Eminem and Marilyn top acts at festivals

Controversial US stars Eminem and Marilyn Manson will be the main attractions at this weekend's Reading and Leeds music festivals, which kick off later today.
The two-centred musical spectacular takes place over three days in the two cities with some of the biggest names in rock and dance music headlining.
Among the other big names performing at the festivals are Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers and Scottish stars Travis.
Rap star Eminem is sure to draw huge crowds when he performs later today on the main stage at Leeds.
When the star toured the UK last February he sparked outrage, with critics slamming his misogynistic and homophobic lyrics.
The chainsaw-wielding rapper was even threatened with arrest after pretending to take ecstasy tablets on stage during his British gigs.
He is due to play at the Reading leg of the event on Sunday both solo and with his band, D12.
Shock rocker Manson also has a reputation for controversy. He was recently arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a male security guard during a performance in Michigan.
He is due to bring his outrageous show to the main stage at Reading on Sunday.
More than 50,000 music fans are expected at both sites on each day of the festival and they will be hoping that the rain, which has a habit of plaguing open air festivals, does not make an appearance.
Some of the other names lining up during the three-day event include hip-hop act Run DMC, Feeder, Fun Lovin' Criminals and up-and-coming New York-based act The Strokes.

 

The face of evil 40 years on: Prison releases new photo of mass killer Charles Manson

The hair may be thinning, but his gaze still chills the bones - as does the swastika carved crudely into his forehead.
This is Charles Manson, 40 years after he committed seven gruesome murders which shocked America.
The photograph was released yesterday by Corcoran State Prison in California, where the 74-year-old lives separated from the other inmates for his own protection.

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Face of evil: Charles Manson's eyes are watery as he stares in to the camera in this new image taken yesterday - but the swastika carved into his forehead is a permanent sign of his cruelty

In 1984, one covered him with paint thinner and set light to him. It took years for him to recover from his burns.
California's prisons photograph inmates every few years for their records. Manson's is requested by the media every time, such is the fascination with his murders and bizarre behaviour.
He is said to have received more mail than any other prisoner, up to 60,000 letters a year at its high point.
Many of them are requests to join his followers, his Family commune or even marriage proposals from women across America.
Manson's killing spree began on August 8, 1969, when four of his followers murdered Sharon Tate - pregnant wife of the film director Roman Polanski - and three of her friends in Los Angeles.
The next night, Manson ordered his followers to kill a supermarket executive, Leno Labianca, and his wife, Rosemary.
Manson, who carved an X into his head during his trial (it later morphed into the swastika), was originally sentenced to death in 1971.
That was changed to life when California briefly abolished the death penalty.
Manson founded an infamous hippy commune in California in the late 1960s that became known as the 'Manson Family'.
When the so-called Family began to form, Manson was an unemployed ex-convict, who had spent half his life in correctional institutions for a variety of offences.
Prosecutors said that Manson and his followers were trying to incite a race war that he believed was prophesied in the Beatles' song Helter Skelter.

Manson pictured during his trial in Los Angeles in1970

Tate was eight months' pregnant when she was killed at her hilltop home on August 9, 1969.
Four others were either stabbed or shot to death alongside her: celebrity hairdresser Jay Sebring, 35; actor and Polanski associate Voytek Frykowski, 32, and his girlfriend the coffee heiress Abigail Folger, 25; and Steven Parent, 18, a friend of Tate's caretaker.
The word Pig was written on the front door in blood. The next night, Manson took his followers to the Los Feliz home of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, then left three of them to kill the couple.
In the period before the murders, he was a distant fringe member of the Los Angeles music industry, chiefly via a chance association with Beach Boy Dennis Wilson.

