MK Magazine News

JOURGENSEN LAUNCHES Revolting Cocks Release

photo by Mrs. Jay

THIS JUST IN!!!!! Holy hell, we've waited to hear news on this for a cool decade. Mark Baker, John Monte, Mike Scaccia, Alien Jourgensen & Phildo are the new REVOLTING COCKS! And they are in the studio recording it NOW!

Now for us at MK this is what wet dreams are made of. We are extremely excited about this news and you can bet we'll follow the proceedings closely. Till then just knowing it's happening is enough.

see: www.animositisomina.com

CHICAGO AREA VIXXXENS CALL

From the million hits per month we've eclipsed monthly in 2004 it's obvious you know who we are. And have you been saying I'm as good if not better than those girls called the ViXXXens on the MK site. Well what are you waiting for. This is going to be a landmark year and we are moving beyond the website and the magazine. So send your images in for approval. if chosen not only will your site get a loft more hits but you'll be more visible than ever! Now is not the time to put this off.

Production begins next month and will happen very quickly. Are you MK Magazine ViXXXen material?

Yes, even we have standards.

PLEASE READ MK Magazine ViXXXen guidelines carefully and thoroughly!

All girls will be considered for our website's ViXXXen gallery, and possibly for MK Magazine's cover and/or centerfold, based on your appeal, creativity, and unique presence.

Must be at least 18 years old, and able to provide proof of your age.

Photo submissions MUST BE 72 DPI/web-resolution only-not larger or smaller.
jpg or gif/tif files only.

All images chosen for the ViXXXen gallery are the property of both MK Magazine and the model/photographer. We will not sell your submitted portfolio photos or use them for profit in any way. However, your submission of photos and our use of them in the ViXXXen photo gallery is an agreement that we reserve the right to freely use your photos for promotional purposes of the website, magazine, and other MK Magazine-related functions.

Rock 'n' Roll types, urged to submit!

What we are NOT looking for: gothic, candle-lit, brooding cemetery types. There are enough of these in the gallery already! No bloody nude photos or vampires. No gratuitous nudity. No more knives, swords, handcuffs, or poorly done bondage. No more "Betty Paige" haircuts (short, black bangs) or funky dreaded hair. Shiny, vinyl clothing and "stripper shoes" are usually not that interesting either. It's all been done a thousand times before, and these styles are "cookie-cutter" to us. We have more than enough of these types of girls on the site. Do not waste our time or yours with an overkill of "goth slut" photo submissions. And please do not send us low-budget "my boyfriend took this photo of me in his bedroom with a blanket as a backdrop" quality photos!

What we ARE looking for: Fun, creative, unique, interesting, pretty girls and photos! Think unique or fantasy situations, interesting scenarios, lusty, or teasing photos. Glamour is welcome. Make-up is welcome. Natural beauty is welcome. Voluptuous curves are welcome. Artistry is very welcome! Subtle nudity is welcome. Let your individuality shine through and we'll help take you to the next level!!! Uniforms are nice such as catholic school girl or police or army or nurses. SEX SELLS! And variety is the spice of life.

Please send submissions for consideration to
alex@mk-magazine.com

'Jackass' Stars Get Radio Jocks Suspended

Pontius got a little too wild last week in Toronto, and three radio jocks had to pay for it.

Joined by their "Jackass" co-star Wee Man, the pair showed up Friday at the studios of CFNY-FM wearing only sweatpants (no shoes, socks or shirts), ready to co-host Dean Blundell's morning show. They were warned by the station's program director, Alan Cross, to behave themselves and abide by broadcasting guidelines prohibiting foul language and graphic content.

Cross might as well have been talking to a wall.

Despite the a.m. hour, Pontius was "feeling no pain," Cross said. While explaining that he and Steve-O had yet to cultivate relations with any of the local ladies, he dropped a few F-bombs, which were broadcast to the greater metropolitan area.

After graphically describing how to perform "The Butterfly," a physical stunt requiring one's scrotum to be stapled to one's inner thighs, Steve-O proceeded to demonstrate "Unwrapping the Mummy," a trick that used duct tape on a certain part of the male anatomy, and the "Double Back," which, he explained, shouldn't be attempted after a successful "Butterfly."

When things got out of hand, Cross called for an immediate end to the interview. Again he was ignored. Security had to physically remove the culprits, but not before Steve-O dropped his sweatpants and urinated in the studio.

"I've got staff, I've got interns," Cross said. "They didn't sign on to clean up somebody's piss."

Listeners weren't the only ones confronted by Steve-O's antics. About 75 people were in the studio audience, and others had gathered to watch through the first-floor studio's storefront window. The studio is also outfitted with a Web cam.

"This was material inappropriate for radio," a statement from Cross read. "The members of the Dean Blundell Show are very aware of our programming policies. Because they didn't maintain control over the interview, because they clearly encouraged the on-air antics and because they didn't cut the interview when instructed to do so, Dean Blundell, Jason Barr and Todd Shapiro have all been suspended without pay effective immediately."

The station apologized to anyone who may have been offended and fined the morning show an undisclosed amount. After weekend meetings, the show was reinstated and aired Tuesday morning (March 30).

Steve-O and friends stopped by the Toronto radio station while on their Don't Try This at Home tour. Their trek through eastern Canada continues through April 3 in Montreal.

Rick Rubin To Release Final Johnny Cash Recording American V

Rick Rubin plans to finish the legendary country singer's acclaimed American series with the posthumously released American V.

"Since the last album we put out, we recorded about 60 songs, and I think about 25 of them are in a state that his performance is together enough to be on an album," Rubin said. "I'll be working on those songs over the next few months and it'll probably come out at the end of the year, and that'll be his final studio album."

GENE SIMMONS To Release 100-Song Box Set Of Solo Material

According to KissFanShop.de, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons announced on Swedish TV that he will be releasing a 100-song box set of previously unreleased solo recordings next year. In addition, Simmons revealed that KISS "would like to bring more new songs to [their live] set," adding that "we will start rehearsing [for the upcoming [Australian/Japanese tours] next week." He also mentioned that Paul Stanley has just started writing material for his solo album, which he expects to be released sometime after the tour.

RICHIE SCARLET: Former FREHLEY'S COMET Guitarist To Issue New Solo CD

Veteran rocker Richie Scarlet (MOUNTAIN, ACE FREHLEY BAND, FREHLEY'S COMET, SEBASTIAN BACH & FRIENDS) will release his fourth solo album, "Live: Stage to Stage", on April 6 through Front Row Seat Media. According to an official press release, the disc contains "blues-infused, working-man rock & roll … delivered with power and vitality showcasing originals and renditions of such classics as ROY BUCHANAN's instrumental 'The Messiah Will Come Again' and EDDIE COCHRAN's rockin' 'My Way'."

MARILYN MANSON Part Ways With Guitarist JOHN 5, Begin Recording New Material

MARILYN MANSON are currently in the studio recording new material, some of which will appear on a "best of collection" that will be released this fall. Besides all of their classics, the album will feature the new single, a cover of DEPECHE MODE's "Personal Jesus". In addition to a booklet of rare photos and artwork by Marilyn Manson, the entire video catalog will be included for the first time ever on DVD, featuring the never-before-seen, uncensored cut of "(s)AINT", directed by Asia Argento. The band have decided to part ways with guitarist John 5 as recording sessions for the next album begin.

In other news, MANSON has posted the following message to the "Journal" section of his official web site:

"The exitainment has begun. Let the panic attacks and nervous breakdance sink their comforting cancer into the sweaty palms of our hands like well prescribed press-on nails. Our stigmata will stagnate and we will shake, shake hands like little boys--if boys were just like puppies — spreading our ring worms. ATTENTION MY CRIPPLING ORCHESTRA! I am your Cracked Atom!!!.... drum roll please.... At least our death wishes will come true. We don't even need to blow out the candles. I hear that thunder, I hear it too. It's all my goddamn Frankensteins coming back for some sick closure. Listen, the world can't be an opera when it needs an operation. The second coming of Christ will require more than softcore porn, mini-bar gin and Viagra. Don't ever answer the door and remember that most authorities believe that the side effects of this breeding ground of talentless chaos will not leave any permanent damage. We are the 'good monsters' that are only chipped away by the banality of 'enter'tainment, and our black encrusted beehives harden into hideous-honey-diamonds, too personal and nervous for idiots to hold or cherish. Only your love is uncanny and only you can feel that all of our art is muscle. Your beauty will be edible or it will not be beauty at all — no salvation and no forgiveness. We are the ones with the bloody knuckles. It has taken ten years, boys and girls to climb this ugly hill and these are the Songs of Golgotha. We have put together the best of what we have made and this is only a reminder that you can cut off the head but it only grows back harder. The band is in the studio, still growing and there is no sign of our knuckles healing."

BITCH A Female KISS Tribute NYC Band (sort of) Wed April 21st

Alright New York City!!! What's better then seeing KISSNATION? (NYC KISS Tribute band) Seeing KISSNATION with girls singing lead vocals.

You wanted the tits, you got the tits!

That's right the founders of KISS Karaoke are at it again.

Here's how it will work

KISSNATION will do a solid set. Then girls from the hottest bands in New York City will come up and sing while KISSNATION play.

The Place
Don Hills
511 Greenwich St
New York City

The Date
Wed April 21st

For more info head down to
www.kissnation.com
OR www.donhills.com

MINISTRY'S Houses of the Mole Advance Track

According to MINISTRY's official website www.animositisomina.com/news

March 20, 2004 Fat Wreck Chords, in association with www.punkvoter.com releases Rock Against Bush compilation featuring Ministry's "No W" from the soon-to-be-released Houses of the Mole on Sanctuary Records June 2004.

Advance pre-sale orders are available NOW.

NEW MINISTRY Album News and 2004 Logo And Promotional Photo

OFFICIAL NEWS

Any news is good news when something changes on the official MINISTRY website www.animositisomina.com Not only is there a new MINISTRY logo but there is the new 2004 promotional photo you see above. That means either the new album "Houses OF The Mole'" is finished and being mixed or they are pretty damn near close to it.

The album set to be released sometime this May on Sanctuary Records will be will be all Ministry, all the time, with a dash of sinister Southwest flavor and half the carbs," states Ministry's irascible front man, Al Jourgensen. Regarding Ministry's tumultuous 20-year musical career, Jourgensen notes: "Yeah, we're half-way to 90...but we're still driving 100mph. Ministry is built for speed.".

