Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada • 30

C2 CALGARY HERALD Sunday, March 10, 2002 ARTSr Style -v "it; I I i-l ill ")f Paul, the bus driver, smelled the pot smoke and issued a warning. For a moment, all of io minutes perhaps, the mayhem ceased Then another joint was lit. Somewhere between Red Deer and Edmonton, the chanting started "Ozzy! Ozzy!" With that, the smell of at least three or four joints began wafting down the aisle. One woman sprayed some potpourri air freshener into the cab in an attempt to cover up the scent, but the sweet leaf found its way to the bus driver's flared nostrils. "I can smell dope again," he said "Would you please put it away? If not, invite (the police) to join us." Had he noticed the brief moment of cocaine-snorting on the part of three passengers, he likely would have.

Heavy metal musicians, especially Ozzy, who's generally considered the godfather of the genre, attract the most dedicated fans. They love their favourite bands with the devotion of TrekMes, whether the world considers them hot or geek-level not-hot This was apparent in the Calgary contingent that made the Ozzy trek. Among them was the 50-year-old grave-digger who's loved the Ozzman unconditionally through his many career highs and lows since first appearing in 1970 as the lead singer of Black Sabbath. Or, the woman in her early 20s who was full of pain killers, having just come out of emergency abdominal surgery two days earlier. "I should not be at this concert," she said "I just got cut hip to hip, but there's no way I'm missing Ozzy.

Til probably be in the mosh pit and everything." Then there was the pizza delivery guy in his 30s who sold his 1983 Chevette for $500 so he could buy "a bag of weed, some beer and the Ozzy tickets." The fact that delivering pizzas would be difficult without a car didn't phase him. "Dya' got a bike I could borrow?" he said On the rival radio station's bus, similar fans could be found While most folks on the CJAY 92 fleet paid $160 a head for the tour package, those on the ROCK 97 Crazy Bus won their seats, by doing things like singing Ozzs Crazy Train on the C-Train, as did 31-year-old Mike Bruce. "I screamed it at the top of my lungs," Bruce said. "People were looking at me like I was some kind of idiot But I've been listening to Ozzy since I was seven years old" The CJAY party stepped up a notch when the buses unloaded at an Edmonton bar called the Urban Lounge. Ozzy fans from across Alberta gathered there to ingest greasy pub fare, cheap highballs, and the occasional puff of pot smoke in the back alley.

Some overdid it Like the young lady who took out a table as she crashed to the floor. Somebody carried her limp body out of the bar and it seemed highly unlikely she'd be taking in the night's main event. But most of the pilgrims made it to their promised land Was it all they had dreamed of? Well, the Ozzman's getting up there, that's for sure. He's still got the pipes, vocally; his sense of humour is as twisted as ever; and he knows exactly what buttons to push to send his audience over the edge. That said, at the age of 53, he moves like an eager but hurting old man in an aerobics class.

Despite his sobriety, years of drug abuse have taken their toll and his hands shake as he clutches the mike. His guitarist, the Tony Tingle, front, and his friends Dean Bicknell. Calgary Herald rode the CJAY 92 bus to Edmonton. Crazy Dope, booze, heavy metal Faithful fans board the bus all Ozzed out RHQNA RASKIN ASK RHOXA Treat girlfriend's threats seriously Dear Rhona: Help. My ex-girlfriend wants me dead.

So she says. I was with her on and off for four years and finally decided to break up with her for good. I thought all was well, until she started calling me and demanding that I get back together with her. If I don't, she says she'll find someone to kill me, believe it or not! I've been telling myself that she's just making threats but lately she's been getting pretty scary. She calls nonstop.

What should I do? Wanted: Dead or Alive Dear DOA: What you do is: Call the cops! It is certainly against the law to intimidate someone to get what you want and that includes dating, kissing and hand-holding. If you were female, I bet you'd have a police case number and directions on how to handle further harassment. I hope it is not 10 pounds of testosterone keeping you from making a report. Often stalkers who have been contacted by the authorities after making a threat do not act on it because they know they are no longer anonymous. Although her threat may be empty, regard her mouthy manoeuvres as a sign of mental imbalance and be prepared for dangerous surprises.

Stalking and verbal threats of death are serious offences. Don't be tricked into thinking that this is a symbol of love. Take precautions. And change your phone number. Dear Rhona: I was raped seven times as a teenager.

I thought I could get over this alone but I still think about it a lot. I often wonder what I could have done to stop it, or if there was something wrong with me. I don't want this problem to affect all the good things I have in my life, especially my three-year-old How can I make these feelings go away? Depressed Dear Depressed: You are now an adult and in charge of what happens in your life, unlike the time when you were a teenager. Please search out a therapist who has expertise in working with adult casualties of abuse. If you need to motivate yourself to get started, do it for your child's sake.

