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Simon Cowell is set to produce a movie biopic of the late Beatles manager Brian Epstein, which will be entitled The Fifth Beatle. It’s an adaptation of a graphic novel of the same name published in 2013 by Vivek J. Tiwary, and tells the story of how Epstein took the legendary group from local stardom to international success under his stewardship.

According to a report in Variety, Tiwary himself has written the screenplay and is also signed on to be a producer alongside the ‘X Factor’ judge. The project has also secured the rights to use the group’s music in the film, with a director set to unveiled in the near future.

Simon Cowell is set to co-produce a film about Brian Epstein, The Beatles' manager

Continue reading: Simon Cowell To Co Produce Biopic About Brian Epstein

The Fab Four may have once sung "Can't buy me love", but Friday's auction at the Hard Rock Cafe proved you can buy George Harrison's prized Maton Mastersound guitar - if you have almost half a million dollars handy.

George Harrison (far right) with the rest of the Fab Four

Rolling Stone reports that the instrument sold for $485,000, the top earner at Julien's Auctions in New York, which specialized in the sale of hundreds of rare items from the world of music.

Continue reading: George Harrison's Guitar Plucks $485,000 At Auction

It’s been 48 years since Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play, and now it appears that he’ll be helping a whole new generation about music too, with the news that The Beatles’ era-defining album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is to be taught to Music GCSE students.

The Independent reported on Wednesday that British exam board AQA is shaking up its Music curriculum for 13 to 16 year olds, and is set to make the iconic 1967 album one of the central themes of its course, which will be implemented for the start of the 2016 academic year.

The Beatles in 1967 circa 'Sgt. Pepper'

Continue reading: The Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper' Album To Be Included In New Music GCSE Syllabus

A study by the University of London and Imperial College has concluded that the emergence of hip hop has had the biggest impact on the charts of any genre since the 1950s. The study also found that the importance of The Beatles may have been overstated, suggesting that the fab five did not spark a musical revolution.

The Beatles may not have been that revolutionary

The study found there were three musical revolutions on the charts, the first being in 1964 with the rise of rock and roll bands such as The Beatles. The second was in the mid 80s with the use of synthesisers and drum machines, while the third came in 1991 when rap and hip-hop infiltrated the mainstream charts.

Continue reading: Scientific Study Concludes Hip Hop Was More Impactful Than The Beatles

A Westminster councillor is making plans to create a job opening for a lollipop lady or man to work at the famous 'Beatles' zebra crossing outside the Abbey Road Studio. Hundreds of music fans visit the crossing in St John's Wood each day, slowing traffic by recreating the famous album cover.

The Beatles famously walked across the zebra crossing for the cover of their seminal 'Abbey Road' album cover

Business owners and local residents have complained about pedestrian safety, traffic issues and graffiti caused by the tourist destination. Councillor Lindsey Hall is looking to install a lollipop lady or man at the site, to act as the "eyes and ears" for the council when such issues arise.

Continue reading: Job Advert: Lollipop Lady, Or Man, For 'Beatles' Abbey Road Crossing

A tree planted in tribute to former Beatles guitarist George Harrison has died after being infested by...beetles. The pine tree was planted in Los Angeles' Griffith Park in 2004, three years after the musician's death.

George Harrison in 1965 [Getty/Keystone]

Council officer Tom LaBonge told the Los Angeles Times that the tree had grown to more than 10 feet tall, but that an infestation of beetles had overwhelmed it. A new tree will be planted at a date yet to be announced.

Continue reading: Guess Which Insects Have Killed The George Harrison Memorial Tree?

Beyoncé's fabulous collection of stage outfits in addition to some of her red carpet looks will be the focus of a new exhibition hosted at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. 

Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' outfit has been immortalised at Madame Tussauds.

Read More: It's "All Good" Between Solange Knowles & Jay-Z Following Elevator Fight.

Continue reading: Beyoncé "Honoured & Humbled" By Hall Of Fame Exhibition

Ron Howard is set to direct a new documentary focussing on The Beatles' journey from The Cavern Club in Liverpool to their final performance in San Francisco in 1966. The documentary will use archive footage and recent interviews to trace the astronomic rise of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.

Ron Howard will direct the upcoming Beatles documentary.

