B13 Peer Review

Dave Brockie, AKA Oderus Urungus of Gwar, performs in Donnington, United Kingdom. Gary Wolstenholme/Redferns By   Jason Newman March 24, 2014 9:50 AM ET Dave Brockie, founder and lead singer of outlandish metal band Gwar, died Sunday at the age of 50. The news was first reported by Richmond outlet  Style Weekly   and confirmed by the band's manager Jack Flanagan. "It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 p.m. EST Sunday, March 23, 2014," Flanagan said. "His body was found Sunday by his bandmate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. My main focus right now is to look after my bandmates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed." Rare Photos

Billy Corgan hopes to have new single out by end of year Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins performs in Glastonbury, England. The  Smashing Pumpkins  will release two  new  albums in 2015,  Monuments to an Elegy  and  Day for Night , and hope to have a new single out by the end of the year after inking a new deal with label BMG, frontman Billy Corgan announced on the  band's website today. Find out where the Smashing Pumpkins' 'Siamese Dream' ranks on our list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "For those interested in sound, think: 'guitars, guitars, guitars, and more guitars,'" Corgan wrote, "but more so on the epic side of things than, say, grossly metallic." The band kicked off recording sessions Tuesday as well, and Corgan noted that most of the songs have already been written and are ready to go. The albums will be produced by Howard Willing, who started working with the band on their

The Rock  is taking preparation for  Hercules  very  seriously. He has been keeping fans up to date on his schedule via Twitter , and some of his tweets are both insightful and hilarious. Take this first one of him in the gym: The Rock has also teased his followers with production shots from the set of Hercules. This shot is of Hercules' helmet, which is a little reminiscent of those used in  300  and  Gladiator , but with each tweet he is cleverly building up anticipation of what fans can expect. In this tweet, he shares the set with a shot of him in character from behind.  Hercules: The Thracian Wars  is set for a 2014 release and also stars Ian McShane, John Hurt, and Rufus Sewell. Brett Ratner is in the director's chair. We couldn't let the post pass without some Rock humor, which he duly provided in this update from July 5: Dwayne Johnson          ✔   @TheRock Follow