John Lennon would have turned 67 in 2007. If alive, he
could well be at the forefront of bringing peace to Darfur, where more
than half a million have died from violence and disease during four
years of rebel discord. So to create awareness of the ongoing conflict,
Amnesty International (with permission from Yoko Ono) has mined
Lennon's solo work and rounded up nearly two dozen current artists to
reinterpret the music, which spans the ex-Beatle's entire post-band
catalog (plus a pair from while the Fab Four were still in business).
Sir Paul McCartney has opened up for the first time about his split from Heather Mills.
The Beatles legend has admitted he went through a "dark period" during his bitter divorce but hinted he has found love with new squeeze Nancy Shevell.
And Sir Paul reckons his new Fireman record Electric Arguments is one of his most personal yet, because he has recorded each song from the heart.
Speaking on American radio, the 66-year-old said: "When you do a project like the Fireman, because you're not actually sitting down and crafting the song, psychologically I think the stuff that's in you comes out.
"Love and light is mentioned a lot on the album and when that's how you feel inside that's all you have got to pull on.
"There are parts of the album which are dark and edgy and that could be because I've been through a dark place, but I don't know, I'm not a psychologist.
"I am a man who needs love, I mean who wants to be alone?
"I think every man needs love, guys like romance, I do anyway.
"Things don't always work out but I like the idea of being dignified, I don't think it helps to go mouthing off all the time.
"And the other thing to remember is, I've got kids, I've got a little baby and that is very much part of the equation."
McCartney, has been linked with a string of women since his split from Heather in 2006 including the likes of Renee Zellweger and Christie Brinkley.
But the music icon has blown claims of romance out of the water, saying both girls are just close pals.
Paul added: "It was all rumours with Renee and Christie.
"I was at a concert in East Hampton when my nephew Lee said: 'Christie's over there,' so I went over and said hi, kissed her on the cheek and then someone snapped a picture and everything went wild saying it was the new big thing.
"The same thing happened with Renee.
"She was a friend of a friend and I went to a lunch where she was and that was that.
"I didn't go out with her, but I think she is a very nice person."
Yusuf Islam Records George Harrison Song For Gaza
Article posted on January 28, 2009
Singer Yusuf Islam – formerly known as Cat Stevens – has released a charity song originally recorded by one of the Beatles, with all proceeds going to a United Nations agency helping refugees in Gaza.
The Day The World Gets Round is a song written by the late George Harrison, and has be re-recorded by Yusuf and Klaus Voorman, a German artist/musician who befriended the Beatles during their early days in Hamburg.
Yusuf said he hoped the music will “help remind people of the immense legacy of love, peace and happiness we can share when we get round to looking at mankind’s futile wars and prejudices, and start to change our foolish ways.”
Proceeds from the single, which can be downloaded here, will go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and Save the Children to help families in the Gaza Strip.
UNRWA said it has provided over 50,000 civilians refuge in over 50 improvised shelters since the latest violence erupted on December 27. Over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks already, which were sparked by rocket fire by Hamas into Israel. A tentative ceasefire has been in place since January 18.
Paul Planning Huge World Tour
Article posted on April 17, 2008
Perhaps in an attempt to recoup some of his losses following his divorce from a crazed fan, Paul McCartney is in the process of planning a huge world tour for this autumn, taking in gigs in the UK, the USA, Canada and Australia.
Representatives for McCartney have been meeting concert promoters around the world this month to iron out the details of the tour, on which he is set to debut selections from an album's worth of new songs he has written.
According to the Daily Mirror, McCartney's tour director flew to Nova Scotia in Canada recently to meet with promoter Harold MacKay.
The duo discussed a possible date at the 50,000 capacity Halifax Common venue, where The Rolling Stones performed in 2006.
The world tour dates are set to be finalised in May.
Yoko Denies Reports
Article posted on February 15, 2008
Late Beatle John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has slammed "hurtful" reports claiming she is suing a singer/songwriter for naming her band Lennon.
Ono was reported to have filed court papers accusing rocker Lennon Murphy of fraudulently registering Lennon as a trademark and for the "tarnishment" and exploitation of her late husband's name.
But the 74-year-old insists she has not taken legal action against Murphy - she simply tried to stop her from getting the exclusive rights to use the name Lennon for performance purposes by notifying the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Ono says: "I am really hurt if people thought that I told a young artist to not use her own name in her performances and had sought to sue her. I did no such thing. I hope this allegation will be cleared."
Maharishi Dies
Article posted on February 8, 2008
Sir
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr paid tribute to the late Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi, the Indian guru who famously set the Beatles on the path
to spiritual enlightenment.
The Maharishi died at his home in the Netherlands on Tuesday. He was
thought to be 91.
Sir Paul said: "I was asked for my thoughts on the passing of Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi and I can only say that whilst I am deeply saddened by his
passing, my memories of him will only be joyful ones."
He added: "He was a great man who worked tirelessly for the people of
the world and the cause of unity. I will never forget the dedication
that he wrote inside a book he once gave me, which read 'radiate,
bliss, consciousness', and that to me says it all. I will miss him but
will always think of him with a smile."
Starr also released a statement paying his respects. He said: "One of
the wise men I met in my life was the Maharishi. I always was impressed
by his joy and I truly believe he knows where he is going."
