MK Magazine News

"Inside Deep Throat" Has Sundance Buzzing

Movie will open in the country's 10 biggest cities in February

--The Seattle Times

PARK CITY, Utah — It's the dirtiest film ever to become a blockbuster, but it's also the independent filmmaker's dream: a movie made for $25,000 that ultimately grossed $600 million.

Welcome "Deep Throat," www.xxxdeepthroat.com flag-bearer of the indie film movement.

Not all would agree, of course, but "Inside Deep Throat," Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato's documentary chronicling the lasting cultural impact of that infamous 1972 porn movie, was nonetheless the most buzzed-about premiere of the Sundance Film Festival's opening weekend.

"Inside Deep Throat" played last week to a packed auditorium of almost 1,300 festival-goers. The following night saw the debut of Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette's in-competition documentary "The Aristocrats," in which almost 100 comics retell perhaps the filthiest joke ever.

Yes, the mountain air has been infused with raunch.

"Inside Deep Throat," which Universal is releasing in February, is part "Kinsey" (its view of the nation's former state of sexual repression), part "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" (the recounting of censorship/First Amendment battles, culminating in the criminal trial of leading man Harry Reems) and part "Boogie Nights" (immersion in the pre-video porn world, all set to a fab '70s soundtrack that includes "Spill the Wine").

With its graphic movie clips and the subject's frank treatment, "Inside Deep Throat" will become that very rare species: a major-studio NC-17 film (Universal's first since 1990's "Henry & June").

Producer Brian Grazer, who shepherded the project and eventually hired the co-directors of "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" and "Party Monster," said the movie will open in the country's 10 biggest cities, most likely in art houses, and go from there. "I'm a bit scared about it," Grazer said after the premiere, referring to the film's ultimate reception.

His best-case scenario would be to export the Sundance crowd to every theater. The audience was enthusiastic, not only in its appreciation for the zippy filmmaking but also the politics — which, it must be said, get a bit fuzzy when feminists are blamed for thwarting the sexual revolution with their anti-porn stance.

Audience members booed and even heckled the prosecutors and censorship advocates, and they cheered Reems, particularly when an end title noted that he's currently a real-estate broker in Park City. Reems subsequently received a standing ovation when brought to the stage for the post-screening Q&A.

Most questions were respectful, though one audience member took the movie to task for appearing to suggest that '70s porn was morally superior to contemporary porn. At least one critic grumbled afterward that he'd had his fill of "porn nostalgia."

For his part, Grazer said he's far from a pornography advocate but felt that no one had focused on the connection between "Deep Throat" and the pop-culture prevalence of sexual imagery and content. "As a parent, I don't like that it's in every aspect of our society, that everything is sexualized," Grazer said. "On the other hand, it's interesting the seismic effect that this little movie 'Deep Throat' had."

That effect was in full display at the late-night "Inside Deep Throat" party, held in a warehouselike space decorated with American flags and balloons.

The light gift bags, distributed upon exiting, contained red and blue tissue paper and a solitary envelope containing a card on which was printed the First Amendment.

Thanks for the lecture, but most partygoers looked like they would have preferred some Kiehl's lotions.

"Inside Deep Throat" wasn't the only party Friday night. In the incongruous setting of a steel-and-glass office building's atrium, the highly energetic hip-hop dancers of David LaChapelle's exuberant documentary "Rize" exhorted the badge-and-cellphone crowd to get its groove on.

That they tried to do, with Pamela Anderson hopping up to shake her silicone with the dancers. Naomi Watts, the always-game star of poorly received "Ellie Parker" (a rambling, shot-on-video tale of how tough it is to be a struggling Los Angeles actress), bopped close to the action while other members of the beautiful-people crowd — the Hilton sisters, Jenny McCarthy and several women who looked just like Jenny McCarthy — took off early.

The King Is Gone But He's Not Forgotten

Happy Birthday Johnny!

Johnny Lydon/Rotten turns 49 today.

Like he gives a flying fuck!

Spider-Man 3 Starts Shooting in 3 Months?

Source: Maxpower

'Maxpower' attended this weekend's "FX Show" in Florida and says J.K. Simmons, who plays J. Jonah Jameson in the "Spider-Man" movies, gave an update on Spider-Man 3:

Hi there! Love the site. I was at the FX Show this weekend, and spent some time talking to JK Simmons. According to him, they start shooting Spider-Man 3 in three months, and release date is Spring 2007. Course, things may change, but this is what the man said!

We're pretty sure they'll keep that May 4, 2007 release date, but it's cool to hear that shooting may get underway so soon already.

Carmen Luvana's New ClubCarmen.com

Carmen Meets MK In Vegas

Source: Carmen Luvana

Welcome to the New Club Carmen! I have been working very hard to make this site better and it's finally done! Here is what you get by being a member:

1- By being a member of my official web site, you will get galleries uploaded weekly and even if I am not in town, my system automatically updates them for me every week, so you guys have nothing to worry about and always get new and exclusive content.

2- You will also see galleries of my friends solo and in action with me.

3- You will see different and exclusive video clips only seen at ClubCarmen.com

4- You will get access to my private diary in witch I write every little nasty thing I do and what goes on, on every single day of my life.

5- By being a member of my website you get complete access to the KSEXradio.com members section, in witch you will have a web cam running 24/7 live through my site, in witch you can see and chat with me and all of your other favorite adult stars like... Stormy Daniels, Alexis Amore, Dee, Cytherea, Tyler Faith, Katie Morgan and so many more...

6- Every month I will pick a member of my site and do a little competition in witch every month a member gets to have phone sex with me... Can't wait for this one!

7- You will also have exclusive web cams and chats that I will be doing exclusive for my members.

8- And last but not least, you get a FREE DVD of mine when you become a member!

So if this is not enough for you, I honestly don't know what will do it! See you inside...

Tu Boricua
Carmen Luvana!
ClubCarmen.com

NIN, New Order, Bauhaus are playing Coachella!!!!!!!!!!

www.coachella.com

Zombie's 'Rejects' One Sheets and New Trailer in March

House of 1000 Corpses fans get psyched, because Lions Gate Films begins promoting Rob Zombie's sequel Devil's Rejects in March. Rob Zombie updated fans on his official message board, you can read what he had to say inside. The sequel to "House of 1000 Corpses" centers on a band of bounty hunters led by Sheriff Wydell's brother who is fueled by revenge when he finds out that his kin was slain by the Firefly family. The film will pick up shortly after the first with the Firefly clan going on the road after their house is burned down and a few family members have been gunned down during a police raid. 'Devil's Rejects' hits theaters August 12.

Rob writes on his official board:

"Well, here's the scoop. Everything is moving along great. We are at the final stages of post production and the film looks amazing. I finally got to see the color corrected film on the big screen and it is awesome.

Also the music is totally coming together. Tyler Bates has created a one-of-kind score. It is dark and disturbing. Not your typical Hollywood shit.

The FX are almost complete and those are looking sweet as f*ck.

What more can I say? Everything is right on track. Look for a new trailer and the first one sheet posters to hit theatres in March!

Botox May Soothe 'Musician's Cramp'

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Injections of the wrinkle-banisher Botox may help soothe the involuntary muscle contractions that plague some professional musicians, according to a new study.

Musicians are particularly susceptible to a condition known as focal task-specific dystonia, in which muscles affecting one part of the body -- the hand, for instance -- contract involuntarily during a particular activity. For musicians, that means suffering muscles spasms when they attempt to play their instruments -- a potentially career-ending problem sometimes called 'musician's cramp.'

Hand dystonia, seen in musicians such as pianists, guitarists and string players, can cause the fingers to contract and curl under when the musician tries to perform. Another form of dystonia, embouchure dystonia, affects the muscles of the face, jaw and tongue in brass and woodwind players.

A number of treatment options exist, including oral medications, movement-based therapies and botulinum toxin type A -- better known as Botox, one of its brand names. Though most often regarded as the enemy of frown lines, Botox has long been used to treat the uncontrolled muscle contractions that mark a number of medical conditions, such as cerebral palsy and chronic eye-muscle spasms.

Botox is a purified form of the toxin that causes botulism food poisoning. When injected in small doses, botulinum toxin helps relax spastic muscles by preventing nerve cells from releasing a chemical that triggers muscle contractions.

For the new study, published in the journal Neurology, researchers surveyed 84 German musicians with focal dystonia who had received injections of Dysport, a UK brand of botulinum toxin. The group included pianists, string players, guitarists and woodwind and brass players, most of whom had hand dystonia affecting one or two fingers.

Overall, 69 percent said they felt the treatment had helped them, with a majority saying they'd had a "noticeable improvement" in their performance. However, fewer patients -- 36 percent -- reported a lasting improvement in their ability to perform.

Dr. Stephan Schuele of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio led the study.

At the time of the survey, 24 of the 84 patients were still receiving botulinum toxin injections, having been treated for an average of 3 years. The fact that relatively few patients continued with the therapy illustrates the difficulty of treating focal dystonia in musicians, whose livelihood requires an "exquisite level of motor control," according to an editorial published with the report.

Still, the study results are "encouraging," write Drs. Seth L. Pullman and Anna H. Hristova of Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

They refer to the case of the famous pianist Leon Fleisher as a Botox "success story." Hand dystonia had for 30 years limited Fleisher to playing compositions for the left hand, but since starting botulinum injections he has been able to expand to a two-handed repertoire.

A potential pitfall of the therapy is the muscle weakness it causes, Pullman and Hristova point out. Nearly all patients in the current study had some muscle weakness after their injections, which were given in the forearm in most cases.

Short-term weakness, the editorialists note, is to be expected, and for most patients with focal dystonia the side effect is not a problem. But it can be a serious obstacle for professional musicians with busy performance schedules.

The Other Hollywood: The History of Porn Told By Those Who Lived It

Source: www.avn.com

CHATSWORTH, Calif. - The adult movie industry has been written about extensively, pro and con, in theory, polemics, gossip, and tell-all autobiography. But until now its tangled history has never been told in full, certainly not by the people who lived it.

That’s what makes the February 15 publication of The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored History of the Porn Film Industry, by Legs McNeil and Jennifer Osborne with Peter Pavia, a milestone event.

Published by Regan Books/Harper Collins, it traces the history of the XXX movie business from its first stirrings in the late 1960s until the end of the last decade—entirely in the words of those who participated in it.

The book is the result of hundreds of interviews with producers, performers, law enforcers, both friends and foes. Most were conducted in person; some quotes, from the deceased or the uncooperative, were taken from published sources.

“For a storyteller, this is a great story,” McNeil told AVN.com, “and nobody had done a book on it. The books I found about porn were all theory.”

