4/1/08
Vince Neil performs a selection of Mötley Crüe hits at Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation's (ARF) ARF Rocks! fundraiser at the Dean Lesher Regional Center in Walnut Creek, California. Vince fronts the ARF all-star band that features Mike Vanderhule and John Nymann from Y&T, Eric Martin from Mr. Big, Myron Dove, Ken Harrill and Tony Lindsay. Funds raised from the event are used by ARF to save the lives of loving dogs and cats who have run out of time at public shelters.

Former Mötley singer John Corabi says he'll begin recording his long-promised solo album in a week's time in Nashville, adding, "I guess I have a tendency to over-think myself to death. I'll break myself of that habit. But there will be some new music coming soon."

10/1/08
As the video for Sixx: A.M.'s Accidents Can Happen premieres on Fuse, Nikki Sixx wishes fans a Happy New Year and says he has quit smoking, having had his last cigarette thirteen days ago.

14/1/08
Gerald Schneeman of Rockford, Illinois files a lawsuit against Live Nation, the promoter of the recent Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith concert tour. The lawsuit states Schneeman was standing in front of the Ford Amphitheater stage on 22 November 2006, when an unnamed member of Mötley Crüe jumped from the stage and knocked him to the ground, striking him in the head with a guitar. Security then came over and assaulted him before dragging him from the venue. According to the suit, he suffered bodily injury, scarring and disfigurement.

18/1/08
Nikki takes part in several signing sessions at this year's winter NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. He spends time talking to fans and signing merchandise at the booths of Ovation Guitars, Basson Sound, and Dean Markley Strings. Mick Mars also spends time at NAMM to sign autographs and chat with fans.

19/1/08
Vince plays a free evening street concert outside 219 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, Florida to celebrate the grand opening of his much-anticipated Dr. Feelgood's Rock Bar and Grill to the public. The VIP opening held four days ago was attended by the likes of Vanilla Ice, Dennis Rodman, and former Miami Dolphin Jay Fiedler. Vince is also reportedly looking for a space in downtown West Palm Beach to setup another branch of his tattoo business Vince Neil Ink.

21/1/08
Nikki's ex-wife Donna D'Errico is reportedly shopping for a publisher for a proposed book titled Letters from Rehab, which consists of letters that Donna received from Nikki during his rehab stint in 2001 and her thoughts on their content. D'Errico is also looking to publish her memoir titled Both Eyes Forward with a firm focus on her marriage and divorce from Nikki.

24/1/08
Vince Neil's Motley Cruise 2008 departs from Miami on the newly renovated Carnival Imagination ship for a four-day rock 'n' roll vacation filled with music, fun and sun. The event features a concert by Vince and his band, in addition to live performances by Ratt (featuring John Corabi), Skid Row, Slaughter, and Lynam, as the ship sails for the Mayan Riviera, stopping by Key West, before making its way to Calica, Mexico. Other on-board activities include meet and greets with the artists, wet and wild shore excursions in Key West and Cozumel, and a no-limit Texas Hold'Em charity poker tournament and live auction.

29/1/08
Tommy has narrated the upcoming documentary Dear Jack due later this year, which focuses on Jack's Mannequin founder Andrew McMahon's battle with leukaemia. The feature film also chronicles the beginnings of the band, Andrew's relationship with his now-wife Kelly and the immense impact both had on his fight with cancer. Tommy forged a strong friendship with McMahon and played drums on Jack Mannequin's debut, while Andrew contributed lead vocals to Tommyland: The Ride.

30/1/08
Nikki tells fans that ten songs have now been completed for the new Crüe album, saying, "I'm very proud of the songs. I think we're onto some of the better songs we've had in years - time will tell, of course. A couple of song titles are called A Scar on Hollywood Blvd. and Saints of Los Angeles. As it's been leaked out before, this is no surprise, but the album is called The Dirt and it lyrically follows the story of the Mötley Crüe best-seller The Dirt. It's challenging and exciting to have to write the songs into time capsules spreading over years. I've written a lot of songs with Mick Mars of course, along with James Michael, Marti Frederickson and DJ Ashba. The chemistry in the studio as we're writing is unbelievable. I look forward to leaking some to you all in the next few months."

