John Lennon Page 4

John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s relationship and work will form the basis of a new film, which will be produced by Ono herself with the help of the Oscar-nominated writer of The Theory of Everything.

The as-yet-untitled project will be written primarily by Anthony McCarten, whose take on the relationship between Stephen and Jane Hawking bagged him an Oscar nod in 2015. Yoko, now 83, will help produce the movie in tandem with Michael De Luca, whose credits include The Social Network, Moneyball and Captain Phillips.

Yoko Ono will be producing a biopic about her relationship with John Lennon

Continue reading: Yoko Ono And John Lennon 'Love Story' Movie Announced

The Beatles felt ''threatened'' by Yoko Ono, according to Sir Paul McCartney.

The 74-year-old singer songwriter has admitted he shares a ''good'' friendship with the widow of the late band mate John Lennon, although he has revealed he used to feel intimidated by her.

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine about their friendship, he said: ''It's really good, actually. We were kind of threatened [then]. She was sitting on the amps while we were recording. Most bands couldn't handle that. We handled it, but not amazingly well, because we were so tight. We weren't sexist, but girls didn't come to the studio - they tended to leave us to it. When John got with Yoko, she wasn't in the control room or to the side. It was in the middle of the four of us.''

Continue reading: The Beatles Were 'threatened' By Yoko Ono

Sir Paul McCartney has launched a bid to regain control of his share of The Beatles’ catalogue’s US publishing rights from Sony / ATV Music Publishing. Although he co-wrote the majority of the legendary band’s hits, McCartney has never actually controlled the publishing.

The US Copyright Act of 1976 allows living artists to apply to regain control of publishing rights 56 years after the material is first published. This means that the earliest songs in The Beatles’ catalogue become available in 2018.

According to Billboard, the 73 year old singer filed papers on 15th December 2015 with the US Copyright Office, requesting a termination notice for 32 songs. Most of these date from 1962-1964, though a handful date from much later, such as ‘Come Together’ which won’t be available until 2025.

Continue reading: Paul McCartney Attempts To Regain Control Of Beatles' US Publishing Rights

Yoko Ono is recovering after being hospitalised in New York on Friday and receiving treatment for flu-like symptoms. The 83-year-old was taken to Mount Sinai West hospital at just after 9pm on Friday evening on the advice of her doctors.

Yoko Ono has been hospitalised in New York.

Her longtime spokesman, Elliot Mintz, told ABC News: "To the best of my knowledge, she had symptoms along the lines of a serious flu, and her doctor thought it was best that she would get a check-up at the hospital.”

Continue reading: Yoko Ono Hospitalised With 'Flu-Like' Symptoms

A lock of hair belonging to John Lennon is up for sale at a Dallas auction later this month and is currently bid up to $12,000. The lock was cut from Lennon’s hair by German hairdresser Klaus Baruck, just before filming began on comedy How I Won the War in September 1966.

A lock of John Lennon’s hair is up for auction in the US.

Heritage auctioneers in Dallas describes the lock of hair as ‘substantial’ and adds that the ‘overall length of the lock is approximately 4" and likely contains hundreds of strands’. It is believed to be the largest lock of Lennon's hair ever sold at auction and has been part of the original owner's collection for nearly 50 years.

Continue reading: A Lock Of John Lennon’s Hair Is Expected To Fetch Over $12,000 At Auction

It’s been less than a week since The Beatles’ back catalogue finally hit streaming services and music fans all over the world have been indulging in all the Fab Four’s classic hits. But the band’s arrival to the streaming world has perhaps also helped to settle a long-standing debate among music fans, as to what is the definitive Beatles’ song.

The Beatles’ back catalogue is now available on streaming services.

At 00.01am on Christmas Eve The Beatles’ music hit stream hit almost every major streaming platform including Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, TIDAL, and Amazon Prime. It marked the end of the group shunning the streaming world, finally bringing their music into the 21st century.

Continue reading: 'Come Together' Is The Most Popular Beatles Track On Spotify

The Beatles music has finally been confirmed as hitting a range of streaming services just in time for Christmas. The band’s official twitter account made the announcement today, with their full catalogue becoming available from tomorrow, Christmas Eve.

From tomorrow you will finally be able to stream The Beatles’ music.

‘December 24 at 12:01am local time, The Beatles’ music is available for streaming worldwide,’ the announcement read, with a link to the band’s official site. The music will be available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Google Play, Microsoft Groove, Napster/Rhapsody, Slacker Radio, Tidal and Amazon's Prime Music service. The songs will not, however, be available on Pandora.

