The Beatles, She's A Woman Video

Digitally restored with a newly created 5.1 soundtrack, the recently revived, critically acclaimed Beatles' feature film 'Help!' will debut on UK television, November 25th, 7pm on BBC4. The first ever TV broadcast of the renewed classic, it follows the eagerly anticipated DVD release by Apple Corps Ltd./EMI Music earlier this month. The story follows The Beatles as they become passive recipients of an outside plot that revolves around Ringo's possession of a sacrificial ring, which he cannot remove from his finger. As a result, he and his bandmates John, Paul and George are chased from London to the Austrian Alps and the Bahamas by religious cult members, a mad scientist & the London police. ...more...

Ok, you can call him a man

To film a biography of Bob Dylan and name it after one of the musician's least-known titles seems like an in-joke at best, disingenuous at worst. (Would you call the John Lennon story Yer Blues?) But then, I'm Not There doesn't seem to be about the man; rather, it's about the idea of the man. Or as Richard Gere put it, in an interview with The New York Times: "It has an emotional truth to it, which I think is what modern art is about. It's not about the narrative. In other words, without narrative, it's kind of, well, cosmic." Like, wow. Gere should have some insight into the film, however, since he plays Bob Dylan. So do Cate Blanchett, Ben Whishaw, Christian Bale, Marcus Carl Franklin and Heath Ledger. There were originally going to be seven Dylans, but writer/director Todd Haynes thought that was getting out of hand, or perhaps wanted to avoid tussling with the Bard, who names the seven ages of a man in As You Like It....more...

Paul McCartney may face a few hard days’ nights with Rosanna Arquette

This picture suggests Paul McCartney may face a few hard days’ nights with new love interest Rosanna Arquette. The energetic actress - who appeared naked in Playboy - has stripped off in a few of her old movies. And whether she’s doing a saucy dance for an on-screen lover or having a quickie in a cramped car, she’s no stranger to flashing her flesh. In 1993 movie The Wrong Man, she plays Missy Mills - the frustrated fictional wife of actor John Lithgow. In one scene Arquette does a sexy little table dance. Peeling off a lacy red bra she reveals her boobs before teasing her lover wearing only a pair of ruby knickers that barely cover her bum. Then 34, the actress pouts and flicks her blonde hair like screen legend Marilyn Monroe. In one shot she even cups one of her boobs and in another a topless Arquette is featured straddling Lithgow, riding him like a pony, while he is on all fours. ...more...

Sir Paul's reclusive son James steps out of the shadows

There is no mistaking the soft-cheeked moon face, doe-eyes and the small, downturned mouth... This is James McCartney, the reclusive and only son of Sir Paul. The musician is the spitting image of his famous father - albeit with ginger hair. There are now signs the 30-year-old is starting to step out of the famous family shadow. He made a rare public appearance last night at the switching on of the Christmas lights at the Stella McCartney store in Mayfair. The youngest of the McCartney clan, until Sir Paul's now estranged wife Heather Mills gave birth to a daughter Beatrice in 2003, James has always shied away from the spotlight. He spent his earlier days as a penniless student and even working as a waiter. He was studying for his A'levels when his mother Linda died of breast cancer in 1998. In 1999, he made a rare public appearance when he joined his father to support Stella's first fashion show following the death of their mother. Guitarist and drummer James is now working on an album with his father, after previously playing with the former Beatle on his North American tour in 2005. ...more...

The McCartney interview: 'I'm trying to create an antidote' for difficult times

It’s been a tumultuous year for Paul McCartney. He severed a five-decade relationship with his record label to release his latest solo album, “Memory Almost Full,” on a new imprint (Hear Music) backed by the Starbucks coffee chain. And he is going through a painful divorce with Heather Mills that has been widely covered in the tabloid press. But when reached at his recording studio on his 160-acre estate in the British countryside, McCartney was in his usual affable mood. “Memory Almost Full” has re-entered the Billboard album chart after being re-released with bonus music and DVD content, and a three-DVD set documenting his post-Beatles career, “The McCartney Years” (Rhino), is now in stores. “The sun is out and the view of the English Channel is just beautiful,” McCartney reports, a reflection of the optimism the now 65-year-old singer brings to most of his ventures. ...more...

Julian Lennon Invests in MyStore.com

Today MyStore.com confirmed Julian Lennon, son of Beatles icon John Lennon, is among the group of private investors behind yourStore, LLC. The company owns and operates http://www.mystore.com/, an online marketplace. "In addition to his monetary investment, Julian has contributed some great ideas to the options MyStore.com offers to musicians and artists who want to resell or self distribute their music and art online. As an independent artist himself, Mr. Lennon was an early user of MyStore.com, setting up his own MyStore and linking it to several places he has a presence online including his MySpace page. We are glad to have him involved. He's been a friend for a long time," stated Todd Meagher, the company's CEO....more/press release...

The Killing Of John Lennon

By his own admission Meek Crapman was nobody until he killed the biggest somebody on earth. That somebody was ex-Beatle John Lennon who he shot on 8 December 1980 outside the Dakota Buildings in New York. Despite being completed over 18 months ago writer/director Andrew Piddington’s compelling take on this iconic event, told from Crapman’s perspective, is still the first of two new fictionalisations centred on Lennon’s murder (the other being Sundance hit Chapter 27 starring Jared Leto and Lindsay Lohan). Honed by his work on many TV documentaries and drama Piddington’s methods are grippingly clinical. This is a study of mania and celebrity obsession in an age when the phenomenon was still in its infancy. We follow Crapman (played with disturbed reserve by newcomer Jonas Ball) from his young marriage in Honolulu to the wintry boulevards and parks of Manhattan, as an obsession with Holden Caulfield (protagonist of JD Salinger’s book The Catcher in The Rye) and a wish for celebrity endorsement take a hold of him. ...more...

Lennon film premieres in Liverpool

A film about John Lennon's murder has had its premiere in Liverpool - and the man behind the movie admitted it was a difficult decision to host the event in the former Beatle's hometown. Andrew Piddington, who wrote and directed The Killing Of John Lennon, said: "I was very sensitive about whether to bring it to Liverpool because it's still very raw in so many peoples minds, you know, the loss of one of their cultural founding fathers. "It's something that will never be forgotten or forgiven so the decision to bring the film here was thought about a lot. ...more/video...

Lennon Christmas card is re-printed

A Christmas card that was designed by John Lennon in 1965 is to be re-printed and put on sale again for this year's festive period. The singer's card, called 'The Fat Budgie', is being re-released as a limited edition piece to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Oxfam's seasonal cards. Lennon's widow Yoko Ono gave permission for the design to be re-printed and has ordered 200 copies for herself so that she can send them to her own family and friends. Ono said: "John supported Oxfam so it is wonderful that his illustration can continue to help Oxfam in its important work. "He would have been happy that Oxfam wanted to re-print his design to mark such an important occasion and I hope people will enjoy buying, sending and receiving his cards this Christmas." Source:

Heather Mills asks Paul McCartney to spend Christmas with her

Heather Mills has shocked estranged hubby Sir Paul McCartney by asking if she can spend the festive holidays with him and their daughter Bea, 4. The former glamour model made the bizarre proposal because last year she was left on her tod. 'Heather spent most of last Christmas Day alone while Bea was with her father,' a source reveals. This year Paul is due to get Bea again and Heather suggested a family reunion. 'It beggars belief, but she asked him if he wants to spend Christmas Day together,' says the insider. 'As you'd imagine Paul isn't too keen on the idea especially after her latest round of rants.' ...more/video...

The Beatles are in the pantheon of the musical greats

We’ve always known they were the top of the pops, but the American author of a new book on The Beatles places them up there with Mozart and Beethoven. David Charters reports: ‘WHERE would you place them, man. You know, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and The Beatles?” “Well,” says the jazz cat from the well-buttered side of life, whose fine shoes have rubbed the elegant sidewalks of the Big Apple. Hmmm,” he adds, giving further thought to the proposition. This is a very important question for the writer of a book about The Beatles, so thick that it would not only stop-a-door, but dam a self-respecting stream. For, if The Beatles are now seated alongside Mozart, Beet- hoven and Bach in the pantheon of the immortals, it gives Liverpool a future as a big-city player in the world for as long as man is interested in culture....more...

Led Zeppelin's Return Is More Than 1970s Nostalgia

Led Zeppelin's singer Robert Plant has joked that the group's comeback means their trademark song ``Stairway to Heaven'' should be renamed ``Stairlift to Heaven.'' Fans of the U.K. rock band, who have been hoping for a reunion for three decades, are indeed in ecstasy. For Plant, 59, and his band mates, who have already sold more than 300 million albums, it could also signify a golden pension plan. Led Zeppelin fell apart after the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980. Thanks to bone-crunching songs such as ``Whole Lotta Love,'' the group's influence was once viewed as equal to that of Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. ...more...

