Beatle Blog

.  Sean Lennon  is set to join his mom onstage with Plastic Ono Band, and he’ll also play with Charlotte Kemp Muhl as The Ghost of a Saber Toothed Tiger, on Wednesday, February 25th, at the Independent.  The Plastic Ono Band is set to perform at the Fox Theater, with Deerhoof opening, the night before.  Turner Classic Movies has just announced the 15 most ground-breaking and influential film soundtracks.  The list includes some of the most unforgettable music scores to appear in film.  The Beatles’ “Hard Day’s Night ranked high on the list.  In other buzz, Sir Peter Blake has been commissioned to create a work of art for St. Paul’s in London.  The 77-year-old artist is best known for his design of the album sleeve for The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  Former Creation record label chief Alan McGee said in an interview with the Daily Record that music is a young person’s game, and Paul McCartney should retire.  Based on Paul’s 4-second sell out of the last concert he played, it seems fans disagree.  On  February 16th, Yoko will perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with the “new” Plastic Ono Band, including original members Eric Clapton and Klaus Voorman.  The set will also feature an impressive lineup of guests, including Mark Ronson, Bette Middler, Paul Simon, and more. Tickets can be purchased at BAM.ORG.  Rumor has it that Sir Paul McCartney will make his son James the best man when he marries girlfriend Nancy Shevell later this year.  Neither camp has confirmed an engagement or a wedding.  Keep Rockin’ Magazine is celebrating its first anniversary with a special Beatles issue that includes a 10 page layout of previously unseen pictures, dating from 1963 and 1964. The magazine was selected to publish these rare photos of The Beatles by photographer Ian Wright. 

JOHN LENNON’S old school has put up “no camera” signs in hopes to stop students ending up in tourists’ photographs.  The school is often a place of interest to tourists, which sits just yards from Penny Lane.  Sam Taylor-Wood’s film Nowhere Boy has received four Bafta nominations, including Best Supporting Actress nominations for Kristin Scott Thomas, who played Aunt Mimi, and Anne-Marie Duff, who played John’s mother Julia.  Winners of the Baftas are chosen by members of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.  The winners will be announced at a star-studded ceremony at the Royal Opera House on February 21st.  In other buzz, Beatlemania invades New York City tonight, with a one-night-only encore performance of National Dance Institute’s Imagine: A Celebration of John Lennon.  100 National Dance Institute children perform choreography set to Beatles music at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts Concert Hall, in New York City at 6:30 p.m.  Erich Segal, who wrote the screenplay for the Beatles’ animated film Yellow Submarine, died this past week.  He was 72 years old.  Ricky Gervais has a fan in Paul McCartney.  After making a joke at Heather Mills’ expense, the host of the Golden Globes was afraid what the Beatle might think.  Luckily, Gervais wrote on his blog that Paul came backstage afterward and hugged him, saying that he loved the joke.  Speaking of Paul, he recently admitted that he asked Dave Grohl last year over dinner if he was looking for a bassist for super group Them Crooked Vultures, but John Paul Jones had already been recruited on bass.  Gordon Caldwell, George’s nephew, and son of Louise Harrison, died last Sunday, at the age of 52, after a 6-year battle with colon cancer. 

We All Shine On, an Adopt-a-Classroom benefit exhibit and sale of John Lennon serigraphs and lithographs is set to open at the Miami Beach Community Church, running January 15 through 17. Yoko Ono, the event’s organizer, says THAT LENNON’S DRAWINGS WERENT INFLUENCED BY Anything other than his own life. Ringo Starr will promote his upcoming album “Y Not” with a Jan. 19 performance and interview at downtown’s Grammy Museum. Tickets sold out in `5 mins, And ARE NO LONGER available. Ringo will appear at the museum’s 200-seat theater, and will be interviewed by the museum’s executive director.  In other buzz, A traveling guitarist is becoming a viral sensation after leading a group of passengers in a round of “Hey Jude” while stuck at Newark airport over the weekend.  Guitarist Josh Wilson posted the video on his YouTube channel following the security breach at Newark Liberty when a security breach caused Terminal C to be shut down for over six hours.  Yoko Ono is PLANNING ON AN AUTOBIOGRphy, set to be released in the next few years.

