Happy Birthday, Tori!

It’s that time of year again … another birfday for Tori. We got a kick out of today’s Chicago Sun-Times announcement, which says that Tori is turning 63(!). (Thanks to Richard Handal for spotting that.) We suspect this error is some sort of mix-up arising from the year she was born: 1963. Tori is, of course, only 45. We hope she has a great one!

Rantz On CBT Limited Edition Availability

A couple more people have reported receiving delay notices from Amazon for pre-ordered copies of the Comic Book Tattoo limited edition and one person let us know that Chapters.indigo.ca canceled his order outright. So, this following letter from Rantz Hoseley explaining the strategy they took and addressing the current situation with the limited editions appeared in our mailbox at a good time. Many thanks to him for sharing these details with everyone at a time when many are still stressing about tracking down a limited edition to call their own…

Because we wanted to make sure that people who pre-ordered the Limited Edition of Comic Book Tattoo did indeed GET their copies, and because Tori, her managers and myself were VERY concerned about the exact thing that seems to be happening… people ordering and not being able to GET the book after they were told they had it, we limited allocation to each outlet/venue. The Tori Store had 200 copies. Amazon originally had 300 copies. The rest were allocated for ‘the direct market’ (i.e. comic stores, and bookstores) A month after getting our initial orders from the direct market, less than 300 had been ordered. The Tori Store and Amazon had both sold through their allocations, and Amazon asked if there was any way to get more. At that time, we released (I believe) 75-100 copies to Amazon, leaving a buffer of 100 copies to the Direct Market for people who ordered later.

It APPEARS that there were some retailers (who will remain nameless) that kept selling when they had gone PAST their allocations, or they pre-sold the book without immediately securing a copy in the Direct Market allocation. One store, for example, ordered a TON (if speaking in literal terms, more like 2 tons… the book is damn heavy) of the Softcover edition, but pre-ordered NONE of the HC or the ltd HC. Customers from said store have been receiving emails and notifications stating that (for all intents and purposes) ‘it’s the publisher’s fault’, and frankly that’s a load, and it’s very upsetting to hear.

I am sorry and saddened to hear that fans who had pre-ordered the Ltd. Edition are getting yanked around this way, especially when we spent 2 months hammering on this very issue to make sure this did NOT happen to anyone. All I can tell you now, is check your local independent bookstore or comic shop. There are some copies that keep showing up in the retail channel! You can find (and call ahead… save yourself some gas!) your local/area comic shop with the Comic Shop Locator Service or by calling 1-888-COMIC BOOK (1-888-266-4226).

…and thank you to EVERYONE for the overwhelming response. It really has been a project of love, and we’re glad that the audience has been so receptive to it!

Rantz A. Hoseley
BauWauHaus Productions
www.rantzhoseley.com

MSN Undressed: Ahead of the Curve!

Oh, Microsoft! First you miss the bus on the Internet and now you miss the mock-Tori’s-Comic-Con-dress train. They bring the snark, but picking on Tori’s “gut[ted] innocent beanbag”? That’s so last week! Even in Internet Time!

Thanks to Kat, Julienne and everyone else who brought this to our attention!

The Comic Book Tattoo Release Party At Golden Apple Comics

The omnipresent Comic Book Resources reports on last Friday’s Comic Book Tattoo release party and creator signing at Golden Apple Comics. The article, which features several photos from the signing, describes the event and discusses several creators’ involvement with the project and the songs they selected to adapt. While it’s long on CBT and short on Tori, it does close with an interesting tidbit from Rantz about the possibility of another volume:

Some fans have noted there is a “Volume One” notation on the back of the “Comic Book Tattoo” cover, and with such a great response from fans, retailers and distributors — plus numerous songs remaining to be used— people are wondering if that means there will definitely be a second volume of “Comic Book Tattoo.” “You never say never,” Hoseley said. “I think the main thing is the same way we wanted to do something radically different with this we wouldn’t want to repeat ourselves and just do another volume in the same format and the same kind of approach. There’s a lot of discussion going on with Tori and I on possibilities and we’ll see how things go.”