Sharon Tate was stabbed to death by acolytes of cult leader Charles Manson

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Crazed: Manson jokes with newsmen during his trial

After Manson was charged with the crimes, recordings of songs written and performed by him were released commercially.
Artists including Guns N' Roses and  Marilyn Manson have covered his songs in the decades since.
Manson's death sentence was automatically reduced to life imprisonment when a decision by the Supreme Court of California temporarily eliminated the state's death penalty in 1972.

Hateful hippy: In 1969 Manson was a leader of a hippy commune, right, but by 1971 he was a hate figure headed for jail, left

California's eventual reestablishment of capital punishment did not affect Manson.
The image was released to the Los Angeles Times because the newspaper requested a copy the next time it was taken.
Manson's co-defendants - Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Charles 'Tex' Watson - were convicted with him.
Manson has made 11 failed bids for parole since 1978, the last in 2007, when he was ordered to continue serving life sentences.
His next parole hearing is scheduled for 2012.

Fans greet rocker Manson

Shock-rocker Marilyn Manson dressed up to meet his British fans last night - in a German SS peaked cap and long black leather coat.
The American singer kept 500 squealing fans waiting for 45 minutes before arriving at the Virgin megastore in London's Oxford Street with four other members of the band.
Fan Jayme Hamilton 19, from Ashtead, Surrey, wore a leather bikini which she said did not faze the star: 'He is used to seeing people with not many clothes on.
'Marilyn wasn't very talkative today but I met him a couple of years ago in Paris and he is a very witty and intelligent man. He has a really dry sense of humour and shows his fans respect.'
She got Marilyn to sign his new single, Disposable Teens.
Another fan, Stacey Bayes, 16, from south Norwood in south London, was tearful with joy as she said her rock idol had liked her PVC black dress. She said she was looking forward to the band's gig tomorrow night at the London Arena.
Her friend, Leigh Temple, 17, of Radlett, Herts, said: 'Despite what they look like, the band members are quite sweet. I was a fan a few years ago but today I came along for old time's sake and to get Marilyn's book signed for my 13-year-old brother.'
The band is visiting a handful of cities on a UK tour to promote their new album, Holy Wood. They have already played to crowds in Birmingham and Manchester.

 

Marilyn Manson goes make up-free to visit fiancee Evan Rachel Wood on the set of Mildred Pierce in New York

We're used to seeing him caked in full make up, complete with heavy eye detail, false lashes and huge bright red lips.
But Marilyn Manson appeared washed out when he dropped the stage persona to pay a visit to his fiancee Evan Rachel Wood on the set of her latest acting project this week.
The 41-year-old rocker, real name Brian Warner, spent time with his 22-year-old partner as she took a break from filming the new HBO series Mildred Pierce.

Make up free: Marilyn Manson, real name Brian Warner, takes a stroll down a New York street with his fiancee Evan Rachel Wood

Washed out: The rocker usually wears heavy make up during his public appearances

Manson held hands with the actress as they took a stroll through the Lower East Side in New York.

 

She wore a colour-coordinated pink and black ensemble with black boots, leggings and a long cardigan matched with a pink and black T-shirt, a pink headband and sunglasses with a pink frame.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend was all in black covering his make up-free face with a pair of shades and a leather hat.

New role: Actress Evan Rachel Wood is starring in the serialisation of 1945 movie Mildred Pierce

Mildred Pierce is a remake of the 1945 movie adapted and serialised for television.
It also stars British actress Kate Winslet and follows the story of single mother Mildred (Winslet) who decides to open a restaurant.
But the business tears at the already-strained relationship with her ambitious elder daughter, Veda (Wood).

Mother figure: Kate Winslet plays Mildred Pierce, mother of Miss Wood's character Veda in the series, which is set during the Great Depression

Manson's relationship with the young actress has seen its fair share of ups and downs, with the couple splitting twice since going public in 2007.
In November 2008, Wood issued a statement saying 'Manson and I both decided to take some time apart so we could concentrate on work.'
However, they got back together for a short time in 2009 before taking another break.