Paul McCartney love-me-doing just fine

Paul McCartney's divorce may be nasty, but it's done wonders for his love life. Ever since the aging rocker gave wife Heather Mills the boot, women have been flocking to his side. Unlike his crooning colleagues, McCartney, 65, prefers cuddling with age-appropriate gals, not groupies. This weekend, the former Beatle was spotted snuggling in England with actress and documentary filmmaker Rosanna Arquette, 48. A few weeks prior, McCartney was snapped with New York socialite and businesswoman Nancy Shevell, 47, in the Hamptons. Since splitting with Mills earlier this year, the rocker has also passed the time with Christie Brinkley and Renee Zellweger. While they're bold-faced hotties, they're no dumb blonds. McCartney is proving himself a master at snagging successful, nurturing women of a certain age. He just might be the perfect catch for the forty-something lady. ...more...

McCartney upset with Jagger for criticising Linda

Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney was upset when his friend Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, criticised his late wife Linda's musical talent. McCartney had taught his wife Linda, a photographer, to sing and play the keyboards and she eventually joined his band Wings. However, fans and critics alike have dissected her contribution to music, contactmusic.com reported. '(The criticisms were) like oil off a duck's back - but harder to shift. You know, it wasn't easy. But she was tough. The thing is we wanted to be together and we said, 'What right has anyone got to say we shouldn't be together in a band?' And the world seemed to think it was its affair. So we had people like Jagger saying, 'He's got his old lady in the band, oh f*****g hell.' I know Mick, he's sort of a mate, you know. I would think, Oh, f*****g thanks a lot tosser,' McCartney said....more...

EMI to debut iTunes John Lennon video album at Starbucks

Hollywood (CA) – Starbucks will be offering a digital music release card unlocking 21 John Lennon music videos on iTunes beginning December 4. Publisher Capitol/EMI Music Videos said that the 21 videos are priced as a bundle at $24.95 and will allow buyers to see videos that are available in a digital format for the first time. The “collectible” cards of the "John Lennon Video Album" can be redeemed on iTunes for videos of the titles , Imagine (Legend version), Woman, Watching the Wheels, Mind Games, Happy Xmas (War is Over), Whatever Gets You Thru the Night, (Just Like) Starting Over, #9 Dream, Give Peace a Chance, Beautiful Boy, Jealous Guy, Nobody told me, Cold Turkey, Power to the People, Working Class Hero, Working Class Hero (Anthology version), Love, Mother, Borrowed Time, Slippin' and Slidin' and Stand By Me. Current iTunes Digital Release card titles available at Starbucks include KT Tunstall's "Drastic Fantastic" and Eddie Vedder's "Into The Wild" soundtrack.
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Service for George Harrison at Cavern Walks

GEORGE Harrison fans are invited to a special celebration on the sixth anniversary of his death. On Thursday, six years after the ex-Beatle died, cards, flowers and tributes will be laid at the Fab Four statue in the Cavern Walks shopping arcade. The New Liverpool Beatles Appreciation Society will be holding a special service from 10am. Keep up to date with the news. Receive our free E-Newsletters Have your say on the latest news and sport in our Forums ...more...

John Lennon video collection to be released digitally

A digital collection of John Lennon music videos is set to be released next month via US iTunes. The 'John Lennon Video Album' is due out December 4 and features 21 videos including 'Imagine', 'Working Class Hero' and 'Give Peace A Chance', many of which have never before been released in a digital format. The collection can be purchased by buying an iTunes Digital Release Card at Starbucks locations throughout the US and redeeming it via US iTunes online. The 'John Lennon Video Album' tracklisting is:

'Imagine'
'Woman'
'Watching The Wheels'
'Mind Games'
'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'
'Whatever Gets You Thru The Night'
'(Just Like) Starting Over'
'#9 Dream'
'Give Peace A Chance'
'Beautiful Boy'
'Jealous Guy'
'Nobody Told Me'
'Cold Turkey'
'Power To The People'
'Working Class Hero'
'Working Class Hero'
'Love'
'Mother'
'Borrowed Time'
'Slippin' And Slidin'
'Stand By Me'

Source:

GALLAGHER DRAWN TO BEATLES AFTER PSYCHIC EXPERIENCE

OASIS frontman LIAM GALLAGHER was compelled to listen to THE BEATLES after an out-of-body experience inspired him to listen to classic rock'n' roll albums. The 35-year-old was a mischief-seeking teenager until the strange event changed his rebellious ways - and led him to discover the music of the legendary band. He says, "I had an out of body experience. About 15, at me (sic) mate's asleep, I was getting up for a piss (to go to the toilet). And instead I went, 'Wooooomph' and saw myself down there. It felt good and then I thought, 'I don't wanna be here, I wanna be me down there.' And then I went, 'Boomf!', back in and turned the light on. "And I think personally summat (something) happened to me with music. I didn't instantly go out and buy The Beatles but after that I just started hearing things. I'd see a geezer with a guitar and didn't wanna bounce a ball off his head. I was, 'Can you play us a tune?' Then it was Hendrix, all The Who, the Stones, the classics." ...more...

The McCartney Years

Paul McCartney has been vilified by many music critics as the quintessential hack of the Beatles--lacking Lennon's fiery intellect, Harrison's beatific spirituality or Ringo's....well, lovable goofiness. What McCartney's critics often fail to understand is that the man, as he himself freely (and even happily) admits in one of the bountiful extras on this 3 DVD set, is a writer of pop hits, nothing more, nothing less (though he has, perhaps unwisely, been attempting to branch out into more "serious" concert fare). As McCartney describes his writing process in this extra, he repeatedly returns to the phrase "finding a tune," and that sums up his vast international appeal. While McCartney, lyrically at least, may be occasionally cringe-worthy with such efforts as "Silly Love Songs" or even the mangled English of "Live and Let Die" ("in this world in which we live in"), never rising to the philosophical grandeur of Lennon's "Imagine" or even Harrison's "Something," there is above all the simple and enduring appeal of his "tunes." And, boy, is this set full of tunes!...more...

Paul McCartney Now Dating Rosanna Arquette?

Sir Paul McCartney is reportedly dating actress Rosanna Arquette. The Beatles legend - who is embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with estranged wife Heather Mills - held hands with the 'Pulp Fiction' beauty as they enjoyed a romantic stroll through the gardens of London's Kentwood House last Monday. The pair - who first met at a New York party in June and were later seen at a concert together - then visited the main house, before driving off in the same car. Shortly after they left the tourist attraction, the vehicle came to a halt and Paul was seen getting out and opening Rosanna's door. The three-times-divorced actress climbed out, threw her arms around Paul and tenderly kissed him before she clambered into the back of the car and he got into the front. A witness said: "Paul looked smitten with her. They had a couple of cuddles and a kiss. It looks like it could be the beginning of something special." It was the couple's second date in less than 24 hours. ...more...

Walking on Thin Ice

Just after John was shot in 1980, Yoko Ono made this video for her song Walking on Thin Ice. It was the last the song Lennon worked on and he was holding it in his hands when he was shot. It includes some interesting views of Ed Koch’s New York, with Ono sort of lost in Times Square, somewhat scared looking, awkwardly walking around on her stiletto heels until she is escorted into her limo. It’s a paranoid and lonely take on New York City after a decade of urban decline from one of the most versatile and prolific artists of the last 40 years....video...

McCartney helping launch son's music career

The Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney is helping launch his son James' music career by helping him record a debut album. James has already appeared in two of McCartney's solo albums but he is eager to launch his own solo album, contactmusic.com reported. The 65-year old McCartney said: 'I'm actually doing some recording with my son. We are just looking at the idea of him making an album. He's doing it all. He's writing it all, laying it all. It's sensational. But there's nothing set yet. We don't know if it'll work. The plan is for me to just do some recording with him, and it's really exciting. I'm really loving it.' James is the son of McCartney and his first late wife Linda....more...

When the Beatles were fab

Ed Sullivan introduced Americans to the Beatles, but "Help!" was the first time they saw the Fab Four in color. It may not sound like a big deal in an age of HDTV, but in 1965, at the height of Beatlemania, it was something to shout about. "Kids would be screaming when the Beatles were on screen," said Jim Henke, who recalled seeing the movie as a child. Henke, now chief curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has helped pay tribute to John, Paul, George and Ringo's madcap movie with "Help! Behind the Scenes of the Beatles' Movie," an exhibit that runs through March 30. "Help!" went beyond the day-in-the-life story line of "A Hard Day's Night," the Beatles' first film. Its plot put the band on the run from a cult and a couple of scientists out to get a ring worn by Ringo Starr. "It was sort of a comic version of a James Bond movie," Henke said. "There's some pretty silly stuff." In one scene, John Lennon and Paul McCartney try to get Ringo to cut off his finger to get rid of the ring. "You don't miss your tonsils, do yer?" McCartney quips. That wacky line and others wrap around a wall at the Rock Hall exhibit, which has loads of movie memorabilia and artifacts, including the cape wore by Lennon in the Austrian Alps scene, an acoustic guitar he played in the film and an olive corduroy suit with matching boots worn by George Harrison....more...

