A couple days ago I hung out with Brian “Head” Welch, co-founder and formerly the guitarist of the Nu Metal band Korn. Head was in town promoting his new CD “Save Me from Myself”, so I was assigned to interview him for my show “The Greenroom with Kim Katz” (www.BuzzNews.TV). For those who don’t know, Head walked away from Korn and his drug-filled lifestyle for God, thanks to a spiritual awakening he encountered nearly three years ago - probably not the easiest thing to do, but kudos to him for acting upon his beliefs! Though his CD was just released in early September, I found myself talking with Head more about his book, Washed by Blood. The book, written over a year ago, talks about his youth, life with Korn and his transformation – very interesting read. Head was excited to talk about his life’s change and, I must say, it was very inspiring just to be around him. Be sure to go to www.BuzzNews.TV to watch my interview with Head once it’s posted October 3rd. He was certainly one of the most interesting people with whom I’ve ever spoken.

As far as his new CD, “Save Me from Myself”, it charted at #13 just after its release. If you like Korn’s music you will love it. If you’re not such a big Korn fan, there’s a good chance you’ll like it anyway. The guitars are heavy, the riffs hauntingly catchy and Head does a terrific job singing in his first attempt at handling lead vocals. The words can be a bit dark as he graphically talks about his past ghosts, but will move you when he describes his spiritual conversion. You can get a great taste of his new music by going to his site www.brianheadwelch.net, where you can see his video for “Flush”. 

After a great session with Head at his downtown hotel, we accompanied him to Borders in Oakbrook where he met with hundreds of fans, telling his story, taking questions, signing autographs and taking photos. Brian “Head” Welch’s newfound peace is very apparent and I would highly recommend both his book and new CD, as his love and desire for spirituality can be very contagious. 

Kim Katz - “Meow”       

I love to be present at the opening night of a great show!  There is excitement in the cast and high hopes in the audience, many of whom have seen this show a dozen times or more. The North American Tour of Mamma Mia! kicked off its Chicago engagement Wednesday night with a wonderfully talented and very energetic ensemble of players to a full house of happy fans. The show was videotaped for DVD release and the young people who love this show were in full force doing their Mamma Cheers in the lobby for the cameras!

This was only my second time seeing the show, as I reviewed the Las Vegas cast last year for Buzz Magazine and I must say that this touring company which happens to include several well trained talents from Chicago had a flair and tightness and sense of humor that really demonstrates why Chicago is one of the best theatre cities in the world with some of the best theatre talent in the world. You can read our Buzz Magazine full review with cast information at www.Buzznews.Net

If you haven’t seen Mamma Mia! yet, this would be a great time to check out this family friendly, woman positive, heart warmer. If you are already a Mamma- Maniac you will definitely want to buy a ticket to catch this super fun and super talented cast in action before they move on with the tour. It will put a smile on your face and a dream in your heart! Tickets are still available from 30.00 to 85.00

 17 - 28 September 2008

Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University

50 E. Congress Parkway

Chicago, IL 60605

There is little doubt that as Boxing is decreasing in popularity, Mixed Martial Arts is rapidly growing in popularity. So when will Boxing die? This will not happen anytime soon as the De La Hoya-Mayweather event last year had record-breaking numbers, and the upcoming De La Hoya-Pacquiao bout looks to do the same. Still though, names like Kimbo Slice and Brock Lesnar are water cooler topics amongst men everywhere. Plus, the orginization, UFC, is starting to become a household name.

What heights will MMA reach? Will Boxing eventually disappear?

For updates and analysis on both MMA and Boxing, click on the following link… http://www.buzznews.net/Boxing.php

Ouch! Brady’s out for the year! If you were one, like my brother, who drafted Tom Brady in the first round of your fantasy draft – that sucks! Hopefully, you were shrewd to handcuff your prize pick with Brady’s back up, Matt Cassell, that is, unless you felt he was indestructible because of his 150-something start streak. Matt Cassell? Nobody is saying that Cassell will be the next Brady, but at least, in New England’s super offense, he should be plenty productive. After all, he has Randy Moss, Wes Welker and TE Ben Watson to throw to, not to mention the Patriots mega offensive line. If Cassell went undrafted in your league, he will no doubt be a hot pick up in your league’s waiver wire.