Read More: Beatles Documentary In Safe Hands As Ron Howard Signs To Direct.

Continue reading: Happy Days! Why Ron Howard Will Make A Great Director Of The Beatles Documentary

Ron Howard will direct and produce a fully authorized documentary on The Beatles touring years between 1960 and 1966, it has been confirmed. This is Howard’s second music documentary, following last year’s Jay-Z festival film 'Made in America.'

The Beatles are getting the Ron Howard treatment

With the full cooperation of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, Apple Corps, White Horse Pictures and Howard’s Imagine Entertainment will produce the documentary. “I am excited and honored to be working with Apple and the White Horse team on this astounding story of these four young men who stormed the world in 1964,” Howard said. “Their impact on popular culture and the human experience cannot be exaggerated.”

Continue reading: Beatles Documentary In Safe Hands As Ron Howard Signs On To Direct

Big news, Beatles fans: a new authorised documentary on the rock icons is in the works, with Ron Howard slated to direct. The film will include new interviews with both surviving members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, the surviving wives of John Lennon and George Harrison. The production has been authorised by Apple Corps Ltd., the band's holding company.

Nearly 45 years after their break-up, fans of The Beatles are still hungry for more from the iconic band.

As for the subject matter, the as-of-yet-unnamed documentary is slated to focus on the band’s earliest years, between 1960 and 1966, during which the Liverpool foursome released 20 studio and live records in total, from their first record Please Please Me, released in ’63 to the 1966 landmark, Revolver.

Continue reading: The Beatles Revived One More Time In Concert Documentary About The Early Years

A tasty chunk of news for the music nerds: Manic Street Preachers have been found to be the most lyrically diverse act in a study of Welsh artists. Wales Online conducted the study to celebrate the release of the rock act's latest album, Futurology, and found that 2,056 unique words were used in only the Manics' first three albums.

The band emerged as top of the study, beating fellow Welsh superstars Stereophonics and Tom Jones. As the news site so appropriately points out, "For a band who sang "libraries gave us power," it's no shock that their use of language and words to get their message across."

For comparison, Cynon Valley group Stereophonics also scored highly with 1,453 different words used in their early back-catalogue, but Tom Jones' early work in the '60s saw just 867 words used over the his three first albums, with his third most-used word being "pussycat."

Continue reading: Manic Street Preachers Named Most Lyrically Diverse As 'Futurology' Released

Paul McCartney was forced to cancel his appearance in Toyko on Saturday (17th May) because he was suffering from a virus. The 71-year-old is currently travelling with his Out There tour but was unable to appear in Tokyo as his doctors deemed him too unwell to perform at the National Stadium.

The Beatles star was seemingly unwell on Friday (16th May) but his symptoms progressed over the following 24 hours. McCartney posted an apology on his Facebook page, stating “I am very sorry to all my fans as I was greatly looking forward to the concert, but the situation is out of my hands.”

Fans who were unable to see McCartney perform will be able to see the singer on Monday, when he continues his tour. He promised fans he would be well enough on Sunday to appear and that tickets from the cancelled show would be valid for an additional performance on Monday. Considering how much fans have paid for the tickets, they should be entitled to at least catch a glimpse at McCartney. According to The Washington Post, tickets ranged from $130 to $650.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Cancelled Tokyo Performance Due To Virus And Reschedules

You’d think someone of Ozzy Osbourne’s status wouldn’t be star struck by anyone, but the legendary rocker was left speechless when he was tasked with introducing fellow musician, Ringo Starr at The Grammy Awards.

Ozzy Attended The Grammys With His Wife Sharon & Daughter Kelly.

Apparently, he joined his Black Sabbath bandmates on stage to pay tribute to Starr, but immiedietly became overcome with nerves when he saw Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in the crowd looking back at him.

Continue reading: Ozzy Osbourne Was Left (Literally) Speechless By The Beatles

It has been 50 years since The Beatles crossed the pond in an attempt to break into the US music industry. Well, calling them a success is quite an understatement, 5 decades later the boys from Liverpool have arguably one the one of the most coveted legacies ever.

The Beatles' original full line-up

So to commemorate their success in the US, the New York Port Agency are going to unveil a historical marker at the location the band first arrived on American soil- JFK International Airport. Rolling Stone reports, the maker will be unveiled in a ceremony at JFK's Central Terminal Area, which is the same place The Beatles gave their first US press conference.

