LENNON'S KILLER OBSESSED WITH LOHAN

The man who killed late BEATLE JOHN LENNON has reportedly become obsessed with actress LINDSAY LOHAN - turning his cell into a shrine to the star. M--k C-----n, who has already served 27 years in jail for assassinating Lennon in 1980, has allegedly begged the Mean Girls star to visit him at Attica State Prison, New York. The murderer has pictures of the troubled star, who plays his girlfriend Jude in the movie Chapter 27, plastered all over his walls at the prison, according to Ireland's Sunday World newspaper. A source at the prison tells the publication, "He has been pleading with the authorities to let him write to her and visit him. "He's been turned down flat, but he won't give up." C-----n, 52, who was diagnosed as psychotic and denied parole four times, is still considered so dangerous and at risk from other inmates, he is confined to a special unit at Attica.

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McCartney to the Highlands

THE HIGHLY acclaimed photographer Mike McCartney – brother of ex-Beatle Sir Paul – is spending this week in the North Highlands photographing the area for a major exhibition and book – the words of which will be provided by Lewis resident Mike Merritt. McCartney has been commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to highlight the area's beauty and diversity as a place in which to live, work and to visit – its people and its landscape. [...more...]

Ringo to the rescue

That was until my husband got the idea to play the guitar to her. This made sense since I used to play music for her when I was pregnant through a headset resting on my stomach. I mostly let her listen to Disney music, but music all the same; she kicked to it a lot. So, out came the guitar and my husband starts to strum various songs that he knows, but still Grace continued to cry. Then out of the blue, he begins to play "Octopus' Garden" by the Beatles and we were met with silence. Grace settled down and started to go to sleep. We held our breath and watched her for a moment amazed by what had just happened. Once we started to relax, it was almost as if Grace realized the music had stopped and woke up - crying as if to say 'play it again Daddy' and my husband did. This went on for about a half an hour until she really went to sleep. [...more...]

Lock of Lennon's Hair Sells for $48,000

A lock of John Lennon's hair sold for $48,000 Wednesday in an auction of Beatles' memorabilia collected by the band's hairdresser. The hair - inside an autographed copy of Lennon's book "A Spaniard in the Works" - sold to an unnamed telephone bidder. Gorringes auction house had estimated the hair would sell for $4,000 to $6,000. Lennon gave the book and the lock of hair to Betty Glasow, the Fab Four's hairdresser during their heyday. He wrote in the book, "To Betty, Lots of Love and Hair, John Lennon xx."

NAS THANKS ONO FOR 'BREAKING UP THE BEATLES'

Outspoken rapper NAS has applauded YOKO ONO for reportedly splitting up THE BEATLES - because she helped JOHN LENNON develop his solo career. The I Can hitmaker is a big fan of Lennon's music and believes he would not have penned classic songs had he still been a member of the Fab Four. And he credits Lennon's partner, Ono, for giving her man the courage to go solo. Going against popular public opinion, Nas says, "How could you not love Yoko...? She gave us Give Peace A Chance, Imagine. "When John Lennon left the Beatles, he was able to do that s**t." Nas tells the new issue of King magazine that Ono and Lennon are among his heroes, together with Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan.

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John and Yoko and the teenage girl who shared their peace bed

New York was where they wanted it to be. Unfortunately his arrest in America for cannabis possession six months before meant that John Lennon and his new bride, Yoko Ono, couldn't get the visas. So they tried the Bahamas. It was sweltering. Spending a week in bed there, they soon decided, would not be fun. That was how Give Peace A Chance ended up being recorded in Montreal - which is, after all, barely 400 miles north of Manhattan. On May 26, 1969, John and Yoko checked into the Queen Elizabeth Hotel to stage their second bed-in - a seven-day press “conference-cum-happening”, during which they would preach world peace to the world's press, while remaining horizontal on their king-sized divan. [...more...]

Give Peace a Chance lyrics up for sale

John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for the hit song "Give Peace a Chance" will go under the hammer at auction in July and are expected to fetch 200-300,000 pounds ($400-600,000), Christie's said on Tuesday. The lyrics are being sold by comedy writer and presenter Gail Renard, who was 16 when Lennon and Yoko Ono staged their famous "Bed-In" at a hotel in Montreal in 1969. Renard and a friend sneaked into the Queen Elizabeth Hotel where the recently married Lennon and Ono were holding a protest for peace and became friendly with the couple. [...more...]

Fallen Starr: Ringo's dream of a comeback crumble after insulting Liverpool

After his recent exertions on his UK publicity junket, Ringo Starr has been allowing himself the luxury of extended sessions of transcendental meditation to the relaxing strains of his favourite wind chimes at his bougainvillaea-covered Beverly Hills hacienda. Following a leisurely morning of contemplation, he will submit himself to the rigours of a stroll in his lemon grove before firing up his barbecue to cook a virtuous lunch of seared broccoli, carrots and beetroot (like his fellow surviving Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo is a long-time proponent of vegetarianism). His friends, mainly a rag-tag collection of ageing hippies and fading rock stars, are permitted an audience only by prior appointment and he ventures out rarely for occasional dinners at his favourite Hollywood restaurant, Mr Chow, with his wife, Barbara Bach, and close friend, Eagles' guitarist Joe Walsh. [...more...]

MCCARTNEY LOSES MILLIONS, STILL SCORES ON RICH LIST

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY, SIR ELTON JOHN and MADONNA and GUY RITCHIE have all scored places among 2008's top British music millionaires. The former Beatle's place in the list of all of U.K. millionaires has slipped in the last year, following his lengthy divorce settlement with ex-wife Heather Mills, which caused his fortune to drop nearly $50 million (GBP24.3 million). MCCartney now ranks third in The Sunday Times newspaper's top 50 richest millionaires in Britain's music industry. Madonna and her filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie have increased their shared fortune to $600 million (GBP300 million) with earnings from the pop star's recent tours and the sale of her portion of Maverick Records to the Warner Music Group. [...more...]

Heather Mills draws up list of dos and don'ts for Macca world tour

It looks like Heather Mills does not want to miss any opportunity to take advantage of Sir Paul McCartney. The former model has reportedly come up with a list of dos and don'ts for her ex-hubby to abide by during his world tour. Mills, who will accompany the former Beatle across the globe for 14 months with daughter Beatrice, has drawn up a list of rules for Macca and his crew. She has asked for a private jet for herself and Beatrice, as they go places with Macca. And on top of the list of don'ts is no swearing in front of the couple's daughter. "The swearing ban is a big ask as roadies are notoriously foul-mouthed," News of the World quoted a source, as saying.

--- ANI

Paul McCartney is writing a book about Linda

Sir Paul McCartney is writing a coffee table book about his late wife Linda. The 65-year-old will "share lots of intimate moments" about their life together. Macca this week met publishers in London to discuss the project. He told friends: "I'm really up for it." The book will contain hundreds of photos taken by Linda, who died of cancer 10 years ago this month, aged 56. A source said: "Sir Paul is really excited." A friend of Macca's added: "Times have been hard for him recently with the divorce from Heather. [...more...]

Beatles Track - “I’ve Just Seen a Face” (with video)

Just Seen a Face, the fifth track on Side Two of “Help!” is a fun, fast-paced Paul McCartney tune. The instrumentation is slightly unusual for The Beatles; there is no bass or electric guitars and very little drums. Instead, George Harrison plays a 12-string acoustic guitar, John Lennon and Paul each play a standard acoustic, and Ringo Starr shakes the maracas and plays a snare drum with a brush to keep everything moving. Watch the video to hear the song and see some great Beatles photos.

Lennon pot video in court

Amazing video footage of John Lennon smoking pot, writing songs and discussing putting the hallucinogenic drug LSD in President Richard Nixon’s tea will be at the centre of a dramatic court case to start next week. In a bid to keep the tape private Yoko is set to go against Lawrence, Massachusetts-based World Wide Video, which claims ownership of nine hours of raw footage of the former Beatle and Ono filmed only weeks before the legendry band parted in 1970. World Wide, a consortium of Beatles collectors, are looking to release the historical footage as a 2 hour film “3 days in the life” detailing the break-up and mind set of Lennon at this crucial time. [...more...]

John Lennon Vs. Jesus

In 1966 The Beatles were titans, the biggest pop act ever and still only on the cusp of their greatest creative, financial, and pop-culture success. But when John Lennon made an offhanded -- and what he thought was innocent -- comment in an interview for the London Evening Standard, the flipside of Beatlemania reared its ugly head for the first time and also gave us a hint of where the outspoken Lennon's social activism would take him in the coming years. Here Lennon recounts that original interview, years after the incident took place. [...more...]

