But, folks, remember he IS Paul McCartney.  He can do whatever he wants.  Are you going to be the one to tell him that he's annoying?  I thought not.

It looks like the people have voted, and he has been deemed the most irritating star.  Personally, my vote would have gone to Mr. Meatloaf, Cher, Celine Dion, or Amy Winehouse.  But that's another story.  Let Paul be irritating.  He's royalty, and I dare you to say it to him in person.  He probably wouldn't care anyway. 

Here's what we've read.

Beatles' legend Sir Paul McCartney has been named the most irritating pop star of all time, by a new online poll.

The rocker was judged to be even more annoying than James Blunt, Lily Allen and Robbie Williams - who he beat to the top of the Musicmagpie.com survey.

Site spokesman Craig Dawson says, "It's easy for musicians to get very irritating very quickly. MACca has driven people up the wall with his 'holier than thou' approach to his divorce, two-fingered peace gesture and penchant for wearing trainers with suits."

The top ten 'most irritating stars' is as follows:
1: SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY
2: JAMES BLUNT
3: LILY ALLEN
4: ROBBIE WILLIAMS
5: AMY WINEHOUSE
6: BONO
7: SIR CLIFF RICHARD
8: PETE DOHERTY
9: JOSS STONE
10: CRAIG DAVID.

Source: Contact Music

So maybe he's become a little ornary.  That's OK he's allowed.  We know that Ringo has had a little bit of a sarcastic past, and not all of his interviews have been, shall we say, stellar.  Dear readers, he will make amends with his hometown, and will be embraced once again.  Let's just give it time.

He just had a great interview with Dave Stewart on HBO.  In this interview special Ringo Starr: Off the Record, he was laid back and spoke fondly of his own history in the spotlight. If you haven't seen it, check out the reviews of the special below.  It was a pleasant surprise.  Ringo played behind the kit a bit as well.  It was one of the best interviews I've actually ever seen him give.

• review in Toledo Blade
• review in McClathcy newspapers

In case you missed the show the first time around, they are showing it again.  Maybe some kind soul will Tivo it and send it my way. 

Here are the upcoming East Coast broadcast times for the show in the upcoming days. You should check listings for your time zone: Sun 5/11 05:00 PM HBO - EAST, Thu 5/15 10:00 PM HBO - EAST, Sat 6/7 12:30 PM HBO2 - EAST, Sun 6/15 10:00 PM HBO2 - EAST. (Thanks to Jim Eimont.)

Here's what we've read.

Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has pledged that he will return to his home city of Liverpool, in spite of incurring the wrath of its residents.

The veteran musician has been severely panned by fellow Liverpudlians after he recently admitted on Jonathan Ross's chat show that he missed "nothing" about his birthplace.

The statement ironically came just days after performing at Liverpool's City of Culture celebrations.

It was being reported that an elaborate tribute to the Fab Four, featuring the group as life-size shrubbery figures in Liverpool's South Parkway train station, had been destroyed as a result of his remarks, with Ringo's head cut off.

However, friends insist that Ringo, 67, who is mostly based in Los Angeles, will not be cowed and say he plans to return to Liverpool later this year to meet his relatives.

"Ringo has been amazed by all the trouble his comments have caused, as he thought people would take it as a joke," the Daily Express quoted a family insider, as saying.

"It certainly isn't going to stop him going back to Liverpool. It's likely he'll pop back later in the year to see relatives but he'll almost certainly try to keep his next visit low key," the family insider added. 

Source: Daily India

Dhani Harrison will be taking his band thenewno2 on the road later this year.  It will be exciting to see his band.  The music is danceable, quirky, funny, as well as socially conscious.  It's a perfect blend.  If you haven't heard the band, and gotten their tracks from their release EP, or iTunes, I highly recommend it.  The similarities, I know we shouldn't mention them, to his father are uncanny.  He sounds like his own artist finding his way though, and we really like what we hear.

Here's a video to wet your appetite in the meantime.

thenewno2 - Another John Doe

Here's what we've read.

Dhani Harrison is apparently set to follow in his father George Harrison's footsteps with his band thenewo2.

The only son of the late Beatles guitarist formed the band with drummer Oliver Hecks and is hoping to wow industry bosses when he tours the States this year, reports the Daily Express.

The 29-year has already released new tracks on the internet and apparently wants to perform a series of live shows in the US.

A source told the paper: "Dhani isn't a big attention seeker but it's understood he hopes to go on the road in the autumn.

"Dhani will be keen to keep things low key and they'll be playing small venues, but there's bound to be a lot of interest."

Fans will have high expectations of the singer, who co-produced and performed on his father's album Brainwashed, which was released after his death in 2002.

He also performed alongside Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton at a tribute concert to his father at the Royal Albert Hall.

Source: Virgin

We get an insider's look at the preparation, of the Vegas show and the album.  We get an inner circle look at the creation of a Beatle product for the first time.  Yes, I know we got that from the Anthology set many years ago, but somehow this is much much different.  It's a visual delight, and it's great the see the whole Beatle clan together again.   We cannot wait to get our hands on this DVD on June 24th.

Here's what we've read.

All Together Now is a behind-the-scenes look at the staging of the ambitious Cirque du Soleil tribute to the Beatles, Love. Shot in hi-def video, the film is visually dazzling but uneven in its coverage of the folks who launched this acclaimed Las Vegas spectacle.

Director Adrian Wills, who shoots many of the Cirque's productions, begins filming the troupe in frozen Montreal a full year before its opening. Too briefly we witness Cirque director Dominic Champagne shape his huge, multinational ensemble through several numbers before moving to Vegas.

Wills moves on to Beatles record producer George Martin and his son Gilles, who are mashing-up Beatles tracks for the soundtrack. The Martins spent 18 months remixing but the film doesn't detail much of their working process. Only one recording session (adding strings to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps") is particularly memorable, due to George's emotional reaction.

Much of the film takes place in Vegas. Widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison drop by to offer their frank opinions on the rehearsals. Yoko is unhappy that "Come Together" looks "sleazy" and doesn't resemble the aborted political anthem that her husband had composed in 1969. The performers stiffen when Sir Paul pays a visit to bestow his blessing to the troupe. Overall, the two remaining Beatles and the two Beatle widows are out of the picture to let Cirque du Soleil finish their production.

The backers of this film were Cirque and Apple (the Beatles company), which raises the question about access and artistic independence. Wills has stated that the Beatles asked for only 90 seconds of footage to be removed and insists, "it was nothing controversial, just to balance the coverage among the four Beatles." A greater obstacle, he adds, was simply waiting for approval from the Fab Four.

That said, All Together Now is the closest you'll get to seeing Love without flying to Sin City. (Apple/Cirque du Soleil)

Source: Explain.ca

Instead of advice on how to request bowls full of brown M & M's, choice drugs, which groupie birds are the ones to bag, I imagine them swapping tips on which Maalox and Denture cream is the best.  We jest of course, but little news stories like this simply reinforce what looks to be inevitable.

Paul will be touring anytime soon.  It's just a matter of when at this point.

Here's what we've read.

Sir Paul McCartney has asked former chart rival Sir Mick Jagger for advice.

The Beatles legend - who is set to embark on a world tour later this year - has reportedly approached the Rolling Stones frontman for tips on surviving life on the road, now he is in his sixties.

A source revealed: "Paul is really good friends with Mick. Despite rumours of rivalry, they've been mates since they started out in the sixties.