McNeil, the author of Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk, had his first introduction to porn when he worked on the movie Blow Dry in 1974. “I met a lot of people and I liked them,” he said, “and I wondered what happened to them.”

For an oral history, he said, “you need 30 years and core group of people who have been together all that time,” and the porn industry filled that requirement perfectly.

He began work on the book in 1997, the year after his punk book was published. He learned about porn as he’d learned about punk, by talking in depth to the people involved.

But selling it wasn’t easy. The subject was taboo.

“I pitched the idea to every publisher in New York and everybody turned it down,” he said. It wasn’t until 2000, when he produced a three-hour Court TV documentary, Adults Only: The Secret History of the Other Hollywood, that interest was shown.

He made a deal with publisher Judith Regan in 2000, the same year his co-writer Jennifer Osborne came on board. It took them four years to weave a narrative from the enormous amount of transcribed talk.

“It was a ton of work,” Osborne said. “It took as long as it did for me to get my bachelor’s degree.”

Like McNeil, she had her eyes opened along the way. “It was so much more complex than I originally thought when I first entered into it,” she said. “Every time we talked to somebody, new facets of the story would open up, new layers would peel off.”

McNeil feels the book will open everyone’s eyes to the reality of the adult industry. It used to be, he said, that “people could say anything they wanted about the porn industry, because nobody knew what they were talking about.” The Other Hollywood, he hopes, will change all that.

McNeil and Osborne will kick off the book’s publication at a party in New York on February 15. After that they’ll go on a national promotional tour Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, New Haven and other cities.

What follows below is a review by Jared Rutter of The Other Hollywood that appears in the February edition of AVN:

The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry.

Legs McNeil, with Jennifer Osborne and Peter Pavia. ReganBooks. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022. 620 pps.

This is an easy book to pick up — even at 600-plus pages — and a hard one to put down. It’s a milestone — there’s nothing else like it in its thoroughness and range — and very few history books are as constantly entertaining.

The people who made porn’s history, good guys and bad guys, major and minor, speak for themselves. The endless hours of interviews conducted by Legs McNeil and his team have been skillfully winnowed down to a fast-moving, colorful narrative. Folks who are no longer around, or no longer on speaking terms, are represented by quotes from books and magazine interviews.

This is the story of how a multi-billion dollar industry was created from taking moving pictures of people having sex, and the hucksters, mobsters, opportunists and, yes, artists who cashed in on it.

Not surprisingly from an author who has also chronicled the rise of punk rock, the focus is on porn’s most lurid aspects: scandals, drugs, murders, suicides. But then, the fact is that much of the history of adult entertainment is every bit as lurid as many people think.

Those who believe that porn was created by hoodlums and sleazeballs, with performers who were space cadets or borderline nuts, will find validation here. Those who know that also present at the creation were sexual trailblazers, artists of spirit and talent, and some genuinely swell human beings, will find equal proof in these pages.

McNeil just presents the testimonies; he leaves the judgments to the reader.

For example, actor Eric Edwards’ memories of a shoot with Linda Lovelace (the notorious dog loop) are juxtaposed with hers (taken from the book Ordeal), and the listener is allowed to make his own mind. Even if you thought you knew all about, say, Lovelace or John Holmes or Traci Lords, you’ll learn more here, thanks to the often contrasting views of those who knew them.

AVN Publisher and Editor Tim Connelly, himself a former performer who knew many of the players, provides a running thread of commentary that sets the stage for various events.

The book begins with the first stirrings of the sex film industry, in the form of bland nudist camp movies. Pioneers like Russ Meyer and pin-up photographer Bunny Yeager laid the groundwork for something far more exciting. Producer Dave Friedman, the king of the nudie cuties in their late 1960s heyday, oversaw the remaking of burlesque houses into dirty movie theaters.

The early 1970s was mostly about hardcore loops, which flourished in New York. Here’s Fred Lincoln on the free-loving atmosphere of a 1971 hippie porn set: “Everybody fucked while they were waiting to fuck. We’d fuck before — we’d fuck after — we’d fuck during.”

The picture the book paints of mad Manhattan in the ’70s — live sex shows, Plato’s Retreat, endless supplies of drugs — is both exhilarating (the heady freedom) and chilling (the substance abuse).

From that era emerged the low-budget but high earning Deep Throat, which, to the astonishment of the crime family that financed it, became an instant gold mine. There are mind-boggling descriptions of barrels full of cash collected from the theaters that showed it.

Meanwhile in San Francisco, the Mitchell Brothers were creating their own box office phenomenon with Behind the Green Door and its Ivory Soap box-cover star Marilyn Chambers.

The success of Throat and Door ushered in not only Porno Chic, but also a flood of investigations, arrests and prosecutions, mostly on the federal level. The Other Hollywood offers perhaps the best record ever of the trials and tribulations perpetrated on the industry, from the Memphis-based Deep Throat trials to the years-long MIPORN investigation.

Quite a bit of the MIPORN data comes from actual FBI wiretaps. At its heart was the creation of a dummy porn company fronted by two undercover FBI agents, Bruce Ellavsky and Pat Livingston. The psychic wear and tear of assuming another identity over so many years led to Livingston’s mental breakdown, one of the oddest and saddest stories in the annals of the Bureau.

These chapters show the essential futility of trying to stop the manufacture of a First Amendment-protected product enjoyed by multitudes. Says agent Bill Kelly, the most quoted of many law enforcement figures: “At the time MIPORN went into operation, pornography was a four billion dollar a year business — and by the time the operation was over, porn was about an eight billion dollar industry. So we had absolutely no permanent effect on interstate transportation of obscene matter at all.”

The life of John Holmes and his involvement in the Wonderland murders is conveyed here much more colorfully than in the recent movie. There are new details about Traci Lords scandal; the suicides of Shauna Grant, Savannah and Cal Jammer; the murder of Artie Mitchell by his brother Jim; and the gunning down of Teddy Snyder, who met his end with a vial of coke in his hand.

The history winds down in the late 1990s, around the time of the HIV outbreak that was blamed, rightly or wrongly, on actor Marc Wallice.

The gentrification of the porn business (much of it, at least), led by such companies as VCA, Vivid, Wicked and Adam & Eve, is barely touched on. Nor is the mainstream crossover phenomenon exemplified by stars like Jenna Jameson and Ron Jeremy — although there’s some fascinating stuff about the Pamela Anderson-Tommy Lee sex tape that may have started the whole thing.

Influential directors like Greg Dark and John Leslie are barely mentioned (the former only in connection with Lords). John Stagliano is given his due, though there’s more about his personal travails than about his revolutionary shooting style. But then, this is a book about life, not art.

Some will be downright appalled by such characters as Snyder, Butchie Peraino and Norm Arno. But they should also be moved by the candor, humanity and humor of Fred Lincoln, Georgina Spelvin, Annie Sprinkle, Henri Pachard and many others.

If one single person emerges as the book’s hero, it is Sharon Mitchell, whose frank and pungent observations about herself and others appear in almost every chapter. Her remarkable odyssey from rebellious New Jersey teenager to swashbuckling sex star to pathetic junkie to redemption angel is unique and inspiring.

The industry itself has gone on a similar trajectory, from innocence through corruption to prosperity and acceptance.

Speaking historically, probably the most important event covered by the book is the Hal Freeman obscenity trial, which wound its way into California’s Supreme Court and ended, essentially, with the legalization of pornography.

Connelly remembers the day in 1988 when the decision came down: “I was making a movie in Sam Kinison’s old house in the Hollywood Hills; Ron Jeremy was directing it. We’d been fucking all day …when we heard that the Freeman conviction was overturned on appeal. It’s kind of ironic; there we were, in the middle of a shoot, when we found out that we could legally shoot. …”

From then on the porn biz would never be the same. The Freeman decision ushered in its sea-change from a semi-underground operation into, in Tom Byron’s words, “the corporate, legitimate machine that it is now.”

The Other Hollywood is one of the very few books that video retailers would be wise to stock. Customers both old and new are sure to want to learn more about how this crazy business grew.

MK Presents: I LOVE RICH aLIVE In Koncert

Grab your viagra, refill your birth control, and put on your sleaziest clothes, the sexxxiest band in the world I LOVE RICH are making their second performance at Chicago's DARKROOM this Sunday Jan. 30th, (2210 West Chicago, between Damen and Western) and will be a historic night for rock and roll .

This is the bands first performance of 2005 and they will be playing songs from their forthcoming international release, YEAR OF THE RICH, and will also be shooting their very first video.

The band will be going on at 9:30.

DJ, Mike Miller (of Delilah's fame) will be spinning tunes between sets.

www.darkroombar.com
The YEAR OF THE RICH is coming........

www.iloverich.net

GUNS N' ROSES Catalog To Generate $100 Million For SANCTUARY

According an article in the U.K.'s The Times, Sanctuary Music Group said that it expected to generate about £50 million (approx. $94 million) from exploiting GUNS N' ROSES hits through film soundtracks, cover versions and their use in advertisements. Sanctuary announced earlier in the week that it had acquired the publishing rights to GUNS N' ROSES' back catalogue in a deal believed to be worth £10 million (approx. $19 million).

Deke Arlon, Sanctuary's head of publishing, said: "After THE BEATLES and QUEEN, there doesn't come much bigger in the rock canon than GUNS N' ROSES. We spent years trying to find the right deal and we are delighted with acquiring a slice of rock history."

The notoriously unpredictable Axl Rose signed with Sanctuary after months of negotiations through his lawyers. Although rival publishers are believed to have offered more, Rose felt more comfortable with Sanctuary's business plan.

Sanctuary has also secured the rights to "Chinese Democracy", the new GUNS N' ROSES album and all future Rose material. However, the album has no release date 12 years after work began. The effort has cost other labels £6 million (approx. $11 million) and seen off eight producers.

The CRÃœE To Announce Major Multi-Act Summer Tour?

According to MTV.com, MÖTLEY CRÜE's scheduled appearance on NBC's "Last Call With Carson Daly" was cancelled following last week's announcement by NBC/Universal president Jeff Zucker that the CRÜE are banned from the network as a result of singer Vince Neil's dropping of the f-bomb on Jay Leno's live New Year's Eve show. The band's management said it had been booked on Daly's program, but a spokesperson for "Last Call" denied that the appearance was ever confirmed. CRÜE are expected to announce plans for a major multi-act summer tour on March 3 in New York

New BATMAN Photo

Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight’s emergence as a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents’ murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (CHRISTIAN BALE) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city.

