The Stone Temple Pilots accuse former frontman Scott Weiland of misusing the band’s name to further his solo career and want a judge to strip the rocker of his ability to use the group’s name or songs.

A lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles accuses Weiland of being chronically late to concerts while the group was together and having his lawyer attempt to interfere with the airplay of the group’s new single “Out of Time.”

Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots parted ways in February, and the 45-year-old singer said at the time that he learned of his ouster from a statement released to the media.

The lawsuit sheds light on the band’s breakup, accusing Weiland of interacting with band mates only through lawyers or managers and showing up late to the group’s 2012 shows. It cites Weiland’s addiction struggles and poor performances as detriments to the band’s earning potential.

“The band endured much strife and lost significant opportunities because of Weiland,” the suit states.

In a message posted to his website Friday, Weiland said his former band mates shouldn’t call themselves Stone Temple Pilots either.

“First of all they don’t have the legal right to call themselves STP because I’m still a member of the band,” he said. “And more importantly, they don’t have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it’s misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.”

The suit claims the band owns the rights to the name Stone Temple Pilots, and the band’s songs, copyrights and trademarks. Weiland has used many of the band’s hits in his solo shows, the lawsuit states. The band wants a judge to block him from even calling himself a former member of the band.

The band has been reconstituted with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park taking the frontman role.

Although he did not mention the lawsuit, Weiland disputed that he is using the band’s name to promote his new shows.

“When I tour on my own, it’s never as Stone Temple Pilots. It’s as Scott Weiland,” he wrote. “The fans deserve to know what they’re getting.”

The lawsuit claims that Weiland’s lawyer called the head of programming at KROQ, a Los Angeles modern rock station, and said if the station played “Out of Time” it would be infringing on Weiland’s rights.

“Enough is enough,” the band’s lawsuit states. “Without relief from the court, Weiland will continue violating STP’s rights, misappropriating STP assets and interfering with the band’s livelihood.”

The lawsuit states the band entered into agreements in 1996 and 2010 that state that no former members can use the Stone Temple Pilots name.

The band’s hits include “Vasoline,” “Interstate Love Song” and “Plush,” which won a Grammy in 1993 for best hard rock performance with vocal.

Weiland alluded to lawyers getting involved when the band’s statement about his departure was released.

Phone messages left for Weiland’s manager Andrea Pett-Joseph and lawyer Gary Stiffelman were not immediately returned Friday.

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Written by huffingtonpost.com

The greatest music store in history was Manny’s on West 48th St in Manhattan. I practically lived there as a teenager. I wrote up a full appreciation/eulogy that’s up here on Huffington Post when it closed down a few years ago. I met many a star and drooled over countless exotic guitars in that magical place.

My favorite Manny’s moment of all time came on one of those day I’d cut school in the middle of the week to go stare at my candy-colored electric holy grails. I walked in and, to my shocked disbelief, Pete Townshend was standing at the back counter talking to head salesman, the truly legendary Henry Goldrich. I should point out that Henry was practically a surrogate father to me. He was not happy to see me at 2:30pm on a Wednesday.

It was the first time I’d ever seen Pete anywhere other than onstage. It’s a dull-as-dirt cliche, but, I felt like I was in a dream as I floated up to Pete and Henry, just in time to hear, with my own ears, Pete ordering (and this is verbatim… my brain recorded it!)…

“Give me ten Telecasters, ten Stratocasters, five Jazzmasters, five of those Corals, three Gibson Stereo 355s…”

Henry, scribbling furiously, looked up and said, “You really ought to try the Gibson SG Special, Pete. It’s the best buy out there.” Pete chuckled ruefully…”Okay, Henry. Spend more of my money, three of them, too, then…” [Henry was right. The Gibson SG Special was the guitar Pete would use for the entire "Tommy" era, and the model guitar he threw me at the Metropolitan Opera House a few years later.]

So, it was true!

Unlike the rumors I’d heard at the time that he was secretly ruining knock-off pieces of junk, Pete Townshend really was trashing copious amounts of really expensive guitars. Amusingly to me, over the years, Henry would only get mad at Pete when he wrecked high-end Gibsons.

An actual Henry quote, as I walked up to him one sunny summer morning as he was sweeping the sidewalk outside his store…

“Well, Binky, your friend Peter [not Pete] broke another 355 last night in Toronto. Yeah, yeah! Go on, laugh! I know you get a big kick out of it, but, it’s shameful… Disgusting!”

I should add, my Dad, a life-long musician himself, was always deeply offended by Pete’s wanton ruinations. Nowadays, when I see old photos of Pete playing what are now highly sought after vintage guitars, guitars that will never be equaled, guitars destined to be reduced to useless chinks, it hurts me, too, Elmore.

Anyway, Henry, the delightfully brusque father-figure to me by then, saw me walk up to this dreamed-of tableau and laughed, “Finally, huh, Binky!” He turned to Pete and said something like, “He’s in here at least twice a week, waiting to meet you, Pete.”

