Here Monday night's CBS Vegas news spot on the KISS by Monster Mini Golf opening.

CBS NEWS

KISS IS EVERYWHERE!

Here's a photo of Gene Simmons in the carnival of Olinda-SP in Brazil.

Luciano Pertile
Sao Paulo - Brazil

LETTERS

Here are some of the many rare KISS warehouse finds that will be on sale at the KISS by Monster Mini Golf's gift shop on opening day.

KISS UNPLUGGED RELEASED

On March 12, 1996, the KISS MTV Unplugged CD and VHS Video were released in the US. KISS MTV Unplugged was recorded August 9, 1995 at Sony Music Studios in New York City. The majority of the CD/VHS features Paul, Gene, Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick. Ace Frehley and Peter Criss join Paul and Gene for '2000 Man' and 'Beth'. All six members close out the CD/VHS with 'Nothin' To Lose' and 'Rock and Roll All Nite'. MTV originally broadcast KISS Unplugged on October 31, 1995.

Comment from Paul on Unplugged:

'Unplugged was a chance for us to celebrate the musical history of the band by stripping, some great songs from different points in our history, down to the bare essence of what makes them great.'

TRACK LISTING:

Comin' Home / Plaster Caster / Goin' Blind / Do You Love Me / Domino / Got To Choose / Sure Know Something / A World Without Heroes / Rock Bottom / See You Tonight / I Still Love It / Every Time I Look At You / 2000 Man / Beth / Nothin' To Lose / Rock and Roll All Nite

'Got To Choose' appeared on the VHS and the Vinyl versions of KISS Unplugged but not the US CD.

On this day in KISStory - March 11, 2000, KISS opened the "Farewell Tour" in Phoenix, Arizona. The first three songs of the show were televised live on VH1. KISS performed 142 shows in the US, Canada, Japan and Australia on the tour.

Statement from KISS Farewell Tour press release:

The "Farewell Tour" will be the final opportunity to see the four original KISS members, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, together on stage.

Paul Stanley recently commented on the Farewell Tour during an appearance on CNN - "When we did the farewell tour I realized I didn't want to say farewell to KISS, I wanted to say farewell to two of the members."

Holy Crap! Remember… KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park?

by Lee Rodriguez

Ah, nostalgia! Be it that old cartoon, a favorite toy or a comic book from days gone by, isn’t it great, when out of the blue, the memories come flooding back, and you’ve no choice but to exclaim ”Holy Crap! Remember…?”

Guilty pleasure alert: I love KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. Sure, I’m younger than the average KISS fan by about 25 years, but I can’t help it. My first vinyl albums (Google it, kids) were KISS hand-me-downs. To put it mildly, KISS kicks ass. They’ve endured for decades thanks to their spectacular stage shows and the awesome power of their rock. That’s just science. Most people, especially in the comic community, are aware that in the height of their popularity, KISS was featured in a Marvel comic book and they mixed some of their blood into the ink. It’s one of those “that has to be fake” stories that is 100% true.

Since then, they’ve starred in numerous comics, including the recent KISS Meets Archie and the long running McFarlane jam KISS: Psycho Circus. These guys (or at least Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley) are comic enthusiasts. What many people don’t know, however, is that comics aren’t the only medium in which the band was featured as a superhero team. Oh, no. In 1978, KISS starred in a made for TV movie on NBC produced by Hanna-Barbera. Yes, the same Hanna-Barbera known for cartoons like Scooby-Doo. It’s obvious while watching it. Aside from the stock Hanna-Barbera music, this thing might as well have been one of the New Scooby-Doo Movies. If Scooby can meet Abbott and Costello and Batman and Robin, why not KISS?

Here's a sneak peek from Monster Mini Golf Presents KISS, Las Vegas of the testing of Gene's giant head, prior to tongue placement of course!

KISS will headline the opening night of SONISPHERE KNEBWORTH 2012, England's annual massive music festival! The July 6th show will be KISS' only European show this year.

Shooting rockets. Blood spitting. Face Paint. Shiny Boots and utterly jaw dropping triumphant live shows: SONISPHERE is proud to announce KISS as Friday's headliner. With a reputation for being perhaps the most flamboyant and entertaining band on the planet, the American Kings will bring their stage extravaganza to SONISPHERE as their only European performance of 2012. While many bands have been chasing the eye liner shock horror dollar and have come and gone without changing the face of music as we know it, KISS have gone from strength to strength garnering praise, success and too many accolades to mention throughout the years, selling over 100 million albums worldwide and counting as the band is poised to unleash new album 'Monster' in June 2012. Says the band:

“You wanted the best, you got the best, the hottest band in the world, KISS”.