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer

BATMAN BEGINS opens June 17th, 2005

Michael Jackson Jury to See 'Erotic' Material

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (Reuters) - The judge in pop star Michael Jackson's child molestation case ruled on Friday that "erotic" material, including pictures of nude children, seized from the entertainer's Neverland Ranch could be shown to jurors at his upcoming trial.

Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville ruled that "sexually explicit" material police found in a search of Jackson's sprawling estate, including books, magazines and DVDs, could be introduced at the trial.

Jackson's accuser, now aged 15, and his brother will have to testify in open court after the judge rejected a prosecution request to close the courtroom for that portion of the trial. Prosecutors had argued that giving evidence in open court would traumatize the boys.

But in another setback for the defense, Melville ruled that a British television documentary about Jackson could be shown to jurors as evidence.

The documentary, which aired in 2003, shows Jackson holding hands with the then-13-year-old boy whom prosecutors charge was sexually molested by the entertainer after being plied with alcohol.

In seeking to have the seized books, magazines and other material admitted as evidence, prosecutors said they demonstrated Jackson's sexual interest in children.

"Some depict children nude. Some depict adults who appear to be the age of our children (in the case)," said Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen. "All of which, taken together, indicates the defendant's prurient interest in children, particularly boys."

"SEXUALLY EXPLICIT"

Lawyers for the 46-year-old entertainer had asked Melville to exclude the evidence, saying prosecutors had not established that the items belonged to Jackson, since about 70 staff at his sprawling home had access to the areas where they were found.

Jackson's attorneys had also objected to showing jurors the documentary by Martin Bashir, saying it was heavily edited and would be misleading.

The defense won some small successes when the judge instructed prosecutors to refer to the seized material as "adult" or "sexually explicit" but not "pornographic," and rejected material seized from Jackson's home in 1993.

The seized evidence that can be admitted includes 17 books, 32 magazines, two DVDs, four computers and 23 other magazines from 1936 that Jackson's lawyers called collector's items.

Jury selection in the trial in Santa Maria, California, is scheduled to begin next week and could take more than a month to complete.

Melville, who has imposed virtually unprecedented secrecy in the case in what he said was a move to protect Jackson's right to a fair trial, cautioned attorneys for both sides as they squared off at Friday's hearing.

"The world is watching justice in the United States here -- the world. Not Santa Maria, not Santa Barbara County, not California -- the world," he said.

"I expect and know that you will all -- on both sides -- carry the burden of showing the world what a fine system we have. That does not include name calling or personal attacks. I will not abide that. I will not put up with it," the judge said.

Felicia Fox Joins Old Pueblo

OLD PUEBLO DISTRIBUTION is proud to announce a new distribution agreement they’ve reached with all-natural adult film actress FELICIA FOX. A 5-year industry veteran, Felicia Fox has performed in over 150 XXX and softcore feature films, has posed for countless men’s magazines, and is one of the most in-demand feature dancers in the country. She is an AVN, XRCO, and Nightmoves award-winning performer.

“Felicia Fox is the most energetic, down to earth girl I have ever met in the adult industry,” says Arnold Stein, president of Old Pueblo. “She’s an all-natural beauty who tears through life with a no-holds-barred attitude. She is one of these women who no matter what aspect of life we are speaking about will giggle, smile, and give her 110% effort without any part of her holding back. This is where all the excitement from Old Pueblo Distribution begins with.”

Felicia Fox and her partner Tim Case have already begun producing the first installment of their own exclusive, completely unique series, tentatively titled “Felicia’s Foxes: On the Road With Felicia Fox”. Almost 40 weeks out of each year, these two hooligans travel all over the US as part of Felicia’s feature dancing and appearance schedule. They encounter unlimited amounts of potential XXX talent, females that have never graced the screen before, and likely never will again.

Felicia Fox says, “I’ve been quietly shopping around the industry, just talking to people and waiting for the right offer to come along for someone to distribute the kind of wacky, crazy, sex-positive videos I want to produce. When I ran into Arnold again at the AEE, something clicked, and we knew right away that we were right for each other.”

Arnold Stein adds,“The girls Felicia has been able to find will make any L.A.-based producer cream his pants, and the pants hanging in his closet, because nobody has access to the number of beautiful, sexually adventurous women that a dancer of Felicia’s caliber has. Felicia, being who she is, undauntedly brings the promiscuous behavior out of every girl she meets. This leads to the craziest stories I have ever heard in my life which now are going to be the hottest craziest scenes you have ever seen. With her all-natural 70’s look -- yes, she has a bush -- and real 36D boobs, this hottie is going to continue using all her seductive prowess to bring fresh new faces from all corners of the US to the screen with the crazy wild chick attitude that just beams from her every time you see her.”

Simply, Old Pueblo couldn’t be happier about Felicia Fox joining the family. With the energy and love for life of an 8 year old, Felicia is the ultimate fuck doll, tall, beautiful, with sensational all-natural tits, eyes to get lost in, this fox is the sexiest exhibitionist in the world. Get ready for the ride of the year…Felicia Fox.

The Devil's Hand: No, It's NOT 'Hook 'Em Horns'

Source: CONSPIRACY PLANET

"Devil's hand" (or "cornuti" in Italian) signifies that satan rules. It is a universal hand signal used by politicians, celebrities as well as heavy metal bands, affirming their allegiance to satanic powers and a visual shorthand for "Hail, Satan."

The "devil's hand" is familiar to both Bill Clinton and George Bush as evidenced by the photos with the caption "the satanic torch is passed" on Steamshovel Press ( www.steamshovelpress.com )

Both Laura and George Bush used this hand signal during the 2005 coronation (inauguration)of the US President on January 20.

The mainstream media cartel has vainly tried to explain away this bizarre and occult hand signal by implying that this is the "hook 'em horns" sign used by Texas Longhorn football fans.

Not so. The devil's hand has been observed and photographed around the world, used by George Bush, Bill Clinton, Silvio Berlusconi, Elizabeth Taylor, Prince William, Paul McCartney, Dio, Gene Simmons, Ozzy, Avril Lavigne, Stephen Dorff, Dave Navarro and many others.

They are not Texas football fans by any stretch of any imagination.

Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo was shown making this gesture on the cover of "Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare" by Michael A. Hoffman II (1992)

(See Adrian Frutiger, "Signs and Symbols, Their Designs and Meanings.")

The devil's hand signifies the horned god of witchcraft Pan and is an occult sign of recognition worldwide.

Like the Masonic sign of distress (the reach for the skies hands straight up pose) or masonic handshakes, the devil's hand has been used for centuries.

George Bush may be the one to make it really popular in the USA.

Ray DVD Release This Tuesday / E - Card Online

See www.raymovie.com/ecard for the new Ray e-card. The DVD will be released on February 1, 2005

More details below:

Director: Taylor Hackford

Encoding: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)

Format: Color, Dolby

Rated:
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Release Date: February 1, 2005
Run Time: 153

DVD Features:
Available subtitles: Spanish, French
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Original theatrical version and extended version of film with 14 deleted scenes not shown in theaters

2 complete and uncut musical performances

Stepping into the Part Featurette

Ray Remembered Featurette

Theatrical Trailer

From IMDb: Quotes & Trivia
ASIN: B0006OD444
Other Formats: VHS, DVD, DVD widescreen, DVD widescreen, Theatrical
Amazon.com Sales Rank in DVD: #109

Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing about Ray. Riding high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approved shortly before his death in June 2004. Despite a few dramatic embellishments of actual incidents (such as the suggestion that the accidental drowning of Charles's younger brother caused all the inner demons that Charles would battle into adulthood), the film does a remarkable job of summarizing Charles's strengths as a musical innovator and his weaknesses as a philandering heroin addict who recorded some of his best songs while flying high as a kite. Foxx seems to be channeling Charles himself, and as he did with the life of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, director Taylor Hackford gets most of the period details absolutely right as he chronicles Ray's rise from "chitlin circuit" performer in the early '50s to his much-deserved elevation to legendary status as one of the all-time great musicians. Foxx expertly lip-syncs to Ray Charles' classic recordings, but you could swear he's the real deal in a film that honors Ray Charles without sanitizing his once-messy life.

Danzig Kick Off 'Circle of Snakes' US Tour

Dates have been confirmed for Danzig’s ‘Circle of Snakes’ Tour, which will kick off on February 18th in Sauget, IL. Plans for a European tour in late March are still in the works.

Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative will be returning to the drums for this tour (he has toured with Danzig in Europe, but not in the US.) Rounding out the band will be guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong) and bassist Jerry Montano (ex-Deadlights).

In other news, Danzig have finished up recording Black Aria II, and will be released sometime this spring/ summer. More details as they come in.

Here are the confirmed ‘Circle of Snakes’ US Tour dates

02/18/05 Sauget, IL Pop's
02/19/05 Detroit, MI Harpo's
02/21/05 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
02/22/05 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
02/24/05 Toronto, ON The Guvernment
02/25/05 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre
02/26/05 Covington, KY Madison Theatre
02/28/05 Boston, MA The Roxy
03/01/05 New York, NY Spirit
03/02/05 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
03/04/05 Norfolk, VA The NorVa
03/05/05 Atlanta, GA Coca Cola Roxy Theatre
03/06/05 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues
03/08/05 Dallas, TX Gypsy Tea Room
03/11/05 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
03/12/05 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre
03/13/05 Tucson, AZ Coconuts
03/15/05 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues

Naomie Harris Onboard Pirates

Naomie Harris, who starred in the independent zombie thriller 28 Days Later, is the latest to join the cast of the upcoming back-to-back sequels following the bockbuster film Pirates of the Caribbean, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The British actress will play a gypsy queen alongside original cast members Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, as well as recently announced newcomer Stellan Skarsgard. Director Gore Verbinski, writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are also returning for the sequels. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 begins filming in early March in Los Angeles and the Caribbean. It is scheduled for release in the summer of 2006.

Batman Begins Deluxe Sound Storybook Cover Image

The cover image has been released for the sound storybook for Batman Begins. It is publushed by Meredith books and will be available in April.

Deluxe Sound Storybook features memorable images, characters, and sounds from the movie. Hear the Batmobile roaring, Scarecrow cackling and Batman announcing "I' Batman..."boys can relive the movie action over and over! $15.95

How "Real" is TOMMY LEE's "Reality" TV Series

MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee's upcoming reality TV series, "Tommy Lee Goes to College", is not scheduled to air on NBC until the summer, according to BostonHerald.com.