Continue reading: The Beatles Will Be Honored AT JFK Airport With Historical Marker

It was revealed early last week that Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr would be among the performers at this years Grammy Awards, a prospect that had a number of people speculating that this spelled an on-stage reunion between the two surviving Beatles. Whilst we still wait on any word regarding that, Ringo has confirmed that the two will be reuniting on stage soon, but not at the Grammys.

Ringo was given a Lifetime Achievement Award bt The David Lynch Foundation

The drummer was in attendance at an awards gala put on by The David Lynch Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, 20 January, where he was bestowed with the Lifetime of Peace & Love Award. Whilst there, he was grilled on his upcoming Grammys appearance and whilst he sidestepped the part concerning whether he and Paul will be performing together at the ceremony, he did confirm that a special performance involving the two will be taking place some time before it.

Continue reading: Ringo Starr Confirms Reunion Performance With Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are set to perform at this years 56th Grammy Awards, with their inclusion to the Grammys set list being announced this week by the music awards showcase. Although the organisers for the event have revealed that the pair will perform, they have yet to specify whether the two will appear on stage together at all, a prospect that most are hoping for.

Paul and Ringo will hopefully be performing together

The pair were announced as two of the latest confirmed acts to appear at the awards show, with fellow performers John Legend, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Sara Bareilles and Carole King also added to the bill.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr Confirmed For Grammy Awards Performance. Does This Spell A Beatles Showcase?

The Beatles’ incredible contribution to music is set to be recognized once more by a lifetime achievement award; this time it’s the Grammy’s lavishing praise on the Liverpool pop pioneers. The honorary gong will be handed over at a special ceremony that's taking place on January 25, the night before the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

Seminal popsters The Beatles are getting a lifetime achievement award

“It is a great privilege to recognize such an exceptional group of honorees and celebrate their accomplishments and contributions to the recording industry," Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement.

Continue reading: Another Lifetime Achievement Award For The Beatles; This Time, The Grammys

The Beatles' cover of the classic Buddy Holly track 'Words of Love' is certainly not new but director Pete Candeland (Gorillaz, Imagine Dragons) has given the track a new lease of life with a partially animated music video.

The Beatles Are Reunited Via Pete Candeland's Video.

The clip uses footage from The Beatles' concerts, tomfoolery and time on the road and intersperses them with cute animation which gives the short video an endearing, home-woven aesthetic.

Continue reading: 'Words Of Love': Sweet New Beatles Music Video Released [Video]

Rihanna made chart history this weekend when her latest collaborative effort with rapper Eminem entered the chart at number one, meaning she's hit the top spot for seven years running, at some point or another. The feat has only ever been matched by The Beatles and Elvis Presley and has etched her into the history books alongside those two recording greats.

'The Monster' - her second number one collaboration with Eminem following their massively successful link up on 2010's 'Love the Way you Lie' - continues a run of form that began in 2007 with 'Umbrella' and it looks as though she could even break the eight year mark.

Rihanna has now had 8 number one singles over a period of 7 consecutive calendar years. But let's put that into perspective: alongside her fellow 'Club 7' record breakers, The Beatles had 17 number one singles in the same period, more than double that of Ri-Ri. She's got a long way to go.

Continue reading: Rihanna Makes UK Chart History As Eminem Collaboration Storms To The No. 1 Spot

Neil Patrick Harris will look to further his claim as a natural awards show host when he takes to the stage at the 65th Annual Emmy Awards this Sunday, 22 September. Having built up an impressive resume already as co-host of the awards in 2009 and as a four-time host of the Tony Awards, the How I Met Your Mother star needed no incentive to take on the challenge of hosting the Emmy's this year.

