The White Stripes say they will take “strong action” against the Air Force Reserve over a recruitment commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. The duo alleges that the music in the advertisement was a re-recording of its song “Fell in Love with a Girl.”

"We believe our song was re-recorded and used without permission of the White Stripes, our publishers, label or management," said the duo and its affiliates, in a statement attributed to Third Man Records, the White Stripes and their management. "The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve's presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support."

The statement continued: "The White Stripes support this nation's military, at home and during times when our country needs and depends on them. We simply don't want to be a cog in the wheel of the current conflict, and hope for a safe and speedy return home for our troops.”

On its website, the White Stripes have posted a video of “Fell in Love with a Girl” alongside a link to the Air Force Reserve commercial. To compare and contrast the two, click here.

Several hundred Beatles fans gathered outside the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles on Monday night to celebrate the honoring of Ringo Starr with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“It cool to get one at night,” said Starr, who also playfully alluded to the Capitol Records building as a facility the Beatles helped pay for. “I don’t know about you, but where I live, the stars come out at night.”

Standing alongside the former Beatle were Starr’s actress-wife Barbara Bach, musicians Joe Walsh and Ben Harper, producer Don Was, and actor Noah Wyle.

Walsh, who has appeared on several of Starr’s albums, and is his brother-in-law, praised the legendary drummer as “not just the greatest drummer in rock history — from the greatest band in rock history — he’s also the greatest guy I know and the most kind and helpful friend you could ever want.”

The Beatles, as a group, were honored with a star in 1998, and both John Lennon and George Harrison were accorded the honor as solo artists, posthumously. “I love them both, and I want to send peace and love to both of them,” Starr said, referring to his former bandmates. “And let’s not forget the guy who’s in England — Paul.”

Starr’s name becomes the 2401st to be unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Monday’s event also marked the 50th anniversary of the Walk’s inception.

Jeff Beck has announced the U.S. dates for the second leg of his tour promoting his new album, Emotion and Commotion. As reported previously, the first leg of the tour kicks off in San Francisco on April 16, and wraps up at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on May 1.

The newly-added second leg begins on June 3 in Boston, and will conclude on June 23 in Cincinnati. Beck then heads to England for a series of dates in the U.K.

The announcement comes on the heels of Beck’s recent Grammy win – in the category of “Best Rock Instrumental Performance” -- for his rendition of the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life.”

During the awards ceremony, the veteran guitarist performed a stirring version of Les Paul’s “How High the Moon,” accompanied by Irish rockabilly sensation Imelda May.

U.S. Tour Dates Are As Follows:

Fri 04/16/10 San Francisco, CA - Nob Hill Masonic Center  

Sat 04/17/10   Los Angeles, CA  - Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE

Sun 04/18/10 Temecula, CA - Pechanga Resort & Casino

Mon 04/19/10 San Diego, CA - 4th And B

Sat 04/24/10 Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater

Sun 04/25/10 Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theatre At Grand Prairie

Tue 04/27/10 Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater

Wed 04/28/10 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre

Thu 04/29/10 St. Louis, MO - Fabulous Fox Theatre

Sat 05/01/10 New Orleans, LA - Fairgrounds Racecourse

Thu 06/03/10 Boston, MA - Bank Of America Pavilion

Fri 06/04/10 Mashantucket, CT - MGM Grand At Foxwoods

Sat 06/05/10 Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa / Event Ctr.

Mon 06/07/10 Vienna, VA - Filene Center At Wolf Trap

Fri 06/11/10 Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre

Mon 06/14/10 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre

Tue 06/15/10 Asbury Park, NJ - Paramount Theatre

Thu 06/17/10  Kingston, NY - Ulster Performing Arts Center

Fri 06/18/10 Rochester, NY - Kodak Hall At Eastman Theatre

Sun 06/20/10  Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit

Mon 06/21/10  Indianapolis, IN - Murat Egyptian Room

Wed 06/23/10 Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion At Riverbend

The Gibson Store is now offering replacement parts for the Robot and Dark Fire Guitars. Available parts include RIP Hex to MIDI Cable (Generation 2), Robot Power Plug Transformer (Generation 1), Robot Charger (Generation 1), Robot Battery 2100 mAh (Generation 1), Dark Fire Battery Pack (Generation 2), Dark Fire Charger/Split Box (Generation 2) and Dark Fire Transformer/Power Adapter (Generation 2).