The new album will be the first without bassist Paul Barker somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 years. John Monte (M.O.D., Mindfunk, Dragpipe) has joined the ranks of Ministry on bass/guitar and has been currently working with the band in the studio. Al and John are also joined by Mike Scaccia and Mark Baker.

The Official Ministry eMerch Store launches April 1st, 2004. Check back here for the eStore Opening!

More to come....

MARILYN MANSON Writes Personal Tribute To THE DOORS

Thanks Blabbermouth:

"The Immortals", the first of three special issues of Rolling Stone magazine to be published this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll, features a personal tribute to THE DOORS by MARILYN MANSON. Check out a scan of MANSON's testimonial at this location.

"The Immortals" project began last year with the creation of a panel of 55 musicians, historians, industry executives and critics, selected by the editors of Rolling Stone, according to The Advertiser. Voters were asked to pick, in order of preference, the 20 artists they deemed to be the most significant and influential of rock's first 50 years, whose work still has an impact today. More than 125 artists were named. The final ballot was tabulated according to a point system overseen by international accounting firm Ernst & Young.

2005 AVN Awards Show Set for Friday, January 7

AZ an GW Miner w/ Gauge at 2004 AVN Expo

CHATSWORTH, Calif. - Adult Video News has announced that the 2005 AVN Awards Show will take place on Friday, January 7, at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.

The 2005 Adult Entertainment Expo will take place over four days, from Thursday, January 6 to Sunday, January 9, at the Sands Convention Center.

Howard Stern Show On Satellite Radio?

Howard Stern is talking about starting his own radio company for a channel on satellite radio, says today’s New York Post. The story says that Stern is trying to line up investors for his own company. He would air his show on satellite radio and charge listeners $1 a month. Stern’s show currently has between 10-15 million listeners, and he reportedly has two years left on his Infinity contract—though he says almost daily that he expects to be fired.

Shock Jocks Go Silent, South Park Cleans Up, as a Knocker Causes a Cultural Crackdown

Bono's Obscene & Cartman's Muzzled. Presented In Two Parts

P1: Clean Airwaves Act Attempts to Define Profanity
By: Scott Ross
from www.avn.com

WASHINGTON - H. R. 3687 is likely the filthiest bill every to be submitted to the House of Representatives. The bill attempts to define profanity, or at least suggests that seven specific words and phrases be legally deemed profane.

The Clean Airwaves Act, not to be confused with the better known Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act states that the following words should be considered profane: “the words 'shit', 'piss', 'fuck', 'cunt', 'asshole', and the phrases 'cock sucker', 'mother fucker', and 'ass hole'.”

Congressmen Doug Ose (R-Sacramento) and Lamar Smith (R-San Antonio), introduced the Clean Airwaves Act in December, well before the now infamous Janet Jackson performance during the Super Bowl halftime show, though the bulk of the bill’s co-sponsors threw their support to the bill after that event.

The bill was written in response to the FCC decision that U2 frontman Bono did not violate indecency standards when he used the phrase “fucking brilliant” during a live broadcast of the Golden Globes.

Although that ruling has been since overturned, The FCC’s rational at the time was that the word “fucking” was acceptable when used as an intensifier, a type of adverb that modifies the level or intensity of an adjective or another adverb.

So Ose tried to ensure that the morality of America would never again be challenged by grammar by closing all of the loopholes.The bill suggested that not only were the aforementioned words and phrases previously cited profane, their compound use, including hyphenated compounds, would be profane as well.

In other words, “asshole” and “ass-hole” are just as bad as “ass hole.”

And so are “other grammatical forms of such words and phrases (including verb, adjective, gerund, participle, and infinitive forms).”

Yet as the New Orleans Times-Picayune pointed out, Ose forgot to include adverbs on his list of grammatical forms – meaning that “fucking brilliant” would still be acceptable.

The Clean Airwaves Act still sits in committee.

P2: Cartman's muzzled

Boy, Janet Jackson's right breast sure does pack one hell--oops, heck--of a punch.

Since the superstar unveiled her nasty Miss Jackson to the TV nation during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, the race has been on to safeguard our airwaves from further wardrobe malfunctions--and pretty much everything else. The Oscars were delayed. Britney got booted from prime time. Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was escorted from power.
As columnist and radio talk host Michael Medved puts it, one flash of the "mighty boob, [and] the Earth shifted on her axis."
South Park's rapscallions have not been known to hold their tongues. On Comedy Central, they can get away with salty language. On your local over-the-air TV station, they can't.

The Bottom Line: When South Park reruns debut in syndication in fall 2005, words such as asshole, goddammit and buttplug will have been shortened to ass, dammit and butt, while spooge and Jesus Christ! will have been deleted entirely, per Broadcasting & Cable. An exec with the show complained to the mag that the Superboob incident has put Cartman's crew under greater scrutiny.

The Future: An estimated 15 percent of the South Park canon will never make it to syndication, as no amount of bleeping can cleanse, say, the 2001 episode featuring 162 utterances of a four-letter word for doody.

Stern Fans Filing Complaints to FCC Against Oprah

By: Scott Ross
from www.avn.com

WASHINGTON - The first step of Howard Stern’s call to action against the FCC crackdown on indecency is underway – the FCC today confirmed that they have received a number of complaints against the Oprah Winfrey Show for an episode that defined a number of sexual terms popular among teenage girls.

After Infinity Broadcasting was fined earlier this month for a Stern show that aired in 2001, Stern became furious when an episode of Oprah was rerun last week that contained terms comparable to the terms that led to Stern’s fine and requested that fans complain about Oprah to the FCC.

“We have received complaints, though I can’t say how many,” a spokesperson for the FCC told AVN.com

The next step is an investigation into the episode, which used terms such as “oral anal sex,” and “penis,” and other phrases that may have violated FCC regulations for broadcast programming.

“If they fine me for this, they have to fine Oprah. And if they fine Oprah all hell is going to break loose,” Stern said during his show on March 19, while attempting to play a clip of the segment in question. His producers beeped out all possibly offending phrases for fear of receiving another fine.

Stern posted a transcript of the segment and links to multimedia files of the segment on HowardStern.com, his official Website, and requested that people file complaints about the show on to the FCC.

Winfrey and guest Michelle Burford, an editor at O, The Oprah Magazine discussed the sexual behavior of teenagers on the Oprah episode “Is Your Child Living a Double Life?” The episode originally aired on October 2, 2003 and was rerun last week.

During the segment in question, Burford defined a “rainbow party,” as a group oral sex activity where women the girls put lipstick and then, “each one puts her mouth around the penis of the gentleman or gentlemen who are there to receive favors and makes a mark um in a different place on the penis.”

She also defined “tossed salad,” as “oral anal sex.”

Ironically, prior to joining the editorial staff at O, Burford worked at Focus on Family, one of the conservative Christian groups that are encouraging the current indecency crackdown by the FCC.

ROCK CITY MORGUE: 'Dark Days' Ahead

Thanks Blabbermouth

ROCK CITY MORGUE bassist Sean Yseult (ex-WHITE ZOMBIE) has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"The new record, produced by J. of WHITE ZOMBIE and mastered by Daniel Rey, will be out this month — the record is available on C.D. and 10" vinyl. It is titled 'These are Dark Days', and features the highly requested track, 'Disconnected'. Please go directly to Antidoterecords.net to purchase, or to find out where to purchase it.

"The MORGUE will be having a record release party on April 23rd at the highly anticipated opening of 'One Eyed Jacks' in the French Quarter. Besides being a very special night for the MORGUE, the opening of this club marks the resurrection of the two great clubs recently shut down in New Orleans — the Matador and the Shim Sham. El Matador owner Rio Hackford is the new owner of the space that was formerly the Shim Sham, so rock bands, burlesque queens, cocktailers and freaks of all nature will finally have a home again! There will be record giveaways at the show, so come early!

"Also: just when you thought it was safe to go see a movie: the staff at ROCK CITY MORGUE are having 2 songs from 'Some Ghouls' featured in director Steve Sessions' next b-horror film: 'Dead Clowns', starring Brinkie Stevens and Debbie Rochon, both b-movie icons. The film will be out in mid-2004, and will be distributed through Cryptkeeper Films UK. Steve Sessions' last film was 'Cadaver Bay' and the MORGUE staff gave it two cold blue thumbs up. 'Get out of my House' and 'Falling Apart' will be the featured songs in the film."

Meet Saturnelia Noxlux

Our latest entry comes to us from one of our favorite states, New Mexico. Saturnelia Noxlux is now part of our ViXXXens Gallery. Visit her today and see our other ladies.

Are you MK Magazine ViXXXen material?

Yes, even we have standards.

PLEASE READ MK Magazine ViXXXen guidelines carefully and thoroughly!

All girls will be considered for our website's ViXXXen gallery, and possibly for MK Magazine's cover and/or centerfold, based on your appeal, creativity, and unique presence.

Must be at least 18 years old, and able to provide proof of your age.

Photo submissions MUST BE 72 DPI/web-resolution only-not larger or smaller.
jpg or gif/tif files only.

All images chosen for the ViXXXen gallery are the property of both MK Magazine and the model/photographer. We will not sell your submitted portfolio photos or use them for profit in any way. However, your submission of photos and our use of them in the ViXXXen photo gallery is an agreement that we reserve the right to freely use your photos for promotional purposes of the website, magazine, and other MK Magazine-related functions.

Rock 'n' Roll types, urged to submit!

What we are NOT looking for: gothic, candle-lit, brooding cemetery types. There are enough of these in the gallery already! No bloody nude photos or vampires. No gratuitous nudity. No more knives, swords, handcuffs, or poorly done bondage. No more "Betty Paige" haircuts (short, black bangs) or funky dreaded hair. Shiny, vinyl clothing and "stripper shoes" are usually not that interesting either. It's all been done a thousand times before, and these styles are "cookie-cutter" to us. We have more than enough of these types of girls on the site. Do not waste our time or yours with an overkill of "goth slut" photo submissions. And please do not send us low-budget "my boyfriend took this photo of me in his bedroom with a blanket as a backdrop" quality photos!

