It was only when Audette broke cover after littering his conversation with Beatles lyrics that McCartney realised he had been "pranked." McCartney told Audette "we're going to sue your ass off," but then laughed and said no when Audette asked whether he was being serious. "You Canadians are funny," McCartney said. "I was beginning to think Canada has one zany PM."
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McCartney in Scuffle at Blaine Stunt
Police are investigating reports that Paul McCartney scuffled with a photographer when the singer went to see magician David Blaine, who is in a plastic box dangling over the River Thames. The London Evening Standard said that one of its photographers had clashed with McCartney, who had joined onlookers at the London site. Blaine is trying to stay in the clear box, near London's Tower Bridge, for 44 days without food. Photographer Kevin Wheal is quoted by the Standard as saying that McCartney and his friends tried to stop him taking pictures. He added: "One of them said: 'There's no way you're going to take a picture, mate.'"

McCartney's spokesman Geoff Baker--who initially said the musician had fired him for tipping off photographers about the trip to see Blaine--issued a statement saying reports of a "fracas" were exaggerated. Baker's statement described how he, McCartney and friends of the musician went to see Blaine after dining in central London's Soho district.

"One of the lads tipped off the press, who were watching a man in a sleeping bag in a box, that Paul was passing," the statement said. "Paul then continued the joke by telling his mate, who is his publicist, that he was fired. Paul then got into a car and went home. Reports that this was a fracas or anything other than a group of friends on a night out are heavily exaggerated."
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Lennon's Legend Coming to DVD
A new John Lennon DVD is set for release, compiled by the late legend's wife Yoko Ono. Lennon Legend, a companion to the Lennon compilation of the same name, is set for release October 27 and features a raft of exclusive features. The DVD is made up of highlights of Lennon's solo career, including an all-new video for "Working Class Hero" featuring footage of the star's childhood, material from John and Yoko's legendary "Bed-In" and a live version of "Imagine" from Lennon's last ever live performance.

Yoko Ono said of the project, which she executive-produced: "This is as definitive a collection as it is possible to be. John's life was an amazing one and one that I feel privileged to have been part of."
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The Beatles Get "Naked"
The Beatles have unveiled the artwork for the upcoming back-to-basics edition of their classic album Let It Be. Let It Be...Naked--released in the U.K. on November 17 and in the U.S. on November 18--features an inverse version of the album's original cover shot mounted on a plain grey background. According to the record company bosses, the idea was to strip back the image in the same way that the music has been reworked for the album.

The new-look Let It Be has been "de-mixed and re-mixed, un-dubbed of orchestration, choirs and effects and stripped back" from the Phil Spector-produced original.Let It Be...Naked has been dubbed the album that took 30 years to finish and is said to represent the LP the band set out to make in 1969.

"If we'd have had today's technology back then, it would sound like this because this is the noise we made in the studio," said Paul McCartney. Ringo said of the new LP: "When I first heard it, it was really uplifting. It took you back again to the times when we were this band, this Beatle band."
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George's Guitar from the '69 Rooftop Concert Sells at Auction
A guitar belonging to the late George Harrison during the Beatles' last public performance was sold for $434,750 in a public auction Saturday. (September 13, 2003.) Harrison played the custom-made Fender Rosewood Telecaster during the filming of the movie Let It Be. The January 30, 1969 performance on the roof of London's Apple Records was the last time the band performed together in public.

The winning bidder was an "anonymous West-Coast collector," the auction house said. The auction was part of a two-day auction of entertainment and pop culture memorabilia.
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Former Owner of Autographed Double Fantasy Album Sues Auction Firm
The former owner of the album that John Lennon autographed for his assassin just before he was killed has sued the Intenet auction company that sold it, claiming the firm has not paid him any of the money he is owed. Philip Michael, 51, of Hamburg, filed the civil lawsuit against Moments in Time, a Washingtonville, NY-based memorabilia auction house, and its president, Gary Zimet. Michael claims he was never paid the 95-percent share of the sale of the Double Fantasy album Lennon signed for Mark David Chapman. The album linked Chapman to the crime via his fingerprints and, according to the suit, is considered "one of the most significant pieces of music memorabilia in existence."

