Tuesday Rock Roundup

Guitar innovator Les Paul, born Lester Polfus, is 94 today. Slash's mother, Ola Hudson, died Friday after a long battle with lung cancer.

We posted the video of this yesterday, and here's the details: Bret Michaels suffered a broken nose during an appearance at Sunday's Tony Awards. The Poison singer had a piece of scenery fall on his head during his performance. In addition to the broken nose, Michaels needed three stitches for a cut to his lip. The injuries apparently won't impact Poison's planned package tour with Def Leppard and Cheap Trick, which gets under way later this month.

Have a chance to see Aerosmith soon? Do it: they appear to be physically falling apart. Guitarist Brad Whitford won't be on stage when their tour starts tomorrow night just outside St. Louis. Whitford will be sitting out an unknown number of dates as he recovers from what's called "recent surgery." There's no word from the Aerosmith camp on what surgery Whitford has undergone. Replacing Whitford will be Bobby Schneck, who's been a touring guitarist and tech for Green Day and Weezer.

The Who have launched a new YouTube contest celebrating the release of their two-D-V-D Maximum R-&-B Live set. Upload a video of you doing your best impression of Pete Townshend's infamous guitar windmill. The winner will receive a Fender Stratocaster signed by Townshend.

Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles' Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit make guest appearances on John Fogerty's upcoming new album The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. The disc is a sequel to Fogerty's 1973 album Blue Ridge Rangers, and it features covers of songwriters Fogerty considers big influences. Springsteen guests on a cover of The Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved," and Henley and Schmit provide harmonies on a version of Rick Nelson's "Garden Party." The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again is due out in the early fall.

Ex-Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic is running for clerk of Wahkiakum County in Washington. Novoselic's goal is to get state law I-872 repealed. That law allows candidates to declare they "prefer" a party, even if they aren't associated with that party. Novoselic wants to make sure that organizations can control who uses their name on the ballot. So he listed himself on the ballot as "prefers Grange party," which isn't a political party but a non-partisan organization.

Further proof that EVERYONE is dabbling in the Country Arts: Ted Nugent will be a presenter at the CMT Music Awards on June 16th.

NEW RELEASES:

• Today is the "official release date" for the eponymous debut release by Chickenfoot at Best Buy.
• Iron Maiden: Flight 666 by Iron Maiden, Sam Dunn, and Scot McFadyen (DVD - 2009) also the soundtrack on 1 or 2 CDs...AND on picture-disc vinyl. Just a reminder to any of my family who may be listening...my birthday is only 13 days away...
• newly remastered versions of Some Girls, Tattoo You, Emotional Rescue, and Undercover by The Rolling Stones on CD
• a remastered import version of Procol Harum by Procol Harum is out, too.
• Gran Torino (Widescreen Edition) DVD with Clint Eastwood
• The International DVD with Clive Owen & Naomi Watts
• Crossing Over DVD Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ashley Judd, and Ray Liotta
• The Shield: Season Seven - The Final Act DVD
• Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director's Cut (40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) DVD...The documentary captures the landmark festival in which hundreds of thousands of concertgoers, drawn by rock and roll and besieged by rain, bonded into a community. The newly expanded edition of the Academy Award-winning documentary includes performances by 17 artists, including such legends as Sly and the Family Stone, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Crosby Stills and Nash.
• The Best of Whose Line is it Anyway? DVD
• The Cleaner: First Season DVD with Benjamin Bratt
• ...and the newest legend to make the jump to Blu Ray is: Indecent Proposal