Standing there about four feet from Pete, who’d pretended to recognize me (whatta marketing genius… heck, maybe he did), I desperately tried to think of something to say that would make me stand out. He needed to know…

I wasn’t a Who fan, I was The Biggest Who Fan In The World.

I suddenly flashed on the fact that I’d just found a copy of a super rare unreleased-in-the-States Who EP called “Ready Steady Who”. I screwed up my courage, and then blanked!

Oh my God, what was the name of that really cool song Pete wrote on that EP?! I simply could not find it in my head.

But, desperate to let him know I was special, so special, I blurting-ly asked Pete why they never performed “Bucket T” onstage (a truly awful old Jan & Dean song… “all the girls wanna take a ride with me, but there’s only one seat in my Bucket T Bucket T Bucket T Bucket T…” that Keith Moon insisted they record and that, at the time, was only available on “Ready Steady Who”). Embarrassingly, it was the only song title off that record I’d been able to pull out of my ass.

Pete scowled at me and mock-sneered, “You’ve heard it. You know why!”

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Written by huffingtonpost.com

Will Smith staged an impromptu ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ reunion during a U.K. TV interview by bringing on his former co-star Alfonso Ribeiro and longtime collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff during the recording.

The ‘Men In Black’ star and his teenage son Jaden were among the guests on The Graham Norton Show, which aired on Friday night, and the actor reminisced about a previous appearance on the program, when he performed his famous rap theme tune to the hit U.S. sitcom.

He told Norton, “Last time I was here I did my Fresh Prince rap – eight million YouTube hits was on that. This time I brought my DJ Jazzy Jeff.”

Smith rapped the song with Jaden as Jazzy Jeff took to a set of DJ decks, and at the end of the performance the actor declared, “You like that? Well hold up Graham my man I’m not through – one more little surprise just for you.”

Ribeiro, who played Smith’s onscreen cousin Carlton Banks, then appeared onstage and the trio danced on the studio floor as Tom Jones’ It’s Not Unusual played – much to the delight of the audience.

Norton then joined the stars for a dance-off to Apache (Jump On It) by The Sugarhill Gang. The talk show host exclaimed, “That is so cool! What a treat that was.”

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Written by canoe.ca

Singer Billy Joel has clarified reports he filed for bankruptcy a few years ago after allegedly going broke.

The Piano Man was rumoured to have lost millions of dollars in 2010 because of his ex-brother-in-law Frank Weber’s poor money managing skills, but Joel has now set the record straight in a new interview with the New York Times Magazine.

He says, “There was a rumour that I filed for bankruptcy – that never happened. I owed Uncle Sam a couple of million bucks in income tax, and the money that I thought was there (in the bank account), wasn’t there.”

Joel also addressed speculation he was forced to sell off one of his Big Apple homes to pay off the debts, insisting he simply owned too many properties – two in Manhattan and one under construction in the Hamptons.

He sold one home to rock star Sting and another the one he was building to comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

The singer jokes, “I keep exchanging star homes. I bought (Jaws star) Roy Scheider’s house. Mickey Drexler (retail tycoon) bought my old place in Martha’s Vineyard (Massachusetts). I’m the realtor to the stars.”

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Written by starpulse.com

A new report claims that Katy has never been a fan of Kristen and Rob’s relationship, and she pushed Rob to break up with Kristen! Find out the reason why.

After Kristen Stewart cheated on Robert Pattinson, Rob’s friend Katy Perry had a hard time supporting their relationship. Katy relates to Rob’s trust issues with Kristen because of her own experience with rumors of infidelity during her marriage to Russell Brand, a source tells Life & Style.

“Katy never really supported Rob’s decision to get back with Kristen,” the source reveals. “She always said they wouldn’t last.”

“Katy told Rob she didn’t think their relationship could withstand the cheating scandal,” the source explains. “And he deserved better than someone who would destroy a family [like Rupert's].” Ouch! A little harsh?

Kristen and Rob broke up over a massive fight about her cheating, and a new report claims that the reason they were fighting was because Rob found texts from Kristen’s ex-fling Rupert Sanders on her phone. A source tells The Sun:

Rob was looking at her phone on the morning of his birthday as he wanted to take a picture of something when she was in the shower. Suddenly this message flashes up and it’s not what he wanted to see. He got straight up and left. Despite Kristen’s pleas, he told her not to come to his birthday party at a friend’s that night. He’s extremely angry and upset. No matter how many times she calls or texts, friends say he’s had enough. After everything that happened and the hurt she caused, he’s furious she’d be back in touch with him, even if she is saying it’s completely innocent.

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Written by hollywoodlife.com

‘American Idol’ has become as well-known for its judge shakeups as its talented contestants! In a new interview, Randy says the reality show should focus on the talent, not on who is on the panel.

Randy Jackson, the last original American Idol judge, will be leaving the show after 12 seasons. Now, the former judge is saying the show should go back to basics and shine the spotlight only on the young talent.

Before deciding to leave the show, Randy shared the judges table with nine different judges including Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey. In an interview on Good Morning America on May 24, Randy talked about his concerns of the show that is near and dear to his heart.

I’ve really always felt that people made too much of the judges, and not enough of the talent.

