celebrity buzz

Avril Lavigne has hit back over claims her hit single 'Girlfriend' is a rip-off of a song written by a 70s rock band.

The 22-year-old singer claims she has never heard the 1979 track, 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend', written by Tommy Dunbar and James Gangwer of The Rubinoos, which they claim is the basis for her 2007 hit 'Girlfriend'.

Avril wrote on her official website: "I had never heard this song in my life and their claim is based on 5 words. All songs share similar lyrics and emotions. As humans we speak one language.

"Simply put, I have been falsely accused of ripping their song off. My songwriting partner Luke Gottwald and I have done nothing wrong and there is no merit to their claim."

But The Rubinoos - who have posted clips of the two songs side-by-side on their website - don't accept Avril's excuse and are adamant she has copied them.

Dunbar - who filed the lawsuit in San Francisco on July 2 - said: "We are not so naive as to chalk it up to some sort of cosmic coincidence. The lyric, the metre, the rhythm - they're identical."

The case is due to be heard in a California court on August 28.

Avril Lavigne is hooked on acting after appearing in two movies last year, and is now looking for serious big screen roles.

The singer loaned her voice to an animated character in Over The Hedge and made a brief appearance in Fast Food Nation, and she confesses she has an appetite for more.

Lavigne tells MTV, "I think as time goes on, I would want to try different styles. I would want to go for a more serious drama, something darker that would take a lot of emotion."

She adds, "I do have a movie that I'm going to be working on and starring in."