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Bob Herbert just doesn't get it. As Noel Sheppard has noted, in his NYT column today Herbert accuses Barack Obama of "lurching right when it suits him, and . . . zigging with the kind of reckless abandon that’s guaranteed to cause disillusion, if not whiplash." The NY Times columnist goes on to condemn the candidate for "pandering to evangelicals;" agreeing with Justices Scalia and Thomas on a "barbaric" interpretation of the 8th Amendment; and playing a "dangerous game" with his "shifts and panders." No, no, no, Bob! That's not what's happening at all. Obama isn't flip-flopping. He's simply fulfilling...

LONDON (Reuters) - A film enthusiast has discovered a long lost interview with The Beatles from 1964 which has not been broadcast since. Richard Jeffs came across 64 canisters of film stored in a damp garage in South London, and when he started to go through them he stumbled across a piece of pop history. The conversation with Scottish television dates from April 30, 1964, according to the BBC, which played excerpts from the nine-and-a-half minute interview on the radio on Tuesday. It came shortly after the Fab Four's trip to the United States during which they were besieged by...

The "Musicians Who Turn 50", "Musicians Who Turn 60", "Favorite Drummer" and "Favorite Guitarist" were such hit threads on FR, I've decided to do this one. Who is your favorite SONGWRITING DUO? We all know that Lennon-McCartney were amazing together and possibly the best songwriting duo ever. They might be mentioned several times on this thread. If you choose John & Paul, be specific about which song and lyric(s).

NEW YORK (AP) — Neil Aspinall, a longtime friend of the Beatles who managed their business enterprises and helped make the group a moneymaking phenomenon decades after they split up, has died. He was 66. Aspinall's death was announced Monday in a statement from surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison, and the band's Apple Corps Ltd. company. Aspinall died Sunday night at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where he had been receiving treatment for lung cancer, according to Geoff Baker, who formerly represented both Aspinall and Apple Corps.

Beatles try to block historic bootleg By David Harrison Last Updated: 8:43pm GMT 22/03/2008 The Beatles are trying to block the release of an album of "lost" songs recorded during Ringo Starr's first performances with the group. The Beatles built their reputation at Hamburg's Star Club. A plaque now marks where it once stood The eight unreleased songs date from 1962 when the Fab Four agreed to do a few final gigs at Hamburg's Star Club, where they had performed as a fledgling band. The songs include Paul McCartney and John Lennon singing an early B-side, Ask Me Why, McCartney...

Heather Mills torn to shreds by Sir Paul McCartney divorce judge By Caroline Gammell and Gordon Rayner Last Updated: 8:26pm GMT 18/03/2008 Heather Mills has seen her reputation left in tatters after the High Court judge presiding over her divorce from Sir Paul McCartney tore into her character, accusing her of "make-belief", inconsistency and inaccuracy. Mr Justice Bennett said she was a "less than impressive witness" during the six-day hearing last month who "wholly exaggerated" the extent of her wealth before she met her now ex-husband. Telegraph TV: Heather Mills spent 11 minutes outside court attacking the legal system Miss...

Paul...you wife beater.....loser....who cares

He rocks out in his diaper and delivers a hit Beatles song

The Beatles are about to become radio stars in a whole new way. NASA on Monday will broadcast the Beatles' song "Across the Universe" across the galaxy to Polaris, the North Star. This first-ever beaming of a radio song by the space agency directly into deep space is nostalgia-driven. It celebrates the 40th anniversary of the song, the 45th anniversary of NASA's Deep Space Network, which communicates with its distant probes, and the 50th anniversary of NASA. "Send my love to the aliens," Paul McCartney told NASA through a Beatles historian. "All the best, Paul." The song, written by McCartney...

The country plans to deliver letters of apology to the two surviving members of the group and relatives of the deceased members for cancelling the concert back in the group's heyday.   Israel said it could not afford to host the world-famous band The reason given at the time was because the Israeli government could not afford to host the world-famous band. But other sources suggest Israel was concerned it would not be able to cope with Beatle-mania and feared that it might corrupt the minds of Israeli fans. "We would like to take this opportunity to rectify a historic...