What we ARE looking for: Fun, creative, unique, interesting, pretty girls and photos! Think unique or fantasy situations, interesting scenarios, lusty, or teasing photos. Glamour is welcome. Make-up is welcome. Natural beauty is welcome. Voluptuous curves are welcome. Artistry is very welcome! Subtle nudity is welcome. Let your individuality shine through and we'll help take you to the next level!!! Uniforms are nice such as catholic school girl or police or army or nurses. SEX SELLS! And variety is the spice of life.

Please send submissions for consideration to
alex@mk-magazine.com

I LOVE RICH Show Next Tuesday/ Singer In Playgirl Summer 2004 Music Issue

Next Tuesday night, March 30th, the Double Door (1572 N. Milwaukee in Chicago) proudly presents a great rock show featuring Gearhead recording artists the DRAGONS! The soothing, sultry sounds of SWAMPASS! The worlds sexiest rock and roll band I LOVE RICH! And the hot new sounds of THE DRIP! All this great ROCK for a measly 5 dollars! Not to mention the 2 dollar Michelob's.

WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR?

Besides, you know, the Wildhearts....

THE SHOW STARTS AT 9:00, AND WE'RE SECOND, SO I'D SAY BE THERE BY 9:30 OR RISK LOSING OUT! The Drip should be well worth checking out anyway, so show up on time for a change. AND BRING YOUR SISTER!

And don't forget to get ready for the hot new styles of summer here - http://www.cafeshops.com/iloverich

Be the first on your block to wear all the hot I LOVE RICH merchandise!

See the band site www.iloverich.net

Vocalist Rich will be featured in this summers PLAYGIRL Magazines "Sexiest Rock Stars" Issue which is rumored to eclipse Peter Steeles 1995 spread. Rich says he's doing it simply to push the last album over the gold status and to promote their next studio effort due later this year. The lucky lady in the photos with Rich remains unnamed and is to remain a surprise. "Who cares when all you need is me. Girls will come over to your house just to lget a look." the singer explained.

NEW SKINNY PUPPY May 25 Release Date - Line Up - Track Listing

Our friends over in NYC, at SPV USA has given us the scoop on the new Skinny Puppy record and from what we've been told it sound like it has been worth the wait. At just under 10 years it still beats Guns and Roses for a follow up.

The official title reported is: The Greater Wrong of the Right. The release date is now set as May 25th

Skinny Puppy Line-Up 2004:

cEvin Key + nivek Ogre
With Guests:
Danny Carey ( TOOL ): Acoustic Drums on track 8
Wayne Static ( STATIC X ): Second vocal on track 8
Statik ( COLLIDE ): synthesis / programming on tracks 1/2/3/6/8
Omar Torres: synthesis / programming on tracks 2/5/7/ tail of 4
Otto Von Schirach: sound design on tracks 1 and 9, synthesis / programming tail of 5
Cyrus Rex: synthesis / programming tail of track 9
Dre Robinson: synthesis on track 10
Pat Sprawl: Guitar on tracks 1/2
Saki Kaskas: second guitar on track 8
Traz Damji: synthesis on track 1

The confirmed track listing is:

01.I'mmortal
02.Pro-test
03.EmpTe
04.Neuwerld
05.Ghostman
06.dOwnsizer
07.Past Present
08.Use Less
09.Goneja
10.DaddyuWarbash

PRONG: Live Video Posted Online - Confirmed Tour Dates

PRONG have uploaded a live performance video of the track "All Knowing Force" at their official web site. Check it out: www.prongmusic.com. The clip was filmed on March 3 during the band's "Scorpio Rising" CD-release party at The Dragonfly in Los Angeles.

As previously reported, PRONG have lined up the following tour dates during the coming weeks:

Mar. 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy (w/ STATIC-X)
Mar. 30 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy (w/ STATIC-X)
Apr. 29 - Sacramento, CA @ The Roadhouse
Apr. 30 - Concord, CA @ Bourbon Street
May 01 - Tacoma, WA @ Hell's Kitchen
May 02 - Portland, OR @ TBA
May 04 - Colorado Springs, CO @ 32 Bleu
May 05 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
May 06 - Omaha, NE @ Ranch Bowl
May 07 - Saint Louis, MO @ Creepy Crawl
May 08 - Chicago Heights, IL @ Oasis One Sixty
May 09 - Mt. Clemens, MI @ Hayloft Liquor Stand
May 11 - Youngstown, OH @ The Dome
May 12 - Buffalo, NY @ Palmeri Day & Night Club
May 13 - Baltimore, MD @ Thunderdome
May 14 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
May 15 - Attleboro, MA @ Jarrod's
May 16 - Farmingdale, NY @ Downtown
May 18 - Hi Point, NC @ Hartleys House of Rock
May 19 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
May 20 - Orlando, FL @ The Social
May 21 - St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theater
May 22 - W. Palm Beach, FL @ Spanky's
May 23 - Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
May 25 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds
May 26 - San Antonio, TX @ Sin 13
May 27 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
May 28 - Albuquerque, NM @ The Launch Pad
May 30 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Lo-Fi
Jun. 02 - Seattle, WA @ Graceland
Jun. 03 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
Jun. 04 - San Francisco, CA @ The Pound
Jun. 05 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA

PRONG's latest CD, "Scorpio Rising", received its long-awaited U.S. last month through Locomotive Music. The group's first studio album since 1996's "Rude Awakening" features mainman Tommy Victor alongside drummer Dan Laudo and guitarist Monte Pittman.

Spiderman Sequels All Set

Not only has the studio just moved up the release date for Spider-Man 2 from July 2 to June 30 to get a jump on the competition, but Sony suits are feeling so good about the webslinger's box-office potential that it's staked out May 4, 2007 for a third installment that hasn't even been shot yet. And many more could be on the way.

In hopes of building a franchise that will give James Bond a run for his money, Sony has inked principals Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and director Sam Raimi for the third big-screen go-round.
Meantime, the studio is keen on making Spidey 2 the top-grossing movie of the year. To that end, Sony is now unleashing the Marvel superhero on a Wednesday, two days earlier than previously announced, to take advantage of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

"When you have an event movie that is so widely-anticipated, it makes sense to give it as wide a berth as possible during the lucrative summer season," said Jeff Blake, vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The original Spider-Man spun all kinds of records when it hit theaters in May 2002, setting the benchmark for best-ever Friday-Sunday tally, raking in an astounding $115 million on its way to a worldwide haul of more than $800 million.

Sony has reportedly pumped $200 million into producing the sequel, not counting the inevitably saturation-level marketing campaign, which kicked into gear Wednesday with Sony's presentation at the ShoWest Convention in Las Vegas, Hollywood's annual confab for exhibitors and distributors. Sony capped things off with a seven-minute snippet of Spidey 2 and the latest theatrical trailer.

The sequel picks up two years after the close of the first film. The conflicted Peter Parker attempts to pull a Superman II and ditch his alter ego to get together with would-be sweetie, Mary Jane Watson, only to be forced back into the tights by a new nemesis, the multi-tentacled Dr. Octopus.

According to sources, the new trailer includes a Spidey-Doc Ock confrontation, plus an action sequence in which our friendly neighborhood arachnophile stops a train from plummeting off its tracks by using his body and web-spinning skills as a brake.

One attendee tells E! Online that exhibitors went wild over the trailer. Likewise, movie-geek Website IGN FilmForce (filmforce.ign.com) issued a fawning review of the sneak peek, reading in part, "The people who put this trailer together deserve an Academy Award for Most Intense Two Minutes."

And that's just the way filmmakers want it. "We realized that we had set the bar extremely high with the first movie," Avi Arad, head of Marvel Studios, told USA Today. "We decided that the best shot in the first movie would have to be the worst shot in the second one. Everything had to improve."

To that end, the studio upped the ante by upping the budget, bringing in a new baddie, Alfred Molina's Dr. Otto Octavius, aka Dr. Octopus, and revamping the special effects and stuntwork, including vertigo-inducing shots of Spider-Man slinging and scaling across the Big Apple's skyline.

"New York is a big part of the comic," said producer Laura Ziskin. "It's a much bigger character in this movie."

Ziskin also revealed that she and Sony execs have already had discussions about doing as many as six Spider-Man movies.

"It's hard to explain how much everyone believes in the project," says Ziskin. "I'm trying to get my mind around the third film, and the studio is already looking ahead to the sixth, and the second one isn't out yet. But I believe Spider-Man can do something that hasn't been done in the movies."

But Maguire, who joined the film's other stars for the ShoWest show-off, indicated he wasn't thinking that far ahead.

"Are they really thinking that far out?" he asked with a laugh. "I'm just trying to figure what I'll be doing tomorrow."

GENITORTURERS: Tour Dates Announced

GENITORTURERS, the Florida-based band featuring former MORBID ANGEL frontman David "Evil D" Vincent on bass, have announced the following dates during April/May:

Apr. 22 - Houston, TX - Numbers
Apr. 23 - Baton Rouge, LA - Clicks
Apr. 24 - Dallas, TX - Gypsy Ballroom
Apr. 25 - San Antonio, TX - Communion
Apr. 28 - Hollywood, CA - Whiskey A Go Go
Apr. 29 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
May 01 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
May 07 - Detroit, MI – Harpo's
May 13 - Washington, DC - Nations
May 14 - Cleveland, OH - Scene Pavillion (w/ MUSHROOMHEAD)

Opening acts for the Texas shows will be GODHEAD and PITBULL DAYCARE. More dates will be announced soon.

RUINED FOREVER

"First and foremost it should be noted that Tairrie B should be the inspiration of all girls young and old big and small. Her message is tailor-made for them and she's not slurring on Letterman, playing a fool being four hours too late for court. She isn't flashing her nipple in any attempt to generate publicity. Tairrie B does not need to go on television and play bi sexual superstar and kiss to pop princess's. She's not posing for Playboy in the Girls Of Rock issue. (or 1/2 nude in Blender) Instead Tairrie B sets a good example of what a woman in rock should be about. Rocking your fucking world. I've said it before and I'll say it again. She rocks harder than the guys out there. If you can't accept it, then fuck off, you don't know diddly when it comes to rocking out, and performing it.

Actually I need to re-state the fact I mentioned in the last paragraph. Tairrie B sets a perfect example of what ANYONE in rock should be about. PERIOD."

For complete review of the two Chicago performances of MY RUIN see Diary OF A Damned Man (photos by Dan Locke coming soon)

Mad Mad House Trial Spurs Suit

The March 18 episode of SCI FI Channel's original series Mad Mad House featured a "trial" that was the subject of a lawsuit filed last month by a non-profit group established to foster unity among the world's African-based religions.

