Gene Simmons Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Gene Simmons has claimed that the sale of KISS‘s catalogue was not about the money, saying that it felt like the “natural thing to do.”Yesterday (April 4), the global entertainment and music investment firm Pophouse announced that it had concluded an agreement with the rock veterans – acquiring their music catalogue, brand name, trademarks and likeness, which includes their signature face paint designs.In an interview with PEOPLE, the bassist and co-founder of KISS explained that the sale of the band’s catalogue was the “natural thing” to do, insisting that they “weren’t looking for it” initially.He continued: “Life happens while you’re busy making important plans. We were planning our respectful, proud walking off into the sunset, because we’ve been touring, we had been touring for half a century.” Simmons added that he didn’t want to continue touring until they couldn’t anymore, joking “I don’t want to go out there with my walker.”The deal and partnership agreement have been done to help further develop and expand KISS’ legacy globally, as well as preserve their image and music for generations to come.Pophouse is an investment firm known for its development of brand-building activities across the music and entertainment sphere, including the groundbreaking ABBA Voyage show in London.Reflecting on the end of the legendary band with the outlet, Simmons called it a proud moment and added that now under Pophouse, “the beginning of KISS is going to be something that will blow your socks off, like nothing you’ve ever not seen.”He added that the financial gain is “not what [the sale is] about.

final night of their farewell tour in December at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, they ended by revealing digitized avatars of themselves.The cutting-edge technology was created by George Lucas’ special-effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, in partnership with Pophouse. The two companies recently teamed up for the “ABBA Voyage” show in London, in which fans could attend a full concert by the Swedish band in their heyday, as performed by their own digital avatars.The ways in which Kiss’ avatars will be utilized has yet to be announced, but Pophouse CEO Per Sundin says fans can expect a biopic, a documentary and a Kiss experience on the horizon.An avatar show is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2027 — but don’t expect it to look anything like “ABBA Voyage,” Sundin told the AP.

KISS’ catalogue, brand name and IP have been acquired by the Swedish entertainment and music investment firm, Pophouse.Announced today (April 4), the global entertainment and music investment firm has announced that it has concluded an agreement with the rock veterans – acquiring their music catalogue, brand name, trademarks and likeness, which includes their signature face paint designs.The deal and partnership agreement have been done to help further develop and expand KISS’ legacy globally, as well as preserve their image and music for generations to come.Pophouse is an investment firm known for its development of brand-building activities across the music and entertainment sphere, including the groundbreaking ABBA Voyage show in London.Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed, and the band members will continue to play an active role in the development of upcoming projects.Plans for a biopic, an avatar show, and a KISS-themed experience are already in the works.“We have always been breaking new ground in popular culture, and this partnership will ensure that we continue to do so for years to come,” said bassist and KISS co-founder Gene Simmons of the deal. “Because what Pophouse is doing, is breaking rules.

KISS‘ Gene Simmons has retold the story of the one and only time in his life that he got high.The US rock musician, who has previously claimed to have never been drunk or high in his life, opened up about the time he accidentally ingested cannabis brownies after a KISS gig in the ’70s.The musician reflected on the eventful experience during the latest episode of Your Mom’s House with Christina P. and Tom Segura along with his son Nick Simmons.“I’ve never been drunk or high in my life,” he reasserted on the podcast (per Loudwire), before his son brought up the “one accidental story”.Nick explained that his dad was “so removed from drug culture that he didn’t know that you can bake cannabis into baked goods”, and had no hesitation accidentally eating six brownies.“So, please describe then what you hallucinated,” he said to his dad.

Gene Simmons and Boy George are among the famous faces who have signed an open letter, urging organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest to allow Israel to compete in 2024.Despite not being a part of the continent, Israel made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 as the first non-European country granted permission to participate in the event. However, there have been widespread calls for the country to be banned from taking part in the contest this year given the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.Last month, an open letter was issued to the European Broadcast, signed by over 1,000 Swedish artists including Robyn, Fever Ray, and First Aid Kit – calling for Israel to be withdrawn from competing at the finale in Malmö, Sweden on May 11.“The fact that countries that place themselves above humanitarian law are welcomed to participate in international cultural events trivialises violations of international law and makes the suffering of the victims invisible,” it read.

K.J. Yossman Scooter Braun, Emmy Rossum and Helen Mirren are among 400 celebrities and industry executives who’ve signed an open letter supporting Israel’s inclusion in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Although there has been no suggestion the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the annual singing competition, has any intention of barring Israel from the event, the open letter has been published in response to a handful of fringe voices calling for a ban.