Zimet was not immediately available for comment, but the Moments in Time website states the album sold for $464,000 at auction on January 20th, 1999. The suit committed a breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, professional negligence and violation of the Consumer Fraud Act. Michael, who owned the album for 17 years, is seeking unspecified actual punitive damanges, interest and attorneys' fees. He also wants an accounting of the moneys involved with the sale.

"He hasn't gotten a dime, and that's what the lawsuit is about, " said Michael's attorney, Paul Hunczak. "All we know is he doesn't have the album and Zimet has his money."
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Concert for George to Hit Theaters/DVD This Fall
A film chronicling last fall's star-studded George Harrison tribute at London's Royal Albert Hall will open October 3rd in select U.S. cities. Filmed in high definition and recorded in 5.1 surround sound, A Concert for George will be released worldwide on DVD in November.

Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton served as the music director for the event, which featured appearances by Harrison's surviving Beatles bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as friends Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Joe Brown, Anoushka Shankar and Billy Preston. Among the Harrison songs they performed were "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "I Want to Tell You," "The Inner Light," "Give Me Love," "Taxman," "I Need You" and "For You Blue."

"The Concert for George was all I hoped it would be. The glue that held it together was our love for George," his widow Olivia Harrison says in a statement. "I don't think I've ever heard a band play with so much emotion and respect."
Adds Clapton, "All I wanted to do was really share our love for George and his music."

The event also saw members of Monty Python re-enacting some of Harrison's favorite skits. Harrison financed and served as an executive producer of the comedy troupe's second feature film, 1979's The Life of Brian.
The movie trailer for the film, as well as assorted photos from the event, can be seen at the Concert for George website.

The theatrical engagement will open in New York, Los Angeles and other select U.S. cities to be determined. All proceeds from the concert, the film and the DVD will benefit the Material World Charitable Foundation, founded by Harrison in 1973.
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Here Comes the Bride...I think...
The long-anticipated marriage between international fashion star Stella McCartney and her fiance Alasdhair Willis apparently took place Saturday, under extremely tight security, on the remote island of Bute, off the western coast of Scotland.

Though representatives for the couple have not confirmed the wedding, the British press reports McCartney, daughter of Beatles legend Paul McCartney, tied the knot in a secluded chapel on the 300-acre Mount Stuart gothic estate on Bute--close to a site with strong emotional ties for the McCartneys. Bute is near the Mull of Kintyre, the inspiration for the Beatles song "The Long and Winding Road," and the key to the Wings hit "Mull of Kintyre." In addition, Kintyre was Stella's late mother Linda McCartney's favorite family place and the family had owned a house there.
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Cavern Club Goes Global
Plans are underway to replicate Liverpool's infamous Cavern Club in a chain of venues across the world. The Cavern Club--famously the site where the Beatles played over 300 shows from 1961--will be recreated in Adelaide, San Paulo, Rio, Marbella, Miami and New York if work by the club owners goes according to plan. Chairman Bill Heckle said, "This is a fantastic opportunity to spread the name of the Beatles and the Cavern Club around the world."

The original Cavern Club was closed in 1973 and reopened in 1984. The club has hosted hundreds of Beatle-inspired events, including an exclusive gig by Paul McCartney in 2001.
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Ringo Starr's "Postcards"
Ringo's book Postcards from the Boys is due to hit stores this December/January.
It's a book of postcards and letters from John, George and Paul that Ringo received over the years, all from his personal collection.
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Olivia Announces New George Releases
In a letter posted on the official George Harrison website, George's widow Olivia announced that there are a lot of new Harrison releases coming up in the next several months.

"This November we look forward to a worldwide limited theatrical release of The Concert for George," she writes. "The 2-disk DVD will then be available the end of November."
Harrison also goes on to say that George's long out-of-print Dark Horse catalogue of albums have just finished being remastered, and that "They will be available (individually and in a special box set) early next year with previously unreleased material."
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What'd I Say?
The sister of original Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe denies ever saying that John Lennon was responsible for her brother's death. A prior report in England's Independent newspaper said Pauline Sutcliffe claimed a kick by Lennon to her brother's head had ultimately caused his death in April of 1962 from a brain hemorrhage.