In the episode, self-styled "voodoo priestess" Ta'Shia Asanti ran the house's eight residents through a trial game that incorporated elements related to the practice of voodoo, including earth or soil, honey, feathers and animal organs.

The trial was mentioned in the federal lawsuit filed in February by the National African Religion Congress of Philadelphia against SCI FI, its parent company, Universal Studios, and the show's producers, arguing that the show misrepresents the voodoo religion and casts a bad light on genuine practitioners of voodoo and other African-based religions. The suit specifically singled out the "voodoo trial" as an example of a "portrayal [that] creates an extremely negative image of the Voodoo religion and plays upon a long history of sensationalism, misinformation and bias regarding the Voodoo religion," according to court documents. The suit seeks a court order requiring the producers of Mad Mad House to change their advertising and programming to eliminate all references to voodoo.

The suit argues that Asanti is actually a priestess of "Yemoja in the Ifa tradition," a faith of the Yoruba people of Africa, and not a true voodoo priestess. The lawsuit argues that producers initially approached Gro Mambo Angela Novanyon—who identifies herself as an "internationally recognized high priestess of the Voodoo religion" and a founder of NARC—to appear in Mad Mad House, but she declined—an account SCI FI disputes.

Asanti's official biography says that she has spent 10 years training and studying in the field of African spirituality and, as a Yoruba/Ifa priestess, has embraced the sacred tenets of voodoo and other African-based spiritual traditions.

A spokeswoman for the SCI FI Channel declined to comment on the lawsuit, which is pending. The episode in question airs again on March 23 at 10 p.m ET/PT. A new episode of Mad Mad House airs March 25 at 9 p.m.

GLENN DANZIG Talks About His New Album

Glenn Danzig recently spoke to Femme Fatales magazine about DANZIG's new album, tentatively due in late May/early June through Glenn's label Evilive. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2002's "777: I Luciferi" will be released in Europe through Sweden's Regain Records.

Asked how the recording process is coming along, Glenn said, "the album will come out around late spring. We did somewhere between 11 and 13 basic tracks and I still have to lay my vocals. The lineup is me, Tommy Victor, Jerry Montano on bass, and Bevan on drums — who used to be in Jerry Cantrell's band.

"We're on my label now," he continued. "We just do license deals, so it will be Evilive and whoever I get to distribute it at the parent company. It's been like that since '95 or '96 after I left [Rick] Rubin [and American], and I was like, 'Screw this.' I had my label before Rubin — with Caroline at Virgin — then I did this thing with him where I was on his label. It just eventually did not work out.

With regards to how the new album compares to DANZIG's previous releases, Glenn said, "I'm taking even more of a stance now. I hate rap music. Old rap music I like, but the new stuff I just can't stand. I can't stand the new hip-hop. I hate nu-metal — I'm glad it's dying. It's more of a stand — a punky, bluesy, heavy, dark, drama kind of deal.

Asked for his thoughts on the current musical trends around the world, Danzig said, "what I notice is that at the end of the day, the real stuff will always be around and the trendy stuff will be gone in six months — nine months tops. It's something I talk about with other people, too. Bands who have a platinum record and their next is in the toilet and the label dumps them — they're gone. You don't hear from them again. They might join other bands, resurface five years later in different bands and stuff, but you know what I'm saying. A lot of the time they just get frustrated with the whole business end of music and leave."

TOMORROW MK Magazine Presents An Evening With MY RUIN

MK Magazine Presents An Evening With MY RUIN - Smoke and Ditchwater 3/23/04 Hot on the heels of their SOLD OUT March 22nd show supporting SOiL at Chicago's legendary venue The Metro, MK's favorite Los Angeles rockers MY RUIN will play a rare "one off" all ages show Tuesday March 23rd at The Bottom Lounge 3206 N Wilton (off of Clark and Belmont) with Smoke and Ditchwater. Tickets are $10 and doors open at 6:00 PM. Get there early: MY RUIN will be meeting their fans, taking photos and signing autographs, and the first 100 people in the door will get a free copy of MK ULTRA with Tairrie B on the cover and an in-depth band interview. At 10PM Tairrie B and guitarist Mick Murphy will DJ a 21 and over MK after-party where attendees can meet the band, and help celebrate the bands drummer Yael's birthday. Stick around after the show for all the fun! For more information see www.myruin.com and www.mk-magazine.com

MK Online Featured In AVN Online Magazine (on sale now)

The fine folks at AVN included MK in the trade publication AVN Online, the sister publication to AVN Magazine and the websites avn.com and avnonline.com

Thanks to the team at AVN and to Frank for their continued support.

Pee-Wee Porn Charge Dropped

by Lia Haberman
www.eonline.com

Prosecutors dropped a child-porn charge against the erstwhile Pee-wee Herman on Friday, more than two years after the actor was booked on a misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography.

In exchange, Reubens, 51, agreed to cop a plea to a misdemeanor obscenity charge and a $100 fine. He'll be on probation for the next three years, including one year of counseling, with the charge wiped from his record if he behaves.

Additionally, Reubens must register as a sex offender for the duration of his probation and must avoid unsupervised contact with minors, prosecutors said.

Reubens would have faced up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine if convicted of the original charge.

All along, Team Reubens has maintained that the offending images were part of a historical art-photography collection, a defense the prosecution has vigorously disagreed with.

Both sides declared the judgment a victory of sorts.

"The Reubens' conviction points out that the sexual exploitation of children will not be tolerated," said Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo in a statement.

It was a bittersweet vindication for Reubens, who released his own statement. "I am disappointed any part of my art collection was ever deemed inappropriate," Reubens said. "Taking responsibility by calling a few images in this collection 'obscene' and paying a $100 fine seemed like the sanest way to make it end."

Reubens' problems stem from a 2001 police raid of his Hollywood Hills home after an unidentified accuser claimed the actor was into child pornography.

Cops confiscated boxes of images, personal computers and videos (including the much-bootlegged tape of Rob Lowe's kinky encounter with an underage female in a hotel room during the 1988 Democratic convention) and subsequently charged the onetime TV star with the child porn count.

Reubens pleaded innocent to the charge and, through his attorney, denied ever knowingly possessing any artwork "even remotely related to anything improper."

Thus began the argument over art vs. pornography. Reubens defense team labeled the collection "kitsch memorabilia" and "vintage books, magazines and photographs," and characterized their client as a supersize pack rat who bought much of his stash sight unseen.

The attorneys also filed a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that the alleged kiddie-porn items in Reubens' collection were produced before a 1989 California law made such materials illegal.

But prosecutors weren't swayed. Deputy City Attorney Richard Kraft described the collection at the time as a "massive" library of porn movies of teenage boys engaged in "masturbation and various other sex acts" (a claim disputed by Reubens' representatives) and maintained that all child porn is criminal without exception to the date it was created or duplicated.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol H. Rehm sided with the prosecution in a February 2003 decision to let stand the single charge of misdemeanor child pornography against Reubens. He declined to reverse that decision in June 2003 after Reubens' lawyers filed a second petition to dismiss the case and also rejected a motion to ban evidence obtained via a search warrant.

According to the city attorney's office, some 170 pieces of evidence seized by the police will be destroyed, including the copy of Lowe's amateur sex tape.

The plea deal could help clear the way for Reubens' return to show-biz glory.

His successful kiddie-show career was derailed in 1991 after he was charged with exposing himself and masturbating during a Florida theater screening of the X-rated gem Nancy Nurse. The resulting publicity led CBS to cancel Pee-wee's Playhouse.

He's made a comeback of sorts since then, scoring a scene-stealing turn in the Johnny Depp film Blow, hosting ABC's short-lived game show You Don't Know Jack and making a high-profile guest appearance on Ally McBeal, but he has so far failed to recapture his initial success.

Most recently, he lent his voice to the animated Disney feature Teacher's Pet, which proved a box-office disappointment.

Tilly Spawns Seed Of Chucky

Jennifer Tilly, who stars in the upcoming horror film Seed of Chucky, told SCI FI Wire that the sequel is a movie-within-a-movie, in which she plays herself as well as her character from the previous Chucky installment. Tilly said in an interview that she recorded the voice of the murderous doll Tiffany and even improvised some tongue-in-cheek remarks about her own career.

"I have Tiffany say, 'I think Miss Tilly's career is very underrated,'" Tilly said in an interview. "'I saw her in this movie where she played an Eskimo ... and she looked really cold. She's a really good actress.' And then there's another where I say, 'I think with playing me in Bride of Chucky, she's finally going to get that Oscar recognition that she deserves.'"

Tilly even mocked her own weight problems. In one scene, the dolls struggle to drag the unconscious bodies of Tilly and her boyfriend. "They're huffing and puffing, and Chucky goes, 'This is the worst part about being a doll, when you have to move the body.' And I go, 'What the f--k are you complaining about? I've got the fat one.'"

To distinguish the two characters, Tilly altered her speaking voice for the doll. "I made Tiffany have a little more of a dolly voice, like a baby doll voice, and then I have Jennifer do more of a deeper, movie-star voice."

FCC Reverses Ruling On Bono Profanity, Hits Howard Stern With Maximum Penalty

The Federal Communications Commission admonished U2 frontman Bono and hit radio personality Howard Stern with the maximum penalty allowed in a handful of rulings issued on Thursday.

The FCC decried Bono's use of the phrase "fucking brilliant" during NBC's live 2003 Golden Globes broadcast, saying the remark violated its rules regarding indecency and profanity. The FCC had previously ruled that Bono's speech was not indecent because his use of the f-word was "fleeting and in a non-sexual context." This week's ruling was a response to a complaint lodged by the Parents Television Council.

The commission went on to warn all broadcast outlets that any future use of the f-word will not be tolerated, but stopped short of issuing a fine in connection with Bono's speech.

Meanwhile, Stern and Infinity Broadcasting — which syndicates Stern to markets across the country — did not get off so easy (Infinity is owned by Viacom, which also owns MTV). The FCC issued a proposed forfeiture of $27,500 (the maximum penalty allowed under law) against Infinity for its broadcast of a Stern show from July 21, 2001. Technically not a "fine," an FCC "proposed forfeiture" asks a company to forfeit money for violating FCC regulations. A company has 30 days to challenge a proposed forfeiture, and if the company fails to act within that period of time, the FCC enlists the aid of the Justice Department to collect the requested funds.

