The Beatles Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Midas Man, an upcoming biopic based on The Beatles manager Brian Epstein, has brought on its third director to wrap up the film’s post-production process.Deadline has revealed in a new report that the troubled film, which began production in 2021, has roped in a new director to handle the film’s post-production. Joe Stephenson (Doctor Jekyll) has reportedly taken over directorial duties from previous filmmaker Sara Sugarman (Vinyl) earlier this year.Per Deadline, Sugarman left the project over creative differences and scheduling issues, according to sources close to the film.Joe Stephenson said in a statement to Deadline: “When I was approached to take the helm of Midas Man, I didn’t have to think twice.

Paul McCartney to open the new Beatles exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery this month.From June 28-October 1 this year, the reopening of the gallery will see 250 photographs taken by the musical legend of his bandmates and surroundings on tour from 1963-64.Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes Of The Storm will show what ‘Beatlemania’ looked like from the bassist and singer’s Pentax camera, and McCartney will be in conversation with Tucci for an in-person and live-streamed event on June 29 at 2pm BST.“Looking at these photos now, decades after they were taken, I find there’s a sort of innocence about them,” Macca said of the exhibition. “Everything was new to us at this point.

John McEnroe made his debut at 18 with a bang.An unseeded upstart, the Queens native found himself on the same clay courts where he was once a ballboy — gliding and grinding in an interborough contest against Brooklyn-born Top Tenner Eddie Dibbs in his third-round match. But, on the first changeover, something wildly unexpected happened.“We were switching sides and then there was some commotion up in the stands, and the umpire said to us, ‘Someone’s been shot in the stands,’ ” McEnroe, 64, told The Post.

wrote in a Facebook post. “Chas stepped in for The Beatles for a few dates when Stuart Sutcliffe stayed in Hamburg and latterly he played for The Quarrymen.”“Interestingly, he was also the first left-handed bass guitarist in The Beatles.

The Beatles in their early days, has died at the age of 81.The news was first announced via The Cavern Club Liverpool – where The Beatles rose to prominence – on Tuesday, followed by Roag Best, the brother of former Beatles drummer Pete Best.A cause of death has yet to be announced.The Cavern Club Liverpool wrote on Facebook: “It’s with great sadness to hear about the passing of Chas Newby. Chas stepped in for The Beatles for a few dates when Stuart Sutcliffe stayed in Hamburg and latterly he played for The Quarrymen. Interestingly, he was also the first left-handed bass guitarist in The Beatles.

Black Midi have announced a special festival appearance where they’ll cover a range of tracks by The Beatles.The London trio are due to perform the special “one-off” gig at the festival Le Guess Who?, which takes place in Utrecht in the Netherlands this November.Writing on social media, Black Midi explained that former Standing On The Corner member Slauson Malone 1 – who has curated his own programme – had asked “to play a set of Beatles tunes” at the event.The band will play the Fab Four-themed show on Friday, November 10 – you can find ticket information here.A listing on the official Le Guess Who? website reads: “When listening to Britain’s cacophonous Black Midi, not many would be reminded of the world’s most agreeable band of all time. In fact, apart from sharing a homeland, the two groups seem to have little in common.“Thankfully, Le Guess Who? curator Slauson Malone 1 has enough imagination to disagree.

The Beatles‘ ‘Hey Jude’ from his recent cameo in Ted Lasso, as well as sharing two exclusive live session clips with NME. Check out ‘Yougazer’ above and ‘Shine Your Way Out’ below.Appearing in the eighth episode of the ongoing third season yesterday (May 3), Varga appeared briefly in the Apple TV+ comedy series – performing a musical interlude that saw him cover the classic track by The Beatles.“It was quite random.

The Beach Boys’ ‘God Only Knows’ as if it were performed by The Beatles.Over recent months, music lovers have been using AI methods to create “new music” and collaborations with their favourite artists, including The Weeknd, Drake, Kanye West and more. However, one of the latest projects shared shows that fans can also bring some of their nostalgic favourites back to life, and create new versions of iconic 1960s tracks.One of the most recent covers, shared last month, shows just that — depicting the iconic 1966 Beach Boys track, ‘God Only Knows’ being played in the style of The Beatles.Starting with AI-generated vocals, the track also features a dreamy duet with Paul McCartney and John Lennon, as well as backing harmonies from drummer Ringo Starr and an a cappella ending.

