--Slash Gets Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame

Guitarist Slash now has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  In front of the Hard Rock Café on Hollywood Boulevard with actor Charlie Sheen by his side, Slash unveiled his star Tuesday.  The former Guns N' Roses guitarist won a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance" with Velvet Revolver.  Slash received star number two-thousand-473 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  The guitarist, who also has a star on the Rock Walk of Fame, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April as a member of Guns N' Roses.


--Janis Joplin Biopic Has New Lead Actress, Proposed Start Date

That long-in-the-works Janis Joplin biopic has a new lead actress and a proposed production start date.  Deadline.com says Tony Award-winning actress Nina Arianda has been tapped to take the title role in "Joplin," which is scheduled to get under way next year.  Arianda is making her big screen debut in a leading role as Janis.  Her previous film work includes supporting characters in the movies "Midnight In Paris" and "Win Win."  She just won the Tony last month for her work in the play "Venus In Fur."  Producer Peter Newman is behind "Joplin," and has been trying to get the project off the ground for the past 12 years.  A number of other stars, including Pink and Zooey Deschanel, had previously been cast in the lead role.  Newman has already secured the rights to 21 Joplin songs as well as to the books "Love, Janis" and "Piece Of My Heart" to use in the film.

"Joplin" will focus on the last six months of the legendary singer's life.  Janis came to fame in the mid-1960s fronting the band Big Brother and the Holding Company.  She left that group in late 1968 and formed the Full Tilt Boogie Band, which backed her on her final projects including her posthumously released signature album "Pearl."  Janis died on October 4th, 1970 of a drug overdose.  She was 27.


--New Freddie Mercury Documentary Arriving In September

A new documentary about the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is on the way.  "The Great Pretender" features a host of rare and never before released material including vintage interviews, concert footage, video shoots, home movies, and other personal archives, along with new interviews with Queen guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, manager Jim Beach, and others.  Highlights include Queen's first TV appearance and early Freddie Mercury interviews; footage from Freddie's 39th Black and White birthday party; outtakes from a number of videos including "Days of Our Lives," "I Want It All," and "Great Pretender;" and Mercury's previously unreleased collaborations with Rod Stewart and Michael Jackson.  "The Great Pretender" will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray on September 25th, while a companion book also titled "The Great Pretender" will be available on October 2nd.


--Ozzy Osbourne Supporting Randy Blythe Through Twitter

Ozzy Osbourne is using Twitter to help spread the word about imprisoned Lamb Of God singer Randy Blythe.  He has posted tweets and retweets, urging others to support the singer who is still being held in a Czech prison despite having posted bail.  Ozzy's Twitter page also includes a link to Lamb Of God's website, and to a petition calling on President Obama to intervene in Randy's behalf.  Blythe was arrested in late last month Prague on manslaughter charges in connection with the death of a fan at a Lamb Of God concert two years ago.  The man had allegedly jumped the barricades, and was trying to climb on stage when Blythe pushed him back.  He died of the injuries he suffered in the fall.  While Blythe has put up 200-thousand-dollars in bail, the judge considers Randy a flight risk and is refusing to release him.


--Reznor Working On "Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2" Soundtrack

Trent Reznor has already picked up an Oscar for his movie soundtrack work, and now he's trying his hand in the world of video game soundtracks.  "USA Today" reports the Nine Inch Nails frontman is composing the musical accompaniment for the highly anticipated "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2."  The game is due out November 13th, and Reznor says he's just as excited as anyone else.  He says he's always been a fan of the "Call of Duty" series, explaining that the franchise is on the "cutting edge of what seemingly unlimited budgets and full-on not-cutting-any-corners can do in the current day and age."  As for the music, Reznor says fans shouldn't look for a "gung ho, patriotic-feeling" song.  He says the game, which takes place during a new Cold War between the U.S. and China, requires something a little more "weighty."

Reznor and his soundtrack partner Atticus Ross most recently recorded the music for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."  Before that, they put together the Academy Award-winning soundtrack to "The Social Network."  Reznor and Ross are also working on their group How to Destroy Angels' new album, which Trent says is finished except for a few final tweaks.


--Courtney Love Is Being Sued By Her Former Assistant

It looks like Courtney Love is facing another legal battle over money.  TMZ.com reports that the rocker's former assistant, Jessica LaBrie, has filed a lawsuit claiming Love knowingly withheld her pay.  The lawsuit comes on the heels of a suit filed in June by the singer's ex-lawyer who claims she owes his firm more than 400-thousand dollars.

In the lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, LaBrie is not only suing for unreceived wages but is also accusing Love of trying to get her to "commit fraudulent, unlawful and unethical acts."  She says Love wanted her to hire a computer hacker and counterfeit legal documents.  After putting in a little more than a year's work for Love, LaBrie says she only received a small portion of her salary.  She was employed by Love from June 2010 to July 2011 and is also shopping around a tell-all book about her former employer titled, "Give Me A Xanax."


--Today's Birthdays

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora is 53.
Suzanne Vega is 53.


--Today In Rock History

In 1975
Fleetwood Mac released their self-titled album.

In 1991
Songwriters Carole Bayer Sager and Burt Bacharach filed for divorce after ten years of marriage.

In 2000
Metalica drummer Lars Ulrich testified before a Senate panel about Web sites which, like Napster, allow for the free trade of music over the Internet.

In 2002
The JXL remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" hit number one on the SoundScan chart, being the best selling single of the week.

In 2003
Pearl Jam served as its own opening act for a show in Boston.  In their opening set, the group performed a series of B-sides and rarities.

In 2005
INXS launched its search for a new singer with the CBS reality TV series "Rock Star: INXS."  Vocalist J.D. Fortune eventually won the job as the group's new frontman.

In 2006
The Rolling Stones launched the delayed European portion of the "A Bigger Bang" world tour with a show in Milan.  The tour's start had been postponed six weeks because guitarist Keith Richards suffered a head injury while vacationing in Fiji two-and-a-half-months earlier.

Stephen Stills fell during a Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young concert in Toronto, and cut his hand on a stage light.  He needed a few stitches to close the wound, but the tour continued as planned.

New releases included the Pink Floyd DVD "Pulse."

In 2007
Former Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Sunderland, on the Northeastern coast of England.

In 2010
Jimmy Buffett hosted his Jimmy Buffett & Friends Live from the Gulf Coast concert on the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  The show had originally been planned for earlier in the month, but was postponed due to Hurricane Alex.