Engagement: The couple have split on two separate occasions, but in January this year they announced that they had become engaged

By the end of the year they had got back together and, in January this year announced they were engaged.
After working together on the video for Manson's single Heart Shaped Glasses (which he wrote for Evan), the couple are set to star in a feature film together.
Manson and Miss Wood will co-star in the 'sexploitation-serial-killer-slasher-road-movie circa 1989'.
The film's director David Gordon Green said: 'This is a role Marilyn Manson was born to play and with Evan bringing dramatic gravity to the ensemble, I have no doubt this will take the horror genre to a new level.'

 

 

Shia insolence! Transformers star LaBeouf 'spits water over shock rocker Marilyn Manson'

He is rapidly garnering a reputation for having a hot temper.
So it is ironic that cold water is alleged to be the weapon of choice for Transformers star Shia LaBeouf's latest outburst.
The moody actor is reported to have put some in his mouth before spitting it all over his date.
He is then said to have turned his attention to shock rocker Marilyn Manson.

Water sport: Shia LeBeouf entering Paul and Andre on Friday night with the girl he is alleged to have spat water over

The incident allegedly occurred on Friday night at the Belvedere (RED) Brings The Box to LA night at Paul And Andre: Hollywood on Friday, according to an eyewitness that spoke to Life and Style.
 Before the performance started LeBeouf 'seemed wasted' as he sat in a designated area with his date, presumably girlfriend Karolyn Pho, and Manson.
And things either soon turned nasty, or the 25-year-old decided to try out a practical joke that got out of hand.

Head down: Shia tried to stop anyone from taking his picture as he walked up the red carpet on Friday

The witness said: 'Shia picked up a water bottle and shot a mouthful of water all over his date's legs.
'Then he put more water in his mouth and started spitting it all over his tablemates, including Marilyn Manson.'
Antichrist Superstar singer Manson tried to calm the actor down by offering him a fist bump, but it is claimed LaBeouf only grew more out of control.

In your face: No doubt Marilyn Manson had to wipe himself down after being spat over by Transformers star LaBeouf

The witness said: 'All of a sudden, Shia started shouting at his date and getting visibly angry.
He then decided it was time to leave and 'lunged' through the very thick crowd.
The eyewitness said: 'They tried to hold him back, but he kept struggling through.
'Shia had to climb over people and tear himself out of the grasp of various strangers who were trying to keep him from going crazy.'
Once he broke free and bolted out the door, his panicked date chased after him. The two never returned.
The witness said: 'Marilyn looked shocked and annoyed, but stayed seated.
'It was so insane -- he just had a total meltdown right in front of everyone. It was completely out of control. He was so angry and physical.'
LeBeouf's publicist denied there had been an argument, but did not deny the incident.
She said: 'Shia actually left early as planned.
'He went to see one of the bands performing in the showcase and left after they finished.
'Exiting through a crowded room was apparently misinterpreted. No altercation occurred. '
This isn't the first time the Indiana Jones star has caused concern with his public behavior.
Earlier this year LeBeouf was handcuffed by police after getting involved in a bar brawl.
He allegedly got into a fight after becoming enraged over a gay slur.
The actor was punched and suffered a split lip after telling a bargoer, who called him a 'f***ing faggot,' he was going to 'kick his f***ing ass.'
However the move backfired, and eventually the pair were restrained by police. However neither party wanted to press charges and they were both released.

Temper temper: Shia LaBeouf is developing a reputation for having a hot head

In 2007, he was arrested after wandering into a Chicago Walgreens and verbally assaulting a security guard.
The case was dropped when the store later refused to press charges.
After the incident, LaBeouf joked about it on the Late Show with David Letterman.
He said: 'Drinking and driving is one thing, but drinking and shopping ... it's just as bad.'

 

Don't hang out with Marilyn Manson at a tequila party if you want to stay sober, Lindsay Lohan!