Nikki also says his Miami Ink and LA Ink television personality friend Kat Von D will probably ink him this weekend. "I haven't got anything tattooed in years except Tag Here on my toe. I think it's time to step it up; I'm feeling the itch. I've been wanting to get Los Angeles tattooed on me for ages and then the other day I noticed Kat has it on her left shoulder. We both have had so much happen in our lives in this city, why not make it permanent? The band started it here, I've died here, had kids, married and divorced here. My life is in Los Angeles."

3/2/08
Vince performs at the first annual Game Day at the Playboy Mansion on Superbowl Sunday, hosted by the professional networking company Financially Hung, founded by former Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick and her husband, two-time Superbowl Champion Glenn Cadrez. Over seven hundred guests, celebrities and professional athletes dance and mingle with Playboy Playmates and Bunnies all day and into the night while enjoying a lavish spread of Game Day style food, an open bar, and hand rolled Cuban cigars. Mick also attends the event, which raises $50,000 for the California Police Youth Charities.

10/2/08
In a weekend session at his personal studio, Mick collaborates with Machina, the band featuring former Evanescence members John LeCompt and Rocky Gray, on a new song titled Save You. The track features guitar work by Mick and LeCompt, vocals by Phil Taylor, drums by Rocky Gray and bass by Thad Ables. The song is still in pre-production phase, and it has not yet been determined how or where it will be used.

11/2/08
Robin Leach reports on his blog, "Mötley Crüe rocker Vince Neil had 110-million reasons to smile for his birthday blowout weekend here — just two days earlier Vince, Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars signed a $100-million+ mega deal to produce three albums and perform three world tours for the giant LiveNation entertainment conglomerate. "We’ll actually have been together for 37 years by the time it comes to an end," laughed Vince." Leach also says, "Vince, who will go off next month on a solo tour of Canada, told me that the first of the three long world tours starts this July. The new contract runs for the next 10 years and includes 169 concert dates on the first global journey!"

In response, Nikki says, "Mötley Crüe has not signed any deals. Any information reported to the contrary is false and misleading."

12/2/08
Sixx: A.M. is preparing to hit the road for a select number of U.S. dates but due to the band-members' limited availabilities, they are giving fans the power to decide which markets they will play. Fans can cast a vote for their city on www.votesixxam.com. The winning cities and Sixx: A.M. tour routing will be announced in one week's time.

19/2/08
Tommy DJs at the after-party for the gala opening of Mario Barth's Starlight Tattoo at the House of Blues in Las Vegas.

21/2/08
The Pulse of Radio reports that Mötley Crüe has set a July 8 release date for its ninth studio album, titled The Dirt. A yet-to-be-named single will arrive at radio stations on May 7 with the band expected to start a new world tour in June or July. Although it was reported last year that drummer Tommy had again quit the Crüe over legal issues, he and the group have apparently reconciled.

Nikki is the featured artist for the premiere episode of Live Through This on Fuse TV.

25/2/08
In an online post on his website as response to his status in Mötley Crüe, Tommy writes, "Nope! I never quit! Silly rumours! We're all together! We're goin' on a world tour starting July 4th!"

28/2/08
Sixx: A.M. releases a statement advising they will postpone their spring tour "due to unforeseen circumstances and will most likely hit the road in the summer of 2008."

5/3/08
Bob Timmons, the addiction specialist credited with salvaging the lives of Mötley Crüe members and other celebrity drug users by steering them onto the path of sobriety and helping them stay there, dies of respiratory failure at his home in Marina del Rey. He was 61.Nikki says of his passing, “Lost a dear friend and saw how many people’s lives he has touched. His time here was done and I feel good in knowing that’s the destiny for us all. He taught me a lot about recovery and I hope to pass that on, it’s the least we can do. Lead by sober example to those who still struggle.”

7/3/08
Nikki and Kat Von D go public with their relationship via MySpace. On his profile, Nikki captions a photo of them taken at a tattoo competition in Santa Barbara with "My other half, I love this woman...." Kat captions a different photo of the couple on her MySpace profile with "Never thought I'd fall in love like THIS. He OWNS my heart" while Nikki comments below, "Never saw it coming, but it mowed us down like a freight train... Hell Yeahhhh, Love is in the air." The couple spends Kat's birthday weekend at New York City’s Bowery Hotel and get matching tattoos of a Bowery Boy.

