Recent Beatles News

 People in the News
The Associated Press


LONDON (AP) _ Heather Mills said she isn't just marrying Paul McCartney for his money. If she
were, she said, she would have found someone richer.

That would have been difficult _ an annual ranking of Britain's wealthiest put McCartney's
personal fortune at $1 billion, making him the country's richest musician and the 36th richest Briton
overall.

"He knows and I know why I'm with him," Mills, 36, told the British Broadcasting Corp. on Tuesday.
"If I was going to go out with anybody for their money, it would be with someone a lot richer."

When an interviewer responded that few people were wealthier than the 59-year-old former Beatle,
Mills said, "There are a lot of people, believe me."

The activist for land mine victims described her fiance as "just a great guy." She said he pursued her
for months before they became a couple. They got engaged in July and have kept their wedding
plans a secret.

"He got hold of my number and eventually he said he wanted to help with my charity work," Mills
said. "Or so he said."

Sir Paul to marry!
 

An excited Sir Paul McCartney announced his engagement to former model Heather Mills this week. After months of uncertainty and speculation the former Beatle singer says he is very happy to make the announcement. "We are standing here for the cameras and we are very happy. We will get married some time next year," said McCartney. "When I proposed I was a bit nervous but I managed. We've had a good reception from relatives and friends and from the media."

During her modeling days Mills was run into by a policeman on a motorbike. As a result half her leg had to be amputated. Since the accident, the model has been campaigning for disabled people, particularly those affected by landmines. When asked whether she would take on the title of Lady McCartney she replied, "I am not into all that pretence," she said.

 
Adopt a minefield
Sir Paul McCartney and his girlfriend Heather Mills are encouraging celebs to 'adopt-a-minefield'. McCartney's girlfriend witnessed many land mine victims in her Slovenian hometown, and now the couple want film stars to sponsor money towards clearing land mine areas.
"My take on the whole thing is that it's not a brave weapon. That's why I want to see the world rid of them," said McCartney about the land mines. He added, "Even brave soldiers who defend the country … dislike the idea of leaving the war behind them and causing grief for civilians."
The president of the United Nations Association of the USA, which implemented the campaign, Bill Leurs, said there were still between 70 and 100 million landmines planted around the world.
Mills was a ski instructor in Slovenia in 1991 when war broke out in Yugoslavia. She helped distribute food and humanitarian aid to war victims, and became aware of the destructiveness of these weapons. Mills suggested that governments and groups using land mines should use 'smart mines' that automatically lose their effectiveness after six months.
 

Thursday December 20 02:57 PM EST

Paul McCartney & Sting Vying For Golden Globe Award

(12/20/01, 3 p.m. ET) -- Paul McCartney and Sting are set to do battle when the Golden Globe Awards (news - web sites) are handed out next month. Both have been nominated in the best original song from a motion picture category: McCartney for "Vanilla Sky" from Vanilla Sky, and Sting for "Until" from Kate & Leopold.

The other nominees include David Baerwald for "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge (which was sung by Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor), Enya for "May It Be" from The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, and Diane Warren for "There You'll Be" from Pearl Harbor (which was sung by Faith Hill). The Golden Globe Awards will be handed out on January 20 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, with NBC televising the event.

 

LAUNCH recently asked Diane Warren--whose impressive resume includes hits for Aerosmith (news - web sites) ("I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"), Toni Braxton ("Un-Break My Heart"), LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood ("How Do I Live"), Starship ("Nothing's Gonna Stop Us"), and *NSYNC (news - web sites) & Gloria Estefan ("Music Of The Heart")--to describe what makes a great song. "It's that indefinable combination of words and music that does something, makes you feel something," she said. "(A) beautiful melody, great lyrics that can't live without each other, I guess. That's how I look at it."

-- Bruce Simon and Jason Gelman, New York

Liverpool's Clavern Club, Where Beatles Played, Is Sold
The Associated Press
Published: Dec 13, 2001

 

LONDON (AP) - The Cavern Club, the Liverpool nightclub where the Beatles launched their career in the early 1960s, was sold Thursday as part of a $16 million deal.

London-based Warner Estate Holdings plans to renovate the Cavern Walks complex of shops and offices in which the famed club stands.

The company, which bought the complex from British investment company Moorfield Capital Partners, said it will leave the Cavern Club itself largely unaltered.

"The Cavern itself is the Cavern, you don't want to be changing too much about that," property director Richard Moore said.

Warner paid a total of $142 million for seven properties around England, but the jewel was the Cavern Club.

"It's exciting, very exciting. You don't get very many opportunities to buy something with a name like that these days," Moore said.

