’Family’ feud
Looks like Sly Stone wants to hurl legal stones at musicians he says rip him off.
In an open letter to fans, Sly — aka Sylvester Stewart — claims several tribute bands “illegally” call themselves Sly & the Family Stone, the name of the 1960s funk group he founded, which had such hits as “Dance to the Music” and “Everyday People,” the New York Post reports. The letter singles out the group’s original sax player, Jerry Martini, and claims he has “no right to use the name I created not to mention all the hit records. Do not be fooled.”
Mr. Martini, who said he co-founded the band, told the newspaper: “That letter was sent by other people, not Sly. He has my phone number and has been my friend for 45 years. If he really wanted me to stop, he would call me. Legally, even if Sly wanted me to stop, as a founding member of the band, I do not have to.”
Mr. Martini’s lawyer, Carl Spagnuolo, called the letter a “questionable communication, adding, “Jerry and Sly have been and remain friends.” However, a representative at Mr. Stone’s official Web site, Phattadatta.com, insisted the letter was genuine.
Brief reprieve
Nicole Richie can breathe a sigh of relief.
The waiflike reality-show star has won a delay in her driving-under-the-influence case, Associated Press reports.
The trial had been slated to start on Monday.
Superior Court Commissioner Steven K. Lubell set a new trial date of July 11 at the request of a defense attorney. That means the trial could start on that date or within the following 10 days, a spokeswoman for prosecutors said.
Miss Richie, the 25-year-old daughter of pop star Lionel Richie, was arrested Dec. 11. She pleaded not guilty in February to misdemeanor driving under the influence. In addition to the single count, the case contains a claim that Miss Richie had a prior misdemeanor DUI conviction in June 2003.
Miss Richie stars in “The Simple Life” reality show on the E! cable channel with her best friend, Paris Hilton, who is serving a 45-day sentence for violating her probation in an alcohol-related reckless-driving case.
Earlier this month, Miss Richie told CBS “Late Show” host David Letterman that she’s worried about landing in jail, but is “willing to face whatever consequences come my way, and I take responsibility for what I’ve done.”
Fat suit for Howard
According to the New York Post, Howard Stern is about to be hit with a $100 million lawsuit by an advertiser who claims his weight-loss product was trashed on the King of All Media’s show, resulting in a dramatic drop in sales.
Kelly Lockwood, chief executive officer of JEC Nutrition, claimed he has shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote his fat-burning I57 Ignite on Mr. Stern’s Sirius Radio gabfest. On June 6, he said, Crazy Cabbie, a regular character on the show, was on to talk about how he had shed 20 pounds with the product. “The first thing out of Howard’s mouth was, ’Geez, Cabbie, you look fatter than ever,’ and his sidekick added something like, ’What … are you doing in here promoting a weight-loss product? Why don’t you lose 60 more pounds and then come back?’ This was horrendous for us. Our sales have dropped more than 20 percent. In seven minutes, he undid all the good work we did,” Mr. Lockwood said.
Mr. Lockwood said the suit, to be filed this week in federal court in New Jersey, will charge Mr. Stern and Sirius with defamation.
Compiled by Amanda Lewis and Robyn-Denise Yourse from Web and wire reports
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