Here Lies Love Released Today

From David Byrne:

Today the Here Lies Love package comes out – multiple formats and lots of stuff to absorb. There are download versions and CDs, and the top of the line is a 120-page book with 2 CDs and a DVD of 6 videos. That can be ordered on line as well. In case you don’t know about this project, it’s a series of 22 very danceable songs about Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines, and Estrella Cumpas, the woman who raised her. The material was written by myself and Fatboy Slim, and is sung by 20, count ‘em, 20, amazing singers. A theater piece for your ears. Reviews are coming in if you’re curious. Click on the image to find out more…

Here Lies Love Refreshment

Not exactly huge news, but times are slow…

Amanda tells us that David Byrne sent out an email today with details on Here Lies Love. Although David’s project page contains the same info we reported from Nonesuch Records in December (complete tracklisting; Tori on two tracks, one a duet with Cyndi Lauper; release date of February 23), we figure it doesn’t hurt to mention again for those who may have missed seeing it in the midst of the holiday (and Midwinter Graces) crush.

Note: one track from the album, “Please Don’t,” featuring Santigold on vocals, is now available to download for free (well, in exchange for your e-mail address) and the title track (vocals by Florence Welch) is streaming on the site too so you can get a taste of what this record will be like. There is also an excerpt of the book that comes with the deluxe edition of the album that provides more backstory for the collaboration and this little Flash movie from David where he talks about the project:

And The Eisner Award Goes To...

We want to congratulate both Rantz Hoseley and Neil Gaiman on their Eisner Award wins at Comic-Con International in San Diego on Friday night.

Rantz (and team, let’s not forget the team!) won Best Anthology for Comic Book Tattoo. It was fun to watch him bouncing off the walls on Twitter. (@rantzhoseley, FYI.)

Neil accepted the Best Publication for Teens/Tweens award for the P. Craig Russell-illustrated graphic novel version of Coraline. Best as we understand, Russell actually won the award and Neil picked it up on his behalf, but we count it as a victory for Neil either way.

Auction: Tori Amos Signed And Framed Rolling Stone Magazine

Bid on a gorgeous Tori Amos signed and elegantly framed “Her Secret Garden” June 25, 1998 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. This autographed item is now available in the June Rolling Stone Auction benefiting MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation. Auction runs now through July 2nd. Click here to place your bids now.

CBT On Spread TV

After a couple of false starts, it looks like Rantz Hoseley‘s visit to discuss Comic Book Tattoo with Dave Navarro on Spread TV should finally be up sometime today (August 28th) over on maniaTV. That’s what the giant banner on the front page says, at any rate, though the episode isn’t listed in today’s schedule on the site. The best we can suggest is that you keep checking. It’ll show up eventually. We hope.

Get Limited Edition CBT Prints At BEA In L.A.

Rantz will be at the BEA convention in Los Angeles this Friday and Saturday (5/30 & 5/31). If any of you happen to be going, head over to the Image booth from 1-2pm both days to say hello. He’ll be signing limited edition Comic Book Tattoo prints (only 200 available, and only available at BEA) and generally doing his best to not look exhausted.

Here’s what the print, by Jock, looks like:

We hope some of you can manage to score one!

UPDATE: Valyum noticed that Neil will also be at BEA on Friday.

"Cherry Bomb" Details

Here’s the shizz on Cherry Bomb. Sounds really cool! We expect to have cover art to share with you soon.

Who says coolness can’t be taught?

CHERRY BOMB is the ultimate guide to infusing everyday like with rock-star style.

Entertainment journalist/author Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna has rounded up some of her famous friends, favorite rock chicks, and cool experts to dish out advice, inspiration, and know-how in her forthcoming book, CHERRY BOMB: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Better Flirt, a Tougher Chick, and a Hotter Girlfriend, and to Living Life Like a Rock Star (Simon Spotlight Entertainment; On-sale August 5, 2008; $18.95).

CHERRY BOMB is an A-to-Z reference for everything awesome a girl needs to know, including the obvious (style, beauty, dating, and sex tips) and the not-so-obvious (how to prepare absinthe, how to sneak backstage, how to hit on a celebrity).

Unlike other lifestyle or advice books of its kind, CHERRY BOMB is a girl guide with a rock and roll twist. CHERRY BOMB – the titled influenced from the Runaways teen rebellion anthem of the same name — is peppered with playlists of songs for every occasion (songs to get over a broken heart, songs to get in touch with your “tough chick” side, songs to get you out of a funk), as well as contributions from some of the writer’s favorite rock chicks, including Tori Amos, Cherie Currie of the Runaways, Terri Nunn of Berlin, Samantha Maloney of Peaches, Louise Post of Veruca Salt, Imogen Heap, and others.

“Every time one of my contributors handed in their section or sat down with me for an interview and dished out their advice, it felt like Christmas morning when you’re a kid and you get every gift you want,” says Borzillo-Vrenna. “I’m honored to have all of these great gals (and a few guys) be a part of this book. There’s a little something for everyone in there and you don’t have to be a rock chick to enjoy it or get something from it. You just need to be a gal who’s not afraid to be bold, sexy, and a little different.”

