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July 27th - LADIES OF THE NIGHT #7 ON LA TIMES BEST SELLER LIST    Folks, proud to say our LADIES OF THE NIGHT book just debuted at #7 on the LA TIMES Best Seller List (Non-Fiction). Thank you all for making this happen. I'm very proud. July 27th - A tear for the troops Gene Simmons, of KISS fame, gets emotional taping message for Canadian soldiers By KEVIN CRUSH, SUN MEDIA Rock veteran Gene Simmons meets Sgt. Dan Milburn, a reporter with Army News, while taping an Army TV promo yesterday at the Edmonton Indy. (Tom Braid, Sun Media) Rock veteran Gene Simmons meets Sgt. Dan Milburn, a reporter with Army News, while taping an Army TV promo yesterday at the Edmonton Indy. (Tom Braid, Sun Media) The head of the KISS Army shed a tear for Canada's army during a message for our troops. In town to marshal the Rexall Edmonton Indy, Gene Simmons took a moment after a press conference yesterday to send out a message to Canadian soldiers. "Hi guys, it's Gene Simmons. We know you're in Afghanistan, we know it's a tough one, I just want you to know from my heart we love you," Simmons said for the camera just before he had to stop and wipe his eyes. Sgt. Dan Milburn with Army News was in awe that someone of Simmons' stature would be moved to that extent for soldiers not even from his own country. "I'm speechless. We had to pause the camera so he could have a moment. He's quite a person," said Milburn. It was the second time that Simmons recognized the two soldiers filming for the military. A well-known supporter of the American military, Simmons took time out of the press conference that had been focusing on his time in Edmonton and his association with the IndyCar series to salute the soldiers. "I like the fact that there's a bit of civility when the Canadian flag goes up and your national anthem is sung everybody quietens down a bit," said Simmons. "You don't have to salute, no one's forcing you to do anything, but just for a few minutes you shut your mouth and give it the respect it demands. I think that's part of our lives that's been tossed aside. "Culture has become cynical and we don't even respect what we should. "The two powerful and attractive gentleman (pointing to the soldiers) back there are wearing your uniform. They're the ones who make your lives possible." The room began clapping and when the applause wound down, Simmons continued. "And they deserve your respect because they have earned it. The rest of us just yack, they walk the walk." Army News was at the Indy races all three days gathering wishes from the drivers to soldiers overseas or at home. "It's a big push for them to see someone like Gene Simmons or Paul Tracy. That's pretty cool," said Milburn. A KISS fan himself, Milburn was impressed Simmons gave the soldiers so much recognition. "I've never had something like that happen when he told everybody to stand up and clap for the guys in the back of the room in uniform. It was unreal. My year has been made." Milburn ended the session by asking for Simmons's autograph for his wife, to which Simmons, upon hearing her name, replied, "Oh yeah, I remember her." http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2008/07/27/6277906-sun.html July 26th - New letters posted... Greetings, Mr. Simmons, I am a long-time fan of both KISS and the Jon Sable graphic novel/comic series from the 80's, and only recently found out that you had done an entire pilot movie for the Jon Sable character, back in the day. Is there any way that this film might still see the light of day? I know I am not alone in hoping this could be so. Best Regards, ~Jordan Avon Moller Response from Gene: I did indeed develop JON SABLE as a movie. It was sold to Intermedia, which funded a script. I got Steven DeSouza, who had written TERMINATOR among other movies, to write the script. Unfortunately, like most scripts, it never got made. But, never say never. Letters... July 22nd - Fast cars get rocker revved up KISS bassist Gene Simmons will be Edmonton Indy's grand marshal Sandra Sperounes The Edmonton Journal Tuesday, July 22, 2008 KISS bass guitarist Gene Simmons talks to fans in the pits prior to the start of the Indianapolis 500 in 2006. CREDIT: Reuters, file EDMONTON - Three years ago, Gene Simmons didn't know the first thing about Indy racing. "I never thought about it, it wasn't in my blood, I didn't grow up loving cars," he says. As the money-loving, fire-breathing bassist for KISS, he was preoccupied with his ever-expanding music and media empire, including his reality TV show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, and thousands of licensing deals for products such as a KISS credit card, KISS Canon camera and KISS coffeehouse. Then, in 2005, Simmons was invited to an Indy race in Dallas-Fort Worth. He compares the experience to meeting his longtime love, Newfoundland native Shannon Tweed. "It just hit me like a two-by-four on the back of the head," says the 58-year-old rocker and grand marshal of Saturday's Rexall Edmonton Indy. "When I walked down the racetrack and saw the space-age technology and the astonishing pride and military precision of the teams and their drivers, I went, 'This is