Indie 'Win Win,' Mel Gibson's 'The Beaver' Head DVD Releases This Week

8/24/2011 10:36 AM ET

Following a mediocre box office run earlier in the year, critically acclaimed dramedy "Win Win" is among the top new releases hitting the home market this week alongside "The Beaver," the seldom seen comedy from Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster. Also hitting stores this week will be documentarian Morgan Spurlock's "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" and special Blu-ray editions of older movies like "Swingers" and "Rounders."

Kings Of Leon's Mother Says None Of Her Boys Need Rehab

8/27/2011 9:30 AM ET

(RTTNews) - Betty Ann Murphy, mother of Kings of Leon's trio of brothers Caleb, Jared and Nathan Followill, and aunt of Matthew Followill, says that "none of the boys need rehab" and that "they will come back better than ever."

"They'll be back better than ever," Murphy told Contact Music. "It's not the end of the band. Sometimes they all drink more than they should - they're young men and go on a binge. None of them need rehab."
Earlier this year Kings of Leon cancelled their remaining tour dates of their North American trek because of "vocal issues and exhaustion" from frontman Caleb, an incident that sent rumors of the band's break-up swirling. Jared and Nathan have stated that while the band has "big problems," they will not be splitting up.
The Kings will reboot their touring schedule September 28 in Canada.

Mick Jagger Reveals His Secrets To Looking Young

8/26/2011 1:45 PM ET

(RTTNews) - Even though Mick Jagger recently turned 68 years old, he still remains youthful in appearance, and has revealed his secrets to looking young, which include proper diet and exercise consisting of ballet, yoga and pilates, according to The Daily Mail.

Jagger admitted to drinking a lot less than in his younger days, though he still indulges in a big meal every now and again.
"It's too debilitating to drink a lot, so I use other relaxation techniques," he says. "I sit on my own, calm down, take stock. I have to eat an awful lot," he adds. "People say: 'You're not eating.' I say: 'I just ate twice as much as you did. I watched you."
He also regularly uses La Prairie, a Swedish caviar skin cream, hair dye, and a host of supplements such as Vitamins A, C, D, E, B complexes, cod liver oil, ginseng and ginkgo biloba.

Ric Flair Threatens Lawsuit Boozing Has Not Damaged My Heart

Wrestling icon Ric Flair is FURIOUS over an article which claims the Nature Boy is suffering from a serious medical condition caused by years of hardcore boozing ... because Ric claims it's NOT TRUE and now he's threatening to sue.

The unflattering article -- which paints Flair as a troubled, irresponsible mess of a person -- ran on an ESPN affiliated website called Grantland.com ... and the report is mostly based on court documents.

But Flair is particularly pissed about the reporter's claim that he suffers from Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy -- a disease caused by years of alcohol abuse which often leads to heart failure.

A rep for Flair -- -- whose real name is Richard Fliehr -- tells TMZ, "While the information gleaned from courthouse records may be credible, Mr. Fliehr is currently evaluating his legal options with respect to falsehoods in the story, specifically the untrue statement that he suffers from alcoholic cardiomyopathy."

The rep adds, "Our client understands that these allegations are part of the territory when you are not only famous, but a living legend."

Former NBA'er Javaris Crittenton Charged With MURDER

Former Washington Wizards player Javaris Crittenton -- the other guy in the Gilbert Arenas gun incident -- has been charged with murdering a 23-year-old woman.

Crittenton -- who has been bounced from the league -- is accused of shooting the mother of 3 on August 19 in Atlanta.  Investigators don't believe she was the intended target.  According to AJC.com, authorities believe Crittenton was gunning for someone who robbed him back in April.

The victim was shot in the hip and died in surgery.

You'll recall the famous incident in the Wizards locker room in 2009, when Arenas and Crirttenton pulled guns on each other.  Crittenton pled guilty to gun possession and was placed on 1 year's probation.

Crittenton is currently a fugitive and cops are looking for him.

Steve Jobs After the Resignation

This picture of Steve Jobs was taken today -- two days after he resigned as the head honcho of Apple.

In his resignation letter, Jobs said, the day finally came when he could no longer perform his duties.

Macaulay Culkin IS 31 Today!

Macaulay Culkin (31)

Celebrity Birthdays - August 26

Macaulay Culkin was born on August 26, 1980. Culkin is perhaps best known for his role as Kevin McCallister in the "Home Alone" movies. He has also appeared in such television shows as "Will & Grace," "Robot Chicken," "WWE RAW" and "Kings," and such movies as "Party Monster" and "Saved!"

