The Beatles Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

John Lennon is set to go up for auction this week in Newcastle. The item was given to Northumbria Police officer Brian Taylor by the New York Police Department, after they allowed him to shoot the gun on a visit to the department. Taylor recently passed away, and now the bullet will be going under the hammer at Newcastle auctioneers Anderson & Garland on February 29.Taylor had kept the bullet in a frame for the rest of his life, with the auction house’s director describing it as “one of those slightly macabre lots you get now and again that draws everyone’s attention.” “There is a Beatles fanbase that is fanatical and a market for just about anything Beatles,” he continued (via BBC).

“1917” and “Skyfall,” will helm the entire magical mystery tour of biopics that explore the lives of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. “We intend this to be a uniquely thrilling, and epic cinematic experience: four films, told from four different perspectives which tell a single story about the most celebrated band of all time,” producer Pippa Harris, of Neal Street Productions, said in a statement.

Beatles biopic projects told from the perspective of each band member.Sam Mendes (1917, Skyfall) is set to direct all four feature films. The biopics will be told from each band member’s point-of-view and will intersect to “tell the story of the greatest band in history.”The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd.

All four members of The Beatles will get their own standalone biopic as part of an ambitious series of movies from director Sam Mendes. News of the first fully licensed Beatles films depicting the lives of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison was announced by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Neal Street Productions.

Director Peter Jackson revitalized Beatlemania in 2021 with “The Beatles: Get Back,” his acclaimed three-episode, nearly eight-hour Disney+ series about the making of the British rock group’s Let It Be (which had the original working title of Get Back). And Apple certainly saw an opportunity to do much more.

Paul McCartney’s long-lost bass guitar is now hoping that she may be in store for a reward.The bass guitar – which has been dubbed the most important bass in history for its role in recording numerous Beatles hits – was stolen from the musician in 1972, only to be returned to him last week.Cathy Guest found the bass in her attic following the death of her husband Hadyn, who Cathy believes in turn inherited the bass from his brother Graham.Guest revealed in an interview with The Sun that she slipped a hand-written letter into the guitar case before she returned it, explaining her financial situation as a single parent looking after two school children.“My husband inherited it when another family member died and he’d had it for years,” she said. “He had no idea where it came from.

Paul McCartney has finally been reunited with his famed Höfner bass guitar.The bass guitar – which has been dubbed the most important bass in history for its role in recording numerous Beatles hits – was stolen from the musician in 1972, and was last week returned to McCartney, according to his official website.According to the post, the bass was returned to McCartney and was authenticated by Höfner.The statement read: “Following the launch of last year’s Lost Bass project, Paul’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been returned. The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”The long-lost instrument was discovered through the Lost Bass campaign, which began in 2018 but only began to make progress last year to locate the historic bass.

posted a pic of himself holding the legendary bass with a cheeky expression on social media. “To my friends and family, I inherited this item which has been returned to Paul McCartney.

John Lennon from being deported from the US in the 1970s, had died aged 90.Wildes died last Monday (January 8) at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, his family said. He had fallen ill after suffering a series of strokes.His name became known in the music world in 1972 when he took on the case of helping Lennon and Yoko Ono to extend their visas.In a statement, his son Michael Wildes said: “Dad felt he effectively lived the American Dream for a kid from Olyphant, PA and spent his life facilitating the same experience for scores more.

George Harrison during the 1960s to help him out of the “shadow” of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The Scottish singer-songwriter, known for his hits ‘Mellow Yellow’, ‘Sunshine Superman’ and ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’, regularly spent time with The Beatles during the peak of their success. Speaking to Record Collector Magazine (via Music News), he said: “I became George’s mentor for songwriting.

Liam Gallagher has been revealed as the presenter of a children’s charity cover of The Beatles.The Manchester legend worked with GOODSTOCK in order to introduce the cover of ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’. GOODSTOCK is a charity founded by music industry executives and twin sisters, Katie and Debbie Gwyther, to raise funds for Highgate Primary School.Highgate Primary School attends to children with “autism, ADHD, Down’s syndrome and deafness”, working in partnership with Blanche Nevile School for the Deaf and Highgate Family Centre.

Annie Nightingale once revealed that she was the first person to interview Paul McCartney after John Lennon‘s death.Nightingale’s death was announced yesterday (January 12) in a statement by her family. She was aged 83.The BBC Radio 1 stalwart championed many generations of musicians and was good friends with The Beatles.In a resurfaced interview on The Beatles podcast I Am The Eggpod from 2018, Nightingale shared that she was working on the music TV show The Old Grey Whistle Test when Lennon was shot and killed in 1980.She went on to say the show lined up a special programme that night to pay tribute to the singer and McCartney surprised her by phoning in during show.“It was frantic because we were trying to find people who would come in and talk about John and they just wouldn’t,” she said.