A group of 400 actors, musicians and entertainment execs including Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber and Gene Simmons have penned an open letter supporting the decision for Israel to remain in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Gene Simmons has announced his first solo concert after KISS’ retirement in December 2023.Yesterday (January 18), Brazilian rock festival Summer Breeze released its 2024 line-up on Instagram, revealing the Gene Simmons Band as a headliner on April 26, the first of its three days, alongside Mr. Big and Sebastian Bach.

KISS bandmates “look like imbeciles”.Drama between Frehley and his former bandmates began last year, after KISS’s Paul Stanley explained why the band didn’t perform when they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame back in 2014.Among the reasons was the “demanding” nature of the Rock Hall, which wanted KISS to take to the stage with its original members – Frehley and Peter Criss. Stanley said the move would be “demeaning” to the band, adding: “‘Cause if you saw people onstage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS.”Frehley subsequently threatened to release “dirt” on KISS if Stanley didn’t apologise, later sharing that he didn’t apologise, but called to say “fuck you”.Speaking to Guitar World about his solo album ‘10,000 Volts’ which is set for release on February 4, Frehely shared that he’s getting back at Stanley and KISS frontman Gene Simmons for attempting to ruin his reputation by releasing his best music yet.A post shared by Ace Frehley (@acefrehleyofficial)“Paul and Gene have tried to destroy my reputation over the years – we know that.

Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox have shared a cover of KISS’ ‘Lick It Up’ to celebrate the new year.Their version of the 1983 classic track by KISS was shared by the married duo as part of their ongoing ‘Sunday Lunch’ series – which sees them play covers of famous rock tracks in their kitchen.Although the series no longer runs every week, Fripp and Willcox have shared a special New Year’s Anniversary edition to celebrate the start of 2024. For the video, the King Crimson guitarist sports the same iconic ‘Demon’ makeup as KISS bassist Gene Simmons, alongside a giant red tongue.While he plays guitar to the track, Toyah dances around him and takes on the role of singing Paul Stanley’s lyrics.

KISS‘ Gene Simmons has said that the band’s virtual avatars will “get better”, revealing that “about 200 million” dollars is being invested in the technology.Earlier this month, the US glam rock band unveiled their new era as a virtual band at the last show of their farewell tour.The band seemingly bowed out of live performing at their Madison Square Garden show on December 2 as part of the ‘End of the Road’ tour, where they revealed the new digital avatars.“Today, A New Era Begins. #KISSARMY, the end is only the beginning!” the band wrote on social media.

George Lopez has many “Blue Beetle” fans excited. The clip, shared by his daughter Mayan Lopez, shows the moment George recently met Gene Simmons, with Simmons revealing himself as a “Blue Beetle” fan and asking about the possibilities of a sequel. Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal are working on a ‘The Boys’ spin-offXolo Maridueña to return to DCEU, confirms James GunnA post shared by Mayan Lopez (@mayanlopez)The clip was shared on Instagram, and shows George and Simmons both excited to meet eachother.

Meet the new KISS – not the same as the old KISS, but a version that could live forever.

Kiss have unveiled their ‘new era’ as a virtual band at the last show of their farewell tour.The band have seemingly bowed out of live performing at their huge Madison Square Garden show last night (December 2). They will reportedly be the first US band to become virtual.In the encore, the band’s remaining members – founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, along with guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer – left the stage, revealing their new digital avatars.

A.D. Amorosi To paraphrase David Mamet’s caustic sales pitch from “Glengarry Glen Ross,” KISS has always been closing. That’s fine.

KISS‘ Gene Simmons and Neil Young have announced that they are quitting X, formerly known as Twitter, after Elon Musk appeared to endorse an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.Simmons did not specify exactly why he was leaving the social platform, but it’s likely due to Musk voicing his agreement with an anti-Semitic conspiracy that Jewish communities push “hatred against whites”, also known as the “great replacement” theory.Musk replied to a post making the claims and stated: “You have said the actual truth.”Simmons announced his departure by simply sharing: “Friends, I’ve decided to end my X/Twitter posting.”You have said the actual truth— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2023 Young announced his decision to leave the social platform on his website, sharing: “We are stopping all use of X we can control. For reasons that should be obvious to the richest man on Earth, we are taking this action against his company.”Alongside the text was a picture of Twitter boss Musk with the caption: “Teslas should fly flags of love – not hate.”The message continued: “For our many Palestinian friends and our many Jewish friends, we do need to start over in the present and release our terrible connections to the past.

