Mark Chapman on a "Crusade" when killing Lennon
MARK CHAPMAN claims he was on a "Crusade" when he pulled the trigger on Ex-Beatle John Lennon 25 years ago. Chapman described himself as a "White Knight" who hoped to define himself by killing Lennon. John Lennon was killed 25 years ago while he entered his apartment near Central Park in New York. Chapman claims it was "Like a train, there was no stopping it." on tapes set to air on U.S television this week. Chapman, 50, says "I was sitting cross-legged on the carpet... and I remember opening up the Sergeant Pepper album. The Catcher and the Rye was very prominent," he said (Referring to the J.D Salinger classic) "And i remember saying in my mind, 'What if I killed him?'. "I remember thinking my identity would be found in the killing of John Lennon." Chapman claimed something inside him "Just broke". It's a little bit cold and there's a little wind, and somehow I knew that this was it, that this was the day. "And all of a sudden from way across Central Park West I see the limo. And I know that, that it's him. "I have this incredible feeling. And John Lennon's car pulled up. I heard a voice in my head saying, `Do it ! Do it ! Do it !'. "And as he passed me, I pulled out the gun, aimed at his back and pulled the trigger five times in succession." Chapman said he was "under total compulsion" and remained thoroughly convinced there was nothing he could do to help himself. "You have to understand, I don't think I truly thought I was doing anything evil. I thought I was good." The tapes, recorded in 1991 and 1992, form part of a Channel 4 documentary, "I Killed John Lennon," to be broadcast in the UK on the anniversary of his death. They will be aired for the first time on NBC's Dateline this Friday. (SOURCE: Yahoo News UK) 

Posted by Brackwater at 2:01 PM  

Yoko Threat Over Musical
PRODUCERS of a John Lennon musical have been forced to make drastic changes after Yoko Ono threatened to sue. Lennon's widow and Sony music had threatened writers of Lennon - A Day in the Life with a lawsuit. Now they have had to scrap all dialogue and plot and take John Lennon's name out of the title, renaming the show Come Together Right Now. They also removed any Lennon photos or memorabilia from the show and its publicity, and scrapped a planned tour. Mr Watts said the Performing Right Society had advised them to alter the show and turn it into a concert performance. The production has now started a national tour to finish at the Liverpool Empire in December to mark the 25th anniversary of the ex Beatle's death. * FORMER Beatle Sir Paul McCartney is to become the first artist in history to broadcast live music into space. His performance of Beatles classic Good Day Sunshine will be beamed to the international space station crew, 220 miles above Earth on November 13, just before 6am (GMT). 

Posted by Serena at 7:53 PM  

Bubble and Friends play the White Album in NYC
Bubble and Friends play the White Album in NYC On Friday July 8th and Saturday July 9th, at the Baggott Inn in Greenwich Village, the New York City-based power-pop combo BUBBLE -- together with an all-star cast of guest performers -- presents two complete performances of the 1968 double LP "THE BEATLES" (aka THE WHITE ALBUM) and a third special "kid friendly" sampler set. Hailed by the Newark Star-Ledger as "a brilliantly executed, feel-good event," Bubble’s White Album tribute includes everything from note-for-note renditions of "Back in the USSR," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to a dead-on a cappella performance of the album’s penultimate track, the infamous "Revolution 9." The feel-good vibe continues with two 9pm shows, as well as a special children’s show at 6 pm on Saturday. Led by singer/guitarist Dave Foster, Bubble includes drummer Tom DeVito, bassist/vocalist Matt Lindsey, guitarist Rich Feridun, keyboardist Bill Malchow and percussionist/vocalist Bill Gerstel. This Friday and Saturday, the band also welcomes full string and horn sections and a who’s who of downtown indie rock, including Brian Dewan, Erik Paparozzi, Chris Anderson, Michael Schoen, Julian Maile, Pete Galub, Cathy Cervenka, Courtney Lee Adams Jr., Mark Rinzel, Burnley Vest, Royce Peterson, Wilder Selzer, and Gordon Grody. Special guests include AJ Azzarto (co-producer of Nancy Sinatra’s most recent album and Frank Sinatra’s granddaughter), Joe Pecorino ("John" from the original cast of BEATLEMANIA), and a few surprises. The Baggott Inn is located at 82 West 3rd Street, and reserved seats for all shows are available through InstantSeats. Tickets for the 9pm shows are $20 reserved. For the 6pm children’s show, seats are $10 for adults and $5 for kids under the age of 12. For more information, visit www.bubbleland.com. Published June 29, 2005 

