Marilyn O'Grady, the Conservative Party's long shot candidate for a New York U.S. Senate seat this November, has begun airing a 30-second "Boycott the Boss" television advertisement that urges people to boycott Bruce Springsteen [ tickets ]'s music.

The ad takes on Springsteen for his participation in the upcoming Vote for Change tour, which is aimed at motivating voters in so-called "swing states" to oust George W. Bush from the White House.

"Bruce Springsteen is doing a concert tour to dump President Bush," the ad says. "What's new? Springsteen criticized Reagan, bashed the New York police and said Bush should be impeached. He thinks making millions with a song-and-dance routine allows him to tell you how to vote. Here's my vote: Boycott the Boss. If you don't buy his politics, don't buy his music."

Merle Haggard [ tickets ] and Toby Keith [ tickets ] plan to record a pair of duets together this week, with one song expected to appear on an upcoming Keith album and another to land on a Haggard set.

The track that's headed for a future Keith album--whether it will be on "Greatest Hits 2," due in November, is unclear--is being produced by longtime Keith collaborator James Stroud.

Haggard's Hag Records, meanwhile, announced that it is in final negotiations with Capitol Records for Haggard to record a new album for Capitol.

Musician/activist Steve Earle [ tickets ] will host a weekly, hour-long radio show, dubbed "The Revolution Starts ... Now," on the Air America radio network, beginning Aug. 22. The program shares its title with his upcoming album, which is due in stores on Aug. 24.