Beatles film shows its true colours

Meticulous restoration projects are usually reserved for artifacts from high culture: a damaged Michelangelo figure, for example, or one of the handful of oils by Vermeer. Yet one of the most careful and expensive conservation projects of recent years has been devoted to returning a popular British film to its rightful glory. The original, vibrant colours of the 1965 Beatles' film Help! are to be brought to the public eye once again tonight when a revitalised version is screened for the first time. The results of 11 months of work may surprise those who think they can remember what the 1960s looked like. At a cost of £700,000, the company the Beatles founded, Apple Corps, has given Help! an almost eerily fresh and contemporary look....more...

John Lennon Yellow Fat Budgie Christmas Card For Oxfam

A card drawn by Beatles music legend John Lennon are going for a song this Christmas. The yellow Fat Budgie picture was first used on cards sold by Oxfam during 1965 at the height of Beatlemania. Now it has been re-printed by Oxfam for the first time with the permission of Lennon's widow Yoko Ono. The Fat Budgie cards will be sold in limited edition packs of 10 for £2.99 in Oxfam stores. They were priced at sixpence each when they originally went on sale in 1965. The re-launch marks the 50th anniversary of Oxfam's seasonal greetings cards. Yoko Ono has already ordered 200 of the Fat Budgie cards to send out this Christmas. "John supported Oxfam so it is wonderful that his illustration can continue to help Oxfam in its important work," she said. ...more...

McCARTNEY ROWED WITH JACKSON OVER ROYALTIES

SIR PAUL McCARTNEY once fell out with MICHAEL JACKSON because he refused to give him a pay raise. The pair became close friends after recording a string of hit duets in the 1980s but fell out when Jackson - who purchased The Beatles' catalogue of songs Northern Songs in 1985 - refused to increase the songwriter's royalty rates. But McCartney eventually realised he was financially sound so let go of his grudge against Jackson. He says, "(Michael Jackson) was like a family friend. Bite to eat, hang out and all of that. We fell out once he got Northern Songs. I put it to him and said, 'Look you are now historically placed to really give the Lennon/McCartney writing duo their just desserts. They've been working for this company 30 years, they've never had a rise.' "I must have put it to him about three times. And I just never heard back. So it was like, 'Oh, well fine, if you've not any comment on that, then I'm afraid I sort of become a disgruntled employee.' "It wouldn't have needed much, it was just a kind of gesture of goodwill. So... I just changed my mindset, said, 'You know what? I'm fine, I've got enough." Press Release

Card Day's Night

CHRISTMAS cards with a drawing by John Lennon are to be sold again by Oxfam. His yellow Fat Budgie picture was first used on the charity's cards in 1965 - at the height of Beatlemania. They have been reprinted for the first time this year with his widow Yoko Ono's permission. She has already ordered 200 of the cards. She said: "John supported Oxfam so it is wonderful that his illustration can continue to help Oxfam in its important work." Lennon gave them permission to use the drawing, which was taken from his book A Spaniard In The Works. The relaunch marks the 50th anniversary of Oxfam's Christmas cards. The Fat Budgie cards will be sold in packs of 10 for £2.99 in Oxfam stores. Their first ever design, A Robin, is also being reprinted. ...more....

Artworks of John Lennon will be on display this weekend at the InterContinental Hotel

When music took a back seat in his life to fatherhood, John Lennon expressed himself through his first love: visual art. “He was a very talented guy,” Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, said recently. “I think (art) was kind of a security blanket for him. He was just always doing it, doing it … even if he was talking in a meeting he was doing it. Afterward some lawyer would say, ‘What are you doing?’ Then he’d say, ‘Oh, wow, that’s great. Can I have this?’ And John was very generous. He’d say, ‘OK, fine.’ ” In the mid-1970s many of those drawings were created in the couple’s kitchen at the Dakota in New York City, where Lennon spent lots of time amusing his young son Sean. A group of those drawings, “Real Love,” will be on display this weekend at the InterContinental Hotel as part of “So This Is Xmas: The Artwork of John Lennon.” ...more...

Mills McCartney: Rats' milk may be safer

Heather Mills McCartney, estranged wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney, said in London drinking dog and rat milk may be more earth-friendly than cow milk. McCartney claimed livestock produce more carbon emissions than transport and suggested going vegan or finding alternative sources of animal-based foods, the Telegraph reported Tuesday. "There are many other kinds of milk available. Why don't we try drinking rats' milk and dogs' milk?" she asked. "Eighty percent of global warming comes from livestock and deforestation," McCartney said in helping start a campaign by the vegetarian group, Viva. "I'm not telling people to go vegan overnight. But if they stop drinking their cows' milk lattes, maybe this sort of thing won't have to happen." Source:

Brits turn against the Beatles

You never forget the first time you are directly chastised by Paul McCartney. I was recently reminded of my uncomfortable moment when I read the blisteringly negative reviews in the British press of Julie Taymor's musical film "Across the Universe." Here in the U.S.A., the film has had mixed-positive response, including many raves -- from such diverse sources as the New York Times, Roger Ebert and Oprah Winfrey. But in the Beatles' homeland (my own country of origin), the verdict was almost universally derogatory, with a lot of venom reserved for the Beatles' utopian ideals. The film tanked at the U.K. box office, too. How could that be? How could the nation that produced the Beatles be so negative about a film that is 133 minutes of unadulterated homage to the Fab Four's music and philosophy?...more...

'While his guitar gently wept'

The 1960s and the 1970s saw an explosion in blues and rock music. It was the time when great bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds and many more made their mark. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were just a few of the greats. Along with them, and friends with all of them, was a man who was immediately recognised for his prodigious talent, but who came into popular prominence only in the 1980s: Eric Clapton. As much as the rest, he shaped the genre. Clapton was an illegitimate child, born to a small family in Ripley, Surrey. Believing that his grandparents were actually his parents, Eric lived a traumatic life, filled with embarrassments and awkwardness. In his autobiography he makes no bones about the fact that his childhood was an unhappy one. Instead, the impression one gets is that he encountered unpleasantness early on in his life, and so had learnt to handle it in his own way....more...

Macca suffers bout of nerves

Sir Paul McCartney was apparently nervous that he had not recorded enough good songs to warrant a new greatest hits collection. Macca, whose solo career spans more than 35 years, told the Express he "dreaded" releasing a new triple DVD collection of his best-known songs. The 65-year-old star is quoted as saying: "I thought, 'Oh, no God, there's not enough good stuff yet.'" However, the Express maintains that Sir Paul was pleasantly surprised when he re-visited some of his past efforts....more...

Jury convicts man in killing over stolen Beatles poster

A man has been convicted of first-degree murder in a killing that arose from a dispute over a Beatles poster, although his defense lawyer said he was bullied into a role in the killing. Donald L. Smiley-Lyle, 19, faces more than 25 years in prison after being convicted Friday by a jury in Spokane County Superior Court, Deputy Prosecutor Stephen W. Garvin said. Sentencing was set for Dec. 20. Testimony during the two-week trial showed Smiley-Lyle helped strangle Robert "Bud" Johnson, 45, whose body was pulled from the Spokane River on March 18, 2006. "I'm happy there's one more monster off the streets," Johnson's half brother, Brett Krop, said after the verdict. A key witness against Smiley-Lyle was Robert A. Entel, 20, who pleaded guilty in an agreement with prosecutors and was sentenced to 25 years. Without the deal he could have faced life behind bars....more...

McCartney to go public with new romance

Paul McCartney is to go public with new girlfriend Nancy Shevell at the wedding of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein next month. The former Beatle was recently snapped sipping cocktails, strolling along a beach and dining out with the US socialite in New York resort the Hamptons, reportedly infuriating estranged wife Heather Mills. Despite his high-profile divorce battle, sources claim that McCartney, 65, is keen to make his new romance official. The couple will be among 200 celebrity guests at Weinstein's wedding to British fashion designer Georgina Chapman in Connecticut on December 15. Quentin Tarantino, Scarlett Johansson, Bruce Willis and Sienna Miller are also expected to attend. Source:

Beatles Christmas Fan Club Records

Their rock contemporaries (The Rolling Stones, The Animals) looked down on the novelty of a Christmas Record, while their pop contemporaries (The Four Seasons, The Beach Boys) saw it as an opportunity to cash in, yet the Beatles themselves managed again, somehow, to have it both ways. The Beatles Christmas Records were sent to the Official Beatles Fan Club once a year between 1963 and 1969; not Christmas songs per se, they mostly consisted of just the lads themselves clowning around in the studio, creating Xmas (and other) improvised songs, and inserting the obligatory holiday wishes. However, what sounds like novelty is actually a quite fascinating slice of the legacy. For one thing, they contain original Beatles songs that haven't been released or are hard to find. From obvious goofs like "Everywhere It's Christmas" to the excellent "Christmas Time Is Here Again" (a song which contains some of Ringo's finest moments on the drums), to the Paul solo "Happy New Year", which sounds like "I've Got A Feeling" would had it been done on his mostly-acoustic hearth-and-home McCartney album....more...

