'Kiss' Rocker Gene Simmons, 75, Reveals Truth Behind Band's Epic 'Vampire Personas'
Some of the most iconic imagery in rock history comes from legendary New York band Kiss. The costumes, the theatrics, and the instantly recognizable face paint have served to make the band stand the test of time.
Kiss forever changed the way bands tour and perform on stage and created more than just a musical legacy, but a brand too. The aesthetics have long outlasted the band itself, becoming their own product entirely, none more recognizable than the face paint. The look is so iconic, I don't even need to show a photo -- you know what I'm talking about.
In a recent interview with CBS Mornings, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons revealed the story of how the iconic face paint came to be.
Who could believe something so important to rock music came by so randomly? With the amount of success Kiss saw throughout the years, it's a wonder Steins didn't come asking for royalty payments.
"Love the story behind the makeup, Gene! Can't wait to see more from this interview!" One fan commented.
The interview premiered today, so you can tune in to see what other secrets Simmons may share about the legendary band.
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USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
'Gypsy' star Joy Woods dishes on her Tony Award nomination and advice from Audra McDonald
'Gypsy' star Joy Woods dishes on her Tony Award nomination and advice from Audra McDonald Show Caption Hide Caption 'Gypsy' star Joy Woods calls Audra McDonald 'graceful.' Here's why. Joy Woods, a first-time Tony nominee for her role in "Gypsy," chats with USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa about the musical and her co-star Audra McDonald. NEW YORK – Joy Woods is a first-time Tony Awards nominee for her performance alongside Audra McDonald in director George C. Wolfe's revival of the Broadway musical "Gypsy." Ahead of Sunday's award show, the Chicago-born actress asked McDonald, who is also nominated, how she should prepare. "(McDonald) said to expect chaos," Woods, 24, tells USA TODAY. "But it's also a celebration. So it's not a bad kind of chaos. It's one that we can look forward to." Woods also decided that she'll face the "chaos" without any family nearby. "My brother or my parents or my grandma are usually at openings with me," she says. "Those things, you get pulled in so many directions that you never really get to see them. So I was like, 'I'm going to do this alone. I'm going to take my Kind bars and my Celsius (drink) and wing it honey, and I think that's going to be really good for me." 'Gypsy' made headlines and Broadway history "Gypsy," based loosely on the memoirs of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, first came to Broadway in 1959. It and several of the subsequent revivals earned Tony recognition. The original earned eight Tony nominations, and the 1989 production won the Tony for best revival. Patti LuPone played Gypsy's mother, Rose, in the 2008 revival and won the Tony for best leading actress in a musical. This year, McDonald, the first Black actor cast in the role on Broadway, is nominated in the same category for the same role. She and LuPone have been in the headlines together recently following an interview with the New Yorker, published on May 26, in which LuPone was critical of McDonald for supporting a criticizing social media post by Broadway performer Kecia Lewis. LuPone complained that "Hell's Kitchen," a Broadway show that Lewis is in, was too "loud." At the time, LuPone was in the comedy "The Roommate," which played next door. Lewis took to social media to call LuPone's criticism and actions, "racially microaggressive." On Instagram, McDonald supported Lewis' post. LuPone responded in the New Yorker by saying McDonald "wasn't a friend." After the New Yorker feature, McDonald told "CBS Mornings" that she was unaware of any rift between her and LuPone. Then, the Broadway theater community wrote an open letter that called for the "Agatha All Along" actress and other performers who "use their platform to publicly demean, harass or disparage fellow artists" to be excluded from the Tony Awards and similar industry events. LuPone has since apologized for her remarks. In his review of the 2025 production, USA TODAY's Patrick Ryan wrote, "In casting a Black actress as Rose for the first time ever on Broadway, the show takes on subtle yet powerful new meaning, despite no changes to Arthur Laurents' original book. It's blatant, for instance, that Rose prioritizes the lighter skinned June, in hopes that she might seem more palatable to the predominantly white vaudeville circuit." Woods, the first Black performer cast as Louise on Broadway, reveals she and McDonald have had "a few" conversations about the role of race in "Gypsy." "I think she's been very graceful at letting me find this on my own," Woods says of McDonald's mentorship. "She's just the most patient, calm, giving scene partner and I felt like I was such a fish out of water starting this process. I didn't know if I was ready. I didn't know if I was right for it. "We haven't had many conversations about (my casting), but I think it's felt when we're (on stage together), which I think is really special."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Week of May 26 Morning News Ratings: GMA and CBS Mornings Gain Demo Viewers After Memorial Day
