Volume 2, Issue 22 October 12 - October 26, 2000

Tragedy struck the Denver music scene this week when Josh Schmitz was killed in an automobile accident. Josh, 22, was the vocalist of Hard 8, an excellent up-and-coming band. The band was planning a move to Los Angeles, and Josh was heading to California to secure a residence when the accident took place. On behalf of all the Denver bands, I would like to say our prayers go out to his family, his band and his friends.

KBPI recently ran another pay to play promotion with the proceeds going to breast cancer research. You can hear any song you want for a donation of $106. Lots of local bands donated money for the cause, and in return got their music on prime time airwaves. The bands included Last Great Day, Peace Love & Destruction, Rocket Ajax, Forcive Habit and Esovae who received great call in response to their song "Crawl." Congrats.

Blues-based band Foundation is still in search of a permanent guitar player. The band has a great sound and big goals, so anyone interested in a serious band should contact them. Call Tim Jr. at 303-344-5675.

Former Fragile X vocalist Lance Williams is now playing bass for the band Rift. The band is solidifying their sound, and Lance says he thinks he has found his calling. Good luck guys, hope things go well.

'Hell, yeah! ' goes out to Joe from Tread who found a guitar while leaving rehearsal recently and returned it to its freaking rightful owner. It seems Phillip Boller-- guitarist/ vocalist from the bad-ass band Immortal Cringe-- had been distracted and left his guitar in the parking lot. Knowing the neighborhood, it is a miracle the guitar was not lost for good.

--Bill Terrell

By now, just about everybody who isn't a multimillionaire musician wants to see Napster survive. The escalating court battles seem to be in the music swapping service's favor, but the courts can be notoriously fickle, especially when big money interests are involved.

So what's a freeloading music lover to do? Well, according to www.inside.com, two companies who wish to remain anonymous are looking to purchase Napster, which might just ease the pressure on the young company.

Both parties are interested in Napster as an inducement to join their ISPs and thus put up (finally) a formidable alternative to America Online. The theory is, the only way you could use Napster would be to join the owner's ISP.

This works well for almost everybody. By charging a premium on the subscriber fees, both the ISP and Napster stand to finally make some cash, which could also lead to a compromised license fee to the RIAA and ASCAP, thus keeping the service in business. Of course, that would mean Napster is no longer free...

The legal stuff is all very murky, but the best hope is for the courts to come to their senses and realize that Napster provides the same service as a blank tape and should bear no responsibility for its users' disregard for copyright law.

--Chris J. Magyar

"The Chris Rock Show" airs on HBO Friday nights at midnight. Nurse Betty opened in theaters nationwide on September 8.

What were you like as a kid?

Chris Rock: It's weird, people would laugh when I got really mad and serious. I had a way with words. To this day, 40% of my standup act is things I've said in arguments or heated discussions that people laughed at. I'd think, "Oh, I'll use that one day." But I was dead serious when I said it.

Your role in Nurse Betty could've been played by a black or white actor. As you get more famous, are you getting more offers to play roles that aren't specifically written for black actors?

Chris Rock: No, nothing. I begged to be in Spiderman. Just let me in the door! I would've made a great Peter Parker. White people know me better than Tobey Maguire. I'm a much bigger star than Tobey Maguire, any day of the week! Even if you go to Tobey Maguire's school! Shit, go to Tobey Maguire's family reunion! But I'm black, so I can't get in. I'm not saying I'd get the part, but if I was white, I'd at least get in ... but that's life. I do well, I have a nice place, my family loves me. So I won't be Spiderman ... big deal!

You've won Cable ACE awards, three Emmys, and two Grammys. What's your master plan for getting the Oscars and the Tonys on lockdown?

Chris Rock: I don't see a Tony or an Oscar ever happening. I'm a comedian and a black man, so I got like five strikes against me.

Good news! Miramax is considering making Rambo IV! No, really, that's good news because John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) will be partnered up with none other than Jackie Chan ... if the script gets worked out to everyone's satisfaction. Originally, Chan was asked to play the evil drug lord for the fourth installment of machinegunning fury, but Chan demurred since he sees himself as a role model to small children and once promised his father he'd never do drugs. (All together now ... awwwwww.) Expect this film's future to rest entirely on Stallone's bid for a comeback in this month's Get Carter. If Sly can regain his bad-ass stature, there's room for one more terrorist slaughter. If not ... well, I'm sure Jackie Chan will find other things to do...

Speaking of misguided action stars from the '80's, Jean Claude Van Damme is filming a $25 million action epic about militant Hasidic Jews in Israel this fall. The muscles from Brussels in tassels ... I wonder what Joe Lieberman would have to say about that... Director John Boorman ran into an unexpected film delay in making The Tailor of Panama. It seems his advance crew of Irish set builders spent all their time in Panama, uh, sightseeing and none of their time cobbling the set. "I sent a construction crew from Ireland to build certain things," Boorman told Showbiz Ireland, "and when I came back, nothing had happened. It turned out they were spending a lot of time in brothels and were too exhausted to work." Star Pierce Brosnan is reportedly horrified-- not the reaction one would expect from an off-duty James Bond. Boorman has made such accusations once before, with a movie he made in Brazil, leading to allegations that he's just trying to rustle up free press. His set builders, meanwhile, brace themselves for a long conversation with their wives...

And finally, prepare yourself for an explosive release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon this Christmas. The Ang Lee film won the audience favorite award at the Toronto Film Festival and is packed full of sweeping martial arts and beautiful Kurosawa-inspired scenery. Finally, a kung fu movie the whole family will love.

--Chris J. Magyar