Harris is relishing the chance to host the Emmy's again

"I love TV and the motley crew of people that are part of it," Harris told reporters on Wednesday as the red carpet was laid out in front of Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre ahead of Sunday's ceremony. As the host of the celebration of television, you can bet that NPH had praise for the current crop of shows looking to be honoured at the awards show. He continued, in reference to the wide-ranging scope of shows up for awards, "I think that makes for a better viewing experience of television than ever, and I'm happy to be the guy in charge of honoring that."(via USA Today)

Continue reading: Neil Patrick Harris Relishing Hosting Duties Ahead Of Sunday's Emmy Awards

A new video has been released to promote The Beatles' upcoming album release showcasing songs that the Liverpudlian band performed in session with the BBC. Entitled, On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2, the new record will comprise of a 63 track, 2 disc album featuring a "48 page booklet with rare photos and introduction by Paul McCartney" as well as 37 unreleased performances and 23 excerpts of solid studio banter.

A New Album Of The Beatles Recordings Will Be Released.

On Air... will reportedly also include 10 previously unheard songs that the band played together but did not record with their record label, EMI, including their cover of Chuck Berry's 'I'm Talking About You' and the 19th century, oft covered 'Beautiful Dreamer,' according to The Independent.

Continue reading: Watch The Beatles' Feature Film Ahead Of BBC Rarities Album Release [Video]

To be Paul McCartney right now is to be a happy man; new album in the pipe and a new single – both called 'New'. The former Beatles man seems to have a newfound zest about him as he talked to WXRT Chicago.

Sir Paul McCartney struts his stuff in Brooklyn

The title ‘musical legend’ doesn’t really get bestowed on many people, and if you’ve managed to achieve it, it probably means you’re quite old. For McCartney, his age nearly stopped him doing festivals because of “the kids”.

Continue reading: Retirement? No, "Everything's New Baby" - Paul McCartney's In Good Spirits

Sir Paul McCartney has launched a fresh single from his forthcoming record, and has announced that his new album will be called just that; New. Thinks could get confusing for music journalists describing "Paul McCartney's new New Album," or his "new album New" but for now we'll focus on the exciting new release that has been sneakily dropped online, also called 'New.'

Sir Paul Teased Twitter Fans, Tweeting Words Related To 'New.'

Produced by Mark Ronson, the bouncy new song, 'New,' harks back to The Beatles sound with its marching piano chords, nostalgic harpsichord effect and lovesick lyrics. Of course, because it's had Ronson within 10 feet of it, it has a bulbous horn section but has been thankfully saved from the grating trumpet-plagued ubiquity of the producer's work of yesteryear.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Drops Surprise 'New' Single Ahead Of 'New' Album [Listen]

The news has experienced a bit of a John Lennon frenzy in the past few days. The late Beatles guitarist has made headlines - or at least relics of him have - as news that someone wants to clone him from a rotten tooth and that his blue jacket have been sold at auction has emerged.

John's Lennon Jacket Fetched £7,000 At Auction.

The jacket, which was expected to reach between £8,000 and £12,000 at a Derbyshire auction, was passed from Lennon to Jo Jo Johns, the band's former PA, after she acquired it after a 1971 clear-out of Lennon's house, reports BBC News. Johns then gifted the teal long blazer-style garment to her friend Tony Goddard as a birthday present and it was Goddard who chose to set the item now after 25 years of displaying it in his home.

Continue reading: John Lennon's Jacket Auctioned For £7000: What Weird Celeb Items Have Been Sold?

Having played in the West End last year, the Beatles musical Let It Be opened on Broadway last night (24th July) in the midst of an on-going copyright infringement lawsuit that has been filed by the creators of rival tribute show, Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles. The people behind Rain claim that Let It Be incorporates elements of their 2010-11 show, including musical arrangements of hits, hairstyles, similar Scouser banter, and a selection of 28 of the 31 songs that Rain brought to Broadway.

The Beatles Stage Tribute Band.

According to the New York Times, Peter Cane, a lawyer for Let It Be's producers, Jeff Parry and Annerin Productions, argued that the copyright claim was absurd. Speaking to the NY Times, Cane said "Let It Be is a tribute to The Beatles, not to the four guys who impersonate The Beatles. How do you monopolise the ability to present an impersonation of The Beatles? How many different ways can you really do it? The Beatles acted a certain way, they played certain notes, they spoke a certain way."

Continue reading: Let It Be: The Beatles Broadway Musical Opens Despite Copyright Lawsuit

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has pulled both his solo songs and those made with group Atoms For Peace from music streaming service Spotify over the company's current royalties model. Yorke and his long-time producer Nigel Godrich took to Twitter this week to explain their reasoning for yanking the tracks.