John Lennon – saying that he doesn’t see it as “my proudest moment”.An icon of the Belfast punk scene, Terri Hooley reminisced about some of the biggest moments of his life in a new interview with The Guardian, including his tumultuous encounter with The Beatles legend.In the discussion – done to help promote new biography Terri Hooley: Seventy-Five Revolutions by Stuart Bailie – the music industry veteran recalled how the encounter took place around 1970.Introduced to Lennon in London by friends of Oz Magazine, the musician mistook Hooley as a supporter of the IRA in his pre-pacifist days and offered to supply him with weapons. The mistake led to Hooley throwing a punch at the former Beatle – a move he now says he isn’t proud of.“He was stoned so it wasn’t my proudest moment,” he told the outlet, adding: “When I met Cynthia [Lennon’s first wife] and told her, she said, ‘You should have hit him harder!’”The response to the misunderstanding came from Hooley’s upbringing in Belfast’s troubled times and strong political outlook; which also led to him confronting Bob Dylan about his refusal to stop paying taxes to protest the Vietnam war.Hooley’s importance in the industry comes from his role in putting Belfast on the map for music – launching various counterculture magazines and pirate radio stations during times of conflict.

Paul McCartney has revealed how William Shakespeare’s Hamlet subconsciously inspired The Beatles track ‘Let It Be’.Macca opened up about the origins of the Fab Four’s 1970s hit, suggesting that his mother, Mary McCartney said the phrase “let it be” to him in a dream. In an episode of McCartney: A Life in Lyrics podcast, Macca revealed how Hamlet may have inspired the track without him realising.“In those days [at school], I had to learn speeches off by heart.

Julian Lennon, the son of Beatles guitarist John Lennon, revealed Tuesday that he hates the song “Hey Jude” because it reminds him of his parents’ bitter divorce in 1968, when John left her for Yoko Ono.Julian, 60, remarked that Sir Paul McCartney penned the song to comfort both Cynthia Lennon and himself following the split. “It’s a beautiful sentiment, no question about that, and I’m very thankful — but I’ve also been driven up the wall by it,” the Beatles scion told Esquire.

Julian Lennon has spoken out about his relationship with his brother Sean, saying that rumours of an alleged feud between them are “such bull”.The elder son of Beatles legend John Lennon reflected on his relationship with his sibling during a new interview with Esquire, and shut down speculation that there was any feelings of rivalry between them.The conversation arose as he looked back at the red carpet premiere of the Beatles’ 2021 documentary series Get Back, which he attended with Sean. Recalling the event, he explained that his younger brother initially had reservations about attending.“He felt overwhelming pressure.

Julian Lennon has once again discussed his relationship with The Beatles‘ ‘Hey Jude’, saying that he’s been “driven up the wall” by the classic song.During a new interview with Esquire, the musician and son of late Beatles icon John Lennon remembered how Paul McCartney wrote the 1968 non-album single about John’s break-up with Julian’s mother, Cynthia.The couple had separated and John began a relationship with Yoko Ono, whom he married in 1969.“It was ‘Hey Jules’ at first, but that didn’t quite sit well rhythmically,” Julian explained. ‘Hey Jude’ was a better interpretation.”He continued: “Paul wrote it to console Mum, and also to console me.

“George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle” (Scribner), Harrison’s reaction wasn’t out of character — if anything, it displayed his “tactless gene” at its worst.Critically, argues Norman, it was the also culmination of years spent in the shadow of Lennon and McCartney, The Beatles’ principal songwriters.Soon after Harrison finally woke up, he issued a more reasoned statement about Lennon’s passing. “I am shocked and stunned.

Apple TV+ has shared a clip from the new documentary John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial – you can watch it above.Released on the streaming on Wednesday (December 6), Murder Without A Trial offers a deeply researched examination of John Lennon’s 1980 murder.The three-part three-part documentary series is narrated by Emmy Award winner Kiefer Sutherland and features exclusive eyewitness interviews and previously unseen crime scene photos. It also examines the investigation and conviction of Mark David Chapman, Lennon’s confessed killer.Other exclusive interviews in the series include Richard Peterson, a taxi driver who was witness to the shooting; Jay Hastings, a doorman at The Dakota who heard Lennon’s last words; David Suggs, Mark David Chapman’s defense lawyer; Elliot Mintz, a confidant to Lennon and Yoko Ono; and Dr Naomi Goldstein, the psychiatrist who first assessed Chapman.In the newly released clip, shared exclusively with NME, family friend Mintz reveals that Lennon’s wife Ono asked him to look into the numerous conspiracy theories surrounding her husband’s death.Elsewhere in the series, Richard Peterson, who witnessed the shooting, revealed Chapman’s unusual apology after killing The Beatles guitarist“‘He actually apologised to us,” said Peterson.

