BEATLE NEWS ROUNDUP

 

'CHAPTer 27', a film about John Lennon's murderer, opens April 4th.  It stars Jared Leto ("My So-Called Life"), Lindsay Lohan (Herbie Fully Loaded) and Judah Friedlander (American Splendor).

NEIL Aspinall, the young Liverpool accountant who left his career behind to become road manager of a fledgling guitar group called the Beatles, died on March 12th at age 66.  Aspinall, in many ways the truest "5th Beatle", was with them from the beginning almost to his own end.  He took over their company, Apple, and shepherded them through four decades, expanding and safeguarding the Beatles brand, from which the members or their estates continue to derive massive wealth.  One of the few Beatle intimates to keep secrets and never write a tell-all.  
When George Harrison was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is what his widow, Olivia, had to say of Aspinall (who was in the audience): "If you think of the span of his entire career, there would be so many people who are in this room tonight that he may want to mention, but I’m going to mention one that I’m sure of. And it’s the person in this room that George knew the longest in his life. That he met behind the air raid shelter when he was sneaking off to have a ciggie in school. Someone who looked after him, and all of them, from the time they were thirteen till – for George – the end of his life. And that is the mysterious Neil Aspinall. Thank you Neil for holding it together for all these years, because really, the whole phenomenon might not have happened or stayed together as long as it did without him. He’s helped us, he’s helped his family and George loved him dearly and many of you as well, so thank you very much."

PAUL McCartney's divorce from Heather Mills was finalized by a judge who awarded her $48.7 million of the Beatle's $800 million fortune.  Not so fast, says the former model, who claims Macca is worth twice that amount and has hired accountants to prove it.

FANS are speculating that a track from McCartney's latest album, Memory Almost Full, is about his ex-wife, Heather Mills.  The song's title, "Mister Bellamy", is an anagram of "Mills betray me".  In the song, Mr. Bellamy is on a ledge considering suicide.  McCartney has not made a statement, but previously stated that Mr. Bellamy is not based on an actual person.  He has publicly claimed it's just a coincidence that 'Memory Almost Full' is an anagram of 'for my soultmate LLM' (Linda McCartney).

RINGO Starr has said recently that he is tired of being referred to as an "ex-Beatle" and having the legend of the Fab Four overshadowing his other accomplishments.  In other news, Ringo's current tour set list includes "With a Little Help From My Friends", "Yellow Submarine"

RINGO's 10th All-Star Tour makes its way to the US this summer for 31 dates.  With Starr this time out are Colin Hay (Men at Work), Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), Edgar Winter, Gary Wright and drummer Gregg Bissonette.

TOM Snyder interviewed three of the Four Fabs, all separately, during their solo years on "The Tomorrow Show" (for those who aren't familiar, this show came on after "Tonight" and before "Today" on NBC). Interviews with John, Paul and Ringo are here (George must have been in the garden). This DVD is actually cheaper from the manufacturer (Shout Factory) then from Amazon.

ONLINe music store Fuego has a 1962 concert tape of the Beatles, supposedly of the first show with Ringo Starr as the drummer, at the Star Club in Hamburg.  Fuego intends to remaster the tape and issue it on CD.  Apple Records is trying to stop Fuego from releasing the show, arguing that the Beatles were under contract with EMI at the time.>

AMERIcan Idol spent two nights celebrating (buchering? mistreating? I don't know, I didn't see it) the music of the Beatles. For those of you who like lists (and I'm one of you) here's what they sang:

NIGHT 1
You Can't Do That
Let It Be
Come Together
I Feel Fine
We Can Work It Out
Eleanor Rigby
I Saw Her Standing There
If I Fell
Eight Days a Week
Across the Universe
In My Life
Got to Get You Into My Life

NIGHT 2
Day Tripper
I've Just Seen a Face
Michelle
Back in the USSR
Blackbird
The Long and Winding Road
Here Comes the Sun
A Day in the Life
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
I Should Have Known Better
Yesterday

p.s. when "Idol" is in it's death throes in a few years, look for "Ringo Night".