For more information or to purchase these parts, click here.

Slash’s U.K. fans expected that they’d have to wait a month longer than U.S. fans to be able to purchase his self-titled solo album ― which features collaborations with fellow Gibson artists Dave Grohl and Andrew Stockdale, among others ― but a news release from U.K. distributor Roadrunner Records and special-interest media group Future indicates that that’s not the case. In fact, Slash’s U.K. fans are set to get their own special treatment.

Roadrunner and Future have partnered to issue a Slash “fan pack,” which includes a special edition of his album that will be available on Wednesday, April 7, more than a month before Roadrunner’s standard U.K. version debuts on May 10. The U.S. version of Slash will be released by EMI sometime in April.

The fan pack version of Slash’s album includes two bonus tracks not available elsewhere: “Baby Can’t Drive” features Alice Cooper and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and a cover of Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City" features Fergie and Cypress Hill. The Slash “fan pack” will include not only the guitarist's new album but also a 132-page special edition of Future Publishing’s Classic Rock magazine titled Classic Rock Presents: Slash. The Slash fan pack will cost £14.99 and will be available at more than 3,000 music retail outlets.

Gibson Guitar has teamed up with the European Hard Rock Cafes to support the expansion of its famous Legendary Experience” menu by offering customers the opportunity to win a Gibson Reverse Flying V guitar. The “Legendary Experience” menu includes five new 10-ounce grilled Certified Angus Beef burgers. Sure to keep taste buds rocking, from January 20 through February 28, 2010, guests at Hard Rock Cafes across Europe who order a Legendary Burger with a dessert will automatically be entered for the chance to win a Gibson Reverse Flying V electric guitar. The Gibson Flying V guitar has been used by many legendary rock stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan and Lenny Kravitz. The Gibson Reverse Flying V guitar offers a modern twist on the original classic 1950’s design.

In 2008 Gibson turned the legendary Flying V and the guitar world upside down with the release of the Reverse Flying V, an eye-popping powerhouse that became the unexpected smash hit of Gibson USA’s Guitar of the Week program. The original limited run Reverse Flying Vs flew out of stores, selling out faster than any other model. In 2009 Gibson USA handcrafted a small number of Reverse Flying Vs for another limited run of these cult classic collectables.

Hard Rock Cafe serves up the world’s favorite burger in its 129 locations worldwide, from London to Las Vegas to Lisbon – Hard Rock guarantees delicious American fare. These burgers, hearty enough to satisfy anyone’s hunger, come with a variety of outrageous, mouth-watering additions. Guests at Hard Rock Cafe can now enjoy an expanded collection of Hard Rock’s popular 10-ounce Certified Angus Beef Legendary Burgers. “Since 1971, burgers have been the favorite on our American menu, and Hard Rock raises the bar with the newest additions to the Legendary Experience menu,” said Mike Winkler, Senior Director of Food and Beverage, Hard Rock International. “With our unique ingredients and delectable combinations of flavors, these new burgers are setting the standard worldwide!”

About Hard Rock “Legendary Experience” and the Gibson Reverse Flying V Competition

Please note that this contest is only being conducted at these participating European Hard Rock Cafes: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Cardiff, Cologne, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, London, Lisbon, Manchester, Madrid, Munich, Paris, Prague, Rome and Venice.

To enter, guests are required to fill in an entry form and hand to their server. No purchase necessary. The closing date is February 28, 2010. Winners will be announced by email or telephone by March 8, 2010. Entrants must be European residents and over 18 years old. One entry per person. Persons connected with Hard Rock Cafe or its affiliates are ineligible to enter. The winner may be required to take part in further promotional activities and, should they be unavailable, a prize of similar price or specification will be substituted.

For further details on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com

Lady Antebellum entered the Billboard charts at No. 1 this week with their sophomore album, Need You Now. Moving 481,000 copies in its first week,the album earned the best first-week ranking for a country artist since Taylor Swift’s Fearless in 2008. Swift’s album, incidentally, forfeited the top spot on the country albums chart this week to none other than Need You Now.

Billboard.com pointed out that Lady Antebellum’s success on the charts is especially noteworthy because it was achieved in January.

“Traditionally, January isn't packed with albums that earn blockbuster debut weeks, as most of the big guns come out in time for the busy November-December holiday shopping season,” said a Billboard article on Wednesday. “But for the Capitol Nashville set, all the stars have seemingly aligned.”

