Jeff Giles

Given his well-known penchant for showing up late — not to mention his knack for inciting the occasional riot — you’d think most lawyers would blanch at the prospect of W. Axl Rose serving on a trial jury. But that didn’t keep the Guns N’ Roses singer from doing his civic duty when his number was called for a recent civil trial in Santa Monica, Calif.

Being in the school band just got a whole lot cooler for some of the kids in the Los Angeles area: Eddie Van Halen has teamed up with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to donate 75 guitars from his personal collection to schools that don’t have enough funding to pay for instruments. For Van Halen, it was a simple case of giving back — as he put it simply, “Music education and families are dealing

New Year’s resolutions: Most people don’t live up to them, but everyone makes ‘em — even your favorite hard rockers. How do we know? Thanks to the good people at Noisecreep, who asked a long list of rock’s heaviest hitters to share their plans for 2012, including Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess, Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale, Skillet vocalist John Cooper and B

This month will be a big one for Van Halen fans, as the band is expected to debut the leadoff single from its long-awaited new album and start selling tickets for its 2012 world tour. But for a few lucky spectators at New York’s Cafe Wha?, the fun will begin this Thursday (Jan. 5), when the band takes the small club’s stage for what’s rumored to be a 45-minute, invitation-only warm-up set. Read Mo

Van Halen surprised everyone on Dec. 26 with the news of their upcoming world tour and then a couple days later with news of their new album’s Feb. 7 release date, but when you’re one of the biggest bands in the world, stuff like this just doesn’t happen overnight — the plans have obviously been in the works for quite some time.

The day after Christmas, Van Halen teased long-suffering fans with the news of a 2012 tour, coupled with new performance footage and a mysterious graphic saying only “2.7.12″ — and ever since, we’ve been trying to figure out what it all means.

Van Halen fans may or may not get a new album in 2012, but one thing’s for sure: the band will return to the road for the first time in four years.

We suddenly became hungry — and wanted a bigger paycheck — after reading about wacky, overpriced foods like the $1,000 jam and the world’s most expensive chocolate pudding. But this is far from the first time someone’s had the bright idea to charge thousands of dollars for high-end victuals. In fact, it’s a weird sort of tradition in the food world, and after looking at a few of the more notable e

Peanut butter has been a staple for frugal food lovers for years, but a looming price increase could make it more of a luxury item before the end of the year. Facing shortages after a dismal peanut harvest, producers have begun implementing steep price hikes, and consumers will start feeling the pinch this week — adding to a general rise in the cost of food throughout 2011.

It’s anti-bullying week at ‘Sesame Street‘ and everyone’s favorite Muppets are speaking to the importance of treating everyone with kindness and respect. To commemorate the occasion, rock legend Elvis Costello stopped by the Street to share the story of the time a mean old monster came along and kept him from counting to 10.