The Beatles Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Beyoncé and Paul McCartney.The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer covers the 1968 Beatles beauty “Blackbird” — written by Macca, although credited to both McCartney and John Lennon — on her countrified new album “Cowboy Carter” that was released last Friday to rave reviews (including mine) and record-shattering streams.Bey’s honey- and harmony-coated rendition of “The White Album” classic — featuring African-American female country singers Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts making like Destiny’s Southern Child — is a revelation that repurposes the song from a black female perspective.And Sir Paul has given Beyonce’s “Blackbird” — which is styled as “Blackbiird” on “Cowboy Carter” — the most royal of blessings.“I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place.

Paul McCartney has commented on Beyoncé’s cover of his song ‘Blackbird’, commending her for using it to “ease racial tension”.Queen Bey included her version of the track on her new record ‘Cowboy Carter’, which was released last week (March 29). The song was originally released on The Beatles’ self-titled 1968 album, commonly referred to as ‘The White Album’.And now, McCartney has spoken publicly about the cover, saying: “I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird’.

Beyoncé used The Beatles’ original ‘Blackbird’ backing track in her cover of the song, recorded for ‘Cowboy Carter’.As well as covering the song for her new country album, it turns out the rendition of the band’s 1968 track are more similar than first thought – with it being revealed that the ‘Cowboy Carter’ version uses instrumental elements taken directly from the Beatles’ original master recording.According to Variety, that was confirmed by a representative for Beyoncé, who cited the singer’s team as well as other sourcesThe credits for the album have been gradually shared since the album’s release last week (March 29), and Paul McCartney is listed as playing guitar on the song, as well as one of the producers. However, there is no indication in the wording of the credits that his work on the track is taken from the 56-year-old original.Bey’s own spin on the song sees it renamed as ‘Blackbiird’ – making a nod to the album’s ‘Act II’ theme.

Paul McCartney has revealed how he came up the title of The Beatles‘ iconic album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.Speaking about the 1967 record on a recent episode of his podcast Paul McCartney: A Life In Lyrics, McCartney said that it happened after a misunderstanding with one of his road crew.“I was with our roadie Mal [Evans], a big bear of a man,” he said.

Beyoncé’s cover of The Beatles classic ‘Blackbird’, included on her new album ‘Cowboy Carter’, has prompted a lot of reactions among fans.‘Cowboy Carter’ was released today (March 29), her eighth studio album and the second in an expected trilogy that began with 2022’s ‘Renaissance’.The second track on the album is a cover of the 1968 Beatles song, which she has renamed ‘Blackbiird’. Given the album’s embrace of country influences – including a cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ and appearances from Willie Nelson and Linda Martell – and its themes concerning race in American music history, the song has been chosen pointedly.Listen to ‘Blackbiird’ here:Paul McCartney wrote ‘Blackbird’ during the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, just weeks after the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

Paul McCartney for being “too unflattering” is now headed to auction.The artwork in question is a wooden sculpture created by Wilfrid Wood, which was originally set to be released as part of the 2024 ‘Secret 7’ vinyl project – in a bid to raise money for War Child.The project runs alongside the host of gigs that War Child puts on to raise money for the charity, and consists of various artists releasing a limited edition 7” record for a specific track, which are later auctioned off.Between 2012 and 2020, it has raised over £500,000 for good causes. Previous sleeve designers include the likes of Ai Weiwei, Sir Peter Blake, Yoko Ono, David Shrigley, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Martin Parr and more.This year, musicians including Celeste, Hozier, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Specials, The Chemical Brothers and Paul McCartney were all involved in the campaign, and all records were exhibited and free to view at the NOW Gallery between March 2 to 17.However, for the latter, the single was withdrawn after the Beatles bassist took issue with how he was depicted in the artwork.The wooden sculpture was banned from the exhibition after the rock veteran deemed it “too unflattering”, according to the artist.

Paul McCartney once attempted to convince Vladimir Putin to release a group of Greenpeace campaigners by quoting him some Beatles lyrics. As revealed in an upcoming BBC documentary series, On Thin Ice: Putin V Greenpeace, McCartney was moved by the plight of a group of climate activists after they were seized in Russia during a protest and thrown in jail in 2013.