"Mick has advised him to take a relaxing break before he embarks on the tour and then to try and factor one or two days more than usual between shows if possible. He said that it is the travelling that is the really tiring thing."

The Rolling Stones completed a two-year world tour in August last year, when Mick was 64.

Paul - who recently finalised his divorce from Heather Mills - turns 66 next month.

Source: Critics and Monsters

*Indicates the IQ illustrated aside the model denounce.

This is the first first-hand account that I can think of hearing though, that details the plans, and attempts at trying to get the Fab Four back together. It certainly is interesting to hear.  As I read May's account of the attempts to get back together, my heart flutters a bit with anticipation.  You know, excitement that secretly the four of them really did get together.  I know it is not to be true as history has shown us, but it's great to let your mind wander and create this alternate history where the Fab Four live on for another day together.  This is such a great interview with May Pang, lots of these stories have gone totally unheard before. 

By the way, if you haven't bought May Pang's new book of Lennon photos, Instamatic Karma, I highly recommed getting it.  The photos are so beautiful, and paint such an intimate portrait of John.  They are unlike anything I have ever seen.

Here's what we've read.

May Pang's disclosure rewrites history of the most influential pop music group.

Former John Lennon paramour May Pang revealed that Lennon---the man who instigated The Beatles' break-up---actively planned to reunite them in 1974, but that "logistics" got in the way, The Rip Post has learned.

This is the first report ever that Lennon not only wanted to make new Beatles music, but planned to do it.

Pang's revelation came during a lengthy interview with Casey Piotrowski, host of the nationally syndicated weekly radio program, "The Beatles Show," in which she said that the ex-Beatle wanted to record one new song with the group as a prelude to a possible formal reunion. "If one (song) comes around and it works, maybe we'll do another," Lennon said, according to Pang. "It was to be behind the scenes. A quick one-off, and let's see from there."

Piotrowski's full interview with Pang airs May 3 on WPMD-FM, the Cerritos College station, and later in 23 other markets across the country. (See box below for full list of stations.) In a follow-up interview with The Rip Post, Pang confirmed the reunion story, and added that Lennon considered upstate New York, possibly Syracuse, as site for the new Beatles session. There was no talk of song titles, and the plan never got past the talking stage, but Pang said it was clear that this was something Lennon "absolutely" intended to do.

"John really thought about it at one point, and we were considering it early on in '74, just for the hell of it," said 57-year-old Pang, reached in New York. "Harry Nilsson wanted to be a part of it. We said, oh, that would be a good idea---a one-off, and we would do it in the fall. We were thinking about upstate New York, like Syracuse, because Ringo couldn't be in New York City. We were in the middle of a lawsuit and he didn't want to be subpoenaed."

The astonishing revelation is not in Pang's new book of snapshots and short reminiscences based on her time with Lennon, "Instamatic Karma" (St. Martin's), and was not in her first book about Lennon, "Loving John," published in 1983. She has not mentioned it in other recent interviews.

"It could just be that no one ever asked the question of her before: did John ever speak about reuniting the Beatles?" said radio host Piotrowski. "The remarks (to me) came so naturally and were so unrehearsed that I absolutely believe them. And, if she was just trying to sell the book, she would have put that information in there."

Asked why the report had not come out before, Pang said she erroneously thought she had included it in her first book, "Loving John."

"I thought I'd put it in there," she told The Rip Post. "And then people said to me, ‘I don't remember reading that!' . . .But I think a lot of things were cut out. See, I wrote about 600 pages, and my co-author (Henry Edwards) was really the point man they went to. I was a novice, not the seasoned person. If I wanted something in, they didn't consult me. I may say it, but half the time it didn't go in. . .So in the end, I did not realize what was in or wasn't. But that was one of the things that I did talk about. I found my 600 page original manuscript, and I'm considering putting back stories that didn't make it the first time."

The disclosure rewrites Beatles history.

The group split up at Lennon's instigation in a chaos of recriminations between him and McCartney in 1970, following years of increasing disharmony involving the direction of the band's music, their Apple Corps business, and personal frictions. The pair subsequently engaged in public sniping, and feuded on their solo albums. They traded shots, for instance, with Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" on the "Imagine" album ("so Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise. . .") and McCartney's "Too Many People" ("you took your lucky break and broke it in two.") Lennon let loose with a caustic rant in an interview with Jann Wenner that became chapter-and-verse history (the 1971 book, "Lennon Remembers") rather than the passing outburst it was.

The conventional thinking is that the ex-Beatles never resolved their differences in Lennon's lifetime, and that McCartney and Lennon in particular were in little more than rare telephonic contact at the time of Lennon's horrific murder in 1980.

Yet Pang, who spent almost two years with the Lennon in 1974-'75, and remained in contact with him to the end of his life, describes things very differently. McCartney, she said, was a very frequent visitor during her time with Lennon, who was also on good terms with George and Ringo. (A sloppy party jam session from the time with McCartney on drums and Lennon, Stevie Wonder, and others has long been bootlegged.)

"I saw all of them," she said. "We had three in one room in each instance. In L.A., it was John, Paul, and Ringo, and in New York, it was John, Paul and George. And you would never in a million years think that they had problems."

She described Lennon as feeling "sentimental" about The Beatles days, during her time with him. He was, she emphasized, at peace with his Beatle past, and the other Beatles.

"I think he was, absolutely. There was no animosity. We spent all this time with Ringo, you know. We went out to L.A., Ringo played on (Nilsson's) ‘Pussycats,' John wrote a song for him ("Goodnight Vienna"), and then of course, we were with George in New York, and he said, ‘If you need my help, I'll come out, I'll work with you.' He cared for his brothers. He was okay with all of them, including Paul."

Lennon's fond feelings for The Beatles are, in fact, probably hinted at in his song, "#9 Dream," from the number-one 1974 album that Pang coordinated and did art direction for, "Walls and Bridges." With lyrics including "So long ago/ was it in a dream/ I thought I could feel music touching my soul," the song is thought to have been a paean to his days with the band---certainly quite the flipside of the line, "I don't believe in Beatles" from "God" on the 1970 "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" album.

The reunion idea first came up in early 1974 conversation in Los Angeles during the period Lennon dubbed his "Lost Weekend"---the artistically productive 18-month separation from wife Yoko Ono, during which he caroused with friends, recorded "Walls and Bridges," "Rock ‘n' Roll," produced Harry Nilsson's "Pussycats" album, and performed live with Elton John.

"We had been hanging out with Ringo a lot in L.A.," said Pang, who was Lennon's constant companion during the period. "And it just came out of conversation, hanging out: ‘Oh, wouldn't it be great if we did this one gig,' and they'd start talking about it. ‘Yeah, well, why don't we do this, and George would do that, and Paul. . .' So it was just thrown around, and everybody was like, well. . .let's do that."

Or, as she told radio host Piotrowski:
"It was early in '74 when it was discussed. (Quoting John) ‘Maybe we could do it for Fall of '74.' And Harry Nilsson even said, "Oh, I want to sing", you know? But, obviously, certain things were not meant to be, as I would say."

A date for the reunion was never firmed up beyond the fall.

"Well, it was a time frame, not so much a date, but a time frame where they were thinking about it. It was, ‘Yeah, we've got to talk to Paul, let's think about this.' Of course at that point, in L.A., Mal Evans was there (the Beatles' longtime, beloved "roadie," who was killed when he allegedly drunkenly aimed a rifle at Los Angeles Police responding to a call for help from his girlfriend), and Ringo. John always knew that if he really just sort of like focused in, it could probably be done."

What were the "logistics" that got in the way of what would have been one of the most historic events in music history?