The short week that followed the Memorial Day holiday saw all three morning shows experience declines in total viewers. However, ABC News' Good Morning America and CBS News' CBS Mornings posted week-to-week gains in the advertiser-coveted demo of Adults 25-54 for the week of May 26. It may be a post-holiday hiccup, but NBC News' Today showed some vulnerability in its longtime first-place demo position as the gap between it and GMA was less than 100,000 A25-54 viewers. NOTE: GMA, Today, and CBS Mornings were coded as specials on Monday (05/6/25) due to the Memorial Day holiday. These specialed telecasts are excluded from the weekly and season averages. The morning shows' weekly averages are based on four days (Tuesday-Friday). According to live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen, GMA averaged 2.629 million total viewers and 466,000 A25-54 viewers. Compared to the previous week, ABC News' morning show was down -1% in the former category, but up +3% in the latter. Looking at its performance alongside the same week in 2024 (the week of May 27), GMA was down -7% in total viewers and -1% in the demo. Today landed in second place in total viewers, but remained No. 1 in the demo with 2.558 million and 542,000 viewers, respectively. Week-to-week, the morning show saw a -1% decrease in the former category and a double-digit dip of -10% in the latter. Year-to-year, Today was down -2% in total viewers and -3% in the demo. CBS Mornings saw 1.823 million total viewers and 342,000 demo viewers for a decline of -9% in the former category, and a +9% gain in the demo. Year-to-year, the morning show sustained an -11% decline in total viewers and a -13% decline in the demo. ABC NBC CBS • Total Viewers: 2,629,000 2,558,000 1,823,000 • A25-54: 466,000 542,000 342,000 Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 Live+SD Current Week (w/o 5/26/25), Previous Week (w/o 5/19/25) and Year-Ago Week (w/o 5/27/24). Most Current Data Stream: 2024-2025 Season (9/23/24-6/1/25) and 2023-2024 Season (9/25/23-6/2/24). Beginning 8/31/20, national ratings also include Out of Home (OOH) viewing. Averages based on regular telecasts.


CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Broadway star Audra McDonald on "emotional dive" into her latest role
When Audra McDonald won her first Tony Award at 23, it was just the beginning of a record-breaking Broadway career. Earlier this month, she received her 11th Tony nomination, making her the most Tony-nominated actor of all time. McDonald received the nomination for her portrayal of Mama Rose in the latest Broadway revival of "Gypsy." If she wins this Sunday, she'll make history as the performer with the most Tonys ever. Before she discovered the stage, McDonald described herself as a hyperactive kid who would express her emotions frequently. "I had big feelings. I had music in my heart. And so once I found theater, it was like I have a place to put my big feelings now," she said. Those emotions are on full display as Mama Rose, a character based on the real-life mother of famed burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee. It is currently being shown at the Majestic Theatre. In the musical, Mama Rose is an intense stage mom. McDonald first stepped into the role during a concert at Carnegie Hall in 2022, performing the musical's emotional climax "Rose's Turn." "It was the same time of year that I was getting ready to send my daughter off to college. And I was dealing with all this rage I was having at my sweet, wonderful daughter," McDonald said. "And I burst into tears and I realized it's because my baby's leaving and I'm sad. So then that was my first sort, like, emotional dive into Rose." McDonald is the first Black woman to portray Mama Rose on Broadway. Director George C. Wolfe guided her interpretation of what Rose would be experiencing in the 1920s and 30s, with not one word of the original script changed. "George talks a lot about Rose's obsession with the kids becoming stars is because being a star protects you in some way. You got star money, you could eat. You got star money, maybe you won't be lynched," McDonald explained. "And so she as a single woman at this time, abandoned three times by her husbands, abandoned by her mother, not really treated all that well by her father, she's tryin' to protect these babies." Behind the Curtain The "CBS Mornings" interview went backstage to find out what happens when the curtain closes. McDonald and her co-star Danny Burstein are "of a certain age," she laughed, noting they don't run up the stairs after performances. McDonald showed how she warms up to take on the demanding role. "One thing that a lotta singers do is humming. Just like (humming), you're doing things like that just to sort of and people do that, whether you're singing or not. It's good just to sort of make sure that everything's sort of moving and healthy. And you know, to do it eight times a week," she said. Inspiring the next generation Despite her countless accolades, McDonald still struggles with being called a legend. "If it can mean something to some little Black girl somewhere who says 'She did it and she looks like me so I can do it,' great," she said. "But I can't really comprehend what that means to me about me. You know what I mean? 'Cause I can't, you know, as I see how dirty my closet is, and the fact that I have not done laundry in four weeks." When asked about her own legends, McDonald became emotional while naming the likes of Diahann Carroll, Ruby Dee and Lena Horne. "They're not here. And they meant a lot to me. I could see them. They were doing it. They looked like me," she said. The 78th Annual Tony Awards will take place this Sunday, June 8, 2025, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. You can watch the on CBS and stream live on Paramount+