Paul McCartney helps Sudbury woman's marathon effort

A Sudbury woman – and relative of Sir Paul McCartney – will row the equivalent of the Boat Race and cycle a marathon back-to-back to raise money for charity. Sarah Sherry, 34, is fundraising for The Eye Fund, which was set up by her aunt and uncle following the death of her cousin Simon from a degenerative eye disease. "When Simon was going through the disease his parents wanted to get him a counsellor but found there is only one in the whole of Britain who is trained to help people losing their sight," she said. "After he died my auntie and uncle set up the charity to change that." [...more...]

Dhani Harrison tops rich list of Britain’s young music millionaires

He has yet to write a song to match Here Comes the Sun but Dhani Harrison, son of the late George Harrison, tops a rich list of Britain’s young music millionaires. Harrison, 29, shares an estimated £160 million inheritance with his mother Olivia, according to The Sunday Times list. Like John Lennon’s offspring, Dhani Harrison is seeking to establish his own musical career. He helped to complete his father’s final album before his death in 2001 and played guitar at the star-studded Concert for George. Last year he played guitar on a reworking of While My Guitar Gently Weeps produced by the rappers Wu-Tang Clan. He has formed his own band, thenewno2. [...more...]

Linda McCartney's photos on display

An exhibition of Linda McCartney's photographs, hand-picked by her husband, will be put on display Friday at a gallery in west London. The prints show the range of the late photographer's career, which was overshadowed by the fame of her husband, former Beatle Paul McCartney. Featured photos include famousportraits of John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. But the display also intends to show her range, with family photos of Paul McCartney and their children, as well as landscapes and interiors. [...more...]

William F. Ludwig II, Son of the Founder of Ludwig Drum CO.

Ringo Starr was so proud to play a Ludwig drum set during the Beatles' first televised appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964 that he asked William F. Ludwig II to build a special set for him with the company name printed in bold letters at the top of the bass drumhead. Naturally, Ludwig obliged. “I remember my dad watching them on TV and saying, 'Who knows? Maybe these kids will be big someday,' “ said his son, William Ludwig III. “The next day our phone was ringing off the hook." Family members said the resulting demand for Ludwig drums prompted the Chicago-based company to build a 100,000-square-foot addition to its factory and add a night shift. [...more...]

MCCARTNEY WORTH $1 BILLION

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY is worth $1 billion (GBP500 million) - $200 million (GBP100 million) richer than his divorce hearing was told, according to a new rich list. The former Beatle was estimated to be worth $800 million (GBP400 million), according to documents filed at London's High Court during his divorce to Heather Mills. However, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, the court undervalued Sir Paul's back catalogue, image rights and recordings. It also failed to take into account the will of his first wife, Linda, who died in 1998. The list puts his true wealth at $1 billion. A spokesman for MCCartney declined to comment on the list, which will be published on Sunday (27Apr08).

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DVD Review: The Tomorrow Show: John, Paul, Tom & Ringo (1975-1981)

One of the more odd talk show hosts was Milwaukeean Tom Snyder, who had a long run with The Tomorrow Show in the late, late night. Over the years Snyder had some fascinating musical guests on, though Snyder, like Cavett before him, didn't seem to have a good grasp of just how important the performers appearing with him were. That wasn't necessarily a problem with the three former Beatles who appeared on his show, though his lack of knowledge about the subject of music is fairly obvious, and as a result many of his questions come of as irritatingly vapid. But the shows certainly include some interesting footage of the former Beatles that will make this essential viewing for their fans. [...more...]

I Met the Walrus: Interview with John Lennon • VideoSift: Online Video *Quality Control

In 1969, 14-year-old Jerry Levitan managed to snag a brief interview with John Lennon in his hotel room in Toronto. Using his reel-to-reel tape recorder, Levitan asked Lennon a series of questions about peace, popularity, and messages in music. The answers give us a portrait of Lennon at the end of his involvement with The Beatles. In 2007, Levitan collaborated with director Josh Raskin, illustrator James Braithwaite, and animator Alex Kurina to produce I Met the Walrus, a short animated film featuring a condensed version of the Lennon-Levitan interview set to sprawling stream-of-consciousness animation. The resulting film has won an AFI Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. [...more/video...

WEAR YOUR MOP TOP WITH PRIDE!

IMAGINE a fantastic day in the Summer filled with fun and laughter......IMAGINE that this event will also raise a huge amount of money for local charities.....10th of July, 2008 sees the inaugural 'Beatles Day' as part of the Summer Pops at Liverpool Arena . All proceeds from the event will go to John Lennon's 'Imagine' Children's charity for Alder Hey hospital and our other chosen charity for this year which is the Liverpool Unite charity (Rhys Jones Memorial Fund). 'Beatles Day' is intended to be a celebration of Liverpool, the Beatles Music and their symbiotic relationship.

During 'Beatles Day' we will have several Beatle related events happening in the daytime, including a mufti day for schools and businesses, Beatles Fun Run, Beatles Quiz, and various children's activities. The main daytime event will be a parade around the well known Beatle hotspots - Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields etc. culminating in a concert at the Arena in which the UK's top stars will perform Beatles songs chosen by the public from votes on radio/TV. The parade will feature a Beatles band playing live on the back of a truck and will be filmed/photographed by TV and press as it tours the city.

The Echo are backing this event, as are the Capital of Culture and Radio City.

We are using Beatles wigs, glasses and inflatable guitars as a prop for this day, much as a red nose is used for Comic Relief (it's a bit about Liverpool not taking itself too seriously as well). The plan is to have the wigs, glasses etc. on sale in various outlets and to be bought by local businesses for their employees. We want 'Beatles Day' to become an annual event to raise money for Alder Hey, in much the same way that Red Nose Day is an annual event. Each year we will chose a local charity to share the proceeds with the Imagine appeal. Schools and businesses are encouraged to take part by letting their students/staff turn up for work on the day in casual clothes or preferably dressed as Beatles.

Visiting our fundraising page. Please dig deep and donate to our charity online.
www.justgiving.com/beatlesday.

-Were you one of those who lined the streets of Liverpool on July 10th
1964?
-Were you working at The Hard Day's Night premiere that evening?
-Were you at Liverpool Art College with Lennon?
-Did you meet your wife at The Cavern in 1962?
-Was your Mum a nurse with Mary McCartney?
-Were you christened John, Paul, George or Ringo?
WHATEVER YOUR STORY IS JULY 10TH IS THE DAY TO TELL IT!

Back in the USSR: McCartney to play one-off Ukraine gig

Former Beatle Paul McCartney said Thursday he will perform at a free concert in Ukraine in June. The show will take place in Kiev's Independence Square on June 14 and has been organised by billionaire businessman Victor Pinchuk. "Me and the band are going to be there and we're going to have to a great evening," McCartney said in a statement issued by his publishers MPL and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. "It's going to be [a] great evening hopefully for the Ukraine." The event is being branded as a chance for people from different backgrounds "to come together around the ideas of peace, love and unity". SOURCE

Mystery of Lennon’s black guitar solved

IT’S one of the most talked about instruments in rock ‘n’ roll history. Speculation about how John Lennon’s 1958 Rickenbacker 325 guitar got its distinctive black finish is still so lively, there is even an online blog Baby’s in Black dedicated to the subject. Now it has been revealed the answer lies in the quiet village of Holme, and a man nicknamed ‘Ted the Sprayer.’ Originally from Manchester, Ted Lee, 67, who lives at The Village, was part of the Manchester and Merseyside music scene in the 60s. He gained considerable renown for his skills with a paint spray gun and his ability to transform electric guitar bodies into any colour desired. [...more...]

Imagine There's No Lawyers: Yoko Doesn't Want Us To See John Lennon Get High

Yoko Ono and the film company World Wide Media are in a legal battle over who owns the rights to some undoubtedly priceless footage of John Lennon filmed in 1970. The nine hours of material are claimed to include Lennon smoking a joint, working on songs and describing his plans to put LSD in Richard Nixon's coffee. It was filmed by Anthony Cox, Ono's husband before Lennon, for a planned documentary. World Wide wants to use the footage for a film titled "Three Days In The Life." Despite the fact that World Wide bought the footage directly from Cox, Ono feels she owns the copyright because she'd previously bought the footage from "a Florida man." If you play that backwards, I'm pretty sure you hear the word "bullshit." [...more...]

MCCARTNEY SPARKS ENGAGEMENT RUMOURS?

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has sparked engagement rumours after he was spotted shopping at a top London jewellers. The former Beatle was snapped by photographers shopping at exclusive New Bond Street store S.J. Phillips yesterday (21Apr08) - fuelling speculation he is to propose to American heiress Nancy Shevell. The 65-year-old recently returned from a romantic Caribbean holiday with Shevell after settling his $48.6 million (GBP24.3 million) divorce from estranged wife Heather Mills last month (Mar08). The pair was spotted getting close on the beach of a private resort - splashing out on a $12,000 (GBP6,000)-a-night villa, enjoying hand-in-hand walks along the coast, a sailing trip and frolics in the sea. And now, the Mull of Kintyre hitmaker seems to have taken the relationship to another level with his jewellery store jaunt. S.J. Phillips confirmed MCCartney was shopping at the store - but refused to say what the singer purchased during his visit.