"Everybody had other plans," said Pang, bringing to mind Lennon's famous line from his 1980 song, "Beautiful Boy:" "life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

"Yes. Right. Exactly," she said. "Because nobody took the helm. If you really think about it, everybody had something to do. This would have taken four different heads, four different parties, to make it work. They were no longer under one roof, they were under four different roofs. Everybody had their own manager, or rep, or lawyer, or whatever else you want to call it. . . . It definitely was more about the timing. Everybody was everywhere. George was getting his tour together. Paul was getting ready for whatever he was doing, and Ringo was doing his album."

"Instamatic Karma" features a collection of snapshots mostly taken by Pang during her time with the ex-Beatle. The photos show a very happy and playful Lennon, Nilsson, Ringo, and various others who comprise a who's-who of rock ‘n' roll, but the most historically important shot in the book is one showing John and Paul relaxing together in the back yard of Lennon's rented Santa Monica beach house in 1974. There are scant other known images of the two ex-bandmates together during the 1970's.

Source: Rip Rense
(Click above link to read entire article.  It's a really long interview, and we've only postedthe half of it.)

After seeing this trailer, my whole opinion changed.  This little film looks like a wonderful little gift to the fans, until bigger things come, hopefully, this year.  I was beaming as I watched this trailer.

I want to see this show so badly now.

Apple has been in a state of disarray for some time.  Many bootlegged products have been available for decades.  This article is simply reinforcing that fact.  These fan curated artifacts are often times packaged and presented better than most official Beatle products.  It's as if the fans are themselves creating those releases that we all hope for. 

Apple is really missing the boat here by not giving the fans what they want.  Would we like it all?  Absolutely, but something of some substance would be a nice start.  Let it Be on DVD would be nice.  Personally, after hearing all of the Purple Chick expanded albums, I would love to see a set like that in an officially released format.  It is nothing short of outstanding.  If the fans can generate something that impressive, imagine what could be done with the real thing.  For crying out loud, the Purple Chick collective got a mention in Rolling Stone's best of 2008 magazine.  It's no secret that the bootleggers are doing some impressive archival work.  It's just a shame that The Beatle machine cannot produce anything yet officially that comes close since the Anthology sets.  Maybe the remastered catalog will make all collectors happy, and surprised at the same time.

For now we have to hold onto our dear bootleg albums, and wish. 

Here's what we've read.

The Beatles' company Apple Corps is reportedly suffering following the loss of the band's business manager Neil Aspinall who died of cancer last month.

Aspinall, who died at the age of 66, was at the helm of the group's business empire from 1968 until his retirement last year.

And now industry insiders claim that Apple Corps has failed to crack down on a string of illegal sales of the Fab Four's work, amid rumours the company is failing to cope without Aspinall's expertise.

"Neil Aspinall had a reputation for really keeping his eye on the ball when it came to protecting the band's interests," The Daily Express quoted a source, as saying.

"But there's a worry Apple has really taken its eye off the ball of late, as there are a number of essentially bootlegged products using The Beatles' music and film footage, being bizarrely sold in the shops and on the internet.

"One obvious example is their film Let It Be, which has never been released on DVD or video by Apple but is openly for sale on the Internet as a pirate copy. The feeling is Apple really needs to get its act together," the source added.

Apple Corps refused to comment on the matter.

Source: Daily India

In the past, we have seen Beatles images plastered on neck ties, lunchboxes, and T-shirts.  It looks like there is more to come from our beloved Fab Four.  Whether you love the memorabilia or not, it's on the way.  Personally, part of the mystique and hysteria of being a Beatles fan is the steady diet of memorabilia that I can get my hands on.  Maybe they are gearing up for some kind of huge announcement that will usher in a new era of Beatledom. ::::Cough cough::::: remastered back catalog :::::cough cough:::::::.  Time will tell.

For now, put me down for a set of John Lennon bed sheets please.

Here's a question for you then, What's your favorite Beatle-related memorabilia item?  It doesn't have to be an old item.  What are your thoughts on Beatle marketed stuff.  Let us know in the comments below.

Here's what we've read.

Deals for branded sleepwear and bedding secured by Caroline Mickler Ltd.

The licensing programme surrounding The Beatles is continuing to grow, with Caroline Mickler Limited - on behalf of Apple Corps - signing up two new licensees.

Powerplay Textiles and Character World have joined existing licensees including Lee Cooper, Ben Sherman, Kangol, Wedgwood, Halcyon Days and Corgi International.

Powerplay Textiles will be offering five styles of Beatles nightwear, three styles of underwear and three styles of socks. The first phase of roll out will target the 18 to 35 year-old men's market. The nightwear line will be launched in stores in September.

Character World, meanwhile, is planning a range of bedding including single and double duvets, curtains, printed cushions, towels and a fleece blanket.

Two designs are planned for the duvets, with matching accessories available for both. The range will arrive in August.

"Both companies produce the sort of high quality, stylish, attractive products that Apple Corps is looking for to take merchandise bearing The Beatles brand both to long-term fans and to a whole new generation," said Mickler.

Source: Licensing Biz

It seems that he has become a little angry and jaded in his old age.  Ringo was always so happy-go-lucky in his youth.  I wonder what changed so much.  Was it the act of putting on a happy face that has soured his demeanor?  We may never know, but it's kind of sad to see.  It must be hard to be in the public eye all of your life, and not succumb to the pressures.  The article below presents a really bad picture of good old Ringo, and is quite harsh, but maybe it's just that bad.  You decide.

Peace and love to you Ringo, we hope things mellow out for you a bit.

Here's what we've read.

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.

Perhaps as a legacy of his impoverished childhood in Liverpool, Ringo will not tolerate waste. Consequently, the multi-millionaire insists the leftovers from his table at the trendy Chinese eaterie are bagged up for him to reheat the next day.

Everyone who crosses his path - even complete strangers in the street - are habitually treated to his trademark two-fingered salute and his "Peace and Love" catchphrase.

In fact, his obsessive Peace sign flashing has increasingly become the source of much bemusement, not to mention ridicule, in Tinseltown.

One executive of Starr's American record label Capitol/EMI told me last week that at a meeting in LA to discuss his latest album, one of those present tried to keep score of the number of times Ringo proclaimed his 'Peace and Love' mantra - he lost count after 20.

But despite this almost Tourette style compulsion to fulfil his mission of harmony and goodwill, those in Ringo's circle have noticed that the man once famed as the most happy-go-lucky of the Fab Four has recently undergone something of a personality change.

Witness his hissy-fit when producers of the top-rating U.S. daytime chat show Live With Regis And Kelly asked him to cut his performance of his new single, Liverpool 8, from its near five minutes to closer to twoanda-half.

Ringo walked out, refusing to do the show, although it should be pointed out that one can have sympathy with both sides of the argument.

For his part, because the song is an autobiographical account of his life from his job in the merchant navy, to working at Butlin's then finding global stardom, Ringo would barely have got as far as The Beatles' early days in the clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg before the plug was pulled.

But from the point of view of the television station, who could blame them for wanting Ringo to curtail his live rendition? After all, the new song - which includes the line: "Liverpool I left you, but I never let you down" - is unutterably bad, with Starr tunelessly warbling in the style of a hastily ad-libbed nursery rhyme.

At the same time he got into trouble after he was filmed snarling at autograph hunters who were furious with him for snubbing them outside his New York hotel last month.

Little surprise, then, that the single and the album of the same name barely made the Top 100 on either side of the Atlantic before sinking without trace.