heard for the first time, revealing how he gunned down the Beatle when a voice in his head said “Do it! Do it!” The killer’s words will be part of a new Apple TV+ documentary, “John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial,” released Wednesday, ahead of the 43rd anniversary of the murder on Friday. It will also detail the Beatle’s last moments described on camera for the first time by two of the witnesses to his murder — and how his final words were: “I’m shot.”The documentary casts new light on how Chapman, 68, who has repeatedly failed in his bids to be paroled for the murder, confessed to it behind bars, claiming he shot Lennon because he was “a phony.”Under hypnosis, in preparation for a trial that was slated to have him pleading insanity, Chapman recalled sitting on the curb, seeing a black limo pull up to the building. The door opened and Yoko Ono emerged.

John Lennon have been revealed by the concierge working at the front desk of the building where the Beatles guitarist was shot at.The new Apple TV+ documentary series, John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial – which investigates Lennon’s shooting by an obsessed fan named Mark David Chapman on December 8 1980 – shared the moment in which the ‘Beautiful Boy’ singer was shot and what he said shortly after.Jay Hastings was working as a concierge on the front desk at the Dakota building on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York, where Lennon and his family lived and where he was shot outside of. He recalled in the documentary: “He runs past me.

Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band — which includes Colin Hay from Men At Work, Edgar Winter from The Edgar Winter Group and Toto singer Steve Lukather among others — will perform six concerts at Las Vegas’ Venetian Theatre at the Venetian.That’s not all, though.“I’m taking the All Starrs back on the road for 12 shows this spring,” the 83-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer shared on Instagram. We just announced six shows at the Venetian in Las Vegas and two in Mexico City, more to be announced soon.

John Lennon‘s murderer reportedly apologised after shooting him dead, according to a witness interviewed for a new Apple TV+ docuseries.First announced in October, John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial will land on the streamer on December 6 and examines the pre-meditated crime and its aftermath by troubled fan Mark David Chapman, who fatally shot the former Beatle outside of his New York City apartment block on December 8, 1980. The three-part series is narrated by actor Kiefer Sutherland.The makers of Murder Without A Trial were “granted extensive Freedom of Information Act requests from the New York City Police Department, the Board of Parole and the District Attorney’s office” and features interviews with Lennon’s friends and Chapman’s defence lawyers, psychiatrists, detectives and prosecutors.

LadBaby would be stepping down from their streak of annual Number One tracks.Comprised of Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, the LadBaby duo have consistently topped the charts around Christmas for their sausage roll-themed takes on famous tracks. These include ‘We Built This City’ (2018), ‘I Love Sausage Rolls’ (2019), ‘Don’t Stop Me Eatin’’ (2020), ‘Sausage Rolls For Everyone’ (2021) and ‘Food Aid’ (2022).Now, Official Charts Company have revealed the artists who are most likely to take the top position on the UK charts – compiling a list of the contending songs for the 2023 Christmas Number One.Among those listed are a variety of charity singles, including ‘West End Girls’ – the recently shared track by post-punk duo Sleaford Mods.

The Beatles have teamed up with Barcelona-based sports brand MEYBA on a new range of football shirts and sportswear.The company, which was formed in 1940, is the former official kit provider for FC Barcelona.In a statement on the brand’s official website, they say: “Our first officially licenced MEYBA x The Beatles collection draws inspiration from the epic back catalogue of music, film & images from the world’s greatest band.”“This initial collection’s main focus is a monochrome deep dive into the Abbey Road album artwork that was produced and released in 1969. The famous zebra crossing and classic black and white The Beatles ‘Long T’ logos are used as inspiration in number of methods and formats across the collection.”Browse the range of items here, including t-shirts, jackets and jerseys.In other Beatles-related fashion news, this week they also launched an official Christmas jumper, paying homage to their iconic ‘Abbey Road’ album cover, with the Fab Four wearing red Santa hats as they stride across the famous zebra crossing.Social enterprise and Christmas Jumper pioneers notjust clothing and Earth Merch have teamed up with Apple Corps Ltd.

Ringo Starr, entertained fans when shutting down any possibility of forming a supergroup with other children of The Beatles members.The discussion first arose when Starkey posted an image of himself with Sean Lennon – the son of Yoko Ono and John Lennon – on his Instagram page, recalling how the two had a great time hanging out together.“What a guy (although he looks completely insane here and he is and so are we),” he wrote in the caption. “It was so great that Sean invited us to hang at the Dakota and actually get to know each other a bit.

Dolly Parton has shared that she sent a love note to the surviving Beatles members Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.The country icon teamed up with the two remaining members of the Fab Four on her latest LP ‘Rockstar’ for a cover of their legendary song ‘Let It Be’. Parton shared that she was “very humbled” after both Macca and Starr agreed to re-record the 1970s track after sending them personal notes.Speaking to NPR about the letters she sent them, Parton said: “I just sent them a love note through their managers, and I just said what I was doing.