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MCCARTNEY DELIGHTED TO HONOUR LINDA'S MEMORY WITH EXHIBITION

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY is ecstatic his late wife LINDA's photographs are finally going on display in the U.K. - because the exhibition will help to keep her memory alive.
A London exhibition of her photos is set to go on show at the James Hyman Gallery on Friday (25Apr08), in what will be the first major display of her work in her adopted Britain. The art show will also mark the 10th anniversary of the American's death; she lost her battle with breast cancer on 17th April 1998. And the former Beatle is delighted to be able to honour his "great" wife's memory by putting the collection of works on display. He says, "Since she passed away, the thing is that you worry that she's not around, so her stuff is not going to be exhibited. "We work as a family to ensure that her work is still exhibited, so it means that people are exposed who haven't seen it before. It's great for me just to remind people how great she was."


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Yoko in court battle over film of Lennon smoking cannabis as Beatles go to pot

Footage of John Lennon smoking cannabis, writing songs and discussing putting LSD in Richard Nixon's tea is at the centre of a court battle over whether it should be made public. Lennon's widow Yoko Ono is fighting a company which claims ownership of nine hours of raw footage of her with Lennon, filmed just weeks before the Beatles broke up in 1970. World Wide Video, a consortium of Beatles collectors based in Lawrence, Massachusetts, wants to release the black-and-white footage as a two-hour film called Three Days In The Life. [...more...]

LIVERPOOL TO HOST FIRST BEATLES DAY

The city of Liverpool, England is set to host the first ever BEATLES day later this year (08). The 10 July (08) date will mark the 44th anniversary of the Fab Four's return to their hometown after touring in America in 1964. Thousands of inflatable guitars and wigs in the band's trademark mop-top hairstyle will be on sale across the British city, while businesses have been asked to decorate their establishments with related memorabilia.
Local radio stations will be playing the band's hits and encouraging listeners to phone in to tell personal anecdotes about the fourpiece, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Heather Mills Dumped by Publicist

Heather Mills has been dumped by her publicist, a day after unleashing an emotional tirade on the British media during a live TV interview. The former glamour model, 39, accused journalists of waging a ‘hate campaign’ against her following the breakdown of her four-year marriage toPaul McCartney during the interview on U.K. morning show GMTV on Wednesday morning. The public outpouring forced Mills’ publicist, Phil Hall, to resign after he advised her not to go on live TV. He says, “My view is that you need good relations with the media to turn the negative into the positive and I advise always to ignore the stuff thrown at you. I no longer represent her. I advised her against the interviews but she was adamant. Sometimes she can’t help herself.” SOURCE

An Explanation on the Beatles' Song Happiness is a Warm Gun

Happiness is a Warm Gun was included in the White Album that was released in November of 1968. It was a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney that had an original working title of Happiness is a Warm Gun in Your Hand. As John Lennon claimed, the song was a sort of rock and roll history covered in a less than three-minute song. This was largely due to the obvious fact that the song was made using the five sections of rock and roll. With a beginning as a brief tilting section, which was followed by the mixture of distorted guitar, drums and bass guitar in the following shift. This part was thought to be an absurd imagery of Lennon's acid trip-like experience. Following this part was an ominous section that would be taken into a juncture [...more...]

Heather focus of 'What Really Happened?' documentary

Her life has captivated the attention of the British media in recent months, and now a new documentary on divorcee Heather Mills aims to delve behind the headlines. In the programme, journalist Jacques Peretti – who last year presented a similar look at pop icon Michael Jackson – investigates the former-model's treatment by the media and looks behind the press stories. Aiming to separate fact from fiction, Jacques follows Heather's story in the run-up to her high-profile divorce from Paul McCartney. Also included in the documentary is the first TV interview given by her father, Mark Mills, and another with Pamela Cockerill, the ghost writer for her autobiography. [...more...]

Ono you don’t, says Yoko over Lennon video copyright

An outraged Yoko Ono can’t imagine the intimate details of her life with John Lennon - from bedroom scenes to harsh words and pot smoking - aired for Beatle-maniacs worldwide. That’s why she’s taking her case before a Boston judge next week. Opposing the all-powerful Ono is a Lawrence-based video company claiming that 24 raw tapes showing three days in Lennon’s life in February 1970 - weeks prior to the Beatles’ historic breakup - do not belong to her. The tape tussle heads to Judge Rya W. Zobel’s courtroom in U.S. District Court in Boston April 30. Ono’s Boston lawyer, Jonathan Albano, told the Herald yesterday the hearing is a conference to set the case in motion. He declined further comment. [...more...]

Heather Mills Got Paid Bank As Escort

Before she was ripping off Paul McCartney in court, Heather Mills was reportedly a high-class escort. She must have been talented in bed because she would fetch up to $20,000 on some nights! Former prostitute Denise Hewitt, who used to hook with Mills, is talking to the press and the details are scandalicious! Hewitt revealed on the Channel 4 documentary Heather Mills: What Really Happened that her and Mills would have sex for cash during the '80s. She said: "We have a naughty background. We went into high-class prostitution behind closed doors. [...more...]

Linda McCartney's lives through a lens

There are three self-portraits of Linda McCartney in the retrospective of her work opening tomorrow at the James Hyman Gallery in Savile Row. The 25 other photographs show us for the first time the impressive range of her black-and-white work and give us glimpses of the private world of the McCartney clan, the rock stars she photographed in the 1960s and the artists and friends whose company she and Paul enjoyed. If you go along to this exhibition expecting to find the mediocre work of the wife of a rock star you'll be surprised - here McCartney emerges as a dedicated, accomplished photographer. [...more...]

Beatles could have had even more No. 1 hits

I enjoyed the letter reminding us of the Beatles' awesome record of 20 No. 1 hits. However, Mr. Reynolds didn't mention how the state of music and the industry in the '60s made it far more difficult to reach the top. The diversity of artists and genres of music competing was massive with everyone attempting to climb the same pop music chart. Amazingly, The Beatles could have had even more No. 1 or top 10 hits during those six years. Unlike others, The Beatles released very few songs as hit singles from a majority of their albums. There were none on Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper's or the White Album and only one per album from Beatles '65, Beatles VI, Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road. [...more...]

Heather Mills childhood dispute

Heather Mills' father has released a series of home movies to disprove her claims she suffered an abusive childhood. Mark Mills - who Heather has claimed is a "schizo" who viciously beat her - vehemently denies her accusations, and has revealed footage of his daughter playing happily on a family holiday to Wales. Mark - who has trouble speaking after a stroke - told Channel 4 documentary 'Heather Mills: What Really Happened': "There was no violence. I'm convinced." The 64-year-old has not seen Heather for 20 years, and insists her tales of living in fear of his violent temper are a complete fantasy. The documentary also features Heather's former friend claiming they used to act out lesbian romps for up to £10,000 a time. [...more...]

Heather Mills To Sir Paul: 'Marry Me Or It's Over'

Heather Mills is alleged to have given Paul McCartney an ultimatum in the early stages of their relationship to either get married, or face abandonment. According to Denise Hewitt, an acquaintance of the former glamour model, Mills would mock her now ex-husband behind his back, and make crude jokes about his age. In an interview to be broadcast on Channel 4 tonight, Hewitt claimed: "She said, 'I'll give him an ultimatum and if he doesn't marry me within say eight months, ten months, I'm going to leave him'." [...more...]

Here comes the sun: Unique photos of the Beatles in the summer of 1963 before worldwide fame

Four weeks later their lives were to change forever. But in this photograph the Beatles can still enjoy a quiet few hours sunbathing without, it appears, a care in the world - or being swamped by fans. It was taken in July 1963 during a week when the group had packed out the Odeon cinema in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. The band had already had three top ten hits - Love Me Do, Please Please Me and From Me To You. But it was to be August of that year, when She Loves You shot straight to number one, that saw Beatlemania unleashed and the transformation of the four young Liverpudlians into global stars. [...more/pix...]

