Toxicology Tests Ordered for “Avenged Sevenfold” Drummer

KTLA News
9:33 AM PST, December 30, 2009

HUNTINGTON BEACH — An autopsy on Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, the drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold was inconclusive, according to the Orange County coroner’s office, and more tests will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Sullivan, 28, was found unresponsive at his Huntington Beach home Monday, authorities said, adding it appeared he died of natural causes and there were no signs of foul play.

The coroner has ordered toxicology tests on Sullivan’s body, the results of which could take several weeks.

Avenged Sevenfold issued a statement on its Web site Monday.

“It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy `The Rev’ Sullivan,” the statement said.

“Jimmy was not only one of the world’s best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy’s family and we hope you will respect their privacy during this difficult time.”

Sullivan is survived by his wife, Leana MacFadden.

By Tuesday morning, a Facebook page for Avenged Sevenfold had received more than 4,900 comments in response to a posting about Sullivan’s death.

Avenged Sevenfold was formed 10 years ago in Huntington Beach and achieved a measure of mainstream success with the 2005 album “City of Evil.”

Thousands react to rock drummer’s death

By JON CASSIDY and MICHAEL MELLO

Fans expressed their grief on several Web pages. By late Tuesday morning, there were more than 7,700 comments on an announcement on the group’s Facebook page. Also on Facebook, a memorial group had more than 4,000 members, and a memorial page had some 1,800 fans.

Avenged Sevenfold has put out four albums and won best new artist at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2006. The group’s self-titled fourth album hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2007.

According to a message posted by Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Zacky Vengeance on the band’s MySpace page, the group was hard at work on a fifth album.

Sullivan also served as lead vocalist for a more avant-garde side project, Pinkly Smooth, launched with Avenged guitarist Synyster Gates and former members of the band Ballistico. That outfit put out one album, “Unfortunate Snort,” in 2002. Before joining Avenged Sevenfold, Sullivan played drums for the O.C. ska-pop band Suburban Legends.

Sullivan was the third high-profile Orange County drummer to die in 2009. Nekromantix drummer Andy DeMize, 25, died in January in a fiery car crash on the freeway. Lit time-keeper Allen Shellenberger, 39, succumbed to cancer after more than a year of battling a rare form of brain tumor.

CtPatriot…. I just want to say on the record Avenged Sevenfold is My Favorite Band …

Register pop music critic Ben Wener contributed to this report.
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

The media is reporting the death of James Owen Sullivan, aka ‘The Rev. Monday at his house of natural causes at the age of 28. He was the drummer and back up vocalist for the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold.

It was widely accepted that “The Rev” was one of the best drummers in the business.

Unfortunetly, he was also living to the rock and roll lifestyle that is summed up in the saying….sex,drugs, and rock and roll. He was an admitted cocaine abuser, and had used several illegal narcotics.

An autopsy has been scheduled to positively identify the reason for his death, but has been temporarily listed as natural causes.

I enjoy listening to a hardcore rock group like “Avenged Sevenfold”, their music, and groups like them sometimes inspire me in a creative way…

I send out my condolences to his family and friends.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2009/12/29/james-sullivan-obit.html

Mythbusters regular Erik Gates dies in freak accident

Erik Gates, a regular on the popular show MythBusters, has died following a thirty foot fall in a work-related accident.

Gates, 47, owned Gateco Electric and was working at a site when he fell through a skylight. Gates suffered blunt force chest injuries and died on Sunday. In an even sadder twist, Gates’ brother Dirk Gates is president and CEO of Xirrus, Inc.- the company that owns the site where his brother was killed. Xirrus’ CFO commented on the tragedy to the Ventura County Star:

“He was a good guy,” Steve DeGennaro, Xirrus Inc.’s co-founder and chief financial officer, said Monday. “He survived cancer, he jumps with parachutes, he base jumps. He’s an active guy who was used to taking precautions. This was a freak accident that shouldn’t have happened.”

Erik and Dirk Gates were active in rocketry and operated a website, Gates Brother Rocketry. It was Gates’ expertise in rockets that initiated his involvement with MythBusters. On the MythBusters official Twitter feed, condolences were expressed for Gates earlier today:

(1 of 2) Team MB wishes to express our deepest sympathies on the passing of our beloved rocket expert, Erik.