Born Katherine Von Drachenberg on 8 March 1982 as Mötley Crüe was selling-out shows at the Troubadour, the Whisky and the Country Club, Kat set a world record last December by creating four-hundred tattoos in a twenty-four-hour period. After splitting with her tattoo artist husband Oliver Peck last April, Kat was dating Whitestarr drummer Alex 'Orbi' Orbison, son of music great Roy Orbison. Orbi has now announced on his MySpace page that he and Von D have split up.

11/3/08
Sixx: A.M. films a video for the song Pray For Me, which will be the third single release from The Heroin Diaries book soundtrack CD.

13/3/08
Nikki says work in the studio on the next Mötley Crüe album is flowing nicely. “We were all together again today plotting, planning, designing, listening and the band seems to have the old bite back, but we will let you be the judge of that when its time. I do know the people around us (the ones we can trust) are feeling the magic from the songs, so maybe it’s not only in our heads.”

He also confirms that he and Kat Von D are together. “We’ve been ‘just’ friends since last summer. She was going through a brutal divorce (as was I) and we were friends. Along the way, she met a great guy (Orbi) and we were friends through that too. They broke up and we were still ‘just’ friends. I’ve never had a friend become the girl. Yes, it caught us both by surprise, as I’m sure some of you – it’s understandable. We are very, very happy together. I hope it shows in our art and music. Nothing is better for artists than complete connection. Oh, one last thing: when I felt myself falling for her, she was all walls and barricades, an invisible bodyguard on call every time I even tried to allude to or use the evil smirk to get closer to her heart – so if you think bad of anyone, let it be me.”

15/3/08
James Michael says, "I’ve been locked away in the studio for the last couple months producing the new Mötley Crüe record and can I just say that it is truly incredible! The songs are stellar and the band is at the top of their game, rocking harder than ever. I get chills every morning when I step into the studio and hear playback on what we did the night before. I am so proud of this record. You’re going to fucking love it!"

John Corabi plays an acoustic performance with Dilana at the grand opening of the Mystikal Voyage new age shop in Baltimore.

17/3/08
A Mötley Crüe press release states all four original members will make a "colossal" announcement in Los Angeles on April 15 at a location to be determined, adding, "this will by far be one of the biggest music announcements of the year!" The Crüe will fly out one lucky grand prize winner from each major city across the country for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cover this announcement in Los Angeles and the chance to interview the band and have it broadcast live.

20/3/08
Nikki and Mick have tentatively settled the lawsuit against former Mötley Crüe co-manager of Carl Stubner. According to a two-page settlement agreement, a request for dismissal will be filed by May 31 based on the successful completion of the undisclosed terms arrived at by the parties. A hearing scheduled for tomorrow is cancelled. Nikki, Mick and the corporations Mötley Crüe Inc. and Red, White & Crüe Inc. (not including Vince) sued Stubner, who still represents Tommy, for more than $20 million last June, alleging breach of fiduciary duties and constructive fraud.

In the evening, Nikki and Kat are guests at the launch party for M.A.C. Cosmetics' Heatherette collection in Los Angeles before attending a cocktail party for the Details magazine Mavericks 2008 issue in Beverly Hills.

25/3/08
At approximately 9:34pm, Mario Barth of Starlight Tattoo is recorded by Guinness World Records as having performed the first-ever tattoo in high altitude. He tattoos a mermaid on Tommy's left thigh in-flight in a luxurious Gulfstar G-4 private jet traveling from Burbank Airport to the Miami Executive Aviation. Tommy and DJ Aero travel to Miami to DJ at the 23rd annual Winter Music Conference.

Fan reaction is very favourable when they hear a preview of Mötley Crüe's forthcoming first single Saints of Los Angeles as it is premiered on radio.

29/3/08
A Blu-ray Disc version of Mötley Crüe's Carnival of Sins DVD is released by Warner Music Group (WEA).

30/3/08
The Sixx:A.M. song Life is Beautiful reaches the number one position on U.S. rock radio charts, dislodging Puddle of Mudd in a top five rounded out by Seether, Three Doors Down and Foo Fighters. DJ Ashba says, "This is a lifetime dream come true for me, and I am speechless!"