The show, which was filmed last fall, follows the tattooed drummer as he studies, auditions for the marching band and attends Cornhusker games at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Commented Jeffrey McCall of IndyStar.com, "Of course, Tommy is not officially enrolled, leaves campus randomly to do his other business, has his campus 'friends' chosen for him, and has multiple takes videotaped of his 'real' college experiences.

FINALLY An Explanation: Study Finds Most Bone Growth Occurs at Night

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The perception that we seem to grow taller overnight is likely true, researchers said on Thursday.

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin's School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison placed sensors on the leg bones of lambs to monitor bone growth in the animals. Ninety percent of bone growth occurred when the animals were sleeping or otherwise at rest, according to the study published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics.

"We observed this noncontinuous pattern of growth, but what was really interesting was that the bones were growing only when the animals were lying down, and almost no growth occurs when the lambs are standing or moving around," study author Norman Wilsman said.

He reasoned that growth plates consisting of soft cartilage at the ends of bones become compressed when walking or standing, preventing growth. When lying down, the pressure on the growth plates is off and the bones elongate.

Co-author Kenneth Noonan said: "This is a study that points out that growth is not a continuum. There are growth spurts, which may occur within the daily life of lambs and possibly humans too."

Previous research has shown children grow in spurts that may last just a few days. Children sometimes complain of intense growing pains at night that emanate from the ends of their lower extremities where the growth plates are, Wilsman said. There is no treatment for growing pains.

Debbie Gibson In Next PLAYBOY Issue

Apparently, Debbie Gibson is trying to revive her electric youth.

The '80s pop phenom, whose hits included "Foolish Beat" and "Into Your Eyes," bares it all in the March issue of Playboy, which hits stands Feb. 11.

The layout reportedly features a "well-defined, yet very sexy, feminine look" for Gibson and marks a departure from her squeaky-queen teen idol image of yore.

Gibson, now 34 and known as Deborah, has turned down offers to pose nude in the past.

"I was born in the wrong era," she told USA Today in 2001. "I'm not comfortable with showing everyone everything. I never say never though. I've said I'd never get a tattoo and I got one."

It seems the Out of the Blue singer has upped her comfort levels in recent years--and Playboy readers will no doubt be looking forward to checking out that tattoo she mentioned.

Coinciding with her body-baring shoot, the singer will release her new, aptly named single, "Naked." She is also at work on a cover of Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl," which will be on her upcoming album.

Her last album, M.Y.O.B. was released in 2001.

Since exiting the glare of the pop spotlight, Gibson has carved a niche for herself on the Broadway stage, appearing in crowd pleasers such as Cabaret and Beauty and the Beast.

She's not the first 1980s pop princess to attempt to leap back into the public eye via Playboy's pages.

Back in 2002, onetime rival Tiffany stripped down for Hugh Hefner's mag, earning the distinction of being "the first teen star to ever do it," in her own words.

The "I Think We're Alone Now" singer actually advised Gibson not to follow in her (bare) footsteps.

"I think it probably wouldn't have the same effect," Tiffany said at the time. "I don't think [Gibson] would do it, frankly...And I don't think she needs to."

Hopefully for Gibson's sake, Tiffany is at least correct about her upcoming spread not having the same effect on the general population--namely little to none.

In addition to hitting the magazine racks next month, Gibson will also be seen in two Broadway on Ice productions in Florida, where she'll perform show tunes with former Olympic skater Brian Boitano.

We're just glad she has a contingency plan in place.

I LOVE RICH Alive / Video Shoot This Sunday

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies....

This Sunday night, Jan 30th, will be a historic night for rock and roll. Not only will I LOVE RICH be playing a scorching set of rock and roll at the Darkroom in Chicago (2210 West Chicago, between Damen and Western to be exact) but we will also be shooting our very first video.

At this show, we will be opening for the band Dummy, who are actually quite rad, and we should be going on around 9:30 or so. There will also be a DJ, Mike Miller (of Delilah's fame). Check out some info here - www.darkroombar.com

It's a Sunday, so we will be going on relatively early, since most of you have to get up to go to work on Monday.

Now for the record, this is going to be kind of a low budget affair (hey, the "Jump" video only cost 200 dollars) but it should be fun, and if you come out and make an ass out of yourself, you just might get to see your silly ass winding up on the heights of JBTV someday.

Also, we're having a loose concept part for the video, involving our "superfans", some aimless old people on the street and, hopefully, our good friend Bubbles the chimp.

Anyone who's free early Sunday afternoon and wants to be involved in this for the reward of ILR swag, Twinkees, a few bottles of PBR, and my never ending love should get in touch with band ASAP.

Love you all.

RICH

NEW STAR WARS Trailer

Kevin at Honeywired has provided us with an 8 minute teaser trailer for all of you STAR WARS fans.

Enjoy:
www.sequentialpictures.com/moviestarwarsepisode3.html

'Toxic Avenger: 21st Anniversary Edition'

The Toxic Avenger: 21st Anniversary Edition has received an official release date of March 29th, 2005.

In 1984, a legend was born that forever changed the face of American cinema...

After falling into a misplaced barrel of nuclear waste, nerdy 90 pound janitor Melvin Junko was transformed into The Toxic Avenger, the world-famous hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength! The rest, as they say, is history. The Toxic Avenger went on to become a cult smash, spawning three sequels (so far...), comic books, action figures, websites and even a children’s cartoon series! This special Limited Edition two disc set features a digitally remastered Tromorphic widescreen presentation, along with exclusive, never-before-seen interviews with directors Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, and stars Robert Prichard, Dan Snow and Mitch Cohen, the original Toxic Avenger! Plus, interviews with Toxie fans from around the world, an exclusive look at “The Toxic Avenger: The Musi-Kill,” and more!

DVD Features:

The original The Toxic Avenger movie, in 1.85:1 Tromorphic Widescreen

Brand-new introduction by Lloyd Kaufman, president of Troma Entertainment and the creator of The Toxic Avenger

New feature-length commentary by Lloyd Kaufman

Numerous fan projects, including cartoons, original short films, re-inactments and more

Scenes and songs from “The Toxic Avenger: The Musi-Kill”
“Toxie in Africa” short

New interviews with original cast members Robert Prichard, Dan Snow and Mitch Cohen, the original Toxic Avenger

A rare on-camera interview with The Toxic Avenger co-directors Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman

The original theatrical trailers for all for Toxic Avenger movies
Preview for the Make Your Own Damn Movie box set

Lloyd Kaufman’s world-famous award-winning short The Radiation March

Tromatic trailers, and much more!

See The Toxic Avenger as you've never seen it before!!!

Man-Thing Going Straight to TV

Source: Fangoria

MK has learned that Lions Gate Films and Marvel Studios' Man-Thing, directed by Brett Leonard, will indeed by-pass theaters and will air on Sci Fi Channel in April. The movie will then come to DVD on June 14.

Synopsis: Man-Thing tells the story of scientist Ted Sallis who injects himself with an untested serum to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. The serum transforms Sallis into the mindless, ambling swamp-matter beast known as Man-Thing, who is empathically drawn to the fear of others. Man-Thing prowls the Florida Everglades in search of the fearful...for whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch!

Release Date: TBA 2005 (wide).
MPAA Rating: R for violence, grisly images, language and some sexuality.
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment

Starring: Imogen Bailey, Steve Bastoni, Matthew Le Nevez, Pat Thompson, Patrick Thompson
Directed by: Brett Leonard
Produced by: Ari Arad, Scott Karol

Stay tuned for more details as they come in.

Martin Scorsese and De Niro Doing 'Taxi Driver 2'?

According to the New York post, both Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are planning a possible follow-up to the 1976 cult classic Taxi Driver. "I was talking with Martin Scorsese about doing what I guess you’d call a sequel to 'Taxi Driver,' where he is older," De Niro told journalists. In 'Taxi Driver,' a mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as nighttime taxi driver in a city whose perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out.

KISSWORLD: Official KISS Store Comes Crashing Down?

Less than a year after the announcement was made that KISS would be opening KissWorld, the first official KISS store in Melbourne, Australia, the store appears to be all but a thing of the past, with the tenants allegedly having been evicted by the landlord for failure to pay rent.

"The much-hyped KissWorld has closed before it ever opened, with the tenants being evicted by the landlord for failure to pay the rent, the locks have been changed and an 'Entry Prohibited' sign posted on all entry doors. Plus e-mails to KissWorld management in Melbourne are returned as 'undeliverable'!

"The only sales activity ever seen inside the incomplete shell was an impromptu sale of a mixed bag of merchandise sold on a bare cement floor. A desperate bid to raise cash was made by the tenants by selling excess manufacturers stock of 'Australian Idol' and 'Big Brother' 2005 calendars, plus NRL rugby shorts and cheap teenage makeup kits. Peeking through the dirty glass to inside the building you can still see a few boxes of trash, some lipstick and a rack of unsold rugby shorts gathering dust....plus a smashed phone/fax machine.

"The project was ill-conceived from day one with an inappropriate location chosen well over 25 miles from the Melbourne CBD [central business district] in a new housing estate full of young families with new homes and big mortgages...hardly the type of person to rush out to buy expensive KISS memorabilia. Added to the fact that the store was far too big (think the size of a Toys R Us), with parking for over 60 cars!!

"The KissWorld web site claims that the ongoing problems lie with landlords and structural problems with the building. However, money (or lack of it) is the cause of the collapse of this grand project.

"My photos were taken [this past weekend as well as earlier today, Jan. 25] by myself, and I have spoken to the building's agent who confirmed the building's rent ($20K per month) and that the KissWorld tenant was evicted for failing to pay the rent. After being evicted by one agent for their lack of money, the KissWorld management are going to find it very difficult to get another premises, as in Australia commercial landlords run a central registry and they will be blacklisted for defaulting on rent payments!

"Additionally, I've spoken to two other commercial estate agents I know and they both knew of the fiasco with the KissWorld premises.

"I've been in consumer retailing for over 20 years in a senior management role (and a KISS fan for 30+ years ), and when I heard about which suburb where they were planning to open KissWorld, I said right away that the project would fail.

"It was a disaster waiting to happen..."

"Having been in retail for 20-plus years.... My belief is that they ran out of money to complete the shopfitting of the building, and then they ran out of money to pay the rent. I've seen it happen dozens of times with new retailers starting up....they all underestimate fit-out costs! As mentioned, the store was way too big... you could have sold memorabilia for 50 different bands and still not filled this oversized barn.

"Whilst there was some KISS memorabilia on offer during the rushed sale, most of the stuff was just run-of-the-mill posters, pictures, jigsaws etc. Plus they were flogging 'Lizzie McGuire', 'Australian Idol' and 'Big Brother' T-Shirts, posters etc, and Maybelline-style makeup packs for 8-16 year old girls!