Teachers predicted Lennon would be a failure

Late Beatle star John Lennon might be remembered as a highly talented rock musician today, but he was contemplated a failure during his school days. The legendary rocker, who was shot dead in New York in 1980, failed to impress his former schoolteachers - because he liked to act as the school’s clown. In fact, Lennons teachers predicted that he would be a failure, reports Contactmusic. In a school report from Quarry Bank School in Liverpool, England, one teacher wrote: “Certainly on the road to failure, hopeless, rather a clown of the class and wastes other pupils’ time.” In his solo career, Lennon wrote and recorded songs such as “Give Peace a Chance” and Imagine. Lennon revealed his rebellious nature and wit on television, in films such as A Hard Day’s Night, in books such as In His Own Write, and in press conferences and interviews. He was controversial through his work as a peace activist, artist, and author. (ANI)

Sir Paul McCartney to play on Liverpool tribute album

Sir Paul McCartney will play on a forthcoming album that will pay tribute to the ex-Beatle's home city of Liverpool. According to The Sun, McCartney is set to play mandolin on the album, which will be released later in 2008. Plans are reportedly afoot for a McCartney world tour throughout 2008, although specific dates are yet to be announced. SOURCE

Paul McCartney show a no-go in Halifax

Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney will not be performing in Halifax this summer. Concert promoter Harold MacKay had been trying to set up a show in the Halifax Common for June or July, but said Monday there wasn't enough time. Paul McCartney will not play an outdoor concert in Halifax this summer. "The window was short and we knew that, so it didn't get completed. The lines of communication are open and we're going to try to keep them open for a possible future concert," said MacKay, owner of Power Promotions. [...more...]

McCartney urges vegetarianism to fight climate ills

Former Beatle Paul McCartney is urging the world to go vegetarian in a bid to fight global warming and is surprised more green groups don't promote it. In an interview with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), McCartney said the global meat industry was a major contributor to global warming. A transcript of the PETA interview was given to Reuters. [...more...]

Bookcase Beatles come to light after 40 years

The Fab Four were chalked on the back of an antique bookcase when gatecrashers invaded a stately home in the Swinging Sixties. From the site of the drawing, it looked life as if the artist put in a hard day's night of work, according to reports. However, the work ended abruptly when police arrived to clear the uninvited guests from Highfield Hall in Northop, North Wales, and the bookcase was pushed back against the wall. [...more...]

Remembering John Lennon

John Lennon was an English rock musician who gained worldwide fame as one of the founders of The Beatles and for his subsequent solo career, along with his widely-known protests against the Vietnam War, among other political activies. He was shot dead in front of his home, the Dakota on December 8, 1980. Millions of music fans worldwide mourned his death. Here's what happened: At 5:00 p.m., Lennon and wife Yoko Ono left their apartment to mix the track "Walking on Thin Ice" at Record Plant Studio. [...more...]

Macca 'to take Mills on tour'

Sir Paul McCartney wants Heather Mills to join him on tour so he can see their daughter whilst he jets round the world, according to reports. Macca is preparing for his 14-month tour, and believes the only way he will keep in contact with Beatrice will be if he arranges with Heather to take the four-year-old to him, according to the News Of The World. A source tells the paper: "Heather's so unpredictable anything could happen." SOURCE

Yoko Ono Touch Me Exhibition Open In New York

'Touch Me', Yoko Ono's first solo exhibition is New York since 2003 has started at the Galerie Lelong. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a canvas covering the entire width of the gallery. The canvas has openings along it and visitors are invited to display any body part they wish. The concept is to display isolation, exposure, vulnerability and defiance. As expected, the display to date has featured everything from fingers and feet to bums and genitals. Other parts of the exhibition include 'Vertical Memory', a composite of faces of Yoko's father, husband and son. 'Touch Me' will be open until May 31. The Galerie Lelong is at 528 West 26th St, NY NY. [...more...]

Stella McCartney signs sunglasses deal

Italy's Luxottica has signed a new deal with fashion designer Stella McCartney for the design, production and distribution of sunglasses. The eyewear group said in a statement the deal signed with Stella McCartney Ltd, a joint venture between the designer and Gucci, would begin in January for an initial six-year term. Afterwards, it would be automatically renewable for an additional five-year term, it said. The first collection will be launched in summer 2009. - REUTERS

Rare and Unseen: The BEATLES!

If you’re a fan of The Beatles, trust me … you’ve gotta lay your hands on this piece of history!! I just bought my copy (PS it was the last in the bin; the rest had already been sold!) and, Rockaholics, it lives up to everything we’ve been told it’d be!
Remember a number of posts ago, where The Relic toldja about the “just-discovered” footage of the Fab Four from Scotland? It’s on here! Wanna see the very first footage of the Beatles performing? It’s on here! Wanna see my cat’s pawprint? It’s on here … (er, on mine, anyway. Fortunately, it’s just on the jacket … which is cleanable …) [...more...]

Santana to play the Palace tonight

Latter-day pop success has done nothing to shake the 1960s out of Carlos Santana. The Mexican-born guitarist has enjoyed a long and varied career since emerging on the San Francisco rock scene more than four decades ago, where his free-ranging style -- often underscored with traditional Latin sounds -- ultimately made him a global star. It's been nine years since he enjoyed one of modern music's most notable comebacks in the form of the pop-savvy "Supernatural," a chart-topping album that helped him rack up a record-tying nine Grammy Awards. Now out on the road with his band Santana for a long touring season, including a Palace of Auburn Hills show tonight, the 60-year-old guitarist continues to speak of his work in the spiritual terms that fueled his music in the hippie heyday. [...more...]

Ben Stein's Expelled Reveils That People Are Still Pissed At Yoko

Ben Stein's Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is turning into his own personal Battlefield Earth. Pun and implications intended. Word on the street is - it stinks. But the reviews are worth the price of admission. Anyway, in the documentary they use John Lennon's "Imagine." Not realizing that it was used without permission (maybe someone was expelled from Copyright Law 101) blogger James Boyce swiftly blamed Yoko Ono. For those of you keeping score at home: Darwin is to blame for the Holocaust and Yoko is to blame for everything else. Got it? Us neither. SOURCE

Expelled uses John Lennon’s “Imagine,” doesn't say please

The filmmakers of the documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed have apparently used John Lennon’s “Imagine” without consent. Ben Stein spearheaded the film, which hits select theaters today. In an article from the Wall Street Journal, Yoko Ono’s lawyer said, “It was not licensed. We are exploring all options.” Any legal resolutions are unknown at press time. The filmmakers confirmed that they did use the track without permission, but they insist that their legal counsel told them it was fair use protected under the First Amendment due to the fact that they only used 25 seconds of it. [...more...]

Cultural Life: Ringo Starr, drummer

The good thing about being Ringo Starr is that you get stuff sent and given to you all the time. The Traveling Wilburys Collection box set with the CDs and DVD was the most fun I've had in a long time. To see the boys play – Roy [Orbison], George [Harrison], Tom [Petty], Jeff [Lynne] and Bob [Dylan] – it reminds you how much fun it is to play. It's great. My main love is to play my drums. I love to write. I love to hang out with musicians. [...more...]

Julian Last Night At Mr Chow

Tony Palmer on John Lennon, Phil Spector, and how he televised the revolution

It all started with a chance encounter with John Lennon in New York in the early Seventies. “Doing anything useful?” he said with his customary directness. Over a “delicious” lunch of brown rice, the plot was hatched. “There will be no escape,” he warned me, as we mapped out one of the most foolhardy ideas devised by man – nothing less than the entire history and development of popular music. “It’s what’s needed,” he kept telling me. “Something that pieces together all the various elements that have gone into making rock’n’roll: country, jazz, blues, ragtime, music hall, soul – it’s easy!” Lennon had been my mentor once before. I first met him in Cambridge in November 1963, and some years later, after I had joined the BBC, he complained to me frequently that many of the great musicians he admired simply could find no place on a BBC dominated by Top of the Pops, Juke Box Jury and gyrating nubiles, musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Burdon, The Who, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd and Cream, none of whom had at that time been seen on TV. [...more/video...]

Linda McCartney's Kintyre legacy

REGGIE McManus didn't hesitate when Linda McCartney asked him to pick her up a goose in Glasgow and bring it back to the family cottage in Kintyre. What surprised the taxi driver was that the hefty goose he'd been asked to deliver turned out to be alive. Reggie said: "It was a bit of a shock. It was in a big crate and I had to tie it to the car's roof rack. "I thought it might breathe its last gasp on that journey because the hailstones were hellish. But it survived." A few months later Reggie was at the McCartney farm and Linda pointed to aline of goslings tottering by. [...more...]

Stella stays on track

Sporting gear continues to get a fashionable make-over from one of the world's most celebrated designers. Stella McCartney is what you call a fashion all-rounder. A skilled player in the competitive world of fashion, she has the ability to make almost anything she turns her hand to a winner. Since leaving the top job at Chloe in 2001, the designer has been building her own multimillion-dollar business empire. The Stella McCartney group includes an eponymous luxury fashion label, organic-cosmetic range, perfume line and collaborations with LeSportsac, Hong Kong's Lane Crawford Joyce Group, Bendon, Adidas and one-off collections for Target Australia and H&M. [...more...]

