by Nicole Powers

Paradise is Diablo Cody’s fourth full-length feature film, but her first as both a writer and director, and is perhaps her most gloriously entertaining endeavor to date.

The film tells the story of Lamb Mannerheim (played by Julianne Hough), a young girl from a highly religious small town in Montana who has a crisis of faith after she loses her fiancé and is badly burned in a horrific plane crash. Scarred inside and out, she denounces her belief in God in the most spectacular of ways – in front of her parents (Holly Hunter and Nick Offerman), family, friends, neighbors, and entire community – from the pulpit of her local church during a sermon in which she was supposed to announce a substantial gift from her multi-million dollar settlement check. Instead, she takes herself and her windfall off to the Devil’s playground, otherwise known as Las Vegas.

On a mission to seek out the worldly pleasures she’s missed out on, she befriends a lascivious and licentious barman named William (Russell Brand) and his cohort, a nightclub singer named Loray (Octavia Spencer). Though running away from God and the narrow-minded morals of her hometown, Lamb’s spiritual journey through Paradise, Nevada (where the Las Vegas Strip technically resides) ultimately helps her find herself.

But this is no heavy-handed morality/immorality tale. Thanks to Cody’s wonderfully witty script, intelligent observations, and sharp direction, and the comedic talents of her incredible cast, Paradise is enlightening in more ways than one. We caught up with Cody recently to talk about the film.

Read our exclusive interview with Diablo Cody on SuicideGirls.com.

by Blogbot

Having been blown away by an underground warehouse set in DTLA last month, SG Radio hosts Nicole Powers and Juturna Suicide are excited to be joined in studio by the band SWIMM. Soak in the sound of SWIMM this Thursday, October 10th on TradioV between 6 and 8 PM PST.

You can listen – and watch – the world’s leading naked radio show live on Thursday nights from 6 til 8 PM at our new state-of-the-art all digital home: TradioV.com.

You’ll also be able to listen to our podcasts via Stitcher – download the app now!

If you have questions for the SG Radio crew or our guests, you can call in during the live broadcast at: 1-855-TRV-inLA (1-855-878-4652)

For updates on all things SG Radio-related, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About SWIMM (@SWIMMmusic)

SWIMM is the music of Chris Hess and Adam Winn. They write, record, and play live with several friends including Spencer Petersen, Adrian Martinez, Jared Bowser, Gavin Little, Jonathan Berlin, Zac Sullivan, Justin Morales, and Thomas Carroll.

“Although the band’s American, fans of British guitar sounds a la Stone Roses, The Verve, Marc Bolan and Tame Impala will fall hard for SWIMM’s unforgettable music.” ~ iTunes

Blending elements of dance music, rock n’ roll and shoegaze/folk with psychedelia as the cohesive element, SWIMM has created an original sounding first release that has people very curious about what will come next from this Florida group. Following the release of the Feel EP, SWIMM began playing a number of energetic DIY shows in California, New York and Florida, building a rep for an experiential live show. The release launched the band into an abundance of positive press.

“Get ready to have your mind blown!” – Nylon

The Feel EP is out now! Download it for FREE at: SWIMMmusic.com

**UPDATE**

ICYMI: Here’s last night’s show feat. Chris Hess and Adam Winn of SWIMM.

Video streaming by Ustream

by Nicole Powers

Earlier this week SuicideGirls previewed their brand new burlesque show at the Dragonfly in Hollywood, CA. Entitled, Blackheart Burlesque, it will visit 46 cities across America. The tour starts tonight in Cleveland, OH. Get your tix here (VIP packages available).

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by Blogbot

This Thursday, October 3rd on SuicideGirls Radio, hosts Nicole Powers and Juturna Suicide will be joined on the phone by writer, filmmaker and artist Clive Barker, and in studio by the Vice President of his Seraphim production company Mark Miller. Art historian, author, and bon vivant Thomas Negovan of the Century Guild gallery will also be joining us to talk about Barker’s forthcoming exhibition, which he is in the process of curating.

You can listen – and watch – the world’s leading naked radio show live on Thursday nights from 6 til 8 PM at our new state-of-the-art all digital home: TradioV.com/LA.

You’ll also be able to listen to our podcasts via Stitcher – download the app now!

If you have questions for the SG Radio crew or our guests, you can call in during the live broadcast at: 1-855-TRV-inLA (1-855-878-4652)

For updates on all things SG Radio-related, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Clive Barker

A visionary, fantasist, poet and painter, Clive Barker has expanded the reaches of human imagination as a novelist, director, screenwriter and dramatist. An inveterate seeker who traverses between myriad styles with ease, Barker has left his indelible artistic mark on a range of projects that reflect his creative grasp of contemporary media — from familiar literary terrain to the progressive vision of his Seraphim production company. His 1998 Gods and Monsters, which he executive produced, garnered three Academy Award nominations and an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The following year, Barker joined the ranks of such illustrious authors as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Annie Dillard and Aldous Huxley when his collection of literary works was inducted into the Perennial line at HarperCollins, who then published The Essential Clive Barker, a 700-page anthology with an introduction by Armistead Maupin.