"Hardly what I would call KissWorld!

"You can see from those shots that the building was incomplete inside and they traded off bare cement floors with hung plastic sheeting to hide the unfinished nature of the premises...

"The building is now virtually empty save for a few empty clothing racks, a lipstick display stand and boxes of rubbish.

"Plus hundreds of dead flies in the windows!"

NEW FILM REVIEWS

We have posted FOUR new DVD reviews in our DVD review section. Thanks to Christopher Curry for the hard work.

SUBSONIC Video Met With Overwhelming Response

Since the "Dream American" video debuted not even 48 hours ago, it has been viewed 486 times. And a number of other websites have picke dup on the MK scoop from last Sunday night and posted links and provided additional press on it's release. Thus far it has been met with positive feedback and sparked pre production of a follow-up video for "A Day Late" a ballad type number which should be shot in Chicago sometime this spring. Further details are pending.

The "Dream American" video was shot by Second City Alum Paul Baio in one afternoon with longtime friend, Dan Laudo of Prong on drums, and Dietrich Thrall form Marazene on bass. Dietrich has been named the official touring bassist for Subsonic.

Ron Marks the former lead guitarist of Celtic Frost, joined the CF line-up in May of 1987, after the release of "Into the Pandemonium". He became CF's lead guitarist, thus fulfilling a long-planned goal of CF's - to have two guitar players in the band in order to create a fuller sound in live performances. Ron's presence within the band was heavily overshadowed due to the hardships CF was facing at that time. Although Ron was only in the band for a few months, his contributions turned out to be quite emence. He was a key element which influenced and helped change the band's sound. In 1989 he returned to Celtic Frost unofficially to help record "Vanity/Nemesis" in Berlin. Ron's tenure with Celtic Frost at that point would be only the recording of the "Vanity/Nemesis" album.

Tom Gabriel Fischer founder of Celtic Frost and author of the Frost biography "Are you Morbid?" had this to say about Ron:
"What really lifts him (Ron Marks) above any other contender is his extraordinary guitar playing, executed with the feel of someone who has a god-given talent for the instrument...His musical horizons extend and eclipse Martins and my own technical capabilities."

You can view the uncensored version of the video for "Dream American" at www.subsonicrocks.com

The new album from Subsonic, "No Such Soul", is now on sale. You may order it online at www.sonicwaveintl.com/subsonic.html

AVN Expo Attracts 30,000 / Sold-Out Event Was Most Desired Ticket in Vegas

AZ With Vicky Vette at AVN AEE 2005

17,000 fans and 13,000 trade members

Source: Business Wire

ENCINO, Calif--The 2005 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo hosted more than 30,000 trade professionals, exhibitors, fans, press, and stars, organizers of the show announced today. The 2005 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, sponsored by Adult Video News and produced by Home Entertainment Events, took place January 6-9, 2005 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to preliminary attendance figures, more than 17,000 fans and 13,000 trade members and industry professionals attended the 2005 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo. Attendance figures for the 2005 Expo were up in all categories in comparison to attendance in 2004.

"The AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is--for industry insiders and fans alike--the premier event for the industry," said spokesperson Carrie Dieterich. "Trade attendance was particularly strong due to the trade-only first day. It is remarkable that the fan figures for this year's event exceeded those of last year even though the Expo was not open to the public during the first day, as it was in years past."

Attendance was not the only area of growth for the 2005 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo. Overall exhibit sales broke the 300-company mark, a significant increase over the 252 exhibitors that participated at the 2004 Expo. Exhibit space at the industry-only B2B Marketplace was sold out weeks prior to the start of the Expo and the first-ever show-within-a-show GayVN Expo was met with favorable reactions from participating companies.

"The adult entertainment industry is undoubtedly driven by its devoted fans," said Paul Fishbein, President of Adult Video News. "But the widening scope of the industry has injected new enthusiasm from entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on rising demand for adult products. This new entrepreneurial energy will foster competition and raise the standards of quality for adult entertainment in what will be a successful and prosperous New Year for the industry."

The AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is a unique tradeshow experience. The largest event of its kind, the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo showcases the most comprehensive collection of adult talent, exhibitors, and product, which attracts buyers and fans from around the world. Exhibitors this year included Adam & Eve Productions, Anabolic Video Productions, Inc., Digital Playground, Inc., Evil Angel Video Productions, Exquisite Multimedia, Hustler Video, Jill Kelly Productions, JM Productions, Legend Video, Metro Interactive LLC, New Sensations, Pleasure Productions, Pure Play, Sin City, Smash Pictures, Vivid Entertainment Group, West Coast Productions, Wildlife Video, and Wicked Pictures. For a complete list of exhibitors and events during the Expo, please refer to http://www.adult-expo.com.

Also held in conjunction with the event was the GayVN Expo, a designated portion of the show floor devoted to this thriving segment of the adult industry. Cybersocket, Unzipped Video, TLA Releasing, and Channel 1 Releasing sponsor the GayVN Expo. Additional information can be found at http://www.gayvnexpo.com.

The AVN Adult Entertainment Expo set the stage for the 22nd annual AVN Awards, which took place on Saturday, January 8. The sold-out event was the most desired ticket in Las Vegas, with Vivid Entertainment Group's "The Masseuse" capturing the award for best film and the Vivid/Club Jenna co-production "Bella Loves Jenna" receiving Best Video Feature honors. Awards in dozens of other categories were also presented. A complete list of winners can be found at avn.com.

The 2006 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is scheduled for January 5-8, 2006. The 2006 AVN Awards will take place on Saturday, January 7, 2006.

HEY NEWBOMB!: NASHVILLE PUSSY Sign With SPITFIRE RECORDS

NASHVILLE PUSSY have inked a North American deal with Spitfire Records.

Taking their name from the intro to the "Double Live Gonzo" version of TED NUGENT's "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang", the band's current lineup features Kentucky-born singer/guitarist Blaine Cartwright (formerly of 9 POUND HAMMER), lead guitarist and Vancouver B.C. transplant Ruyter Suys (pronounced "Rider Sighs"), drummer Jeremy Thompson (a.k.a. "Remo"), and new addition Karen Cuda on bass and supporting vocals hailing from Denver Colorado.

Since founding the band in 1996 — the husband-and-wife guitar team of Cartwright and Suys pursued their vision until it became reality. "We were sick of seeing bands that sucked, so we decided to make the kind of band that we wanted to see," says Suys. Straight off the blocks — NASHVILLE PUSSY was positively infamous for their ferocious, take-no-prisoners live shows — and immediately the most talked about band in the country. NASHVILLE PUSSY was soon the object of a heated bidding war between the majors and band's debut, "Let Them Eat Pussy", earned them a Grammy nomination and slot on a MARILYN MANSON tour.

Blaine Cartwright says about the new CD, "It's like the return of NASHVILLE PUSSY. We put some of the sleaze and glam back in, only better. It's a good-time rock & roll record. We've always been in that situation where we had to keep everything going, touring, rehearsals, and writing. This time we've taken the time and reloaded. I want to get back to kicking ass in America, 'cause America needs its ass kicked."

DANZIG Joined By TYPE O Drummer Johnny Kelly On Tour

According to a posting on DANZIG's official web site, TYPE O NEGATIVE drummer Johnny Kelly will once again be filling in on drums for DANZIG on their upcoming tour. Kelly had previously played with DANZIG on their 2002 European trek for "I Luciferi" and two "Blackest of the Black" West Coast shows in May 2003.

Tommy Victor of PRONG is filling in again on guitar.

In other news, DANZIG have announced that they will be scheduling several European dates beginning in late March. Exact cities and dates will be announced soon.

Also on the DANZIG-related front, Glenn Danzig has completed work on his "Black Aria II" project, the material for which had apparently been written for five years. The album is expected to be released in late spring. A video shoot for one of the tracks may precede the album's release.

DANZIG will be teaming up with KATAKLYSM, TRIVIUM and EYES OF FIRE for a North American tour beginning on February 18 in St. Louis, MO. A complete list of currently confirmed tour dates is here:

CIRCLE OF SNAKES US TOUR DATES

FEBRUARY 2005
18 FRI. ST.LOUIS,MO. . POP'S
19 SAT.. DETROIT,MI. HARPO'S
21 MON. CHICAGO, ILL.. HOUSE OF BLUES
22 TUES. MNPLS. MN. 1ST AVBENUE
24 THURS. TORONTO, ONT. GUVERNMENT
25 FRI. CLEVELAND, OH. AGORA THEATRE
26 COVINGTON,KY. MADISON THEATRE
28 BOSTON, MA. ROXY THEATRE

MARCH 2005
1 TUES. NYC, N.Y. SPIRIT PERFORMANCE CENTER
2 WED. PHILA.,PA. ELECTRIC FACTORY
4 FRI. NORFOLK,VA. NORVA THEATRE
5 SAT. ATLANTA, GA. ROXY THEATRE
6 SUN. ORLANDO, FLA. HOUSE OF BLUES
8 TUES. DALLAS, TX. GYPSY BALLROOM
9 WED. SAN ANTONIO, TX. SUNSET STATION
11 FRI. DENVER, CO. OGDEN THEATRE
12 SAT. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. SUNSHINE THEATRE
15 TUES. ANAHEIM, CALIF. HOUSE OF BLUES

MORE DATES TBA NEXT WEEK

ALL SYSTEMS HALT Hire New Bass Player

Chicagoan Daniel Duece of Christ In Shades has joined electro metal rockers All Systems Halt on bass just in time for their performance at
a showcase for Epic, Atlantic and Columbia Records in St. Louis, this Friday Jan.28th @ Lemmon's Basement Bar.

For more info and downloads see www.allsystemshalt.com

A.S.H. are currently workign on material for their next album. The band made it all the way to the Emergenza finals last spring and are poised for a strong return to the stage.

First Video From Celtic Frost Guitarist Solo Project/SUBSONIC Now Available Online

SUBSONIC, the solo project of former CELTIC FROST guitarist Ron Marks, have posted their very first video for "Dream American", online at www.subsonicrocks.com

The video features PRONG drummer Dan Laudo on drums along with Dietrich of the Chicago-based MARAZENE on bass performing.

Subsonic is the brainchild of Ron Marks, lead guitarist and co-songwriter in the critically acclaimed, underground progressive metal band Celtic Frost. He joined the band for the 'Into the Pandemonium' tour and the 'Vanity/Nemesis' album. Celtic Frost leader Tom Gabriel Fischer (aka Tom Gabriel Warrior) has referred to this era's lineup as the definitive version of the band.

