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Thu., Nov. 5, 2009 8:35 AM PST by Gina Serpe

Activision/ Band Hero

Listen, if Gwen Stefani wanted to croon like a dude about doing it with hookers, don't you think she would have done it by now?

Unfortunately, the makers of the newly released Band Hero didn't take the hint and allowed for the avatar of No Doubt's frontwoman to be manipulated into doing just that. Which means only one thing: lawsuit time!

The rock band has filed suit against the video game purveyor Activision, alleging fraudulent inducement and breach of contract, claiming that while Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young all signed off on allowing their likenesses to be used, it came with the stipulation that the company could only employ the use of three of their songs, "Don't Speak," "Excuse Me Mr." and "Just a Girl."

Apparently the technical brain-boxes at Activison didn't take the hint from that last song title.

The gamemakers allow players to manipulate Stefani and crew so they can perform more than 60 songs—and here's the sticking point—of other artists, turning the No Doubters, per the lawsuit, into little more than "a virtual karaoke circus act."

The song No Doubt seems to have taken the most issue with is the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman," claiming that manipulation "results in an unauthorized performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice boasting about having sex with prostitutes."

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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filed under top stories, weird, gwen stefani, games, courthouse, no doubt, music

After Five Years, No Doubt Reunites Today

Fri., May. 1, 2009 8:35 AM PDT by Jennifer Cady

No Doubt reunited this morning for their first live performance in five years on the Today show. Gwen Stefani was back to her funky No Doubt hair minus the pink streaks and braces (ah, remember those days?) while bassist Tony Kanal and guitarist Tom Dumont did the ol' chorus jumping thing. It was just like old times.

Gwen may blame herself—"I was in postbaby mode,” she told Matt Lauer—for taking so long to get the band back together, but Tony says there was more to it than that.

"We got in studio and started writing and realized something was missing. We haven’t played for five years. So we just wanted to get out there again and play and reconnect with ourselves, reconnect with all the people who supported us for so long."

Fortunately, they left out their latest track "Stand and Deliver" in their morning show set and opted for their hits "Spiderwebs," "Don't Speak" and "It's My Life."

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filed under gwen stefani, no doubt, music

Gwen Stefani Stands and Delivers New Tune

Wed., Apr. 8, 2009 9:54 AM PDT by Peter Gicas

No doubt, Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Adrian Young, Tom Dumont

NoDoubt.com

Adam and the Ants have walked into No Doubt's spiderweb.

A cover version of the New Wave band's 1981hit "Stand and Deliver" by Gwen Stefani and Co. has leaked onto the Internet and is already getting some serious radio airplay.

While we were a bit nervous going into it, fearing they would try to outdo the original, the group wisely chose to play it pretty close to the vest and, as a result, the song comes across as more of an homage to one of their musical influences than anything else.

No Doubt will be performing the song on the May 11 episode of Gossip Girl, just days after the band kicks off its first tour in five years on May 2 in Atlantic City.

So have a listen here and let us know what you think.