life.

Thanks

Alex Zander

DEVILDRIVER ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES

AZ and Devildriver singer Dez

DEVILDRIVER ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES
with Opeth and Moonspell

New York, NY: DevilDriver closed out the year atop the Metal heap; landing at #1 on CMJ's Loud Rock Chart and traversing the U.S. on not one, but two, treks with Superjoint Ritual.

DevilDriver is poised to continue their reign in 2004, kicking off the year touring with metal cohorts Opeth and Moonspell. Their run of dates begins on January 20th.

The band has recently been experiencing a resurgence in sales and a growth in their fan base. Kerrang rages, "DevilDriver Rule!" and their self-titled debut, an amalgam of death, black, and classic heavy metal styles, has been widely heralded by fans and critics alike.

Catch a DevilDriver show near you to see for yourself. This is a band that has a bottom end strong enough to shake the very foundations of metal itself.

Be sure to point your mouse to www.roadrunnerrecords.com and www.devildriver.com for up to the minute news and postings from the band.

DATE VENUE CITY
01/20/04 Red's Edmonton, Canada
01/21/04 MacEwan Hall Ballroom Calgary, Canada
01/23/04 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, Canada
01/24/04 Graceland Seattle, WA
01/25/04 Roseland Ballroom Portland, OR
01/27/04 Marquee Theatre Tempe, AZ
01/28/04 Cane's San Diego, CA
01/29/04 House of Blues Los Angeles, CA
01/30/04 House of Blues Anaheim, CA
01/31/04 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
02/02/04 Ogden Theater Colorado, CO
02/03/04 Bottleneck Lawrence, KS
02/04/04 Diamond Ballroom Oklahoma City, OK
02/05/04 Trees Dallas, TX
02/06/04 The Backroom Austin, TX
02/07/04 Engine Room Houston, TX
02/09/04 Masquerade Tampa, FL
02/10/04 Culture Room Ft. Lauderdale, FL
02/12/04 House of Blues Orlando, FL
02/13/04 Masquerade Atlanta, GA
02/14/04 Tremont Music Hall Charlotte, NC
02/15/04 9:30 Club Washington, DC
02/16/04 Bogart's Cincinnati, OH
02/18/04 The Quest Minneapolis, MN
02/19/04 House of Blues Chicago, IL
02/20/04 Harpo's Detroit, MI
02/21/04 Saratoga Winners Latham, NY
02/22/04 Medley Montreal, Canada
02/24/04 Opera House Toronto, Canada
02/25/04 Steel Music Hall Rochester, NY
02/26/04 Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
02/28/04 Palldium Worcester, MA

Mini-Skirts Banned In Malaysian State

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Non-Muslim Malaysian women in opposition-run
Terengganu state will not be able to wear short-sleeved blouses,
tight-fitting jeans, long skirts with slits or mini-skirts to work in the
future. They are also barred from wearing figure-hugging or revealing dresses, said assemblyman Sulaiman Abdullah.

"The PAS (Islamic Party) government will not tolerate females, including
those from different religions, wearing such clothes during working hours,"
Sulaiman, who is also Kuala Terengganu municipal council president, was
quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

Sulaiman said non-Muslims, although free to wear skirts, must wear them to
their knees.

Muslim women working in the private sector would now have to adhere to the
Islamic dress code and wear headscarves and loose clothes, he said.

The council will distribute circulars on the dress code to businesses and
visit premises with Islamic preachers to advise Muslim women who flout the
ruling.

Employers whose workers are found to be wearing improper attire could be
fined up to 250 ringgit (66 dollars) or lose their licences, he said.

The hardline Islamic Party controls just two of the 13 states in
multicultural Malaysia, which has large non-Muslim minorities of ethnic
Chinese and Indians.

Playboy Returns to 7-Eleven

from www.variety.com
Written by Frank Meyer, AVN Online Associate Editor

For years conservatives cried foul over the fact that a "smut" magazine like
Playboy could be found in convenience stores and quickie marts across
America. In 1986, the right struck a serious blow to skin fans everywhere
when the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families got
7-Eleven stores to ban porn magazine like Playboy. Young men around the
country shed a tear.

Well, the ban has been lifted and boobies are now back in business, as the
anniversary edition of Playboy magazine is now being offered again in
7-Eleven's 5,300 stores. But, boy oh boy, is the American Family Association
up in arms...

Although 7-Eleven management is standing by Hef and the bunnies, calling the
magazine "tasteful," the AFA ain't buyin' it.

"From our position, Playboy is still a pornographic magazine," said Randy
Sharp, director of special projects for the American Family Association in
an interview found at www.family.org. "It contains pictures of nude women,
and we will oppose pornography in the marketplace."

"I don't think they are really counting the cost of the lost business that's
going to occur if they put this kind of magazine in their store," said
Daniel Weiss, a Focus on the Family analyst who tracks the pornography
industry. Weiss speculated that the retailer reversed its Playboy ban
because America has become increasingly desensitized to pornography over the
last 20 years.

Yeah, that about sums it up. We have become more desensitized. But what's
wrong with that? In many ways, the youth of America have more responsible
attitudes towards sex than they did at the time the ban was enacted, and yet
pornography is more, not less, accessible in the marketplace and on the
Internet. Either way, as long as I can get a Twix bar, a hot dog, beer and
the latest issue of Playboy in one shoppin' experience, you can find me at
the local 7-Eleven.

FYI, though a spokesman for 7-Eleven denied that any firm decision has been
made as to whether Playboy will be regularly available through the Slurpee
pushing chain, the AFA is already in the process of organizing another
boycott of 7-Eleven... thereby drawing even more attention to the issue and
assuring even more teens will flock to the chain to buy a copy and be part
of the controversy.

Frank Meyer did the interview with MK Publisher Alex Zander in November 2003
for AVN Magazine.

PLEASE STAND BY..Ooops!

This morning I was adjusting some of the items on this site and deleted all of the news and diary entries. Have no fear Kevin and I are working on getting it all back up by this evening.

Thanks for your patience. - Alex Zander

Kinks' Ray Davies Shot in Robbery Attempt

NEW ORLEANS - Singer-songwriter Ray Davies of the Kinks was shot in the leg while chasing thieves who snatched a purse from a woman he was with, police said Monday. He was not seriously injured.

Police said Davies, 59, and the woman were walking along the Quarter's Burgundy Street around 8:30 p.m. Sunday when the theft and shooting happened.

Davies was treated and released at a hospital, Capt. Marlon Defillo, a police spokesman, said. One suspect was captured within hours of the shooting and another was being sought.

The Kinks, part of the 1960s British invasion, had a string of hits including "You Really Got Me," "Sunny Afternoon," "All Day and All of the Night" and "Lola." Davies founded the band, known for its hard-edged, guitar-driven sound and witty lyrics, with his brother Dave.

WARNER BROS. AND ART ASYLUM ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF THE BATMAN AND JUSTICE LEAGUE

Los Angeles, CA (January 2, 2004) - Warner Bros.™ Consumer Products has announced it has awarded the rights to its DC Comics™ Batman and Justice League (JLA) franchises to Play Along in order to create a world of construction toys that will be designed and developed by Brooklyn based, Art Asylum.

The new line, simply titled "C3" will be based around their uniquely styled block figures known