Contributors include: 

• Cherie Currie of the Runaways (on “Cherry Bomb,” the song that influenced the book)
• Tori Amos (Life Advice)
• Dita Von Teese (Striptease)
• Betsey Johnson (Breast Cancer Awareness and Personal Style)
• Dancing with the Stars’ Cheryl Burke (Dancing Tips)
• Samantha Maloney of Peaches (Drum Lesson)
• Imogen Heap (Individuality)
• Lisa Loeb (How To Be a Great Hostess)
• American Idol makeup artist Mezhgan (Beauty)
• Stylist Cynthia Freund (Rock Chick Style Tips)
• Anna Sui (Fashion Inspiration)
• Kat Von D (Tattoos)
• Master Chef Dave Rubell (Black Vodka Recipes)

And many more…

Not for the faint of heart, this book will appeal to the girls who prefer black nail polish to French manicure. Written by the quintessential cook chick CHERRY BOMB will empower women to veer away from the pack, work every situation to their advantage, and look cool doing it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Borzillo-Vrenna has written about music for such music magazines as Billboard, Spin, and Alternative Press She has covered the celebrity world, most recently for People, where she served as a staff correspondent before resigning to work on her book, as well as Us Weekly and Teen People.  Borzillo-Vrenna also penned the sex and relationship advice column “Dr. Love” for Gene Simmons’ defunct Gene Simmons Tongue magazine and the “Miss Truth” gossip column for the also-defunct award-winning allstarnews.com. She currently contributes to RollingStone.com.

Borzillo-Vrenna’s first book was Eyewitness Nirvana: The Day by Day Chronicle in 2000 and the expanded Nirvana: The Day to Day Illustrated Journals in 2003 (Carlton Books). The writer, originally from Wallingford, CT, lives in Los Angeles with her Grammy Award-winning husband Chris Vrenna, who plays keyboards with Marilyn Manson.

ABOUT THE IMPRINT
Simon Spotlight Entertainment (SSE) launched in 2004 as an imprint targeting 18-34 year olds. The first book published by SSE was He’s Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth To Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, which became an instant national bestseller – hitting the #1 spot on the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Other bestselling SSE titles include Happy Endings by Jim Norton, Positively False by Floyd Landis, The Loved Dog by Tamar Geller, The Cardio-Free Diet by Jim Karas, The I Chong by Tommy Chong, and Nothing’s Sacred by Lewis Black.  The imprint continues to publish hip original non-fiction, fiction, and media tie-ins. Recent and upcoming titles include TIKI by Tiki Barber, Out of Sync by Lance Bass, Steve & Me by Terri Irwin and Tori Spelling’s much-anticipated memoir. 

Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at HYPERLINK “http://www.simonsays.com/” \o “http://www.simonsays.com/” www.simonsays.com

CHERRY BOMB
By Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna
Simon Spotlight Entertainment
August 5, 2008
Price: $18.95
256 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4169-6116-1

Here Lies Info On "Here Lies Love"

Tori’s peeps have cleared up the David Byrne/Here Lies Love mystery for us: David visited Tori at her studio in January where they worked on a couple of tracks for a recorded version of Here Lies Love (with Tori on vocals, yippee!). The song cycle is based on the story of Imelda Marcos and Estrella Campos, the hired woman who raised her. The album is expected to be released through Nonesuch Records sometime this autumn. (There are currently no plans for Tori to be involved in any live performances of this musical.)

Early Comic Book Tattoo Art

Oooh, oooh, ooooh! Rantz surprised us with some early art from Comic Book Tattoo. Yippee! Talk about perfect for a Sunday…

This panel is from “The Waitress” (artwork by the very talented Ming Doyle; story by some guy named Rantz). We like!

Comic Book Anthology To Feature Story Based On Tori Songs

Foxy tipped us off that comic book writer, Russell Lissau, has updated his MySpace page with the following:

Thursday, December 20, 2007

The new project…with TORI AMOS!!!

Man oh man oh man, has it been hard holding my tongue about this one. But the boss says it’s OK to spill, so spill I shall….

I’ve written a story for a comic-book anthology for Image Comics that’s entirely based — get ready for it — on Tori Amos’ songs. The project has Tori’s full blessing and cooperation, and it’s headed by Rantz Hoseley, a longtime friend of Tori’s and all-around fabulous guy. (And he just turned 40, so wish him a happy birthday.)

The news broke this week in the January issue of SPIN MAGAZINE (dig that!), in an article about Rock and Comics that also features Gerard Way’s marvelous Umbrella Academy and other fine comics. Check out the article on newsstands everywhere, and soon on Spin’s Web site.

This project is going to be big, folks. Really big. Physically, emotionally — just, wow. Big.

More tidbits later as they become available!!!

This sounds really exciting! And woohoo, Rantz is involved! (You may remember that Rantz is the friend who originally gave Neil a tape of Tori’s music at a comic convention in summer of ’91, and he’s also the person “Flying Dutchman” was written for/about.)

Russell added that each writer/artist would be covering one song (Russell chose “Happy Phantom”), and they’re aiming for a summer release.

So see? Life isn’t over. We still have stuff to look forward to!