Ringo Starr has responded to “terrible rumours” that John Lennon‘s real voice doesn’t feature on The Beatles’ new single ‘Now and Then’.Earlier this month, Starr and Paul McCartney shared ‘Now And Then’ – the last track from The Beatles to feature all four original members.The track stems from a demo tape recorded by the late Lennon and was completed with the help of AI – which lifted the songwriter’s vocals off the initial recording and allowed the surviving members to work with them, rather than recreating the artist’s voice altogether.Starr previously said that he thought the project was “beautiful” and admitted that working on the single was “like having John Lennon back”.In a recent interview with AARP, Starr took a moment to dispel rumours about the song’s creation. “There were terrible rumours that it’s not John, it’s AI, whatever bullshi t people said,” he said.

The Beatles have launched an official Christmas jumper ahead of the festive season.The sweater pays homage to the band’s infamous ‘Abbey Road’ album cover, with the Fab Four wearing red Santa hats as they stride across the iconic crossing.As described in a press release, the top is also “set in a winter wonderland surrounded by a snowscape scene and traditional Fair Isle Christmas motifs with The Beatles logo above” and the “subtle and stylish grey knit is finished with red sleeves and hems for a festive touch”.Social enterprise and Christmas Jumper pioneers notjust clothing and Earth Merch have teamed up with Apple Corps Ltd. to launch the new ethically made jumper to celebrate the release of The Beatles’ Number One hit ‘Now And Then’.

George Harrison‘s widow Olivia has shared a “surprising magical” story about how The Beatles‘ ‘Now And Then’ artwork came about.In a video posted on her late husband’s official social media channels, she explained how he once bought a clock featuring the title of their final song.“We were in this store, George saw this clock made out of bits and pieces and it had some Scrabble letters and it just said ‘Now And Then’,” she said. “He was attracted to it for some reason, he just took it off the wall and bought it.

Taylor Swift has maintained chart supremacy on the UK Album Charts this week, holding off The Beatles from clenching the top spot with their reissued Greatest Hits albums.Swift has held on to Number One for the third week running with ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’, seeing off competition from the reissued editions of The Beatles’ ‘Blue’ and Red’ albums which charted at Number Two and Number Three respectively.These are the same positions that both albums charted in when they were originally released in 1973, according to the Official Charts Company, but stops them achieving a 16th number one album.The Beatles, however, did hit Number One earlier this month with their “final” song ‘Now And Then’.The song, which was completed with some help from AI, has topped the UK Charts 60 years after their first Number One. It is the band’s 18th Number One single, with the last being 1969’s ‘The Ballad Of John And Yoko’.Ringo Starr then shared his reaction to the news, with a video claiming that ‘Now And Then’ is the fastest-selling single of 2023 and fastest-selling vinyl single of the century.

Kenneth Womack told The Post. “Please Please Me was about to be their first No. 1 single [in the UK].

Ringo Starr has shared his reaction to The Beatles hitting Number One in the charts.The band recently announced their single ‘Now And Then‘, the last track to feature all four Beatles members. The song stems from a demo tape recorded by the late John Lennon.

Boygenius appeared on Saturday Night Live last night (November 11) and the band channelled The Beatles during their performance, which you can watch below.The band, made up of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, were appearing on the show with Timothée Chalamet.They took to the stage in matching suits and ties in a nod to The Beatles and performed ‘Not Strong Enough’ and ‘Satanist’. At the end of ‘Satanist’, Baker threw her guitar across the stage.

The Beatles‘ ‘Now And Then‘.Martin was approached by surviving Beatles member, Sir Paul McCartney, with a demo for what would be deemed as the “final” Beatles song ‘Now And Then’. The track stems from a demo tape recorded by late bandmate John Lennon and was completed with the help of AI – which lifted the songwriter’s vocals off the initial recording and allowed the surviving members to work with them.Speaking about the process of working on ‘Now And Then’ in an interview with The Sun, Martin said: “Paul played me what he’d started working on from the ’94 demo plus the extras he’d already done — new bass, piano, the guitar solo.

The Beatles have topped the charts with their “final” track ‘Now And Then’ – six decades after they secured their first Number One.Released earlier this month, the track was billed as the last song from the Fab Four and stemmed from an old John Lennon demo tape – completed by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr with the help of AI.It also came alongside both a short video documenting their time completing the project and a Peter Jackson-directed music video that included previously unearthed footage of the band.Now it has been confirmed that the long-awaited track has gone on to top the charts – 60 years since the band claimed their first Number One track.This feat means that McCartney and co. now boast the longest period between an artist’s first and last Number One single – with their first being ‘From Me to You’ in May 1963 (60 years and six months ago).