Paul McCartney's divorce deduction

Sir Paul McCartney has slashed his divorce offer by £43 million following estranged wife Heather Mills' TV outbursts. The Beatles legend, who is currently embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with Heather, is said to be fuming after she attacked him on several UK and US TV shows and has now offered her just £7 million. A source said: "The war between them has just gone to a new level. Paul knows she will go all out to damage his reputation." During her TV outbursts, Heather blamed Paul for the breakdown of their marriage, claimed she felt suicidal and persecuted since receiving death threats, branded Paul's daughter Stella "evil" and likened herself to the late Princess Diana. Heather was dropped by her legal team Mischon de Reya following her rants, and she will now represent herself at the next divorce hearing in February. Paul is convinced Heather's TV appearances have weakened her case and he is confident he can thrash out a £7 million settlement. ...more...

Sir Jimmy reunited with glasses

Sir Jimmy Savile has been reunited with his glasses days after they were snatched by a female prankster. British Transport Police (BTP) have fixed it for the veteran star to get his John Lennon style spectacles back. The glasses were snatched from Sir Jimmy's face as he left a function at the Queen's Hotel in Leeds last week. The 81-year-old, who lives in the city's Roundhay area, compared the experience to being chased by fans in the 1960s and said it was "marvellous". ...more...

Pang reveals her side of affair with John Lennon

Former Beatles legend John Lennon's personal assistant May Pang has revealed in her new book 'Instamatic Karma' that the singer was planning to buy a house for them in Montauk. She writes that Lennon in 1975 was impressed with the Hamptons after he stayed with Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, pagesix.com reports. She said: 'During that visit, John and I saw a lovely Scottish-style cottage which was for sale, next to the famed lighthouse owned by Peter Beard and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. John decided it was time for us to have our own home and asked the real estate agent to show us the place. We fell in love with it and were about to put a binder on it the weekend of February 1st.' She doesn't explain why the plans didn't pull through and just added, 'Some things just weren't meant to be.' Pang had no idea how serious her affair with Lennon would get when his partner Yoko Ono encouraged her to have an affair with the singer.Source:


BUY: Instamatic Karma: Photographs of John Lennon




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'I'm Not There' uses a mix of actors to depict Bob Dylan's life

Todd Haynes’ new movie, “I’m Not There,” is, well, kind of tricky to explain. The film is the story of Bob Dylan. But, this is no ordinary biopic. Haynes ("Far From Heaven,” “Velvet Goldmine") uses a shifting timeline and six actors to tell Dylan’s story. Playing against a backdrop that includes the Deep South during the 1950s, the Vietnam War and the Old West, each actor (Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Ben Whishaw and Marcus Carl Franklin) represents a different Dylan personality or time period. ...more...

Historic novel pays tribute to John Winston Lennon

Following the advice that writers should write about a subject they know well, Dothan resident Jude Kessler used her passion for the Beatles in her first novel, especially one particular Beatle — John Winston Lennon. Her book, “Shoulda Been There,” is a work she describes as documented historical fiction based on Lennon’s colorful and tragic life. Kessler poured over about 300 books and visited Liverpool with her husband Rande seven
times to get all the details right, interviewing Lennon’s friends, relatives, classmates, early band members, teachers and first manager, Allan Williams, among others. The people of Liverpool gave her unprecedented access to help Kessler understand their native son. In each chapter she dispels a Beatle myth and tells stories for the first time in print.
Kessler started with all the information she could find on each incident, then filled in the gaps about what might have happened, constructing the scene and putting it down on paper. ...more...

Paul Mccartney Adds Support To Post Office Campaign

Sir Paul McCartney has added his support to the campaign to save Lower Heswall Post Office from closure. Ben Chapman, Wirral South MP, has been calling on constituents to sign his parliamentary petition and respond to the six-week consultation, which ends on December 17, after proposals were announced to close the branch in his constituency. The MP's petition gathered over 2,000 signatures in the first week from November 6, when the consultation period began, and will be presented to the House of Commons on December 11. The petition calls on the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to review urgently, with the Post Office, the policy of branch closures with a view to maintaining a Post Office service in Heswall's Lower Village. This is due to the large proportion of elderly people who rely on the service, the nearest alternative services being up a steep hill which presents problems for many of his customers and the extent to which other traders in the Village rely on people coming to the Post Office....more...

Lester revisits 'Help!' decades later

Richard Lester has heard the knocks against "Help!," the second film that he directed starring the Beatles, none more hard-hitting than a famous one from John Lennon.
"What John said, if I can remember the quote is, 'I was an extra in my own ... film!'" Lester, 75, said last week from his home in West Sussex, England. "I understand that. They were never going to play the Four Musketeers. They had to play themselves. ... We had to overlay a [comedic] plot on them, and when you do that with them playing themselves, you can see why he felt he was a minor part in his own film. But I disagree."...more...

Trivia from Beatles' 'Help!'

_The original title of the movie was "Eight Arms to Hold You." _Paul McCartney claimed to have named the song "Eleanor Rigby" after "Help!" co-star Eleanor Bron. _George Harrison was introduced to the sitar during the filming of the club scene, which features an Indian band playing an instrumental version of the song "A Hard Day's Night." _It is a popular belief that the first time John Lennon appeared wearing his trademark round-rimmed glasses was in the film "How I Won the War." He can be seen wearing the glasses in "Help!" during the scene in which the Beatles are in disguise at an airport....more...

All you need is hate: the killing of John Lennon

You know that it’s coming all along, and, indeed, the title of the movie is a bit of a giveaway. But nonetheless, when the beloved Beatle, people’s poet and hippie icon John Lennon is shot two thirds of the way through The Killing of John Lennon it remains a profoundly shocking experience. Up until this point the writer-director Andrew Piddington’s woozy biographical trip deep inside the hyperactive mind of Lennon-killer Mark David Chapman has been something of a giddy impressionist whirl. We’ve gone from hometown Hawaii to New York and back again while the mercurial fantasist Chapman (played with terrifying verve by the newcomer Jonas Ball) has formulated his dastardly assassination plan with the sweet simplicity of a crackpot loon. The shooting, however, changes everything, and watching John Lennon getting blown to bloody chunks is a hard sell, even for nonBeatlemaniacs. ...more...

Neil Young keeps rockin' in the free world

Not much Beatles news today, and sick of the neverending Mills gossip. Let's do this (classic rock): Despite being just days shy of his 62nd birthday, Neil Young proved that age is nothing more than a number at his concert last Thursday. Throughout his forty-year career, Young has been known as a musician with two distinct styles. There's the melancholy troubadour armed with an acoustic guitar and harmonica that we saw during the first half of the show. And then there's Neil Young and Crazy Horse, where Young is armed with an electric guitar and backed by 3 equally loud musicians resulting in an onslaught of rock and roll noise. Thursday night, we got to see the best of both worlds, as Young did an acoustic set followed by an electric one. ...more...

Mills' Publicist Slams 'View'

Heather Mills' new publicist Michele Elyzabeth has lashed out at the hosts of "The View" for criticizing her client -- calling the presenters "liars." Elyzabeth launched an angry tirade on her own Web site, condemning TV presenters including Whoopie Goldberg, Joy Behar and Barbara Walters for their treatment of the former model, insisting that Mills is a "wonderful person," reports Page Six. The estranged wife of Sir Paul McCartney hired Elyzabeth, a Los Angeles-based French public relations manager, after her former spokesman Phil Hall quit following Mills' explosive interviews on U.K. and U.S. TV earlier this month. But Mills' outbursts attracted scathing criticism on "The View" from Walters in particular, who has since revealed she is the cousin of McCartney's new love interest, New York socialist Nancy Shevell. In a video blog posted on her Web site, Elyzabeth says, "I represent Heather Mills, the most spoken-about person all over the place. I'm sick and tired about hearing these lies. ...more...

Heather Mills' New Publicist Comes Out Swinging

Heather Mills' new publicist is even wackier than she is, and that's truly saying something: Page Six reports, "Michelle [sic] Elyzabeth, an LA-based French publicist who was hired after Mills' last rep dumped her over her crazed anti-Paul McCartney TV tirade, has created a website with once-a-week video blogs where she angrily defends Mills and poses with her tiny dog, Bijou. " In one video blog, she takes on the ladies of The View, who apparently had some harsh words to say about her client. She refers to Joy Behar as an "orrible yuman being." Truly this lady has to be seen to be believed. And her lack of eyebrows is disturbing....more...