Gene Simmons has said KISS‘ farewell tour is the “end of the road for the band, not the brand” and hinted at what’s to come.The glam rock band are currently on the final leg of their extensive last run of concerts, dubbed the ‘End Of The Road World Tour’. Simmons and co. are due to bow out with a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York on December 2.KISS announced last week that they’ll be live-streaming the NYC show worldwide, inviting fans to “rock out” with them “one last time”.During a new interview with 519 Magazine, Simmons explained that the group’s imminent retirement doesn’t necessarily mean the end, and teased some other potential KISS-related projects.“This tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand,” he told the outlet.

KISS have invited fans across the globe to join them for the final night of their farewell tour by sharing details of a livestream.It comes as the glam rock veterans are currently on the final leg of their extensive farewell tour, and set to play what is marked as their final-ever live show in New York next month.Taking place at the iconic Madison Square Garden on December 2, Gene Simmons and co. have now announced that they will be holding a livestream of the closing date – meaning that fans across the world will have the chance to watch them live at the event.The broadcast will be on a pay-per-view basis and is set to stream exclusively on PPV.

Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic have revealed that Nirvana once made producer Steve Albini prank call Eddie Vedder and KISS‘ Gene Simmons.While appearing on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast, the surviving members of the iconic grunge band and Albini shared that they would help pass the time while in the studio by prank-calling people.This was during their time spent at the Pachyderm Recording Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. They recalled how there wasn’t very much to do.”This was in February, in the dead of winter, in the middle of fucking nowhere,” said Grohl.

KISS may be the next band to have a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.The impressive new music venue – which cost over $2billion, features a 16k wraparound LED screen and 167,000 speakers – opened its doors last month just east of the Las Vegas strip, and has since played host to U2, who are holding a residency there.However, with the Irish rock band’s series of shows at the location now drawing to an end, there has been a huge amount of speculation about who will be the next artist to bring their live show to the new Nevada stage. However, according to Paul Stanley, it seems like KISS won’t be the next in line.The frontman opened up about the possibility of bringing their show to the Sphere in a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, stating that he doesn’t see the residency taking place any time soon.“I can’t speak to it in any other way except to be honest with you about how I feel now, and the way I feel today is … I can’t really see that happening,” he told the outlet.“As far as I’m concerned, we’re done.”The comments come in light of the New York rock veterans currently playing the last leg of their ongoing tour.

Thania Garcia Thirty years ago, in September of 1993, Nirvana released its final record, the Steve Albini-produced “In Utero.” Nirvana, comprised of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, was considered the “it” group of the moment following the monumental commercial success of its influential sophomore effort “Nevermind.” “In Utero” was the response to their mounting fame. In honor of the three-decade milestone, O’Brien hosts Novoselic, Grohl and Albini for a new episode of “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” to talk about the recording process for the album.

Gene Simmons My name is Gene Simmons. I’m Jewish. My mother, Flora, was 14 years of age when she was in the concentration campsof Nazi Germany.

KISS kick off their ‘End of the Road’ farewell tour.The New York natives will cap the run of shows at Madison Square Garden with back-to-back shows on Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec.

KISS are being sued by the widow of their long-term guitar technician Francis ‘Fran’ Stueber, who passed away after contracting COVID while the band were on tour in 2021.Catherine Stueber, along with other members of her family, is claiming negligence and wrongful death. KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, their manager Doc McGhee, the tour promoter Live Nation and the hotel chain Marriott International have been named as defendants.The suit, obtained by Rolling Stone, states: “As a direct and proximate result of the dangerous condition created by Defendants, Decedent suffered fatal injuries and Plaintiffs suffered damages, including, but not limited to funeral and burial expenses, the permanent deprivation of the love companionship, affection solace, society, comfort, assistance, services and financial contributions, and moral support of Decedent in an amount according to proof at trial.”Fran Stueber died shortly after being quarantined in a hotel room in Detroit in October 2021 during KISS’ ‘End of the Road Tour’.

Kiss rockers Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are currently facing another lawsuit. The “Rock and Roll All Nite” hitmakers are blamed for the death of one of their crew members.Founding members of the 1970s rock band Kiss, Paul Stanley, and Gene Simmons, are in some legal hot water.

Gene Simmons of KISS has reflected on the band’s extensive career, and recalled that he feels “immortal” as long as his “schmeckle works”.The iconic rock bassist and founding KISS member made the comments in a new interview with The Guardian, in which he looked back at his extensive time working alongside bandmate Paul Stanley and how he feels about the band’s final-ever shows.In the discussion, Simmons also opened up about his previous claim that he has slept with over 4,000 women across his 50-year-long career, and admitted that he is “guilty as charged” when it comes to being motivated by sex.“Listen. Men are idiots.