Lindsay Lohan has long struggled with sobriety, so heading to a party hosted by a luxury tequila brand might not be the best idea.
And picking legendary reveller Marilyn Manson as her party pal surely can't have helped her resolve.
The pair struck a series of familiar poses as they cuddled up at the bash this weekend, with Lohan breaking into a fit of giggles as Manson wrapped his arms around her.

New best friends: Lindsay Lohan and Marilyn Manson pose together at the DeLeon Tequila party at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles

While he pulled a series of strange poses, a laughing Lohan then covered her eyes in pretence embarrassment.
The party, thrown by  DeLeon Tequila at the Chateau Marmont, is not the first time the 24-year-old is known to have met Manson, 42.
The pair were briefly linked during his divorce from Dita Von Teese in 2006. While the rumours were shot down, Manson's constant partying was blamed for the demise of his year-long marriage.

Anything in common? The pair are not the most obvious of friends

Earlier this year reports emerged that the pair were to co-star in a new biopic about serial killer Charles Manson, who partially inspired Manson's stage name.
Lohan instead signed on to join the A-list cast of biopic about another crime family - the Gottis.
She is no stranger to crime herself.

See no evil: Lindsay and Manson pose for a photo

The Mean Girls actress is currently on a three year probation after being sentenced to a 120 day prison sentence as well as 480 hours of community service over the theft of a $2,500 necklace.
She avoided serving time behind bars by pleading no contest to the charges and is instead expected to serve her time in her Los Angeles home.
Having faced seven lawsuits Manson can perhaps sympathise with Lohan's predicament.

Fellow guests: Actresses Mischa Barton and Emma Roberts were at the event

Party time: Actress Sophia Bush and actress Erin Heatherton

 

Marilyn Manson 'squandered band's cash buying skeletons and masks made from human skin'

American singer-songwriter Marilyn Manson squandered his band's profits on skeletons - including one of a girl - according to his former keyboard player.

Stephen "Pogo" Bier - who played for Manson as Madonna Wayne Gacy - says the 38-year-old also bought African masks made of human skin.
Bier filed a breach of contract lawsuit in August in which he accused Manson of taking cash belonging to the rest of the band to pay for "sick and disturbing purchases of Nazi memorabilia and taxidermy (including the skeleton of a young Chinese girl)".
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Lawsuit: Former keyboard player Stephen 'Pogo' Bier (right) is accusing Marilyn Manson of squandering the band's cash on 'sick and disturbing purchases'

He is claiming Manson "devised a campaign to drive him out of the band and rob him of his entitlement" and is demanding 20 million dollars in back pay.
Now his lawyer Keith Fink has filed additional papers adding to a list of artefacts bought by the goth singer - many of which are illegal in the U.S.
As well as the skeleton and masks, Manson is said to have bought a range of stuffed animals, including a grizzly bear and two baboons.
He is also accused of using band funds to pay for a collection of Nazi memorabilia

 

Water under the bridge then? Shia LeBeouf steps out with Marilyn Manson after spitting H20 all over him

Despite his intimidating exterior, it seems that Marilyn Manson is one forgiving friend.
It was a case of water under the bridge last night, as the goth shock rocker stepped out with Shia LeBeouf following the launch of his new video Born Villain, which was directed by the Transformers star.
The 25-year-old actor attended the event with his girlfriend Karolyn Pho at the Hennessey and Inglalls bookstore in Los Angeles, just one week after he reportedly spat water all over her and the 42-year-old musician.

Water under the bridge: Shia LeBeouf stepped out with Marilyn Manson last night after the launch of his new video Born Villain

Shia kept underwraps in his favorite baseball cap and his growing beard.
He wore light blue, black faded jeans and scuffed black dress shoes.
His girlfriend Karolyn was equally as shy, covering up her face with a black clutch.
The exotic beauty slipped into a patterned long-sleeve maxi dress for the occasion.