The Beatles performing live is set to be restored and given to a “national cultural institution” in the UK.Earlier this week (April 4), it was announced that the recording had been found almost exactly 60 years to the day it was made. The hour-long, quarter-inch tape recording was created by John Bloomfield at Stowe boarding school in Buckinghamshire on April 4, 1963, when The Beatles performed a gig there.Bloomfield, who is now 75 years old, was only 15 at the time. He revealed the existence of the tape to journalist Samira Ahmed visited Stowe when they visited to make a special programme for Radio 4’s Front Row to mark the gig’s 60th anniversary.Now, there are plans to restore the old tape, which contains a full length gig performance and includes spoken word segments from the band as they interacted with the audience.“Talks are under way to get [the tape] cleaned up and for a permanent home in a national cultural institution,” Ahmed told The Observer.

“Good Golly, Miss Molly,” Little Richard wailed about a bad girl who “sure like to ball.”But no doubt — it was the late rock legend who was a sex fiend himself.“I had all these orgies going on,” he reveals in the new documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” which has a special one-night-only opening in theaters on Tuesday before hitting additional cinemas and pay-per-view on April 21.He was thirsty for both men and women: “I just loved whatever came. You know, I didn’t refuse nothin’ if you knocked on my door and I wanted more.

The Beatles playing a live show in the UK has been found almost exactly 60 years after it was made.As BBC News reports, the hour-long quarter-inch tape recording was created by John Bloomfield at Stowe boarding school in Buckinghamshire on April 4, 1963 when the Fab Four performed there.Bloomfield, who is now 75 years old, was only 15 at the time. He revealed the existence of the tape when journalist Samira Ahmed visited Stowe to make a special programme for Radio 4’s Front Row to mark the gig’s 60th anniversary.“It was a unique Beatles gig, performed in front of an almost entirely male audience,” Ahmed wrote of the discovery.

Looking back, Pang — a lifelong Beatles fan and subject of the new documentary “The Lost Weekend: A Love Story,” in theaters April 13 —told The Post, “It’s almost surreal. In one way, Yoko took advantage because I was naïve. But she also gave me a gift.

The Beatles by Paul McCartney, taken at the height of ‘Beatlemania’, have been unveiled at London’s National Portrait Gallery.From June 28-October 1 this year, the reopening of the gallery will see 250 photographs taken by the musical legend of his bandmates and surroundings on tour from 1963-64.Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes Of The Storm will show what ‘Beatlemania’ looked like from the bassist and singer’s Pentax camera.An accompanying photobook, titled 1964: Eyes Of The Storm, will be released on June 13 via Penguin Press.Speaking in the book’s foreword, McCartney said of the period: “It felt like millions of eyes were suddenly upon us, creating a picture I will never forget for the rest of my life.”Of his love of photography, he added: “The truth is that I’ve always been interested in photography, from the time I was very young, when our family owned a little box camera in the 1950s.“I used to love the whole process of loading a roll of Kodak film into our Brownie camera.”See a selection of images from the book and exhibition below.Elsewhere, a new Paul McCartney documentary exploring the musician’s life following the breakup of The Beatles has been announced.Man On The Run is set to be directed by filmmaker Morgan Neville and will draw on “unprecedented access to a never-before-seen archive of Paul and Linda’s home videos and photos, as well as new interviews,” to chronicle the time between The Beatles’ breakup snd the rise of Wings in the ‘70s.According to a press release, Man On The Run will serve as “the definitive document of Paul’s emergence from the dissolution of the world’s biggest band and his triumphant creation of a second decade of musical milestones — a brilliant and prolific stretch.”“As a

Patti Smith was among the artists to perform at a Paul McCartney tribute gig at New York’s Carnegie Hall this week – watch her version of The Beatles‘ ‘She’s Coming Home’ below.‘The Music of Paul McCartney’ was held at the legendary venue on Wednesday night (March 15) as part of Michael Dorf’s charity series ‘Music Of’, which brings musicians together to celebrate the life and music of some of the world’s biggest stars.Also in attendance at Carnegie Hall this week were Graham Nash, Lyle Lovett, Bettye Lavette, Nancy Wilson, Bruce Hornsby, Macca’s former Wings bandmate Denny Laine and more.Patti Smith then appeared unannounced to cover ‘She’s Coming Home’, a highlight from ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.Watch the rendition below.A post shared by Ron Ozer (@ronozer)A post shared by Craig Radel (@craigradel)Elsewhere, a new Paul McCartney documentary exploring the musician’s life following the breakup of The Beatles has been announced.Man On The Run is set to be directed by filmmaker Morgan Neville and will draw on “unprecedented access to a never-before-seen archive of Paul and Linda’s home videos and photos, as well as new interviews,” to chronicle the time between The Beatles’ breakup snd the rise of Wings in the ‘70s.According to a press release, Man On The Run will serve as “the definitive document of Paul’s emergence from the dissolution of the world’s biggest band and his triumphant creation of a second decade of musical milestones — a brilliant and prolific stretch.”“As a lifelong obsessive of all things McCartney, I’ve always felt that the 1970s were the great under-examined part of his story,” said Neville in a statement.

