It came to my attention 2 days ago that this site was hacked somehow and a malware virus was attached to many if not all of the HTML pages. I am doing everything I can to restore a backup of the site to eliminate the malware. In the meantime, if any of you have visited the site since 4/10/08 [using a Windows machine], you must run and antivirus program immediately. I’m am very sorry that this has happened. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with.

UPDATE 4/17/08 12:13am We’ve been working to restore the site from backups so you might notice some missing directories and files. I believe the hacking was through the Coppermine Photo Gallery, in case anyone out there is using it on their sites. It’s just a suspicion though. Confirmed. I believe it was only HTML/PHP files that were altered to expose visitors to the virus. Images, mp3s, etc, were not altered or infected. It seems that the gallery had a sql injection vulnerability which was exploited. What that means is that every .php and .html file was injected with an iframe code containing a malware virus. I believe the virus targeted Windows users only.

UPDATE 4/17/08 2:52pm The entire site has been successfully restored from a clean backup. Therefore, there should no longer be a threat to visitors. The security hole in the gallery is being patched as we speak. I have also notified Google to do a complete evaluation of the site to assure that it is clean. I will post the results as soon as they are available.

UPDATE 4/18/08 3:00pm There was another breach before the patch was applied. Everything is restored again and clean. The patch was successfully installed, so there should be no further danger of hacking or infecting. I am still waiting on Google to give the site a clean bill of health. Stayed tuned.

“Comic Book Tattoo” is “a 480-page, foot long, full colour anthology adapting her songs into, as quoted by the book’s publisher, Image Comics, a “lush volume of sequential art”. “Comic Book Tattoo” is being released on July 23rd, 2008.

“I have been surprised, excited and pleasantly shocked by these comics that are extensions of the songs that I have loved and therefore welcome these amazing stories of pictures and words because they are uncompromisingly inspiring,” says Amos. “It shows you thought is a powerful formidable essence and can have a breathtaking domino effect.”

To assemble COMIC BOOK TATTOO’s diverse roster of talent, Amos worked alongside editor Rantz Hoseley, co-creator behind the upcoming DISPLACED
PERSONS and VIX. Together they formed a line up featuring Y: THE LAST MAN’s Pia Guerra, Leah Moore, John Reppion David Mack, Hope Larson, Ryan Kelly, Jonathan Hickman, Colleen Doran, Eric Canete, Ted McKeever, Jock, Anthony Johnston, Dame Darcy, Carla Speed McNeil, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Mark Buckingham, Ivan Brandon, C. B. Cebulski and many more, including an introduction by SANDMAN creator Neil Gaiman.

Check out more details here and here.

The Spring issue of the Tori Amos fanzine Little Blue World will ship in mid-April. Here’s some of what’s included in the issue:

• Interview: “The Guy Who Runs the Place…” Our exclusive interview with Rantz Hoseley, who talks about Tori’s breakthrough into comics, as her songs become the subjects of an upcoming graphic novel.
• Special focus: the results of our photo contest; unveiling the winning photos and more.
• Feature articles: “Friday Night Margaritas: Tori and God,” “Polaroids 1998-2008, Part 2: A look back at from the Choirgirl Hotel,” “Tori and the Recording Studio: the invisible instrument” and “Giving Us the Boot.” Examining the “Legs & Boots” series.
• Reviews and retrospectives: “Singing Ears with Feet: Casey Stratton” and “When a Happy Song Isn’t: Happy Rhodes.”
• Regular features, like News, Ask the Expert, our quarterly comic and a “Tori Story.”

For more information about back issues, this issue, or how to subscribe, visit http://www.little-blue-world.org

These are the last day to enter fanzine Little Blue World’s holiday
sweepstakes, which ends January 15, 2008. Three randomly chosen
entries will receive a special gift from LBW, including signed
memorabilia and an American Doll Posse poster. Ordering back issues,
extending or starting a subscription will enter you automatically, but
no purchase is required to win.

The winter issue of Little Blue World will be shipping soon. Here’s
what to expect:
* Interviews: exclusive with support performer Joshua Radin on opening
for Tori and with feminist scholar Patricia Leavy who talks Tori,
feminism and music in today’s world.
* Special focus: Tori on Tour. “Reinterpreting the Girls”: Live Dolls
transform Tori classics. “VIPs For a Day”: Two fans share their Gold
and Platinum ticket experiences.
* Feature Articles: “Dispatches and Polaroids 1998-2008″: Checking in
ten years on at The Choirgirl Hotel (Part 1). “And All That Could Have
Been With Their NINE INCH NAILS”: A brief look at the complex history
of Tori Amos and Trent Reznor. “Tori and Place” Part 2.
*Plus regular features like News, Reviews, Expert and our quarterly comic.

Also, don’t forget the photo contest, ending February 1, 2008. Have
you taken a great picture of Tori? Five prizes will be awarded,
including more signed memorabilia, for the best.

See little-blue-world.org for more about the fanzine, the
contests or how to subscribe.

From the mouths of the official sites: recordings of many of the shows on Tori’s American Doll Posse US Tour will be available online at Legs and Boots! Beginning with last night’s concert in Philadelphia, the entire performance will be available for digital download within a few hours of each show’s completion.

In order to provide the best possible quality audio and options, all shows released will be made available as high-quality MP3s (256 kbps), and as even higher quality FLAC files. For Tori, making FLAC files available was crucial, “for those of us into audio pornography it gives me great pleasure to give the online audience “Legs and Boots,” and with these I endeavor to give you the ultimate sonic climax.”

Complete shows in MP3s will be available for $9.99 and FLAC will be $14.99. The shows will be available for download in the MP3 format in the hours following the performance. FLAC versions, because of their dramatic size increase, will be available 4-6 days after each performance. To avoid forcing FLAC purchasers to wait for their downloads, you’ll be given the MP3 format files upon purchasing to tide you over. You can pre-buy any show and set the software to “automatically download when available.”

According to the latest Official Tori Amos email newsletter:

Upcoming Tori Amos Bootlegs
We are very excited to announce that many of the shows on Tori’s Fall “American Doll Posse Tour” will be available online for digital download within a few hours of each show’s completion. Stay tuned to www.toriamos.com for details.

Tori Amos Video Web Chat
Tori will be logging onto www.toriamos.com for a video chat to answer your questions this Thursday, October 11 at noon ET/9am PT. The chat will last approximately 20 minutes, so don’t be late!

Things have kind of slowed down in the interim between tour legs. Also, there’s been kind of a lack of contributors of high-quality tour mp3s, so that has been a bit of a bummer. So I want to renew the effort and call out to any recorders who would like to share a few of the highlights from the shows at Diagnosed Sounds. We appreciate your time, talent and effort and want to maximize the exposure of the trading community as well as hear some of the fabulous new performances from Tori! Just email me if you’re interested in sharing, Thank You!

In other news, I’ve been quite busy this summer with vacation, travel and a new job and promotion, hooray! I’ve also been cleaning house of my Tori Amos collectibles that now need new homes. So please take a look through my eBay Auctions, if you’re interested — there will be more to come!