CHRIS CORNELL Celebrating Return Of His Guitars

Former AUDIOSLAVE/SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell has been celebrating the return of his guitar collection after winning a recent court action against ex-wife Susan Silver.

"Speaking of guitars," he writes in his most recent blog entry at ChrisCornell.com, " I was just dusting off the 15 or so guitars that I recently had returned to me after the end of a very long lawsuit where someone had decided that maybe the tools of my trade and guitars I played on my entire catalogue should be in their possession forever."

Back in 2005, Cornell's ex-wife Susan Silver had issued a statement refuting Cornell's "baseless, absurd allegations" regarding his possessions, adding that "at no time have there been any wrongdoings on my part, nor any withholding of his property. His claims are as manufactured as Bush's reasons to be at war in Iraq and this attempt to damage my respected reputation will only prove one thing – he should stick to singing."

Ironically, Cornell was recently given the opportunity to sing in front of George Bush himself — choosing THE WHO's famous anti-political anthem "Won't Get Fooled Again". The occasion was the recent Kennedy Center Honors in Washington D.C., where Cornell, Dave Grohl and Rob Thomas brought the house down in a triumphant tribute to the veteran British band. Surviving members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend were among the six to receive the prestigious arts award this year.

The Kennedy Center Honors gala will be broadcast in the U.S. on CBS December 30 at 9:00 p.m. EST.

Chris Cornell's new video for "Scream", the title track from his forthcoming album, can be viewed below.

Cornell's third solo album, "Scream", a collaboration with producer Timbaland, is now due to be released in early 2009. The CD has already caused controversy for ditching Cornell's hard rock roots in favor of a more pop and urban sound.