Ted Nugent's date with the Secret Service

Uncle Ted has a hot date with Big Brother today. Ted Nugent, who has made a flurry of statements in recent days about Democrats and President Barack Obama, says he has been asked to sit down with members of the Secret Service today, the Blaze reports.

The Michigan native got himself noticed over the weekend while he was speaking at a National Rifle Association convention in St. Louis. Among his attention-grabbing lines was this one: "We need to ride into the battlefield and chop their heads off in November."

Later, the "Cat Scratch Fever" rocker made the media rounds to defend his opinions, pump up presumptive 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, promote firearms activism and bash the Demmies.

On Wednesday morning, while appearing on Glenn Beck's radio program, Nugent said that he'll be meeting with the Secret Service today but that there's nothing for him to fear because he doesn't "waste breath threatening."

"We're going to have a little barbecue get-together," he said. "I'm not trying to diminish the seriousness of this, because if the Secret Service are doing it, they are serious. They are dedicated and I will be as polite and supportive as I possibly can be, which will be thoroughly."

Patti Smith headed to Detroit
Iconic punk rocker Patti Smith will perform June 1 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

The 7:30 p.m. performance comes on the opening day of "Patti Smith: Camera Solo," an exhibition of her photography that will run through Sept. 2 at the DIA.

Smith, who spent 16 years living in metro Detroit in the 1980s and '90s while she was married to the late Fred (Sonic) Smith of the MC5, will perform at the museum with her children Jackson Smith (guitar) and Jess Smith (piano) and a trio of local musicians.

Smith last played Detroit in 2010. She has an extensive European tour planned through the summer, but currently has only one other U.S. date booked, in New York City.

Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. Friday. They're $18-$25 general public, $15-$22 DIA members. For more, call 313-833-4005 or go to www.dia.org.

Briefly
• Free Press columnist Mitch Albom was joined by "Ernie" director Tony Caselli and show stars TJ Corbett and Will David Young at Detroit's City Theatre on Wednesday in preparation for the play's second season. "Ernie," inspired by the life of late Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell, returns to the stage May 3 and is currently scheduled to run through the end of July. Tickets ($20, $25) are on sale now. For more, go to www.olympiaentertainment.com.

• The Hollywood Summit Motor City Talent Search, a free and open casting call for actors, comedians, models and musicians, will be held at Detroit's PV Lounge (1435 Randolph) on April 28 beginning at 10 a.m. For more: www.hollywoodsummit.com.

• WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) anchor Diana Lewis will be inducted into the Michigan Celebrity Hall of Fame, while the late Jeff Zaslow, a former Wall Street Journal columnist and best-selling author of "The Last Lecture," will receive a special honor April 27 at Variety, the Children's Charity red-carpet gala. The event, called A Star Is Born, kicks off at 6 p.m. at the Emagine Royal Oak and Star Lanes. It includes an open bar, dinner and entertainment. Tickets, which support Variety programs aimed at helping metro Detroit children, are $150-$350. For more: 248-258-5511 or e-mail variety@variety5detroit.com.

• Taja Sevelle, the founder of Urban Farming, will help WJBK-TV (Channel 2) celebrate Earth Day by planting vegetables and flowers at the station's garden from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. The studio is at 16550 W. Nine Mile in Southfield. For more: www.urbanfarming.org.

• Tickets ($29.50, $49.50, $79.50 and $149.50) for Van Halen's July 19 concert at Joe Louis Arena go on sale at 10 a.m. May 5.