As much as Brady’s injury stayed atop all the headlines this past week, there were certainly many other notable injuries that took place, making fantasy’s first week a real debacle for many teams. Seattle starting RB Maurice Morris sprained his knee and looks to be out a few weeks. RB Julius Jones will surely benefit from this. New Orleans’s star receiver Marques Colston hurt and had surgery on his thumb, which will keep him sidelined for 4-6 weeks. Receivers Devery Henderson, David Patton and Robert Meachum should be picked up if they are still hanging around. Nate Burleson didn’t last long as Seattle’s #1 receiver as he mangled his ACL and is now lost for the season. Backup QB Seneca Wallace could be thrown into the receiving mix and could be a useful pick up. In fact, I’d take a shot at any available WR on Seattle right now since everyone seems to be out – former stud WR Deion Branch could be back by Week 3 for the Seahawks. Branch could really be a big play guy this year. Kansas City QB Brodie Croyle separated his shoulder and will miss the next few weeks. This means Damon Huard will start in his place. If Huard’s hot he could hold onto the job for a while.

Other notable, but less serious injuries include Tampa Bay QB Jeff Garcia (sprained ankle – questionable), San Diego RB LaDanian Tomlinson (jammed toe – probable), Dallas RB Marion Barber (bruised ribs – probable), St. Louis WR Drew Bennett (broken foot – out 4-6 weeks), Houston RB Ahman Green (sprained knee – doubtful) and Indianapolis RB Joseph Addai (head – probable).

Yes, the injuries were many and to some pretty big names. The lesson - If you owned any of these guys, I sure hope you drafted their handcuffs.

Layne's Birthday - August 22nd

Layne Staley, you would have been 41 years old today, August 22nd. Since I cannot wish you a happy birthday face to face, I’ll do it in spirit and by writing something I’m sure you’ll read over my shoulder…

For me, as a musician, Alice in Chains (AIC) changed my musical direction completely. With the emergence of AIC, Nirvana, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, etc…a new passion inside myself emerged that really changed me forever. Seemingly overnight, 80’s hair bands were squashed, only crumpled corpses and remnants of spandex-laden rock gods remained. It wasn’t so much that I desired bands like Ratt, Warrant and Dokken to dissappear as much as I felt I identified with the entire grunge culture as if I were waiting for it all my life. And it was Layne Staley’s Alice in Chains that hit me like a ton of bricks more than anything else. Together with Jerry Cantrell, Layne crafted songs on Facelift and their following releaes that hit me hard and never let go.

Layne was an original. There’s only one Alice in Chains and one Layne Staley. I can only wish Layne the best in his next life.

Thanks for the great music!

Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to the White Sox from the Reds for 2B Danny Richar and SP Nick Masset. The question is: Did Sox GM Kenny Williams make the right move? Yes, Griffey’s a Hall of Famer, he’s great in the clubhouse and he has a winning smile. However, the question still remains if he’s the right guy for the Sox. Griffey is batting a meager .245 with 15 dingers in a park - like “The Cell” - that is very homerun friendly. Gone are the days of Griffey’s past when he was a premier player in the league. That said, is he that much of an upgrade to Paul Konerko, who will spend most of his time on the bench now that Griffey is here?

Ok, maybe he is a small offensive upgrade. But at what cost does this slight upgrade come? The talk is that Griffey will replace Nick Swisher in center and Swisher will then move to first in place of Konerko. Neither sounds too good. Griffey is no longer a center fielder and may even be somewhat of a liability trying to get to balls in the gap and Swisher is a defensive downgrade from Konerko. If winning baseball games comes down to pitching and DEFENSE, how can this be a good move?

I like Griffey and respect his great career, but think this trade hurts the Sox’ chances.

Kim Katz and Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner, in town with his band Modern West, had Buzz Magazine writer Kim Katz tracked down to make sure she would attend his show at the House of Blues, this based on a review she had written a year ago that touched his heart. After a private performance during the band’s soundcheck, Kevin then proceeded to give Kim a fantastic exclusive video interview, which you can watch at www.BuzzNews.TV. Be sure to check it out!

Buzz recently took a trip out to Las Vegas to attend the 2008 Cinevegas Film Festival, and got some great footage while we were there! All of the footage can be seen at Buzznews.tv and includes celebrity interviews by Kimberly Katz on the red carpet for the screenings of “The Rocker” with Rainn Wilson, and “Get Smart”, with Steve Carrell. Check it out, and if you have some time- leave a comment or two!

Science Daily, a respected website that gathers research news and updates from across all fields of science and technology, has published a very interesting piece about what has been an incredibly successful (100% cure rate) transfusion of white blood cells in mice in order to combat malignancies.

The study was done at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center under the direction of lead researcher Zheng Cui, Ph.D., and they’ve just been given a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin human trials. There are of course no assurances that this therapy will have the same effect on humans as mice, but we can certainly hope for the best!

Volunteers are being selected right now for participation in the study. To find out how to volunteer and for more specific information on the study and the procedure, you can read the full article here.