LENNON SNUBBED STONE FOR ORAL HYGIENE

JULIAN LENNON snubbed a night with SHARON STONE - to visit the dentist. The son of late Beatle star John Lennon was asked to perform at the actress' benefit event for AIDS charity AmFar, of which she is the global fundraising chairwoman, in Rome, Italy, last month (Oct07). But Lennon admits he was forced to turn down the invite because of his teeth. He says, "I was annoyed I missed that as it was a special request from Sharon Stone. But alas, oral hygiene comes first!" Despite Lennon's no-show, Stone raised over $1.35 million (GBP675,000) at the event - even selling her own necklace to a partygoer for $50,000 (GBP25,000). Source:

Heather Mills To Rid The World Of Meat-Eaters

Activist Heather Mills is campaigning to rid the world of meat-eaters - in a bid to end global warming. The estranged wife of Beatles star Paul McCartney will appear at Speaker's Corner in London's Hyde Park - a specially designated space where public speaking is allowed - to voice her views promoting vegetarianism. The one-legged former model is convinced that plant-rich diets reduce environmental harm.Mills has also been lined up to appear in two 'green' advertisements for the Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (VIVA) organization, blaming carnivores for rising earth temperatures. One advert will see Mills poke fun at her disability - she lost her right leg in a 1993 accident - telling meat-eating environmentalists, "You haven't got a leg to stand on." Mills says, "End your involvement in this vandalism overnight. Change your diet, change the world!" Source:

The Beatles & 1968: History Channel

1968 was the year of The Beatles release of THE WHITE ALBUM. Originally titled "A Doll's House," most of The White album was written while on a meditation study with the Maharishi Yogi (the bands' second such trip). Because they were "roughing it" and had only their acoustic guitars with them, most of the songs are or were originally acoustic in nature.
The current issue of NEWSWEEK calls 1968 "the year that made us who we are." See what many are calling "..the best program The History Channel has ever aired." Others are saying "..whether you lived through it or know nothing about it, you owe it to yourself to WATCH THIS PROGRAM.."

The History Channel proudly presents "1968 with Tom Brokaw" on Sunday, December, 9 at 9pm/8c. We'd like to offer you a chance to be a part of this campaign and be one of the firsts to see 1968!

About the Show:
Brokaw, author of the newly released book BOOM! Voices of the Sixties, Personal Reflections on the ’60s and Today, shares the rich personal odysseys of people who lived through that chaotic time, along with the stories of younger people now experiencing its aftershocks. The special “1968 with Tom Brokaw”— which marches to the drumbeat of the era’s mesmerizing music – includes archival footage and new interviews with rock stars, black power activists, political insiders, anti-war protestors and others.

A few of those interviewed include former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, who was with Martin Luther King when he was assassinated and rushed to his side to try to staunch the wound; Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson, who wrestled Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, to the ground; Stewart Brand, a pioneer of the counter-culture featured in Tom Wolfe’s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test; Tommy Smothers, former co-host of CBS’s The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which ran afoul of censors by criticizing the war and the establishment; Jon Stewart, who traces the roots of his Daily Show to the Smothers Brothers; Arlo Guthrie, son of legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie, and best known for his humorous, draft-mocking song “Alice’s Restaurant”; Pat Buchanan, then a speechwriter for Richard Nixon; Robin Morgan, the political activist and feminist leader who organized the “braless” protest of the 1968 Miss America pageant; and musicians Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor.

SEE: The Beatles & 1968: History Channel Opportunity.

DIRECTOR NEEDED HELP FOR ‘HELP!’

Richard Lester has heard the knocks against “Help!” the second film he directed starring the Beatles, none more hard-hitting than a famous one from John Lennon. “What John said, if I can remember the quote is, ‘I was an extra in my own ... film!’ ” Lester, 75, said last week from his home in West Sussex, England. “I understand that. They were never going to play the Four Musketeers. They had to play themselves. ... We had to overlay a (comedic) plot on them, and when you do that with them playing themselves, you can see why he felt he was a minor part in his own film. But I disagree.” Lester’s 1965 comedy has been sonically and visually upgraded for DVD and, since its reissue last week , the 42-year-old film has jumped into the top 20 of Amazon.com’s DVD rankings along with such recent blockbusters as “Ratatouille,” “Spider-Man 3” and “Shrek the Third.”...more...

Jagger loses battle over Magnolia trees

He can't always get what he wants: Mick Jagger has lost a battle with his neighbours and will have to modify his lavish plans for his 17th-century mansion in London's Chelsea, says the Daily Mail. Jagger paid 10 million pounds -- almost $20 million -- for the place, and splashed out who knows how much more for architects, designers and contractors to fix the place up. The design included a wine cellar, servants' quarters and an underground swimming pool. The neighbours, however, became upset at his plan to cut down four magnolia trees to build the pool. It's a classy district, Chelsea, and these people know how to hire lawyers. Hell, half of them are lawyers. When the zoning battle ended, Mick and his lady friend L'Wren Scott had lost and agreed to site the pool somewhere else, saving the trees....MORE...

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame unveils Beatles 'Help' exhibit

A new exhibit devoted to the 1965 Beatles film "Help!" goes on view at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum with a members-only reception at 7 p.m. Friday. Jerry Pam, the movie's original publicist, is set to speak at the opening, which culminates with a screening of "Help!" The exhibit includes costumes worn by the Fab Four in the film, George Harrison's original script, posters and other memorabilia. "Help! Behind the Scenes of the Beatles' Movie" opens to the public Saturday and runs through Sunday, March 30. A two-disc "Help!" DVD set arrived in stores last week, available in standard Digipak format or as a deluxe boxed set. Source:

Is This Article on Conspiracies Part of a Conspiracy?

Forty-three years after that Friday in Dallas, JFK is still the victim of a massive conspiracy, Elvis is still alive and presumably eating chocolate-covered fried chicken, and Paul McCartney is dead. For those who don’t know, Paul supposedly died in an automobile crash in 1966 and was replaced by a double. The new Paul—or “Faul” (for “Fake Paul”)—has been impersonating him for, lo, these many years. One Web site, at www.uberkinder.5u.com/paul/, not only has all the usual clues from the Beatles’s album covers and music but compares voices and superimposes pictures of Paul at various times during his career to contrast noses, chins, bone structure, etc. There really is a lot of evidence to support the theory that McCartney is dead. The idea is presented cogently and backed by mountains of evidence. Like so many theories, it is neat and plausible, but, nonetheless, wrong. ...more...

ZELLWEGER 'SAD' TO ADMIT MCCARTNEY DATING RUMOURS

Actress RENEE ZELLWEGER was delighted to read reports she was dating SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY - but insists the rumours are not true. The Bridget Jones' Diary star was impressed by recent speculation she was romancing the former Beatle, because she considers the singer to be "lovely". She tells People.com, "My God, that's like new news! But I have to say, I'm not disappointed. He's as lovely as I expected." Source:

Mills McCartney Seeks To Repair Image, Hires Big-Name Publicist, But Will It Work?

Just when you thought the dust had settled for awhile on the explosive Heather Mills McCartney story, it all blows up again, observes CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips. "She's highly excited," says show business commentator Neil Sean, "goes on TV, and lets it all come out, rather than possibly going to see a psychiatrist!" Mills McCartney had gone on TV to give angry interviews, Phillips explains, hitting just about every morning show in the English-speaking world. She was accusing ex-Beatle and soon to be ex-husband Paul McCartney's camp of purposely sullying her image even as she stayed mum about McCartney, for the sake of their daughter, as their bitter divorce battle intensified. "I've had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer," she cried on one show.
...more/video...

George Harrison’s 9 solo albums available online

What makes this announcement exciting is that the solo music by all the former ‘The Beatles’ bandmates will now also be available for sale in the digital format. Harrison’s widow Olivia has hailed the move, which sees online sales of George, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr’s music. She hopes that with this deal, the possibility has increased that the Beatles’ catalogue will appear online by 2008. ...more...

NEWS BEATLES FANS FUME OVER LENNON ADVERT TRACK

Fans of the BEATLES are infuriated after a JOHN LENNON track was licensed to appear in a commercial for a U.S. retailer. Supporters of the group have criticised Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, for approving J.C. Penney's use of the song in its forthcoming advertising campaign - as the late star would've told the corporate world to "f**k off". Pete Nash, chairman of the British Beatles Fan Club, says, "Obviously you can't ask Lennon himself if you can use his song, but if you could, I'm 100 per cent sure his answer would be to tell J.C. Penney to f**k off. "I'm surprised Yoko has licensed the track for such commercial reasons, but she is the one who runs Lennon's estate, so the exploitation of his music is entirely up to her." Lennon was shot dead outside his New York apartment in 1980.

Press Release

Relive "McCartney Years" with DVD set

Paul McCartney takes a trip back in time with his latest release, "The McCartney Years." The three-volume DVD collection spans four decades of McCartney's career. It features the world's best-loved songs, including "Band On The Run" and "Maybe I'm Amazed." The collection includes 40 videos and two hours of historic live performances. Extras include live performances from Live Aid 2 and Superbowl XXIV. For more information, go to www.paulmccartney.com. Also in stores this week: "Mothership," Led Zeppelin - Twenty-seven years after its break-up due to the death of drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin continues to sell millions of albums and make news with repackaged releases. The latest release, a two-CD set called "Mothership," hits stores today. Tracks were selected by surviving members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, the selections do an admirable job of grabbing a high point or two from each of the band's eight studio albums. ...more...

