The 34th Annual John Lennon Charity Tribute Show Line-Up Unveiled

Today, John Lennon would have turned 74 years old, and in honor of the musician’s birthday, the list of performers to take the stage for the 34th Annual John Lennon charity tribute show were announced.

Headlining the event which will take place in early December, will be Blondie frontwoman, and over all badass, Debbie Harry.

The announcement was made by the Theatre Within in which they revealed Harry would be joined by Kate Pierson of the B-52s, Joan Osbourne, Marshall Crenshaw, and Ben E. King.

“I share Theatre Within’s belief that music and the performing arts have a special power to bring people together and inspire us to make a positive difference. It’s beautiful that the Tribute continues to have such a powerful impact in John’s memory,” Yoko Ono said in a released statement.

Rock photographer Bob Gruen will be honored with the first ever John Lennon Real Love Award. Gruen had a connection to the late Beatle; photographing him during the years he lived in New York.

The event will take place on Dec. 5 at Symphony Space in New York City. Proceeds from the event will donated to Lennon and Ono’s Spirit Foundation. Tickets are currently priced at $65, $85, and $105.

Watch Footage from the George Harrison Tribute Concert

It feels as if September 2014 has been a month dedicated to the late and former Beatle, George Harrison.

It all began with Capitol Records revealing plans to re-release Harrison’s first six record and never-before-released material in a box set titled, George Harrison: The Apple Years 1968-1975 which was released last week.

After that, plans were revealed for a one-night tribute concert to take place at the end of the month, last night in Los Angeles to honor Harrison.

Then, not to be outdone, Conan O’Brien dedicated last week to Harrison with all his guest performers including Beck, Norah Jones, and Harrison’s son Dhani, playing tracks from the late Beatle.

Last night, George Fest hit L.A.’s  El Rey Theatre with a long list of performers which included previously confirmed acts such as Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd, Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Brian Wilson, “Weird” Al Yankovic, The Killers’ Brandon Flowers and Mark Stoermer, members of The Strokes, Weezer and Norah Jones.

Watch some of the videos directly from the concert.

Brian Wilson– “My Sweet Lord”:

“Weird” Al Yankovich– “What is Life”:

Conan O’Brien– “Old Brown Shoe”:

Brandon Flowers– “Got My Mind Set on You”:

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club– “Art of Dying”:

A hundred percent of the profits from “George Fest” will be donated to Sweet Relief, a charity that offers financial assistance to struggling musicians.

George Harrison’s Tree Destroyed by Beetles

In what might be one of the funniest twist of fates, a tree that was planted in memory of George Harrison has died after being infested with beetles. 

Yes, beetles; we can’t make this stuff up. 

The pine tree was planted at Los Angeles’ Griffith Park near the Griffith Observatory in 2004 as a tribute to the late Beatles guitarist who passed away three years before in 2001, in the city. 

Sadly, the tree which was measured at 12 feet had been under siege by bark beetles and ladybug beetles. These same insects have also been responsible for attacks on other nearby trees.

“Trees in Griffith Park have occasionally been the victims of bark beetles and ladybug beetles, among other tree-unfriendly creatures,” the Los Angeles Times reported. 

The LA Times also reports that councilman Tom LaBonge has promised that a new tree will be planted in its place to honor Harrison. 

Funny enough, the plaque on Harrison’s tree read “For the forest to be green, each tree must be green.”

Apparently, those beetles beg to differ. 

Ron Howard to Produce Beatles Documentary

The Beatles are one of the most influential bands to have ever graced the music world, and now director Ron Howard has gotten the rights to produce a documentary about the fab four.

Howard who coincidentally named his production company which he co-founded with Brian Grazer is named “Imagine” after John Lennon’s iconic song.

As of now, the documentary about the Liverpool boys will concentrate on the band’s years of hectic touring around the world which all began at the Cavern Club in their hometown of Liverpool. The film will also chronicle their fame explosion after appearing on The Ed Sullivan show in 1964 and wrap with their show at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966.

“I am excited and honored to be working with Apple and the White Horse Pictures team on this astounding story of these four young men who stormed the world in 1964,” Howard said in a press statement about the upcoming project. “Their impact on popular culture and the human experience cannot be exaggerated.”