Proving that drunk dialing is a pastime that many Americans can relate to, Need You Now got an early shot of adrenaline with the release of the irresistible first single “Need You Now.” The song, about a drunken night spent pining for love lost, has been No. 1 on the country singles chart for five weeks running. The band also performed the song during the Grammy broadcast this past Sunday.

Affectionately known as “Lady A” by many fans, the Nashville trio is comprised of vocalists Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott and guitarist Dave Haywood, who is a Gibson J-200 and J-45 enthusiast. Lady Antebellum’s self-titled debut album, released in May 2008, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard chart and still holds the No. 15 spot after 94 weeks.

Kid-tested, Bob Dylan approved?

The folk singer has granted approval to Sterling Children’s Books for publication of Man Gave Names to All the Animals, a picture book that took its inspiration from a Dylan track of the same name (off his 1979 Slow Train Coming album). The book will come with a CD that includes Dylan’s original song “Man Gave Names to All the Animals,” recorded during a period when his work was particularly influenced by his newfound Christianity.

“From the first time I heard it, the lyrics created pictures in my mind of a land of primeval beauty,” said the book’s award-winning illustrator Jim Aronsky. “I thought this vision would make a dream of a book, and I asked for Bob Dylan’s permission to make this dream come true. Happily, he said ‘yes.’”

In a press release Monday, Sterling Children’s Books says it was encouraged to pursue publication of the Dylan book after the success of its Puff, The Magic Dragon book.

“When we published the picture book of Puff, the Magic Dragon, which has sold a million copies, we realized how strongly folk songs resonate across generations,” said Sterling’s VP and Publisher Frances Gilbert. “We’re equally confident Bob Dylan’s fans will enjoy sharing Man Gave Names to All the Animals with the children in their lives.”

The book will hit stores this September.

Slash has revealed the complete all-star lineup of guest artists featured on his forthcoming solo album. The self-titled disc, scheduled for release in April, will feature Ian Astbury, Chris Cornell, Rocco DeLuca, Fergie, Dave Grohl, Myles Kennedy, Kid Rock, Lemmy Kilmeister, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Duff McKagan, M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop and Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother.

"The idea was really simple in the beginning," said Slash. "These are all artists I wanted to work with – that I thought it would be amazing to do something creative and collaborative. And I was so impressed with what everyone brought to the table. They were all so committed to doing a good job. And we had a lot of fun making these songs."

Slash did the bulk of the songwriting and arranging for the album, handpicking for each track a guest artist with whom he wanted to collaborate. Bassist Chris Chaney (formerly of Jane’s Addiction) and drummer Josh Freese (formerly of Nine Inch Nails) comprise the rhythm section, with Eric Valentine sharing production duties with the veteran guitarist.

Slash also unveiled the artwork for the album, which will be released through EMI Label Services.

Slash Track Listing:

01. Ghost (with Ian Astbury)
02. Beautiful Dangerous (with Fergie)
03. Nothing To Say (with M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold)
04. Crucify The Dead (with Ozzy Osbourne)
05. Promise (with Chris Cornell)
06. By The Sword (with Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother)
07. Doctor Alibi (with Lemmy Kilmeister)
08. Saint Is A Sinner Too (with Rocco De Luca)
09. Watch This (with Dave Grohl/Duff McKagan)
10. I Hold On (with Kid Rock)
11. Gotten (with Adam Levine)
12. We're All Gonna Die (with Iggy Pop)
13. Starlight (with Myles Kennedy)

Country music star Lee Kernaghan opened the 2010 CMAA Country Music Awards with a powerful version of the title track of his tenth studio album, Planet Country. As a winner of 27 CMAA Golden Guitars and three ARIA awards, with 26 number one singles and 10 hit albums, it's easy to understand why the 2008 Australian of the Year was the obvious choice to open the ceremony. And Kernaghan ripped the roof off the Jayco Country Theatre in Tamworth with an ebony Gibson Les Paul Custom in hand.

Planet Country was the result of two years of intense writing, recording and producing. Recorded in Sydney and Nashville with what Lee describes as “some of the best musicians in the world,” Planet Country reveals a newfound depth and maturity, coupled with Kernaghan’s unparalleled songcraft. Critics are calling it his finest album to date.

Pictured Credit - Anna Waugh