"Dream American" is the lead single from the new SUBSONIC release and NO SUCH SOUL is now available worldwide from Sonic Wave International.NO SUCH SOUL is SUBSONIC's sophomore album, the follow up to 2002's "Super-Vel" (Outlaw Entertainment). The album is now on sale at such stores as Best Buy, Tower, Borders, Wherehouse, FYE, Sam Goody, Amazon.com, CD NOW, Music Boulevard, CD Universe, Sonic Wave America on-line stores and many regional and independent retail chains.

You can buy the CD online now for $13.97 with free shipping at www.sonicwaveintl.com/subsonic.html

Johnny Carson Dies at 79

Source: Associated press

LOS ANGELES - Johnny Carson (news), the "Tonight Show" host who served America a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter, droll comedy and heartland charm for 30 years, died Sunday. He was 79. NBC said Carson died of emphysema at his Malibu home.

"Mr. Carson passed away peacefully early Sunday morning," his nephew, Jeff Sotzing, told The Associated Press. "He was surrounded by his family, whose loss will be immeasurable."

The boyish-looking Nebraska native with the disarming grin, who survived every attempt to topple him from his late-night talk show throne, was a star who managed never to distance himself from his audience.

His wealth, the adoration of his guests — particularly the many young comics whose careers he launched — the wry tales of multiple divorces: Carson's air of modesty made it all serve to enhance his bedtime intimacy with viewers.

"Heeeeere's Johnny!" was the booming announcement from sidekick Ed McMahon that ushered Carson out to the stage. Then the formula: the topical monologue, the guests, the broadly played skits such as "Carnac the Magnificent."

But America never tired of him; Carson went out on top when he retired in May 1992.

McMahon said Sunday that Carson was "like a brother to me."

"Our 34 years of working together, plus the 12 years since then, created a friendship which was professional, family-like and one of respect and great admiration," McMahon said in a statement. "When we ended our run on 'The Tonight Show' and my professional life continued, whenever a big career decision needed to be made, I always got the OK from 'the boss.'"

Carson's personal life could not match the perfection of his career. Carson was married four times, divorced three. In 1991, one of his three sons, 39-year-old Ricky, was killed in a car accident.

Nearly all of Carson's professional life was spent in television, from his postwar start at Nebraska stations in the late 1940s to his three decades with NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

Carson choose to let "Tonight" stand as his career zenith and his finale, withdrawing into a quiet retirement that suited his private nature and refusing involvement in other show business projects.

In 1993, he explained his absence from the limelight.

"I have an ego like anybody else," Carson told The Washington Post, "but I don't need to be stoked by going before the public all the time."

Carson spent his retirement years sailing, traveling and socializing with a few close friends including media mogul Barry Diller and NBC executive Bob Wright. He simply refused to be wooed back on stage.

"I just let the work speak for itself," he told Esquire magazine in 2002.

Carson did find an outlet for his creativity: He wrote short humor pieces for The New Yorker magazine, including "Recently Discovered Childhood Letters to Santa," which purported to give the youthful wish lists of William Buckley, Don Rickles and others.

Carson made his debut as "Tonight" host in October 1962 and quickly won over audiences. He even made headlines with such clever ploys as the 1969 on-show marriage of eccentric singer Tiny Tim to Miss Vicki, which won the show its biggest-ever ratings.

The wedding and other noteworthy moments from the show were collected into a yearly "Tonight" anniversary special.

In 1972, "Tonight" moved from New York to Burbank. Growing respect for Carson's consistency and staying power, along with four consecutive Emmy Awards, came his way in the late 1970s.

His quickness and his ability to handle an audience were impressive. When his jokes missed their target, the smooth Carson won over a groaning studio audience with a clever look or sly, self-deprecating remark.

Politics provided monologue fodder for him as he skewered lawmakers of every stripe, mirroring the mood of voters. His Watergate jabs at President Nixon were seen as cementing Nixon's fall from office in 1974.

He made presidential history again in July 1988 when he had then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton on his show a few days after Clinton came under widespread ridicule for a boring speech at the Democratic National Convention. Clinton traded quips with Carson and played "Summertime" on the saxophone in what was hailed as a stunning comeback.

Competing networks tried a variety of formats and hosts to challenge Carson, but never managed to best "Tonight."

There was the occasional battle with NBC: In 1967, for instance, Carson walked out for several weeks until the network managed to lure him back with a contract that reportedly gave him $1 million-plus yearly.

In 1980, after more walkout threats, the show was scaled back from 90 minutes to an hour. Carson also eased his schedule by cutting back on his work days; a number of substitute hosts filled in, including Joan Rivers, Jerry Lewis and Jay Leno, Carson's eventual successor.

Rivers was one of the countless comedians whose careers took off after they were on Carson's show. After she rocked the audience with her jokes in that 1965 appearance, he remarked, "God, you're funny. You're going to be a star."

"If Johnny hadn't made the choice to put me on his show, I might still be in Greenwich Village as the oldest living undiscovered female comic," she recalled in an Associated Press interview 20 years later. She tried her own talk show in 1986, quickly becoming one of the many challengers who could not budge Carson.

In the '80s, Carson was reportedly the highest-paid performer in television history with a $5 million "Tonight" show salary alone. His Carson Productions created and sold pilots to NBC, including "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes." Carson himself made occasional cameo appearances on other TV series.

He also performed in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, N.J., and was host of the Academy Awards five times in the '70s and '80s.

Carson's graceful exit from "Tonight" did not avoid a messy, bitter tug-of-war between Leno and fellow comedian David Letterman to take over his throne. Leno took over on May 25, 1992, becoming the fourth man to hold the job after Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Carson. Letterman landed on rival CBS.

Born in Corning, Iowa, and raised in nearby Norfolk, Neb., Carson started his show business career at age 14 as the magician "The Great Carsoni."

After World War II service in the Navy, he took a series of jobs in local radio and TV in Nebraska before starting at KNXT-TV in Los Angeles in 1950.

There he started a sketch comedy show, "Carson's Cellar," which ran from 1951-53 and attracted attention from Hollywood. A staff writing job for "The Red Skelton Show" followed.

The program provided Carson with a lucky break: When Skelton was injured backstage, Carson took the comedian's place in front of the cameras.

Producers tried to find the right program for the up-and-coming comic, trying him out as host of the quiz show "Earn Your Vacation" (1954), the variety show "The Johnny Carson Show" (1955-56), the game show "Who Do You Trust?" (1957-62).

A few acting roles came Carson's way, including one on "Playhouse 90" in 1957, and he did a pilot in 1960 for a prime-time series, "Johnny Come Lately," that never made it onto a network schedule.

In 1958, Carson sat in for "Tonight Show" host Paar. When Paar left the show four years later, Carson was NBC's choice as his replacement.

After his retirement, Carson took on the role of Malibu-based retiree with apparent ease. An avid tennis fan, he was still playing a vigorous game in his 70s.

He and his wife, Alexis, traveled frequently. The pair met on the Malibu beach in the early 1980s; he was 61 when they married in June 1987, she was in her 30s.

Carson's first wife was his childhood sweetheart, Jody, the mother of his three sons. They married in 1949 and split in 1963. He married Joanne Copeland Carson that same year, but divorced nine years later. His third marriage, to Joanna Holland Carson, took place in 1972. They divorced in 1985.

On the occasion of Carson's 70th birthday, former "Tonight" bandleader Doc Severinsen, who toured with musicians from the show, said he was constantly reminded of Carson's enduring popularity.

"Every place we go people ask `How is he? Where is he? What is he doing? Tell him how much we miss him.' It doesn't surprise me," Severinsen said.

Carson won a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1992, with the first President Bush (news - web sites) saying, "With decency and style he's made America laugh and think." In 1993, he was celebrated by the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors for career achievement.

His nephew said there will be no memorial service.

Rock Never Stops 2005 Tour Details

Cinderella will headline this year's The Rock Never Stops Tour, which will also include Ratt, Quiet Riot and Firehouse in the line-up.

The first dates announced are:

Jun. 18 - Kelseyville, CA @ Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa
Jun. 22 - Lemoore, CA @ The Palace Indian Gaming Center
Jul. 28 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Jul. 29 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Marina
Aug. 13 -West Allis, WI @ Wisconsin State Fair

A formal announcement and a list of tour dates will follow.

Actual routing is being worked on and will be announced in that not too distant future.

For those interested, Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer continues to work on his solo album, but a new studio album from the band remains a long distance off. Meanwhile, on January 25th, Mercury/Universal will release CINDERELLA - Rocked, Wired & Blused: The Greatest Hits. Containing over 77 minutes of music, the CD will feature the following tracklisting: 'Night Songs', 'Shake Me', 'Nobody's Fool', 'Somebody Save Me', 'Bad Seamstress/Fallin' Apart At The Seams', 'Gypsy Road', 'Don't Know What You've Got ('Til It's Gone)', 'The Last Mile', 'Long Cold Winter', 'If You Don't Like It', 'Coming Home', 'The More Things Change', 'Shelter Me', 'Heartbreak Station', 'Winds Of Change', 'Blood From A Stone' and 'Hot And Bothered'.

A separate companion DVD entitled Rocked, Wired & Blused: The Greatest Video Hits, will also be released on January 25th. It will showcase the following clips: 'Shake Me', 'Nobody's Fool', 'Somebody Save Me', 'Gypsy Road', 'Don't Know What You've Got ('Til It's Gone)', 'The Last Mile', 'Coming Home', 'The More Things Change', 'Shelter Me', and 'Heartbreak Station'.

Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1 and Dolby Stereo, the DVD will also include: Excerpts from Tales From The Gypsy Road, including live performances of 'Sweet Home Alabama', 'If You Don't Like It', 'Second Wind', 'Coming Home', 'Gypsy Road', 'Nobody's Fool' and 'Shake Me' as well as commentary by Tom Keifer and Eric Brittingham (recorded specifically for this release) and The Shooting Of 'Heartbreak Station'.

Wes Bentley To Play "Ghost Rider" Villain

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

"American Beauty" & "The Four Feathers" star Wes Bentley will play the villain Blackheart in the live-action adaptation of comic "Ghost Rider," alongside Nicolas Cage and Director Mark Steven Johnson reports The Hollywood Reporter.

The Marvel property follows a former motorcycle stuntman who agrees to let his body become host to a vengeful spirit, Ghost Rider, a bike-riding demon, to secure the safety of his true love. Blackheart is the son of the arch-demon Mephisto and plans to displace his father to create a new hell even more terrible than the old one.