Shy: Shia and his girlfriend Karolyn kept under wraps as they left the event at the Hennessey and Inglalls bookstore in Los Angeles

Meanwhile Shia has called Marilyn 'an indelible figure,'
'He’s a big deal to me, and in my childhood, I don’t know of a scarier figure in art. He, in my teenage years, was the scariest thing in the world, so part of me has always been intrigued,' he told MTV news.
The actor said that directing the rocker's video was a good change of pace.
' (It)is a really cool diversion for me when I’m not making a movie,' he said. 'It gives me an opportunity to work with musicians I admire who I would otherwise never get to work with in any other capacity.'

Marking a mark: Shia called Marilyn, pictured here in his signature gothic black 'an indelible figure

His praise for the musician comes after the moody actor shocked onlookers last week, when he spat water around at the Belvedere (RED) Brings The Box to LA night at Paul And Andre last Friday, according to an eyewitness that spoke to Life and Style.
He is reported to have put some in his mouth before spitting it all over his girlfriend Karolyn.
He is then said to have turned his attention to Marilyn.

Rare smile: The notoriously moody actor flashed a rare smile as he chatted to friends at the event

Before the performance started Shia 'seemed wasted' as he sat in a designated area with Karolyn and Manson.
And things either soon turned nasty, or the actor decided to try out a practical joke that got out of hand.
The witness said: 'Shia picked up a water bottle and shot a mouthful of water all over his date's legs.
'Then he put more water in his mouth and started spitting it all over his tablemates, including Marilyn Manson.'

Concentration: Shia and Marilyn are seen in work mode inside the bookstore

Antichrist Superstar singer Marilyn tried to calm the actor down by offering him a fist bump, but it is claimed Shia only grew more out of control.
The witness said: 'All of a sudden, Shia started shouting at his date and getting visibly angry.
He then decided it was time to leave and 'lunged' through the very thick crowd.
The eyewitness said: 'They tried to hold him back, but he kept struggling through.
'Shia had to climb over people and tear himself out of the grasp of various strangers who were trying to keep him from going crazy.'

Cuddles: Shia also shared a cuddle with Karolyn

Once he broke free and bolted out the door, his panicked date chased after him. The two never returned.
The witness said: 'Marilyn looked shocked and annoyed, but stayed seated.
'It was so insane -- he just had a total meltdown right in front of everyone. It was completely out of control. He was so angry and physical.'
Shia's publicist denied there had been an argument, but did not deny the incident.
She said: 'Shia actually left early as planned.
'He went to see one of the bands performing in the showcase and left after they finished.
'Exiting through a crowded room was apparently misinterpreted. No altercation occurred. '

To much to swallow: Shia shocked onlookers last week when he spat water around at the Belvedere (RED) Brings The Box to LA night at Paul And Andre last Friday

This isn't the first time the Indiana Jones star has caused concern with his public behavior.
Earlier this year, Shia was handcuffed by police after getting involved in a bar brawl.
He allegedly got into a fight after becoming enraged over a gay slur.
The actor was punched and suffered a split lip after telling a bargoer, who called him a 'f***ing faggot,' he was going to 'kick his f***ing ass.'
However the move backfired, and eventually the pair were restrained by police. However neither party wanted to press charges and they were both released.
In 2007, he was arrested after wandering into a Chicago Walgreens and verbally assaulting a security guard.

Head down: Shia tried to stop anyone from taking his picture as he walked up the red carpet on Friday

The case was dropped when the store later refused to press charges.
After the incident, Shia joked about it on the Late Show with David Letterman.
He said: 'Drinking and driving is one thing, but drinking and shopping ... it's just as bad.'

Rock horror picture show: Marilyn Manson puts his predictably dark and disturbing artwork on display

Marilyn Manson  is a man of many talents - writer, singer, actor, photographer, composer and now... artist.The shock rocker showed his latest works at Vienna's Kunsthalle last night in a preview of an exhibition that opens tomorrow in the Austrian capital.
The watercolour exhibition, called Genealogies Of Pain, teams up Manson and U.S. film director David Lynch, who made Wild At Heart and Blue Velvet, and is also known for his love of the dark and disturbing.