The commission targeted a portion of Stern's broadcast that referenced sex and excretory functions. The FCC ruled that the content was "lewd and vulgar, and that it appeared to have been used to pander, titillate and shock."

The forfeiture was levied solely for the broadcast of Stern's show on Detroit's WKRK-FM and came in response to a complaint from a listener in Detroit.

The ruling comes as Stern is in the midst of a very public battle with both the FCC and President George W. Bush's administration. Stern accuses the FCC of following unclear, arbitrary guidelines in determining what material is "offensive," and criticizes Bush for using his office to "push the agenda of the religious right". The ruling was handed down just as Congress is weighing legislation that would up the maximum penalty for indecency violations from $27,500 to $500,000 per incident.

Thursday's rulings also included a proposed forfeiture against Clear Channel subsidiary Capstar for two broadcasts deemed to be indecent, and backed up a $7,000 forfeiture against Infinity Broadcasting for a rap concert that was deemed offensive.

'Spin the Bottle' - A Tribute To KISS Out April 27, 2004 on KOCH Records

NEW YORK - On April 27th, the KISS Army will finally have something new to get excited about as Koch Records releases Spin the Bottle - A Tribute To KISS, an all-star tribute to Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter. The tribute album is Executive Produced by long-time band associate Bob Kulick and also features an appearance by brother Bruce Kulick.

Over the years, the Kulick blood lineage has run deep within the KISS organization with both brothers Bob and Bruce leaving their respective stamps on KISStory. Bob toured with Paul Stanley on the star man's 1989 solo club tour while brother Bruce Kulick became a permanent fixture in the group from 1984-1995. Spin The Bottle-A Tribute To KISS also features KISS alumni/drummer Eric Singer on several tracks. Rounding out the album's line-up is an impressive assortment of members from Styx, King's X, Helmet, Melvins, Motorhead, Dokken, Motorhead, Whitesnake, Twisted Sister, Poison, Journey and much more.

The final track listing for the album is as follows:

1. "Detroit Rock City" (Featuring Dee Snider of Twisted Sister on vocals)
2. "Love Gun" (Featuring Tommy Shaw of Styx on vocals)
3. "Cold Gin" (Feat. Mark Slaughter of Slaughter on vocals)
4. "King Of The Night Time World" (Featuring Chris Jericho WWE Wrestler/Fozzy)
5. "I Want You" (Featuring Kip Winger of Winger vocals and bass)
6. "God of Thunder" (Featuring Buzz Osborne of The Melvins on vocals)
7. "Calling Doctor Love" (Featuring Page Hamilton of Helmet on vocals and guitar)
8. "Shout It Out Loud" (Featuring Lemmy Kilmeister of Motorhead on vocals and bass)
9. "Parasite" (Featuring Doug Pinnick of King's X on vocals)
10. "Strutter" (Featuring Phil Lewis of L.A. Guns on vocals)
11. "I Stole Your Love" (Featuring Robin McAuley of the McAuley-Shencker Group)

The initial run of the CD will be packaged with a limited edition bonus DVD featuring a 40-minute documentary of the making of the record. It contains performances, session footage and interviews with Chris Jericho, Doug Aldrich, Tommy Shaw, Steve Lukather, Tim Bogart, Bruce Kulick, Carmine Appice, Jeff Pilson, Bobby Rock, Robin McAuley, C.C. DeVille, Tony Franklin, Aynsley Dunbar, Page Hamilton, Mike Porcaro, Greg Bissonette, Kip Winger, Paul Gilbert, Mark Slaughter, Robben Ford, Fred Coury, Lemmy Kilmeister, Jennifer Batten, Samantha Maloney, and Bob Kulick.

Obscenity Needs Clearer Definition Says FSC Chairman Jeffrey Douglas

Thanks www.avn.com

By: Scott Ross

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The problem that the adult industry constantly faces, the lack of definition in obscenity laws, is the same problem those in media and entertainment are facing in light of the recent FCC crackdown, according to Jeffrey Douglas, chairman of the Free Speech Coalition.

Douglas suggested that the current concept of “community standards” made it virtually impossible to tell what is or is not obscene while on a panel discussing the recent FCC crackdown at the Beverly Bar Association yesterday. The panel was titled “The New Censorship: The FCC, The Justice Department and You.”

According the Hollywood Reporter, Parents Television Council executive director Tim Winter agreed with Douglas that the rules needed to be clarified. He also suggested that it would help if the FCC would enforce their rules more often.

Another panelist, Darlene Lieblich, the vice-president of standards and practices for Fox Cable Networks, said that cable companies were now afraid that they might soon be regulated.

The commentator who was recently fired from KCRW for saying “fuck” in a segment, Sandra Tsing Loh, was also on the panel. She spoke of the fear that is pervading the industry, specifically at her former employer's station, as pressure is mounting on the FCC to begin a crackdown in earnest - and what that might mean for civil liberties.

In Loh's case, the use of the word "fuck" was an accident. Her engineer was instructed to beep the word out of the pre-recorded segment, but forgot to do so. Loh was offered her job back at the National Public Radio affiliiate based in Santa Monica, but turned it down.

First Amendment attorney Stephen Rohde, a past president of the Southern California chapter of the ACLU, was on the panel as well.

Jon Stewart to Remain at 'Daily Show'

NEW YORK - Whoever runs for president in 2008 will be covered by Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show."

The star of the Comedy Central mock newscast has re-upped for four more years, the cable channel announced Thursday.

"A lot of people like to get out when their show's still going well," Stewart said. "This gives me the opportunity to beat this thing into the ground."

Besides hosting "The Daily Show," Stewart serves as an executive producer and writer. His contract had been set to expire at the end of this year.

Stewart joined the program in January 1999, taking over for Craig Kilborn. It premiered in 1996.

The original idea of a parody newscast has grown during Stewart's tenure into a leading source of topical satire — and, oddly enough, even a primary news source for some viewers.

So far this year, viewership has averaged 1 million for the weeknight 11 p.m. EST airing — an all-time high for the show.

The program has won several Emmys as well as a Peabody Award for its yearlong "Indecision 2000" political coverage.

On "The Daily Show," Stewart and his "correspondents" skewer both politicians and the media who cover them.

"Of course, it is still eight months to Election Day," he declared on a recent broadcast, "but the campaign is starting to fall into its own natural rhythm: falsely macho Kerry comment, falsely indignant Bush response."

But "The Daily Show" pokes fun at nothing more than itself.

Earlier this week the program cried foul upon learning that the Bush administration had released simulated news features to TV stations that promoted certain Bush policies.

How, wailed "Daily Show" senior media ethicist Rob Corddry, could a little show like his hope to compete with the federal government in producing fake news?

"The Daily Show" will continue to report on the Bush vs. Kerry face-off, going on the road to Boston during the Democratic National Convention in July and covering the Republican National Convention from the show's home base in New York.

Does Howard Stern Have More Political Muscle Than Ralph Nader?

As the race for the White House gathers steam, there's a segment of voters suddenly drawing more attention than soccer moms or NASCAR dads: Howard Stern fans.

In recent weeks, the syndicated radio icon has launched an all-out assault on President George W. Bush, calling on his loyal audience of millions to vote Bush out of office in November.

Stern, who had applauded Bush for his decision to launch military action in Afghanistan and Iraq, began criticizing the president several weeks ago for the controversy surrounding his National Guard duty and his opposition to gay marriage and stem-cell research.

The jock's criticism intensified when the Federal Communications Commission placed Stern at the center of its investigation into broadcast indecency. (Coincidentally, Stern was last fined by the FCC in December 1992, when Bush's father, George Herbert Walker Bush, was in the final days of his presidency.)

The jock then became irate when late last month radio giant Clear Channel Communications dropped his show from its six stations that had carried the program, citing a self-imposed crackdown on indecent material. Stern argued that Clear Channel's move was motivated not by indecent content, but by his anti-Bush statements. Clear Channel chairman and CEO Lowry Mays and his family have made significant financial contributions to Bush's campaigns dating back to his days as governor of Texas.

Following those moves, Stern has cranked up the volume, claiming that the FCC investigation is another example of Bush "pushing the agenda of the religious right" and telling his audience, "Payback is a bitch. Everyone who loves this show should vote Bush out of office."

The usual Stern parade of freaks, oddballs, and wannabe Playboy Playmates has dried up over the past four weeks as Stern devotes increasing amounts of his airtime to what he has called his "radio jihad." At his kindest Stern has called Bush a "religious nut" and a "Jesus freak," and at his worst he has likened Bush's administration to the Taliban.

"There's only one thing you can do," said Stern. "Remember me in November when you're in the voting booth. I'm asking you to do me one favor. Vote against Bush. That's it."

The radio personality has even taken the fight to his Web site, which previously contained only a solitary photo but now includes a "required reading" list of articles about the indecency crackdown and columns in support of Stern.

Some dismiss Stern's statements as whining or a ratings stunt, but he insists his motives are genuine. And while that may be debatable, his impact can't be denied. The jock's daily morning show is syndicated to more than 30 markets, and a reported 8 million listeners tune in each week (reps for Stern and his show would not confirm the size of his audience). Most of those listeners are white males, a voting segment that recent polls show is cooling on President Bush.

"For these guys, the issues haven't been framed in a way that makes sense to them," Felling said. "If he asks his listeners to go out on election day, they will go. These guys are highly suggestible. They'll strip for a 12-pack of Powerade."

There's no doubt that Stern's audience is dedicated, and the controversial jock has proven his clout in the past. Both New York Governor George Pataki and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman got a boost in their campaigns thanks to Stern's support.

This time out, he's found supporters in Congress, including Democratic Representative Gary Ackerman of New York, who weighed in on the House floor, saying, "The issue is that he is beginning to speak out against the president and the administration, and he is paying the price because of the pressure on the media by the president and his media cronies."

So far, however, the Bush camp — at least publicly — isn't making much of Stern's attacks. The Republican National Committee would not comment when contacted by MTV News.

The Bush campaign may not be paying much mind, but Stern's loyal army of followers seem to be getting the point. Each day, another wave of listeners calls in to his live broadcast to announce that they are rethinking their position on the president.