KISS's final tour will soon be coming to an end. For frontman Gene Simmons, the experience has been amazing and he's looking to the future.ET's Cassie DiLaura sat down with Simmons over the weekend, during his big 74th birthday bash at Pinz Bowling Alley in Studio City, California, where the rocker was using the occasion of his special day to raise money for the non-profit organization Mending Kids.With KISS' set to wrap up on Dec. 2 with a final show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Simmons says he feels «great and grateful» for getting to perform for as long as he has.«There's a great sense of pride.

Gene Simmons has revealed he asked former Kiss members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley to perform at the band’s last ever shows, but both refused.Kiss are in the middle of their farewell ‘End Of The Road’ tour, which they are in the UK for this week. Their last-ever shows are set to take place at Madison Square Garden in their hometown of New York on December 1 and 2.Fans hoped Criss and Frehley would make an appearance at Kiss’s last shows, but the chances of that happening appear slim, seeing as Simmons has claimed multiple offers were made and declined.“For the older fans, the ones who’ve been around for 50 years, they’re old, and some of them wanna see Ace and Peter. The newer fans never saw them and they don’t know,” Simmons told Linea Rock [via Classic Rock]“But the older fans wonder about Ace and Peter.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Unless you’ve got a “Succession”-sized story of ludicrous wealth combined with horrible behavior, it can be very challenging for a documentarian to make the life of an executive seem exciting — even one as colorful as that of Ron Delsener, one of the greatest concert promoters of all time… which is what makes “Ron Delsener Presents,” a documentary on that colorful life, all the more impressive. While the 90-odd-minute doc is a bit overlong and based largely on wealthy old music-biz veterans telling war stories from their rough-and-tumble years, director Jake Sumner uses deep research, fascinating concert and other archival footage, animation and snappy editing to create a very entertaining, if slightly smoothed-over, film that doubles as a sort of mini-history of the American concert business.

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Gene Simmons spat out his chewing gum into the hand of Susanna Reid live on Good Morning Britain.The Kiss singer, 73, pulled the stunt on the ITV breakfast show as he discussed how he once sold his used gum for $245,000 (almost £200,000) at a charity auction. As the cameras returned to the studio following a live link with Andi Peters, Susanna said: “Gene Simmons is here and chewing gum.

KISS icon Gene Simmons attended Parliament, calling for the restoration of power sharing in Northern Ireland.As the BBC reports, Simmons appeared to argue that Stormont – the Northern Ireland Assembly – must be restored to look after people’s needs, and that he hopes “everything gets back in order in Northern Ireland and the people’s business should be done by their elected officials”.The frontman was visiting Parliament as a guest of the Democratic Unionist Party MP Ian Paisley.“One of our crew happened I guess to know him or they discussed something, and I guess he was a big fan,” Simmons told the BBC, revealing that the band’s private jet was struggling to find a place to land in the UK for their tour before Paisley stepped in.Visiting the UK Parliament, by invite of MP Ian Paisley was truly an honor. Here I am with two gentleman in Parliament who wanted to make sure I was behaving myself.

Bury South MP Christian Wakeford has apologised and deleted a picture he posted on Twitter of him posing with Kiss rocker Gene Simmons in Parliament in a row over Islamophobia.

KISS have cancelled the opening show of their 2023 UK headline tour.The band announced a run of six dates on these shores last December as part of their ‘End Of The Road’ world tour. Scheduled for this summer, the concerts are billed as Gene Simmons and co’s last-ever live appearances together in the United Kingdom.KISS had been set to begin the stint at the Home Park stadium in Plymouth next Saturday (June 3).

Gene Simmons’ former estate has shed its old skin and has reemerged as a whole new property that has skyrocketed its price to new heights.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and Gary Hamilton, chairman of Arclight Films, have launched Simmons/Hamilton Prods. to develop, finance and produce feature films. The standalone banner will produce 25 movies over an initial five-year period, with a focus on action, thriller and genre titles with global franchise potential. The company is backed by a multi-billion dollar fund manager that is providing slate financing through a revolving finance facility. Arclight Films’ CFO Brian Beckmann was responsible for closing the slate funding deal. All films created under the new company — which was first discussed five years ago, and recently firmed up — will be produced by Simmons and Hamilton, both of whom are in Cannes for the festival. The focus is to build a feature film production company, targeting original theatrical product that can be developed into franchise properties.