The documentary will be produced by Apple Corps and White Horse Pictures, like Howard had confirmed as well as Imagine. At the moment, the production team has the full cooperation of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison.

Howard, though is not a stranger to these kinds of documentaries; this will be his second venture into this kind of storytelling. In 2013, he produced a documentary of Jay-Z’s  all-star concert, Made in America which has grown from one event in Philadelphia to two completely different shows; one still in Philly and the other in Los Angeles, making its debut this year.

Lenny Kravitz Covers the Beatles

With February marking the 50th anniversary since the Beatles made their debut in America, it is only fitting that artists from all different genres of music gather to honor one of the most iconic bands.

The Late Show With David Letterman has begun their own homage to the foursome by having the musical guest stars perform some of the Beatles tunes. Last night, Lenny Kravitz, for those of you that know him as an actor, yes Cinna from The Hunger Games films, took on “Get Back,” the closing track on Let It Be.

Kravitz’s performance marks the halfway mark on the homage weeks. On Monday, Broken Bells performed a synthy version of “And I Love Her” while on Tuesday, Sting performed a duet version of “Drive My Car” with neo-soul singer Ivy Levan. As for tonight, Sean Lennon and the Flaming Lips are set to perform “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” while rumor has it Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are due to appear on Friday night’s show to perform.

Ringo Starr Becomes a PowerPuff Girl

If you had to reread the titled a few time before reaching point and are still a bit confused, don’t worry, so were we.

A few weeks back, it was reported that Ringo Starr would in fact be in the upcoming Powerpuff Girls special which is scheduled to premiere on January 20 on Cartoon Network. The former Beatle is set to play a flamboyant mathematician named Fibonacci Sequins.

In a recently obtained video from the people over at TV Guide, we see Sequins jamming out with the three little girls to “Wish I Was a PowerPuff Girl.” The video, much like the series from the 90s, is full of bright colors and rainbows and even shows Sequins donning a yellow version of the dresses that the PowerPuff Girls wear.

Trippy, dude.

 

While Starr has been keeping himself busy currently, this week marks an important moment for the Beatles. The 50th anniversary of their iconic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show is right around the corner and The Recording Academy revealed that there will be a special dedicated to them with over a dozen performers taking the stage to honor the band.

The Eurythmics to Reunite for Beatles Tribute

Sweet dreams are definitely made for fans of the Eurythmics because it has been confirmed that the 80s duo will once again reunite in honor of the Beatles.

The Recording Academy announced today that Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart will ‘come together’ as part of The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles.

Longtime Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich, who also happens to be the one producing the special thought that the duo would be the perfect candidates to join in on the special event paying tribute to iconic and influential rock band. 

“When it came around to booking this show, what I felt was important was to try and find those artists who not only would be able to interpret Beatles songs, but would also have an … understanding of what they meant,” he revealed in a recent interview.

During the interview, Ehrlich didn’t reveal which Beatles song the Eurythmics would be performing during the special, but he did reveal which songs other performers taking part in the special will perform. John Mayer and Keith Urban will pair up to perform “Don’t Let Me Down,” while Alicia Keys and John Legend will perform a duet version of “Let It Be.” Maroon 5, alongside a dozen other artists are scheduled to perform on the special.

The special will be taped at the Los Angeles Convention Center on January 27, a day after the Grammy Awards while the special will air on CBS, February 9, exactly 50 years after the Beatles made their U.S. debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Ehrlich also wouldn’t confirm if Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr will attend the special.

So which song do you guys think or hope the Eurythmics will perform during the special?

The Music World to Unite for “Songs for the Philippines”

Every time there seems to be a natural disaster, it takes musicians no time at all to come together to help those that are in need. When Superstorm Sandy destroyed the Northeatern coast, the 12-12-12 concert came in and raised money to help those that had been affected by all the storm.

A few weeks back, the Philippines had been hit by Typhoon Haiyan which damaged most of the Asian nation and resulted in the death of more than 5,200 (currently).