Your kid needs a mom who is in control and able to deal effectively with life's issues. i'B The verdict: rave reviews all around judging by one more thunderous "O-zzy!" chant. "I can die now," said one young man. Despite the weather, which was about -25 two young men came barreling onto the bus shivering and shirtless. One of them was ecstatic.

He made it to the front row and was soaked when Ozzy dumped a bucket of water over his head The other topless lad was a little more destructive, picking a fight with an angry, hun-gover snowboarder who had been scowling at people all day. This was to be the day's final bit of chaos. The combatants were broken up and put on separate buses. The Recycled Teenagers bus was dark and silent as it barreled back to Calgary. Occasionally you'd smell traces of dope wafting up peacefully from the back of the bus, but for the most part people slept like babies.

"I thought we were going to party all the way home," said one guy, rubbing the sleep from his eyes during a 1 ajn. rest stop at a Tim Hortons on Red Deer's outskirts. A young woman slumped down in the restaurant chair, rubbing her temples wearily. "I think everyone's kinda' Ozzed out, man." Viking-like Zakk Wylde has twice as much energy as he does onstage, and, Ozzy's mellowing. Rabid metal anthems like Bark At The Moon and Suicide Solution still dominate the show, but sentimental power ballads take up a large chunk of the evening.

Sure he's aging. That makes seeing him all the more urgent, according to one a 19-year-old who had travelled from Fernie, B.C. to get on the CJAY bus. "The old guy's whacked," the kid said "He's not gonna last a whole lot longer. I just had to see him before he dies." were in a headbanging mood as they From CI As for the ballads, every time he played one, the most lighter-friendly audience this reporter has ever seen held their tiny torches in the air, illuminating the packed Skyreach Centre.

Of course, the rockers still induce temporary insanity. Some kids collapsed from exhaustion in the mosh pit Others, up in the bleachers, leapt over the barricades and made mad dashes towards the front of the stage, desperately evading the guards, like prisoners making a jail break. By pan. the CJAY buses were loading up for the long ride home. I III I'm 'Best Actress-Halle Berry1 Sexual Content BALLvTi NHy 17:0019:40 aar, aim Mai moo 13 40 if Oscar dress costs $7.8 million company.

After the Oscars, the gown wUl be auctioned and half the proceeds given to charity. It is unusual for Hollywood actresses to fight over a dress to wear to the awards ceremony. Designers usually compete to dress the stars, who are bombarded with offers from the likes of Giorgio Armani and Versace. There may be some consolation for the actresses not chosen to wear the dress. The world's most expensive shoes a pair of platinum stilettos costing $1.5 million are also available to borrow for the evening.

She is deciding who will wear it and is understood to be choosing between Nicole Kidman, Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry. "I think the dress, which is beaded with diamonds, is special and pretty without being over the top," said Bowen. The actress chosen to walk down the red carpet in the extravagant outfit is guaranteed a blizzard of global publicity. No photographs of the dress are being released before the Oscar ceremony on March 24, and it has become a talking point in the fashion industry. The wearer will be accompanied by an armed guard for the evening.

Times of London LOS ANGELES A gem-encrusted dress costing $7.8 million has been made for an actress to wear at the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles later this month. The gown, thought to be the world's most expensive, is made from more than 3,000 diamonds and a succession of stars has expressed an interest in wearing the outfit The dress appears created to appeal Nicole Kidman, will she be the lucky one? to Califomi-ans. Anne Bowen, its American designer, says it offers good "zen," as diamonds emit energy to improve the wearer's confidence. Indeed the dress has required protection throughout its construction in New York and Los Angeles. The stones have been provided by Heart and Fire Diamonds, an American If' 2 Oscar Nominations including MONSTER'S 7 Oscar Nominations including 'Best Picture' 4 Jf PARKV lightly ol MS 9:30 aun Mats.

4 3:30 t'-i-. P4 CALGARY OPERA PRESENTS IG0SF0RD erne PRESENTATION SPONSOR: Don't miss this year's Opera Look-in an open house event that gives you a backstage glimpse at the making of an opera production.The tour includes a short demonstration on the set of La Boheme. FREE! Sunday, March 1 0 at 2 pm at the Jubilee Auditorium. i by GIACOMO PUCCINI Sung In Italian with. njllsh surtitles MARCH 9, 13, 15, 17, 2002 JUBILEE AUDITORIUM 1 CHORUS lll TICKETMASTER 299-8888 Phrto by IlKia Cooper Courtety ol Cimiiin Opn Civnpjcy iet ifcygn by WQllhirn Skji.Ltu ORCHES' RA SPONSOR: Or Lola Rej Or WCcodore Houa, OC OUCHES' RA SPONSOR:.