(2 of 2) You were an honorary MythBuster and will be sorely missed.

Erik Gates appeared on four episodes of MythBusters as the shows “Amateur Rocket Expert.” He appeared on the initial pilot for the show in 2003, and in subsequent episodes Ming Dynasty Astronaut (2004,) Bullet Proof Water, 360 Degree Swing (2005,) and Confederate Rocket (2005.)

Drummer for Avenged Sevenfold found dead at home

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—Police say James Owen Sullivan, a drummer and backup vocalist for the Southern California band Avenged Sevenfold, has been found dead at his home in Huntington Beach.

Lt. John Domingo says the 28-year-old Sullivan, who went by the stage name The Rev, appears to have died of natural causes on Monday.

The Orange County coroner’s office is investigating the death.

Avenged Sevenfold formed in Huntington Beach in 1999 and won Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2006. According to their MySpace page, the five-man metalcore band was working on their fifth album.

The band released a statement Monday expressing their sadness and calling Sullivan “one of the world’s best drummers,” and “our best friend and brother.”

SweetVendetta at the GDA recently saw this MTV special on the backstage antics at the MTV Video Music Awards last September. Green Day held an impromptu performance after their rehearsal for the tired MTV crew. During the live performance, Billie and Mike dragged a bunch of people onstage without telling anyone that they were going to do it… and while all those people were engulfing the “about 5″8″‘ Billie, Tre couldn’t see him to end the song. The MTV crew had to “kill the pyro” before anyone from the audience was set on fire. The clip also includes the pyro that was supposed to happen in the song. I’m not quite sure why they had to kill the pyro since it was behind Tre… but… it was probably for the best!

It’s a funny clip, and also has a backstage view of Pink’s amazing high-trapeze performance as well.

Here’s the link to MTV’s October 13, 2009 Buzzworthy blog which includes other backstage videos as well.

You can see the clip of Green Day’s full performance here. You can read about my heading up to Radio City Music Hall since I was in the neighborhood and seeing GD leave rehearsal here. (And yes, I WAS JUST IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD that day…no. Seriously. I was!)

Para tudo!

Em 2003 Madonna e Britney Spears trocaram um beijo no MTV Video Music Awards.

No programa ao vivo de domingo o  American Music Awards o cantor americano Adam Lambert que foi descoberto por  um “reality show” de música CAUSOU em sua apresentação, beijou na boca do tecladista , simulou sexo oral com um dançarino, e com o dedo médio levantado durante apresentação do single “For your entertainment” no programa mandou todo mundo pra aquele “lugar”, como era ao vivo não teve nem como editar.

E qual foi a reação das pessoas?

Aborrecimento pela ousadia do rapaz. PASMEM!

Duas mulheres trocando beijos é moderno, dois homens é ofensivo?

Como assim? Não entendi.

Com todo furor pós apresentação Adam Lambert defendeu sua performance em entrevista à revista Rolling Stone –

“Artistas mulheres vêm fazendo isso há anos, mas no minuto em que um homem faz isso, todo mundo enlouquece”.

 ”Estamos em 2009; é hora de correr riscos, ser um pouco mais corajoso, é hora de abrir os olhos das pessoas, e se isso as ofender, então talvez eu não seja para elas”.

“Meu objetivo não era enfurecer as pessoas, era promover a liberdade de expressão e a liberdade artística”.

O cantor de 27 anos declarou ser gay em Maio quando o programa “American Idol” terminou.

A performance de “For your entertainment” foi considerada a mais provocante em show de premiação da indústria musical desde MAD e Brity em 2003.

Quero baixar todas as músicas dele. “For your entertainment” eu indico. Gostei! : )

Já sou fã dele. Adoro tudo que é ousado, desde que seja feito com respeito e personalidade, não é a toa que sou FANÁTICO em Lady GaGa.

Vou fazer as mesmas observações que fiz sobre GaGa a um tempo atrás em um outro Blog.

Percebam nas fotos que ele utiliza o que é tendência. Levando a risca que “nada se cria tudo se copia”, só que melhor com o toque de ousadia.

Eu consegui enxergar – Michael Jackson – Bey; Single Ladies – David Bowie – Lady GaGa – Marilyn Manson – Madonna, Elvis…. iiIiiIiIi OMG! Até a ostra da Brity esta na parada. Um monte de coisas boas.

