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Strangeland Sequel To Be Shot In Cleveland
Written by Blabbermouth.net Unless Otherwise Noted
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 12:43
Mark Gillispie of The Plain Dealer reports that a Cleveland City Council committee on Tuesday (March 9) approved $1.2 million in loan guarantees for three planned feature-length films produced by Nehst Studios, a New York-based production company that has established an office in Cleveland.
On of the three films is "Strangeland: Disciple", the much-anticipated follow-up to "Strangeland" (1998), which TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider wrote and starred in as antagonist Captain Howdy.
The movie will be shot in Cleveland and its suburbs, said Nehst chairman Larry Meistrich. Production will begin once all the details have been finalized, he said.
Greater Cleveland is ideal for moviemaking because of its lower cost of living and its ability to stand in for a number of disparate locations, Meistrich said.
"Within 40 miles of midtown Cleveland, you can find suburbs, ghettos, farmland, sports stadiums and a waterfront," Meistrich said. "That doesn't exist in a lot of places."
In a February 2009 interview with FlickDirect, Snider stated about "Strangeland: Disciple", "'Hostel' and 'Saw' are children of 'Strangeland'. Before that, there was no torture genre; everyone was still beating the dead horse being chased and dying of 'Halloween'. The idea of being torn into had not been developed yet.
"I did a Fangoria radio show, dedicated to the world of horror; and the makers of 'Hostel' and 'Saw' would talk about how they loved 'Strangeland'. With 'Strangeland: Disciple', I'm going to take my crown back. That calls for a really intense effort on the part of the script.
"It is the graphic nature of 'Strangeland: Disciple'. It will be NC-17. We can allow ourselves to focus more on things happening to the subjects. We don't have to cut away so rapidly — so rabidly. 'R' leaves a lot to the imagination. I tend to leave a lot less to the imagination."
Regarding his decision to shoot for an NC-17 rating NC-17 from the MPAA's ratings board for "Strangeland: Disciple", Snider said, "I wanted to make the first one NC-17, but the company making the picture said, 'No, you can't. You won't get any screens. When did you last see an NC-17 movie at the multiplex?'
"There is a conservative undercurrent in this country that won't allow [this type of movie] to be seen. Their view is that the rating is to protect the public, not educate them.
"I know, from experience, that kids are buying tickets to 'Snow White' or whatever and sneaking in to see R-rated films. So we toned down 'Strangeland'. With 'Strangeland: Disciple', we are doing the reverse of what is going on today — which is to release the R-rated movie in the theaters and then do the unrated director's cut on DVD.
"When 'The Exorcist' came out, it only showed in New York and L.A. The word spread about this insane movie. The first cut was a lot more intense, with more subliminal cuts and things like the spider-walk that got taken out of the release version. People were passing out in the theater.
"We're going to do the initial screenings with NC-17, and then a wider release at 'R.' People will be going, 'You have to see the original.'
"I'm not making an intense picture for the purpose of making an intense picture. It's reality-based. The first one was also; when I wrote it, Internet crime didn't exist. In the last movie, Captain Howdy appears to burn to death — he is on fire. When you see how he survives, people will go, 'Oh crap, I get that!' It is reality-based."
Paul Di'Anno Announces 30th Anniversary Of Iron Maiden Tour
Written by Blabbermouth.net Unless Otherwise Noted
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 12:37
Hardline Media has announced the Paul Di'Anno "30th Anniversary Of Iron Maiden" tour. This is a very special tour, marking the 30th anniversary of the debut self-titled IRON MAIDEN album. For the first and only time in history, you will hear every song from the "Iron Maiden" LP played live, along with multiple tracks from "Killers", IRON MAIDEN's legendary second album. Some of the songs from the first LP have not been played live for nearly 30 years, so this is a very special occasion for Australian fans, as this occasion looks set to only happen in Oz.
Tickets look set to sell fast so get in quick, and there will be special V.I.P. packages available for the diehard fans. These packages will get you entry to the show, a merchandise bag, tour poster and a meet-and-greet with the Beast himself, Paul Di'Anno. Contact Hardline Media at
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for more information on these packages.
The dates are as follows:
Jun. 17 - Bar On The Hill - Newcastle, Australia Jun. 18 - Waves - Wollongong, Australia Jun. 19 - Gaelic Theatre - Sydney, Australia Jun. 20 - ANU - Canberra, Australia Jun. 24 - The Espy Gershwin Room - Melbourne, Australia Jun. 25 - Republic Bar - Hobart, Australia Jun. 26 - Fowlers Live - Adelaide, Australia Jun. 27 - Amplifier - Perth, Australia Jun. 29 - Rosies - Brisbane, Australia Jul. 01 - Al's Bar - Christchurch, New Zealand Jul. 02 - Bodega's - Wellington, New Zealand Jul. 03 - Transmission Room - Auckland, New Zealand
Written by Blabbermouth.net Unless Otherwise Noted
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 12:33
Powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) has scheduled the following European solo tour dates:
Owens last summer wrapped up a short European tour as the support act for HEAVEN & HELL.
