Fans of Bat Boy and the marriage of Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden have one less place to get their yuks these days. The fabled Weekly World News (at press time) was scheduled to have published its last issue.
The 28-year-old tabloid, a favorite of supermarket shoppers with its screaming wild headlines, tawdry style, and tales of animal-human hybrids, apparently is yet another print victim of the Internet boom.
"Due to the challenges in the retail and wholesale magazine marketplace that have impacted the newsstand, American Media, Inc. today announced it will close the print version of the Weekly World News, effective with the August 27 issue. Weekly World News was AMI's smallest weekly publication," the company said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters.
The most amazing thing about Weekly World News was how many people, especially seniors, thought it was a serious newspaper. But then again, we've always known that P.T. Barnum was right.
In an update on his adaptation of the 1978 horror classic Halloween, Rob Zombie announced that color timing and sound mixing began on July 23, after which time Michael Myers will be back on the big screen where he belongs.
Bloody-Disgusting.com reports Zombie spent a week shooting additional scenes of "violence, gore and bloodshed," including six new death sequences and the new finale, which was described as "quite gruesome." Zombie is said to be preparing a live album for release in August and working on a box set from his previous band, White Zombie. Halloween is his third effort as screenwriter and feature director.
Slayer frontman Tom Araya told Gary Graff of Billboard.com that besides the recently released new version of their album Christ Illusion, Sony BMG's Legacy imprint would re-release the band's back catalog. No release dates or information on bonus material are determined yet. Slayer's tour with Marilyn Manson began July 25 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Araya said they are "going for an all-brutal set" that features songs they haven't played in a while, including "Bitter Peace" and "Ghosts Of War".
"We've been playing mostly the standards on this trip," Araya said, "so we kind of dug a little deeper and added a couple more to make it a little heavier."
Describing itself as a “celebrity rock super-group,” the new act called Scrap Metal is both old and new: The members are all veterans of multi-platinum 80s arena rock bands.
Check out this lineup: Scrap Metal consists of Kelly Keagy, formerly of Night Ranger; Eric Martin of Mr. Big (yeah, we know you can’t remember that band – but we bet you remember their sap fest “To Be With You”); Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, of, well Nelson; and Mark Slaughter of, well, Slaughter, the composer of “Up All Night Sleep All Day.”
This new conglomeration was scheduled to headline Melodic Rock Fest in South Bend, Indiana on October 6. Also scheduled to appear at that event – hold on to your trucker hats – are Jack Blades of Night Ranger, Jim Peterik of The Ides Of March, Survivor and Pride Of Lions, Jimi Jamison of Survivor; and Joe Lynn Turner of Rainbow and Deep Purple. For more information, log on to MelodicRock.com.
Las Vegas-based hard rock/screamo outfit Escape The Fate will embark on their Hot Topic Presents Black on Black headlining tour in September to support their debut album, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion. The tour will kick off September 1st in the group's hometown of Las Vegas. The band is currently wrapping up their stint on this year's Van's Warped Tour.
Dying Is Your Latest Fashion, produced by Michael Baskette (Lit, Puddle Of Mudd), has been consistently selling well since its 2006 release. The album contains 15 new songs, and continues to rack up surprising sales figures so long after its initial issue date.
The Go! Team will be returning to American shores this fall in support of their sophomore record, Proof Of Youth, to be released on Sub Pop Records on September 11. The tour kicks off on October 13 in Chicago, eventually hitting New York City on October 27 at Bowery Ballroom.
The new album has a slew of superstar guests, including hip-hop luminary Chuck D of Public Enemy, the original Double Dutch Divas, Maryland's pint-sized Rapper's Delight Club, Brazil's Marina from Bonde Do Role, Amsterdam's Solex and Washington, DC's Frederick Douglas All Star Cheer Team.
Music fans seem to forget that everyone’s favorite Long Island teen-turned superstar actress-turned tabloid regular Lindsay Lohan has actually had a recording career in addition to her film work. In fact, the beautiful young actress was reportedly scheduled to begin recording her third album in August, but who knows what will happen with the controversy involving her recent arrests plaguing her career.
Lohan’s previous pop music albums included Speak, released in 2004 (which actually contained a hit single in “Rumors” and was certified gold), and 2005’s A Little More Personal (Raw). No telling when or if Lohan’s music career will ever resume.