The Maharishi became famous in the 1960s through his relationship with
the Beatles.
The group visited his ashram in India in 1968, where they studied his
transcendental meditation techniques.
Starr went home after 10 days, complaining that he missed egg and
chips. The others stayed, joined by other celebrities including Mick
Jagger, Donovan and Mia Farrow.
But the rock stars fell out with the Maharishi over rumours that he had
made inappropriate sexual advances towards Farrow.
The Maharishi went on to build a multimillion-pound global empire and
moved his headquarters to a former Franciscan monastery in the Dutch
town of Vlodrop.
Beatles Beamed Into Space
Article posted on February 8, 2008
Humans have spent
quite a few fruitless years waiting for aliens to contact us. We've
searched the heavens with our giant telescopic arrays, hoping for a
hint, a squeak -- anything that would indicate there's something alive
out there, something that wants to reach us. So far, no luck.
So now NASA's taking more aggressive action. On Monday, the space
agency beamed a song across the galaxy to Polaris, the North Star. It
was billed as the first-ever transmission of a radio song by the agency
directly into deep space. The song was "Across the Universe" by the
Beatles. ("Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter
box/They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe.")
This is a perfectly pleasant song for a mellow moment of
self-reflection at the local coffee den. But for encouraging contact
from another life form? We don't think so.
We've got to do a lot better than a languid Beatles tune to pique
aliens' desire for an Earth rendezvous. We've been mooning over (or
fearing) aliens for, well, at least since "War of the Worlds" (not the
Tom Cruise movie, the 1938 Orson Welles radio play).
What has that yielded? The occasional brief and mysterious encounter
with Earthlings like Dennis Kucinich. But the aliens never so much as
leave a business card.
The galaxy is a big place with, we suspect, lots of tourism
opportunities -- and competition. And we can't even get one alien
culture interested in a side trip to, say, Mardi Gras? Or a traipse
down the Magnificent Mile? (The dollar's gotta be cheap against
whatever currency they've got.) We simply haven't closed the deal.
The message to them should be simple: This is a fun planet! (Why do we
always assume that alien races would respond to some mathematically
encoded message of peace and brotherhood? Maybe they just want to
party.) Instead of lugubrious Beatles tunes, how about something
rollicking from the Rolling Stones? "Start Me Up"? "Honky-Tonk Woman"?
Or something spiky from Fall Out Boy or frothy and rebellious from Boys
Like Girls or edgy from the aptly named Seether?
Get Spielberg on this. Put some star power behind it. Sign George
Clooney as spokesman. He's already in charge of world peace for the UN.
Toke up the sex appeal with Shakira. Get Barack Obama to deliver an
inspirational, intergalactic address (the pundits like to slice and
dice our universe into red planets and blue planets ...).
Yoko Ono, widow of Beatle John Lennon, said the transmission of the
Beatles song into space was "the beginning of the new age in which we
will communicate with billions of planets across the universe." We hope
so. Right now, we'll settle for one.
Paul Dating Rosanna Arquette?
Article posted on February 8, 2008
Actress Rosanna Arquette has put a smile
back on Sir Paul McCartney’s face after the pair enjoyed a dinner date
together.
Sir Paul, 65, took the 48-year-old star out on Thursday in London, and
was snapped beaming as the pair left together - despite the fact he
starts his High Court divorce battle with Heather Mills on Monday.
A source tells The Sun, “Paul has been really down in the dumps over
his divorce and needed cheering up.
“Rosanna was in London and they hooked up on Thursday night. It did the
trick and helped him forget he has to face Heather next week.”
However, Paul’s own spokesperson has played down the romance - despite
the pair going on several dates together - claiming, “It’s no big deal.
They are just friends.”<>
Paul Backs Son James
Article posted on February 8, 2008
Paul McCartney has
played on his son James' debut album, due out later this year, and now
father-son pair now plan to try out their new material live.
A source said: "The word is James wants to try out some of the songs on
stage in the near future and it's understood that Paul will be
performing with him."
However, any fans hoping for a big concert will be sorely disappointed,
as James - whose mother was Paul's late first wife Linda McCartney -
wants to avoid attention.
The source added: "James won't want a big fuss as he's not someone who
seeks the limelight, so it will inevitably be very low-key. But Paul is
not a bad backing musician to have under the circumstances."
It will not be the first time the pair have played live together.
In 2005, James - who co-wrote Heaven on a Sunday, Back In The Sunshine
Again and Spinning On An Axis for Paul's solo albums - accompanied his
father during his recent US tour.
James also played lead guitar on his mother's posthumously released
solo album Wide Prairie.
A Beatles Moment
THE LAST WORD
Lovely
Rita Meter Maid
Bungalow Bill
Lucy In
The Sky
Rocky
Raccoon
Sgt
Pepper
Eleanor
Rigby
Nowhere
Man
Mean Mr
Mustard
Dear
Prudence
Polythene Pam
![[Image]](pix/abyrdicon.jpg)
WHERE
YOU LIVE
USA
CA
UK
Late Beatle John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has slammed "hurtful" reports claiming she is suing a singer/songwriter for naming her band Lennon.
Sir
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr paid tribute to the late Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi, the Indian guru who famously set the Beatles on the path
to spiritual enlightenment.