Jason Bateman & Wife Expecting Second Baby Girl

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WENN

By Radar Staff
Horrible Bosses star Jason Bateman is going to be a dad again -- and his father-in-law, legendary singer Paul Anka is the one who spilled the beans!
Bateman, 42, and his wife, Amanda Anka, are expecting a little girl, says Amanda’s dad, who broke the happy news to ET Canada, saying: "I'm going to be a grandfather again. It's another baby girl."
Bateman and Anka have been married since July 2001; they already have a 4-year-old daughter, Francesa Nora.
PHOTOS: The London Premiere of Horrible Bosses
Speaking with ET Canada, the Diana singer sung the praises of his son-in-law, saying: "Jason is the actor in the family. He's ... a very smart boy, a wonderful guy for my daughter."
(Fun fact : In 1983, Paula Anka co-wrote with Michael Jackson the song I Never Heard, which was retitled and released in 2009 under the name This Is It. The pair wrote another song that Jackson during that same session, Love Never Felt So Good, and it’s expected to be released in the near future).

HBO Actor Michael Showers Found Dead In Mississippi River

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Posted on Aug 25, 2011 @ 12:30PM  

HBO

By Amber Goodhand - Radar Reporter
Michael Showers, an actor on the HBO series Treme, was found dead Wednesday morning in the Mississippi River, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Showers’ body was spotted floating in the water in the New Orleans French Quarter at 11:15 a.m., authorities told local paper, Times-Picayune.
Harbor Police recovered Showers’ body around 11:45 a.m. and appeared to have been in the water for nearly two days. An upcoming autopsy will determine the exact cause of death.
PHOTOS: Celebrities Who Died In Bizarre Circumstances
Showers, 45, lived in the Chalmette area of Louisiana and played Capt. John Guidry in the hit HBO television show.
The actor also had bit parts in The Vampire Diaries and Breaking Bad.
Stay with RadarOnline.com as new details emerge...

SEBASTIAN BACH Reunites With Original SKID ROW Drummer

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has posted the following message on his Facebook page: "Just had dinner with Rob Affuso, the original drummer of SKID ROW! Great times catching up with my longtime buddy! Could there be a special jam this evening [at Bach's solo concert] in Poughkeepsie? Hmmm, we shall see ;)" Bach recently tweeted that he wanted his fans to stop asking him about a possible reunion with his former bandmates after SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan made it clear that the group has "never looked back" following Sebastian's dismissal from the band in 1996. Speaking to Adam Hammer of SCTimes.com, Bolan stated about Sebastian's departure from SKID ROW, "We thought we were disbanded and that we'd never do it again. Then we kept getting emails and the management office was getting lots of letters about people wanting to see SKID ROW on stage and we really started to miss it. We knew if we got back together, we were going to do things different." He added, "When [current SKID ROW singer] Johnny [Solinger] joined the band [in 1999], that really gave us a kick in the ass. It was a different guy there and everything that came out of that guy was positive." On the topic of the persistent rumors of a reunion with Sebastian, Bolan said, "Actually, there were never any talks. Ever. That was all just total rumor. We got rid of him in the '90s and never looked back. . . After the first tour [with Solinger on vocals], it seemed like this is the way it's always been. It's so weird, I'll hear an old song on the radio and it just sounds so bizarre to me because I'm so used to Johnny singing it." After Bolan's comments were posted on BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Bach tweeted the following in response to the article, "If this makes even one of you stop asking me 'when are you getting the band back together' then good. IT'S NOT HAPPENING." Sebastian previously shot down the possibility of a SKID ROW reunion with him on vocals at this past February's press conference in Los Angeles to announce the details of the third annual Revolver Golden Gods awards show. He said, "No [I am not interested in a reunion], because I don't base my life in 2011 on, like, 30 years ago. And I also... I was kicked out of that band. Like, if you worked at Pizza Hut and you got fired, would you be knocking on the door of the Pizza Hut, 'Please let me back in!!' You'd be, like, 'Fuck Pizza Hut! Fuck you!' I'd be, like, 'Fuck you! You wanna fucking kick me out? Go fuck yourself!' [Laughs] I'm always perplexed by that. You don't want me to sing in your band? Kiss my fucking ass! Don't hurt yourself finding someone that can. [Laughs]"

Motley Crue Premiere New "Kickstart My Heart" Video

8/25/2011 12:58:00 PM GlassJoe360 No comments

Motley Crue recently wrapped up their summer tour (with Poison and the New York Dolls) which started on June 24th. It was one of the summer's highest grossing tours, drawing a half a million fans. The Crue issued the following today:

"We documented the whole tour, top to bottom (the good, the bad and the ugly) and as we were looking through all the amazing footage, we thought how cool it would be to cut together a 'best of visual' for the fans who made this tour happen. This one is just for the fans, from us."

