BLACK SABBATH DRUMMER THREATENS TO WALK OVER CONTRACT ISSUE

Original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has announced that he will not be able to participate in the recording of the reunited band's new album or perform with them on tour unless he is presented with what he described as a "fair agreement" and a "signable contract" that financially reflects his contributions to Sabbath's history and his standing as a founding member of the band.

Ward issued a statement in which he said in part, "At this time, I would love nothing more than to be able to proceed with the Black Sabbath album and tour. However, I am unable to continue unless a 'signable' contract is drawn up; a contract that reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band."

Ward added that he worked last year in "good faith" with fellow original members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, including rehearsals and a November press conference in Los Angeles. But then, he wrote, "Several days ago, after nearly a year of trying to negotiate, another 'unsignable' contract was handed to me."

The drummer, who played on 10 of Sabbath's first 11 studio albums, emphasized, "Although this has put me in some kind of holding pattern, I am packed and ready to leave the U.S. for England. More importantly, I definitely want to play on the album, and I definitely want to tour with Black Sabbath."

The recording sessions for the original band's first new album in 33 years were recently moved to London so that Iommi, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, could be close to his doctors.

Ward wrote that he's "spent every day" getting ready to head to England, but added, "My guess is . . . I will know nothing of what's happening unless I sign 'the unsignable contract.'"

He also wrote, "The place I'm in feels lousy and lonely because as much as I want to play and participate, I also have to stand for something and not sign on. If I sign 'as is,' I stand to lose my rights, dignity and respectability as a rock musician."

Ward addressed the possibility of his being replaced, saying, "I hope you will not hold me responsible for the failure of an original Black Sabbath lineup as promoted . . . It would be a sad day in rock if this current situation fell to the desires of a few."

Sabbath is scheduled to release its new album later this year and is confirmed to play the U.K.'s Download Festival in June. All other tour plans, however, are up in the air pending Iommi's ability to overcome his illness.

DAVE GROHL TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE SITCOM?

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has signed on to be an executive producer of a new sitcom for the FX cable network. According to Deadline, the show will star comedian Dana Gould and will focus on a rock band that's about to become superstars but seeks therapy to avoid breaking up a la Metallica. The catch is that the therapist they enlist hates people and is on the brink of getting a divorce herself. Gould will write the series as well, and enlisted Grohl to come on board because he is a fan of Grohl's music and because the former Nirvana drummer is known as a funny guy himself.

Grohl is no big fan of band therapy, telling NME.com a while back, "I believe one of the reasons (Foo Fighters have) managed to stay together (is) because we just don't tell each other everything."

Gould previously wrote a 2010 pilot for ABC called Nolan Knows Best.

Foo Fighters have several big events coming up on their calendar. On February 10th, the band will join James Taylor, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Coldplay and others honoring Paul McCartney as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Two nights later, the Foos will perform at the Grammy Awards, also in Los Angeles, where the band is nominated for six trophies.

Then on February 15th, Foo Fighters will perform at a fundraising concert for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign in Holmby Hills, California.

FRANCES BEAN COBAIN: COURTNEY LOVE KILLED MY PETS

Newly uncovered testimony from a 2009 deposition by Frances Bean Cobain, in which she sought to get a restraining order against her mother Courtney Love, has revealed that Frances claimed Love was an obsessive hoarder whose accumulation of things resulted in the death of two family pets. According to Loudwire, Frances, the daughter of Love and late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, alleged in her testimony that a pet cat died after being entangled in a pile of fabrics, paperwork and trash, while a dog apparently perished after swallowing some of Love's numerous medications.

Frances claimed that her mother practically lived "on Xanax, Adderall, Sonata, Abilify, sugar and cigarettes," and was convinced that someone was perpetrating fraud against them for years.

Frances also claimed that she lived in mortal fear of dying in a fire, since Love constantly fell asleep in bed while smoking and almost started three fires that way.

Love's landlord of her downtown New York apartment recently accused the singer of causing fire damage to the place.

The testimony was published in the Daily Mail and released by a recovery website called The Fix.

Frances sought the restraining order against her mother in December 2009 after a physical altercation between the two and has been estranged from her ever since.