SONISPHERE festival is KISS’ invitation to have the best time of your life with long lost friends such as the anthemic 'Rock N Roll All Night', the jubilant singalong 'I Was Made For Lovin' You' and the rallying cry of 'God Gave Rock N Roll to You'. We would ask you to lock up your daughters, girlfriends and wives, but with Gene Simmons in town, it's pretty clear there's no stopping them. And if you can't fight them, join them at their only European show of 2012.

SONISPHERE KNEBWORTH takes place July 6th - 8th at KNEBWORTH HOUSE. The three-day festival also includes performances from Queen, Faith No More, Evanescence, Marilyn Manson, Incubus, and many more.

Public tickets are available at www.sonispherefestivals.com now.

Iconic KISS frontman paints the pages of Star

Starchild Paul Stanley is featured in the March 19 edition of Star Magazine on newstands now. Star’s Senior Editor Liz Crokin paid a visit to Stanley’s Los Angeles art studio recently and was wowed by the legendary rocker’s artistic prowess. In addition to eagerly awaiting the next Paul Stanley-produced KISS album, a worldwide legion of fans are equally awaiting Stanley’s next artistic endeavor.

On this day in KISSTORY - March 9, 2000, KISS shot their Pepsi commercial at the Desert Sky Pavillion in Phoenix, Arizona.

BY JULIE HINDS

It's one of the great stories in the history of either rock bands or small cities. And now a movie inspired by the legendary two days in 1975 that Kiss spent bonding with the citizens of Cadillac could be made in Michigan.

"Cadillac High," a feature film project, has received conditional approval for the state's film incentives. It expects to spend about $27 million in Michigan and would receive slightly more than $8 million in incentives, according to the Michigan Film Office's 2011 annual report.

The movie would be based on the real story of the mutual love affair that turned Cadillac into a temporary Kiss army when the flamboyant, face-painted rockers joined the high school homecoming festivities in the sturdy Midwestern town more than three decades ago.

The project is moving forward, according to producer Lindsay Fellows, who is meeting with directors. Although the film doesn't have a start date, it ideally would begin shooting in September.

KISS IS EVERYWHERE!

I was one of the runners in the annual Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon on March the 3rd. I was running along when I heard KISS music being played (other than on my iPod). There were a group of girls from a local high school (I'm guessing) who were painted in KISS make-up and singing KISS music. I had to stop my run for a moment to have my picture taken with these young women of obviously great musical taste.

Stephen David Calhoun

LETTERS

I just wanted to send you a photo of my KISS tattoos. The first is my right arm. The collage was done by Shades at the Michiana Tattoo Emporium in 1997 in Niles, MI. The second is on my back and is Ace Frehley taken from a photo in 1996.Thanks for having the baddest site in the universe!

Matt Millner (Boneymean of Dallas, TX)

LETTERS

Here are the latest KISS drink-ware items available now in KOL's KISS SHOP.

Items pictured:

KISS LOGO / ICON GLASS SET
ARCHIE MEETS KISS MUG
KISS ROCK AND ROLL OVER MUG
KISS STAINLESS STEEL WATER BOTTLE
KISS DETROYER KISS GLASS
KISS ARMY FLASK
KISS LOGO SHOT GLASSES
KISS TRAVEL MUG

CLICK HERE TO BUY KISS DRINK-WARE

by Zack Harold

Jina Jordan has held several jobs in her life.

She owned a cleaning business and then worked as a pizza dough maker at Gino's Pizza in Sissonville. She drives cars for the St. Albans Auction and repairs purses and leather jackets at the Fife Street Shoe Shop in downtown Charleston.

But over a decade ago, Jordan, 53, held her coolest gig of all. For one day, she was KISS bassist Gene Simmons' cobbler.

The storied rock band played Charleston on May 2, 2000, on the first leg of their "Farewell Tour."

KISS didn't actually retire after that tour - they've embarked on seven more since then - but the Charleston date was one of the last times the band's original lineup took the stage together.

Chris Dickerson, the Daily Mail's city editor at the time, was eagerly anticipating that concert.

"I'm a huge KISS fan and over the years I became friends with KISS's tour manager," Dickerson said.

Tommy Thayer, who now plays lead guitar for the group, was KISS's tour manager during the 2000 tour.

"I don't remember all the details, but they had just got into town and there was something wrong with Gene's boot. Tommy called me and asked me, 'Where's a good place I could take them?'" Dickerson said.
"I suggested the Fife Street Shoe Shop."

That was the last Dickerson heard of Simmons' boot problems. But it was the beginning of a very interesting day for Jordan.

On the afternoon of May 2, one of Simmons' assistants brought the boots into the shop.

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