Tim's backing band for the trek consisted of the following musicians:
Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORHCESTRA) - Guitar John Comprix (BEYOND FEAR, RINGWORM) - Guitar David Ellefson (MEGADETH, F5) - Bass Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO) - Drums
"Play My Game", the first solo album from Owens, landed at position No. 66 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
"Play My Game" was released via SPV/Steamhammer. The offering consists of around a dozen brand-new tracks that Owens composed himself or together with renowned friends, such as Bob Kulick, Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), Mike Callahan (ex-EARSHOT) and John Comprix (BEYOND FEAR, RINGWORM).
Written by Blabbermouth.net Unless Otherwise Noted
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 12:30
Austin, Texas' THE SWORD entered the studio in February with producer Matt Bayles (MASTODON, ISIS, MINUS THE BEAR) to begin recording its third album for a late 2010 release via Kemado Records. Frontman J.D. Cronise tells AOL's Noisecreep that the as-yet-untitled record will have a broader hard rock sound but stresses that the band's aim isn't to broaden its appeal outside of the heavy metal market. "If more people listen that's great, but we're not doing it for that reason," he says. "We are just more interested in expanding our sound for ourselves. If we wanted to expand our audience we should just remake the second album over again, rather than challenge people with something new."
Cronise adds, "It's really a concept record. The songs revolve around a concept we came up with or spin off from it. It's not the kind of fantasy concept though, it's more sci-fi."
THE SWORD recently recorded a cover version of THIN LIZZY's "Cold Sweat" for a split seven-inchsingle that will be released through Volcom Entertainment's Vinyl Club. On the flip side will be YEAR LONG DISASTER covering THE SWORD's "Maiden, Mother & Crone" with Rob from KARMA TO BURN on drums.
THE SWORD has also scheduled a one-off show at Stubb's in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, March 16 as the support act for MOTÖRHEAD. Also slated to appear is YEAR LONG DISASTER.
THE SWORD's last album, "Gods of the Earth", was released on April 1, 2008 via Kemado Records.
Written by Blabbermouth.net Unless Otherwise Noted
Wednesday, 10 March 2010 12:23
Christian hard rockers STRYPER have added KISS' "Shout It Out Loud" to the list of songs they are recording for their upcoming album of covers, to be released later in the year.
The CD will include STRYPER's renditions of the following classics:
* JUDAS PRIEST - "Breaking The Law" * IRON MAIDEN - "The Trooper" * SCORPIONS - "Blackout" * OZZY OSBOURNE - "Over The Mountain" * SWEET - "Set Me Free" * VAN HALEN - "On Fire" * DEEP PURPLE - "Highway Star" * BLACK SABBATH - "Heaven And Hell" * UFO - "Lights Out" * KANSAS - "Carry On Wayward Son" * KISS - "Shout It Out Loud"
STRYPER guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet recently explaiend the band's decision to pay tribute to its influences on the new album:
"We grew up listening to many different styles of music and there is a list of bands that influenced us throughout our musical education. Bands like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, SCORPIONS, VAN HALEN, UFO, DEEP PURPLE, LED ZEPPELIN, QUEEN, KANSAS and many others, helped to shape our sound and make us who we are today, musically speaking.
"We grew up on the streets of L.A. playing every club in town from Gazzari's to The Whisky to The Troubadour to you name it. We played covers from all the bands mentioned above and we shaped our own sound from listening and performing songs from these classic bands.
"We wanted to step outside the box and record a record that shows you, the fans, where we come from — our historical, musical roots so to speak. It's a side to STRYPER that no one has really seen or heard before, or at least quite like this.
"We performed 'On Fire' by VAN HALEN on a few tours and we also performed 'Breaking The Law' by PRIEST on this last tour. The response was far beyond our expectations each time we performed these songs. People seemed genuinely surprised to hear STRYPER cover these songs and even more surprised to hear STRYPER perform these songs relatively well.
"This will be an opportunity for Robert [Sweet, drums], Oz [Fox, guitar], Tim [Gaines, bass] and myself to loosen up and have some fun.
"For those of you who may think that we're walking away from our faith — you're wrong. We've never been more serious about our faith at any point in our lives. It is, however, important to enjoy what you do and lighten up from time to time. That's what we plan to do.
"This will be a fun record to make and we hope that this comes through, as well as the chance to showcase the abilities that we've been blessed with."
Washington Times | Compensation for state and local government employees continued to easily outdistance the wages and benefits for workers in private business.