It's the same type of voter sway that has many Democrats concerned about Ralph Nader's effect on the upcoming election. In 2000, some Democrats believe, Nader pulled enough votes from nominee Al Gore to swing the election in favor of Bush. This time around, many Kerry supporters have tried to negate the Nader effect, and Felling of the Center for Media and Public Affairs said Bush supporters might want to take a similar tack with Stern.

"They're going to have to start a 'stop the Howard vote' [initiative]," Felling said.

It remains to be seen, however, if fans will still be tuned in to Howard's message when the polls open in November. Stern has vowed to carry his fight until voters hit the polls this fall, if he can hold on to his platform until then.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that would increase fines for perceived indecent material to as much as $500,000 (up from $27,500) and would broaden the targets of those fines to include not only broadcasters but on-air talent as well. Stern has said he will quit his show should the bill become law.

PRONG: U.S. Tour Dates Announced

PRONG's latest CD, "Scorpio Rising", received its long-awaited U.S. last month through Locomotive Music. The group's first studio album since 1996's "Rude Awakening" features mainman Tommy Victor alongside drummer Dan Laudo and guitarist Monte Pittman.

PRONG have lined up the following tour dates during the coming weeks:

Mar. 20 - Maplewood, MN @ First Avenue
Mar. 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy (w/ STATIC-X)
Mar. 30 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy (w/ STATIC-X)
Apr. 29 - Sacramento, CA @ The Roadhouse
Apr. 30 - Concord, CA @ Bourbon Street
May 01 - Tacoma, WA @ Hell's Kitchen
May 02 - Portland, OR @ TBA
May 04 - Colorado Springs, CO @ 32 Bleu
May 05 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
May 06 - Omaha, NE @ Ranch Bowl
May 07 - Saint Louis, MO @ Creepy Crawl
May 08 - Chicago Heights, IL @ Oasis One Sixty
May 09 - Mt. Clemens, MI @ Hayloft Liquor Stand
May 11 - Youngstown, OH @ The Dome
May 12 - Buffalo, NY @ Palmeri Day & Night Club
May 13 - Baltimore, MD @ Thunderdome
May 14 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
May 15 - Attleboro, MA @ Jarrod's
May 16 - Farmingdale, NY @ Downtown
May 18 - Hi Point, NC @ Hartleys House of Rock
May 19 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
May 20 - Orlando, FL @ The Social
May 21 - St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theater
May 22 - W. Palm Beach, FL @ Spanky's
May 23 - Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
May 25 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds
May 26 - San Antonio, TX @ Sin 13
May 27 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
May 28 - Albuquerque, NM @ The Launch Pad
May 30 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Lo-Fi
Jun. 02 - Seattle, WA @ Graceland
Jun. 03 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
Jun. 04 - San Francisco, CA @ The Pound
Jun. 05 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA

SOCIETY 1 Suspension Show Makes History

On Thursday, March 11, at LA's Key Club, Society 1 made history. In front of a tightly-packed house, Matt "The Lord" Zane became the first rock singer in history to perform live while "suspended" - pierced through the back and hoisted up in the air, supported only by the hooks in his flesh.

An uncommonly disciplined and daring feat that has never been accomplished before now, The Lord's suspension is the latest chapter in the unfolding saga of the man recently described in the LA Weekly as an embodiment of "Morrisonesque shamanics and Satanic self-determination".

LA's Key Club was filled beyond capacity with over 700 people in attendance to witness the historic spectacle. The entire venue was abuzz with anticipation, wonder, and doubt as The Lord took center stage (bearing a giant wooden cross!) and prepared for the show. With ambient Middle Eastern melodies pumping through the PA, The Lord was pierced with six hooks and hoisted off the ground. Amidst wild cheering, a curtain rose and Society 1 launched into "Fornicate", off their Earache debut, "Exit Through Fear", as The Lord rose higher and higher in the air. The Lord remained suspended for the duration of three full songs, reaching nearly thirty feet off the stage, fronting the band in his inimitable style all the while. On the last of the three songs, "Everyone Dies (Rock Stars Don't Count)", The Lord was joined by Orgy's Jay Gordon on vocals.

Following the three suspended songs, The Lord returned to the stage for a full set with Society 1, featuring the debut of new Society 1 bassist, Dirt.

In a night full of extreme spectacles - from porn stars enacting live S&M rituals to a performance by "America's Most Extreme Performance Artist", CoRE - Matt "The Lord" Zane's suspended set with Society 1 stole the show, and made history in the process.

Society 1's March 11 show at LA's Key Club marked their final show in support of their Earache debut, "Exit Through Fear". The entire show was filmed for a DVD, to be released on Earache later this year. Society 1 will now enter the studio to record their second Earache album.

It's Official The Red Rocker Bette Midler To Rejoin and Tour With Van Halen

You are reading it here FIRST! The tour rumor mill is overflowing with buzz for a Van Halen reunion with Bette Midler is viewed as a virtual certainty, and has been anticipated for months.

The group's last outing was in 1998, with former Extreme singer Gary Cherone handling vocal duties. Their last tour with Bette Midler wrapped in late 1995; the eight-month outing sold well over a million tickets, grossing more than $32 million.

SUNWHEEL PSYCHEDELIC CD Release Party TONIGHT In Chicago

Fly Public Relations of Los Angeles presents Chicago's own SUNWHEEL PSYCHEDELIC debut CD "Burning Doves" release party this evening at Chicago's LIARS CLUB is a 21 and over event from 9-11PM where free beer will be served to attendees. Sponsors include, MK Magazine, Oui Magazine, Roadrunner Records, Freda LA and Chain Whipped, There will also be tons of free swag and of course.......free beer!!!!!!!

The band features the work of Greg Miner who once played in "The Electric Hellfire Club" and "Sons of Midnight" who had a song on the last MINISTRY Tribute CD. But this is far from industrial, and it's hard rock guitar sound is getting rave reviews. see:

www.stonerrockchick.com/cdreviews/reviewDisplay.phpreviewID=447&type=retro

Liars Club is at 1665 W Fullerton Ave. Chicago 773-665-1110

www.sunwheelpsychedelic.com

Here's EPIXa

Ultra ViXXXen EPIXa has submitted some more photos for your viewing pleasure and they will be posted later tonight. For now enjoy this cheesecake pin-up style photo we're very fond of.

Are you MK Magazine ViXXXen material?

Yes, even we have standards.

PLEASE READ MK Magazine ViXXXen guidelines carefully and thoroughly!

All girls will be considered for our website's ViXXXen gallery, and possibly for MK Magazine's cover and/or centerfold, based on your appeal, creativity, and unique presence.

Must be at least 18 years old, and able to provide proof of your age.

Photo submissions MUST BE 72 DPI/web-resolution only-not larger or smaller.
jpg or gif/tif files only.

All images chosen for the ViXXXen gallery are the property of both MK Magazine and the model/photographer. We will not sell your submitted portfolio photos or use them for profit in any way. However, your submission of photos and our use of them in the ViXXXen photo gallery is an agreement that we reserve the right to freely use your photos for promotional purposes of the website, magazine, and other MK Magazine-related functions.

Rock 'n' Roll types, urged to submit!

What we are NOT looking for: gothic, candle-lit, brooding cemetery types. There are enough of these in the gallery already! No bloody nude photos or vampires. No gratuitous nudity. No more knives, swords, handcuffs, or poorly done bondage. No more "Betty Paige" haircuts (short, black bangs) or funky dreaded hair. Shiny, vinyl clothing and "stripper shoes" are usually not that interesting either. It's all been done a thousand times before, and these styles are "cookie-cutter" to us. We have more than enough of these types of girls on the site. Do not waste our time or yours with an overkill of "goth slut" photo submissions. And please do not send us low-budget "my boyfriend took this photo of me in his bedroom with a blanket as a backdrop" quality photos!

What we ARE looking for: Fun, creative, unique, interesting, pretty girls and photos! Think unique or fantasy situations, interesting scenarios, lusty, or teasing photos. Glamour is welcome. Make-up is welcome. Natural beauty is welcome. Voluptuous curves are welcome. Artistry is very welcome! Subtle nudity is welcome. Let your individuality shine through and we'll help take you to the next level!!! Uniforms are nice such as catholic school girl or police or army or nurses. SEX SELLS! And variety is the spice of life.

Please send submissions for consideration to
alex@mk-magazine.com

HAPPY SAINT PATRICKS DAY

Today they will turn the Chicago river green and Rush and Divisions Streets will be puked covered. Oh it must be St Patrick's Day so BOOZE it up! More people have already called off and for whatever reason frat guys and former frats guys alike along with their ladies will spend all day soaking the suds and high fiving and screaming out windows and then stumbling down the street. But it's okay cause our mayor is Irish.

So for one day so will everyone else.

An Irishman walks into a bar in Dublin, orders three pints of Guinness and sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.

The bartender approaches and tells him, "You know, a pint goes flat after I draw it; it would taste better if you bought one at a time." The Irishman replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in America, the other in Australia, and I'm here in Dublin. When we all left home, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together.

So I drinks one for each o' me brothers and one for me self." The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The Irishman becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way:

He orders three pints and drinks them in turn. One day, he comes in and orders two pints. All the other regulars take notice and the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your great loss."

The Irishman looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in his eye and he laughs. "Oh, no, everybody's just fine," He explains, "It's just that me wife had us join that Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking. "Hasn't affected me brothers a bit though."

THE STENCH FILES

photo by Terry Mac

Get the baby wipes, Messy's ViXXXen page has been updated and you can expect it to grow even moreso in the next week. In the meantime, check out her site and buy her filthy calendar that I stare at every working day of my life.

Thanks to Kevin!

MY RUIN CHICAGO HEADLINER SHOW 1 WEEK AWAY

This very special event is just one short week away!

MK Magazine Presents An Evening With MY RUIN - Smoke and Ditchwater 3/23/04 Hot on the heels of their SOLD OUT March 22nd show supporting SOiL at Chicago's legendary venue The Metro, MK's favorite Los Angeles rockers MY RUIN will play a rare "one off" all ages show Tuesday March 23rd at The Bottom Lounge 3206 N Wilton (off of Clark and Belmont) with Smoke and Ditchwater. Tickets are $10 and doors open at 6:00 PM. Get there early: MY RUIN will be meeting their fans, taking photos and signing autographs, and the first 100 people in the door will get a free copy of MK ULTRA with Tairrie B on the cover and an in-depth band interview. At 10PM Tairrie B and guitarist Mick Murphy will DJ a 21 and over MK after-party where attendees can meet the band, and help celebrate the bands drummer Yael's birthday. Stick around after the show for all the fun! For more information see www.myruin.com and www.mk-magazine.com

Please Sign STOP FCC Petition

Although on paper it may appear that we as American's are free to express ourselves without fear, we're not. Saying something sympathetic towards terrorists or against Prez Bush will result in one of our Government agencies checking you out.

