We weren't sure if we would, but lo and behold, we have indeed survived our first weekend in this post-Michael Jackson world. Jackson's passing got us thinking whether there was a heavy metal equivalent...meaning, is there one person in heavy metal whose death would elicit even a slightly similar outpouring of mourning and a sense of international loss? All we could come up with was Ozzy Osbourne, but mainly because of the fame he's amassed outside of music, not his work with Black Sabbath or as a solo artist. Share your opinion with us in the comments section below. We'd love to hear from you.

+ Thank God for the Internet. Otherwise, we'd never know what Kiss bassist Gene Simmons is thinking. The man who is long of tongue issued a statement over the weekend about Michael Jackson's death, and it was...well...insightful. "When I was going out with Diana Ross in the early '80s, I met Michael a few times through her," Simmons writes. "We spent social time together. [I] found him to be gentle, charming...obviously very talented. And that was that. The Michael of later years is someone I didn't recognize... nor like very much. When there are children involved... when there are allegations of child molestation... when there are admissions of inviting countless young boys to spend weekends... when there are payoffs to the children making the accusations in the $20,000,000 range...There's more than doubt in my mind."

Hey Gene, don't hold back or anything. "This doesn't take into consideration Michael's children... none of whom are biologically his. All three of whom have had a 'strange' upbringing. But then we don't know much, except a 'father' who thought nothing of dangling his young child over the balcony so his fans could get a thrill. So what's my comment regarding Michael's passing? I hope he finds peace. I wish his family and friends all the best in these very sad times." Simmons says he hopes Jackson's alleged victims come forward, so that we can "find out the truth about child molestation charges leveled at Michael," and added that while he was able to "recognize and respect his talent," the "rest is very tainted. And I want to hear the truth, once and for all."

+ How do you make sure your forthcoming album's picked up by fad followers, and not just your longtime fans? Get a dude from Fall Out Boy to track guest vocals. That's just what Every Time I Die has done for its album, 'New Junk Aesthetic,' which hits stores September 15. On Twitter, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz wrote that he'd "just laid down some vocals" on the disc, and continued, "Hopefully I didn't ruin it. Sorry if I did."

+ Congratulations to Van Halen's Eddie Van Halen, who married his girlfriend of three years, Janie Liszewski, over the weekend. According to People, the ceremony took place in the garden of Ed's seven-acre estate in the hills above Studio City, California, and how's this for ego: Liszewski walked down the aisle to Van Halen's "When It's Love." Son and VH member Wolfgang served as best man, while brother Alex Van Halen, an ordained minister, officiated at the 20-minute, nondenominational service.

+ Divine Heresy, Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares' other band, will unleash its sophomore album, 'Bringer of Plagues,' on July 28. Look for the effort to feature a dozen tracks, including "Facebreaker," "Anarchaos," and "Forever the Failure."

+ Now there's another reason to catch Mötley Crüe's Crüe Fest 2 this summer: former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan's Loaded. The band has been added to the second-stage roster, and now joins Godsmack, Theory of a Deadman, Drowning Pool, and Charm City Devils on the bill.

+ Ill Niño's Diego Verduzco has opened a tattoo shop in Canyon Country, California, called Artifact Tattoo.

+ New York death metallers Immolation have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records, who will release the band's eight studio album sometime in early 2010. "Expect the new one to have some of the most dark and intense music we've ever put together," the band says in a statement.

+ Burnt By the Sun have posted a new track, called "F Unit." The song rips, and if its any indication of what the band's new album, 'Heart of Darkness,' is going to sound like, we're beyond psyched.

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