Yoko Ono Gave No Permission For Creationist Documentary’s Use Of Song

A creationist propaganda documentary called “Expelled” is set to open at various locations around the United States on Friday, creating a stir in the blogosphere. Some bloggers pointed out the use of the late John Lennon’s song “Imagine” in the film, speculating that his wife Yoko Ono had profited from licensing it. However, Yoko Ono’s lawyers have stated that the song with used without permission: The dustup has already led to both a scathing article and a retraction on the site HuffingtonPost.com, where Wednesday afternoon writer James Boyce took back an article he had posted 48 hours earlier: “I apologize to Mrs. Lennon for my incorrect assumptions and statements in the article below which, of course, I retract completely.” [...more...]

The Beatles DVD Documentary On The Way

The Beatles will be the subject of a new DVD ducumentary, as released this Summer. The feature-length film is named All Together Now and will be focus on the making of the band's stage production and album entitled 'LOVE'. The footage includes contributions from Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono. The DVD reveals the story of the partnership between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil - which led to a Las Vegas stage production and 2006 album - both named LOVE. All Together Now will be available on June 23rd and lasts for 122 minutes, including 84 the minute documentary and bonus features. SOURCE

Saltzman’s shots of Beatles in Rishikesh

Paul Saltzman needed some peace after a shattered romance and sought it at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s quiet ashram in Rishikesh. He had no idea at the time that he would bump into the Beatles at the ashram. In fact, he had no clue then that his pictures taken with a 35mm Pentax camera would capture a defining moment of the 1960s, the moment when Indian mediation went global. Saltzman’s exhibition in association with the Indo American Arts Council opened at the weekend at the Morrison Hotel Gallery. It has 25 images of the Beatles and visitors can buy signed limited edition prints for $4,500 to $1,000. [...more...]

Heather Mills’ Trump flirt

Heather Mills reportedly flirted with Donald Trump over dinner. Heather - who was a Miss USA judge last week - decided to spend some time with the multi-millionaire pageant owner because she wanted more money for appearing on the televised beauty contest. A source told the New York Post newspaper: “She flat out refused to sign her contract because she wants to get paid if they re-sell the footage. Her ego is enormous, and it's getting bigger by the minute. “She believed that if the show got high ratings, it would be because of her. She treated this like she was starring in a big-budget movie. [...more...]

New DVD Chronicles The Making of The Beatles' LOVE Show

Feature-Length Documentary Chronicles The Making Of The Beatles’ ‘LOVE’ by Cirque du Soleil. On June 24, 2008 Apple Corps Ltd./Cirque du Soleil Images will release the feature-length documentary ‘All Together Now’ on DVD, which will be marketed and distributed worldwide by EMI Music. The film details the story behind the unique partnership between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil that resulted in the creation and launch of “LOVE," the stage production still wowing audiences in Las Vegas, and the double Grammy-winning album of the same name. The film is dedicated to the memory of Neil Aspinall, an Executive Producer. The DVD’s total running time is 122 minutes, including the 84-minute documentary film and bonus features. The film and extras are presented in DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital Stereo.

‘All Together Now’ faithfully recounts how the “LOVE” project came into being, borne from the personal friendship between George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte. George saw how the twin talents of Cirque’s artistry and The Beatles’ music could be fused into something new and totally original.

FROM THEBEATLES.COM NEWSLETTER

Jordan Zevon: Insides Out

Pity rock star children. Sure, they may be foisted into wealth and privilege, but come time to chase their own musical career, their identity is inextricably linked to their parents. From Julian Lennon to Jakob Dylan to Ben Taylor, these kids cannot escape their pedigree, whatever their own musical merits. Even Rufus Wainwright, whose operatic overtures couldn’t be more different from his parents’ (Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle) folk-pop, is still dogged by these parallels. As if collectively saying “uncle”, a number of offspring, primarily from rock and roll also-rans (Eddie Money, Dee Snider, Kenny Loggins) have paraded their voices and personalities onto MTV’s Rock the Cradle, a reality-show singing-competition for birthright rockers that milks their heritage for all its worth. [...more...]

Has Heather become a stalker?

HEATHER Mills has told friends that she "wants a house in every place" ex-husband Sir Paul McCartney has one. Showbizspy.com reports the 40-year-old former glamor model is determined to carry on living the life of luxury she once shared with the former Beatle and has been house-hunting in New York and Los Angeles. A source said: “Heather says that everywhere in the world Paul has a house, she wants a house. [...more...]

Yoko Ono: touch me - opening reception

In touch me, Yoko Ono will present an interactive painting, film, conceptual photography and sculptures that comment on different facets of the female experience, calling upon the viewers to make direct and deeply personal connections. Ono's first New York exhibition since Odyssey of a Cockroach at Deitch Projects in 2003, touch me affords the audience an opportunity to experience her work in a new way. The exhibition will open to the public at Galerie Lelong on Friday, April 18, from 6 to 8 pm.

For over 40 years, Yoko Ono's works have defied categorization, existing in the interstices between performance, music, objects and film. As one of the first conceptual artists, and one of the founders of Fluxus—an association of experimental, interdisciplinary artists and writers in the '60s and '70s—Ono is cited as a major influence on contemporary artists. She has redefined the boundaries between various movements: conceptual art, performance art, feminist art, and more. Many of her actions have bridged the distance between art and audience participation—which has always been a hallmark of Ono's work.

A participatory element is central in touch me, in which Ono urges the audience to revitalize and rethink a personal connection to the most current situation women are facing. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be a large canvas covering the entire width of the gallery. Openings will be cut into the canvas, and viewers are invited to insert body parts through. Encompassed in this simple act are opposing elements of isolation, exposure, vulnerability, and defiance. The viewer will have the option to photograph themselves with supplied cameras; these photos will be displayed together on another canvas with the participant's own comments and thoughts written underneath the photos, furthering the inclusive nature of this new work. A 4-screen installation version of Yoko Ono's 1964 performance Cut Piece, filmed at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1965, will act as a counterpart for the metaphoric 2008 work.

Complementing this contemporary work will be Vertical Memory, in which a composite of a male face—combining Ono's father, husband and son—is contrasted with the artist's succinct and moving texts describing her passage from birth to death.

Also on view will be Memory Paintings, intimate 19th-century portraits of women; and a sculpture from the series "Family Album (Blood Objects)," representing her mother. Sky TV will serve as an anchor of hopefulness to the entire exhibition touch me.

In addition to having received the College Art Association's 2008 Distinguished Body of Work Award, she is also the recipient of the 2002 Skowhegan Medal for Assorted Mediums. Solo exhibitions have recently been presented at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (Sao Paulo), Kunsthalle Bremen, Berkeley Art Museum, Museo di Santa Caterina (Treviso, Italy), and Portikus im Leinwandhaus (Frankfurt), among other venues. She is featured in WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and currently on view at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York. This August, the Kunsthalle Bielefeld will present a solo exhibition of Ono's work, entitled Last Supper.

Opening reception: Friday April 18th, 6-8pm

Exhibition: Yoko Ono: touch me
Date: April 18 - May 31, 2008
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm
Contact: Stephanie Joson, 212 315 0470 or stephanie@galerielelong.com

http://www.galerielelong.com/

YOKO ONO MySpace Blog

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MCCARTNEY LIVERPOOL GIG 'TO GO AHEAD'

An historic performance by SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY in his hometown of Liverpool, England will go ahead - despite fears the concert would be cancelled over financial issues. The former Beatle's gig at the city's Anfield football stadium has been green-lighted after Liverpool City Council gave $3.4 million (GBP1.7million) to his company, MCCartney Productions Ltd (MPL), to stage the event. According to the BBC, not agreeing the deal "was likely to result in the concert being cancelled". [...more...]

Love The Beatles, Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas

There has been no posting for the last four days. We took a short break to Las Vegas to meet up with friends from England. We had a great time and wish we could have stayed longer. We booked tickets to Monty Python's Spamalot which we highly recommend for a great laugh. Try and get tickets on days with half price shows. We paid 50 bucks each. [...more/video...]

RINGO DOESN'T COME CHEAP

RINGO STARR’S appearance at Liverpool’s Capital of Culture opening weekend cost the city more than £50,000, the Daily Post can reveal. Although he charged no fee for the event, the former Beatle and his entourage, which included Dave Stewart, racked up costs of £53,655 getting to the city and staying in the exclusive Hope Street Hotel. Starr used the high-profile start to Liverpool’s showcase year to promote his new single Liverpool 8, which eventually charted at 99. [...more...]

