John Stamos Embraces Beach Boys, Entourage and Glee After "Heartbreaking" Trial

Actor speaks out for first time after Michigan couple convicted of blackmail; sets up Beach Boys tour

In his first interview since last week's extortion trial came to an end, John Stamos tells us he's moving on the best way he knows how: with music.

And no, he's not talking about his stint on Glee just yet...

"You know when you're at the dentist and they tell you to think of happy thoughts?" John explains. "Or if you're in a situation that is not so happy? Well, my happy thoughts last week were Beach Boys. I was thinking of playing music. There is nothing more cathartic for me and nothing makes me more happy than to get behind the drums and play. So when I got home [from the trial], I immediately cleared my schedule this week."

John kicks off his impromptu, multicity Beach Boys tour this Thursday in Brooklyn, then on to Westbury, N.Y., Baltimore and Vienna, Va. (See full schedule below.) This summer marks his 25th year (!) playing with the band.

The long-time TV fave, musician and Broadway star is squeezing in the Boys before he starts that other music gig/happy place: playing Emma's (Jayma Mays) new love interest (and dentist!) for 10 episodes on Glee this fall. "I start Glee soon, the week after next," John tells me.

And before that, he'll be popping up on HBO's Entourage to continue the hilarious storyline introduced in last night's episode. This Sunday, John will be playing himself and a potential new costar for Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon)—who doesn't believe anyone in America will buy Stamos as better looking than him. (Out of respect for the comedic genius that is Mr. Dillon we will respectfully conceal our chortle.)

"Without giving too much away," John says of his Entourage stint, "it sort of comes down to the fact that if Drama beats me at ping-pong, then I'll do his TV show. So, it all comes down to a ping pong game. I won't tell you who wins or loses but I took ping pong lessons, I swear to you, three times a week for at least six weeks. And I was horrible!" Then he laughs, "They bought me a ping pong table, which is in my pool now, because I kicked it over into there. I'm not very good."

As for the extortion trial that is now thankfully behind him, John says last Thursday's guilty verdict, in which a Michigan couple was convicted of trying to blackmail him, doesn't erase the sadness of the situation. "To be honest with you, nobody won," John says. "It wasn't like I was jumping up and down. It was a tragedy, you know? I mean, I went into it because the government asked me to be a witness. I wasn't on trial. I got caught up in some bizarre trip that happened six years ago… I [was] doing what was asked of me. There was a federal crime and I got subpoenaed and I said, 'Damn right, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna fight for the truth!' "

So was he nervous? "Never for one minute, I wasn't scared …Even when they were preparing me for the witness stand, I said, 'I'm just gonna go up there and tell the truth' because…I mean they barely even prepped me! They said, 'Just tell what you know. Tell what happened.' So, when I got in the courtroom and there's hundreds of people, and all of a sudden, this woman who I've never seen before in my life, this Sarah Henderson, gets up and starts spewing maybe the most hateful stuff that's ever been said about me in my life, my heart just sunk into my stomach like, 'Oh my god!' And then when I found out that they were allowed to print these lies, like this Associated Press guy was feverously, you know, writing everything. I mean, literally I went home from the hotel and every muscle and bone and fiber of my body was sick."

John says the hardest part of the whole experience was the attack on his character. "I've worked so hard my whole life, especially my last 27 years in the business, and it's important to me to be a stand up guy, you know? Because that's how my father was, and that's the way he taught me. And in a matter of 20 minutes, in an opening statement, to have all that ripped away from you, is just absolutely…heartbreaking is the only word I could use. So, do I feel vindicated? I guess. I just wish none of it would have happened. Clearly, those kids didn't win. The justice system proved right, but this costs millions of dollars, and the town of Marquette didn't win."

Still, the man we once knew as Uncle Jesse says he's so grateful for the fans' unwavering support—including those who showed up outside the courthouse to cheer him on. "The support was beautiful. It's so nice to see that people are on my side, you know?"

Be sure to check out John this Sunday on Entourage and you can see him performing with the Beach Boys at the performances listed below:

• Thurday: Asser Levy Park at Coney Island in Brooklyn
• Friday: Theatre at Westbury in Brooklyn
• Saturday: Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore
• Sunday: Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va.