Continue reading: The Beatles' Back Catalogue Confirmed To Hit Streaming Services On Christmas Eve

It's been a long wait for fans, but The Beatles are rumoured to finally be about to begin releasing their music on streaming services and tracks could come as early as Christmas Eve. Despite being arguably the most popular group of all time, the Fab Four have so far kept their back catalogue off services such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Are The Beatles about to join the streaming world?

Billboard reports that there is conflicting information on exactly when the band’s music will appear on streaming services, but discussions are said to be ‘strongly hinting’ towards a December 24th arrival date.

Continue reading: Could The Beatles Be Ready To Hit Streaming Services On Christmas Eve?

John Lennon's first wife Cynthia - the first of the Beatles' wives - has died at her home in Spain after a short battle with cancer. She was 75.

Cynthia Lennon died in Spain after a short battle with cancer

A message on her son Julian's website said: "Her son Julian Lennon was at her bedside throughout. The family are thankful for your prayers. Please respect their privacy at this difficult time."

Continue reading: John Lennon's First Wife Cynthia Lennon Dies In Spain, Aged 75

Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard is set to direct a documentary about The Beatles, following their journey from Liverpool's Cavern Club to their last concert at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. Crucially, the movie is being made in-corporation with Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono.

Ron Howard [L] will direct the Beatles documentary [Getty/Christopher Polk]

Howard - known for Apollo 14, The Da Vinci Code and Frost/Nixon - called it "an astounding story".

Continue reading: Ron Howard To Direct Beatles Documentary, From Cavern Club To San Francisco

The dying words of rapper Tupac Shakur have been revealed, 18 years after his death. The words were spoken to sergeant Chris Carroll, the policeman who questioned Shakur on the scene after the fatal shooting on September 7, 1996. Carroll told how he found the rapper, “covered with blood” and proceeded to try and find out what had happened: “So I’m looking at Tupac…I’m asking him, ‘Who shot you? What happened? Who did it?’ And he was just kind of ignoring me…All of a sudden in the snap of a finger, he changed…An ‘I’m at peace’ type of thing. When he made that transition, he looked at me, and he’s looking me right in the eye.”

Tupac's last words were his final act of defiance against the police

So, what profundity did Tupac, the voice of a generation, a rapper capable of penning poetic and poignant lyrics, have to say as his final words? Carroll continued, “That’s when I looked at him and said one more time, ‘Who shot you?’ He looked at me and he took and breath…then the words came out: ‘F**k you’.” And with his final act of defiance towards the police, the rapper died.

Continue reading: Tupac Shakur's Final Words Were 'F**k You,' Other Famous Last Words

Pharrell Williams is auctioning off the headline-grabbing Vivienne Westwood buffalo hat that he wore to the recent Grammy awards. As soon as the singer stepped out on to the red carpet wearing the oversized, brown, brimmed headwear, his image pinged across the world and its own Twitter account was quickly created ( "chillin on @pharrell's head" don'tcha know).

This Hat Right Here.

Capitalising on his hat's seemingly instant iconic status, Pharrell has decided to raise some serious cash for charity by putting the ostentatious accessory on eBay. With 9 days and 7 hours left on the auction, bidding currently stands at $10,500 (£6,300) and the winning bidder will not only receive the hat and a certificate of authenticity but also that warm glow of charitability too.

Continue reading: Pharrell's Big Grammys Hat On EBay: Other Celeb Memorabilia Auctioned Off

A new album from The Beatles will be released in November showcasing songs the Liverpool band recorded in the BBC's studios. The record, entitled On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2, will serve as the sequel to 1994's Live At The BBC and will feature ten unreleased songs from the 1960s that the band never recorded for their record label EMI.

A New Album Of The Beatles' Songs Will Be Released In November.

The rarities, according to The Independent, will include the famous four-piece's cover of Chuck Berry's 'I'm Talking About You' and the 19th century, oft covered 'Beautiful Dreamer.' All live-to-air pieces without editing, the songs will only emphasise The Beatles' musical proficiency and ability to make great music together.

Continue reading: The Beatles Rarities Album To Be Released: 'On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2'

The latest person to add her support to the gun control movement in the US has been Yoko Ono.

This comes as absolutely no surprise, as Ono has never shied away from backing a social justice cause, often in memory of her late husband. After getting behind the campaign to stop fracking in New York, gun control is the latest cause on Ono’s radar. She expressed her thoughts on the subject via a series of Tweets yesterday, all of which included the image of Lennon’s bloody glasses – the ones he wore on the day he was killed. Besides being hugely symbolic, the picture is also the cover of Ono’s 1981 memorial album, Season of Glass.