Premiered on Yahoo! Music today is a new video for "Kickstart My Heart," using this footage. Although I find it interesting that they didn't actually use a live version of the song, they did at least choose one of their cooler tracks (off Dr. Feelgood). The vid can be viewed below. -- GlassJoe360

Source: Yahoo! Music and Blabbermouth.net

Yahoo! Clip: Motley Crue "Kickstart My Heart"

Lenny Dykstra Charged with Indecent Exposure Over Craigslist Encounters

More trouble for Lenny Dykstra -- this time the troubled baseball great has been charged with indecent exposure for allegedly whipping out his dong for women he met on Craigslist.

According to the L.A. City Attorney, Lenny allegedly went to Craigslist and posted ads for a personal assistant or housekeeping services ... but when the women arrived, Dykstra would "inform the women that the job also required them to give a massage and would expose himself to them."

Officials say Dykstra pulled the XXX bait and switch at least 6 times.

If convicted, Dykstra -- who's already in custody in L.A. on a MYRIAD of federal and state charges for allegedly doing all sorts of other bad stuff -- could face even more jail time.

An arraignment is scheduled for September 7.

Jim Carrey Records Creepy Video Love Letter to Emma Stone

We'll give Jim Carrey the benefit of the doubt and assume this video love letter to Emma Stone he posted on his official website is the result of an idea for a joke taken too far, but, no matter what his intentions were in filming it, it's pretty creepy. Carrey, his face extremely close to the camera, tells 22-year-old Stone: "If I were a lot younger, I would marry you, and we would have chubby little freckle-faced kids. We'd laugh all day long and go camping and play Yahtzee and tell ghost stories by the fire."
After an even creepier thing we won't mention here, he then continues: "Every day for the rest of your life, you would thank God that I was the appropriate age for you. But I'm not. I'm 49... Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how I felt. You're pretty special, and I wish you continued success and artistic fulfillment, but most of all, I wish you love and contentment."
He closes the video with a whispered "I love you" and a quavering lip.
When asked about the odd missive, a rep for Carrey simply told "Access Hollywood": "It's a comical love letter."
While we don't envy Stone in that she's no doubt going to have to address this video in countless press interviews moving forward, we have faith she'll handle it with wit and aplomb, as ever.

Trailer For 'Ghost Rider' Sequel Is More Of The Same

8/24/2011 3:06 PM ET

(RTTNews) - "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," February 17, 2012:

Just when you thought that maybe Nicholas Cage was going to settle down we get the trailer for "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," the sequel to the mostly despised 2007 original. Reviled by critics and sporting very low audience marks to boot, "Ghost Rider" still ended up making more than $200 million across the globe, setting up a sequel that is set to ride into theaters in February.
In the trailer, Cage is back as fire-wielding hero Johnny Blaze, a man who spontaneously bursts into flames and turns into a demon hell-bent on revenge.
Joining Cage in the cast are versatile character actors Ciaran Hinds and Idris Elba as well as love interest Violante Placido, who was in the fairly brilliant George Clooney spy-thriller "The American."
Though we don't get too much in terms of plot from the trailer, there is sure to be plenty of neat motorcycle tricks, flames and Nicholas Cage one-liners.
The trailer for "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" can be viewed at the movie's official site.

Redmond O'Neal Headed To Rehab Following Drug Arrest

8/25/2011 10:16 AM ET

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(RTTNews) - Redmond O'Neal, the son of actor Ryan O'Neal and the late Farrah Fawcett, has reportedly been sentenced to one year in an inpatient rehabilitation facility following his recent drug arrest.

O'Neal was arrested earlier this month on drug charges during a routine traffic stop in Los Angeles. At the time he was on probation for other drug charges, prompting authorities to search his apartment, at which point they found an illegal firearm.
The 26-year-old was facing a maximum of five years in prison for the combined drug and weapons charges. According to a rep from the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, however, he was granted leniency because of his willingness to take responsibility.
"We didn't offer any plea or negotiation. He just threw himself on the mercy of the court," Says L.A. District Attorney rep Jane Robinson.
O'Neal's legal team also issued a statement saying this may be his best chance to get clean:
"Today Judge Scwhartz ordered Redmond to undergo the best chance that he has had for a lasting recovery," read the statement. "The defense team is pleased and grateful that justice was served today."