Bentley is a friend of Colin Farrell, who played villain Bullseye in "Daredevil" which Johnson directed. Farrell put the two together as Bentley's character has the same over the top bad guy appeal. Shooting begins next month in Australia.

Summary: A motorcycle stuntman makes a deal with the devil in order to save his mentor from cancer. His end of the bargain is a little more than he expected, however, and he is possessed by a demon. Every night, he transforms into the Ghost Rider, a humanoid form with a flaming skull for a head, and goes out to wreak vengeance on the guilty.

HEY JSIN ! : Lois Back In Smallville

Erica Durance, who plays a young Lois Lane on The WB's Smallville, told SCI FI Wire that the spunky college student returns in the upcoming episode "Pariah," which airs Feb. 2. "I'll probably end up being in about 13 [episodes] this year," Durance said in an interview at a party to celebrate 50 years of Warner Brothers television in Burbank, Calif., on Jan. 20. "That's what I'm thinking, or they're thinking for me, let's put it that way."

Durance added, "They find different kinds of interesting ways to weave me back in. Like in episode eight, where I came back for the birthday party, and then I kind of got involved in some stuff. And, you know, kind of other different things. Maybe some stuff with college happens, they kind of see me. And again, they're not giving me a whole lot of clues, but I believe that they're maybe bringing in more of my family ... to kind of flesh out my character a little bit more, so that's going to be really great."

One thing she doubts viewers will see is a budding romance between Tom Welling's Clark Kent and her Lois. "Well, you know what? Again, they pop all sorts of things on me. So I don't really know. I know that it's always a nice thing to kind of have that as an underlay. But as far as what they're actually going to let happen, it's always more interesting when there's a little bit of that banter always going on, and not the kind of actual 'OK, now we're together' or something. … It's got to be more of a natural process."

Though she doesn't know if producers plan on bringing Lois back for a fifth season, the Vancouver, B.C., actress said she's thankful to have won the role in the first place. "It's been wonderful," she said. "It's been a gift, and I'm very grateful for it. It's been a very fast ride, and here I find myself at this 50th anniversary [party], and it's lovely to see all the people that are here, and just having a really great time."

Durance said she was a fan of Lois Lane long before getting the role. "I always watched Lois and Clark before, with Teri Hatcher [as Lois], so I was fan of it," she said. "So I had probably that kind of buried in my mind. And, of course, Margot Kidder. ... You find a fine balance between that and also trying to bring your own kind of sense to a character." Smallville airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

TRENT REZNOR On New NAILS Lineup

Trent Reznor has confirmed NIN's new touring lineup as the following:

Aaron North (ex-THE ICARUS LINE) – Guitar
Jerome Dillon – Drums
Jeordie White (A PERFECT CIRCLE, ex-MARILYN MANSON) – Bass
Alessandro Cortini - Keyboards

Commented Trent, "I am very excited about this and we fucking sound great. I've been saying I've wanted this incarnation of the band to be a departure and now it truly is.

"Alessandro fit in immediately, but we looked all over for the right guitarist. In retrospect, I believe we were looking for someone to fill Robin's [Finck] shoes. When Aaron walked through the door, he pissed on Robin's shoes and kicked them out the door where they belong — effectively closing a chapter. A great chapter, but one that is in the past. This is a new entity that feels very fresh and vital.

"We are preparing to destroy you."

Asked by a fan in the "Access" section of the group's web site how he thinks having the new bandmembers will change the sound of the older songs when performed live in concert, Trent said, "The band is capable of a lot and I trust and respect everyone's musical ability. We are reworking a number of older tracks that still matter to us, while focusing on the new material."

NINE INCH NAILS' new album, "With Teeth", is scheduled for release in the U.S on May 3 (one day earlier internationally). The CD will contain 12 tracks, and is said to be "more song-orientated" than 1999's "The Fragile". The album was recorded in part at Sound City Studio in Van Nuys, Ca., and features a guest appearance on drums by former NIRVANA drummer/current FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl. Mixing duties were handled by Alan Moulder (THE CURE, SMASHING PUMPKINS).

MÖTLEY CRÜE Banned From NBC

NBC4.tv is reporting that MÖTLEY CRÜE will not appear on NBC again because of singer Vince Neil's use of an obscenity when wishing bandmate Tommy Lee a happy new year in the midst of performing "Girls, Girls Girls" on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", Jeff Zucker, president of the NBC Universal Television Group told a meeting of the Television Critics Association Friday (Jan. 21).

The profanity, broadcast live after midnight in the Eastern time zone, was removed when the taped show was replayed in the Pacific and Mountain time zones.

The next New Year's Eve edition of "The Tonight Show" will be shown on a five-second delay because of Neil's slip-up, Zucker said.

The Federal Communications Commission received complaints about the New Year's Eve "Tonight" show and subsequently began a preliminary probe. But it's likely little will come of it.

Audio samples from MÖTLEY CRÜE's upcoming two-CD "greatest hits" collection, "Red, White & Crüe", have been posted online at MSN.com. Included on the album are three brand-new CRÜE songs (the new single "If I Die Tomorrow", "Sick Love Song", and a cover of the ROLLING STONES' "Street Fighting Man"), recorded by the group's original lineup (except "Street Fighting Man", which features A PERFECT CIRCLE drummer Josh Freese).

"Red, White & Crüe" is scheduled for release on February 1 via the Hippo/Motley/UTV imprint.

Rob Black Obscenity Case Dismissed

Source: www.avn.com

CHATSWORTH, Calif. - In a development that surprised even himself, obscenity charges against producer Rob Black of Extreme Associates have been thrown out of court by a federal judge in Pittsburgh.

“I’m still speechless,” Black told AVN.com. “All ten counts against us were dismissed.” He said that Judge Lancaster had also ruled that obscenity laws are unconstitutional.

“I now have made fucking history,” said the jubilant Black.

“It makes everything perfect,” he added. “The business has been going great and all of a sudden my lawyer calls up and said I won.”

Black’s lawyer, Lou Sirkin, was not immediately available for comment.

Black said he’d been told that federal prosecutor Mary Beth Buchanan told a wire service reporter that she was disappointed and that she felt the government had a slam dunk case and that any jury would have convicted.

“This is the greatest news I’ve ever had,” Black said.

FCC Chairman Michael Powell Stepping Down

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell, who opposed tight regulation of telecommunications but backed unprecedented fines against broadcast indecency, announced Friday he is resigning.

Powell, who has held the job for four years, said in a statement that he informed President Bushthat he would depart in March.

Powell, the son of Secretary of State Colin Powell, who also is leaving the Bush administration, said he had completed a "bold and aggressive agenda" and looked forward to spending more time with his wife and two sons.

"Chairman Powell has been a valued member of the administration," White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said. "He has shown a strong commitment to expand the reach of new communications technologies and services and has helped advance the president's goal that all Americans should have access to affordable broadband by 2007."

There was no immediate word on a successor.

Powell cited the growing popularity of cell phones, digital television, and digital music players as evidence of the technological advances during his tenure.

"Evidence of our success can be seen increasingly in the offices, the automobiles and the living rooms of the American consumer," Powell said. "The seeds of our policies are taking firm root in the marketplace and are starting to blossom."

Jonathan Cody, a friend and FCC adviser to Powell on media ownership, said Powell assessed his tenure at the FCC during the holidays and felt that he had accomplished his goals.

Powell, a champion of deregulation who critics had said was too pro-big business, rose from commissioner to chairman when Bush took office in 2001. His term was to run until 2007.

While tackling complex issue ranging from telephone competition to rules for media ownership, Powell is perhaps best known for overseeing a dramatic crackdown on broadcast indecency that began before the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" during singer Janet Jackson's Super Bowl halftime performance last February.

The FCC received more than 1 million indecency complaints in 2004, most of them involving Jackson. CBS is contesting a proposed FCC fine of $550,000 for the incident.

Fines for indecent programming exceeded $7.7 million last year, a huge increase from the $48,000 imposed the year before Powell became chairman. Powell has praised the record fines, saying the commission was "wielding our sword" to protect children and viewers who object to racy programming.

"It's the most uncomfortable area you'd ever want to work in, enforcement," Powell said of indecency fines at a July 2004 symposium. "I'm a big believer in the First Amendment, but often I'm incredibly uneasy about lines we have to draw. No one takes pleasure in trying to decide whether this potty-mouth word or that potty-mouth word is a violation of the law."

No show produced more FCC fines than that of raunchy radio personality Howard Stern, who last October confronted Powell in a surprise phone call while the FCC chairman was a guest on KGO-AM radio in San Francisco.

Stern accused Powell of using the FCC to stifle free speech on radio and TV and contended Powell got the job because of his family name. Powell responded, "I think it's a cheap shot to say just because my father is famous, I don't belong in my position."

Powell also told Stern, "I don't think that, you know, we have made any particular crusade of the Howard Stern show or you."

Powell led the Republican-dominated FCC in easing decades-old rules governing ownership of newspapers and television and radio stations. The commission approved changes in 2003 that allow individual companies to own TV stations reaching nearly half the nation's viewers and combinations of newspapers and broadcast outlets in the same community.

Major media companies said the changes were needed because the old regulations hindered their ability to grow and compete in a market altered by cable television, satellite broadcasting and the Internet.

But lawmakers from both parties and a broad range of groups criticized the changes, saying the FCC regulations give large media companies too much control over what people see, hear and read.

Congress and the courts are considering several efforts to modify or repeal the rules.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Powell "instinctively sided with industry," but praised him for fighting to allow consumers to keep their cell phone numbers when they switch carriers.

"This is an important achievement and is one that will lead to increased competition and better service for all cell phone users," Schumer said.

An aide to Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said Stevens has recommended to Bush that a former Stevens adviser, Washington attorney Earl Comstock, be nominated for the spot on the commission once Powell steps down.

But Stevens' office said there have been no discussions with the White House as to who should assume the chairmanship.

Batman" DVDs Get Big Re-Edits

Batman on Film recently got contacted by a source who has some more info on the upcoming special edition DVDs of the first four "Batman" films. Amongst the facts gleaned:

- The first two films are finished. Tim Burton re-recorded his commentary tracks with a "guest." Disc One of both will include remastered pictures and sound with commentary. Disc 2 has trailers, TV Spots, vintage footage and a new featurette on the film. The first film also gets a feature length documentary.

- Joel recorded commentary tracks for the theatrical edition of "Batman Forever" along with "Batman & Robin". Afterwards Joel decided to ask WB to recut "Forever" back to something that resembles his original edit. WB agreed and gave him a budget to do so. Joel is currently in Burbank working on some alterations to the film.