Dica do Post – Link do vídeo VMA – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_lc_z3dxBg

Aguardem! Este rapaz promete.

Esley Zambel * Para o seu divertimento

What the hell happened last night at the American Music Awards? When did they become the new shock-you-silly awards show to replace the now-vanilla MTV Video Music Awards?

The new recipe for an awards show is this:

*Taylor Swift wins everything; no fewer than five statues.
*Lady Gaga performs in a weird getup after arriving in a weird getup.
*Someone does something shocking, either Lady Gaga or a surprise…like an “American Idol” channeling old Bowie/Madonna stuff.
*All hip-hop performers keep it clean and classy.
*Janet Jackson shows no skin. Ever. Again. America still hasn’t healed from the nipplegate backlash, although after Adam Lambert last night, we’ve moved on to Crotchgate.

Speaking of Crotchgate…

I understand Adam Lambert’s need to distance himself from the squeaky clean-ness of “American Idol.”  But is that really a need? I also understand the need to do something to keep his name prominent in the headlines today–the day his album “For Your Entertainment” drops.  There’s no such thing as bad press, after all.  Even if you mash a male dancer’s face into your crotch, caress a female dancer’s crotch, and make out with your male keyboard player–all after playing the sadomasochist part with two dancers on leashes–you still get press.  I get it; you’re playing both sides of the fence, trying to court both female and male fans with bisexuality and a cheesy but androgynous album cover.

But shouldn’t it be about the music?

I’m a fan of both Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga.  After last night’s AMA performances from both, I am SMH today.  Both artists can stand on talent alone.  Both can sing, both have a flare for performing.  I’m all for outrageous when it fits.  But when it becomes about being outrageous for the sake of being outrageous, that’s when it gets lame.  Contrived.  Fake.  Silly.  Annoying.

Don’t play the tortured artist bit on stage.  Gaga had gigs writing songs for others before she got her “Fame” and Lambert was doing pretty good for himself acting alongside Val Kilmer in the stage show of “The Ten Commandments.”  While either one was hardly pulling in millions, both were working artists.  I think that’s always the goal, right?  Both could have still been serving meals during their first showbiz gigs for all I know.  But hey, a gig’s a gig.

Just go on stage and perform.  Just show me your talent and remind me why I’m a fan.  Even a simple performance can be captivating.  It doesn’t always have to be outlandish.  I thought Jennifer Lopez’s performance of “Louboutins” was great.  It was creative and she pulled it off, except for the fall…  If I even think about Louboutins I fall down, so I totally understand.

You want simple?  Captivating?  Something that stands on the strength of the music alone?  Try watching Lady Antebellum’s performance at the Country Music Awards.  Has “Need You Now” not been the top single on iTunes (or near the top) every day since?

Or, from the AMAs last night, how about Whitney Houston singing “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength.”  That was amazing!  She was flawless.

Or Jay-Z and Alicia Keys who were just classy.

Look, I don’t need flames, crazy outfits, and controversy.  What I do want is music.  I’d love to have music with opulence.  Flash is OK, but just keep it in good taste.  We’re in a recession (duh).  People want less bullsh!t during a recession.  Flashiness and perky music isn’t popular during a recession.  Remember the 1990s?  It was a crap financial time that birthed Kurt Cobain and flannel shirts.  Remember the late 1990s as things turned around?  It was poppy, perky Britney Spears and N’Sync.  Glam rock?  New wave?  That was during the glory of the 1980s.  Artists should take a cue from the times we live in, maybe be inspired by…reality.

Shaunie and Shaq....divorce again

Fool me once, shame on you…Fool me twice, shame on me!

Shaquille O’neal has been served papers for a divorce from his scandalous soon to be ex-wife and baby mama to his multiple children Shaunie O’neal.

Didn’t they do this back in 2007?…I always tell fool’s not to go back to some honey that your have just separated from,I mean,that’s a big message that the two of you are tired of each others company.That does not get any better, just a lot worst.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20054672,00.html

I guess no one ever told Shaq.

Reports coming from TMZ.com are stating that Shaunie, who resides in Miami,  abruptly flew to Los Angeles and filed a petition for legal separation in Los Angeles County Superior Court,on Monday.

She filed the divorce papers in California as opposed to Florida, because a spouse generally does a lot better in the spousal support department  in California.