STELLA McCARTNEY UPSET BY MILLS' OUTBURST

STELLA McCARTNEY's friends and relatives are concerned about the designer's health during her pregnancy, because she has been devastated by her estranged step-mother HEATHER MILLS' vicious claims about her family. Mills - who is currently locked in a bitter divorce battle with the fashion designer's father, Paul - accused Stella of attempting to break up the former Beatle's marriage at any given opportunity in a series of U.S. and U.K. TV interviews earlier this month (Nov07). She ranted: "(Stella) was so jealous. Stella wasn't interested in her dad's happiness. I can't protect her any longer. She's done some evil, evil things." But 36-year-old Stella - who is seven months pregnant - is horrified that the former model and mother-of-one could make such callous remarks at such a sensitive time for the designer. A source says, "The last thing Stella needed is an attack on her like this in the final stages of her pregnancy. She was very upset and appalled that Heather, a mum herself, could be so insensitive at such a time. "Stella's kept a low profile throughout her pregnancy, but these awful claims have left her feeling really low when she should be excitedly looking forward to the birth of her new baby."

Press Release

Thom Yorke Turned Down Paul McCartney Collaboration

Paul McCartney has revealed that Thom Yorke turned him down when he asked him to collaborate on his latest album. In an interview for T4 he said that he had asked Yorke but was truned down because the front man didn’t feel comfortable working on other people’s material. He said: “My daughter was putting an album together and she put us in touch. I asked Thom to do a duet, but he said he couldn’t because he only felt happy working on his own and Radiohead’s material.” McCartney worked with long time Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich on his last record ‘Chaos And Creation In The Backyard’. ...more...

Yoko Ono Did Sell Out John Lennon

Yoko Ono did sell John Lennon’s rare home recording of "Real Love" to JCPenney for a commercial. The spot began airing on Sunday night during ABC’s "Brothers & Sisters" before JCPenney could even make the announcement. The Beatles have had their songs licensed for commercials in the past, but with the rare exception of perhaps "Revolution" years ago, they never have allowed master recordings out. The songs are always re-recorded. Ad agency Saatchi and Saatchi handled the deal, I’m told, with Ono directly. The much-disliked widow of Lennon has sold a number of items under her late husband’s name over the years, ...more...

Opportunist thief takes glasses from John Lennon statue

ONE of the most eye-conic accessories in music history has been pinched in Liverpool. A souvenir-hunting thief stole John Lennon’s famous round glasses right in front of his eyes. The spectacles were swiped off a statue of the famous former Beatle at the Liverpool airport named in his honour. And the artist that sculpted the 7ft bronze monument revealed the thief had damaged his work of art in the process. The former Speke Airport was renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport by bosses in 2001, with the new logo bearing a scribbled self-portrait of the musician and a the line “above us only sky” from his famous song Imagine. ...more...

WHY PAUL'S NEWIE MAY BE A KEEPER

MORE on the new lover of Paul McCartney, who is suddenly turning out to be a bigger stud than Owen Wilson. Fact One: You read this friendship - not the loveship, the friendship - began years before and that this newie knew Heather the Horrible plus his first wife, the late Linda Eastman. No! It wasn't, and she didn't. There was no pre-loveship friendship. They met recently. In the Hamptons. Fact Two: Despite its infancy stage, the romance has progressed beyond a frivolous affair. We're talking already heavy-duty serious....more...

McCartney vows to only date women who have their own money

Sir Paul McCartney has reportedly made it clear to his friends that he will now go around only with women who do not have to ask him for money, and have their own means of livelihood. The former ‘Beatle’, who has been seeing Nancy Shevell of late, feels very comfortable with her because she is not seeing him because of his money. "The fact Nancy is successful in her own right makes him feel much more relaxed around her. Paul says she is not with him for what's in it for her. He will certainly now only date women who have their own means," the New York Daily News quoted an unnamed friend of McCartney as telling the Sunday Mirror....more...

Clapton producer creates special CD

A top music man who has worked for The Who, ABBA, George Harrison and Eric Clapton was behind the production of a charity CD. Tuesday's Child, which features some of the most talented singers in Ireland - north and south - was officially launched in Belfast last week. Westlife, Ronan Keating and Snow Patrol all contributed tracks to the double album. Tuesday's Child is dedicated to bringing hope to the most vulnerable children, regardless of their nationality, circumstance, gender or beliefs. ...more...

Imagine This

Located in northwest Scandinavian Europe and founded by people of pioneer spirit, Iceland has a refreshing purity and sacredness. From tall cliffs covered with birds, waterfalls cascade to the sea. Boiling water spurts from geysers and bubbles in geothermal pools. Whales and seals swim offshore. Icelanders have great respect for the earth and are setting an example in using renewable energy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. There is no army. Yet the darkness of death and destruction in wars continue elsewhere. Yoko Ono has chosen Iceland to shine a light for peace to the rest of the world. On Oct. 9, she stood at the Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island in Reykjavik. ...more...

Benefit to coincide with anniversary of Lennon's death

Chris Gray and Steve Kenny have announced that Beatles Night, "A Little Help For Our Friends," will have a few new twists this year. "A Little Help For Our Friends" is a musical event to raise money for the Food Basket Brigade. This will be the event's fifth year. It is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 8, at Richardson's Restaurant and Pub, formerly the Kitchen Pass, inside the Neosho Inn. Normally held the first Saturday in December, the date was moved back a week this year to coincide with the anniversary of John Lennon's death on Dec. 8, 1980. The music will start at 8 p.m. New this year, bands that participate will be scheduled with specific times to play. "We went to a blues festival that did this and it moved everything along real well," according to Gray. "This way the bands playing and the people who come to hear them will have a much better idea of when their friends will be onstage."...more

Mills: "Paul called me a one-legged bitch"

Heather Mills is claiming that she has a recording of Sir Paul McCartney calling her a "one-legged bitch", according to the News of the World today. In a recent TV interview, Mills revealed that she had a secret "box of evidence" which would be passed to a "certain person" if anything happened to her. Subsequent reports stated that she was referring to recordings of McCartney admitting that he hit his first wife Linda and mocking Heather's disability. A friend of Mills told the newspaper: "There are other recordings Heather says prove Paul referred to her as a 'one-legged bitch'. She's hoping this shows people what she's had to put up with, and will let the public make up their own mind about who was to blame for their split." The report also claims that Heather has a recording of Paul's daughter Stella ranting "I hope you lose your other f***ing leg!" in a heated phone call....more...

Paul McCartney's new gal Nancy Shevell moves out

Suitcase in hand, Paul McCartney's new flame split from her swank East Side apartment - and one neighbor suspected yesterday she was headed across the Atlantic to see the ex-Beatle. "I think she went to London," the neighbor said. Nancy Shevell was spotted leaving her E. 85th St. co-op Thursday night after a week in which her budding relationship with Sir Paul made front-page news. Shevell, 47, a well-to-do Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member and executive of a family-owned trucking company, was snapped cavorting with McCartney in the Hamptons last weekend. Shevell is separated from her husband, Bruce Blakeman, a Long Island lawyer and Republican politician. McCartney, 65, is in the midst of a contentious divorce from his second wife, Heather Mills. Source:

Great songs, visuals come together in ‘Across the Universe’

Beatles songs are like great movies for your ear: heavy on emotion, interesting characters, wondrous imagery and brilliant composition. The early work is hopeful and full of bursting young love. The later lyrics come together like abstract, surreal paintings in your mind. Their entire musical catalogue transcends the songs of most artists. Next to movies, I love the Beatles. So when there’s a movie showcasing Beatles tunes, I’m there. In the movie “Across the Universe,” our hero Jude, a lad from Liverpool, travels to America in the tumultuous 1960s, whereupon he tunes in, turns on, drops out, and falls in love. Of course, Jude refers to the classic song “Hey Jude” and his Yank girl’s name is Lucy (as in “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”)....more...

From Liverpool to Your Living Room

Forty years ago, when the Beatles were at the vertiginous pinnacle of their fame and glory, selling millions of records and inciting legions of followers who pored over their every cryptic song lyric as if it were a message from the Almighty, John Lennon acknowledged that even they were bewildered by their own mystique. "People think the Beatles know what's going on," he told their first biographer, Hunter Davies. "We don't. We're just doing it." More than 500 books later, writers are still struggling to explain the magic and the magicians. The market is glutted with memoirs, anthologies, photo albums, academic treatises and deep-mine analyses of individual albums and songs. These books often bear dubious song titles (my personal favorite: iconic producer George Martin's All You Need Is Ears). Just two years ago, Bob Spitz published The Beatles, a majestic, 984-page narrative -- including 86 pages of footnotes -- that energetically revisited the familiar ground and was rewarded with several weeks on the bestseller list. ...more...