One tweet read: "31,537 people are killed by guns in the USA every year. We are turning this beautiful country into a war zone." Later, Ono got more personal, tweeting "The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 33 years our son Sean and I still miss him."

Continue reading: Yoko Ono Tweeted John Lennon's Bloody Glasses In Support Of Gun Control

Fascinating insights into the life of Mick Jagger via love letters sell for double their estimation, reaching over £180,000 for all 10 letters, The Telegraph Reports. 

The letters, written in Australia during the filming of Ned Kelly portray Jagger as a "poetic and self-aware" 25-year-old, and capture a "vivid moment in cultural history" as he dotes on Marsha Hunt, who he enjoyed a secret relationship with. Jagger tells Hunt: "I feel with you something so unsung there is no need to sing it." He also thanks the singer, who was 23 at the time, for being "so nice to an evil old man like me" while providing an insight into another British powerhouse emerging that the time, The Beatles, moaning of "John & Yoko boring everybody". Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby's books specialist, said: "These beautifully written and lyrical letters from the heart of the cultural and social revolution of 1969 frame a vivid moment in cultural history. "Here we see Mick Jagger not as the global superstar he has become, but as a poetic and self-aware 25-year-old with wide-ranging intellectual and artistic interests."

While cultural artefacts, which depict the inner workings of those we idolise today, are fascinating enough, the fact that these letters have sold right in the middle of The Rolling Stone's big come back tour provide a pertinent reminder of the indifferent business that made them famous. 

Yoko Ono; the Japanese artist, author, and peace activist is best known for her marriage to John Lennon and her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking. She isn't particularly renown for her work in fashion. 

She is now, but it might not be for exactly the reason she wants. The controversial figure (for Beatles fans, anway) has launched an unusual clothing line, including pants with large handprints on the crotch, tank tops with nipple cutouts, a flashing LED bra, and, additionally, a pair of pants with a sheer backside. We're not sure where this kind of clothing can really be applicable. You can't walk into the office with your backside exposed (depending on the office), and you can't really police criminals with handprints near your crotch, neither can you sell houses with your nipples hanging out. In fact, it seems the only job these clothes really work for, is being a model, which is pretty ridiculous, isn't it? "I was inspired to create Fashions for Men, amazed at how my man was looking so great. I felt it was a pity if we could not make clothes emphasizing his very sexy bod," Ono tells Women's Wear Daily. "So, I made this whole series with love for his hot bod, and gave it to him as a wedding present."

Prices run from $25 for a poster to $200 for a jock strap or $750 for boots with an incense holder or open toes. Make sure you grab yours in time for Christmas delivery!

A demo tape by The Beatles overlooked by Decca records - considered 'the biggest mistake in music history' - is to be sold at auction. Recorded on New Year's Day in 1961, the tape features 10 cover versions but record label man Dick Rowe passed on the Liverpool group and signed The Tremeloes instead.

Of course, The Beatles went on to sign for EMI and became the most popular band in the world. The tape is being auctioned in London on Tuesday by the Fame Bureau with an asking price of £30,000, though that does not give the buyer rights to the tracks. "Apple, the company set up by The Beatles, holds the copyright to their voices and if anyone tried to release the material without their permission they would certainly be sued," said Fame Bureau managing director Ted Owen, "This has never officially been released. It is unique and the sound quality is crystal clear. We have spoken to various experts and this is the best quality recording of this session there is." The tape features Paul McCartney on bass, George Harrison on lead guitar, John Lennon on rhythm and Pete Best on drums, who was later sacked and replaced by Ringo Starr. 

The tape - still said to be in good condition - is marked as 'The Silver Beatles', the group's former name, and features a black and white image of the group wearing leather jackets. 

Continue reading: The Beatles Decca Demo - The Biggest Mistake In Music History Up For Sale

After her death last year aged 79, just two years after her great friend Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor has become the world's highest grossing dead celebrity, according to Forbes. This result sees the growth of her estate beat MJ, as that was his title in 2011. 

Time report that her estate has made $210m over the past year due to an enormous Christie's auction of her belongings, which made $184m, with this, added to the sales of her perfume White Diamonds, pushed her ahead of the $145m that Jackson's estate earned. According to Dorothy Pomerantz, it's likely that Michael Jackson will hit the top spot again next year, and Taylor's success a one off due to her death. She says this is due to the multiple streams of income to his estate: "Not only does it earn from sales of his own music, Jackson owned a 50% stake in Sony's ATV catalog, which includes artists like the Beatles, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. His estate also collects money from the successful Cirque Du Soleil show The Immortal Tour." 