Mark Knopfler’s re-recorded version of his song ‘Going Home’ has been shared, starring contributions from some of the biggest names in the rock world. Check it out below.After being teased earlier this year, the track officially dropped today (March 15), and sees all funds raised being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.A new take on Knopfler’s solo hit, the 2024 edition runs across nine-minutes, and sees the Dire Straits frontman join forces with rock icons including Queen‘s Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and many more.It also includes the last ever recording by guitar virtuoso, Jeff Beck – which he laid down for the track shortly before his death in January 2023.As well as the truly astonishing number of renowned guitarists on the track, Knopfler also enlisted The Beatles’ Ringo Starr on drums, Sting on bass, and The Who frontman (and Teenage Cancer Trust patron) Roger Daltrey on harmonica.The charity track was recorded at British Grove Studios in West London, and produced by Knopfler’s longtime collaborator Guy Fletcher.

Paris Jackson, the 25-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson, sat thisclose to Paul McCartney — who famously went from friends to enemies with the King of Pop — in the front row of the Stella McCartney show during Paris Fashion Week on Monday.After MJ bought the rights to the Beatles catalog out from under his duet partner on “The Girl Is Mine” and “Say Say Say” in 1985, Jackson’s eldest child was squished between two of the Fab Four — Macca, 81, to her right, and Ringo Starr, 83, to her left — at the Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024-2025 show by Sir Paul’s daughter Stella.It was the ultimate designer detente — amid a star-studded audience that also included singer-rapper M.I.A., model Ashley Graham, “The Good Place” star Jameela Jamil, British actresses Naomie Harris and Charlotte Rampling, and Barbara Bach, Starr’s Bond-girl wife.Sharing her late father’s animal-rights activism and environmental consciousness, Jackson — a singer, model and actress — gave her show of support for McCartney’s ready-to-wear collection promoting sustainable materials.“It’s not just the animals,” Jackson told Women’s Wear Daily about the need for eco-friendly “change” in fashion.“It’s the environment in general, it’s pretty much anything that’s not human about this planet. I support that [and] how do we make it a safer place.”Jackson noted that McCartney doesn’t use any animal leather in her products, instead favoring alternative materials such as mushroom leather.“It’s the vegan stuff and the anti-cruelty, but also just everything she’s doing,” she said of her fellow daughter of music royalty.“She’s very innovative and is finding a way to make activism chic.”But things weren’t always so cool between the Jacksons and the McCartneys.

Austin Butler and Timothée Chalamet have opened up about their obsessions with Radiohead and The Beatles.The two Dune co-stars sat down with NME to discuss Dune: Part 2. The actors were asked if there were any current albums that they were currently obsessed with at the moment to which Butler replied with Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ and Chalamet with The Beatles’ 2023 reissue of the ‘Blue’ album.“It’s an old faithful that I have listened to more than any other album. But ‘In Rainbows’ by Radiohead.

SiriusXM’s “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.” “I talk a little too loud. I don’t act as cool as I can.”“I can see that,” O’Brien responded, noting how famous Swift has become. “I mean, she’s this whole other level now.”Sandler compared Swift to The Beatles, specifically how people knew all of their songs.“People talk about The Beatles of it all and her.

Paul McCartney still longs for “Yesterday.”Indeed, Macca remains haunted by a regretful remark he made to his late mother Mary — a lament that lives on in a legendary line from The Beatles’ 1965 No. 1 single.While “Yesterday” — which was ostensibly a McCartney solo song, with the singer strumming acoustic guitar over a sorrowful string arrangement — has always been considered a breakup ballad, the classic lyric “I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday” is actually a mea culpa to his mother.It was inspired by “feeling very embarrassed because I’d embarrassed my mom,” the 81-year-old Beatle reveals in the latest episode of his songwriter podcast “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics.”That embarrassment goes back to Macca’s mother having what he describes as a very “posh” accent.“She was of Irish origin and she was a nurse, so she was above street level,” he explains about his mom, who died from breast-cancer complications in 1956 — when the Beatle was just 14.

Paul McCartney has revealed for the first time the inspiration behind a lyric in one of his most famous songs, The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’. The line in question is “I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday” in the song’s bridge, which appears twice in the song. In his podcast A Life in Lyrics, McCartney spoke about how the line was subconsciously inspired by a conversation he had with his mother several years before writing the song.

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.