None of which has gone down at all well with the 67-year-old drummer who had been confidently predicting the record, named after the postal district in which he was brought up, would signal a somewhat unlikely comeback.

Particularly as he was banking on a huge publicity boost from his appearance in January as the star guest for the launch of Liverpool's year as the European Capital of Culture - which happily just happened to coincide with the album's release.

However, this, too, has turned out to be a monumental PR disaster. So much so that after he made unflattering remarks about his home town while appearing on the sofa of BBC chat show host Jonathan Ross six weeks ago, Ringo has almost overnight become persona non grata with many of his fellow Scousers.

Such is the level of antipathy that a three weeks ago a topiary statue, which was created at a Liverpool railway station in honour of The Beatles, was desecrated.

But while John, Paul and George were untouched, the figure of Ringo, seated at his drums, was decapitated by a secateurs-wielding ex-fan with a grudge.

At the same time a vandal sprayed the word "traitor" over a sign that commemorates Starr's attendance at his one-time secondary school in the Dingle area of Liverpool.

Meanwhile, the airwaves of local radio and the letters pages of the city's newspapers have hosted angry denunciations of their former hero. One fans' website is even calling for Ringo to be removed from all Beatles memorabilia.

Oh dear! And all because he pulled a comedy face and replied: 'No' when Ross asked him if he missed Merseyside.

It also emerged later that when a local reporter asked him what was the best piece of advice he had been given by a fellow Liverpudlian, Ringo replied: "Run!"

But then as Ringo should know, his fellow Liverpudlians are not best known for their thick skin. Nor should anyone be in the least bit surprised by his admission.

Indeed, before his arrival to kick off the Capital of Culture celebrations, Ringo had not set foot in the city since the funeral of his stepfather Harry Graves 14 years ago.

And he has hardly been glowing in his praise of his homeland either in recent times. Some months ago he declared his hatred of England, telling an American interviewer: "It's damp and it's cold and it's dark. I love the sun and warmth and that's how I choose to spend my life."

Friends say he is also irked by what he perceives as the lack of affection with which he is held in Britain. Three years ago he raised eyebrows here when he said: "You know I have this thing about England, they don't really love me enough. That's just how I feel."

To add insult to injury, his famously large nose has been most distinctly put out of joint by his home city choosing to rename its airport after John Lennon while Ringo's first home at 9 Madryn Street - where he was born plain Richard Starkey - was described by heritage officials as being of 'neutral' value and earmarked for demolition.

Ringo has also rubbished new plans to have the house taken apart brick-by-brick and rebuilt elsewhere.

And despite an online petition to have him made Sir Ringo, he has been consistently overlooked for a knighthood (which might have something to do with his criticisms of the Royal Family, whom he pronounced should personally pay for a hospital in honour of the Queen Mother).

He is said to visit his 17th-century, 200-acre estate near Cranleigh, Surrey, only once a year for a family Christmas with his three grown-up children - sons Zak and Jason and daughter Lee - from his first marriage to Maureen Cox. He is very rarely seen at his flat in Chelsea.

Instead he spends the year shuttling between his sprawling LA home, a palatial apartment in the tax-haven of Monte Carlo and his ski lodge in Colorado.

He shares the terracotta-walled compound in Beverly Hills with his 60-year-old wife Miss Bach, a former Bond-girl whom Starr met on the set of his much-derided 1980 movie Caveman. They married a year later.

He admits to feeling "more American than most Americans" and has cultivated a resolutely mid-Atlantic accent, characterised by his rather grating habit of pronouncing "and" as "ernd".

Although he is fast approaching his 68th birthday, the eldest of The Beatles remains driven to recreate the limited success he had as a solo artist in the years after the break-up of The Beatles.

He continues to tour regularly in the U.S. and will go on the road again in June with his group, Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band.

He is said by friends to feel snubbed that he has not as yet been invited by McCartney to appear onstage with him when Sir Paul marks Liverpool's ongoing City of Culture celebrations by appearing at Anfield stadium in June.

Indeed, between the two, the once- strong quality of Mersey mateship is somewhat strained. He is said still to bear a grudge over McCartney's cold-shouldering him when Paul appeared without him at the Live 8 concert in London three years ago.

At the time a very put-out Ringo said: "It's too late now. It's very disappointing."

And Starr further incurred the wrath of his ex- cohort when he described McCartney's attempts to change the group's famous song-writing credits from "Lennon and McCartney" to "McCartney and Lennon" as "underhanded".

Meanwhile Ringo is attempting - with precious little success it has to be said - to find backing for his plans to turn himself into a cartoon superhero with the help of Superman creator Stan Lee.

And associates say he is halfway through writing a musical about his life, called The Hole In The Fence, with the help of former Eurythmics star Dave Stewart.

Ringo's relationship with eldest son Zak, 42, who went off the rails as a teenager and started drinking at 14, is said to be close. Zak has followed him into drumming and plays with the Who and Oasis.

Jason, 40, is a photographer and 37-year- old Lee, who lives in London, is a make-up artist and would-be fashion designer.

But his relationship with his stepdaughter Francesca, a wannabe singer from Miss Bach's first marriage, has regularly been stormy.

He is said to have barred the lesbian Francesca, who once dated Hollywood actress Portia de Rossi, from appearing with him on tour after he discovered she was having an affair with a 16-year-old girl.

But his marriage to the beautiful Barbara is said to be as close as ever, which begs the question: Why given his pampered lifestyle, his lavish homes and all those millions is Ringo just so bad-tempered all of a sudden?

Source: Daily Mail

Linda McCartney was able to cut through public personna, cut through glitz, and share these beautiful moments in time of these larger than life figures.  Her photos have always been stunning in their portrayal.  Paul, is sharing them with the world in the form of a coffee table book.  Linda would have been proud.

Here's what we've read.

Paul McCartney is set to release a coffee table book in honor of his beloved first wife Linda. The former Beatle is alleged to have met with London publishers about the project earlier this week.

According to reports, McCartney will "share lots of intimate moments" of his life with the photographer, singer and animal rights activist in the tome, which will be released to mark the 10th anniversary of her death. Linda died in 1998 after losing her battle with breast cancer.

And a close pal of the singer believes the experience will be therapeutic for McCartney, having finally settled his bitter $48.6 million divorce from second wife Heather Mills last month.

A close pal of the singer says, "Times have been hard for him recently with the divorce from Heather. He's delighted he can focus his mind on something else. He sees this as a special tribute to Linda's memory."

News of the planned book follows the recent opening of an exhibition of Linda's photos at the James Hyman Gallery in London. The display is the first major show of her work in her adopted Britain.

Source: Star Pulse

For someone who's father preached and professed about a humble life, Dhani seems to have a good head on his sholder.  His new group is just now releasing their first LP.  The EP from a while backreally made our ears perk up.  He has the musical chops to do some really really great things.  George would be proud of his boy, not because of the money, but because of the way he carries himself.  It's refreshing to see a rock progeny be in the spotlight, but be able to keep it together.

Now if only Dhani had his father's green thumb as well.  We know how George like to keep his gardens.

Here's what we've read.

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.

Amy Winehouse, 24, is the tenth richest person in music in Britain aged 30 and under, with an estimated wealth of £10 million. She has sold seven million copies of her Back To Black album but often finds herself short of spare cash. Record company sources say that the singer's supply of money is being rationed while she recovers from substance addictions.

Leona Lewis, 23, the X Factor winner who topped the US single and album charts, is in fourteenth place with an estimated £6 million fortune. Previous reality show winners have found that they are earning less than other singers once managers and record companies have taken their cut.