The BBC reported on Thursday (July 24) that Sutcliffe said, "I did not say what was quoted in the papers and I am shocked by it. I am distressed for John Lennon's family and for my own family and for millions of Beatles fans worldwide who would be deeply offended by it." Sutcliffe did say that a fight between Lennon and her brother weeks before his death "could not have been helpful." She spoke while unveiling a collection of her brothers' memorabilia that will be auctioned off in London on Tuesday (July 29).
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McCartney vs. Wings
Singer Paul McCartney has joined an animal rights campaign against fast food chain KFC, urging the company to ensure better treatment for chickens in a U.S. newspaper advertisement on Thursday.

"If KFC suppliers treated dogs or cats they way they treat chickens, they could be charged with the crime of cruelty to animals," said a letter signed by McCartney on behalf of the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). "I am a vegetarian because I realize that even little chickens suffer pain and fear," the letter said. "These remarkable animals are deserving of at least a little kindness." The letter appeared in the Louisville Courier-Journal, a newspaper in the hometown of KFC and its parent company, Yum Brands, Inc. It was addressed to Yum Chief Executive David Novak.

KFC spokeswoman Bonnie Warschauer said the fast food chain was committed to the humane treatment of chickens. "Paul McCartney is a music legend, and he's entitled to his opinion, but we think he's misinformed," she said in a statement.
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Ringo Rocks!
Ringo Starr may sing "It Don't Come Easy," but he sure makes performing look effortless. The 63-year-old Beatles drummer and his All-Starr Band entertained fans for just over two hours July 23, with hit after hit during the first show of a sold-out two-night-stand in Rama, Ontario.
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Spotlight on Post-Beatles Paul
An exhibition on the post-Beatles career of Sir Paul McCartney opens today (July 26) at The Beatles Story Museum at Liverpool's Albert Dock. The permanent exhibition, called The Solo Years - Paul McCartney, was created by students of Britian's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), which was established by the music legend. The display includes models of Sir Paul's boyhood home, the Liverpool skyline and the LIPA building. It also features information on his work with his band Wings, and his paintings and poetry.
The Beatles Story already focuses on the solo work of John Lennon and plans to add exhibitions about the post-Beatles careers of George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
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Lost Lennon Footage Goes Under the Hammer
Two reels of never-before-seen 16mm film footage depicting John Lennon walking around New York City sold for $53,775 today (July 26) at a Christie's auction of showbiz memorabilia. The Lennon film, lasting 40 minutes and shot without sound, was snapped up by an anonymous buyer. The footage was taken in 1974 by a young filmmaker who approached Lennon and asked to film him with a new camera.
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Ain't That a Kick in the Head
The sister of one-time Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe is claiming that John Lennon was responsible for her brother's death. Sutcliffe joined the Beatles in January 1960 at Lennon's urging and left the group near the end of that year to live in Hamburg, Germany, and concentrate on an art career. Sutcliffe died of a brain hemorrhage on April 10, 1962, and his sister Pauline Sutcliffe says it was Lennon's kick to her brother's head that ultimately caused his death.

In her 2001 book, The Beatles' Shadow, Ms. Sutcliffe wrote: "I believe that the cerebral hemorrhage that cost Stuart his life was caused by an injury inflicted by John in a jealous rage. A postmortem revealed Stuart had a dent in his skull, as though from a blow or kick. And a few months earlier, John had viciously kicked my brother in the head in a sustained, unprovoked attack."

Sutcliffe's charges are being given new exposure thanks to an auction of her brother's memorabilia which is taking place in London on July 29. It includes a sketchbook that dates back to October, 1961--after the fight with Lennon supposedly took place--which features barely-legible words such as "torment," "shout," "explode," and "the bloody brain," as well as a "dissection" of his own brain--indications of Stuart Sutcliffe's deteriorating mental condition, which his sister attributes to a kick in the head from Lennon.