Here's one I made earlier: Marilyn Manson   debuted his artwork at Vienna's Kunsthalle gallery last night

In the eye of the beholder: Manson's watercolours are predictably dark and disturbing

The two previously collaborated on Lynch's 1997 thriller Lost Highway, where Manson played a porn star.
This time around, Lynch has contributed several short films to Manson's exhibition, that are meant to provide a sort of aesthetic and historical context to the singer's paintings.

 

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• Now that is scary! Marilyn Manson goes make-up free on night out with girlfriend

Lynch has been a long-time fan of Manson's work. The controversial director wrote a foreword to Manson's 1999 biography, The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell - calling the rocker: 'An egg-born offspring of collective humanity.'

Established artist: Manson's paintings are predicted to sell for between €43,000 (£35,000) and €109,000 (£88,000) each

Back to the night job: Manson performing at a music festival in Romania. He has been called 'the most demented rock artist to hit the scene in the history of rock music'

In the exhibition's press release, the show's curators describe Manson as: 'The scandal figure and thorn in the flesh of America's moral custodians.'
That's about right - Manson has been slammed as 'the most demented rock artist to hit the scene in the history of rock music' and religious groups across America have long battled with Manson, calling for boycotts of his shows and urging parents to stop their children listening to his music.
Manson, whose real name is Brian Hugh Warner, has never formally studied art - he attended college to study journalism, but quit to pursue his career in music.
The exhibition's artworks span 15 years, from 1995 to 2010 - and are expected to reach between £35,000 and £88,000 each.
The artwork will be on display from June 30 to July 12.
Manson's band was formed in 1991. Their shock rock albums have contained songs entitled Cake And Sodomy, Smells Like Children and May Cause Discoloration Of The Urine Or Feces.

 

Now that is scary! Marilyn Manson goes make-up free on night out with girlfriend

He's known for his controversial performances and dramatic Goth make-up.
But hellraiser Marilyn Manson looked almost unrecognisable as he went on a night out with his girlfriend, minus his face paint.
The American rocker, 40, dressed completely in black as he and partner Evan Rachel Wood, 22, paid a visit to Le Zenith concert halls in Paris yesterday.

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Marilyn Manson looked almost unrecognisable when he stepped out in Paris yesterday with no make-up while (left) the rocker is painted up to the max

They looked relaxed as they left the venue and the only make-up Manson had on was a smudge of black eye liner.
But there was not a hint of his dramatic white-painted face and dark red lips.

Manson has just settled a lawsuit filed against him by one of his former Spooky Kids band members.
But in a new twist in the case, the agreement has been delayed by an argument over legal fees.

He was joined by girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood and the pair paid a visit to Le Zenith concert halls in the French capital

Legal row: Manson's former bandmate Stephen Bier

Manson's ex-keyboardist Stephen Bier, formerly known by his stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy and sometimes referred to as Pogo, filed a breach of contract lawsuit in Los Angeles against the rocker in 2007.

He claimed Manson used money from their former band partnership to buy personal luxuries, such as ex-wife Dita Von Teese's $150,000 engagement ring and Nazi paraphernalia.

A settlement was reached on December 11, but the agreement hit an obstacle when law firm Grodsky & Olecki, also a defendant in the suit, filed a lien for unpaid legal fees from 2007 when they successfully persuaded a judge to drop all of Bier's claims.

According to Southern California Public Radio, the firm wants to be paid from the settlement money. Their lien now puts a complete resolution of the case on hold.

Meanwhile, Manson took to his MySpace account to rant about the matter, saying: 'I want to make clear that, aside from the wasted legal fees, in no way did I pay off the person that stood behind a keyboard pretending to play music other artists in this band wrote.'