Shaunie is asking for both spousal and child support , though she did not specify an amount for either. This is all just to get the ball rolling.

In 2007, Shaquille had discovered a lot of his money missing, and after further review, he discovered that his wife had funneled millions of his dollars into secret accounts, and purchased real estate property that he was not made aware of.

She is also rumored to have been spending a lot of Shaq’s cash on a secret boyfriend,her Cuban personal trainer, in which Shaunie supposedly  had a one year affair with .

The cause then was reportedly money, the Miami Herald reports,and it is at the center of the divorce presently.

Shaunie O’Neal, who had access to Shaquille’s money, is being required to provide “correct accounting of all money, funds, stocks, bonds, and other securities.”
The only thing I can assume is that after the 2007 issue, and reconciliation, that Shaq had instituted safeguards for his money from his scheming conniving scandalous wife.

If you are not aware of that past drama, click on this link to an article on Vibe…http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2007/09/shaq_shaunie_split/

Then ask yourself, why would Shaq go back to a women who is clearly working against him. This can’t be what marriage is all about, but in the end, it is only about the money.

Who needs that?

For all the people who ask me why I am not married, it is because I am not open to this kind of personal drama.

I guess Shaunie was not trying to live in Cleveland this year, it is not as warm there as in Miami and LA., and she has a wider variety of young buff trainers to buy in the warmer climates.

If I was Shaq, I would just pay her off, and get full custody of my children, she could care less about them.Just have your attorneys figure out what she would get if she had to raise them, and pay her off and get rid of her from their lives.

She has a price, you know that now, so get it done, and get over this ridiculousness.

I bet his stats will go up,he will start hitting free throws, if he is allowed to be free of this festering distraction that has plagued him since 2007.

The lesson here people is that if you want to have a bunch of girls and/or guys on the side,…then it is better to be single.Doing that during a marriage just causes a lot of unnecessary drama, a waste of money, and the waste of a lot of time.

Who needs that…probably not Shaq.

The date of separation is listed as 11-9-09. The couple has 4 minor children. Shaunie wants legal and physical custody of all the kids.

They have been married for 6 years, 11 months.

Please voice your opinions on this train wreck of a marriage, and your views on dating while your married in general.

For the best reporting on celebrity divorces, follow the story on TMZ.com…

http://www.tmz.com/#ixzz0WU8YTrJ8

Just got the link to this video from a fellow ‘Hoo… it’s from the VMAs, when Lil’ Mama ran up and crashed Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ performance of “Empire State of Mind.” What you might not have known, though, is that Beyoncé actually tried to stop Lil’ Mama before she got to the stage. Check out the video below… too hilarious…

Saturday fight live -- Madonna pulls Lady Gaga's hair; image courtesy of assets.nydailynews.com

So, I just wanna make sure we all saw Madonna and Lada Gaga catfight in a skit on SNL last weekend. If not . . .

This skit is interesting, though not without its problems in terms of how conceptualizes female competition. For one, while normative notions of masculinity, racial supremacy, and heterosexually accessible lesbianism are ultimately endorsed at the end of the skit, it is interesting that, for one of the few times in either pop star’s career, a queerable black man enacts agency and authority rather than being controlled by these women. For another, it addresses and challenges inter-generational power struggles between women. It also suggests that perhaps Gaga — who shares or steals Madonna’s prediliction for Marie Antoinette-informed spectacle — is a much better fit for succession of the Material Girl’s mantle than Britney.

1. The skit takes place on a fictitious house music TV program called Deep House Dish, acknowledging both pop stars’ dance club origins.

2. That program is on MTV4, a clear slight at the music network that has made both video-centric performers’ careers, while at the same time dispensing of the network’s original 24-hour music video programming schedule to make more room for reality television. 

3. With their bleach-blonde hair, olive complexions, and leather get-ups, these are Italian American pop stars that believe in queerable toughness over normative pretty femininity in the cultivation of sexy.

4. As feisty as she is with her idol, I wonder if Lady Gaga will be fighting some emerging pop icon the same way Madonna is now. Where Britney kissed Madonna’s ass, Gaga is ready to kick it. Kill yr idols, indeed.

Katy Perry has fuelled speculation that she is dating British comedian Russell Brand after the pair were spotted walking hand-in-hand through Hampstead Heath, London on Friday.