31/3/08
Discovery Networks' eco-centric Planet Green has signed Tommy and hip hop superstar Ludacris to star in Battleground Earth, a reality competition that features the duo battling against the toxic forces destroying mother earth as they travel across the U.S. on a ten-episode tour set to premiere this August. A press release says viewers will witness the two stars pushed to the limit as they attempt to keep their high-wattage acts on an eco-friendly course. Enlisting the help of their posses, celebrity guests, and anyone else willing to lend a hand, Ludacris and Tommy will dive right into the Battleground Earth competition with unexpected and sometimes hilarious results. Throughout the tour they will battle to get the word out about the state of the environment. This rap 'n' roll battle is wet to culminate in a green carpet benefit concert at Los Angeles' legendary Greek Theater, featuring Luda, Tommy and many of their famous musician friends in support of the renewal of Griffith Park, which was devastated by recent wildfires.

Tommy says, "I was definitely not down to do another reality show because we have too many of those and they're stupid. But I'm doing this for my kids. Environmentalism is a serious sort of subject but you've got to make it fun or you freak people out."

3/4/08
During a solo performance at the free weekly Clematis By Night party in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida, Vince announces from stage that Mötley Crüe will kick off its upcoming tour at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach.

4/4/08
Billboard announces Nikki has been named the President of Eleven Seven Records where he will oversee a roster that includes Buckcherry, Trapt, Drowning Pool, Marion Raven and up-and-coming rock outfit Chosen Son. "I find it very interesting to take the artist’s craft, the art, the music, the image, and get it out there," Nikki says. "It comes under the heading of ’record company president,’ but it’s a little more than that. I’ve had enough success and enough misfires in a career that’s lasted over twenty five years that I can go back and draw on that experience, and I think that’s helpful for the artists. When I go into rehearsal rooms and meet with bands, they’re genuinely excited to be with me because of what I’ve done as an artist, not because of anything else."

Nikki also says the new Mötley Crüe studio album, "is one of those albums that I just feel it in my stomach that something’s happening with the band. There’s a newfound energy in the songs. It’s just a rebirth of that really dirty, rock and roll side of Mötley Crüe."

11/4/08
The full-version of the new Mötley Crüe single Saints of Los Angeles is premiered to fans via an exclusive stream at Spinner.com.

12/4/08
Nikki says, "The album's done, the video's done, the artwork is done, the photo sessions are all wrapped up and the single is ready to go to radio, rehearsals start tomorrow; wow... it’s been so busy, it feels like I'm leaving a few things out… and I probably am. I know a lot of you have heard Saints of Los Angeles on the web - if you like the single, just wait 'til you see the video. OK, my eyes are red, and it's a rare night to not have to work, so I'm gonna sit back and feel good about all the hard work. I hope you all like it as much as we do."

15/4/08
During a press conference at Avalon Hollywood, Mötley Crüe announces they will headline their own summer rock festival Crüe Fest 2008, also featuring Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M. and Trapt. Produced by Live Nation and billed as "the summer's loudest show on Earth" the two-month tour launches July 1 in West Palm Beach, Florida at the appropriately-named Cruzan Amphitheatre, and will hit forty major North American cities throughout July and August. "We are so excited not only to headline our own annual summer festival, but also to be able to share the stage with the next generation of great rock bands. There's not a lot Mötley Crüe hasn't done so to say this summer's festival is going to be about rock 'n' roll excess is an understatement. A night of hit songs by great bands and a trail of panties coast to coast... Crüe Fest, hell yeah!" says Nikki in a statement. When asked if the festival will travel overseas, he says, "We've been talking about it. First things first, we are playing the shows in America to start out and that'll take us into August or September, then we're deciding what we do from there - whether its Europe or South America, I think we're going to find out first what it feels like to have these bands all together and then we'll see what happens. We're excited, that's all I know."

Mötley Crüe also reveals their new album will be titled Saints of Los Angeles and is ready to hit stores June 17. Vince says the album with all of the band's original members takes the band back to their roots: "The album, Saints of Los Angeles, represents us growing up in Los Angeles – sights, sounds and smells. It's the first record in over ten years that we've put out together as a real studio album. It's really worth the wait – the songs are amazing, the stories are amazing. It's a great album and we can't wait to get out and play the whole thing." At 5pm Mötley performs Kickstart My Heart and Saints of Los Angeles live at the event with the latter airing on ABC-TV’s Jimmy Kimmel Live later in the evening. Towards the end of the last song, Vince is joined on backing vocals by the singers of the participating bands: Josh Todd of Buckcherry, Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, James Michael of Sixx: A.M. and Chris Brown of Trapt. The Saints of Los Angeles video also features these singers at the end of the song. The video was shot inside the former Nabisco biscuit company factory at 673 S. Mateo St, Los Angeles. A winged Marion Raven can be seen sitting atop Nikki's amp during the video's live performance scenes.