Life: He's got a ticket to ride

Remember fantasizing about the cool job you'd have when you grew up? Firefighter. Fighter pilot. Concert pianist. Archaeologist. Jim Owen's dream was more specific and more unlikely than most kids': He wanted to be a Beatle. It didn't seem like such an outlandish idea at the time, Owen recalls. "I was born into a musical environment," said the Huntington Beach native. "My dad played piano all the time; my aunt played piano. There were lots of classical records and tapes around the house. I started wanting to take piano lessons when I was 6." Owen's life goals snapped into laser-sharp focus the next year when he heard his first Beatles recording. "I was 7. It was 1973, so I never had a chance to experience their era personally. But the first time I heard their music, I immediately identified with it." ...more...

Electrical problems plague Beatles Hard Days Night Hotel

THE much-anticipated Hard Days Night Hotel will not be opening until February because of problems with electric supplies. The original launch date for the £18m Beatles themed luxury hotel had been set for last month, but, as the Daily Post revealed earlier in the year, electrical issues put the date in jeopardy. A new date of February, 2008, was last night confirmed for the North John Street venue and fans from all over the world have clamoured to book rooms on the hotel’s website....more...

Macca's family album

Intimate snaps taken from Sir Paul's family album prove All You Need is Love. Sir Paul McCartney has spoken of how his family keep him going through his bitter divorce. And this glimpse into his private life makes it easy to see why. One shot shows the doting dad whispering tenderly to stepdaughter Heather as they sit in a field. Another shows him clowning around with balls to put on a magic show for his daughters....more...

Heather Mills defends TV interviews

Heather Mills, Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife, has described her series of vitriolic interviews last week as "unbelievably cathartic". The former model, who is locked in divorce negotiations with her husband, had launched a fierce attack on the media for "pushing her to the edge" and called on the public to stop buying tabloid newspapers. She also seemed to compare herself to the late Princess of Wales and the McCanns. Speaking on GMTV this morning, she said she had received "so much support" for her campaign to take a petition to the European Parliament to strengthen the law against "a specific portion" of the media....more...

Heather Mills, Lawyers Part Ways

The sacking of Heather Mills by her lawyers Mishcon de Reya means that her divorce wrangle with Sir Paul McCartney is now all but certain to go to trial. The loss of her lawyers means that Ms Mills may now have to act for herself in the complex negotiations unless she can find another law firm willing to represent her. Unless she accepts the offer on the table — which looks unlikely — a trial is set for February. A spokesman for Mishcon confirmed today that they were no longer acting for her but declined to say why or who had sacked whom. But Ms Mills' recent outbursts on UK and US television, in breach of an agreement, at least pending the negotiations, not to make public comments about either the couple's marriage or their daughter, Beatrice, has effectively released the lawyers from their undertaking to act for her....more...

HOW A BEATLE SAVED PYTHON

The ex-Python and Oscar-nominated film director Terry Gilliam has revealed how George Harrison came to the rescue on the controversial classic, Monty Python's Life Of Brian. "We had pop stars who were our friends, rich pop stars like George Harrison and record companies who made a lot of money, and they liked us, and they gave us money," he says in a documentary about his work to be screened on Turner Classic Movies on November 24. "Just as the crew was heading out to Tunisia to go to work, EMI, who were backing at that point, pulled out, leaving us high and dry....more...

Lending 'Help!' a hand

For The Beatles and for director Richard Lester, 1964's “A Hard Day's Night” was a tough act to follow and, as it turned out, an impossible one. Besides having the novelty of seeing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr on the big screen for the first time, “A Hard Day's Night” captured Beatlemania like it was lightning in a bottle and offered the world a good-natured close-up of The Beatles being themselves. Timeless songs, too, including “Can't Buy Me Love,” “And I Love Her” and the title track. “Help!,” released a year later, mistakenly tried to build a fictitious story line around the Fab Four's distinct personalities – a labored, madcap chase to steal a gaudy jeweled ring off poor Ringo's finger – and saddled the lads whose natural wit and likability had been so disarming in “A Hard Day's Night” with one clunky sight gag after another. The songs are the film's saving grace – “Help!” features “Ticket to Ride,” “You've Got to Hide Your Love Away” and the wonderful title tune – but in the main they are not in the league of those on the previous Beatles film soundtrack. ...more...

Ono unveils art retrospective in Brazil

Yoko Ono — the world's most famous unknown artist, as her late husband John Lennon called her — will show about 80 of her works in an exhibit opening this weekend in South America's largest city. Ono also will take part in a theatrical performance dubbed "A Night with Yoko," organizers said. "When I'm invited to perform in other countries, I always have doubts on whether I should go," Ono said Wednesday, according to the Web site of the daily O Globo. "But after showing my work, I feel like I can affect people." The Sao Paulo exhibit, called "Yoko Ono, a Retrospective," opens Saturday and will run through Feb. 3, organizers said. Some of the works are from the 1993 exhibit "Blood Objects," including portrait frames, round glasses such as the ones used by Lennon and a blood-tainted T-shirt symbolizing urban violence. Source:

Clapton autobiography doesn't offer the inside story

It's a pivotal era not just in Eric Clapton's life, but in rock-'n'-roll history. George Harrison starts hanging out at Clapton's house in 1969. Stymied and frustrated by the horrendous recording sessions for "Let It Be," he skips the studio one day and hangs out with Clapton. He picks up a guitar and begins writing a chorus of what eventually becomes "Here Comes the Sun," one of the finest songs in the Beatles canon. Clapton loves hanging with Harrison, but over time realizes he's becoming attracted to Pattie (Boyd) Harrison, the woman for whom Harrison wrote "Something" and for whom Clapton would later write "Layla," "Bell Bottom Blues" and "Wonderful Tonight." What are these events worth in his new book, "Clapton: The Autobiography"? A whole section? Two chapters? One? ....more...

Tribute to John Lennon wins award

A festival celebrating the life of John Lennon has won the best new event category at the UK Festival Awards. The John Lennon Northern Lights Festival ran for three days in the village of Durness in September. The Beatles legend regularly visited the area on childhood summer holidays before returning as an adult in 1969. Festival organisers said it offered an eclectic mix of contemporary music and poetry as well as a talk by Lennon's half sister Julia Baird.
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Heather Mills furious at Paul McCartney kiss

According to reports, Heather Mills, the former wife of Sir Paul McCartney, literally flipped her lid when she saw Paul on the front page of British newspaper The Sun - kissing a married woman. According to reports, Heather, 39, rang Paul, 65, for a showdown, claiming that their 4-year-old daughter Beatrice, recognized him on the front cover of The Sun newspaper with millionaire lawyer’s wife Nancy Shevell. According to British newspaper The Sun, Heather, who hit out at Paul McCartney Live on US & UK TV last week, was seen sobbing in front of staff at her $6.4 million home. A source close to Sir Paul told the newspaper: “Heather flipped over The Sun’s pictures — a real blind rage. ...more...

McCartney is rich because he is mean, Mills says

Paul McCartney is only rich because he is mean, says estranged wife Heather Mills. The former model, who is currently embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with the Beatles legend, claims Paul is reluctant to use his estimated £825 million ($1.5 billion USD) fortune to help protect her and their four-year-old daughter Beatrice. Heather told Hello! magazine, "This is a man that hangs on to his money. He wouldn't be as rich if he didn't. Who needs that kind of money? "I'm still keeping quiet about the total truth, giving him a chance to help us move on and get out of this awful situation. "When I left, I said, 'I don't want a penny, all I want is for you to protect me.' He knows I was suicidal and he did nothing. Enough is enough. He has forced me into a corner."...more...

Beatles Flag Raised by Ringo Starr

For the next 10 days, eyes raised to the skies above Los Angeles' famous crossing of Hollywood & Vine will see something new and unusual: a giant, one-of-a-kind Beatles flag flying high atop the landmark Capitol Records tower. The unique, 12-foot by 18-foot flag was raised by Ringo Starr at 12pm PST today. The world's only official Beatles flag will remain raised above Capitol Records until next Friday, November 16 to celebrate today's release by Apple Corps Ltd./EMI of The Beatles' classic 1965 film 'Help!' on DVD, digitally restored with a newly created 5.1 soundtrack....more...

McCartney sightings in the Hamptons

Paul McCartney has been a regular for years in the Hamptons, where he has been spotted cruising on a boat, dining at restaurants and walking downtown. He also biked with his wife, Heather Mills, whom he is now divorcing. He drives his own Ford truck. Unlike many celebrity visitors, he usually travels without bodyguards. His 11-acre estate, on exclusive Fresh Pond Road in Amagansett, is not listed under his name. McCartney has often been seen at White's Pharmacy, which sells gifts and perfume. He has visited Nichols, a British-style tavern on Montauk Highway in East Hampton. A few years ago, he reportedly drank a margarita at McKendry's Pub in Amagansett, then paid the bill for nine customers at the bar. ...more...