GODSMACK SINGER SAYS NEW TOUR AND ALBUM INSPIRED BY FANS

Godsmack and Staind will head out on a co-headlining trek this spring, dubbed the Mass Chaos Tour. In addition to having the tour named by a fan through a contest, the two bands are also running a second competition in which fans are submitting designs for the tour poster. Godsmack singer Sully Erna told us he likes the idea of getting the fans involved as much as possible: "I like that we're including the fans into this and, you know, the whole thing has kind of been, you know, derived for the fans. Everything's been inspired by the fans so far. I'm actually excited too because we have this live record coming out, which is live and inspired by the fans kind of thing, and so this is actually a really good time for us to go out and do a tour like this, where we're incorporating fans into helping us create the name and create the posters and stuff like that."

The jaunt kicks off on April 13th in Augusta, Georgia and runs through May 18th in Bangor, Maine. Halestorm will be the supporting act for the entire road trip.

The designer of the winning poster will receive $500 and a prize pack.

Godsmack is currently prepping a live album for release this spring, which will include a handful of newly recorded cover tunes.

Staind continues to tour behind its 2011 self-titled seventh album, while Halestorm is getting ready to release its second disc this spring.

AUDIO: GODSMACK'S SULLY ERNA ON GETTING FANS INVOLVED IN TOUR

SEVENDUST, ALTER BRIDGE MEMBERS TEAM UP FOR NEW PROJECT

Sevendust guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vince Hornsby have joined forces with Creed and Alter Bridge drummer Scott Phillips in a new outfit called Projected. According to Blabbermouth, the lineup also features guitarist/vocalist Eric "Erock" Friedman, who has played on Alter Bridge/Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti's upcoming solo debut, All I Was.

Projected has already entered the studio to begin recording its debut disc, to be made available later in the year.

Connolly described the sound of the band as "not super heavy . . . somewhere closer to Foo Fighters/A Perfect Circle. It's sort of heavy, just not real metal. I guess. The songs are pretty badass, though."

We asked Connolly if he sometimes misses the early days of Sevendust: "I don't really miss it so much, I mean, I guess, you know, you do get desensitized to it after you do it for a while and, you know, you've been through so many different things. But I'm glad that we kind of got all that out of the way, I'm kind of glad that we're at least where we're at right now, you know."

As previously reported, Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery and drummer Morgan Rose have also launched a new project named Call Me No One. That act entered the studio on January 22nd to start work on its first album, which is tentatively due out in May.

Meanwhile, Sevendust itself will begin writing its ninth studio effort this summer, with plans for an early 2013 release. Sevendust issued its most recent outing, Cold Day Memory, in April 2010.

AUDIO: SEVENDUST'S JOHN CONNOLLY SAYS HE DOESN'T MISS THE OLD DAYS

VAN HALEN PLAYS SECRET SHOW IN HOLLYWOOD

Van Halen played an hour-long secret show on Wednesday night (February 1st) at Henson Studios in Hollywood, California. The audience of about 250 attendees saw the band perform three songs from its new album, A Different Kind Of Truth, including "She's The Woman," "The Trouble With Never" and first single "Tattoo," as well as a brace of classics like "You Really Got Me," "Runnin' With The Devil," "Unchained" and "Dance The Night Away." The show served as a launch party for the record, which arrives next Tuesday (February 7th) as well as a warm-up for the band's tour, which kicks off on February 18th in Louisville, Kentucky.

The encore of "Jump" featured an eight-person drum line and a dozen Vegas showgirls that led the crowd out at the end of the song.

A Different Kind Of Truth is Van Halen's first album with original singer David Lee Roth in 28 years.

Roth told the Los Angeles Times last week that the band has gone back into its archives to find previously unreleased material upon which to build the record, saying, "It's material that Eddie (Van Halen, guitar) and I generated, literally, in 1975, 1976 and 1977."

The first review of the new disc popped up online Wednesday (February 1st) at Antiquiet, which said, "That old familiar feeling has returned, the unique flare of excitement that comes from a muscle car rhythm section led by a six-string wizard and a singing sexual megalodon with an ego that made Kanye look like a kid flaunting his new Spider-Man underoos -- and the pipes to back up the strut."