Posted by Robin at 12:17 PM  

Heather not impressed with her soap debut
HEATHER NOT IMPRESSED WITH US SOAP DEBUT HEATHER MILLS McCARTNEY is refusing to watch her appearance on US daytime soap DAYS OF OUR LIVES - because she's convinced she's terrible. Husband SIR PAUL McCARTNEY has seen the footage of the activist, who appears as herself on the hit show, and has been "diplomatic" about her two-show performance, which airs tomorrow (29JUN05) and on Monday (04JUL05). But she insists she never agreed to the cameo to become a star - she just wanted to promote her Adopt-A-Minefield charity. She says, "I'm not an actress. I just went in and did it in two hours and left." The former model reveals Days of Our Lives producer KEN CORDAY came up with the idea of a storyline involving Mills McCartney and her charity when he first met her at a gala. She recalls, "He said, 'I'd like to help more...' and I said, 'Well, what is it exactly that you do?' I knew he was in TV but I live in England so we don't have Days of Our Lives. "He said, 'We have this top-rated soap show,' and we talked some ideas and came up with a storyline that this hunk would basically go off and work in a warzone, step on a landmine, come back and need some counselling. "I didn't expect to get the email saying, 'OK, we've done it all,' because people make a lot of false promises to charities... It was a big risk for them, so I'm really proud of them for doing that." 28/06/2005 09:05 