Furthermore, the band has joined forces with Harmonix and MTV Games to be the first band to offer the title-track as a download in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation computer game Rock Band, which challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Currently available on iTunes, the Saints of Los Angeles single will also be released on Motley Records as a download from today via Xbox Live Marketplace and via the PlayStation Store in two days-time. At each stop on the tour, Rock Band fans will get the chance to battle it out in their very own Rock Band for the chance to take the Crüe Fest concert stage between acts and become the local Rock Band champion.

The Saints of Los Angeles single is the #1 Most Added to Rock Radio in the US and Canada.

24/4/08
Jeff Blando says the Vince Neil solo band is getting ready to start on getting a good record out. "We've got to write something that fits his personality and his persona. We're starting out Dana and myself, and then we'll bring Vince in and Zoltan [Chaney], the drummer. The game plan is I think Dana and myself are going to go out with Vince while he's on the Crüe Fest. We're actually taking the rig out with us, I believe, and we're going to be working with Vinnie and writing on the days off. Try not to miss any time we have together to get this thing forward as quickly as we can."

25/4/08
Playboy.com premieres the uncensored music video for the new Sixx: A.M. single Pray for Me. The steamy video airs exclusively at www.playboy.com until April 29.

Tommy and Ludacris film some scenes for their Battleground Earth eco-reality TV show at the Stockyards Championship Rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas.

28/4/08
Sarnia Councilor Dave Boushy tries to convince city council that the city should have some say about what acts perform at Bayfest, following a recent call to action from Mooretown grandfather Gord Park, appealing to churches, politicians, service clubs and protection agencies to mobilise and stop acts like Mötley Crüe from performing in Sarnia. He said Mötley Crüe's off-stage antics are "pornographic" and could harm the city's image. However the council does not support him, and several members say they don't want to become a censor board for outdoor events, even those on city-owned property. Bayfest organiser Michele Stokley says, "Nikki Sixx can speak in Washington, but Boushy says he shouldn't come to Sarnia? If you know nothing about the band, how can you judge them?"

29/4/08
As she winds up work on her album, Dilana heads to Mick's home studio with Dave Basset to record his guitar track on one of her songs saying, "Exciting stuff, I know he's gonna give it that last sprinkle of magic dust that the EIGHT, yes 8-minute song needs!"

2/5/08
Vince hosts the Twelfth Annual Skylar Neil Memorial Golf Tournament at Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley, California. Amongst the guests are Biohazard's Evan Seinfeld, Britney Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline and various porn stars.

8/5/08
Tommy joins all-star covers band Camp Freddy on stage at the Roxy in West Hollywood. At the end of The Cult's classic Lil Devil, he takes over a drum kit alongside Matt Sorum and the two launch into a drum duel. Others to share the stage on the night include Slash, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, plus the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones and Paul Cook.

9/5/08
Nikki is this year's honouree at Covenant House California's ninth annual Awards Gala held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. With a portion of proceeds from Nikki's Heroin Diaries best-seller going to his charity Running Wild in The Night, a creative arts program for Covenant House California at their youth shelters in Los Angeles and Oakland, he is able to present the organisation with a cheque for more than $250,000. Previous Covenant House California Awards Gala honourees and participants include Charlize Theron, Ray Charles, William Shatner, Andy Garcia, Smokey Robinson, Sharon Osbourne, and Brittany Murphy.

12/5/08
The release of Mötley's new album is pushed back a week to allow inclusion of a final track titled Goin' Out Swingin'. In a press release, Nikki says, "Before our performance at the press conference, we were firing on all cylinders at sound check just jamming out, and that's when the new idea came. We quickly laid it down and went to the studio to record it, and liked it so much we pushed back the release one week so that we could get it onto the album — it now has thirteen tracks. It's the ultimate song to end the record with and begin the new chapter of our career."

