August 31, 2012 – The world according to Dan.

Eddie Van Halen has surgery for digestive disease

NEW YORK (AP) — Eddie Van Halen has undergone emergency surgery for a digestive disease and is canceling his tour in Japan to recover.

His representative said Thursday that the guitarist had a “severe bout of diverticulitis,” a painful condition that involves the formation of pouches on the outside of the colon. He is expected to recover in four to six months.

The rep added that the 57-year-old will not require more surgeries to treat the disease.

The musician had plans to tour Japan in November and will reschedule the dates for next year.

Van Halen is best known for hits including “Jump,” ”Why Can’t This Be Love” and “When It’s Love.” The group released a new album, “A Different Kind of Truth,” in February.

Oscars change rule for best original song nominees

LOS ANGELES (AP) — There will be more songs vying for Oscars at next year’s Academy Awards.

The motion picture academy said Thursday that there will be a minimum of five nominees in the original song category at next year’s ceremony.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says that the five nominated songs receiving the highest number of votes from music branch members will be up for the final award. The voting process previously only allowed songs that earned an average score to be nominated.

Only two songs were nominated for the trophy earlier this year for the first time in Oscar history, with “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” winning the prize.

The 85th annual Academy Awards will be presented Feb. 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.