The ‘Waking Up In Vegas’ singer is rumored to be romancing the funny-man after reportedly hooking up at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. 

What followed was old-fashioned courtship with 34-year-old Brand sending Perry a love poem and asking for one in return, only to receive err… a topless photo of the ‘Hot ‘N Cold’ star with the word ‘Poem’ written across her chest.

Glad to see romance is still alive.

Lady Gaga and Kanye West canceled their “Fame Kills” tour, but the sexy pop star will continue without him. Kanye West, might be taking some time off, after telling Jay Leno, that he has never taking time off from show biz.  Maybe he was trying to blame the Taylor Swift incident on having too much stress and that’s the reason why he went cray cray on the poor innocent cute country singer, at the MTV Video Music Awards!  Whatever the reasons are, I hope Mr. West, gets the help he so desperately needs.  The “Paparazzi” singer will still be going on tour in November.  Details are still being worked out.

Apparently Russell Brand and Katy Perry weren’t the the only ones cozying up at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards!

In the latest issue of Star Magazine, sources claim that recently single (?) Justin Timberlake and Rihanna “have been talking and texting on the phone nonstop since the VMAs.”

Oh la la.

Timberlake even reportedly scored a personal lap dance from the “Umbrella” singer during a studio session for her forthcoming album. The couple previously recorded a song together (“Rehab”) on Rihanna’s sophomore CD, Good Girl Gone Bad — Check out the steamy video below:

Jessica Biel must be fury-ass she ever let J.T. get this hot ‘n heavy with the Barbados beauty!

Make this… SexyBack Sass: Round II

“Waking Up In Vegas” singer Katy Perry is kissing more than girls these days.

Britain’s The Sun reports that Katy Kitschy Perry has been spotted cozying up to comedian Russell Brand overseas recently strolling through London together and allegedly escaping to Thailand for an impromptu vacation.

According to a source, the couple met backstage at the 2009 Video Music Awards (which Brand hosted) last month.

“When they were both in New York for the music awards Russell finally got his chance to work his charm on her,” they said.

Added another insider, “Despite his reputation, Katy thinks Russell is so charming she just wants to give things a go with him.”

Here’s to the happy new couple?! Cheers!

The concert promoter Live Nation confirmed Lady Gaga and Kanye West’s “Fame Kills” tour cancelled.

All tickets purchased from NationalShowTickets.com refunded no problem says Ken Summerville of NationalShowTickets.com “People buy from us because they trust that if something like this happens they will be protected when they buy tickets from our site.

Source: NationalShowTickets.com

Possible poor sales and bad press on the MTV Video Music Awards last month relating to Taylor Swift are creating speculative reasons for the cancelled tour.

Surprise, surprise. Somebody killed the ‘Fame Kills’ tour with Lady Gaga and Kanye West.

The 34 city tour that was set to kick off in Phoenix, Arizona and run until January has officially had the plug pulled – Live Nation posted on their website last night that the concerts will not be going ahead and that the tickets will be refunded.

Nothing has been announced publicly to why the tour has been canceled, but all of us here at TIS Screen Printing have a feeling it has something to do with the fall out that happened at the MTV Video Music Awards in NYC.

Visibly distraught, Kanye West interrupted country singer Taylor Swift as she was accepting her award for ‘Best Female Video’ as he went on stage and ruined her acceptance speech.

Did Gaga decide to kill Kanye’s fame or did Kanye call in sick for this one?
(We all know he could use some time to get himself together)

What do you think?

This is Serious better known as TIS Screen Printing is a printing service company that specializes in printing designs for shirts, bags, banners and more. Visit us by clicking here.

Lady Gaga has apparently kicked Kanye West’s disco-stick to the curb.

In yet another blow to his post-Taylorgate career, West’s co-headlining tour with Lady Gaga has been officially cancelled according to a press release issued by concert promoter Live Nation.

While no official reason was given for pulling the plug on the 34-city trek so suddenly — tour dates and ticketing information had been released just two weeks prior — various media reports credit Ms. Gaga for putting the ultimate kibosh on the extravaganza.

HA! Who could blame her? Nobody in their right mind wants to share the stage with him anytime soon. Heck, who’s to say he’d even share the stage anyways?

Go Gaga! Go Gaga! Go Gaga!