The members of once-great arena rockers Journey haven’t seen this much action since Reagan was in the White House. On the heels of an unintentionally hilarious, schlocky new video for their song “Resonate,” the band’s guitarist Neal Schon and reality show girlfriend Michaele Salahi have been sued for $50 million by Salahi's ex-husband Tareq Salahi.
According to a story in TMZ.com, Tareq Salahi claims that he and his estranged wife were on track to make a fortune together from multiple TV shows including Dancing with the Stars before she ran off, literally, with the Journey guitarist last year.
TMZ.com adds that “Tareq claims Schon humiliated him in public because the publicity would increase interest in the band's concert tour... which resulted in a major boost in ticket sales. Tareq is demanding at least $50 million for emotional distress, conspiracy to defame, interfering with a contract and defamation ... PLUS he wants $450k in punitive damages.”
Ugh. The credibility of all players involved in this tabloid drama is stupidly dubious. The Salanis are infamous for crashing a White House state dinner in 2009, an achievement in notoriety at best.
As for Schon, anyone who would even suggest his band mates set aside their dignity to appear in a laughable stinker like the “Resonate” video is clearly playing with a warped deck or a bizarre agenda.
Neither Schon nor Salahi are doing themselves any favors by sucking face everywhere they go (see Billboard Awards, NAMM Show et al). I’ve met teenagers with more restraint than these two. Jeesh.
Meanwhile, Schon and Salahi appeared this morning on The Today Show. Salahi said she left her husband in late September of 2011 to escape a too-close, abusive relationship. "What happened between Tareq and I was him and I. It's between us," she explained. "And what he did is push me away. When there's control or abuse or hurting someone mentally ... it's not love. It's smothering."
Schon also denied Tareq's assertion that the two men were previously friends. "I considered her a best friend, and I had to know Tareq because she was my best friend. Did [Tareq and I] know each other? Yes, but I wouldn't consider him a friend, and certainly not now!"
Watch the clip below.
Smart money says a few more chapters are yet to be written in this drama. Stay tuned.