- It's expected the original version will be there with the new cut to be done with 'seamless branching' technology. The extended cut is expected to run around 2 hrs 35 mins. Schumacher is going to add as much footage as possible back in. Also some of the effects were not finished in the early workprint and they need to be finished and he has been given a small budget to work with for that, all new effects will be digital.

Current title is going to be '10th Anniversary Extended Director's Cut'.

Paris Hilton Stole DVD Says DA

--NY Daily News/Celebrity Justice

In a photo that made world news, Paris Hilton is shown looking at a copy of her sex DVD. BUT according to what's being reported now, Hilton faces criminal charges for allegedly stealing it.

Los Angeles- Camera-loving Paris Hilton could find herself posing for a mug shot. The district attorney's office in Beverly Hills is weighing whether to bring vandalism and petty-theft charges against the hotel heiress.

Hilton could face a year and a half in jail plus fines of $1,000 for each criminal count because of a hissy fit the "Simple Life" star allegedly threw last month at a Sunset Blvd. bodega that was selling her infamous sex tape, "One Night in Paris."

Store worker Gerry Castro says things started out friendly.

"We took a picture together, but as soon as she saw that we were selling her videos and we had her on display, she was livid," says Castro. "She was using profanity to the ultimate. She points to the poster and says, 'What the [bleep], look at what the [bleep] they're doing to me here. Don't you know my young fans come here all the time?'"

Hilton allegedly ripped down a poster of herself, reached over the counter to grab a DVD and stormed out of the store without paying for it.

Surveillance video showing the incident will be featured exclusively on celebrityjustice.com.

Castro has since filed a complaint with Beverly Hills police.

According to some reports, Hilton actually gets a cut of the porn tape's sales - which would mean she was stealing from herself.

Hilton's rep had no immediate comment.

Celebrity Justice posts: "Celebrity Justice" has exclusively obtained surveillance video showing Paris Hilton's alleged hissy fit at a West Hollywood newsstand. Now, the Los Angeles County sheriff wants Paris prosecuted for what the tape shows.

Gerry Castro, an employee at the Swing News newsstand, was there when Paris stopped by in mid-December. Castro told us that Paris went ballistic when she spotted her infamous X-rated video on sale there. "We took a picture together," Castro recalled. "But as soon as she saw that we were selling her videos and we had her on display she was livid. She was using profanity to the ultimate."

Castro continued, "She points to the poster and says 'Look at what the **** they're doing to me here. Don't you know my young fans come here all the time?'"

The surveillance video seems to back up Castro's story that Paris tried to rip up a poster. The video shows that when Paris goes to pay for several magazines, she can be seen reaching over the counter and grabbing what appears to be a DVD, which Castro told us was her "One Night in Paris" video.

According to Castro, "She threw her eighty cents change at me and took the video and said, 'I'm taking this and I'm not buying it.'"

Sources have told "CJ" that the LA County sheriff's department will refer the case to the Beverly Hills district attorney's office this week, and recommend that the pretty heiress be charged with petty theft and vandalism.

Hollywood criminal defense attorney Steve Cron told us that, ultimately, the DA's office will decide whether or not to file charges, but that if they do, the punishment could be tough, even though the potential charges are just misdemeanors. "Petty theft has a maximum sentence of six months in jail," Cron observed. "Vandalism has a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a one thousand dollar fine."

But Cron speculated that Paris wouldn't be likely to be living "The Simple Life" behind bars. "They might bring her in with her lawyer and say 'If you're good for the next year we're going to let this go. On the other hand, if there's any problems from you we're going to bring up this case as well as any new cases that come up during this time period.'"

SCUM OF THE EARTH's 'Get Your Dead On'Video To Air

After removal of some objectionable content, MTV2's "Headbanger's Ball" has agreed to air SCUM OF THE EARTH's video for "Get Your Dead On". The episode will air Saturday, January 22 at 10:00 p.m. and will repeat Monday, January 24 at 4:00 a.m.

The "Get Your Dead On" clip was directed by Rob Prior ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and was based on his upcoming film "Shadow Walker", currently in pre-production. The unique horror film's main character is the basis for the video, which, in an unprecedented move, will introduce the mythology of the Shadow Walker villain before its appearance in a film, comic book, or video game (each is scheduled for release next year). Prior conceived the Shadow Walker, a violent creature from New Zealand folklore that moves only within darkness, with groundbreaking comic book writer Paul Jenkins ("Origin: The True Story of Wolverine", "Spider-Man: Return of the Goblin", "The Incredible Hulk", "Darkness: Resurrection"). Prior, a renowned master of photorealistic comic book art (he crafted the creatures for the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel"), designed the Shadowalker.

"Get Your Dead On" comes off SCUM OF THE EARTH's debut album, "Blah…Blah…Blah…Love Songs for the New Millennium", available now via Eclipse Records. Former ROB ZOMBIE guitarist Riggs recorded "Blah…" with an all-star cast of friends including drummer John Tempesta (WHITE ZOMBIE, ROB ZOMBIE) and his brother Mike Tempesta (guitar, POWERMAN 5000) — marking the first time the brothers have played together on record — SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan, as well as Clay Others (bass) and more. On tour, Riggs will be flanked by ADEMA guitarist Ransom, POWERMAN 5000 drummer Adrian Ost and others.

I LOVE RICH UPDATE

Message from Rich himself:

This upcoming Friday, Jan. 21st, I LOVE RICH will be guests on WLUW radio here in Chicago. We will be on the "FULL ON FRIDAY" program around 4:00 in the afternoon. We will take part in what will surely be a spellbinding interview with Nick Tristano, as well as debuting tracks from our new album, 'THE YEAR OF THE RICH'. WLUW is at 88.7 FM on your radio dial, or if you're out of state or in a downtown office building you can check it out online at www.wluw.org

SUNDAY JAN. 30th is a date for you to mark on your calendars for many reasons. First off, we will playing a rock and roll set and the Darkroom (2210 W. Chicago Ave) with the very kick ass band DUMMY. But more importantly, we will be shooting our first ever music video that night. It's going to have a lot of footage of our show, of course, but we're also going to have a loose concept running through it all too, so get a hold of us if you want to be a part of it. It's going to be fun, and we were told the budget for our video would be equal to the budget of the Van Halen "Jump" video, so you know it can only turn out well.

It should also be noted that a few lucky ladies this night will be brought back to my house to work on a new video series I'm working on, but that's another topic...

'THE YEAR OF THE RICH' is at the press right now, and it will be in stores in early March, and probably available at our shows sooner than that. So it's going to be in your hands soon, I can smell your anticipation all the way over here...

That's about it for now, more on the Darkroom show / video next week.

MORTIIS TO GET MARRIRED / SINGLE DVD RELEASE

FREDRIKSTAD, NORWAY - Now recovered from their exhausting nine week European tour, which came to an end in November, Mortiis begin 2005 by once again throwing themselves into another busy schedule. A schedule that will see the release of a new single, a live DVD, the filming of a new video and live shows all in the first half of the year. A hectic time that will also have the man himself trying to fit in a marriage and honeymoon in between. Yes!! you heard it right, the reclusive one is to take a bride.

Mortiis have returned to Silvertone Studios in Fredrikstad, Norway to work on a new single -'Decadent & Desperate' - which is scheduled for a UK release in April. The single is expected to be released in various formats and will include a new, as yet un-named song, plus further re-mixed tracks from their latest album. The release follows last years debut single 'The Grudge' which saw the band make their first ever entry in the 'Official UK Singles Chart'.

A video for 'Decadent & Desperate' will be released prior to the single. Work is due to commence shortly in the UK and the band are rumoured to be working with film and video director Adam Mason (Million Dead, The Dawn Parade). Commenting on the upcoming video Mortiis said "I'm looking forward to making this new video. It's something which I expect to be dark and disturbing, something to go with the feel of the single."

Also in the pipeline is the release of the eagerly anticipated as yet untitled live DVD, which was recorded at the London show on last years 'Unlimited Grudge' European tour. Set for release in May, the DVD will also feature music and videos from the Smell Of Rain and Grudge era's, plus a host of exclusive never seen before extras.

Judge Says Stan Lee Entitled to Profits

Source: Associated Press

According to the Associated Press, a judge in Manhattan federal court has ruled that Stan Lee, chairman emeritus at Marvel, is entitled to 10 percent of the profits from movie and television productions involving Marvel characters, as well as movie-related toys manufactured and sold by the company itself.

It also determined that a claim to share profits from Marvel's ventures with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Universal Studios to produce Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk merchandise will have to be resolved by jury verdict.

"This is pretty much a sweeping victory for us," said Lee's attorney Howard Graff of the firm Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky of New York.

Marvel says that it will appeal the ruling and continue to contest the claims on which the court did not rule.

Now It SHALL Be Told

Talia

Okay, it's taken a week plus, but there were lots of details and corrections and additions that needed to be made. Now in the Editorials, you can read the AVN AEE Confession, "Every Picture Tells A Story: MK Krew Takes On AVN AEE In Vegas" starring Mk's Karlton, Talia, Tom Tretter and yours truly AZ.

Last years take was NOTHING. It was a de-virginizing experience. So now, if you are not easily offended and enjoy true tales of SX RX N RNR continue to where the tale begins. It all begins in the editorial section.

What do Gene Simmons, Huey Lewis, Lemmy Kilmister, Heidi Fleiss, Stephen Tyler, Miss Howard Stern, Las Vegas, a thousand hot girls and myself, Alex Zander have in common? This story.

MARAZENE Upcoming Shows

JANUARY 21ST @ SYNERGY NIGHTCLUB
and
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29TH @ WHEATON GRAND THEATER

details below:

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21ST @ SYNERGY NIGHTCLUB
243 W. ROOSEVELT RD., WEST CHICAGO IL. 60185
21 AND OVER
DOORS @ 8:00 SHOW @ 9:00
$6 COVER
WITH:
DRIVEN
NDX
EIGHTY SICK

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29TH @ WHEATON GRAND THEATER
Wheaton Grand Theater • 123 N. Hale, Wheaton Illinois 60187 • (630) 221-0667 • www.wheatongrand.net
ALL AGES, 21 TO DRINK
DOORS @ 4:00
SHOW @ 5:00
$8 COVER
WITH:
BLUTIGA NAGHT
MECHINA
POISON 4 PROFIT
MAGGOT TWAT
SOCIETY'S OWN
MUNGER
MARAZENE at 8PM

Visit www.Marazene.us for mp3's, news and info.

Check out Marazene on Myspace! www.Myspace.com/Marazene

Poe Gravesite Mystery Visitor

Source: Associated Press