The Beatles first played at the Cavern in 1961, after returning from appearances in Hamburg, Germany.

AP-ES-12-13-01 1222EST

Final Ceremony Is Postponed
 
  • Vigil In India For George Harrison's Ashes Ends For Now

    VARANASI, India, Dec. 11, 2001
     
    AP  

    (AP) The magical mystery tour may go on, but the wait here for George
    Harrison's ashes has come to an end.

    Hare Krishna officials insist the ashes of the late Beatle are still destined
    for the holy Ganges River which flows by this north Indian city. But they
    now concede they don't know when.

    The last of the paparazzi, foreign tourists and Harrison fans were packing
    up Tuesday. Orthodox Hindus believe that ashes must be sprinkled in one of India's holy
    rivers within 13 days of death. Wednesday marks the 13th day after Harrison's death.

    Harrison, who died of cancer on Nov. 29, was a follower of the Hare
    Krishna, a sect of Hinduism. Two of his closest friends, both Hare Krishnas, were at his
    bedside chanting the day he died.

    Harrison made many visits to India to study the sitar under Ravi Shankar and transcendental
    meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh.

    The day after his death and cremation, the Krishna society announced that the Beatle's late
    lead guitarist wished to have his ashes immersed in the Ganges, Hindu's holiest river. Hindus
    believe this rite breaks the cycle of reincarnation and allows the soul to begin its final journey
    toward heaven.

    Members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New Delhi and Varanasi tol
    d journalists to prepare for his ashes, insisting they were arriving any hour.

    Media and fans from around the world flocked to Varanasi, Allahabad, Rishikesh and other
    holy cities.

    On Tuesday, a senior official of the International Society for Hare Krishna said the ashes were
    not on their way, just yet.

    "The program has been postponed," he told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They
    will come with ashes and scatter them in the sacred Ganges River, secretly."

    The official said the next date was Jan. 14, an auspicious day in Hinduism. Moderate Hindus
    believe that ashes may be sprinkled in one of India's holy rivers within a year of death.

    "They will come secretly to avoid the media blitz, probably during the Hindu festival of
    Makar Sankranti," he said.

    The Sunday Times in London reported that Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, had
    obtained an export license in Los Angeles for Harrison's ashes. The license named Lugano,
    Switzerland, as the destination, the Sunday Times reported.

    The paper explained that the musician had moved into a 14-room villa in Lugano this
    summer. It is close to a clinic where Harrison had reportedly sought radiotherapy treatment
    for cancer.

    Many still look to Varanasi, to which Harrison had made a quiet trip three months ago and
    pledged $1 million for a new Hare Krishna temple. Life is getting back to normal here,
    though some are disappointed Harrison's ashes are not yet among them.

    "The ashes of important and famous people re-establishes our faith in the religion and
    tradition," said Internet cafe owner Brijesh Pathak, whose business had been booming.
    "That is why we all had been eagerly waiting for the event."


    By Prajnan Bhattacharya
    © MMI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

    • 'My Sweet Lord' to be rereleased in memory of George Harrison
    Associated Press

       LONDON -- George Harrison's 1971 hit, ''My Sweet Lord,'' is reportedly going to be rereleased as a tribute to the former Beatle, who died last week.
       The British news agency Press Association on Friday quoted an unidentified source at EMI Records as saying the company plans to reissue the track and donate the proceeds to an undetermined charity.
       No date has been set for the release, Press Association said. Representatives from EMI did not return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.
       ''My Sweet Lord'' was the first No. 1 song for any of the Beatles following their breakup. The song, from Harrison's biggest album, ''All Things Must Pass,'' was one of the most successful releases of his career.
       It includes references to the Hare Krishna faith and a section of their mantra. Harrison was a devotee of Hare Krishna for much of his life.
       The hit later drew Harrison into a lawsuit, which he lost, by the copyright owner of ''He's So Fine,'' a track by the Chiffons.
        Harrison died Nov. 29 at the age 58 from cancer.
       

    Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Saturday, December 8, 2001.
     

    001112.jpg (34735 bytes) The Beatles were on the cover of TV Guide 11/20/01!  Collect all four covers of each Beatle. There are some great articles and a neat interview with Paul.  Some highlights of the guide:

     11/17/00 was the ABC special "The Beatles Revolution" 8pm est. Ricky Martin, Cameron Crowe, Keith Richards and others discuss the Fab Four's impact on contemporary culture.

    An upcoming NBC movie recreates the early years of Lennon's life, "In His Life: The John Lennon Story".  It stars Phillip McQuillan as John.

    There is a new Beatles CD containing 17 of the Beatles' biggest hits, title "1".