Posted by Robin at 12:15 PM  

Paul in Red Square DVD; A Review
Paul McCartney in Red Square Back in the U.S.S.R. ...for the very first time. June 29, 2005 - As the last surviving relevant Beatle, Paul McCartney occupies a rare "rocker emeritus" position in the musical firmament; unlike The Rolling Stones' money-minting traveling self-tribute show, the former 'cute one' at least attempts to maintain a degree of credibility when performing live. In May 2003, Macca played Moscow's Red Square to a huge crowd that included Russian President Vladimir Putin. And despite the Beatles' famous White Album rocker "Back in the U.S.S.R.", this show (and one in St. Petersberg) marked the first time McCartney set foot on Russian soil, much less played there. Naturally, the landmark event was recorded for posterity; but the resulting DVD, Paul McCartney in Red Square, proves to be a poorly-handled mishmash of concert footage and revisionist history rather than the satisfying documents of McCartney concerts that appeared on DVDs past.The problem isn't as much the performance material as it is the way it's presented. Segments sometimes as long as fifteen minutes interrupt the concert footage, featuring testimonials from old Russians who explain how the Liverpool quartet almost single-handedly brought down decades of Soviet Communism- a significant feat indeed for a rock band who couldn't even keep themselves together.Additionally, Paul is shown visiting a music school in St. Petersburg where he mentors young performers and receives a chorus of orphans, shares an audience with Putin, whom he rhapsodizes about as a "man of the people," despite the Russian leader's previous credentials as head of the KGB, an outfit that anyone who's read a Tom Clancy novel knows weren't exactly Boy Scouts.While the travelogue footage is of questionable merit, what really kills this disc is the way it's integrated, or more accurately, not integrated into the program. The tacked-on scenes appear to exist only to fill out the chapters; I didn't even know they were there during a cursory run-through of the disc because chapter stops are set at the beginning of each song. And while it's possible to skip to the next song, it's an annoying distraction to have to reach for the remote every few minutes.The concert itself is a businesslike production that never builds any real excitement. Not only do the non-musical segments disrupt any song-to-song momentum, but the day/ night continuity is virtually nonexistent; Paul and his 4-piece backing band sound good and play with enthusiasm, but little about the overall presentation inspires much enthusiasm. Reportedly, 26 cameras were used to cover the event, and it shows: hyper-caffeinated editing cycles constantly through most of the camera angles, no matter how incoherent is the end result, and proves to be a questionable aesthetic choice given McCartney's likely older audience. Further, as the brilliant Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense demonstrated, it is possible to get away with extremely lengthy takes from one camera, so there's little excuse for such a slick take on a classic form. Despite the gaffes with the structure of the program, the problems could easily have been solved if someone had only thought to break the non-musical parts in to their own chapters and then offered the viewer an option to either watch the show in its original form or just the music or just the sightseeing. But, alas, no such option is provided, so keep the remote close by. Set List: It's Getting Better Band on the Run Can't Buy Me Love Two of Us I Saw Her Standing There We Can Work It Out I've Just Seen a Face Live and Let Die Someone's Knocking at the Door Fool on the Hill Every Little Thing Birthday Maybe I'm Amazed Back in the U.S.S.R. Calico Skies Hey Jude She's Leaving Home Yesterday Let It Be Back in the USSR (reprise)Score: 6 out of 10 The clearest shot of McCartney on the DVD. The VideoThe 4:3 full-screen transfer is pretty mediocre, coming in looking nearly as bad as a VHS tape. There's plenty of aliasing on diagonals; the reds in Paul's shirts are noisy and smeary; detail is seriously lacking with distant shots consisting basically of fuzzy blobs. Fuzzy blobs rock out! Whenever there are fast camera pans, it goes jittery and indistinct. Colors are soft and unimpressive and black levels are weak. The documentary footage looks a bit better, but we're not buying the disc for non-concert related footage, so who cares if their vacation videos look nice when the show itself is weak?Score: 4 out of 10Languages and AudioAudio choices are English 2.0 Stereo, Dolby 5.1 or DTS 5.1 with English subtitles. Audio tracks can be switched on the fly, but the stereo mix is pathetic and should be avoided like Ringo's movies. Levels are low and the mix is blah. Pass. Guitars in the left channel, percussion in the right channel... Of the two surround choices, I give a very slight nod to the DTS track because it sounds more glued together than the Dolby track. The high-end is a tad exaggerated in Dolby with audience noise, cymbals and acoustic guitars being more prominent. As a result, the DTS track sounds less zingy, but more musical and cohesive. What stereo panning is present is a bit more pronounced in DTS.Overall, it would have been nice if they mixed the show more aggressively - made it rock a little harder, particularly with the bass and drums - and gave more of a "you are there" vibe. While the DTS mix gets my nod, the Dolby isn't far behind, so see what sounds best on your setups. Just stay away from the stereo! No offensive hiss or distortion was noted and the mix levels are adequate.Score: 7 out of 10Packaging and ExtrasThe disc comes in an Amaray case with cardboard slipcover that duplicates the case art. An 8-page booklet with photos, quotes and song listings is included. Putin raises the roof! The best extra is Paul McCartney: Live in St. Petersburg, billed as a hour-long bonus concert, but judging from the lack of overlap in the set lists, it's more like the outtakes culled from unused remnants of the main show.Set List: Jet Got to Get You Into My Life Flaming Pie Let Me Roll It Drive My Car Penny Lane Get Back Back in the U.S.S.R. I've Got a Feeling Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/The End Helter SkelterWhat makes this better than the main concert is it cuts to the chase pretty quickly after a 10-minute chunk of rehearsal footage and blather from McCartney; thankfully, it's a pretty straight-forward- albeit truncated- sequence of performances that mantains better momentum than the main event materials from the Red Square set. Behind the Curtain: Memories from Red Square is a six-minute featurette of random footage of Paul greeting people with him commenting about how meaningful all this was. Now everybody try to stay together... Russia and The Beatles: A Brief Journey is a bit from A&E's sister outlet, The History Channel, which purports to trace the simultaneous historical tracks of the Soviet Union and the band, managing to trivialize both in less than six minutes.Finally, Resources - which is just a half-dozen web URLs to sites concerning Russian history and music - wraps up the extras.Score: 6 out of 10 -- Peter Schorn The MovieAn okay concert hamstrung by disruptive political interview segments. 6 The VideoFuzzy, unimpressive VHS-grade transfer. 4 The AudioLousy stereo, but decent surround mixes. 7 The ExtrasBetter-paced bonus concert footage plus extra interview segments. 6 Overall Score (not an average) 6 