SUPAGROUP'S CHRIS LEE INTERVIEW

CHRIS LEE INTERVIEW:
August 24, 2011

Websites: supagroup.net - www.facebook.com/Supagroup
Interviewer: Dirk Ballerstaedt

What do think of when you hear the last name Lee? Maybe Christopher Lee, the actor who once played Dracula -- or Bruce Lee, the martial arts expert who solved all problems with the palm of his hand? But I'd like to introduce you to some other Lee's -- namely brothers Chris and Benji of the band Supagroup. The American-Chinese born musicians moved from Alaska to New Orleans in the late '90s, formed a band, played the club scene up and down, and released such fine albums as 'We Came To Rock You (Live)', 'Rock And Roll Tried To Ruin My Life', 'Supagroup', 'Rules', 'Fire For Hire' and their newest release 'Hail! Hail!'. One of the band's songs also appeared on the motion picture 'College' and on their website they have been releasing a collection of funny mini-films called Amped!, about the every day life of a crazy rock'n'roll band -- made like a TV reality show. The music Supagroup play is funny and sleazy '70s inspired riff-rock which puts a smile on your face. Before the band packed their bags to do a massive tour of Europe in October and November, Supagroup frontman Chris Lee sat down to chat with Sleaze Roxx.

Sleaze Roxx: How did the album 'Hail! Hail!' come together?

Chris Lee: We were talking with Foodchain Records about making the fourth and last record of our deal ('Supagroup' 2003, 'Rules' 2005, and 'Fire For Hire' 2007) with them. They had never made any money off of us and even had to pay another label to go away when their joint venture didn't work out -- poor guys. They asked us to halve our budget, which we were kind of expecting, but we thought in that case, we should get our masters back. We couldn't resolve it and asked to be dropped. There was no animosity, they have been reaaaallllly good to us, especially so in an era where no one is making any money. But in any case we decided to go out on our own.

Then our longtime rhythm section of Michael Brueggen and Leif Swift tendered their resignations. They had both been with us for over a decade, and wanted to do grown up stuff -- like, I don't know, start a business, start families, and... pay their rent. Shit like that. We completely understood. I had recently gotten married myself, and Benji had two kids between the 'Fire For Hire' and 'Hail! Hail!' albums. Believe me, we knew where they were coming from, and we were probably thinking some of the same things. (In Danny Glover's voice) "I'm getting too old for this shit." But we did convince them that they should record the new record with us before they retired, and luckily, they agreed. We went into the recording with the idea that this might be our last record, and if it was, we wanted it to be our best.

We built our own studio and took about seven months to record around twenty five songs for 'Hail! Hail!' We got it down to eighteen by the time Kevin Shirley mixed them, and eventually whittled it down to thirteen for the album. We shopped it around, but only Foodchain was interested in putting it out! They didn't really want to be the label anymore however, so we took on those duties and they became our distributor and just gave us a licensing fee for the album. We in turn put that money into our promotions. We had just been through the money black hole known as commercial radio, so we knew that wasn't going to work for us. So we put our money into making music videos and a TV pilot called Amped!. We knew Amped! was a gamble, but we thought that if we could somehow get a show on the air... well everyone has seen what television can do for the talentless parrots American Idol spews up every season. We also planned on releasing it as a webseries if we didn't get a bite from a network, which we have since done.

Sleaze Roxx: How did you get famous producer Kevin Shirley involved in the album?

Chris Lee: Kevin produced and mixed our last two albums, 'Fire For Hire' as well as 'Rules', which both came out amazingly. We have a great working relationship with him and love Kevin both as a producer and a friend. He is a true rock and roller and he really is the best, in every way. But we knew we weren't going to be able to afford him, not as a producer anyway -- he works in Malibu for Christ's sake! He was also extremely busy with both Joe Bonamassa and Iron Maiden during the period we needed him. So we worked it out so Benji would produce the record and Kevin mixed it when he had a free day here or there. We were under no time constraints, for once, and it worked out great.

Sleaze Roxx: How happy are you with the way 'Hail! Hail!' ended up and how have sales been?

Chris Lee: I'm pretty happy with the album -- it's our best work. As far as putting it out and running our own label? It's a lot of work -- very tedious and thankless work, but it's also very satisfying. I will say that I appreciate what Foodchain did for us more and more every day. We are also the production company that makes all of our videos. That's a lot of work too, even if it's more fun. We are planning to make a feature about our upcoming European tour if we can get some investors for it. There will also be a live soundtrack to go with it -- it should be a really fun movie and a kickass album as well.

As far as sales, well, we haven't made our money back yet, but I'm not too worried about it. We've actually never seen a dime from record sales in our entire career. We have been lucky because our music is seemingly tailor made for movies, TV, and video games. I always say we're great for action sequences! But really, it's the music that counts, and I couldn't be happier with 'Hail! Hail!'

Sleaze Roxx: Looking back on Supagroup's music catalog, what songs you are most proud of?