"The numbers don't even add up for Spotify yet. But it's not about that. It's about establishing the model which will be extremely valuable," Godrich tweeted. "Meanwhile small labels and new artists can't even keep their lights on. It's just not right."

He continued: "Streaming suits [back] catalogue. But [it] cannot work as a way of supporting new artists' work. Spotify and the like either have to address that fact and change the model for new releases or else all new music producers should be bold and vote with their feet. [Streaming services] have no power without new music."

Continue reading: How To Disappear Completely: Thom Yorke Yanks Songs From Spotify

The hit Baltimore-set crime series The Wire has been chosen by Entertainment Weekly as the greatest television show of all time in a recent poll compiled by the magazine. The HBO series, which ran for six seasons between 2002 and 2008, battled off competiton from comedies, sci-fi classics and fellow crime dramas to be singled out as the greatest show ever-made, with EW also ordering the greatest movie, album, book and stage play of all time too.

West starred as Det. Jimmy McNulty in The Wire

The David Simon-helmed police drama was described as the "most sustained narrative in television history" by EW as it beat off competition from The Simpsons, Seinfeld, the Mary Tyler Moorse Show and The Sopranos, who finished off the top five of the top ten countdown. Earlier this year, The Sopranos, which starred the late James Gandolfini, was chosen by the Writers Guild of America as the greatest television show of all time, but clearly the writers of EW had a different opinion. All In The Family, The Andy Griffith Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mad Men and Your Show of Shows made up the rest of the top ten.

Continue reading: The Wire Named No. 1 TV Show Of All Time By Entertainment Weekly

Paris Jackson's shock suicide attempt yesterday (5th June) left her in hospital last night.

She reportedly sliced her arm with a cleaver knife and took an overdose of painkillers after a relative forbade her from attending Marilyn Manson's rock concert in Los Angeles.

The 15 year-old daughter of Michael Jackson also rang a suicide hotline after she left a note to her family and was later found unconscious.

Continue reading: Paris Jackson Attempted Suicide After Being Forbidden From Marilyn Manson Gig?

There are already a number of iconic Beatles photographs, circulating the airwaves – but if there’s one thing the public can never get enough of, it’s shots of the Liverpool foursome. Now, Ringo Star is giving everyone just what they want, by unveiling a collection of 100 never-before-seen snaps of the band from their most successful period in the 60s. The pictures will be organized in a brand new e-book, published by Starr and will span the years of their first U.S. tour, their fabled trip to India to meet the Maharishi, and their last days together as a band.

"These are shots that no one else could have," Starr, 72, said in a statement, quoted by Reuters.

Starr explains that the photos were found, much like old family snaps, packed away "in boxes we brought home after my mother died. We thought, 'I wonder what she's got!" Now the old photographs will move from a dusty basement into the hands of eager Beatles fans, ever hungry for more information about the iconic band. The book will be entitled Photograph, and is due for release on June 12, in partnership with the Grammy Museum exhibit Ringo: Peace & Love. It is already available for preorder. It will be published in the e-book format, with a limited printing of autographed physical copies going on sale in December.

Continue reading: Ringo Starr's Brand New Book Of Unreleased Photos Will Catalog The Final Years Of The Beatles

Abba's greatest hits collection, Gold, edged past the The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band this weekend to become the second highest selling album in UK history. The band have now sold over 5.1million copies of their greatest hits album, with the Official Charts Company indicating over the weekend that the album has surpassed Sgt. Pepper's by 15,000 sales.

The album now only sits behind another best of collection, Queen's Greatest Hits, which has so far sold 5.9million copies. The rest of the top five consists of Adele’s 21, which is 4th having sold 4.6million copies, with Oasis’ 1995 sophomore release (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? completing the top five, selling slightly less than Adele. Speaking to OfficialCharts.com, ABBA founder and songwriter Björn Ulvaeus spoke of his shock at the achievement, saying, 'It’s feels unreal - outselling the greatest record of all time!'

Björn Ulvaeus couldn't believe the news of Gold's success

Continue reading: ABBA Edge Past The Beatles To Claim The Second Biggest Selling Album In UK

Another Beatles record broken, another day goes by. When the 1963 record Please Please Me spent 62 weeks in the top 10 of the British album charts, people thought it was an impenetrable feat, until now.