The Dix Hills Performing Arts Center and the John Lennon Center for Music and Technology, will present “Long Island Sings the Beatles.” High School and College vocalists will be performing Fab Four hits such as Yesterday, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Professional muscians and vocalists will also join the show. The performance will be January 30th, 7PM, at the Dix Hills Performing arts center, on the Five Town College campus. Tickets are available at the Box Office. In other buzz, on January 5th, live tracks from McCartney’s Good Evening, New York City, will be added as downloadable content on Beatles Rock Band. Yoko Ono has praised Aaron Johnson’s performance in Nowhere Boy, which opened on Christmas Day. The film received great reviews, although some critics feel it’s impossible to ever have anyone portray Lennon to a “T”. In a recent interview, Julian discusses how his charity song helped him come to terms with his life. It foused on Lucy Vodden, but also on Julian’s own childhood. He says that in hindsight, it’s easier for him to relate to his father, and understand the enormous responsibility it was to be John Lennon.

Officials have shot down a plan to erect a plaque at the Birthplace of Beatlemania, for fearing it could make the site “too popular” with tourists.  Beatles Fans wanted to put a brass plaque on Litherland Town Hall - scene of the historic gig in 1960, after their return from Hamburg.  The building is now a health center, and officials fear that patients will lose privacy if the plaque were to be installed.  In other buzz, “Corn Flakes With John Lennon,” is a new memoir being written by Robert Hilburn, the influential former critic and reporter for the LA Times.  Hilburn titled the memoir based on the fact that he and John used to share meals together.  Hilburn was a reporter who also befriended his subjects, and remained Lennon’s confidant until his 1980 death.  A lost 6-hour interview with Lennon has just been discovered.  A student won a contest over 40 years ago, and was able to interview John in his home, for 6 hours.  The only other person present was Yoko, who made food for John throughout the interview.  The interview is set to be available online.  Paul has been nominated for an Academy Award, under the Best Original Song category, for I Want To Come Home.  Speaking of Paul, he performed on Britain’s The X Factor last week, with the show’s winner during the finale. 

Paul McCartney will appear in a one-hour special on Thanksgiving Eve night, airing on ABC at 10 PM. The special will include interviews and concert footage. The concert footage will feature the Fab Four’s Shea performance, and Paul’s Citi Field performances as well. The special is narrated by George Martin. In other buzz, the first guided tour app of Beatles locations has become available on the App store for the iPhone and iPod touch. The Beatles Walk London iPhone app celebrates the 40th anniversary this month of the band’s Abbey Road LP. It includes 16 locations, from Abbey Road’s zebra crossing to the rooftop. The app features maps, written content, and pictures, and can also be enjoyed as a walking tour, street by street. The pricetag is 99 cents, about the same price as a Beatles 45 cost in 1964. Dhani Harrison is working with the creators of Rock Band 3, and said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune that his goal is to make this version easier to teach players how to actually play the instruments. Although no official date of release has been given, Harrison promises that in a few years, this will become a reality.

Sid Bernstein will be speaking at the Huntington Cinema Arts Centre on Thursday, November 12th, 7:30P. Following Sid, there will be a showing of A Hard Day’s Night. Tickets are still available, but are going fast! BEATexpo is almost here. November 28th and 29th, The Beatles will invade Connecticut at The Holiday Inn Downtown Stamford. Guests include Peter Tork and Greg Hawkes. In other buzz, EMI is releasing a collection of remastered Beatles albums on a special edition USB drive. The apple-shaped 16GB USB drive will contain the remastered audio tracks from the Beatles’ 14 albums. Although it will be shaped like an apple, Apple won’t be releasing it. The 30,000 that will go into circulation will be released on December 7th. Sir Paul McCartney’s son James is making his musical debut in the US at a charity event hosted by filmmaker David Lynch. The 32-year-old is set to give a solo performance at the fourth annual Change Begins Within event, to be held at Iowa’s Maharishi University on November 14th. All proceeds will benefit the charity. Yoko Ono, and Sean and Julian Lennon have partnered with EMI and Sony to donate the net profits from the sale of their recording of Give Peace a Chance to the UN Peacebuilding Fund. It has not been confirmed yet when the song will be released, but the special anniversary edition will be available to download from iTunes through the end of the year.