Chris Lee: Wow, that's a lot of songs to pick from. I guess it would depend on my mood that day. But if I had to pick one song from each of our albums that I always like to listen to they would be: "We Came To Rock You" from 'We Came To Rock You (Live)' (1998), "Tell The Millicents" from 'Rock and Roll Tried To Ruin My Life' (2001), "Hard Sell" from 'Supagroup' (2003), "Rough Edge" from 'Rules' (2005), "Bow Down" from 'Fire For Hire' (2007) and "Where'd You Put The Whiskey" from 'Hail! Hail!' (2011). I'm sure Benji's list would be vastly different.

Sleaze Roxx: Being born American-Chinese and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, how tough was it growing up as kids with another culture background?

Chris Lee: Once in a while I was confused with the Alaskan natives and called a 'Muk', which is the equivalent to the N-word to Eskimos and Indians. Most people can't figure out my background unless I tell them. They know something's up, but they're not sure exactly what. I've been asked if I was Mexican, South American, Indian (feather not dot), Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian, Samoan, etc. It doesn't really bother me, in fact it's kind of funny.

Sleaze Roxx: Your mother was a Pentecostal preacher and smashed all your albums, was that the reason for leaving Alaska -- the typical rebellious kid vs. parents?

Chris Lee: I could not wait to get out of Alaska, and went to college a year early at 17. Yes, it was very much the typical rebellion, but I think our parents were a lot more hardcore than most. In addition to my record collection (twice) and Benji's (also twice), my mom burned my extensive comic book collection because they were 'demonic' -- and I was too into them. Similarly, she did the same with Benji's toys. She was scary and had the weight of the Lord on her side. Our Father, a first generation immigrant, could be even more terrifying. What didn't help matters was that I was a real hellion. My friends and I were always getting into trouble, petty stuff like shoplifting turned into selling drugs and stealing booze for resale. I was the guy who always came up with the bad idea and never got caught, while my friends seemed to get caught a lot and some even went to jail. My parents and I have a pretty good relationship now, but back then there were always threats of Christian Military School.

Sleaze Roxx: Why did you move to New Orleans? Also, it's unusual for two brothers to like the same music and start a band -- how did that come about?

Chris Lee: Everyone in my high school, if they left Alaska, ended up in Seattle, Eugene, Portland, San Francisco, L.A., or Arizona. I wanted to start over where no one knew me, so the West coast was out. I also wanted to get away from the cold, and New Orleans is about as far away from Alaska as you can get and still be in the USA. It's also hot as a crotch, and almost never snows -- that sounded good to me! I was sick of the snow, ice, cold, and darkness. I had never been there before, but I heard that the drinking age was only 18, where everywhere else in the country it was 21 -- that sounded civilized. Once I got there, I knew I was home. I loved it. Also, when you grow up in 'the sticks', you think you're a country boy because that's all you know. Once I lived in a city I realized that, at heart, I'm a city boy.

While I was in college I was recruited to play bass in a band called Critical Dump. We played rock and roll. Benji was still in Anchorage and had his own band called rRobot -- very influenced by Weezer. I would come back to Alaska in the summers to work construction out in 'the bush', places you can only reach by plane, and Benji worked with me. We brought a guitar out on one of these three-month camping/construction trips and wrote the first Supagroup album 'Planet Rock', which I consider our 'practice' album. We weren't exactly sure what kind of music we were going to make so the songs are a bit all over the place and very influenced by what was going on then -- mainly Nirvana, as evidenced by the fact that there are not many guitar solos on the record. I was also still playing bass, as it was a power trio. We toured in the Northwest on that album when Benji was just 15. I had to get a court order from a judge making me his legal guardian while he was out of state. The bars we played would not allow him or our drummer to hang out, as they were underage. They had to wait in the car until show time, play, and then get the fuck out. A few years later he joined me in NOLA and we started over somewhat, with me switching to guitar and the band unleashing Benji's solos all over people's faces. That's when Supagroup really started, when Benji and I started playing in New Orleans, around 1997/98.

As to why we did this together? Well we both love rock and roll, especially the AC/DC, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin type of classic rock, and we are rock and rollers. It seemed natural and easy to start a band together.

Sleaze Roxx: What specific moments made you decide to start a career in music?

Chris Lee: A couple moments come to mind. Playing New York City for the first time with Critical Dump at Cafe Wha?, a legendary place that Dylan, Sinatra, Lewis and Martin, Joplin, Hendrix, and everybody played -- and was even owned by David Lee Roth's uncle. Also, opening for the Supersuckers in Atlanta for $75 and Eddie Spaghetti telling us we were pretty good and then taking us on tour. Watching Dash Rip Rock tear it up about half a hundred times in the late eighties/early nineties. I knew I didn't want a typical suburban 'get a job, wife, kids, retire, die' life, but I wasn't sure the life I did want until I was able to get on stage regularly.

