Marilyn Manson has finally put the finishing touches on his U.S. tour plans, and has lined up the venues that will soon draw their share of Manson fans and protesters alike.

Dates and cities had been announced last week, and Interscope Records has confirmed the venues for the shows which were first posted on Manson's official website here @ marilynmanson.net. Tickets for the first few dates are priced at $25 and are already on sale at ticketmaster.com, and another batch will be available this weekend.

The devil-rocker-gone-glam will waste no time in riling up folks in the heartland as things get underway on October 26th @ Kansas City, Missouri's Memorial Hall.

Manson will also return to Oklahoma, New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, and other states that failed to roll out the red carpet the last time around. Manson recently told MTV News that he was planning to begin his tour in the Midwest to make up for the fact that he has had to cancel dates there in the past.

Manson also said that his shows this time out will take the shape of a three- part rock opera, with the show's first two acts being drawn from his latest effort, "Mechanical Animals," and the third based on his last outing, "Antichrist Superstar."

"I think it's going to be bigger and more dangerous and will probably cause more problems than before, but that's what I'm here to do, to keep people on their toes," Manson said of the tour.

My Interscope associative was unable to find out what the next Manson single was to be this week. I'm still waiting on the official word, but rumored sources claim that the next single to Mechanical Animal is, "I Don't Like The Drugs(but the drugs like me)" as well as the video.

We have updated out Manson tour guide with all the latest information at our Manson tour website here: Mechanical Animals Tour Guide and will soon update what is left to be unfinished later this weekend.

Late last night VH1 aired a 1 hour show on a popular Florida band called "The Goods" with interview clips with Manson on his background with the band and other comments of his participation as a recording artist.

Manson said, "When I first met 'The Goods' I was working as a music writer and I did an article on the them because, they were the most popular band in South Florida. Then later when I started Marilyn Manson they let us open for them and that was our first show at a place called, "Church Hills Hideaway" in Miami. It was pretty disaterous, but those guys were good enough to give us a break. I hated it while I was doing it, but when finished... I realised that's what I wanted to do."

Interscope informed me today that Manson won't be attending the "98 VH1 Music Fasion Awards" on October 23rd. It was a miss understanding and there were no plans as of him attending.

Marilyn Manson's latest album, "Mechanical Animals" rides a downward spiral, sinking to No. 15 from No. 5 this week. (There's that number again). While Lauryn Hill's solo album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" falls to No. 4 from her previous week's occupant of the top spot, knocking Manson of his tower the second week of their release of "Mechanical Animals". With that, Rapper Jay-Z, one of the genre's most prolific artists, bows at No. 1 at the nation's retailers, leading an invasion of six new albums on the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart for the week ending October 4th. Taking Lauryn Hill's spot... Sheryl Crow, whose third album, "The Globe Sessions,'' stands strongly at No. 5 on sales of 123,000 copies taking Manson's previously No. 5 hold.

Ornaments auctioned off at the Beverly Hills Charity Auction Web Site during the week of December 1, 1998. Was announced yesterday an agreement with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to be the official sponsor and host of their Internet based auction of rare holiday ornaments and personalized items donated by top names in the music and entertainment industry. They will be taking final bids on December 8 at 10 p.m. (PST) during a live auction at the Second Annual Sweet Relief Holiday Party which is to be held in Los Angeles. Music industry leaders, musicians, film stars and other special guests will be on hand for the event.

Beverly Hills Charity Auction will keep track simultaneously of all online bids and those occurring at the live auction allowing millions of bidders around the world to bid against the entertainers and celebrities attending the event. The highest bidder at the closing time will be the winner.

The proceeds from this event go to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping musicians in need of medical and financial assistance. Currently, The Counting Crows, Cameron Diaz, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Cowboy Junkies, NOFX, Debbie Harry, visual artist Kenny Scharf and more have already made their commitment to this year's auction. Contributors to the first auction included Bob Dylan, Beck, Michael Stipe, Lou Reed, Johnny Mathis, Dolly Parton, Alanis Morrissette, Marilyn Manson and Madonna.