George Harrison‘s jukebox circa 1965 has been created from an archive interview with the Beatles guitarist – check it out below.Harrison would have turned 80 this week, and fans are celebrating his legacy and revisiting his life to mark the occasion.One of these is fan Andy Chistlehurst, who, as Clash point out, has dug through the archives to find a 1965 interview by Harrison with Record Mirror, where the guitarist discussed some of his influences at the time.Chistlehurst has now compiled the recommendations from the interview, including Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Little Richard, Otis Redding and more, into a Spotify playlist which you can listen to below.Last year, a concert film dedicated to George Harrison was re-released in cinemas across the world.Concert For George, was first shot in 2002 at London’s Royal Albert Hall, a year after the late Beatles‘s death and featured Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, Jools Holland, Jeff Lynne and members of Monty Python. It was organised by Eric Clapton and Harrison’s widow Olivia.The film and its soundtrack have been remastered in Dolby Atmos, and a new introduction by Olivia and daughter Dhani Harrison preceded screenings last November, which were put on to celebrate 20 years since the film’s release.Last year, a Beatles fan turned Harrison’s childhood home into an Airbnb and “living museum”.

It's one of the longest-standing rivalries in rock history but it seems The Rolling Stones and The Beatles aren't interested in who is better, they just want to work together. Variety reports that Paul McCartney has recorded some bass parts for an upcoming Stones album while drummer Ringo Starr could follow him into the studio.

According to Variety, McCartney has recorded bass parts during recording sessions that took place in Los Angeles in recent weeks, and Starr is also slated to play drums.It’s currently unclear whether McCartney and Starr will end up on the same track or which songs will make the final tracklist. The album, produced by 2021 Grammy Producer of the Year Andrew Watt, is getting close to the mixing phase and has “a lot of tracks done,” Mick Jagger shared in 2021.Last month, guitarist Keith Richards shared with fans in an Instagram video that “There’s some new music on its way.”It’s thought that the album will feature recorded parts from the late founding drummer Charlie Watts, who died “peacefully” in Aug.

Japanese Breakfast has caused a stir online by sharing her controversial thoughts on The Beatles‘ seminal seventh album ‘Revolver’.Released back in 1966, the record is widely regarded as the Fab Four’s best full-length project. Using cutting edge studio technology, the LP is one of the most innovative pop records ever made.Taking to Twitter last Sunday (February 19), Japanese Breakfast – real name Michelle Zauner – claimed that “‘Revolver’ is the ‘Tusk’ of Beatles albums”, referring to Fleetwood Mac‘s experimental 1979 follow-up to ‘Rumours’.“I’m not saying either of these albums are bad!” Zauner clarified in a follow-up tweet.

The Rolling Stones are reportedly collaborating with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.According to Variety, multiple sources have confirmed that two surviving The Beatles band members have contributed to an as-yet unannounced Stones album, which is said to be produced by Andrew Watt. McCartney has reportedly recorded bass parts for the project, with sessions taking place in Los Angeles in recent weeks.It’s not yet known whether McCartney’s contributions will make the final cut, or whether he’ll appear on the same song as Starr.

Paul McCartney turned down appearing James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke numerous times.Back in 2018, the Beatles legend featured in Corden’s popular Late Late Show segment in a 23-minute skit through the streets of Liverpool, while singing some of the band’s most iconic hits.The video, which Corden said at the time was “quite possibly the best” episode of the show they had done, has since raked in 68million views.However, the talk show host has revealed that getting Macca into the passenger seat wasn’t a simple task.“He said, ‘I’m in, I’ll do it, I can’t wait,’” Corden recalled in a resurfaced 2021 interview with PaleyFest LA.“Then about a month later, the message came through to us that he’d cancelled, he didn’t want to do it. He’d got cold feet for some reason.