Sleaze Roxx: You were studying biology in college, did you ever finish that? And what led to you choosing that subject?

Chris Lee: I studied Cellular and Molecular Biology, was on my way to a PhD, and maybe later an MD. Gene splicing always sounded pretty cool while I was watching Blade Runner for the hundredth time. But in reality, it's pretty boring and I realized I was just doing it to make my parents happy and didn't really know/have the balls to go for what I wanted to do -- showbiz. My dad always dreamed of having a doctor for a son, and I didn't have a better plan. I wanted to be a film director or rock star, but didn't know how to make it happen. My dad always said I didn't know anybody in show business so making movies was a stupid idea. Now, after making a TV pilot, and about to make a movie, I know he was right! I quit Biology, went to film school for a year, then Supagroup started touring, and now it's more than a decade later.

Sleaze Roxx: I know a bit about the life of being on the road (for a while) and having a $10 per day meal allowance, 3000 mgs of Vitamin C pills, etc. Describe a typical day during a Supagroup tour.

Chris Lee: You wake up on the floor of the hotel hungover, still dressed from last night -- really hungover. You wash down three Advil and 2000mg of Vitamin C while drinking from a gallon jug of water. Crawl to the van and start driving. Eat at a Cracker Barrel if you're lucky, Waffle House if less lucky, McDonalds if even less lucky. Get gas, buy strange tchotchkes from local gas station, like a belt buckle with a rebel flag on it. More driving/sleeping in the van. Start to really have to piss, but we're late so we can't stop. Finish the gallon jug of water, then piss in it. Everyone says you're going to spill it, but you tell them to quit whining. Pull into venue. Load in. Ask about meal buy out, but Promoter Guy says it's not happening. When he says, "I told your agent weeks ago", I know it's a lie because I booked the show myself using a fake agent name. Ask him about beer/liquor, and Promoter Guy tells you, "Anything you want, just ask Jim The Bartender. He knows the deal".

The Annoyed Sound Guy tells you you're late, and to turn down before you even plug in. He says, "It's a really live room, sound bounces around a lot. You've got to turn it down on stage. Turn it waaaaay down. Don't worry, I'll crank it in the mains and the monitors". At this point, Benji tells the sound guy to, "Shut the fuck up and do your fucking job." After a miserably uncomfortable sound check, I have to make peace with the now Pissed-Off Sound Guy. It doesn't really work. Benji and I get in a fight about how now Pissed-Off Sound Guy is going to make us sound like shit because Benji was a dick to him. Check into motel, eat, maybe get a nap. Show up at venue late, trying to miss the opening acts, but the first one just started. Have to watch the drinking now, as there are many hours until showtime.

Jim The Bartender has no idea what you are talking about or even who Promoter Guy is, and charges you full price for beers and liquor. Walk down to local liquor store, spend last bucks on a case of beer and a bottle of whiskey. Sneak it into the dressing room. Opening bands are in there, and you don't want to share your booze, but do anyway, so they don't go telling everyone, "Supagroup's a bunch of dicks". They also make you remember what it was like to be an opening band all full of excitement and optimism, and it makes you hate them, which makes you feel bad. Then they play and are terrible, and you feel a little less bad about hating them. Once in a while they are good, however, and you are glad to hang with them.

Finally you get to play and it's awesome! It doesn't matter if there are 8 or 8000 people there, you rock as hard as you can and have a good time.

Afterwards you are very drunk and get drunker. Jim The Bartender is finally giving you booze for free, but in reality it's more than you want or need right now. Pissed-Off Sound Guy is now I-Totally-Want-To-Go-On-Tour-With-You Sound Guy, and gives you his card. Someone gives you some weed, or a pill, or something else and you think you might throw up right in front of everyone. Loading the van is much harder when you're wasted. When you get in the van you kick the piss jug all over the place and yourself. Everyone in the band is rightfully mad at you. Sometimes there is a drive through McDonalds at this point. You realize that you totally fucking rocked the joint and that life is good.

You wake up on the floor of the hotel hungover, still dressed from last night. Really hungover. Something smells like piss.

Sleaze Roxx: After finishing a tour is it difficult to return to normal home life?

Chris Lee: It's always good to get home. We don't even talk to each other for a while to decompress. But after a week, you start to miss it. Sure it's the adulation, but it's also the routine. It's very satisfying to feel like you're working, getting somewhere, doing something with your life. Making people happy through entertaining them is a gift and you do miss that high.

Sleaze Roxx: What are your fondest memories as a musician so far?

