KISS' Psycho Circus Plots Takeover

Kiss' Paul Stanley proudly announced "It only goes up from here" at the launch party held at Mann's Chinese Theater for the band's new album and tour, Psycho Circus. But where can it go from here we wondered? The mind boggles. More bombastic than you can imagine and twice as fun, the launch party/press conference/fan event was already as big as they come. Looming two stories high in the courtyard in front were inflatable plastic likenesses of Gene, Ace, Peter, and Paul that were complete in detail down to the rock icons' chest hairs. Lines around the block of rabid Kiss Army hordes prayed for entrance (the first 800 were lucky). Many more stood behind barricades across the street, just marveling at it all. Major movie premieres have come with less hoopla.

Inside the event, cast members of Fox's MAD TV riled up the crowd by announcing that Kiss would host the Halloween edition of their show, which would be followed immediately by the Fox live telecast of Kiss' Dodger Stadium tour opener (tix go on sale Saturday). Then, we got to listen to the new album (which is big, stupid and supremely rocks) in it's entirety, accompanied by video footage of the guys, including the world premiere of the 3D video for "Psycho Circus" complete with our special KISS logo 3D glasses.

As the curtain came up and the 10-foot high Kiss logo encrusted with lights became visible, blasts of smoke heralded the rock stars' presence. Bikini-clad Kiss babes in KISS makeup lined the sides of the stage adding to the decadence. In full regalia, the band descended to announce a slew of plans that sounded akin to plots of world domination. Paul Stanley confessed "I'm not just a hog, I'm the whole pig" (whatever that means). Taking questions from both fans and press, Ace Frehley proclaimed that only time soon you'd see a box set from the band would be "in your bedroom."

Included in the band's future plans are the Kiss Platinum Visa credit card, the Kiss Sweepstakes to win the custom Kiss sports car, a paid trip to their Detroit New Year's Eve show, an appearance on the October 30th episode of Millennium, a new Kiss Todd McFarlane designed "Psycho Circus Tour" action figures, Kisstory 2 (the updated $158.95 Kiss collector's bible), the "Psycho Circus" home video (out October 20), and Kiss:The Second Coming 1996/7 world tour home video (out November 17). It doesn't stop there, there's also the new Kiss Internet Service (KISSONLINE.NET), new tour merchandise, next summer's Detroit Rock City feature film (its plot has teens, played by Edward Furlong and Natasha Lyonne, scheming to get to a Kiss concert), and plans with Brilliant Digital for the first ever multi-path interactive music video. Showing their charitable sign, they also announced that they're hooking up with Feed the Children to deliver a million meals over the course of their tour, a truckload each month.