Barker began his odyssey in the London theatre, scripting original plays for his group The Dog Company, including The History of the Devil, Frankenstein in Love and Crazyface. Soon, Barker began publishing his The Books of Blood short fiction collections; but it was his debut novel, The Damnation Game, that widened his already growing international audience.

Barker shifted gears in 1987 when he directed Hellraiser, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart, which became a veritable cult classic spawning a slew of sequels, several lines of comic books, and an array of merchandising. In 1990, he adapted and directed Nightbreed from his short story Cabal. Two years later, Barker executive produced the housing-project story Candyman, as well as the 1995 sequel, Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh. Also that year, he directed Scott Bakula and Famke Janssen in the noir-esque detective tale, Lord of Illusions.

Barker’s literary works include such best-selling fantasies as Weaveworld, Imajica, and Everville, the children’s novel The Thief of Always, Sacrament, Galilee and Coldheart Canyon. The first of his quintet of children’s books, Abarat, was published in October 2002 to resounding critical acclaim, followed by Abarat II: Days of Magic, Nights of War and Arabat III: Absolute Midnight. Barker is currently completing the fourth in the series. As an artist, Barker frequently turns to the canvas to fuel his imagination with hugely successful exhibitions across America. His neo-expressionist paintings have been showcased in two large format books, Clive Barker, Illustrator, volumes I & II.

About Mark Miller

As the Vice President of Seraphim, Mark Alan Miller writes, produces, and directs original content alongside master of horror Clive Barker.

Mark has been working as a writer since 2005 when he started as a columnist for OCWeekly. It was this that landed him the position of assistant editor on Barker’s recently released Novel Abarat: Absolute Midnight, for which he also directed the promotional trailer.

Since 2009, Miller has been shepherding the release of the director’s cut of Barker’s classic film Nightbreed. During that time, Miller has acted as producer on an in-house cut of Barker’s movie, which has garnered worldwide interest, and been featured in magazines such as Fangoria, Rue Morgue, and Empire magazine, and was just named TotalFilm‘s 14th best extended cut of all time.

Currently, he is editing Barker’s much-anticipated The Scarlet Gospels. His work can also be seen in the bestselling Boom! Studios comic book, Hellraiser, as well as the newly released Next Testament.

About Thomas Negovan / Century Guild

Century Guild was established in 1999 and has curated objects and artworks now on permanent display in a number of museums including The Art Institute of Chicago, The Detroit Institute of Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The gallery moved to Culver City in December, 2012 and specializes in works from the Art Nouveau era through the Weimar Republic. Century Guild is located at 6150 Washington Blvd in Culver City, five blocks West of the Helms Bakery in the heart of the Arts District. For information on current and upcoming shows visit centuryguild.net/

**UPDATE**

ICYMI: This week’s show featuring author, filmmaker and artist Clive Barker, Mark Miller (the Vice President of Barker’s Seraphim production company), and Thomas Negovan of the Century Guild (who is curating an exhibition of Barker’s work).

Video streaming by Ustream

by Nicole Powers

“I’m a pop junkie,” says Victoria Hesketh a.k.a. Little Boots, whose stated goal is to write the perfect pop song. It could be argued that the British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has already done that with the 2009 single “New In Town” from her debut album Hands, but Hesketh modestly insists she has yet to attain that songwriting holy grail.

The word “pop” when describing any artistic medium is often considered to be synonymous with shallow and disposable, but the music Hesketh makes is most definitely not of that ilk. Unlike many who seek popular music success, Hesketh has put in the work and refused to sacrifice her individuality. She’s learnt her craft, paid her dues, and stayed true to her somewhat geeky self, and in doing so has created a DIY electro-pop aesthetic all of her own. Rejecting over-polished pop, Hesketh incorporates lo-fi sounds from offbeat gadgets such as the Stylophone and Tenori-on into her well-crafted songs.

It’s this down to earth, quirky, and honest approach that resonates with fans, who appreciate that she’s never conformed to the pop princess mold – though conversely it’s something that no doubt frustrated her first major label Warner Music Group home. Creative differences led to an amicable split after the release of her first album, and now Little Boots is doing her own thing her own way.

Her second album, Nocturnes, which was produced by Mo’ Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy (now of disco-punk label DFA records), was released via Hesketh’s On Repeat Records imprint earlier this year, and a video for the song “Satellite,” which she directed, debuted this month.

We caught up with Hesketh by phone as she was preparing for her upcoming US tour, which kicks off in Santa Ana, California this weekend.

Read our exclusive interview with Little Boots on SuicideGirls.com.