NEW YORK/LONDON (Billboard) - It's perfectly legal, but it will still seem to some listeners like the sound of someone making off with England's crown jewels. On rap collective Wu-Tang Clan's new single "The Heart Gently Weeps," a Santana-style rock guitar opening gives way to an almost celestial chorus of something very familiar. There, and throughout the track, is the unmistakable melody of George Harrison's timeless contribution to the Beatles' "White Album" from 1968: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Now, the track is accompanied by Wu-Tang's trademark, uncompromising language, rapping out a gritty street story, even as Harrison's son Dhani...

The Zombeatles sing a Halloween song fer ya!

THINK: Donald and Melania Trump. THE DONALD COVERS YOUR ASSETS Always have a prenuptial agreement. I have seen people and businesses destroyed because there wasn't a pre-nup. I will be honest with you, if I did not have prenuptial agreements with Ivana and Marla, I would not have anything now. They attacked me rather viciously. --SNIP--Look at Paul McCartney, the poor bastard----he is worth $1.5B.......he married Heather Mills. Some people said she was a nude model in the 80s and worked for an escort service......she made his life miserable for three years, then sued him for $400M. Paul told...

• Hearing will go public in February • Heather refuses deal to stay silent Sir Paul McCartney Looking for your wallet? Sir Paul McCartney, who stepped out for a quick coffee today in London, heading towards a full-blown public divorce hearing Divorce talks between Heather Mills and Sir Paul McCartney have completely collapsed. The couple are now heading for a full-blown public divorce hearing after the breakdown of negotiations over his £825 million fortune. Sources close to the case said a date has now been set for a five-day trial, adding: “It is finished. There are no more talks planned....

Some Beatles fans in the US are angry that the 1967 Beatles hit 'All You Need Is Love' is being used in a new ad campaign for disposable nappies. “For people who feel that political connection, it comes off as kind of a callous action,” said Angela Natividad, co-editor of adrants.com, a marketing commentary site. “You’ve got the Beatles, which draws like, religious feelings, and you’ve got the war [Vietnam].”

The Beatles, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Nominated by Billy Childish, prime mover of British garage rock I had a Beatles wig Beatles guitar when I was four - so I know what I'm talking about, but Sgt Pepper signalled the death of rock'n'roll. Rock'n'roll is meant to be full of vitality and energy, and this album isn't. It sounds like it took six months to **** out. The Beatles were the victims of their success. This is middle-of-the-road rock music for plumbers. Or people who drive round in Citroens - the sort of corporate hippies who ruined rock...

London, England (LifeNews.com) -- When it comes to Hollywood, abortion isn't just a topic that comes up frequently in movies or music, it's something celebrities routinely confront. News reports on Monday indicate abortion was a topic of conversation between famous Beatles musician John Lennon and his infamous wife Yoko Ono. In an interview with the BBC, Ono recounts a story about how she considered having an abortion when pregnant with the couple's son Sean. Lennon apparently talked her out of having an abortion. The conversation came after Ono became pregnant when the couple reunited in the early 70s after an...

Earlier this week while channel surfing, I came across the end of an interview with Paul McCartney who turns 65 this year. He is promoting his new CD "Memory Almost Full". The last statement from the host was, "Is this going to be a revolution in music?" I'm thinking Rubber Soul, Sgt. Peppers and the White Album. Maybe Paul put it all together again? Yesterday I was in a book store and saw a stand filled with the new CD, right next the coffee table photo books discounted 80%. That should have been my first clue. In fact, Paul's CD...

Yes, it's been 40 years exactly since Sgt. Pepper, having labored the previous 20 years teaching his band to play, arranged for its debut in full psychedelic regalia. He leveraged a little help from his friends, notably... A hundred years from now, musicologists say, Beatles songs will be so well known that every child will learn them as nursery rhymes, and most people won't know who wrote them... Skillful composers play with these expectations, alternately meeting and violating them in interesting ways. In my laboratory, we've found that listening to a familiar song that you like activates the same parts...

It was 40 years ago today. Ah, you knew the story would start like that. What other way to begin? June 1, 1967. That's when "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" hit the streets in the United Kingdom, a day later in the United States, and hit the consciousness of the pop world like a dose of something strange in the Kool-Aid. It was the eighth (British) Beatles album but also the beginning of a new chapter for the band and for a popular culture entering into the Summer of Love and a period of heightened experimentation with music, fashion,...