Corinne Bailey Rae, whose saxophonist husband Jason died of a suspected drugs overdose last month, and Natasha Bedingfield are also worth £6 million. The highest new entry is the Manchester-born fashion model Karen Elson (sixth) who shares her £25 million fortune with her husband, the White Stripes guitarist Jack White.

In a separate list of Britain's richest 100 young millionaires, Emma Watson (£10 million), and her Harry Potter co-star Rupert Grint (£7 million) feature for the first time. They join Daniel Radcliffe, who has added to his wealth and is now worth £20 million.

The Sunday Times also publishes a list of Britain's Top 50 music millionaires, in which Sir Paul McCartney is valued at £500 million even though his divorce hearing was told he was worth £400 million. According to The Sunday TimesRich 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.

Guy Hands, who bought EMI for £2.4 billion, is the top new entry in the music millionaires list with £250 million in seventh place. Chris Blackwell, the London-born founder of Island Records, is another new entry with £100 million.

Pop's Top Ten under-30s

£160m George Harrison's son, Dhani

£32m Vanessa-Mae Nicholson, violinist

£30m Guy Berryman, Coldplay

£30m Jonny Buckland, Coldplay

£30m Will Champion, Coldplay

£25m Karen Elson and Jack White

£18m Katie Melua, Singer

£12m Joss Stone, Soul singer

£11m Chartlotte Church and Gavin Henson, Singer and rugby player

£10m Craig David, Amy Winehouse and Will Young

Source:

Let's call this a precursor to his rumored upcoming tour.  A sneak peak at things to come.  Paul is playing a free show to celebrate independence. 
Paul McCartney Live in Red Square - Part Deux.

God, I wish I lived in Europe right about now. We know he played in Red Square a few years back, but his time he is hitting the Ukraine.  We'll at least get a peak into the setlist changes for the show.  Let's consider this a warmup to his tour.  We'll keep you posted with more details as we hear them.

Here's what we've read.

Paul McCartney Announces Free Historic Concert
‘Independence Concert'
Kiev Independence Square, Ukraine - Saturday 14th June 2008

On Saturday 14th June 2008, at the invitation of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Paul McCartney will perform to hundreds of thousands of people in Independence Square, Kiev, Ukraine. This groundbreaking event has been named Independence Concert and was launched today in Kiev by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. Paul's special show will be free to attend and will be broadcasted live on Novy TV.

This exciting event will be seen as symbolic for several generations of Ukrainians. It will allow people of different ethnicities and religions, political preferences and geopolitical orientations to come together around the ideas of peace, love and unity; the very ideas that Paul McCartney with The Beatles helped bring into the World. Independence Concert is an independent social initiative that aims to strengthen the confidence and understanding in the Ukrainian society.

The ideology and spirit of The Beatles helped build the democratic aspirations for much of the soviet society and eventually led to the peaceful collapse of the USSR and independence of the former Soviet republics.

Independence Concert appeals to the ideals that helped 30 years ago to melt down the ice of the ‘cold war' in the hearts of millions and changed the world into a better place. Today the ideology that forms the core of Ukrainian independence is shared with Paul McCartney's own ideology. Independence Concert serves to promote happiness, freedom, love and peace not only in the Ukraine but also to the entire World.

It is planned that this historic concert will be broadcast live on screens in cities across the Ukraine for those who can't make it to Kiev.

Paul McCartney said:

"I'm very excited because on the 14th of June I've been invited to play a concert in Independence Square, Kiev. Me and the band are going to be there and we're going to have to a great evening and we hope to see you there. So come along, it's going to be great evening hopefully for the Ukraine. Pull together, groove, rock and roll - all together"

Victor Pinchuk, Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist and founder of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation said:

"One could not imagine this 30 years ago. Nobody could even dare to hope for this 20 years ago. One could only dream about it 10 years ago. 5 years ago we could only envy our neighbours for whom this became a reality. And finally the day has come. For the first time we have the opportunity to hear the songs that changed the world and created a new culture. The songs that we grew up with and became who we are.

These songs tell us about very simple but nevertheless important things: real love can't be bought and that real friendship can't be sold. There is much more to what unites people than what divides them, and in reality it's not an impossible task to become a better person and to make the world a better place, especially if you do it all together.

Recently, we had not so many reasons to unite. Not to group under some political flags but to really gather all together. There are not so many ways to bring together the East and the West, to make the young and the mature closer, to combine different convictions and aspirations into one common national idea of building a free, tolerant and prosperous country. And I believe that this initiative and the concert can help us"

In addition to the concert the Victor Pinchuk Foundation will also be exhibiting 40 of Paul's paintings at the Pinchuk Art Centre, the largest in Eastern Europe. This will be Paul's first exhibition in this part of the world. His first art exhibition was in Siegen, Germany in 1999. Paul will personally open the exhibition.

Source: Paul McCartney

Paul is playing it cool.

I find this really hard to believe. 

For a lark, what do you think will happen first...LOL.

Paul will remarry? 
-or-
We will see the release of The Beatles' remastered back catalog? 

You decide. Let us know in the comments below.

Here's what we've read.

Sir Paul McCartney has sparked engagement rumours after he was spotted shopping at a top London jewellers, just weeks after finalising a divorce settlement from estranged wife Heather Mills.

The former Beatle was snapped by photographers shopping at exclusive New Bond Street store S.J. Phillips yesterday, 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 (£24.3 million) divorce from former ‘prostitute' Mills last month.

The pair was spotted getting close on the beach of a private resort - splashing out on a $12,000 (£6,000)-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.

Source: Entertainment Wise

I personally haven't bought memorabilia online or in-person.  I wish I had that kind of disposable income.  It is my dream to come across a butcher cover in a flea market or CD Exchange and pay pennies for it.  That's as high as my collecting aspirations get right now.  I mean, obviously, signatures would be this Beatle fan's dream come true, but for now I just have to sit back and drool over some of those precious rare items.

What are some of your experiences buying Beatles memorabilia?  Have you bought memorabilia items?  Were they appraised by an expert?  How do you feel about the sentiments in the article below? 
Please comment below, we'd love to hear your thoughts about all-things related to Beatles ephemera and memorabilia.

Here's what we've read.

Strawberry Fields is not a stadium, Penny Lane is not a bowling alley and Norwegian Wood is not a baseball bat.

But the Beatles are at the heart of a lawsuit that dredges up questions about how autographed balls and other signed collectibles are authenticated in the fraud-filled world of sports memorabilia: What kind of training and experience are required to become an authenticator? Who is qualified to identify real gems in a world full of fakes and forgeries? Can an authenticator call himself objective if he also buys and sells memorabilia?

Do authenticators really know what they are doing?

"They better know what they are doing because there are a lot of highly skilled forgers out there," says Bill Panagopulos, the owner of Alexander Autographs of Stamford, Conn., which deals in historic autographs. "Anybody can hang a shingle on the wall calling themselves an authenticator, but it takes years of experience in the trade, not just a few forensics courses."

The suit, filed last year in Florida state court by a music memorabilia company, challenges the credibility and competence of an autograph dealer and authenticator named Frank Caiazzo, considered by many collectors as the best in the Beatles business. They fear the lawsuit by American Royal Arts of Boca Raton will have a chilling effect - good authenticators, they say, will shut down operations if they think they will be sued every time they issue an opinion somebody doesn't like.

"Lawsuits are used to scare people," says Ron Keurajian, a sports autograph collector and authenticator. "They are used to shut people up."