Little Boots album Nocturnes, featuring the single “Satellite”, is out now. Her US tour kicks of at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana, CA on Sunday, September 22nd, 2013. For more info visit littlebootsmusic.co.uk/.

by Blogbot

This Thursday, September 19th on SuicideGirls Radio, hosts Nicole Powers and Juturna Suicide will be joined in studio by the gorgeous, sexy and super talented Lacey Conner. Perhaps best known for her wild and wicked ways on VH1’s Rock of Love and Charm School, when not in front of the reality TV show cameras Lacey is a total darling – something we know for a fact since she did a stint as a co-host on this very radio show. We’re therefore excited to have her back in the SG Radio studio to catch up, and will be spinning tracks from her latest project Halo, and her recently released new album, Something Evil This Way Comes.

You can listen – and watch – the world’s leading naked radio show live on Thursday nights from 6 til 8 PM at our new state-of-the-art all digital home: TradioV.com/LA.

You’ll also be able to listen to our podcasts via Stitcher – download the app now!

If you have questions for the SG Radio crew or our guests, you can call in during the live broadcast at: 1-855-TRV-inLA (1-855-878-4652)

For updates on all things SG Radio-related, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Lacey Conner

Reality star Lacey Conner has been a major player in the music world for over a decade. But in spite of Lacey’s extensive music career, she is best known for her villainous ways on Vh1’s Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, and on Vh1’s Charm School with Sharon Osbourne – both shows which were aired in many countries across the world. Lacey was one of the primary characters on both shows, and Rock of Love was the highest rated show in Vh1 history at the time of its airing.

Although Lacey has been successful in television, her passion is in music. Most recently, Lacey completed her solo record, HALO. HALO has been compared to Shirley Manson/Garbage and Linkin Park. It has a rock vibe with a slightly dark edge. Even though Lacey has generally been involved in bands with cult followings, HALO is Lacey’s most mainstream project to date. On this project, Lacey is the sole writer of all of the songs, including all music and lyrics. During the recording process of HALO, Lacey worked in the studio with producer “Tadpole” (who has worked with bands such as Disturbed, Staind, and Avenged Sevenfold), as well as producer Marc Jordan (who has worked with Slash, The Cult, and Velvet Revolver, among others). The music video for HALO’s song “The Stranger”, features Aaron Rossi of Ministry, Brent Ashley from Static-X and Orgy, and Meegs Rascon from Coal Chamber as her band members.

Prior to HALO, Lacey sang for Lords of Acid on their 2010 US “Sextreme Ball Tour.” Lords of Acid is a band that has been critically acclaimed within the electronic music and dance music communities, and have sold over 2.5 million albums over the course of their career. During the time that Lacey was the primary singer for Lords of Acid, the tour hit every major market in the country and consisted mostly of sold-out shows.

Before Lords of Acid, Lacey fronted her own band that she wrote and sang for: Nocturne. Nocturne was an industrial-rock band that performed with major acts such as Ministry and Thrill Kill Kult, and toured the U.S. extensively with other major acts such as Mushroomhead, Dope, Bile, King Diamond, and many others.

Lacey also was a guest vocalist for the band Pigface, the industrial “super group” that was formed by Martin Atkins [a long time friend of SG!]. Pigface has a revolving door of members. Along with major icons such as Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, Danny Carey from Tool, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ogre from Skinny Puppy, Paul Barker from Ministry, Wayne Static from Static X, and many others, Lacey also was an integral part of Pigface. She completed two U.S. tours with Pigface, and sang on one of their albums.

2013 was off to a big start for Lacey as well; She was asked to star as the lead role in the new music video for Escape The Fate, a band who’s previous Youtube videos have combined views that exceed 90 million.

In addition to her passion for music, Lacey also has a passion for activism. She is an advocate of animals, a promoter of human rights and equality for the gay and lesbian community, and she is a protector of the environment. Lacey even founded her own dog rescue organization “Heroes K9 Rescue” five years ago where she rescues, fosters, and re-homes shelter dogs that otherwise would have been euthanized. Lacey is a member of PETA as well as several other animal-rights groups, and is involved in human-rights / gay-rights / pro-equality as well.

For more info on Lacey visit her Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Nicole Powers

Morcheeba’s lush sound – which is topped off by singer Skye Edwards’ velvety soft, soothing and sensual voice – is like a warm bath. It’s something you should surrender and sink into.

Coming to the fore in the mid-nineties alongside such artists as Portishead, Tricky and Massive Attack, Morcheeba helped define the trip hop genre with the mellow vibes and downtempo grooves of their seminal 1996 debut, Who Can You Trust. They’ve always refused to be confined by the tenets of trip hop however, and in the intervening years the UK trio – which is comprised of Edwards and brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey – have transcended the genre they helped create.

Though Morcheeba’s music is often supremely relaxing, it’s never tired, and their forthcoming studio album, the band’s eigth, is no exception. While retaining their unique warm and mellow sound, and delving back into their hip hop roots, the new release, Head Up High, has a subtle yet invigorating upbeat kick – something the band refer to as “Morcheeba with a pulse.”

On the eve of a string of North American and European dates, we caught up with Edwards to talk about the new album, which hits stores on October 14th.

Read our exclusive interview with Skye Edwards of Morcheeba on SuicideGirls.com.

Morcheeba are playing the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, September 20th and the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, September 21st. For more info visit Morcheeba.co.uk/.