Ringo Starr coming to Reno in July

When Ringo plays Reno on July 25, it will be the closest sighting of a Beatle for Sacramentans this summer. Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band will appear at 8 p.m. in the Reno Ballroom as part of a North American summer tour. For his 10th All Starr tour since 1989, the former Beatles drummer will perform with Colin Hay, Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart, Edgar Winter, Gary Wright and Gregg Bissonette. In January, Starr released "Liverpool 8," his first new album with Capitol/EMI -- the Beatles' label before they formed their own Apple Corps -- since 1974's "Goodnight Vienna." [...more...]

HEATHER HISSED BACKSTAGE TOO

IT wasn't just the audience that hated Heather Mills at the Miss USA Pageant over the weekend - the show's producers couldn't stand Paul McCartney's one-legged ex-wife, either. Audience members loudly booed and hissed when Mills was introduced as a judge for the show at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Vegas. But the real problem came behind the scenes, where, for three weeks prior, Mills refused to sign a contract stating the show could be rebroadcast. [...more...]

MILLS 'CAN'T AFFORD' U.S. MOVE

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's estranged wife HEATHER MILLS has denied she is currently house-hunting in New York - insisting she doesn't have enough money to buy a home there. The former glamour model won a $50 million (GBP25 million) divorce settlement from the former Beatle last month (Mar08) and has since spent time in the U.S. judging the Miss USA beauty pageant - fitting in a visit to the Big Apple during the same trip. [...more...]

Oh Yoko...

I was recently reading Time magazine when I came across a short story in the briefing section that still has me laughing. Yoko Ono, former wife of John Lennon from the Beatles, apparently got together with Heather Mills, ex-wife of Paul McCartney and sympathized with her pain of being with one of the members of the Beatles. She is quoted in Time saying, “Heather needs to do her very best and try to survive.” I find Yoko’s connection with the Beatles and Heather’s failed marriage to be highly unrelated. Being a devout Beatles fan, I have studied the ins-and-outs of the world-changing band. When Yoko entered into John’s life, fans were worried that she was pulling him away from his devotion to the Beatles. [...more...]

STRAWBERRY JAM

Let it be - not. A homeless man, dubbed the "Mayor of Strawberry Fields" for his care of John Lennon's memorial site in Central Park, has become a draw for tourists by the busload - and now cops are threatening to charge him with littering and assembling large groups without a permit. Ayrton "Gary" dos Santos has held court at John Lennon's memorial - located across from the legendary musician's former home at The Dakota - for more than 15 years. [...more...]

BEATLES BUSINESS KILLED HARRISON'S CALM

Running THE BEATLES' Apple Corps business turned GEORGE HARRISON from a chilled-out hippie to a frazzled 30-something, according to the late rocker's former wife PATTIE BOYD. In a new exhibition of personal snapshots from her collection of photographs, Boyd has featured one picture of Harrison lying on a bed in an Indian hotel room - and she insists it was the last photo of Harrison before he became a businessman. Taken in 1968, the shot was taken just after Harrison and his bandmates had left a meditation campus in the foothills of the Himalayas. Boyd recalls, "They all went back to England because they wanted to deal with their new business, Apple Corps. [...more...]

NO MORE ROCK STORIES FROM BOYD

The rock world can breathe a sigh of relief - the stories which didn't make it into former It girl PATTIE BOYD's revealing WONDERFUL TONIGHT book will never make it into print. The former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton revealed almost all in her hit 2007 tome - but was advised to leave some explosive stories out. She says, "I had to meet up with the lawyers in New York and go through the points that they thought were particularly litigious, and so things were taken out because of the possibility of legal backlash." And now Boyd insists the stories that were cut from the book will remain untold - because there will be no update or sequel. [...more...]

The Magic Christian - dining scene

One of the scenes from the 1969 film adaptation of Terry Southern's The Magic Christian. The film stars Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with cameos by John Cleese and Graham Chapman. The film (and the novel before it) concern an obscenely wealthy man, Sir Guy Grand, and his efforts to use his wealth to cause mischief. [...VIDEO...]

Paul McCartney's Mills removal

Sir Paul McCartney is gutting his New York apartment to remove all traces of ex-wife Heather Mills. The Beatles legend - who reached a £24.3 million divorce settlement with Heather last month - was inspired to make a fresh start after enjoying a romantic Caribbean break with millionairess Nancy Shevell. A source said: "The holiday with Nancy has done him the world of good and he wants to put the heartache behind him and move on. He's also planning a fresh start for his house in New York. First he's going to get rid of Heather's things. [...more...]

McCartney Pays Tribute To Late Wife's Work, Beatle Promotes Film Honoring Linda McCartney's Photography Career

She may have been best-known as the wife of a Beatle, but she was also a famously vegetarian campaigner for animal rights, and, though many may not know it, Linda McCartney was an accomplished photographer. Now, 10 years after her death from breast cancer, Paul McCartney is putting his celebrity power behind a tribute to her work on film, reports CBS News correspondent Richard Roth. "I knew Linda, obviously, (in the) very early days of her photography, so I saw a lot of her work unfold. So I have a personal interest in it obviously, as my family does. It's my wife, it's their mum," McCartney said of his involvement in the upcoming exhibit. [...more...]

Heather Mills Booed at Miss USA

Heather Mills was in Las Vegas to participate as a judge for the Miss USA pageant. On Friday Heather Mills took time from her busy schedule to bash her former husband Paul McCartney on GMTV. Later that day she was introduced at the Miss USA pageant to an audience that loudly booed her. Donald Trump, a Miss USA pageant co-owner, told People: "I think America wants more Heather Mills." True. It makes people feel better about themselves when they have someone like Heather to hate, and Heather makes it so easy, and feel so right. Heather got to ask one of the girls a question last night in the video. I wanted to scratch my eyeballs out when I saw her. Aaaaaah!

[...more...]

Sean Taro Ono Lennon

Born October 9, 1975 Parents - John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Sean Lennon was born in New York City on October 9th, 1975 (his father’s 35th birthday). John Lennon put his musical career on hold to raise his son. Sean’s godfather is Elton John. At 16 years old Sean and Lenny Kravitz, who was 21 at the time, rewrote John’s song Give Peace A Chance to reflect on society in the Cold War era. He and his mother invited their friends to participate in a video for the song. The star studded video included Randy Newman, Lenny Kravitz, Cyndi Lauper, Michael “Duff” McKagan, Peter Gabriel, Michael “Flea” Balzary and his daughter Clara Balzary, Sebastian Bach, MC Hammer, LL Cool J, Iggy Pop, Tom Petty, ETAL. SOURCE

Meet The Beatles former girlfriends

Back in the 1970s, May Pang and Nancy Lee Andrews lived out the fantasy of young women around the globe. They were the girlfriends of former Beatles John Lennon and Ringo Starr. Now both women have documented their relationships in books, offering a glimpse into the lives of their famous loves. On Sunday, Pang and Andrews will be the guest speakers at Melvyn's Restaurant at the Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs. [...more...]

Creation of the Beatles song Paperback Writer

PAPERBACK WRITER WAS written by Paul McCartney in the early spring of 1966. “Penguin paperbacks was what I really thought of, the archetypal paperback,” McCartney reflected when I asked what his inspiration was. Penguin was almost a generic term for paperbacks in the early Sixties: they had such market dominance that people used the word to mean any paperbound book. There was a shop on Charing Cross Road that sold nothing but Penguins, and a few doors away, Better Books also sold their complete catalogue, taking up half a room. In the days before hardback publishers had their own paperback lines, Penguin was able to publish George Orwell, Evelyn Waugh, Virginia Woolfe, Aldous Huxley, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, virtually every major author. Everyone knew their colour coding: orange spine for fiction; blue for the non-fiction Pelican line; green for crime, black for classics. Germano Facetti had already introduced illustrations to the covers, but the typography and layout was still strictly standardised. [...more...]

Heather Mills launches new attack on Sir Paul McCartney - and lawyer

After the way the world reacted to her divorce settlement with Sir Paul McCartney, Heather Mills might have been expected to keep a low profile. Today, though, the woman who only weeks ago claimed she wanted to close a chapter on her life gave scribes something new to write about, with another explosive appearance on breakfast television. The former model admitted throwing water over Sir Paul's lawyer, Fiona Shackleton, at the end of their divorce battle, saying that she did so in order to “cleanse and baptise” her after she muttered something under her breath. [...more...]

PAUL MCCARTNEY SETS SIGHTS ON WORLD TOUR

Paul McCartney is making preparations to visit North America, UK and Australia as part of his world tour this autumn. McCartney reportedly has an entire album worth of new material for the tour. His representatives are currently negotiating with various promoters around the world to finalise the details. According to the Daily Mirror, the singer is looking to perform at the Nova Scotia Halifax Common venue, which housed 50,000 fans for The Rolling Stones in 2006. McCartney’s tour director has reportedly flown to Nova Scotia to negotiate with promoter Harold Mackay. Check back for more news on the tour.