John Lennon’s ex-wife, Cynthia, has recently spoken out about Paul McCartney’s divorce with Heather Mills. Interestingly, Cynthia says that she thinks Paul should have done more to make the relationship work. The 70 year old Cynthia went on to say that living with a music icon is hard work, but she’s convinced McCartney’s marriage could have lasted if he had worked harder to maintain the relationship. The Quarrymen - The Band that Started the Beatles, has recently been released on DVD. The DVD features live footage of The Quarrymen performing currently, interviews with Colin Hanton, Len Garry and Rod Davis, and a discussion about the group’s first new single in 50 years. In other buzz, 42 years after John Lennon told Yoko Ono that her light tower idea was brilliant, it is becoming a reality for another year. The Imagine Peace Tower is about to be lit for it’s 3rd year in Iceland. It consists of six mirrors and nine searchlights, and will stay lit until December 8th, the day of John’s death. We All Shine On, an exhibit of artwork by John Lennon, is on display Friday through today at 20 Railroad Avenue in Greenwich, CT. With today being the last day, the exhibit will open at 11A today, and close to the public at 6P.

Lennon’s former girlfriend May Pang, and friend Cynthia Nielson, has just started their own internet radio show on blogtalkradio.com. The show, called Dinner Specials: Serving it up with May Pang and Cynthia Nielson, launched on October 9th, Lennon’s birthday. Guests on the first show included Ringo’s former fiance Nancy Lee Andrews, and Tina Firestone, a former personal assistant to one of Ringo’s producers. Pang says that no topic will go uncovered, and she looks forward to discussing everything from John and The Beatles, to UFOs. In other buzz, following a massive tour of the US this summer, Paul McCartney has just announced his first European Tour since 2004. McCartney told reporters that he couldn’t think of a better way to end the year. The tour starts in Hamburg and ends in London. Sir George Martin is recovering after undergoing what his manager referred to as routine surgery. The veteran producer, who helped shape the Fab Four’s famous sound, spent a night in hospital following the operation. Martin, 83, is now back at home after the procedure.

BEATexpo 2009, a convention for Beatles fans, will be held on Saturday, November 28th and Sunday, November 29th at the Holiday Inn Downtown Stamford, in Stamford CT. Special guests include Peter Tork, Greg Hawkes from the Cars, Dennis Ferrante, Lennon’s recording engineer, Sid Bernstein, and more. Paul McCartney was named songwriter of the year at the 29th annual ASCAP awards. The ceremony was held in London on Wednesday. Paul was given the award in recognition for the songs All You Need Is Love, Come Together and Hello Goodbye. In other buzz, a fan of John Lennon is attempting to get the corner of Central Park West and West 72nd Street named after the legend. There is a petition online at gopetition.com, for those who support the proposal, to sign. Julian Lennon has reportedly called off his engagement to Lucy Bayliss. According to May Pang, the couple had been together for more than 10 years but Lennon, 46, ended their relationship several months ago. Yoko Ono can be counted among the fans of singer Lady GaGa. At a humanitarian dinner in Washington, GaGa performed Lennon’s Imagine. On her online blog, Ono commented that the performance made her choke up, and called Lady GaGa beautiful. A Beatles Trail has been proposed to a committee in Liverpool. If approved, it would connect the spots in the city relevent to The Beatles with markers, and a description of each spot’s significance.