There's not much we can do about it. The FCC, Federal Communications Commission, is a so-called "independent" Gov't agency, but the five commissioners are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, which makes you wonder how independent they are. Either way. they decide what we can say, hear and watch in all electronic media. Parental Controls, you could say, for America. But America is all grown up and can think for itself. No matter. We still need a babysitter.

The FCC is evil. Go to www.stopfcc.com and sign the petition. It may help, it may not. But it's your duty as a free-thinking pervert to challenge these old farts who are trying to decide what is right for all of us.

Meet Chrystyne

Chrystyne the UltraViXXXen formerly known as Disco Bitch was one of the original MK models. And she continues to blossom. We really love her new look and think you will too.

Are you MK Magazine ViXXXen material?

Yes, even we have standards.

Please send submissions for consideration to
alex@mk-magazine.com

SUNWHEEL PSYCHEDELIC Release Party THIS THURSDAY!

SUNWHEEL PSYCHEDELIC CD Release Party In Chicago FREE BEER!!!

Fly Public Relations of Los Angeles presents Chicago's own SUNWHEEL PSYCHEDELIC debut CD "Burning Doves" release party March 18th at Chicago's LIARS CLUB is a 21 and over event from 9-11PM where free beer will be served to attendees. Sponsors include, MK Magazine, Oui Magazine, Roadrunner Records, Freda LA and Chain Whipped, There will also be tons of free swag and of course.......free beer!!!!!!!

The band features the work of Greg Miner who once played in "The Electric Hellfire Club" and "Sons of Midnight" who had a song on the last MINISTRY Tribute CD. But this is far from industrial, and it's hard rock guitar sound is getting rave reviews. see:

www.stonerrockchick.com/cdreviews/reviewDisplay.php?reviewID=447&type=retro

Liars Club is at 1665 W Fullerton Ave. Chicago 773-665-1110

www.sunwheelpsychedelic.com

Prong Is Hitting The Road

A handfull of dates have been announced for PRONG and more are sure to follow. Check out their new album Scorpio Rising out now on Locomotive Records.

Sat 03/20/04 Maplewood, MN Aldridge Arena

Sat 05/01/04 Tacoma, WA Hell's Kitchen

Sun 05/02/04 Portland, OR TBA

Wed 05/05/04 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater

Sun 05/09/04 Chicago Heights, IL Oasis One Sixty

Wed 05/12/04 Niagara Falls, NY Palmeri Day & Night Club

Thu 05/13/04 Baltimore, MD Thunderdome

Batman Begins "Much More Reality-Based"

Charles Roven, producer of the upcoming Batman Begins movie, told SCI FI Wire that the fifth movie in the franchise returns the story to its roots and bases it in reality. "The whole concept of this Batman is that it ... will be different from the other Batmans, because it's going to be much more reality-based," Roven said in an interview while promoting his next film, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

Roven added, "Everything that the character does, a living person today could evolve to do. And everything—... all of the equipment, the plane, the car, the cape, everything—it's got a real scientific, practical reason for being. ... And you're going, 'Gee, that could happen today.'"

Roven said that he just returned from Iceland, where the film began shooting last week with Christian Bale starring as Bruce Wayne and Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon. Bale has already signed for possible sequels, and Roven added that Batman Begins sets in motion events that could pay off in subsequent installments.

"You've got to see this one to find out what's going to happen possibly in the next one," Roven said. "All of the seeds, if there will be a next one, are there, even though the exact story for what the next one will be hasn't been worked out. But we're doing Batman Begins, so you can imagine that you find out the history of the character, why Bruce Wayne went on the journey to become this character of Batman, how he got there, and also other characters within the story and they embark on their journey to become maybe some of his biggest foes." Batman Begins is eyeing a summer 2005 release.

Swiss Government To Repeal Absinthe Ban

GENEVA (AFP) - The Swiss government approved draft legislation to end a ban on absinthe, the mythical herbal liqueur beloved of turn-of-the-century artists and blamed for driving some of them mad.

Political debate has been ongoing in the Alpine country since last year over the green spirit, which is thought to be bootlegged in moderate quantities here but was outlawed in 1908, after a factory worker killed his wife and two children in a bout of madness blamed on the drink.

Absinthe was allowed back into shops in much of western Europe in 1981 after the European Union passed a directive which overturned bans in many countries.

Although the law was later eased in non-EU member Switzerland, the drink nicknamed the "green fairy" has remained outlawed in its high-proof form recognized as real absinthe.

The federal Swiss government said in a report that the 1908 ban no longer was justified, since the quantities of thuyone -- the substance in absinthe considered dangerous -- were now clearly regulated in the drink.

Legalizing it would actually enable authorities to control the production of the alcohol and tax its sales, it said.

The fabled aura surrounding absinthe, immortalized in poems by Charles Baudelaire and paintings by Edgar Degas and Pablo Picasso, could also be dispelled if it were no longer illegal, the government concluded.

Pro-legalization camps in Switzerland have touted the economic benefits of the drink for the isolated Val de Travers in the western canton of Neuchatel, which claims to be the birthplace of the alcohol made from wormwood.

About 15,000 litwes of absinthe are thought to be distilled illegally in the Val de Travers every year. Most of the locals drink it diluted with water, when it turns into a milky-white colour.

SKINNY PUPPY , LAIBACH and more Confirmed For Germany's ZILLO FESTIVAL

SKINNY PUPPY have been officially confirmed for the 2004 edition of Zillo Festival, set to take place July 16-18 in St. Goarshausen, Germany.

SKINNY PUPPY
WITHIN TEMPTATION
LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT
ALIEN SEX FIEND
AFTER FOREVER
BLUTENGEL
DAS ICH
DEATHSTARS
FAUN
GTTERDMMERUNG
IN EXTREMO
LAIBACH
SUICIDE COMMANDO
SCHANDMAUL
:SITD:
SEROTONINE
THE GATHERING
UMBRA ET IMAGO

MK Magazine Presents An Evening with MY RUIN

On Tuesday March 23rd MY RUIN will perform a special all ages show at Chicago's Bottom Lounge. Tickets are $10 and doors open at 6PM. Smoke and Ditchwater will open the show.

see www.myruin.com

Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2004 Passed in Landslide Vote

In fact, diarrhea still fits the FCC definition of indecency. FCC rules prohibit radio and TV stations broadcasts that air material that refers to sexual and excretory functions between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

WASHINGTON - Earlier today, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved draconian legislation that raises penalties for both corporations and individuals that violate the Federal Communication Commissions indecency standards. The Senate version of the bill is likely to be voted on next week.

The bill passed by a staggering 391-22, demonstrating bi-partisan support for a bill that effectively rolls back broadcast entertainment to the 1950s when the word “diarrhea” was considered a dirty word.

One Republican voted against the bill, and eight Republicans abstained. 21 Democrats voted against the bill, and twelve abstained.

In fact, diarrhea still fits the FCC definition of indecency. FCC rules prohibit radio and TV stations broadcasts that air material that refers to sexual and excretory functions between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., the time that the government feels that children may be tuned in. Obscenity is not permitted at any time of the day.

The bill also calls for repeat violators to have their broadcast licenses taken away.

Cable, satellite TV, and satellite radio face no such restrictions.

Under the House version of the bill, violators of the FCC regulations will be faced with fines of $500,000 per utterance of indecency, with no maximum fine amount.

The Senate version of the bill, which will likely be voted upon next week, only seeks to raise fines to $275,000. Furthermore, the Senate places a cap of $3 million in fines per 24-hour period for companies and a cap of $500,000 per 24-hour period for individuals.

Predicting the passage of the bill on his show earlier today, Howard Stern said, “They will make me a martyr, they will make be bigger than I have ever been.”

Stern says if President Bush signs the bill into law, he’ll quit doing his show. However, Stern has already indicated that he may move to either XM Satellite or Sirius Radio, two satellite radio stations.

Return Of The Living Dead 3's Exoskeleton Now A Reality

Remember Return OF The Living Dead 3 with Melinda Clarke as the super hot punk rock Zombie chick? The exoskeleton in that film are now a real government weapon! - AZ

Robotic Legs Could Produce Super Troops

By MICHELLE LOCKE, Associated Press Writer

BERKELEY, Calif. - Move over Bionic Man and make room for BLEEX — the Berkeley Lower Extremities Exoskeleton, with strap-on robotic legs designed to turn an ordinary human into a super strider.

Ultimately intended to help people like soldiers or firefighters carry heavy loads for long distances, these boots are made for marching.

"The design of this exoskeleton really benefits from human intellect and the strength of the machine," says Homayoon Kazerooni, who directs the Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory at the University of California-Berkeley.

The exoskeleton consists of a pair of mechanical metal leg braces that include a power unit and a backpack-like frame. The braces are attached to a modified pair of Army boots and are also connected, although less rigidly, to the user's legs.

More than 40 sensors and hydraulic mechanisms function like a human nervous system, constantly calculating how to distribute the weight being borne and create a minimal load for the wearer.

"There is no joystick, no keyboard, no push button to drive the device," says Kazerooni, a professor of mechanical engineering. "The pilot becomes an integral part of the exoskeleton."

In lab experiments, says Kazerooni, testers have walked around in the 100-pound exoskeleton plus a 70-pound backpack and felt as if they were carrying just five pounds.

Eventually, the device could help rescuers haul heavy equipment up high-rise buildings or turn tired troops into striding super soldiers.

What it won't do is turn you into a Borg, the gadget-happy gladiators of "Star Trek" fame.

"The exoskeleton is not going to magically transform people into killing machines," says Kazerooni, known to his students as Professor Kaz. "They're really good, it turns out, at enabling firefighters, soldiers, post-disaster rescue crews to carry heavy loads over great distances for hours."

So, no cyborg cops. But at least you get Terminator togs.

Video of the BLEEX in action, which can be viewed at www.me.berkeley.edu/hel/bleex.htm, shows a steel-spiked symbiosis of man and machine, marching about to the techno-industrial drone of grinding motors. The next step for the BLEEX team is making the power source quieter and stronger and miniaturizing components.

