Jack White says he was talking about Lady Gaga's image, not her music

Before Mother Monster's ravenous fans call for blood, Jack White wants everyone to know that the Lady Gaga comments he made for the new issue of the U.K. edition of Esquire that's been teased on the magazine's website and also published by www.nme.com are nothing but "tabloidesque drama."

In the statement White released Wednesday, the native Detroiter explained he didn't say anything about Gaga's music, nor did he question the authenticity of her songs when he was quoted as saying, "It's all image with no meaning behind it. You can't sink your teeth into it. It's a sound bite. It's very of this age, because that's what people want."

White said that he "was in a conversation about the drawbacks of image for the sake of image, and that it is popular nowadays to not question an image in front of you, but only to label it as 'cool' or 'weird' quickly and dispose of it," he said. "I don't like my comments about Lady Gaga's presentation being changed into some sort of negative critique of her music."

White added that journalists should at least get the quotes right if they're going to try and cause drama and that they should be held "accountable for what they say."

White finished by congratulating Gaga on "gay rights issues and the momentum it's given to help create change."

Bon Jovi sets Ford Field date

Last month, reps for Bon Jovi revealed plans were being finalized for the New Jersey rockers' upcoming Because We Can tour. Wednesday morning, promoters announced that the Bon Jovi tour will play Detroit's Ford Field on July 18.

Although ticket prices and on-sale date weren't part of today's announcement, promoters, including Tom Lewand, president of Ford Field and the Detroit Lions, said that tickets will be affordable with a starting price of $19.50 (including service charges).

Bon Jovi Because! We Can -- The Tour kicks off Feb. 9 in Connecticut. "What About Now," Bon Jovi's 12th studio album and the first since the band's 2009 full-length "The Circle," is being readied for a spring release.

For more on the band and up-to-date ticket info, go to www.bonjovi.com or www.detroitlions.com.

Briefly

Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" was named the best movie of the year Wednesday by the National Board of Review. The NBR also named Bigelow best director and the film's star, Jessica Chastain, best actress. "Silver Linings Playbook" leading man Bradley Cooper was named best actor. For the full list of winners and more about the awards gala scheduled for Jan. 8 in New York, go to www.nbrmp.org.

Vasily Belov, the Russian writer who became widely known after he published the novel "Business as Usual" in 1966, died Tuesday at age 80, according to the Associated Press. Vologda government officials in northwestern Russia, where Belov lived, announced his passing but didn't provide a cause of death.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and 16-year-old Oregon resident Mimi Ausland, the founder of Freekibble.com, are scheduled to appear at noon today at the St. Clair Shores' Pet Supplies Plus, 23700 Greater Mack Ave. The Detroit stop is part of their 14-city holiday "Kibble Drop" tour across the U.S., where they're donating thousands of meals to animals and shelters, courtesy of Halo pet food. Seven local organizations will receive donations, including the Michigan Humane Society in Detroit, the! Michigan! Animal Adoption Network in Roseville, Canton's Homeward Bound Rescue League and the Guardians for Animals in Troy. For more, www.halopets.com.

COMPILED BY B.J. HAMMERSTEIN, FREE PRESS DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST. CONTACT HIM AT 313-223-4528 OR BJHAMMERSTEIN@FREEPRESS.COM.

More Details: Fast takes

1. Hef, Harris: NYE wedding?

Playboy boss Hugh Hefner, 86, and former fiance Crystal Harris, 26, acquired a new marriage license in Beverly Hills on Tuesday and are engaged again, www.tmz.com reports. Buzz is, Harris, who called off the 2011 wedding just four days before walking down the aisle, will marry Hef on New Years Eve.

2. Oprahs new Book Club pick

Oprah Winfrey, right, said Wednesday she has chosen Ayana Mathis debut novel, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie (Knopf, $24.95), as the second selection of the Oprah Book Club 2.0. Mathis is featured in the new issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, and shell appear on OWNs Super Soul Sunday on Feb. 3.

3. The Message is tops

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Fives 1982 classic, The Message, has topped Rolling Stones first-ever 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time list. Online now, the list also includes two Eminem tracks, My Name Is and Lose Yourself.