We’ve heard from one fellow who attended the signing. He was unhappy with the structure of the line that prevented him from getting everyone to sign his copy of the book. If anyone else made it there there and would like to let share their experience, please let us know.

Barnes & Noble Cancels Some CBT Limited Edition Pre-Orders

Several people have written to report that their pre-orders for the limited edition of Comic Book Tattoo from Barnes & Noble have been unceremoniously canceled. When contacted about the matter, Barnes & Noble reportedly indicated that they had received 200-300 fewer copies of the limited edition than they were supposed to. Whether or not they were really shorted, we do not know, but this is unfortunate and surprising particularly as most were worried about Amazon not being able to deliver the goods. If anyone did (or does) receive a pre-ordered limited edition from Barnes & Noble, let us know. We won’t pull all the pins out of the B&N voodoo doll, but we’ll take a few out of the more painful places we’ve put them….

Comic Book Resources TV Interview

Tori was interviewed by Comic Book Resources at Amoeba Records, before Comic-Con, and the video of their conversation was posted on CBR last Thursday. Tori discusses her friendship with Rantz, the origins of Comic Book Tattoo, and her future with the music industry. Check it out below or at CBR!

Thanks to Kate and jess for the link!

Video Clips From The SDCC CBT Panel

Over the last week, several video clips from last weekend’s Comic Book Tattoo panel at Comic-Con 2008 have appeared.

KPBS featured a 5-minute clip, sourced from Comic-Con’s video of the panel, on their blog. Hopefully, the rest of the video will surface eventually since it would be nifty for those who were not there to see the whole thing.

Read on for several additional clips filmed by folks in the attendance!

Thanks to jess and Rebecca for the tips!

read more...

Little Blue World Drawing

As the Tori fanzine Little Blue World approaches the end of its publication run, they would like to thank their readers and the Tori community for your support. They have promotional items to give away, and they’ve decided to share them through a series of drawings. No purchase is necessary, but any order placed through the Little Blue World website (new or renewed subscriptions or back orders) will automatically enter your name into these drawings.

The first drawing began on August 1st and runs through September 30th. Six randomly chosen individuals will be selected to win. You may find an original “Bitch” necklace from the ’94 tour or other vintage Tori tour merchandise in your mailbox. You may find a signed Beekeeper poster, a signed copy of the out-of-print first issue of Little Blue World or a signed American Doll Posse songbook.

The drawing will be held on October 10th and prizes mailed by the end of October. You may purchase as often as you like, but the number of entries for each individual is limited to five.

Please head to Little-Blue-World.org for further details, including info on how to enter without purchasing.

Dranouter Festival In The Bag

In her first public performance since the conclusion of last year’s American Doll Posse tour, Tori took the stage at the Dranouter Festival in Belgium tonight, playing solo for the first time since 2005. The set included several classics such as “Crucify,” “Silent All These Years,” and “Precious Things” as well as the relative rarity “Apollo’s Frock.” She also performed a new song based on “Body & Soul” — we’re looking for more details but it’s reportedly the same or similar music with new lyrics. The full setlist, thanks to the twittering of scarydan and notes from Mikey and Melanie has been posted in the Tour section. If you were there an want to let everyone know what you thought, please use the contact form at the bottom of that page.

Your Daily Planner For August 1, 2008

Are you near Belgium with nothing to do? Go see Tori at the Dranouter Festival! She’s on at 22:30 CEST so look for the setlist and reviews from people who were there later today. (And, if you do go, make sure you get there in time for Värttinä who will be on right before Tori — they have the woj-bob Seal of Approval!)

Are you near Los Angeles with nothing to do? Head on down to Golden Apple Comics in Hollywood at 6:00 PM PDT for the big Comic Book Tattoo release party. Rantz and a number of the book’s creators, including Ted McKeever, David Mack, Mark Sable, Dame Darcy and many others, will be signing, sketching and causing a general ruckus. There’ll be free CBT logo temporary tattoos, food and drink and an auction benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Some of the items on the block are a copy of the Boys for Pele tour program Rantz designed, two of the limited BEA prints, some of the limited SDCC prints and other surprises as well. If you can make it, head on down and support a great cause!

And if you’re anywhere else in the world with nothing to do, you’re on your own!