“My name is Mary,” she says in the opening voice-over. “Abbey Road Studios has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

on Twitter Thursday night, revealing the remaining dates of his North American tour with his All Starr band have been scrapped.“I’m sure you’ll be as surprised as I was I tested positive again for Covid the rest of the tour is off I send you peace and love Ringo,” Starr wrote alongside a selfie.The shows affected by the news include a handful of California gigs starting Oct. 14 in San Jose, Paso Robles and Los Angeles as well as two dates in Mexico City on Oct.

Ringo Starr has cancelled the last five dates of his current North American tour, after contracting COVID-19 for a second time in the span of a fortnight.First testing positive for the virus at the start of October, the Beatle was forced to cancel seven shows between Michigan and British Columbia. He returned to the road on Tuesday (October 11) – flanked by the All-Starr Band – performing in Seattle then and in Portland the following night (October 12).It appears that his comeback was premature, though, as Starr has now confirmed he’s again returned to being COVID-positive.

pic.twitter.com/lmniGLE9dZA post shared by Ringo Starr (@ringostarrmusic)The devastating news comes just weeks after Ringo's verified Instagram account announced on Oct. 3 that Ringo contracted COVID and, as a result, the tour would be on hold «while he recuperates.» At that point, seven tour dates were affected in Michigan, Minnesota and throughout Canada.Also earlier this month, Ringo announced he and his band recorded a live album at the Greek Theatre.

The Beatles-style remasters.In the ‘70s, The Wombles released four albums that spanned a string of hit singles including ‘The Wombling Song’, ‘Remember You’re A Womble’ and ‘Wombles Everywhere’.However mastermind Batt has now revealed that he’s destroyed all the original multi-track tapes so people “can’t fuck around with them after I’m gone.”Speaking to the ipaper, Batt said: “I mixed them as I wanted them, not how some corporation or great-grandchild might like to remix them when I’m not around.”It comes as a series of The Beatles albums have been remixed and expanded by Giles Martin, the son of late Beatles producer George Martin. So far, deluxe versions of ‘Sgt.

“Express Yourself,” one of her most iconic singles — and crotch-grabbing videos — in 1989. Since launching her legendary career with “Everybody” on Oct. 6, 1982, Madonna has delivered hit song after hit song.

Scott Weiland’s previously unreleased cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ has been shared online. Check it out below.The rendition, which comes three decades after Weiland’s band Stone Temple Pilots released their debut album ‘Core’, will also be part of Weiland’s expanded version of his 2011 album ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’ – set for release ON November 4.The expanded edition of the album will also include four bonus tracks not included on the original, which will accompany Weiland’s covers of ‘White Christmas’, ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Winter Wonderland’.‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Deluxe Edition’ will come pressed onto variously vinyl variants all sharing a Christmas theme including red and green vinyl.

John Lennon signed on day of his murder in 1980 is going on auction.The late Beatle‘s signature is displayed on a legal document that is up for auction through Gotta Have Rock and Roll tomorrow (October 4). You can view it here.The typed letter lists three people to whom Lennon gave his proxy to vote at an annual meeting for the Beatles corporations that was happening nine days later in London.It was signed by Lennon on December 8, 1980, hours before he was shot and killed by Mark Chapman outside his New York City apartment block.The document is expected to fetch between $30,000 (£26,366) and $50,000 (£43,943).Incidentally, Lennon also put his signature on another item that same day.

Fatboy Slim has shared an anecdote from his time living next door to Paul McCartney, joking that it was “bizarre” because of his fandom for The Beatles.Slim (aka Norman Cook) recently caught up with NME to appear in the column Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! For the chat, he was quizzed on various happenings from throughout his own career – he forgot that Arctic Monkeys covered ‘The Rockafeller Skank’ at their first-ever gig, and that he produced the Blur song ‘Gene By Gene’, but did correctly recall that he once snorted cocaine off the London-to-Brighton train line.McCartney came up in a conversation about Cook’s infamous 2002 gig at Brighton Beach, where he performed for over 250,000 concertgoers. The show itself drew controversy after one attendee died, more than 100 more were injured, and several were rescued unconscious from the seashore.

Ringo Starr has cancelled several shows he had planned in Canada for this week, with the Beatle putting his tour on hold to recuperate after contracting COVID-19.After shows in New Buffalo, Michigan and Prior Lake, Minnesota were cancelled over the weekend “due to illness”, an official statement from Starr’s team confirmed the musician had tested positive for COVID. As a result, five shows that were scheduled for this week – in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Lethbridge, Abbotsford and Penticton – have been axed.“Ringo hopes to resume as soon as possible and is recovering at home,” the statement said.

The Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ has been released – you can listen to the studio outtake below.The track forms part of a new special deluxe edition of the legendary band’s 1966 album ‘Revolver’, which is set for release on October 28.Recorded during the first ‘Revolver’ recording session on April 6, 1966 in Studio Three at EMI Studios (now called Abbey Road Studios), The Beatles were joined by their producer George Martin, recording engineer Geoff Emerick and technical engineer Ken Townsend.“John [Lennon’s] ethereal vocals (fed from his mic through a rotating Leslie speaker), and innovative tape loops – including Paul [McCartney] saying ‘ah, ah, ah, ah’, which when sped up produced a sound similar to a seagull’s screech – converge with Ringo [Starr’s] thunderous drum pattern, George [Harrison]’s tamboura drone, and a backwards guitar solo,” a press release explains of the recording, which you can hear below.In an interview before ‘Revolver’’s 1966 release, McCartney told NME: “We did it because I, for one, am sick of doing sounds that people can claim to have heard before.”First confirmed by Giles Martin – the son of the late Beatles producer George – last month, ‘Revolver’ is the latest Beatles album to be re-released as a remixed and expanded deluxe box set following ‘Sgt.

the death of Queen Elizabeth II, songs about the late monarch have seen a rise in popularity on streaming platforms.As reported by Billboard, The Smiths’ 1986 song ‘The Queen Is Dead’ saw the biggest uptick in streaming numbers. While it received an average of 6,000 streams in the US on Wednesday September 7, the song racked up more than 114,000 hits a day later – Thursday September 8 being when the Queen’s death was made public – marking a rise of 1,687 per cent.Also returning to the spotlight was the Sex Pistols’ 1977 hit ‘God Save The Queen’, which went from less than 11,000 streams to more than 81,000 (a boost of 650 per cent).

Sir Paul McCartney has penned a letter requesting immediate action be taken to aid an abused Indian elephant.McCartney – a long-time PETA supporter – sent an urgent letter to Indian Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, requesting immediate action be taken to send an abused elephant named Jeymalyatha (also known as Joymala) to a rescue centre for her recovery from psychological trauma.Joymala has been held captive the Srivilliputhur Nachiyar Thirukovil temple in Tamil Nadu. In a viral video, the animal can be seen being beaten with weapons and controlled using pliers.In his letter, McCartney said: “I am confident that action will be taken to send sorely abused elephant Jeymalyatha (Joymala) to a suitable rescue centre where she can receive the specialised care she needs for her psychological wounds, and can live unchained and in the company of others of her kind.”McCartney added that though the videos of the animal were heartbreaking, “equally heartbreaking is that this social, intelligent animal is still being forced to live in solitary confinement”.“I trust you agree that Jeymalyatha has suffered more than enough, and that she deserves to spend the rest of her time on this Earth the way away from her abusive trainers, rehabilitating, and with others of her kind.”According to a press release, McCartney’s letter follows a veterinary inspection report (and plea by PETA India) on the condition of Joymala, who found that her current handler (mahout) used pliers on her, even in the presence of inspectors.Inspectors were reportedly forbidden by the mahout to take photographs or video footage of Joymala.

The Beatles shooting their 1967 cult classic “Magical Mystery Tour” movie has been unearthed.The clips show the Fab Four and their wives on-set in between takes, children hanging around and an airplane flying overhead. It also contains snippets from the magicians’ sequence and shows the group organizing the ballroom spectacular, which was used as the finale of the film. The behind-the-scenes shots were captured by a man who visited the set in West Malling with his young daughter.

John Lennon‘s killer Mark Chapman has been denied parole for the 12th time, it has been confirmed.Chapman, 67, fatally shot Lennon at the entrance to the Beatles icon’s New York City apartment in December 1980. The musician and Yoko Ono were returning to the Upper West Side building following a recording session.

Pearl Jam covered The Beatles’ ‘Her Majesty’ in Toronto last night (September 8) to honour Queen Elizabeth II.Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, who was on the throne for 70 years, died yesterday at her Balmoral estate. She was 96 years old.While performing at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena last night, hours after the news of the Queen’s death broke, Pearl Jam took a moment to pay tribute to the monarch.