Posted by Robin at 12:12 PM  

Ringo's message is love
Ringo Starr's Message: 'Love' NEW YORK, June 29, 2005 Ringo Starr Backstage Pass Ringo Starr (Photo: CBS) The Beatles in 1969, in what turned out to be their last photo session together: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon (L-R) (Photo: AP/Apple Corps Ltd.) Buy: Choose Love (advertisement) (CBS) Ringo Starr helped take America by storm in 1964, as the drummer for legendary rock band The Beatles. Four decades later, he's still going strong. For his latest project, he got little help from his friends, the Roundheads, and put together a new album titled "Choose Love." "It's still the same, 'Choose Love.' Choose peace," Starr told The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler during his visit as part of the Summer Concert series. The message from the former Beatle has not changed, and he is still going strong at 64. And though the Beatles song "When I'm 64" seems, in a way, prophetic, Starr says in no way, back then, was he thinking this far ahead. "You don't think that when you're 24," he said. "That's just, like, too far ahead. And, suddenly, you find you are there." Is he saying: Where did all the time go? "No, I know where it went," Starr said, laughing, "I have lived a life. I've done many things. I've had lots of fun with my music, with my painting, with the love of my life, my wife, with the children. It's a whole life going down here." Complimenting him on his looks, Syler predicted he would live to be 100 years old. "The secret of musicians," he said, "is we don't look in the mirror, because till we do, we're all 24." He shared a few more secrets regarding his marriage, a 24-year success. "The secret is that I love that woman dearly, and she loves me. Thank God," he exclaimed. And the secret for the Beatles still being relevant today? "It is the music," he said, "Whatever happens, it's the music. The records we made them still hold up today." Asked what he thinks about what he thinks of reality shows that turn people into music stars overnight, in view of the fact that he paid his dues, Starr said, "I did pay my dues. But the reality shows, I have to confess, I do not watch them. I do see the results where somebody who has won one of those shows is really huge for six months, a year, and then it's, like, they're tossed aside. "I feel blessed that I came up through the ranks from clubs to theaters to stadiums. And that's what I do. I didn't really do it to be famous. I did it because I loved to play." Next for him? "I'm just going to make more music for the rest of this morning," he said. For The Early Show's Summer Concert series, he performed the title track from his new album, as well as "Back Off Boogaloo," from the 1974 album "Goodnight Vienna;" "With A Little Help From My Friends" from the 1967 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band;" and his classic hit, "It Don't Come Easy" from the 1973 album "Ringo." Starr produced and co-wrote all 12 songs on "Choose Love," which is a tribute to the music and the message of the Beatles, evoking past melodies. "Oh My Lord," in particular, recalls the melody of George Harrison's hit, "My Sweet Lord." Starr's song is dedicated to his late bandmate, who died in 2001. Starr's most recent previous album was "Ringorama," produced in 2003. 

Posted by Robin at 12:10 PM  

Paul skips charity show
Organizer: McCartney skipped charity show Photos Paul McCartney (AP) By Associated PressJuly 1, 2005 LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. -- Was Paul McCartney supposed to play at a concert benefiting victims of the Bluebird Canyon landslide? An event organizer claims the former Beatle promised to perform over the weekend, but the entertainer's publicist, Paul Freundlich, said Wednesday that McCartney never planned to appear.The confusion started when organizer Andy Alison said he delivered a flower basket and an invitation to McCartney at his music label, Capitol Records, on June 23. The real estate agent heard that McCartney and his wife had stayed at the Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach and were familiar with the area. Also, McCartney's post-Beatles band, Wings, had a song called "Bluebird."City officials said they were under the impression McCartney wished to help the victims when a city employee received a call from a man who said he worked for Capitol Records. The man never called back, City Manager Ken Frank said."The number checked back to Capitol," Frank said. "So maybe it was a misunderstanding, or maybe he got sick or changed his mind. Who knows? Maybe it was a gimmick (to sell more tickets)."About 2,500 people flocked to Saturday's concert at an elementary school.Rumors flew that the singer was glimpsed behind stages, in bathrooms and flying in helicopters, Frank said.The June 1 landslide sent homes tumbling down a hill and left others on unstable ground. 

