Tuesday Rock Roundup

Steven Tyler's girlfriend, Erin Brady, is at least partly to blame for his drug relapse, according to the Boston Herald. But the paper also cites sources who say he became addicted to pain killers following recent surgeries on his throat and feet, and while recovering from Hepatitis C. Tyler lost his wife of 17 years, Teresa, to a younger man a few years ago, and his daughter, actress Liv Tyler, just announced that her marriage is over. Joe Perry isn't saying much about his Aerosmith bandmate's reported stint in rehab. He tells Blender magazine, "I actually haven't talked to [Steven] in a while. We spend most of our time off the road split up -- that's just how it goes... I hope he's doing okay." Perry is also in recovery, but this time for a knee replacement.

Sammy Hagar says the material he's written with his new supergroup, Chickenfoot, is as good as anything Led Zeppelin recorded. He tells the Canadian Press, "We've written eight, nine songs. We just got to go in the studio September 1st. When people hear the music, it's Led Zeppelin. It's as good as that. I know that's a mighty bold statement... We could rival Zep." Joining Hagar in Chickenfoot is his former Van Halen bandmate, bassist Michael Anthony, as well as guitarist Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. Hagar also took a swipe at his former band, saying Chickenfoot is "10 times Van Halen, because it's functional -- we all like each other."

Those reports out of Canada that Led Zeppelin will do four shows in Toronto in August are looking less and less likely. A spokesperson for the Rogers Center tells Toronto's Globe and Mail that "preliminary discussions" are under way for Zeppelin to perform there, but adds that the Toronto Blue Jays' schedule could make it impossible. And tour promoter Debra Rathwell tells the Toronto Sun, "They're just rumors. Alison Krauss and Robert Plant are touring together till at least the end of July, and Plant has made it perfectly clear that he doesn't want to tour with Led Zeppelin. Of course, stranger things have happened, but I can tell you that my office is not involved in any Led Zeppelin concerts in Toronto or anywhere else."

Ted Nugent is featured in Guitar Hero Four, out later this year. It not only will include his music, but also him, just like Slash and Tom Morello in Guitar Hero Three.

Elton John has reportedly been offered more than five-million dollars to play at the launch of a new hotel in Moscow later this year. If he accepts the deal, it will set the record for the highest-fee ever paid to a single artist. The Sun is reporting that Elton is "on the verge of saying yes."

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett was exonerated of a felony rape charge filed in Mississippi stemming from a September 2007 incident. Rockett was not in Mississippi during September 2007, and the district attorney refused to prosecute the case after determining that Rockett was not the person who committed the alleged rape. Rockett says, "I think it was a case where the woman and her husband unfortunately believed they could extort money from me and my band."

NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK:

Rambo [Blu-ray]
The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 2: 1937-1939
Rambo 1-3 Boxset [Blu-ray]
The Invaders - The First Season
Lipstick Jungle - Season One
Absolutely Fabulous - Absolutely Everything