Randy also gushed about how he is incredibly lucky Idol became a hit, and that the original judges — Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and himself –had such incredible chemistry.

We got so lucky. Anybody that says they knew the show was going to be a hit, knew we were going gel together is lying. None of us really knew. We hit the jackpot.

The judges table is sure to look very different next season, especially without the familiar face of Randy. HollywoodLife.com previously reported that producers are planning to replace the current judges, although Keith Urban does want to return next season.

Let’s hope Idol producers follow Randy’s advice and just focuses on the heart of the show — the talent!

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Written by hollywoodlife.com

Actress Debra Messing isn’t afraid of failure, in fact, she embraces it. Sitting down with More magazine, she openly discussed the ups and downs of her life at 40.

Best known for her role as Grace in the hit sitcom “Will & Grace,” Messing stars in the NBC show “Smash,” which airs its 2-hour finale on Sunday, May 26 at 9 PM.

Messing revealed that she initially turned down the role of Grace, which put her on the map as one of America’s funny girls. In fact, she rejected it several times before finally agreeing, saying, “I didn’t want to be, for a lack of a better word, a fag hag. And I didn’t want to be just the pretty, straight girl in the corner while the guys did all the funny stuff.”

Messing won an Emmy for the role in 2003. She was also nominated eight times for a Golden Globe, yet never won. “I would just start shoveling chocolate in my face [after losing] because I’d been eating brown rice and salmon for weeks trying to fit into a dress that was a sample size and now it didn’t matter if the zipper popped because, hey, I didn’t win.”

It hasn’t always been laughs for Messing. In 2012, she filed for divorce from husband Daniel Zelman after 11 years of marriage. The two have a son, Roman, 9. “Part of me will always contend with the guilt that I wasn’t able to give my son the fantasy that my parents were able to give me.” Messing eventually found love again with her “Smash” co-star Will Chase.

For more details on Messing’s interview, pick up the June 2013 issue of More magazine, which hits newsstands on Tuesday, May 28.

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Written by extratv.com

CNN has released the name and time-slot for George Stroumboulopoulos’ new show on the American news network.

“Stroumboulopoulos” will debut on Sunday, June 9 and then air regularly on Friday evenings at 11 pm, starting on June 14.

The first guests on the talk show will be rapper Wiz Khalifa, actress Ellen Page and the author of the Walking Dead comic book Robert Kirkman. Subsequent guests will include Keanu Reeves, Martin Short, Betty White, Bill Maher and Sharon Stone.

The first episode will be taped live before a studio audience in Los Angeles and will air immediately following the season finale of Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown.” CNN is likely hoping “Stroumboulopoulos” will benefit from having such a strong lead-in.

“Parts Unknown” has been a hit for CNN, according to AdAge, averaging nearly three-quarters of a million viewers in the Nielsen ratings.

Stroumboulopoulos is currently the host “George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight” on CBC.

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Good on ya George….much success

Written by huffingtonpost.com

Rocky Horror Picture Show star Tim Curry has reportedly suffered a stroke.

Tim Curry is recovering after suffering a major stroke on Thursday night, reports The Daily Mail.

The 67-year-old actorsuffered the stroke at his Los Angeles home and while there were few details available, sources close to the actor denied that the stroke has impaired his ability to speak and his longtime agent, Marcia Hurwitz, told the U.K. paper, “Tim is doing great. He absolutely can speak and is recovering at this time and in great humor.”

The British actor is best known for his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 cult film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” a role that he originated in the 1973 and 1974 London and Los Angeles stage productions of “The Rocky Horror Show.” Curry went on to appear in many TV, film and theater roles over the years, but was forced to pull out of a 2011 production of “Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Aare Dead” at the Chichester Festival after he suffered from asthma attacks and a chest infection.

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Charlie Sheen appears in the upcoming Robert Rodriguez film “Machete Kills,” he’s just not using the name Charlie Sheen. According to TMZ, Sheen is credited in “Machete Kills” with his birth name, Carlos Estevez.

Sheen has said in the past that he took the name Charlie when he was a kid to avoid confusion with an uncle who was also named Carlos. Sheen’s father, Martin Sheen, was born with the name Ramon Antonio Gerardo Estevez; according to the New York Times, the 72-year-old acting legend took the stage name of Sheen as a tribute to Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. He also hoped it would get him more acting parts. Sheen never legally changed his name, however, and passed the Estevez name down to his four children, including to his son, actor Emilio Estevez.

“I started using Sheen, I thought I’d give it a try, and before I knew it, I started making a living with it and then it was too late,” Martin Sheen told James Lipton on an episode of “Inside the Actors Studio.” “In fact, one of my great regrets is that I didn’t keep my name as it was given to me. I knew it bothered my dad.”

Sheen/Estevez included, the “Machete Kills” cast could only be described as cuckoo bananas. Sofia Vergara, Mel Gibson, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lady Gaga all star. Danny Trejo plays the title Machete, but its Sheen who may have the best role: He’s reportedly playing the President of the United States.

Presented by The Griper – E.Cowan

Written by huffingtonpost.com