13/5/08
Mick doesn't like the sound of having to continue paying palimony to his ex-girlfriend Robbie Mantooth that he is suing, so he asks a judge if he can suspend the payments until trial. Mick originally filed the suit against Mantooth in Los Angeles Superior Court in November 2006, alleging that she breached the terms of a settlement of a palimony suit between the former couple. He is asking for unspecified punitive damages and attorneys' fees. Under the settlement of the previous lawsuit between Mick and Mantooth, he gave her a down payment and agreed to pay an additional $5,070 a month on a balance of $300,000, according to his court papers. He claims Mantooth promised not to disclose any financial information about him to anyone in exchange for receiving the monthly payments, but she later gave information about Mick's account at City National Bank to a debt collection agency after they contacted her regarding money she owed, according to his current lawsuit. Mantooth also allegedly told the collection agency that Mick misappropriated her money and agreed to pay her debts, the lawsuit states.

In court papers filed today, Mick maintains alleged breaches by Mantooth are grounds for not having to pay her any further support. In a hearing scheduled for June 6, he is asking Judge Edward A. Ferns to suspend his payment obligations until the trial is completed. Mick maintains that two delays in the start of the trial from January to the current September 15 date have virtually assured Mantooth of continuing to receive money to which she might not otherwise have been entitled if the musician wins his case. Ferns granted the two delays in the trial due to the illnesses to Mantooth and her lawyer.

23/5/08
Tommy is set to lend his voice to a new half-hour, animated TV show titled The Life and Times of Jimmy Jaxx, loosely based on his own life. The project revolves around a rocker who attempts to balance his crazy lifestyle on the road with a calmer existence at home. The character is distracted, however, by his tattoos — which come to life and are constantly trying to lead him down the wrong path. Tommy says, "I've always loved the animated world. How fun and kooky is this gonna be, to combine some real-life experiences with some seriously over-the-top humour." Smart Entertainment (Blades of Glory) is behind the project, currently in the early stages of development at Fox.

26/5/08
Mötley Crüe's new single Saints of Los Angeles sold 10,000 copies on iTunes and Amazon in the U.S. and Canada upon its release last month, whereas on the video game Rock Band 47,000 copies were sold on the Xbox 360 version alone.

28/5/08
The Battleground Earth: Ludacris V Tommy Lee event takes place at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Other artists to perform include Rock Star Supernova, Switchfoot, Train with The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, Blue Man Group with special guest Ziggy Marley, members of Velvet Revolver with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, plus Bowling For Soup with Twisted Sister's Dee Snider.

2/6/08
Mick says Mötley Crüe is "working on a world tour, not a world festival tour, but we're doing forty or more dates on Crüe Fest and then after that we'll do Europe and Japan. There are tons of festivals to do in Europe. And in Japan we'll go over and play eight or ten gigs, because it's not a very big place. Then we'll hit Australia and hopefully new places like Argentina. And of course, we'll play Mexico City." When asked his thoughts on the band's new album, he says, "It sounds to me like vintage Crüe - meaning Feelgood, Girls, Girls, Girls and that kind of stuff - but at the same time, it's more modern sounding. The rawness from back then is on the album, but the songs are more modern. They fit into the genre today, instead of sounding like it's 1980. It's modern, but it's Mötley too."

Mick also updates fans on the band's movie based on their autobiography The Dirt. "The movie is still in the works. I've gotten a few scripts, but they weren't true to the story, so I didn't care much for them personally. It was like they wanted to do a Monkees kind of thing. And that ain't Mötley Crüe. They keep trying to polish it up, but we're a lot different than most of the scripts we've gotten. So the movie is still in the works, but we've still got to find the right director and find the right script and everything else. It will come out, but I don't know when."

9/6/08
During a Rockline interview, Sixx: A.M. front man James Michael says Papa Roach's drummer Tony Palermo will perform double-duty and also drum for Sixx: A.M. on the forthcoming CrueFest tour. Palermo used to drum for punk band Unwritten Law.

Vince says it took three to four months for the songs and album to come together. The Crüe is currently preparing to play three of the new songs this tour as they rehearse in a Hollywood studio space with Sixx: A.M. also rehearsing next door.

11/6/08
Mötley Crüe, Inc. files a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court against the band's former co-manager Burt Stein and his companies, accusing him of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty, while seeking declaratory relief. Stein held a dual role serving as one of Mötley's managers and also as the personal manager for Vince Neil. The band claims Stein tried to cash-in on the Crüe's popularity and used his position as their music manager to promote his own agenda in order to achieve financial gain by obstructing the business relationships of Mötley Crüe. In the suit, the band states: "Stein used his position as a band manager to attempt to extract money for himself to the detriment of Mötley Crüe." This includes allegations that he set up and booked appearances and activities for Vince that conflicted with the priority Mötley Crüe schedule. The file also claims Stein's management agreement would terminate if and when the band entered into a new management agreement. Even though that occurred in February this year, they claim Stein is continuing to demand commissions for managerial services performed and taking the position he is still a co-manager when he is not.