But ARA president Jerry Gladstone says Caiazzo attacked his company's integrity and he had no choice but to sue. According to the lawsuit, Caiazzo reviewed a scan of an autographed "Revolver" album cover on behalf of a collector who considered buying it, and he promptly dismissed it as the product of a Southern California forger.

It was improper for Caiazzo to pass judgement based on a scan, Gladstone adds, and if Caiazzo has information about forgers, he should take it to law-enforcement officials. He says the real reason Caiazzo bad-mouthed ARA's offerings is that he is a competitor.

"He has a terrific conflict of interest," Gladstone says.

Caiazzo says he didn't need to examine the actual cover because the signatures are crude forgeries. Caiazzo says he is a self-taught expert who learned his trade by studying Beatles signatures - and only Beatles signatures - for decades. He has acquired thousands of exemplars, and has worked as a consultant to Sotheby's, Christie's and other prominent auction houses.

Gladstone, however, says Caiazzo is a memorabilia midget compared to Christopher Morales, the authenticator who originally signed off on the "Revolver" cover and works extensively with ARA. Morales' Web site says he is a former Secret Service agent with extensive education and experience in forensic sciences.

"He has scientific training," says Gladstone. He says he submitted the "Revolver" to a second forensic document examiner, E'lyn Bryan, who reached a similar conclusion as Morales. "It appears to be authentic," Bryan said.

But for many sports memorabilia collectors and dealers, "scientific training" doesn't mean much, and a Morales certificate of authenticity is not worth the paper it is printed on.

"We will never use Morales," says Rob Lifson, president of Robert Edward Auctions. "If somebody says they have a piece they want to consign that has been authenticated by Christopher Morales, we choose not to pursue it. I'm not saying it is bad. I'm just saying it's not a valuable use of our time."

Lelands president Mike Heffner is even more dismissive: "I can't tell you that I've ever seen anything he's authenticated that is actually real."

Morales told the Daily News he has been blackballed from major sports auction houses because they want to use authenticators who will toe their party lines.

"The field is a virtual monopoly," he says. "They've locked everybody else out."

But even the general manager of an auction house that sells scores of Morales-authenticated pieces each year says he doesn't have a lot of confidence in Morales.

"There are authenticators whose work seems better," says Lee Trythall of Coach's Corner. "There are guys who are more qualified."

The marketplace, moreover, apparently does not value Morales' opinion. Memorabilia that Morales has authenticated routinely sells for a fraction of the price similar items authenticated by others fetch.

A ball signed by Hall of Famer Mel Ott and authenticated by Morales, for example, sold for $2,315 in Coach's Corner's February auction; an Ott ball sold by Mastro Auctions in 2004 sold for more than $52,000. A Lou Gehrig-autographed ball authenticated by Morales sold in Coach's Corner for $3,100 - less than half the $7,000 a similar ball fetched in March through Hunt Auctions. In a January 2007 Coach's Corner auction, a Josh Gibson-signed ball examined by Morales sold for $1,158, a real steal, since the Negro League star's autograph is very rare and expensive.

"I had a Josh Gibson postcard that sold for $81,000," Lifson says.

Morales says the price differences aren't a reaction to his work - they are a reflection of the auction houses and dealers who sell his authenticated pieces, which he says cater to less upscale consumers.

"You have to look at the context," says Rich Solis, the owner of R&S Sports Collectibles and a Morales business associate. "It's the Mercedes of auction houses vs. the Volkswagen. One deals with collectors who have money to burn. Others cater to regular people."

That doesn't explain why a consigner would settle an auction house that will sell an item for a fraction of what it would get elsewhere, a point that was brought up during a recent 750-post discussion on Network 54, an Internet sports collectibles forum.

The discussion was initiated by Shelly Jaffe, a California memorabilia dealer who was arrested in Operation Bullpen, an FBI investigation into forgeries in the sports memorabilia business. (Jaffe now calls himself a crusader against fraud in the hobby.)

Solis say Morales is the victim of a smear campaign. "There are two sides to this," Solis says. "Why are unqualified 'experts' talking about Chris? Just look at his background. Then look at theirs."

But many hobby insiders believe Morales is no different than his friend Donald Frangipani, the Brooklyn forensic examiner who was the subject of an HBO "Real Sports" investigation. The segment portrayed Frangipani as an authenticator who could be counted on to issue certificates even for crude forgeries. Morales, too, had a role in the segment; HBO sent several forged pieces to the authenticator, who passed them all.

Morales suggests he was set up - the autographs he reviewed for HBO may have been real, he says, although he can't explain why "Real Sports" would try to embarrass him. His explanation has not swayed memorabilia executives.

When the value of baseball cards, autographed baseballs and game-used jerseys skyrocketed in the 1980s and 1990s, forgers and counterfeiters flocked to the hobby for easy money: Signing Mickey Mantle's autograph on an old photo or baseball was a low-risk, high-reward effort, since many law enforcement officials viewed fraud in the memorabilia market as a civil matter, not a criminal one.

To protect collectors from the cheats, a variety of authentication services popped up. Most authenticators are long-time dealers like Caiazzo, with credentials that come from the years they have immersed themselves in old jerseys and autographs. Others, like Morales, claim they are scientifically trained.

But regardless of their background, authenticators have proven to be more Band-aid than cure. There are question marks even about the biggest names in the hobby. During the discovery phase of a lawsuit filed by Indiana dealer Bill Daniels against Mastro Auctions, Daniels' attorney found that PSA/DNA, a leading autograph authentication service, spent about 16 hours over two days authenticating thousands of pieces offered in Mastro's December 2004 auction - which translates to just a few seconds per item.

And like Caiazzo, many authenticators also sell memorabilia, which has resulted in allegations of conflicts of interest. One firm, Memorabilia Evaluation and Research Services, now requires its authenticators to disclose if they have a financial interest in a piece they are reviewing. Morales doesn't sell memorabilia, but he issues opinions on a wide variety of subjects. Coach's Corner's most recent auction, for example, included Morales-approved signatures from Abraham Lincoln, Orville Wright, Ty Cobb, Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Robinson.

Morales says as long as he has an exemplar, he can determine the authenticity of any signature. "Handwriting is handwriting," he says.

But FBI agent Tim Fitzsimmons, who led Operation Bullpen, the bureau's investigation of sports forgery rings, says it's more complicated than that. Forensic examiners told FBI investigators that because handwriting can change dramatically due to factors such as age, alcohol consumption and stress, authenticators need scores of examples in order to make an accurate determination.

"You would want 100 examples of 'knowns,' signatures that you know are good," Fitzsimmons says.

Because so many authenticators are questionable, the FBI agent says, the best way for collectors to guarantee the authenticity of a piece is to track its provenance - how it was obtained and who has bought and sold it.

"I've been preaching that for years," Fitzsimmons says. "Collectors should demand a record of an item's history before they buy it."

Source: NY Daily News

With the spector of his recent divorce hanging over him it looks like Paul will be exorcising some demons through music.  We all know how much Paul loves to rock out in front of a live audience.  It seems that he may be coming to a venue near you sometime soon.  This report is odd though, you'd think after washing all traces of Heather Mills from the previous concert DVD, and knowing her love for the spotlight as well, you'd think that he'd not want her anywhere near the McCartney touring machine. 

I guess the love for his child overpowers the hurt and media circus that Ms. Mills will bring with her presence on Paul's forthcoming tour.  That's a good father.  We'll have to see how this plays out.  It's going to be an interesting tour.  Maybe he'll dedicate "Too Many People" to Ms. Mills on this tour, that would be something.