NUTS.' I've never seen anything like this in my life." Simmons liked Indy so much, he decided to get involved. The musician and his business partner, Rich Abramson, are now in charge of marketing Indy's races, including Saturday's inaugural event at City Centre Airport. As grand marshal, Simmons is responsible for waving the flag and uttering those famous words at the start of the race -- "Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines" -- and showing up at Capital Ex on Friday night. (Check around the ED Fest stage.) "I'll make sure the people know and come to the event," says Simmons, who also wrote a theme song for the league, I Am Indy. "I'm the sugar-coating, babe." Which means he doesn't want to talk about his recent venture, Ladies of the Night, a book about the history of prostitution. "I shouldn't, because obviously everyone wants me to emphasize Indy, but if you go to GeneSimmons.com, you'll get a quick gander," he says. Fair enough. So what does he think of the merger between the Indy and Champ car leagues? "It's wonderful. They should never have split. It had to do with egos and politics, like anything. After the fact, you look back and say, 'Remind me what this was all about.' They should never have split. They're back together -- there are more cars, more drivers. It's the Olympics of speed, baby. The drivers are not only good-looking -- they could certainly be rock stars -- they're also literally Olympic-level athletes. Helio Castroneves literally won the Dancing (With the Stars) show on ABC. Athletes of the highest order." Who's his favourite driver? Or can he reveal such information? "You really shouldn't because every time you think it's Marco Andretti or Danica (Patrick) or Helio Castroneves or Tony Kanaan, it's the race itself that makes you root for somebody who's really pushing the limit. When you see someone going above and beyond, you just jump to your feet and go 'Wow.' It's the effort." Has Simmons ever tried to drive an Indy car? "I am physically too big, I'm proud to say. You have to be compact." It's probably for the best. If you watch his reality show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, you'll know he's a road hazard. He was once pulled over for erratic driving and his six-foot-seven son, Nick, 19, bested him at a driving-test challenge. Mention his children -- Simmons and Tweed also have a 16-year-old daughter, Sophie -- and he is happy to veer off topic. Unlike rocker Ozzy Osbourne's dysfunctional offspring, Nick and Sophie are smart, sober and the real stars of Family Jewels. You'll never see them stumbling outside a club in L.A. "If they ever did that, they knew they'd find themselves in a work camp in the middle of the desert. Oh yes," he says. While he won't talk about his prostitution book, his entrepreneurial ego gets the best of him and he starts describing some of his other current ventures, including a 50-storey skyscraper in China and a new reality TV show, Jingles. (Contestants will try to write songs for TV commercials.) In addition to his grand marshal duties at this week's Indy race, the KISS bassist and relentless entrepreneur will be speaking at a local business conference in Edmonton in September. But the real news is that KISS is planning to rock Edmonton. They haven't been through these parts since July 20, 2000. (They're only doing four U.S. dates this year -- including one at the foot of Mt. Rushmore, on Aug. 4.) Simmons has always had a soft spot for our city. Edmonton was the site of his first groupie conquest in 1974, according to his 2002 autobiography, KISS and Make-Up. She was a girl with a green hair. "I thanked her on my solo record," he says. "I never bothered to learn her name. It's idyllic and romantic in that way." For stories, photos and more on the Edmonton Indy and the Indy racing circuit, go to edmontonjournal.com/edmontonindy. © The Edmonton Journal 2008 New letters posted... KISS is in the hall of fame... at least the NFL has it right. KISS is featured at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton OH. In a recent family trip, we stopped by the Pro Football Hall of fame. It is wall to wall football memorabilia, stats, displays etc.. except for 1 thing.. a glass case featuring a guitar signed by KISS and a photo of the Demon at work from Super bowl XXXIII. No other mention of any other Bands, artists, etc that have performed at an NFL event.. Just KISS is singled out!! ROCK ON NFL ! Hope to see you in Milwaukee soon. See photos attached of the guitar and Gene. Scott Wisconsin. Letters... July 16th - CBS Gives Gene Simmons a Jingle Executive producer Mark Burnett was apparently quite impressed with Gene Simmon's impertinent Celebrity Apprentice performance. Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com The shameless KISS rocker has been tapped to be head judge on the new CBS competition show Jingles, Burnett's latest offering to the remote-wielding masses. Simmons will preside over a hunt for the best ad jingle for "anything and everything," according to the network's press release. Each week, contestants will be asked to write and perform their own catchy little tunes touting toys, food, beauty products, sports teams, etc. The winner gets $100,000 and an advertising contract with an as-yet-unannounced firm. In keeping with the notion that you can't underestimate the power of a great brand, former American Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell(of recent David Cook fame) will host Jingles, which is currently in production and set to premiere later this year. Just in case he ever decides to listen to someone else's opinion, Simmons is joined on the judging panel by Linda Kaplan Thaler (the generation-bridging genius who came up with-sing along if you know it-"I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys "R" Us kidS") and Julie Roehm, a former senior VP of marketing and communications for Wal-Mart. by Natalie Finn Eonline.com New letters posted... Hi Gene, I just wanted to let you know you gave me THE best birthday present EVER! This memory with you will hopefully never be forgotten. The meeting with you was not what I expected at all. You took the time with all your fans and you know just how to keep them coming back for more. It made my 3 hour wait worth it-ten fold!  The people around me were so incredibly nice too.  I have to give  kudos to Barnes and Noble in NYC  as well. A nice man came up to me offering to have me go back and retake a picture with you. I think that was above and beyond. Just in case you missed why it was retaken, I will attach it.   It was taken when I told you just how buff and sexy you are!  I meant it too! The message you left for a friend of ours who will be leaving August. 12 for Afghanistan was incredible. He loved it! Also, talking to my husband on my cell phone because he had to go to work that day and couldn't make it. I just want to take this opportunity to thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. It truly was a dream come true and you made every moment just perfect. I just would've liked to see some tongue action! :]~ Oh well, maybe next time our paths will cross and we'll meet again. xoxo Chrissy B. and Lisa R. too from Rockland County, NY. Letters... New letters posted... Wow....you look great, well laid... I mean rested. Did you lose more weight?  I didn't realize the book was going to be that big. I'm excited...another book for my collection. Letters... July 12th - Simmons to fire up his Indy game face Ex-rock star named grand marshall Joanne Ireland The Edmonton Journal Saturday, July 12, 2008 Gene Simmons looks at a copy of his new book in Westwood, Calif., on Wednesday. Simmons will be the grand marshall for the July 24-26 Rexall Edmonton Indy. CREDIT: Getty Images EDMONTON - Gene Simmons, the fire-breathing, tongue-wagging bass guitarist from KISS, is going to be in Edmonton rev up the inaugural Indy. Maybe Simmons just wants to rock and roll all night and race every day of this event. And he'll probably sign a few books while he's at it. Henrietta Tiefenthaler, editor of Phoenix Books & Audio, confirmed on Friday that the rocker will indeed be in Edmonton in two weeks time. The actor/musician/author/tireless entrepreneur is going to tie in a book signing while he doubles as the grand marshal of the race. The Rexall Edmonton Indy runs July 24-26. Last July, motorspots legend Mario Andretti served as the grand poobah at the Champ Car event. This weekend, at the Firestone Indy 200 in Nashville, Predators goaltender Dan Ellis will fill the role. The netminder proclaimed he was jacked about the chance to not only hang out at the track, but that he'd have the chance to grab the mike and roar: "Drivers, start your engines" -- not unlike Simmons. Back in 2006, Simmons and marketing partner Richard Abramson signed a deal to promote the Indy Racing League. Out of that deal came the circuit's signature song, I Am Indy, co-authored by Simmons and BAG. Simmons was in New York on Friday to promote his latest publication, Ladies of the Night: A Historical and Personal Perspective on the Oldest Profession in the World. © The Edmonton Journal 2008 July 12th - GENE SIMMONS ON MSNBC July 11th - GENE SIMMONS on GRETA VAN SUSTERN July 10th - GENE SIMMONS on CBS' Early Show. Gene Simmons On The Oldest Profession July 10, 2008 (CBS) As a member of the band Kiss for 35 years, Gene Simmons has spent a lot of time rock and rolling all night - and partying every day. Now he's out with a book about workers who like to party on a different sort of night shift. "Let's call it what it is. The poetic phrase is 'the oldest profession in the world,'" he told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. "So it takes a historical point of view from the brothels of Rome to the geishas of Japan." The book's lengthy title is "Ladies of the Night: A Historical and Personal Perspective on the Oldest Profession in the World," but Simmons said the "personal perspective" doesn't mean he's been a customer. "My problem with that is they expect me to pay them. They're supposed to pay me," he said with usual bravado. "Not going to happen. Seriously, it's a book that I wanted the style to match the content. It's gold trimmed. It's a beautiful piece. Put it on your coffee table and let the guests in your house find the delicious subject by which to spend an evening talking about." Simmons said that he's not attempting