Burt Stein returns fire by filing a lawsuit against Mötley Crüe and its management company in Nashville's federal court, accusing them of trying to cut him out of the percentage of revenues he has shared in for many years. In his breach of contract suit, Stein claims that band manager Allen Kovac has been threatening to sue him over the 1.875 percent cut he receives from the band's earnings as Vince's personal manager, dating back to a September 1996 agreement with Mötley's management company for so long as Vince is the lead singer of Mötley Crüe and Stein's written personal management agreement with Vince is in effect. Stein entered into a new five-year personal management deal with Vince just fourteen months ago, and claims he is owed monies stemming from Mötley Crüe's multi-million dollar recording and touring agreement with Live Nation executed in March this year.

When Rolling Stone magazine visits Mötley Crüe in their Hollywood rehearsal studio as they prepare for their summer CrueFest tour, Tommy tells them that he's back with his ex-wife Pamela Anderson. "Pamela and the kids have moved in with me. It's awesome, man. It's definitely working. You can tell on the kids' faces - they're happy when we're together. We've only given it a try 800 times - 801, here we go."

16/6/08
After seeing their full stage set for the first time at rehearsals earlier in the day, the Mötley band members are interviewed in the Rockline studio for the U.S. National Radio Premiere of the Saints of Los Angeles album. During the interview they say the new album's opening track L.A.M.F. was inspired by Bowie's opening to his Diamond Dogs album, which originally inspired Shout At The Devil's opening track In The Beginning. They say Mick started writing songs for the album last October. Writing then got more serious with Nikki in December, before work started with James Michael. Tommy says the concept for the album cover design was seeded by his crucifix necklace that features a naked girl instead of Jesus.

18/6/08
The Japanese version of the new Mötley Crüe studio album Saints of Los Angeles is released, featuring two exclusive bonus tracks: Kickstart My Heart (Live & Rare) and Saints Of Los Angeles (Live & Rare), both taken from the band's recent press conference performance. The limited edition features high quality SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD players) and bonus DVD with music videos and interviews. DVDs are region-2 encoded (Japan, Europe, and Middle East), and carry no subtitles.

19/6/08
Frustrated that the long-awaited movie about their lives is going nowhere with Paramount Pictures and MTV Films, Mötley Crüe is now looking for new partners. Nikki tells Reuters, "We're trying to get them out of the way to make this movie that should have been made a long time ago. MTV has become bogged down in its own way. It's a channel that used to be hip and has now actually become unhip. We signed with them because we believed they were right, but they haven't come to the table. We need to find the right partner. They are not the right partner."

20/6/08
Mötley Crüe are guests on CNN's Larry King Live, where they answers questions from viewers and Larry, interspersed with footage of Larry taking a drum lesson from Tommy and playing Mick's guitar during his recent visit to the band's rehearsal studio near the Burbank airport.

22/6/08
Mötley Crüe headlines day two of Heavy MTL festival on Saint-Hélène Island in Montreal, Canada in front of thirteen thousand fans. After opening with Kickstart My Heart, they play Saints of Los Angeles as their fourth song and only number from the new album. After a dozen songs and a solo from Mick, they leave the stage before returning with Home Sweet Home as their encore to close the festival. Other bands that played before them include Disturbed, Three Days Grace, Anthrax, Voivod, Shadows Fall, Drowning Pool, Warrant, and Priestess.

23/6/08
Nikki says his tattoo artist girlfriend Kat has been going over all his old tattoos and re-colouring them, re-outlining them and re-doing a lot of them. "We're about 50% done. After so many years of sun, fun and putting them through hell, it's amazing what they look like now; better than new, just fucking bad ass to be honest." One tattoo re-styled is the skull on his outside right forearm that had the initials SSRR inked on its bandana when Sex Sex Rock n Roll was the working title of the Dr. Feelgood album - it now reads SOLA.