Scottish singer Emeli Sandé’s debut album, Our Version of Events, achieved a 63rd week, breaking the record and landing her in the history books of music. Sandé, who is 26, said: "It feels quite surreal to even have your name mentioned in the same sentence as The Beatles." She also took to social networking to convey her delight at the achievement, Tweeting: “This record is so significant to me for many different reasons. I'm so happy and I'm thankful to you all. We made history!! #OVOE”. Her album has sold 1.82 million copies worldwide, but mostly in the U.K. And before she gets ahead of herself, The Beatles managed to crack America early on in their career. We’re confident she can do the same thing in time.

In other Emeli Sande news, the singer is backing Aberdeen's bid to be UK City of Culture in 2017. It faces strong competition from Dundee, who are also vying for the title, but with Comedian Billy Connolly, percussionist Dame Evelyn, Glennie and author Stuart MacBride also supporting the bid, Aberdeen is looking like a strong contender.

Continue reading: Beatles Record Broken - Emeli Sandé Breaks Album Longevity Record Set By The 60s Pop Icons

Chris Martin can rest easy. It wasn’t an April Fool’s joke. It turns out that Radio 2’s listeners really do hold his band Coldplay in higher regard that the likes of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. So much so, that they have voted the Coldplay album A Rush of Blood To The Head as their favourite of all time. Coldplay beat the likes of Keane, Duran Duran, Pink Floyd and Dido, who filled out the rest of the top five places.

The poll, according to BBC News, had been held to coincide with the BBC season The Golden Age of the Album and the station’s listeners voted on their favourite albums. The Coldplay album, released in 2002, sold over 2.8 million copies and included the singles The Scientist and Clocks. Jeff Smith, the head of music at Radio 2 said “Musicians such as Coldplay and Dido have struck a chord with listeners and are in good company in the top 10 alongside legendary bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, whose appeal remains undiminished after all these years.”

The Rolling Stones didn’t enter the chart until sixth place, with their 1971 album Sticky Fingers and The Beatles went in at eight, after The Pet Shop Boys, with Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Continue reading: Better Than The Beatles? Coldplay Top Radio 2 'Favourite Albums' List

A Beatles fan who saw The Beatles in 1962 with her best friend, is searching for that gig-buddy, who’s (hopefully) in possession of the other half of her ticket, which, as it’s signed, could be worth a pile of cash.

Susan Popland, 61 from Stretford, Manchester, said: “I was a huge fan of The Beatles. I used to collect all of their memorabilia. But I had no idea back then that this ticket would be worth so much.” She saw the band with her friend Maureen Bradley when John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Best signed her ticket. “I’d like to find Maureen and Vivian, but I don’t know how to go about it. It’s been over 40 years since I last saw them. It’s just a shame as the ticket would be worth so much more as a whole.” Auctioneer Paul Fairweather said: “If the ticket was complete and included Paul McCartney then I am confident that this would sell for more than £5,000. If the owner of the other half is out there and still has it, now is the time to dig it out."

Madryn Street, where the legendary pop stars lived

Continue reading: Beatles Fan With Half A Gig Ticket From ’62 Hunts Down Old Friend

As an artist, Yoko Ono is familiar with the phrase "a picture paints a thousand words," and she hopes the age-old saying will prove true in the debate to change America's gun law debate. This week, she tweeted a picture of her husband John Lennon's bloodstained glasses, the very pair he was wearing when shot dead outside the Dakota building in New York on December 8, 1980. "Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980," were the words accompanying the image on Twitter.

It was just one of several tweets the 80-year-old sent out in a bid to get the U.S. to change its gun laws, in light of the recent massacres at Sandy Hook and Aurora. "31,537 people are killed by guns in the USA every year. We are turning this beautiful country into war zone," she tweeted in another post. One of the world's most famous peace advocates, Ono also tweeted pictures from her wedding to Lennon in March 1969. "We decided that if we were going to do anything like get married that we would dedicate it to peace." The couple married in Gibraltar and spent their honeymoon holed up in an Amsterdam hotel room to campaign for peace. 