Source

The Five Most Underrated And Overrated Songs By The Beatles

Who's the best? Who's the worst? These are the most common arguments that erupt when discussing the annals of pop culture, but there is another discussion far more compelling: Who's overrated and who's underrated? This is an entirely different basis of comparison from a simple ranking based on quality. Someone or something becomes overrated based on a matter of public perception. It is this perception that is challenged when a piece of pop culture is deemed over/underrated, making quality an essential element, but not the entire basis of the assertion. [...more...]

A window to their souls

She was a Vogue model, a fresh-faced blonde from Somerset, England, with little-girl bangs that hovered over blue button eyes. She met, on the set of “A Hard Day's Night,” George Harrison, who proposed to her just 10 days later. She was “Layla” – inspiration, muse and eventual wife of guitar god Eric Clapton. Now Pattie Boyd Harrison Clapton is standing in the rear of La Jolla's Morrison Hotel Gallery, surrounded by her past – and what a past: George; Eric; Beatlemania. Rock 'n' roll history. [...more...]

Heather Mills on Paul McCartney's Gal Pals: 'Better Them Than Me' | Heather Mills on Paul McCartney's Gal Pals: 'Better Them Than Me'

It'll take more than a gag order to silence Heather Mills. Under the terms of her recent divorce deal – valued at around $50 million – she's forbidden to discuss ex-husband Paul McCartney. But that didn't stop Mills from weighing in on the new women in his life. "I think he's got three different girlfriends," she told Britain's GMTV morning show on Friday. "So I wish all the girls the best of luck." For the record, McCartney, 65, has recently been liked to two women – actress Rosanna Arquette and American businesswoman Nancy Shevell (who accompanied the former Beatle on a recent Caribbean getaway). And, Mills sniffed, "Better them than me." [...more...]

Wolfgang's Vault Releases John Lennon Concert Recordings from Madison Square Garden 1972 for Free Streaming

Wolfgang's Vault, the world famous music archive website where live music lives, has just uncovered and released for free streaming a beautiful and timely recording of John Lennon at Madison Square Garden from August 1972. About this previously unreleased concert recording: After the dissolution of the Beatles, John Lennon continued to have an enormous impact on music, culture, and politics on a global scale. The year after he released the seminal "Imagine", his most commercially successful solo work, Lennon was entrenched in politics and battling for his green card with US Immigration. This recording from his performance at Madison Square Garden in 1972 captures the icon performing some of his best and more enduring material. Lennon's real, honest and raw renditions of his classic music lyrics from "Come Together," "Give Peace A Chance," and "Imagine" are as stirring and relevant today as they were 36 years ago. Eight other concerts were also released today exclusively on Wolfgang's Vaulta. New concerts are released every day. Updated listings of newly available free music releases are emailed weekly to Wolfgang's Vault fans.

Press Release

Long Live The Beatles!

How do you explain the continuing popularity of the Beatles, a pop group that broke up officially in 1970? The Beatles break up was marked with rancor and resentment between McCartney and Lennon. Lawsuits were filed and legal matters dragged out for years. The principles hardly talked for years. Harrison recorded all those songs unappreciated by the Lennon/McCartney juggernaut on the double album ‘All Things Must Pass.’ And even though McCartney and even Ringo Starr have had viable post Beatle careers, the parts are less than the whole, especially those who remember the Beatlemania of the 1960s. This sour end to the most popular music group of all time has not cooled the ardor from their fans in the ensuing decades. Each CD re-incarnation of the vinyl album sells in the millions. The Beatles Anthology, a complete and pricey retrospective set of their entire career, became a run-away best seller in 2003. [...more...]

'We were the black Beatles'

IT’S a rock and roll tale of alcoholism, egos, drugs, bust-ups and early death – and it’s not about lairy, long-haired hellraisers like the Ramones. This is the story of Motown’s greatest vocal group, The Temptations, loved the world over for My Girl, Just My Imagination and Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone. Just as Tommy Ramone is the only survivor from the New York punks’ original foursome, only Otis Williams remains of the “Classic Five” Temptations. [...more...]

Paul McCartney ‘Furious’ with Mills for Instructions on Daughter

Paul McCartney is reportedly “furious” with his ex-wife Heather Mills for sending him instructions on how to care for their 4-year-old daughter Beatrice. The Beatles star is spending time with his daughter while Mills is in the United States to be a judge in the Miss USA pageant. Sources say Mills faxed eight pages of diet instructions to the hotel where McCartney and Beatrice are staying. [...more...]

Cdn documentary shows Beatles input into Cirque du Soleil show 'Love'

Montreal producer Martin Bolduc was in Las Vegas in June 2006 when got a phone call from Paul McCartney's publicist, telling him the former Beatle was available for an interview. It was an opportunity that Bolduc and Montreal director Adrian Wills had been praying for during the shooting of "All Together Now," a documentary on the making of Cirque du Soleil's celebrated Beatles-inspired Las Vegas show "Love." [...more...]

McCartney won't be warmly welcomed by all Maritimers

Paul McCartney's stance against Canada's controversial seal hunt has some music lovers saying they will boycott his Halifax concert if he comes to the Commons this summer. Some readers commenting on Halifax Chronicle Herald's website Wednesday were upset that the former Beatle would consider performing in Atlantic Canada just two years after his highly publicized visit to protest the seal hunt. One reader wrote in the website's comments section that he will always love the Beatles and their music but has lost all respect for McCartney. "As I recall, he made a big protest against the seal hunt," a C. Gaudet wrote. "He's got balls for wanting to play here and no memory of what he did. There are lots of other good entertainers that could come here without all the baggage," said another reader. "If you want to redeem yourself, publicly denounce your anti-sealing campaign." [...more...]

Famed Beatle To Play In Nashville

The legendary drummer of the Beatles, Ringo Starr is coming to Nashville. The musician is set to perform at the Wildhorse Saloon downtown. The nightclub said the event will happen this summer and tickets will go on sale as soon as a specific date is set. Starr is apparently a big country fan and recorded an album in Music City back in 1970 with many of the top session players in town. SOURCE

Composing The Beatles Songbook

For the second week in a row, American Idol has asked its aspiring music stars to sing songs drawn from the Beatles songbook. Nothing could be crueler, and I do not necessarily mean for the audience. Covering a Beatles song is a monumental task that asks a performer to compete with a band elevated to a sublime status in popular culture, and every attempt to live up to those kinds of expectations cannot help but fall short. Yet American Idol has also performed a valuable service insofar as a flat, unconvincing and just plain bad cover does nothing else if not remind Beatles fans of the indefinable “something” that eludes the reduction of their music to just a particular tempo, lyric or melody. Indeed, if there is a ghost in the Beatles musical machine, it is the personalities of the original performers themselves, the perceived “something-extra” in their performance that resists transference to others, the sort of quality we fantasize just beyond the identifiable in a merely well-written song that makes it jump out of the speakers. [...more...]

Composing The Beatles Songbook: Lennon and McCartney 1957-1965


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Beatles legend Paul McCartney to play Halifax?

As Moncton gears up for legendary rock group The Eagles to land on Magnetic Hill, reports yesterday said that legendary former Beatle Paul McCartney is considering performing in Halifax this summer. Promoter Harold McKay of Power Promotional Concepts in Dartmouth was quoted saying he was about "90 per cent" sure McCartney would perform at the Halifax Commons in July. He wasn't sure if McCartney had other bids on the table or not, but he did confirm that the former Beatle and leader of rock band Wings had sent his senior staff to meet with Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly and MacKay to discuss a possible concert. Relations were apparently opened when Kelly sent the singer-songwriter a book about Halifax. Reports said Halifax would contribute $175,000 to the concert if it does indeed take place to help cover policing and clean-up costs. [...more...]

Heather Mills' daughter diet demands

Heather Mills has issued a lengthy list of dietary demands for her daughter while she holidays with her father Sir Paul McCartney. The 40-year-old vegan has sent eight pages of instructions to chefs at the five-star La Gazelle d'Or Hotel in Morocco, where Paul is planning to take four-year-old Beatrice next week, to ensure her daughter stays away from all animal produce. A source said: "Paul booked the break for some quality time with Beatrice. Now he's found out that Heather has been driving the hotel staff mad, faxing both the head chef and manager instructions and recipe suggestions for Bea." [...more...]