Chris Lee: I loved making this last album, 'Hail! Hail!' -- I normally hate the recording process. I love playing big places with the likes of Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, and COC. Also the festivals are great -- New Orleans Jazz Fest, Voodoofest, Azkenafest, Bonnaroo. I also love playing tiny places in Hollywood or Bum Fuck, USA. The live show is where it's at.

Sleaze Roxx: Do you ever feel frustrated with the rock 'business'?

Chris Lee: It's always frustrating -- now more than ever. It's full of people who not only don't know the difference between good or bad music; they don't care. Music is simply a commodity to them, like sugar, oil, or pork bellies. But it's worse than just that. They also don't know what it takes to make good music, so they think that you should work for free and then give them your work for free or play for free. At least a farmer gets paid to raise his pigs. Sometimes you feel like the Golden Goose who keeps squirting out golden eggs and all anyone says is, "That's it?!! Just another golden egg? I'm not paying for that!" It is a horrible business to be in, I highly recommend to any of your readers that are thinking about it to get out while they can. Only do it if you have no other choice, like me.

Sleaze Roxx: With so many rock musicians dying (Jani Lane being the latest), do you think rock'n'roll is healthy for one's body?

Chris Lee: Not too healthy I guess. But also think about all the rockers who should be dead that are not. Do you think Keith Richards should be alive after all the drugs he's done? David Bowie? Iggy Pop? I think that for some people, hard living makes you harder. Or maybe they were already hardened people who can handle that lifestyle and are therefore drawn to it.

Sleaze Roxx: The short films you put on your website are cool -- do they represent the extrovert side of the band or just the logical follow-up of being a young band on the world wide web?

Chris Lee: We have not gotten a lot of attention despite our music being on the radio here in the States quite a bit. We also put out the new disc on our own label, so we thought we'd try marketing the new record through a visual medium for a change. As I said earlier, I've always been interested in filmmaking, and producing films is really not so different from producing music. You have an idea -- a song or a script -- that you first must imagine, write down, refine, then express, either aurally, visually or both. It does seem like a natural progression, actually. And yes, we are quite extroverted. Benji says that I'm not just a ham, I'm the whole pig! We are going to continue making filmed entertainment. We are producing a soft scripted movie that revolves around this upcoming tour of Europe. It should be good, funny, and will certainly have a great soundtrack! Benji wants to call it 'Supagroup's European Vacation'.

Fleetwood Mac: No Recording Plans

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Fleetwood Mac have no definite commitements for the future.
Talking to Classic Rock, guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham denied reports that the band are currently working on a new album.
“We’ve nothing like that going on at all. Stevie (Nicks) has been busy touring and I’m just about to release my new solo album (Seeds We Sow, out on September 5) and have plans to tour on the back of that. So, right now nothing’s booked for the band.
“However, I would be very surprised if we don’t make a new album at some point. Currently, I have eight or nine new song ideas, some of which might fit in with Fleetwood Mac.”

Tragedy of Lane 911 call

Hotel staff refused to check whether Jani was still alive – but emergency operator wasn’t interested unless he was dead