to romanticize prostitution, but instead wants to open up dialogue about the subject. "This is something everybody knows exist. But in this puritanical culture, we have terrific family values and that's great," he said. "Other subject matters are swept under the rug." He said that he wouldn't object to it being legalized because he feels government regulation could be beneficial. "I'm not in an advocacy group," he said. "I would not object to it being legalized, because anything the government is not involved in - in terms of trade - is the wild west so you've got drugs, you've got criminals." In addition to promoting his book, Simmons has been busy with music and television. He and his Kiss bandmates kicked off their 35th Anniversary Tour in Australia in March. "And they said it wouldn't last. I got your 'wouldn't last right here,'" Simmons quipped, Brooklyn style. "Melbourne, in front of 80,000 people. Whirlwind tour of Europe." The band is on a break from the tour while Simmons films season 4 of his reality series "Gene Simmons Family Jewels." New episodes of season 3 are currently airing on A&E. © MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. GENE SIMMONS on NYC's CW (WPIX) July 9th - GENE SIMMONS BOOK SIGNING    Borders in LA held a book signing for my LADIES OF THE NIGHT book. Wanted to take a sec and thank everyone for patiently waiting. Here are some fotos from the event. New letters posted... What do you think of this? I would gladly seat on "your tongue".....damn!! xoxo Anita Avila Tecate, Baja MEX Letters... Gene Simmons and the Whores He Admires by Michael Musto July 2nd, 2008 Gene Simmons—rocker, reality star, author, and world-famous tongue—called from Germany for our scheduled interview. So how was Gene Simmons doing? "I get to be me another day," he responded, blithely. "And that's never a bad thing." Before you go after him with a cartoon buzzsaw, you should know the man's not exaggerating. He's on fire—and not just because he's usually breathing it onstage. All at once, he's started the fourth season of A&E's hit reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels; Kiss keeps selling out tours after what he calls "35 years of confounding the critics"; and now he's authored the must-grab book Ladies of the Night, "a personal and historical overview" of the fine art of whoring. Is he a client? "I never have delved, as they say," Simmons swore. But he's apparently researched the subject even more than Eliot Spitzer has. "It's often called the oldest profession in the world," Simmons related, "and it is. At the dawn of man, in what was then known as Eastern Europe in the middle of the Ice Age, one of the first Cro-Magnon females turned to her male counterpart in the cave and said something like, 'Ugh. Why don't you get your hairy ass out there and bring me delicious mastodon meat, and I'll trade you some of mine for some of yours?' " An exact quote, I'm sure. "The 15-year-old pimply-faced boy next-door," he went on, "wants the sunshine-faced girl next-door, and he'll pay. He always paid and he always will pay. It's not prostitutes as such, but let's be honest—if you take anybody out, you're paying for it. Whether you call it going to dinner or prostitution or even matrimony, you're paying. With marriage, there's traditionally been payment on the way in—a dowry—and on the way out—alimony!" No wonder we gays are fighting for the right to marry: It'll legitimize our whoring! Anyway, Simmons interviewed tons of 'hos for the book and told me: "They said, 'I love my family and kids, and I'm well-educated. But since I enjoy sex, I thought: Why shouldn't I get paid for it?' And it's on their terms. They decide who they're having sex with and how much they'll charge." And whether to do a skanky music video when their politico client is caught by the big guys. Can a self-empowering dame make it with Simmons (who's long been married to onetime Miss November, Shannon Tweed) or does he treat them like caca doody? "Any girl can go to the media," he argued, "but you've never heard anything like that." But didn't some of his famous '70s conquests claim he was, uh, arrogant? "Everybody says I'm arrogant." New letters posted... Why aren’t there new episodes of My Dad the Rock Star? My 6 yr. old son and I liked watching that together. There aren’t too many cartoons that I like to sit down and watch with him. Please bring back that cartoon. Thank you, Sheila Snell Response from Gene: Well, Nelvana (the original Canadian production company I made the deal with) was bought by Corusent..and I have no clue what they are, what else they're doing and so on. Needless to say, there were 26 MY DAD THE ROCK STARs and they can be viewed on reruns -- Nickelodeon and NickToons. Letters... New letters posted... Gene, I was just watching Family Jewels with my family and snapped this shot of my one year old girl Claire. She is obviously one of your biggest fans as you can see in the attached photo. We really enjoy your show and who you are as a person. Thanks for giving us some great TV to watch, not to mention all the great years of KISS! Jim and Susie Jensen Terre Haute, IN Letters...

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