Punk Opera: Ala Lennon

They're The Oz and they work hard. As I listened to this CD, 'Che Lennon', I saw John Lennon's smile across the sky. He'd have loved it. I really did. Interspersed with little clips of interviews, in a Pink Floyd kind of way, The Oz cranks out the best of Lennon's rebellious songs. This ain't no Beatles cover band, but they make no bones about being Beatle fans from Russia. Buy this CD Now: Punk Opera: CheLennon. GREAT CD!!! © Beatlesnumber9

Paul McCartney Reveals Pickup Line

Even a Beatle can try a lame pickup line -- but this one worked for Paul McCartney. McCartney told the Sunday Times Magazine in London that when he saw his first wife, Linda, at the Bag O' Nails nightclub, he went up to her and said, "My name's Paul. What's yours?" He said that "there was an immediate attraction" between them. Linda McCartney died of cancer 10 years ago. Paul McCartney said that she was so different from Heather Mills. He said Linda McCartney never went on television to say, "This is who I am." The former Beatle added that Linda McCartney's "priorities were private rather public."
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Chapter 27 Murders John Lennon Again

The internal life of a famous murderer is an interesting high concept screenplay that is usually an easy sell, but for some reason, Chapter 27 is not appealing to the critics. The reviewing public (possibly Internet users born after 1980 who do not comprehend the importance of John Lennon or for what he stood) seem to like the film. Why kill? Why kill a peace preaching person who is adored by the world over? It is the burning question we all want to know and why we would go to see a movie like this. Does this movie answer that question? [...more...]

Vandals turn Ringo Starr from mop top to no top at all

ONE of the life-size topiary figures of the Beatles at Liverpool South Parkway station has been vandalised only a few weeks after they were unveiled. Ringo Starr’s head was chopped off over the weekend by an unknown offender. Merseytravel said CCTV footage was being analysed by both themselves and British Transport Police in a bid to identify who was responsible. A Merseytravel spokesman said last night: “This is a huge disappointment for us. Public art is important and the topiary was put there to bring a bit of life and soul to the public transport network. “We are analysing the CCTV footage in conjunction with British Transport Police to try and identify who has done it.” [...more...]

THE WHO - TOWNSHEND PAYS MUSICAL TRIBUTE AT ASPINALL'S FUNERAL

THE WHO'S PETE TOWNSHEND paid a moving musical tribute to NEIL ASPINALL at his funeral on Monday (07Apr08) - by performing two of Aspinall's favourite songs at the ceremony.
Townshend played Bob Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man and late Beatle George Harrison's My Sweet Lord at the service in St Mary-the-Virgin church in Twickenham, England.
Aspinall was widely acknowledged as the 'Fifth Beatle' because of his close ties to bandmembers Sir Paul MCCartney, John Lennon, [...more...]

John Lennon & Yoko Ono and Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - June 5, 1971

It still stands as John Lennon's most daring live performance, the night he and Yoko Ono stepped onstage with Frank Zappa's Mothers during one of the final shows of the Fillmore East, 1971. Lennon released the tapes on Sometime in New York City in 1972. Zappa re-edited the material 20 years later for Playground Psychotics. Both mixes differ and have their own strengths. Still... either version of Lennon & The Mothers' opening cover, the Cavern Club-era "Well (Baby Please Don't Go)," is simply one of John Lennon's finest live recordings. Yoko detractors routinely dismiss this entire show because of her equal presence. Instead... it might be her shining hour, marked by her effective timing, fearless vocal punctuation and 2-ton balls - a requirement for live avant-garde. [...more/audio...]

MCCARTNEY: 'LINDA DIDN'T ALLOW THE MEDIA TO SPOIL OUR MARRIAGE'

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has praised his late wife LINDA's refusal to court publicity - in stark contrast to the attention-grabbing antics of his subsequent spouse HEATHER MILLS.
In a moving tribute to Linda - who lost her battle with breast cancer 10 years ago this month (17Apr08) - the former Beatles singer has hailed her determination to keep their private life out of the news as one of her greatest assets. Mills, by contrast, has developed an infamous reputation for dragging intimate details of her private life and marriage to MCCartney into the spotlight, most notably when she launched into a bitter diatribe on British TV show GM:TV last November (07). [...more...]

Stella McCartney and Yoko Ono's tearful embrace at funeral of 'Fifth Beatle' - but Macca stays away

Rock's aristocracy turned out mourn of the man they knew as the 'fifth Beatle' yesterday. Some 250 mourners paid their respects to Neil Aspinall, the Beatles's original road manager who went on to run the group's business empire for 40 years. John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, 75, was seen warmly embracing Sir Paul McCartney's fashion designer daughter Stella, 36, and also Beatles producer Sir George Martin, 82, outside the funeral at the Church of St Mary the Virgin near Aspinall's home in Twickenham, south west London. Ringo Starr's wife Barbara Bach, 60, and original Beatles member Pete Best, 66, also attended, as did The Who's guitarist Pete Townshend who arrived with a guitar under his hand to perform at the ceremony. [...more...]

MCCARTNEY: 'LINDA'S COUNTRYSIDE WALKS HELPED ME GET OVER THE BEATLES'

Veteran rocker SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has credited his late wife LINDA with helping him "heal" after the BEATLES split up in 1970. The singer admits he's always felt uncomfortable travelling to remote places in England - because he hates finding himself in unknown territory. However, Linda loved walks in the countryside, and MCCartney accepts these post-Beatles occasions taught him to relax and helped him come to terms with the demise of the Fab Four. He says, "When we went for a drive, Linda always wanted to get lost. I had an in-built panic about being lost. I always want to know where London is. I don't want to get to, say, (Middlesex, England town) Staines and not know my way back. "We would go down to the most obscure places, have a great time, find a little tearoom or a riverbank. She taught me little things like that, to relax and be down to earth. It was very valuable to me then, a great part of the healing process after the Beatles broke up." Linda MCCartney lost her battle with breast cancer on 17 April 1998.

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Stars at funeral of 'Fifth Beatle'

Stella McCartney and Yoko Ono have attended the funeral of "fifth Beatle" Neil Aspinall. The private service took place in Twickenham following Aspinall's death last month. The Who star Pete Townshend and Beatles producer Sir George Martin were among the mourners. Sir Paul McCartney is abroad, but sent flowers and his family's condolences. Ringo Starr was not seen at the service, but his wife Barbara Bach did attend the private gathering at the Church of St Mary the Virgin. Aspinall, the Beatles' guide and the mastermind of Apple, died aged 66, in March. He worked as a roadie and accountant for the band before becoming chief executive of Apple Corps. In a statement released on behalf of Sir Paul and Starr at the time his death was announced, Apple Corps said: "As a loyal friend, confidant and chief executive, Neil's trusting stewardship and guidance has left a far-reaching legacy for generations to come. "All his friends and loved ones will greatly miss him but will always retain the fondest memories of a great man." AP

MCCARTNEY'S CALMING INFLUENCE ON WILD FANS

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY placated his BEATLES-era fans by warning them he'd only sign autographs if they stopped screaming. The Hey Jude singer was frequently mobbed by female followers in public, but instead of basking in their frenzied excitement, MCCartney begged them to pull themselves together. By adopting a calming tone and threatening to ignore their requests for his signature, he soon discovered his tough approach worked. He says, "I remember one night a group of screaming fans recognised me walking along the street on my way to a gig. I always tried to say, 'Wait, calm down!' It was kind of a brotherly attitude, like I was their older brother. "I'd say, 'Hello, girls, what do you want?' They'd reply, 'We want your autograph.' I'd say, 'Okay, here's the deal. If we talk quietly to the theatre, we'll chat and I'll do them. We'll have a great experience, but if there's any screaming I won't."

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Paul McCartney Remembers Linda on 10th Anniversary of Her Death

Just weeks after finalizing his $50 million divorce from Heather Mills, Paul McCartney is making headlines again – this time for an emotional interview about his first wife, Linda, who succumbed to breast cancer 10 years ago. McCartney tells Britain's Sunday Times Magazine he can still recall their first meeting, "probably 40 years [ago], at the London nightclub Bag O' Nails. "There was an immediate attraction between us," he said in the article, which coincides with an exhibition of Linda McCartney's photographs at the James Hyman gallery in central London. His pick-up line? "My name's Paul. What's yours?" McCartney told the paper. "I think she probably recognized me. It was so corny, but I told the kids later that, had it not been for that moment, none of them would be here." [...more...]

Miami company agrees not to release Beatles recordings

A Miami-area company has agreed not to release recordings that were supposedly made during Ringo Starr's first performance with The Beatles until the legal aspects of the case are untangled. The recording was apparently made in 1962 during a Beatles performance in Germany. The eight tracks include Paul McCartney singing the Hank Williams song "Lovesick Blues" and McCartney and John Lennon singing "Ask Me Why." The Beatles company Apple Corps claims the songs were taped without the band's consent. Fuego Entertainment of Miami says it has the legal right to market the recordings. A federal judge on Friday approved an agreement not to release the recordings until the case is resolved. AP