Posted by Robin at 12:06 PM  

Paul: Ex Rock President?
SIR PAUL McCARTNEY is confused by his role at the Live 8 concert in London on Saturday (02JUL05), because he was introduced as a rock veteran at the original Live Aid twenty years ago. The former BEATLE will open and close the bash at Hyde Park, ending with a performance of LONG AND WINDING ROAD. He says, "I seem to recall that at Live Aid I was being referred to as an 'elder statesman', so what does that make me now? I feel like an ex-president of rock 'n' roll." 30/06/2005 01:50 

Posted by Robin at 12:04 PM  

John Lennon auction collection up for grabs
JOHN LENNON AUCTION COLLECTION UP FOR GRABS JOHN LENNON’s military tunic and an oil painting from the legend’s student days are to be auctioned in a collection estimated to be worth $2 million. Going under the hammer on July 28 at London’s Hippodrome will be items charting the Beatle’s life, from his time at college to the sofa he sat on for his final publicity photograph. Included in the auction will be the original ’All You Need Is Love’ manuscript, the tunic which is believed to have inspired the costumes on the ’Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album cover, a never-before-heard recording of Lennon and Yoko Ono’s children singing ’All You Need Is Love’ and the singer’s electric piano – a gift from Elton John - taken from his Dakota Building apartment. “Every item speaks for itself in terms of rarity, importance and cultural significance’, said Ted Owen, director of auction house Cooper Owen. “Without Lennon and The Beatles, I have no doubt that the music industry would look very different today.” He added: “Together, the items in this sale combine all of the best elements of the man himself – it is iconic, idealistic and irreverent. We’re honoured to be passing them on – and the sale itself will celebrate Lennon and his legacy the way it was meant to be celebrated!” The key lots are: Handwritten ’All You Need Is Love’ manuscript from the ’Our World’ broadcast in 1967 - The Beatles last live TV performance. Bedspread from Lennon and Ono’s Montreal ‘bed-in’, 1969 Previously unheard recordings of Lennon and Ono’s children singing ’All You Need Is Love’ A rare oil painting by Lennon created whilst a student in Liverpool Table from the Weybridge home Lennon shared with his first wife Cynthia Chair Lennon sat on for the cover of the The Beatles first US album ’Introducing The Beatles’ and some of the band’s first publicity photos Vox organ played by Lennon at The Beatles’ Shea Stadium gig, 1965 Clothing, including the military tunic, worn in Life magazine photo shoot Original Tom Mix standee from the cover of ’Sgt Pepper’ - one of only a handful remaining props from the shoot Lennon’s electric piano from his Dakota Building apartment – a gift from Elton John - and a sofa from Lennon and Ono’s ’Special Room’ in the Hit Factory recording studio used during the recording of his final albums ’Double Fantasy’ and ’Milk & Honey’ Get 5 issues of NME - the world's biggest selling rock weekly - for freePublished: 30-06-2005-13-58 

Posted by Robin at 12:02 PM  

Ringo avoiding taxes
Ringo Starr builds a new home to avoid taxes Washington: Former Beatle band member, Ringo Starr, who has homes in Britain and Los Angeles, has set up a permanent home in Monte Carlo, in order to make more royalties money there and avoid tax laws in Britain and Los Angeles. “I live in Monte Carlo with residences in England and LA. I’ve had a house here in LA since 1975 and I love LA. I love America but I love LA. It’s overrated. I want to do the WILLIE NELSON thing - you just don’t pay until they catch you and then you do some shows somewhere and it’s all forgiven”, Contactmusic.com quoted him as saying. Starr, has also admitted that he has always fought against paying tax bills. (ANI) 

Posted by Robin at 11:58 AM