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Tragedy: Jani Lane

Hotel staff who found Jani Lane’s body refused to check to see if he was still alive, a recording of an emergency call has revealed.
And when the 911 operator passed on a dead body report to another department, the second operator wasn’t interested unless Lane was definitely dead.
The ex-Warrant singer was discovered in a California hotel room on August 11 with a bottle of vodka and prescription pills. He’d split from his wife a few weeks previously, and a note saying “I am Jani Lane” with a friend’s phone number was in his pocket.
Now TMZ has released a recording of the call placed by the hotel receptionist to emergency services.
Operator: What room number is the patient in?
Receptionist: Room 118.
Operator: Room 118. Are you there?
Receptionist: No, I’m calling from the lobby. I work at a the front desk.
Operator: Okay. So what’s the problem? Tell me exactly what happened.
Receptionist: Okay. The housekeeping, when they were about to clean the room, they knocked the room door three times and he didn’t open the door. They finally opened it and one of the housekeeping checked they guy, like, ‘Maybe he’d dead,’ because, his eyes…
Operator: Okay. Do you know about how old, approximately what age the patient is?
Receptionist: Maybe like 50.
Operator: Male or female?
Receptionist: Male.
Operator: So do you know if they’re conscious? You don’t know?
Receptionist: No. Because when we opened the door they didn’t go closer.
Operator: So you guys don’t know what’s going on there?
Receptionist: No, because ––
Operator: You have a defibrillator?
Receptionist: Uh…
Operator: A shock box for the heart. Do you guys have one?
Receptionist: No.
Operator: Okay. Paramedics are on the way, okay? Just stay on the line, I’ll tell you exactly what to do next. Does anybody there know CPR or first aid?
Receptionist: I – no…
Operator: Is there any way you can transfer me to the room? Is there anyone there that’s willing to go into the room and see if we can maybe do CPR? Or do you think the patent has already passed away?
Receptionist: I think passed away, because when they checked the guy, like, his eyes were open and his mouth, he wasn’t breathing.
Operator: Was there an odour? Was he stiff?
Receptionist: The guy? The room? Odour?
Operator: Was there an odour? Did it smell?
Receptionist: No. They didn’t really, like, go inside, so housekeeping think he’s dead.
Operator: Okay, well, tell you what ma’am, if somebody is willing to go there and go check it out, then give us a call, okay? We’re on our way. You don’t have to – but if this person needs help, if we need to do CPR, it would be nice to at least know if we could help him. If not, if he’s passed away, there’s nothing else we can do.
Receptionist: So you want us to go in the room and –
Operator: Well, it’s up to you ma’am. Are you, is someone willing to go in the room, or…?
Receptionist: I could ask. I mean, maybe like chargehand or…
Operator: Is he willing to do it? Is he willing to go in there?
Receptionist: I’ll ask him now.
Operator: I can’t force him to do it, but I’m asking if he’s willing to do it.
Receptionist: I’ll ask him.
Operator: Okay, I’ll be right here.
Receptionist: Okay, hold on.
Operator: Sure.
Receptionist: Other phone is going crazy when I call 911. I can’t stop it.
Operator: Is there any way to transfer me to that room? 118? Will somebody answer?
Receptionist: No. We’ll try.
Operator: Okay. Well, help’s already on the way, okay?
Receptionist: Okay, uh…
Operator: So are you gonna ask to see if he’ll go in there?
Receptionist: Yes, I’m going to call another line, Hold on.
[pause]
Operator: Hello?
Receptionist: Um… No, nobody wants to do it.
Operator: Okay, well that’s fine then ma’am. Help’s on the way, okay? We’re on our way.
Receptionist: Do you want me to wait, or…?
Operator: No, we’re on our way, okay? We can hang up. We’re on our way. If we can help you with anything else just call us back. Okay?
Receptionist: Okay, thank you.
Operator: Bye-bye.
[Operator places call to another operator and receives a brief holding message]
Voice: You have reached the Los Angeles Police Department. All operators are busy. The next available operator will ––
Operator 2: Emergency operator?
Operator: How are you doing, this is six-nine from across the way. We’ve got a possible DB.
Operator 2: Is it apparent natural?
Operator: We’re not sure yet. You know what, I’m kinda calling you a little premature. I was on the phone with somebody there and they stated they believe the person was passed away and we’re sending rescue to go investigate, uh, cardiac arrest. Nobody knows what’s going on, they guess the gentleman’s been there for a little bit and nobody wants to check on him. It’s about a fifty-year-old male, approximately.
[silence]
Operator: Not sure if it’s a DB natural. If you want I can call you back.
Operator 2: Wanna do that?
Operator: Sure.

Gibson HQ raided again

Iconic guitar maker’s offices in Nashville and Memphis shut down by federal agents for the second time in two years

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Gibson Guitar Corporation’s headquarters in Tennessee have been raided by government officials for the second time in two years.
The company’s head office and a factory in Nashville, plus another factory in Memphis, were shut down by officers of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Customs and Border Protection.
The reason behind the raids has not been confirmed. Special Agent Nicholas Chavez says: “The operation stems from a Texas case. We can’t get into specifics right now because this is an ongoing investigation.
“No arrests have been made.”
Federal agents were seen to remove quantities of unidentified items from the Memphis factory.
Gibson was the subject of similar raids in 2009 after the company was suspected of importing wood banned by law because the trees from which it comes is an endangered species.
The firm has recently been trying to establish new methods of working with loggers after chief exec Henry Juszkiewic said: “The true wood guitar is going to disappear very quickly. It just won’t be around in ten years.”

Jeremy Piven Wants to Play Keith Moon

Bryan Wawzenek

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08.24.2011

Now that his HBO series, Entourage, is in its final season, actor Jeremy Piven has to decide what’s next. Or, as it happens – Who’s next.
The Emmy winner said that his dream role would be to play Keith Moon, the drummer for The Who. Moon died in 1978, and would have turned 65 on Tuesday.
“Remember the drummer from The Who, Keith Moon? I’d love to play the Keith Moon story,” Piven told Fox News, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.
There have been previous attempts to bring Moon’s troubled, antic rock star life to the big screen. At one point, Mike Myers had signed on to play the legendary drummer.
More Keith Moon:
This Day in Music Spotlight: Keith Moon’s Final Show with The Who
Drum Roll: The Top 10 Rock Drummers of All Time
Rock and Roll’s 10 Most Notorious TV Moments