Here's what we've read.

Sir Paul McCartney wants Heather Mills to join him on tour so he can see their daughter whilst he jets round the world.

The former Beatle is preparing for a massive 14 months on the road, and believes the only way he will keep in contact with Beatrice during that time will be if he arranges with Heather to take the four-year-old to him.

A source explains to the News Of The World, "Paul is desperate to keep Bea close by him. If he just heads off round the world he will get upset at not seeing her.

"He realises he has to do some kind of deal with Heather, and to keep disruption to a minimum he has come up with this idea. He feels that letting Heather fly to him where they are touring could be the best way."

But the source warns, "Many of those close to him are not sure this plan will work. Heather is so unpredictable that anything could happen."

Will they be flying First Class though?

Source: Entertainment Wise

Here's what we've read.

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. "I had a duty," Lennon had told me then, "to find a way to get them there by fair means or foul."

He made the introductions and gave me the title: All My Loving. The BBC hated it. David Attenborough, then the director of television and since a good friend, wrote a memo saying that "over [his] dead body would the film ever be shown". After six months on the shelf it was rescued, if that's the word, by John Culshaw, the BBC's new head of music programmes and a friend of Benjamin Britten and mine. It was eventually shown, after the Epilogue, in 1968, after Paul Fox, the controller of BBC One, had suggested a compromise: "I'll trade you two f***s for three pisses," he said.

Mary Whitehouse hated it. Paul McCartney sent me a telegram of congratulations. Lennon considered me "an ally for the cause". As he wrote to me, "we have smashed down the door of the BBC and rock'n'roll on TV will never be the same again".

In that at least he was right. More or less every sequence of it has been stolen and used in other films, usually without attribution, and even on its fifth screening two years ago on BBC Four it provoked a row.

So here am I in New York, four years after All My Loving, thinking the unthinkable. I realised that my ignorance of the subject was matched only by my stupidity in attempting such a task. Lennon again came to the rescue: "Get some clever people to write down why such-and-such a subject is important to them. Use that as a starter. Oh, and if you need a good title, how about All You Need is Love? That's what it's all about anyway, or the lack of it. Cheerio . . . and have fun!" What we needed first was money, since something on this scale was not going to be cheap.

Enter Paul Fox again, by then the boss of Yorkshire Television. He brought in Cyril Bennett, his equivalent at London Weekend Television, whose new controller of entertainment was one Michael Grade. Tell us what you have in mind, said the three wise men. I mapped out individual episodes on the blues, jazz, the musical, ragtime, country, the Beatles, glitter rock . . . in all, I said, about 16 episodes. Their eyes glazed over. I could see them thinking: "Man's an idiot."

"Are you seriously asking for 16 hours of primetime television?" one said. "Yes, why not?" I replied.

Grade thought that his uncle, Lord Delfont, might be willing to fund it. Bernie Delfont, the tap-dancing impresario who ran every end-of-the pier show in the country as well as EMI, was. "My boy," he said between cigar puffs, "it will be a pleasure."

Had Lennon and McCartney, EMI's No 1 artists, let it be known that the series had their approval? I never found out, although George Martin told me years later that he had been told by the management to give me whatever I needed.

And so I wrote to "those clever people" asking them for 2,000 words on what their particular subject meant to them - George Melly on the blues; Leonard Feather, the great jazz historian; Paul Oliver, the expert on American traditional music; Jack Good, the producer of Six-Five Special, the first British rock'n'roll TV show; Humphrey Lyttelton; Derek Taylor, the Beatles' press officer; Stephen Sondheim; the journalists Nik Cohn and Charlie Gillett; Rudi Blesh on ragtime . . .

These were not to be "scripts" for the films, I explained, but a reference point from which I could begin my journey. Together with a brilliant sergeant major, Paul Medlicott, we set about making lists - every artist we could think of who should be included if humanly possible. For the episode on swing, for instance, we thought we must include Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Lionel Hampton . . . well, that would do for a start. Eventually we had a list of nearly 500 artists. The astonishing thing is that, thanks to Medlicott's organisational genius, we filmed nearly all of them.

We crisscrossed the United States, north, south, east and west; travelled to West Africa and up into the Sahara; to the lakes around Salzburg for the origins of operetta; to Coventry Cathedral and Mike Oldfield's hideaway on the Welsh borders; to Liverpool and Northern Ireland where, surrounded by men with Armalite rifles, we filmed IRA and Provo songs while the Troubles raged. We drove into the Navajo desert to film Bo Diddley, who threatened to shoot anyone white. We played Russian roulette with Phil Spector, and sat while Brian Epstein's mother spoke publicly for the first and only time, in tears, about her beloved son. We toured Harlem with John Hammond, who had discovered Billie Holiday.

At his insistence, and in spite of his tracheotomy, we interviewed Richard Rodgers about his fantastic partnerships with Oscar Hammerstein and Lorenz Hart; heard the jazz pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines patiently explaining that he was "a tool" of Al Capone. There was Eric Clapton playing a heartrending version of Layla; Lonnie Donegan delivering "the performance of a lifetime" (he told me) of Rock Island Line. We had Roy Rogers, the TV cowboy; Bill Wyman, in tears while describing the funeral of Brian Jones; a furious Aretha Franklin; the folk singer Pete Seeger describing what it was like to be spat at for his "communist sympathies"; McCartney, accompanying himself on guitar, singing Yesterday for the first time in public. "I wanted to do something special for you," he told me.

What a great musician (my notorious comparison between him and Schubert, mocked at the time - 1968 - has long since proved to be correct). I hope I have been able to repay in small measure the colossal debt we owe him and Lennon.

Looking back more than 30 years later, I can see there is much I omitted or didn't understand fully. I think that was inevitable, especially as I had less than £1 million in the budget and only five months in which to film. The entire series of (eventually) 17 films was completed in less than a year.

My biggest omission came towards the end when, having finished filming but not finished editing, punk rock burst upon the scene. I begged for more money and more time, but these were refused. The series was already scheduled on television around the world, and I don't think Bernie Delfont cared much for Sid Vicious. You can see why.

But what strikes me is how lucky we were to get to so many people (and places) that were gone shortly afterwards. The 96-year-old ragtime pianist Eubie Blake remembering talking to Scott Joplin; the 94-year-old Irving Caesar, who wrote the words to Tea for Two; the 100-year-old Irving Berlin. Yip Harburg (the lyricist of the Great Depression song Brother, Can You Spare a Dime) and Hoagy Carmichael (Stardust) reliving the Thirties; the blues pianist Roosevelt "Honeydripper" Sykes on his slave parents; Liberace on Elvis . . .

They are all gone now, as are many of the places that have such a resonance in the story. Sam Phillips's studio is a parking lot. New Orleans and its seedy clubs vanished after the floods. Historic Memphis and Beale Street, so crucial in the story of ragtime and the blues, bulldozed. The Cavern, gone. The Grand Ole Opry, now a theme park.

Even while filming I had the occasional glimpse that what we were doing might have lasting significance. I obviously knew who Muddy Waters was, for instance, if only because Mick Jagger constantly mentioned his name, but we couldn't find him. And then, while filming in Chicago, I noticed that he was playing in a club on the West Side. Somehow, my assistant, the indefatigable Annunziata Asquith, managed to find a phone number and we spoke. "Sure," he said, "come on over." Fearing that the club would be packed, we arrived very early to set up our equipment (if only I had had today's compact digital equipment! This was slow colour film that needed mountains of lights).