BLEEX is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon research and development arm, and was among the projects being showcased at a DARPA tech symposium this week in Anaheim.

The project is one of scores in the field of robotics, which ranges from industrial machines that assemble cars to orthotics, surgical devices that activate or supplement weakened limbs or functions.

Excitement about robotics was fanned by this week's DARPA-sponsored Mojave Desert race for fully autonomous vehicles, and the field is making strides worldwide.

In Japan, a leader in robot research, Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news) has developed a child-shaped walking robot, known as Qrio, and Honda Motor Co. has also developed a walking, talking humanoid robot. This spring, some Japanese companies plan to start marketing a "robot suit," a motorized, battery-operated device intended to help old and infirm people move around.

The current favorite in the DARPA race came out of Carnegie Mellon University, where professor Matthew Mason is working on intelligent robots including the Mobipulator, which uses its wheels to move things as well as for locomotion.

"There's just too much to do," says Mason. "Every time that there is an advance in computing, there are just so many more things that it becomes possible to do. Robotics is really about interfacing computers to the physical world so that their sensors give them a better concept of what's going on around them — they can make interesting things happen instead of just sitting there in their little beige boxes."

Kazerooni isn't offering test drives of the exoskeleton. But if he were, Mason would be interested.

"It looks really exciting," says Mason. "I'd like to try it on myself."

Who Do You Think Will Have The Skoop?

Gene $immons On Dennis Miller CNBC Tonight

Gene Simmons will appear as a guest on the DENNIS MILLER program on CNBC this evening at 8PM Central Time.

Among other things Simmons is expected to brag about are his:

Money

Solo Album titled ASSHOLE

The number of groupies he has had sex with

Money

His books and audio tapes

Money

Marketing of KISS Products sporting his image.

Money

The success of last years tour with Aerosmith and pending tour with Poison.

Money

Marriage and why not to become married

Money

Gene is not expected to divulge that he never had his penis cast by Chicago's Cynthia Plaster Caster which he recorded a song about on 1977's Love Gun album and subquesent Unplugged CD in 1995.

An Evening With Siouxsie

Get ready for "An Evening With Siouxsie." Original punk rock queen Siouxsie Sioux has announced a string of performances during which she'll play two hours' worth of material spanning her vast 25-year catalog with The Banshees and The Creatures.

She'll be joined by longtime bandmate/husband Budgie as well as ex-Kodo drummer Leonard Eto. No opening acts will appear and venues will be of "intimate" size.

The tour begins at The Showbox in Seattle May 19 and hits familiar spots including The Warfield in San Francisco, Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin and The Majestic Theatre in Detroit before wrapping with two nights at the B.B. King Blues Club in New York City June 8-9.

Tickets fall in the $26-$35 range; visit thecreatures.com for more info.

Siouxsie and Budgie released their fifth album as The Creatures, Hai!, last October. Last summer saw the release of The Seven Year Itch, the live CD/DVD document of Siouxsie & The Banshees' 2002 reunion tour.

Happy Birthday Viagra

Viagra is 6 years old this month.

VIAGRA is a prescription drug used to treat erection difficulties, such as erectile dysfunction (ED). Since it first became available in 1998, the prescription drug VIAGRA has helped about 16 million men around the world improve their sex lives. Amazingly, 9 tablets are dispensed every second worldwide. And no other therapy or prescription drug for erectile dysfunction has been studied as much or has the same amount of real-world experience as VIAGRA since its launch. It’s no wonder more than 600,000 doctors have chosen the prescription drug VIAGRA for their patients with ED.

Fact is, when taken correctly, VIAGRA works for most men. Studies show that it works for up to 4 out of 5 men (versus 1 out of 4 on sugar pill). VIAGRA improves erections in most men no matter how long they have had ED, what caused it, how often they have it, or how old they are. And VIAGRA has been proven to work in clinical studies of thousands of men.

VIAGRA is a prescription drug that works by increasing blood flow to the penis. It is not a hormone or an aphrodisiac. Once you take it, VIAGRA can work in as quickly as 30 minutes. VIAGRA works for 4 hours so you can set your own pace. And, in most patients, VIAGRA can be taken as often as once a day.

Browse the menu at left to learn more details about the prescription drug VIAGRA. Then see your doctor and ask about a first-time free sample of VIAGRA

R-Rating Sought For Some Smoking In Films

I choose by my own free will NOT to smoke. And I do prefer and am a patron of smoke free establishments when available. However, it is ones right to destroy ones body with this evil weed if they chose. The whole censorship enforcement is getting out of control THIS ISSUE ALONE is reason enough to VOTE. If you're not registered please take 5 minutes and do it now. We are Bering forced to change this dangerous new trend. There is power in numbers and we all need to vote together to change the way things are. Otherwise 4 more years of the way things are heading is going to wipe out your freedom of choice to the point where it will take decades to reverse. - AZ

By ANTHONY BREZNICAN, AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES - If Nicolas Cage lights a cigarette in a movie, Hollywood's ratings board should respond as if he used a profanity, according to authors of a new study that criticizes glamorous images of smoking in movies rated for children under 17.

Nearly 80 percent of movies rated PG-13 feature some form of tobacco use, while 50 percent of G and PG rated films depict smoking, said Stanton Glantz, co-author of the study, which examined 775 U.S. movies over the past five years.

"No one is saying there should never be any smoking in the movies," Glantz, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said Tuesday at a press conference at Hollywood High School. "What we're simply asking for is that smoking be treated by Hollywood as seriously as it treats offensive language."

He'd like to see more PG-13 movies that feature smoking — like "Matchstick Men," "Seabiscuit" and the Oscar-winning "Chicago" — get slapped with an R rating.

Since R-rated films typically earn less money because they are not open to most teenagers, Glantz said he hoped such a policy would discourage filmmakers from depicting unnecessary smoking, such as the nicotine-addicted worm aliens in "Men in Black."

The proposal includes an exception for historical figures who actually smoked as part of their public life, Glantz added. "For example, if they wanted to make a movie about Winston Churchill, they could show him with a cigar without triggering an R-rating, but the number of movies where that actually happens is very small."

The study was funded by the charitable foundation The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund and the National Cancer Institute).

Glantz singled out The Walt Disney Co. for smoking in the PG-rated "Holes" and G-rated "102 Dalmatians," Time Warner for its PG "Secondhand Lions" and "What a Girl Wants" and Sony Pictures Entertainment for its PG "Master of Disguise."

Sony spokesman Steve Elzer said: "We are aware of the health hazards posed by smoking and while we do not advocate our filmmakers to use smoking in our films, we can not endorse guidelines that promote censorship or restrict creative freedom,"

Disney declined to comment, and Time Warner did not immediately return a call for comment.

The Motion Picture Association of America, which rates films, refused to comment directly on whether it would consider changing its ratings system.

But the group denied that its studio members were trying to promote cigarettes.

"We are not in the business of advertising," read a statement from Vans Stevenson, senior vice president of the MPAA. "We are in the enterprise of creative storytelling. All elements in motion picture storytelling are determined by the creative artists involved."

Senate Committee Passes Amended Broadcast Bill

from www.avn.com
By: Scott Ross

WASHINGTON - The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously passed their version of the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act earlier today after adding five amendments to the bill.

Overall the Senate version of the bill is tamer than the draconian measures adopted by the House in their version of the bill, but the Senate came dangerously close to expanding the role of the FCC to include oversight of cable and digital dish channels.

A proposed amendment to place cable channels under the jurisdiction of the FCC narrowly failed, losing by a 12 to 11 margin.

Indecency regulations prohibit radio and TV stations from airing material that refers to sexual and excretory functions, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., when children may be listening or watching. The material that is not allowed is often referred to as the “George Carlin 7”, after the comedians’ monologue on the subject.

Despite widely circulated reports that claim the bill was amended to increase fines to $500,000 for violations of the FCC indecency code, the Senate version of the bill called for fines of $275,000 per violation, a tenfold increase from the current penalty of $27,500 per violation.

If the Senate version of the bill passes, each utterance or showing of indecent material can result in a $275,000 dollar fine, with a limit of $3 million dollars in fines per 24-hour period.

Individuals can only be fined up to $500,000 dollars, and their ability to pay such a fine must be considered when issuing fines.

After three violations, the FCC will automatically review a station’s broadcast license, and there is the possibility that it could be taken away under an amendment that is similar to the House version of the bill.

Violent programming was added to the list of content the FCC should monitor. Specifically, one amendment to the bill will make it illegal to distribute violent content during hours children may see the show, without labeling it so.

The bill also calls for marketing practices of those who produce violent content to be closely monitored by the FCC.

The final amendment calls for a moratorium of the FCC’s controversial expansion of media ownership rules that increased the amount of broadcast media outlets any one company can own in a single market until a study on the effects of market consolidation and the spread of indecency is completed. It is often noted the two largest radio companies, Clear Channel and Infinity, account for a combined 80 percent of all indecency violations.

New Bass Player For ALL SYSTEMS HALT

ALL SYSTEMS HALT Not only moved on in the Emergenza battle of the bands and will be playing next at Chicago's legendary Double Door but they received more votes than any other band in Chicago and are now #1 in the entire nation according to www.emergenza.net .

A.S.H.are ranked 157th in the world right now and those ranked 156th and up are all from Europe or Canada. So overall our hometown boys did a killer job.

In other new, All Systems Halt will be unveiling a new bass player soon and should appear at the Double Door show. Who it may be is currently under wraps but Zok the bands vocalist is only referring to the replacement as Racer X. Nevertheless a well connected person who the band is very excited about performing with if all goes well, will fill the boots vacated by the bands former bassist who wasn't at The Note show to join in the bands recent and well deserved fanfare.

Could it be? www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/3998/bodsounds/lane1.wav

Keep dialing us up for developments.

Man Killed During Masonic Initiation

By FRANK ELTMAN, Associated Press Writer

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. - A man was shot in the face and killed during a Masonic initiation ceremony by a fellow member who mistakenly pulled out a real pistol instead of a blank gun, police said Tuesday.

The 76-year-old man who fired the shot was charged with manslaughter.

William James, 47, was killed Monday night at the Southside Masonic Lodge.

"We believe it was completely accidental," said Suffolk County Detective Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick. The man under arrest, Albert Eid, was "stunned and distraught" at James' death, he