However, a former collaborator disagrees with her. Alan Clayson, who worked with Sutcliffe on the story for the film Backbeat, says she's now contradicting the work they did together.
"We concluded that Stuart wasn't beaten up by John Lennon--his condition was brought on by an overuse of amphetamines," says Clayson, who added that Stuart Sutcliffe only had one major physical confrontation in his life, which happened in Liverpool in early 1961, and that Lennon actually jumped in to help his old friend.
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Happy Birthday to You!
A very happy 63rd birthday wish for Ringo Starr, born July 7th, 1940.

You Say It's Your Birthday?
Here's wishing Sir Paul McCartney a very happy 61st birthday, born on this day, June the 18th, 1942.

It's Lennon-McCartney Again
Sir Paul McCartney has laid to rest his simmering feud with Yoko Ono over who should take lead credit for writing some of the best-known Beatles songs. A row broke out after the singer reversed the renowned Lennon-McCartney credits of Beatles songs on his latest album. However, in an interview yesterday, Sir Paul said he is now happy to let the original credits remain unchanged on future recordings.
He said: "I'm happy with the way it is and always have been. Lennon and McCartney is still the rock n' roll trademark I'm proud to be a part of - in the order it has always been."
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Paul Rocks The Cavern
Sir Paul McCartney played a secret gig at Liverpool's Cavern Club May 31st, the eve before the final concert of his Back in the World tour. He played three songs, including "Let It Be" and "We Are Family," at the crew's end-of-tour party. His pregnant wife Heather attended the party, along with about 150 crew members and a few of McCartney's close friends and family.
The club was given a Moroccan makeover for the party and decorated with plants and beanbags. Cavern owner Bill Heckle said: "Paul was really dancing the night away, enjoying every minute of the evening. He was incessantly on the dance floor with Heather."
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Baby, I'm Amazed!
Sir Paul McCartney and wife Heather Mills are expecting their first child together!

"We are delighted with this happy news," the couple said in a statement. Mills, 34, and McCartney, 60, were married in June of 2002. The child will be a first for Mills, who was married briefly in 1989; McCartney has two daughters, a son and a stepdaughter from his marriage to his late first wife Linda.
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Ringo Starr Adds the Final Touch to Octopus's Garden
Former Beatle Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach obligingly turned up for the preview of Chelsea Flower Show May 19th to inspect the garden inspired by his song, "Octopus's Garden." Starr was the ultimate accessory for the Hasmead Octopus Garden, (designed by Marney Hall) a garden that attempts to turn a coral reef, complete with fish and giant sea urchins, into terrestrial form.
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Unseen John Lennon Footage To Be Auctioned
Unseen footage of John Lennon in a student film will be auctioned at Christie's in New York in July. The film was shot in 1974, when an anonymous student met Lennon on a New York street and asked him to star in her film for the day.

The film shows the former Beatle imitating a baboon to entertain children, taking over an ice cream van, and dancing across benches, among other such antics. It is expected to fetch between $45,000 and $50,000 on the auction block.
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Paul McCartney, Back in the USSR
Legions of Russian Beatles fans who never got to see Lennon and McCartney instead got Lenin and McCartney on Saturday (May 24) when the former Beatle played to about 20,000 people, including President Vladimir Putin, just a few hundred meters from Lenin's Mausoleum on Red Square. After missing out on the Beatlemania that took over the world in the 1960's, Moscow fans made up for lost time by eagerly welcoming McCartney to Russia for the first time.

There were objections; more than 100 State Duma deputies tried to have the concert cancelled, saying it was too close to the graves the Lenin and Stalin.
But this time, McCartney had a powerful fan.

Putin, 51, who was a teenager at the height of the Beatles' popularity, told McCartney how much Russians loved the group in Soviet times.
"It was like a breath of fresh air, a window to the outside world."

Beginning the 2 1/2-hour concert with "Hello, Goodbye," McCartney ripped through a hit list of Beatles songs, including "Hey Jude," "Lady Madonna," "Getting Better," and "She's Leaving Home," as well as some Wings solo numbers, and--of course--the Beatles' "Back in the USSR."
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