Kat has also been tattooing new work on Nikki. He says, "She has done a huge piece on my right ribcage: it's an angel I took a photo of in a cemetery when I was in Milan, Italy. Underneath it, from my lower back wrapping around to my lower stomach, it says Los Angeles. The detail blows my mind. She's just about finished with portraits of all my children on my left calf; they cover every inch of my leg. I can just look down whenever I miss them and see their faces. They're all from photos I took of them - something so personal about having her tattoo my own photography on me. The fact that we're so in love, so in synch and so much on the same path in life makes us even closer during and after the tattoo experience. Obviously I've never been in love with my tattoo artist before, so this is a pretty big high for both of us. It's all about the ones we love - like the tattoo of my grandfather on my left thigh she just finished. You should have seen his face when he saw it. I think after eighty years on earth and all he has done and seen, this one totally blew everything else away and blew his mind. He's pretty smitten with Kat too; that just put him over the top." Nikki concludes by saying, "I finally met my other half. Yes, I'm happy as hell. This is gonna be a great year for both of us."

24/6/08
Mötley Crüe's ninth studio album Saints of Los Angeles is released in the U.S. on Mötley Records. Nikki and Marti Frederiksen have song-writing credits on every song on the album, along with other co-writers: James Michael is credited on every song except Welcome To The Machine. DJ Ashba is credited on every song except The Animal in Me and This Ain't a Love Song, which is the only song that Tommy co-wrote. Mick co-wrote seven songs on the album (tracks six through twelve), while Vince says he was on holidays when the album was written. The album's lyrics thematically follow the band’s chronological history and reference themes introduced in their autobiography The Dirt.

Recorded and mixed at the Lightning Bolt Garage, the album is produced, engineered and mixed by James Michael, who is also credited for his programming, keyboards and backing vocals work. The album is co-produced by Nikki and DJ Ashba, who also performed additional engineering at his Ashbaland Studios, as did Viggy Vignola at Tommyland Studios. Other backing vocals are credited to Vince, Melissa Harding, and Marti Frederiksen, who is best known for his work with Aerosmith since the mid-'90s. He has also worked with numerous acts, co-writing and/or performing on albums by Def Leppard and Fuel, as well as Buckcherry's latest hit single Sorry.

To celebrate the album's release, Mötley plays Saints of Los Angeles live on The Late Show with Dave Letterman on CBS. Vince drives his fellow band members to the show's New York studios at the Ed Sullivan Theatre on Broadway in a black '53 Cadillac convertible, followed by a procession of motorbikes.

25/6/08
A ten-album Mötley Crüe SHM-CD cardboard sleeve back catalogue reissue series is released is Japan, featuring the albums Too Fast For Love, Shout At The Devil, Theatre Of Pain, Girls Girls Girls, Dr. Feelgood, Mötley Crüe, Generation Swine, Supersonic & Demonic Relics, Live: Entertainment Or Death, and New Tattoo.

1/7/08
The CrueFest tour kicks off at the appropriately-named Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida. After Sixx: A.M.’s set earlier in the evening, Nikki performs double-duty for the first time in his career as Mötley begins their ninety-minute set with Kickstart My Heart, followed by Wild Side and Shout At The Devil. The stage features Los Angeles written backwards behind them, a-la the landmark Hollywood Sign. Two songs from the new album are played: the title track Saints of Los Angeles (with the singers of the other bands on the bill) and Motherfucker of the Year, separated by Live Wire and Tommy’s Tittie Cam interlude. Backed by an impressive light show and a heap of pyrotechnics, Mötley plays six more loud classics from their catalogue of hits, before returning to the stage for a closing encore of Home Sweet Home with Tommy on piano.

2/7/08
Mötley Crüe's new album Saints of Los Angeles debuts at number four on the Billboard 200 chart after selling 99,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release. It's the biggest sales week for the Crüe since Christmas 1991 when Decade of Decadence sold 121,000 copies. Mötley's last studio effort with all of its original members was 1997's Generation Swine, which debuted and peaked at number four on The Billboard 200 after sales of 80,500 copies.

Coldplay's fourth album Viva La Vida remains at number one for a second week after selling 249,000 copies, while Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III holds second spot this week with 209,000 copies. The Jonas Brothers-led soundtrack to the Disney Channel's hit TV movie Camp Rock stays at number three after sales of 169,000. The Crüe reaches number one on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart, and number two in both the Top Rock Albums and Top 10 Internet album charts.
 

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