Your Beatles News Update!
(Stuff.co.nz, February 3, 2006)
A stained sheet of handwritten Beatles' lyrics went on display before a sealed-bid auction in which it is expected to sell for at least $US2 million ($NZ2.9 million). The draft of A Day in the Life, from the 1967 album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, was written by John Lennon. The piece of memorabilia sold for $US100,000 in 1992 to an American collector, who has now put the item up for sale. The sheet has lyrics on both sides and is thought to have been stained by either coffee or egg. Lennon penned the song during breakfast, drawing inspiration from news items in an edition of the Daily Mail newspaper.
"It is undoubtedly the most significant Lennon manuscript to be offered at auction, and arguably, the most significant musical manuscript of the 20th century," said Bonhams' Martin Gammon. He said he expected the manuscript to sell for between $US2 million and $US3 million.
McCartney and Clarkson to perform at Grammys
(Ireland OnLine, February 2, 2006)
Paul McCartney and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson have been added to the
line-up for the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 8. The former Beatle
will be making his first Grammy performance, despite having won 13 of the
coveted gongs during his illustrious career. Clarkson has been nominated for
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her hit single Since U Been Gone and
Best Pop Vocal Album for Breakaway, while McCartney is nominated for
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his song Fine Line. The pair join a
superstar line-up which will feature Madonna duetting with Gorillaz, Mariah Carey,
Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J Blige and Christina Aguilera.
Paul McCartney 'Fame School' Could Expand Worldwide, Says Principal
(M&C Arts, January 27, 2006)
An arts school co-founded by former Beatle Paul McCartney in Liverpool could
spread its wings and open branches across the world, its principal said Friday. As
the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) prepared to celebrate its 10th
anniversary Monday, principal Mark Featherstone- Witty said he was considering
opening branches in Europe, the Far East, the US and South America.
Sir Paul, 63, co-founded LIPA in 1996 to provide training for young people hoping
to work in show business.
"People have approached us in Barcelona, Japan, Texas and Colombia to assist us in the creation of new Performing Arts Institutes. These ideas are in the process of being created and are therefore ongoing," said Featherstone-Witty. However, he stressed that it was not Sir Paul's decision to expand. "We hope that a mark of our maturity is that actions ascribed to Paul will cease. We are acting independently of him." Although LIPA is independent of Sir Paul, he remains a patron and will be guest of honour at the 10th anniversary celebrations on Monday. The former Beatle pumped 3 million pounds (5.3 million dollars) of his own money into LIPA, which is housed in the school he attended as a boy. The school takes on around 700 students for a degree course each year.