Other legendary characters that appear on the list include Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, Dr. Seuss, Steve McQueen, and George Harrison. The $145m made by the dead Thriller star is more than any other living artist today, proving that although he's not leading posthumous earning, he's still the King of Pop. Although, with two of the Beatles in this list, perhaps we can award that King-dom jointly. The Liz & Dick biopic about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, starring Lindsay Lohan, will be airing November 25th 2012, and may just top up Liz's account a touch more.

There are few people that have ever lived, who have changed the world and made such an enormous impact, that subsequently results in their memory being upheld, almost as sacred, all over the world, decades after their death. Jesus is the obvious one, Saint Patrick is another, whose lives we celebrate either with an evergreen tree or with green tshirts, hats and a pint. However, yesterday it was John Lennon that the world (or at least a small portion of it) celebrated. October 9th would have been John Lennon's 72nd birthday, and fans gathered to his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Lennon was shot and killed three weeks after his album 'Double Fantasy' was released in 1980, aged just 40. His lasting contribution to the world, in his preaching of peace, love and acceptance, and has culminated and manifested in a variety of ways. Philip Lopez, who made the pilgrimage to Lennon's star of fame, named his own son Lennon after the musician and peace activist. Lennon himself, speaking to the LA Times, aged just 5 says he likes the song 'All the People'.

Other monuments, events and awards in his honour include: the Liverpool John Lennon Airport, in the city where he was born, which is named after him; the Strawberry Fields, in New York's Central Park, is dedicated to Lennon; in Japan, a John Lennon museum was open for ten years; the John Lennon Peace Monument was unveiled two years ago, and the Lennonono Grant For Peace is given by Yoko Ono every other year. Towards the end of his life Lennon devoted a huge amount of energy and time, alongside Yoko, into peace activism, and arguably his most famous lyrics read, from little Lennon's favourite song: 'Imagine all the people living in peace'.

Continue reading: John Lennon's 72nd Birthday Celebrated, His Legacy Lives On

Jarvis Cocker has reviewed the latest book to be have been published about The Beatles. 'The John Lennon Letters', edited by Hunter Davies, is a collection of missives from the late Beatles’ songwriter, dating from between 1951 and 1980. Cocker questions the real value in these pop history artefacts, drawing attention to the fact that the source material was largely sourced from private collections; from people who have paid vast sums of money to own a piece of Lennon’s personal history and the former Pulp singer asks whether the books say more about the culture of collecting pop memorabilia than the words of the letters can ever say themselves.

“I love the Beatles. I haven't named any kids after them but I still really love them,” says Cocker and he painfully recalls the way in which the ‘Britpop’ era was damaged by that very nostalgia that permeates collections such as this. “Wearing the same clothes and taking the same drugs will not make us into Beatles. It will make us fat and ill. And books like this (along with many others, I admit) are what make that mistake possible. The Beatles didn't know they were the Beatles. The Beatles didn't have a plan or a blueprint to follow. They followed their impulses and vague hunches and somehow left a legacy of 213 songs with scarcely a dud among them. That's all the information you need, really.”

In essence, Cocker describes the hoarde of surviving Beatles fans as “the children of the echo” and suggests that we should all “get a life” and “move on,” rather than obsessing over trivia such as is contained herein.

Neil Young and Foo Fighters were among the star attractions at Saturday night’s Global Citizen Festival in Central Park. The concert was held in order to raise awareness about issues surrounding poverty and according to the Washington Post, organisers “used an innovative approach to ticket distribution so that many concert-goers were forced to learn about an array of global problems in order to get a ticket.”

Anyone wanting to attend the concert, which also featured performances from the Black Keys, John Legend and Band Of Horses, had to register for tickets at globalcitizen.org. They earned ‘points’ towards a ticket for every poverty-related video they watched, of piece of information that they read. Around 71,000 people signed up for tickets and 60,000 of those crowded into Central Park for the unique event. The bands played for a round an hour each and were interspersed with guest speakers talking about global poverty issues.

Neil Young was joined, for his set, by Dave Grohl and members of the Black Keys, for a rendition of his classic track ‘Rockin’ In The Free World.’ When Foo Fighters played their own set, Grohl told the audience “Feels good to be here.” John Legend made a “surprise appearance,” playing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine,’ just a short way from where Lennon used to live. The concert had been deliberately scheduled to coincide with the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, to increase public consciousness of the presence of poverty.