Paul hooks up with millionairess

The Beatles legend, who is currently embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with Heather Mills, met millionairess Nancy Shevell at an East Hampton restaurant on Friday where they drank cocktails until 3am. A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "With Nancy, Paul appeared happier and more relaxed than he has for a long time. They were chatting like old friends and seemed totally wrapped up in their conversation. "They were at the bar chatting. At one point she moved in close and kissed him on the cheek." Paul - who was left shocked by Heather's series of TV attacks against him last week - put his divorce troubles behind him as he flew to the exclusive Hamptons resort on New York's Long Island to spend time with Nancy last weekend. Nancy, 47, is married to Bruce Blakeman, a partner in a top New York law firm and a commissioner of the New York Port Authority. Nancy and Bruce - who have a teenage son, Arlen - were friends with Paul, 65, and his late wife Linda. ...more...

Stella McCartney makes fashion dig at Heather Mills

STELLA McCartney has added fuel to the flame of her father's bitter divorce from Heather Mills, by designing a necklace featuring a single leg. The 36-year-old daughter of Sir Paul McCartney reportedly created the £300 silver pendant in an apparent dig at her father's estranged wife, who had her left leg amputated below the knee after being hit by a motorbike in 1993. A source told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "She unveiled it to fashion industry insiders in Paris last month. A lot of people thought it was really edgy while others secretly thought it was out of order. ...more...

Barbara Walters On Heather Mills: "She Was So Impossible...''This Is Not A Very Nice Woman"

Barbara Walters dished on Heather Mills during "The View" today. She's interviewed Mills twice and had nothing nice to say about Paul McCartney's ex after her behavior at the second interview, by which time she was with Paul. Mills complained about the temperature of a glass of water she was given to sip. Said Barbara in the context of the longer anecdote, "She was extremely difficult... She was so impossible to our producers."
Walters is generally nice about all her coveted celebrity interviews, but as she showed today, it's not a good idea to be mean to her producers. ...VIDEO...

Heather Mills: When Do Her Money Demands Turn into Prostitution

I can't stand Heather Mills! Something about her drives me crazy. The way she keeps claiming she never wanted the money as she tries to sink her teeth into as much of Paul McCartney's money as she can is so loathsome. She personifies gold-digger. What did she ever do to deserve any of McCartney's money. I hate this system where one partner is supposed to get 50% of the other partner's money (or earnings while they're married) automatically when they get divorced. Why??? It's one thing if you had a partner who stayed home on purpose and raised the kids, etc, for their whole lives. But you have these women (let's get real, 98% of the time, it's women) who get married for a couple of years to some rich guy and then demand a huge payout. For what?! I think it's a form of prostitution. But a very expensive form. We have all the latest details of her seedy charges against McCartney and tapes of her crying here:...more...







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Paul McCartney & Heather Mills: Where did it all go wrong?

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are going through one of the most torrid times a pair of well known celebrity husband and wife could go through, and the well publicized affair has ruined the life of the Liverpudlian Beatle McCartney, while Mills has been going from strength to strength.But reports more than eight months ago when the separation of the pair was first released to the press, Mills said she taped many arguments, and of course more recently, she has used it against him and blackmailed him through the court with money. So, it ponders the question of what her mission was with McCartney? Did she marry him for him, or for his money? I think most people have really worked this out....more...

Paul McCartney's Cousin: 'Heather Mills Is A Liar'

Comedienne Kate Robbins hit out at Mills’ farcical string of TV interviews in which Mills claimed Macca didn’t do enough for charity, she called his daughter Stella “evil” and hinted that he wasn’t a good father. Robbins said: “I’m livid about what she has said. Paul adores Beatrice, he is a fabulous father… Stella is a lovely person. She is kind, generous and absolutely peaceful.” Referring to Mills’ charity claims, Robbins continued to The Sun: “She’s a liar. If you knew how much he gives to different charities you would be gobsmacked.” The saga continues.

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Discover How The Beatles Were Recorded

On Saturday, November 17 at 1 PM, the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California hosts an intimate conversation with Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew about their journey of discovery as they pieced together and authored Recording the Beatles, a thorough and definitive guide that explores how the Beatles’ albums were recorded. The book is a culmination of years of research and extensive interviews with the Beatles’ former engineers and technicians and sheds new light on classic sessions. It examines every piece of studio equipment used, fully explains the effects and recording processes, and presents the reader with an inside look at how specific songs were recorded. During the event, Kevin and Brian will discuss how they came to write the book, how they found the information and people, and some of their key findings (out of the hundreds published in their tome) that seem unusual today or to modern methods of recording music. Some of those surprises have to do with the Beatles themselves: ...more...

Remember Love

Proud Central presents Remember Love, a celebration of the life and career of John Lennon through work from a collaboration of world-class photographers, including previously unseen exclusive images. Opening this December to coincide with the 27th anniversary of his death, the exhibition examines the life of a man whose impact on the world of music remains unmatched. Alongside iconic images from Dixie Dean, Terry O’Neill, Barry Plummer, David M. Spindel and Jurgen Vollmer, Remember Love is an exclusive opportunity to see work from Tom Hanley and Polly Moseley, photographers whose archives of intimate, personal images will be exhibited for the first time as part of this exhibition. Tom Hanley worked alongside the Beatles throughout the 1960s, spending time with them behind closed doors as the rest of the world’s press clamoured for their attention outside. From inside the hotel rooms of Paris and the offices of Apple music, Tom and his trusty camera experienced the highs and lows of Beatle Mania alongside the four boys from Liverpool at the very centre of it all. His pictures show John as a young man, experiencing the excitement of fame while struggling to write and record what would become some of the greatest songs of all time. As part of his collection, we are also proud to present images of John as a boy, given to Tom by John’s aunt Mimi, an old friend of the photographer. Polly Moseley met John and his wife Yoko Ono when she was a young film maker on Lennon's film 'Give Peace a Chance'. Her pictures capture the great contentment of John as an artist at work, as well as the private moments he shared with those around him whilst ‘off duty’. Together, these images create an intimate portrait of a legend, comprising personal shots alongside iconic images of Lennon and Yoko that are internationally recognised and renowned, making Remember Love a truly exciting exhibition and a rare chance to see John Lennon as he’s never been seen before. © Tom/Proud Galleries

Quotes
“John was simply fun to be around. He was at his best when he went through the whole catalogue of Beatles songs with us and identified who wrote what. That was the first time it had ever been done, and when it came to Yesterday, he just said “Paul - wow, that was a good ‘un’” – Tom Hanley, photographer

“The group of technicians shown in the exhibition were all working with John for a short and intense period in a small editing complex. Nic Knowland was the film cameraman, Richard Key and Jack Reilly the joint editors with Mal Hawley and I assisting. The film's end titles were created by John and were filmed in the editing studio. All concerned realised what a unique experience we were sharing and wanted a record of the event. This was an exceptional opportunity for me as I happened to have my camera in the right place at a good time." – Polly Moseley, photographer

David will forever remember the first time he met John Lennon: “John was lying down getting a massage when I walked into a small room at the Hit Factory and John said, ‘I usually charge people to watch me get my massage!’. I responded by saying, ‘I usually charged people to watch me move my equipment!’ We both had a great laugh and from this emerged the friendship and collection of magical photographs that is now available for the world to see.” – David M. Spindel, photographer

“What can I say that has not already been said about John Lennon? He is a true icon and I’m honoured to be marking this anniversary with an exhibition of exciting and intimate photographs that will ensure his inimitable legacy endures.” – Alex Proud

The Beatles Sell Shoes?

Did the Beatles sell out? Did they really compromise their artistic integrity just to put a couple extra million dollars into their pockets? Did they, and do their Estates continue to allow Advertisers and Big Business to use many of their compositions simply to make money? Remember those quaint commercial jingles that were so catchy? Like “I’m a Pepper, you’re a pepper” for selling the soft drink Dr. Pepper, the famous McDonalds “You Deserve A Break Today” tune and “Mmmm, Mmmm Good!” sold lots of Campbell soup, just to name a few....more...

McCARTNEY 'LAUGHED' AT MILLS' DISABILITY

HEATHER MILLS has threatened to release a tape recording of SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY and his designer daughter STELLA mocking her for having a prosthetic leg. Mills, who lost her left leg in 1993 when she was hit by a police motorcycle, is alleged to have recorded the telephone conversation between the pair last year (06) after bugging the phone line at the former Beatle's U.K. country estate in Peasmarsh, East Sussex. And when the ex-model confronted MCCartney about the tape, he is said to have apologised immediately. A close friend of Mills tells British newspaper the Sunday Mirror, "What she says she heard Sir Paul say on the tape about her amputated leg left her incandescent with rage. "She says he used an insulting slang word about disabled people. That he and Stella - her arch-enemy - had a laugh about it. Heather was - and still is - seething about it." The tape recording is one of many Mills has vowed to make public if her divorce battle with the singer turns nasty.

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