On the afternoon of December 8, 1980, after posing for a photo-shoot by Annie Leibovitz, John Lennon gave what would be his final interview to a San Francisco radio station before leaving his New York apartment to mix his new track Walking On Thin Ice at the Record Plant Studio. He and Ono was approached by Mark David Chapman as they walked to their car, signing an autograph for the 25-year-old who would kill him just hours later. A haunting image of Lennon signing a copy of Double Fantasy for Chapman emerged after his death.

Continue reading: John Lennon's Bloodstained Glasses: What Happened On December 8, 1980?

Last night’s episode of American Idol saw the nine remaining finalists take on the Beatles catalogue – with varying success.

In preparation for the night, producer and Idol mentor Jimmy Iovine had this to say to the remaining singers: "If you sing these songs well they will deliver for you," he advised. "If you don't sing them well, the whole world is going to know." And they did. The night was mostly filled with ballads from the band’s catalogue, perhaps because those are usually the wider known Beatles tracks, or maybe they were just the safer choices? That didn’t really save some of the Idol wannabes, though.

Clearly, some of the contestants, like Amber Holocomb and Lazaro Arbos, were not familiar and certainly not comfortable with their songs, which didn’t go unnoticed by the judges or the audience. Their performances of She’s Leaving Home and In My Life, respectively, elicited the worst response from the judges, and Arbos’s rendition was dubbed the worst of the night by Randy Jackson. A performance everyone could rally behind turned out to be Jannelle Arthur’s closing rendition of the fairly obscure I Will, off The White Album – yes, another ballad, but this one was actually interesting to listen to. It was certainly more country than rock'n roll, but oddly enough, not bad.

Continue reading: American Idol Recap: Who Managed To Pull Off The Beatles?

Of all the unsung heroes during The Beatles reign as pop kings, none of them are more unsung that Freda Kelly: assistant to the legendary Liverpool band for 9 years.

Always graceful and loyal, Kelly never ‘sold’ her story; she never released intimate truths to the public. Now a film celebrating her work with the band has been handed it’s debut at SXSW. Such was Freda’s affection with the band, Ryan White – the director of the documentary – was granted use of four original Beatles songs to use in the piece. “That was amazing,” Freda told The Hollywood Reporter of the gesture. “To be quite truthful I felt positive but also negative. I’m usually quite cautious and didn’t know which way that was going to swing. I got a lump in my throat when I found out and I’m not an emotional person.” Before the film was given it’s premiere last night (Sat, 9), the film’s star explained how she was feeling. “All this is just starting to hit home with me,” Freda confessed. “I’ve always played things low-key and I’m now getting adjusted to it. I suppose my side of things should go down in history, for Beatle fans.” Kelly took control of The Beatles fan club, which, probably not to her knowledge, would turn out to be a huge undertaking. Especially considering she gave her home address for sending fan mail.

"She would go over the Beatles' houses and bring sacks and sacks of fan mail and make them sign it while they were watching television," White explained "Or she'd take a pillowcase over to Ringo's house and make him sleep on it and sign it ... Things like that just don't happen anymore."

Sad news for dedicated Beatles fans, as Tony Sheridan dies, aged 72. Sheridan was an early supporter of the Fab Four; indeed, the Liverpudlian quartet performed as his backing band in Hamburg in their early days, when they were known as The Silver Beatles. Sir Paul McCartney posted a message on his own website, entitled ‘Tony Sheridan: 1940 – 2013,’ which read “Tony was a good guy who we knew and worked with from the early days in Hamburg. We regularly watched his late night performances and admired his style. He will be missed.”

The Beatles’ drummer, Ringo Starr, was also quick to praise Sheridan and expressed how much he’s enjoyed playing with Tony back in Germany. His tweet read “Just say goodbye to Tony Sheridan just he died I had a great month 19 6061 playing with him was great bye R***” The time that The Beatles spent playing and recording with Sheridan is considered by many to have been pivotal in their rise to fame. They played on Sheridan’s recording of ‘My Bonnie,’ which was then requested by a teenage fan in Brian Epstein’s record store. Epstein then famously went on to become their manager and was often referred to as the ‘fifth Beatle.’

The BBC reports that Sheridan passed away on February 16, after a long illness. His third wife, Anna Sievers, passed away in 2011. 

Continue reading: Tony Sheridan Dies: Paul McCartney Praises Early Mentor Of The Beatles