It would not be true to say that there were more people in my crew than in the audience, but that is what it felt like. Here was an iconic figure, more or less forgotten at the time (1975). The same went for B.B. King, who couldn't stop thanking me for having taken the trouble to seek him out. Likewise Dizzy Gillespie and, most astonishing of all, Jerry Lee Lewis, who we found playing in a Holiday Inn on a side stage as guests were checking in.

I think now that what persuaded so many great artists to take part was simply this: we were treating them with the respect they deserved, not only as artists but as human beings. It had nothing to do with money - we paid them a pittance, and all the same amount, regardless of their "status" (Lennon's idea again). Partly this was a consequence of us going to them, and not summoning them to a studio, and partly because they trusted me not to kowtow to focus groups or illiterate television commissioning editors, or reduce what they had to say to soundbites.

What they had to say, then and now, is important. Their story is a crucial part of the social history of the 20th century in the United States and Europe. Aaron Copland, the great composer, once said to me: "In a hundred years, when people want to know what it was like to be living in the 1960s in the United States, they won't be listening to my music. They will be listening to the Beatles." Not entirely true, perhaps, but he has a point.

Perhaps the real contribution that the series made was to demonstrate that it was possible to make extended studies of "popular music" without frightening the horses - and television executives. When I brought the finished films back to the three wise men there was some discussion about the best time to schedule them. "Saturday at 10.30pm," Cyril Bennett pronounced.

My heart sank. "But that's right opposite Match of the Day," I protested. "Precisely," said Bennett. "We intend to blast them off the screen." Madness, I thought, but at least I should be grateful for 17 hours of ITV.

After week six - and before we had got to the juicier episodes with the Beatles, the Stones and so on - a jeroboam of Bollinger arrived at my house with a note from Bennett: "We did it. We buried them!"

I Watch clips at Times Online.

Palmer's close encounters of the strange kind

PHIL SPECTOR

"Turn up at 7pm sharp," said the voice ominously. Having nervously passed through a chained fence (electrified?), past snarling guard dogs and gun-toting security (and this is Hollywood?), we were frisked and allowed to enter the vast mansion of Phillip Spector. He kept us waiting for five hours, but was polite, even charming, wearing an absurd frizzy wig and somehow dazzled by the lights we had put up to interview him. It was disconcerting to be told: "You know, my father blew his brains out in front of me when I was a child. Don't you think that would have affected my music?"

SAM PHILLIPS

Standing in the tiny Memphis studio where, 20 years earlier, he had recorded Elvis performing a song for his mama's birthday, the reclusive Sam still seemed unaware of the historical significance of that moment. Equally, as Elvis himself remembered, Sam remained unaware of what he had contributed to that moment. Normally, Phillips recorded gospel, the blues, hillbilly country music, "always with a beat", he told me. Into that brew he added a voice of genius, and popular music was never the same again. There is still a Sam Phillips/Sun Records Studio in Memphis. But it's not the original. Last time I was there the original was a parking lot.

LEONARD COHEN

We were in a squalid little café in East Berlin. Two Stasi heavies stood right by the camera. Cohen suddenly grabbed a black girl student, also in the café, told me to start filming, and began reading a poem about "the killers in countries such as this". Mercifully the Stasi men's grasp of English was somewhat limited. But the angry look in Cohen's eyes was unmistakable. It was a courageous act of defiance, reinforcing Cohen's view that popular music had a duty to be the social conscience of a generation otherwise cowed into silence by political hypocrisy.

All You Need is Love is on at the BFI South Bank, London SE1 (020-7928 3232) on May 3, 4.
Buy it from www.allyouneedislovedvd.com

Source: Times UK

As fans, we are relegated to waiting and hoping to see what they do with the Fabs online.  Do we see deluxed editions of each album with outtakes?  Do we get stereo and mono version of each album?  Do we get correct and pristine artwork for each album?  What will the albums sound like?  Do we get them in 5.1? 

All of these questions.  I guess we just have to keep waiting and hoping with baited breath.

Here's what we've read.

Aside from the chaps at EMI, Sony/ATV CEO Martin Bandier is another person who is very excited at the possibility of the Beatles archives finally going digital.

Why wouldn't he? According to the larger-than-life publishing veteran, his company manages the rights of "about 100 percent" of the music and lyrics penned by John Lennon and Paul McCartney for the Fab Four.

After last month's TV ratings success in licensing the Beatles' tunes to American Idol, Bandier is keen to do more deals with the valuable archive. He thinks making the songs available in a digital format will create even more opportunities for his company, EMI and Apple Corp, which manages the Beatles' affairs.

"One of the things that I think the Beatles are working on closer with EMI - and hopefully getting closer to finalizing it - is to allow for the digital use of Beatles on the Apple (iTunes) store and everywhere else. It would be incredible," Bandier told Reuters in an interview.

But it isn't his decision to make as EMI and Apple Corp lead those discussions.

"All we can do is sit on the sidelines and root like crazy," said Bandier.

Sony/ATV is a joint venture between Sony Corp and pop star Michael Jackson. Bandier says the gloved one has been a great partner even as speculation floats from time to time that Jackson may want to sell his share to repay some of his loans.

"I don't think that Michael's interested in selling his share. For me, he's been a great partner, has been supportive and has an amazing reputation among the artistry and makes a call when we need him to reinforce our position with artists. "

Source: Reuters

"What no Magical Mystery Tour on DVD, no Let it Be film, no remastered back catalog first, or even no LOVE show itself on DVD?" These are the questions that I hear.

Well folks take what we can get. This documentary is a tasty little morsel that will tide us over until the remastered back catalog comes out. A new Beatle product, albeit a documentary on DVD, is better than no DVD.

We'll post more details as we hear them, but for now, this is straight from the horses mouth, The Beatles official website. Great news!

Here's what we've read.

On June 24, 2008 Apple Corps Ltd./Cirque du Soleil 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 at The Mirage 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 of the DVD.

The DVD's total running time is 128 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.

The director, Adrian Wills, records early meetings between the Cirque & Apple Corps Ltd. creative teams, as well as contributions from Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison discussing how The Beatles' music can be used in a different way. We hear about the decision to utilize the combined talents of Sir George Martin and his son Giles Martin to produce what became a 90-minute soundscape created from The Beatles' multi-track recordings and how this new audio adventure was being quietly worked on in the famous Abbey Road Studios in London, England whilst the first creative ideas for the show were being formulated in Montreal, Canada.

These early stages of the project were all filmed, as were the first rehearsals at the Mirage Hotel theatre in Las Vegas, which was completely rebuilt with a one-of-a-kind sound system and complex round staging to house the "LOVE" show. ÊSir George and Giles Martin, the showÕs Musical Directors, were involved every step of the way with the remarkable Cirque du Soleil creative team, performers and backroom staff.

It wasn't all "plain-sailing" and there has been no attempt to disguise some of the disagreements that took place along the way regarding how some of the songs would be portrayed visually. These creative differences, a necessary part of the overall process of bringing "LOVE" to its most vibrant life, illustrate the participants' love and respect for the music and vision of The Beatles.

In addition to their roles within the main feature, Sir George and Giles, along with engineer Paul Hicks, also pop up in another piece titled "Changing The Music" which reveals in fascinating depth how the music was created and the challenges they faced. They explain how they sourced some of the individual instruments and effects and how they were encouraged to experiment.

The 'All Together Now' documentary and bonus features provide a fascinating insight into the creative skills and passion that went into making