Now, musicians are coming together to make a fundraising compilation featuring some of the biggest names in the music industry. Songs from musicians such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, U2, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and many more. All proceeds from the album will go directly to the Philippine Red Cross to help those in need. 

surprisingly, three major music companies have band together to help put this 39-track album which has been titled, Songs for the Philippines together and could be purchased on iTunes here.

Check out the full track list for the compilation  and if you can, don’t forget to donate if you can.

‘Songs For The Philippines’ track listing: 

1.      The Beatles – “Across The Universe”
2.      Bob Dylan – “Shelter From The Storm”
3.      Michael Bublé – “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You”
4.      U2 – “In A Little While”
5.      Bruno Mars – “Count On Me”
6.      Beyoncé – “I Was Here”
7.      Eminem – “Stan” (Live from BBC Radio 1)
8.      Cher – “Sirens”
9.      Adele – “Make You Feel My Love”
10.   Katy Perry – “Unconditionally” (Johnson Somerset Remix)
11.   One Direction – “Best Song Ever”
12.   Fun. – “Carry On”
13.   Lady Gaga – “Born This Way” (The Country Road version)
14.   Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
15.   Justin Bieber – “I Would”
16.   Alicia Keys – “New Day”
17.   Imagine Dragons – “30 Lives”
18.   Madonna – “Like A Prayer”
19.   P!nk – “Sober”
20.   Kylie Minogue – “I Believe In You”
21.   Enrique Iglesias – “Hero”
22.   Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Factory Of Faith”
23.   Linkin Park – “Roads Untraveled”
24.   Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
25.   Muse – “Explorers”
26.   Lorde – “The Love Club”
27.   Josh Groban – “Brave”
28.   Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger”
29.   Paolo Nutini – “Simple Things”
30.   Ellie Goulding – “I Know You Care”
31.   James Blunt – “Carry You Home”
32.   Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera – “Feel This Moment”
33.   Earth, Wind & Fire – “Sign On”
34.   Apl.De.App – “Going Out” feat Damian Leroy
35.   Sara Bareilles – “Brave”
36.   Jessica Sanchez – “Lead Me Home”
37.   Lily Allen – “Smile”
38.   The Fray – “Love Don’t Die”
39.   The Beatles – “Let It Be”

Beatles Bootlegger Busted

Well, having someone arrested for selling bootlegged versions of hit albums is definitely one way to take action against those pesky perps.

A Cumbrian man was sentenced to four months in jail after it was discovered that he was selling illegal copies of albums from the Beatles. But that’s not where it ends for the man; when officers went into his residence, they discovered that the man had Bootleg vinyl LPs and illegally copied CDs in his West View, Alston home.

Officers were tipped off by the British Recorded Music Industry Limited at least according to the BBC. All the music that was in Paul Parkin’s possession were from the iconic band and included dodgy copies of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Rubber Soul, White Unplugged Album, At The Hollywood Bowl and Please Please Me.

Parkin, who is 57, plead guilty 23 offences during a hearing at Carlisle Crown Court. The 23 offences included: ten counts of trying to distribute vinyl records and 13 counts of possession of goods with intent to cause loss to another aka The Beatles.

“Internet trading has made it easier for individuals to distribute counterfeit goods. The unauthorized use of registered trademarks damages legitimate traders who trade lawfully. Anyone found to be selling or distributing counterfeit goods can face prosecution, confiscation of illegally earned assets or even – as Parkin has found out to his cost – imprisonment” stated Angela Jones, trading standards service manager for Cumbria County Council.

Guess if you’re planning to steal and distribute illegal music across the pond, then you better think twice.

Paul McCartney Adds Tour Dates

Paul McCartney has just added two more stops for his “Out There” tour. The two stops include one in Tulsa, Oklahoma as well as one in Washington, D.C. While in Tulsa, McCartney will visit the BOK Center on May 29th and then perform at Washington’s D.C.’s Nationals Park on July 12th.

The new dates will follow McCartney’s previously scheduled shows on May 22nd which will happen at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center and his July 9th performance at Boston’s Fenway Park.

Tickets for the Tulsa show will go on sale on April 12 through the BOK Center’s website starting at 10 a.m. CDT while the Washington D.C. tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. EST on the same day on the National’s website.