www.artistdirect.com Ringo Starr x Skechers: You've Gotta See the Video Amy Sciarretto Wed, 15 Apr 2015 Ringo Starr is a fashionable dude. The former Beatle is the face of Skechers Relaxed Fit footwear. A Beatle? Hawking shoes? Yes, yes he is. On set at his Skechers Relaxed Fit shoot, Starr commented about his favorite ways to unwind, saying, "I love to be relaxed. I don't know why people think because you're a well-known pop star that we relax differently. We don't. We hang out at home, we have dinner, go to the movies. I like to actually sit on a beach in the sun and listen to the waves. But you can't do that every day can you?" When you are Ringo Starr, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, all day and every day. Let's hope Ringo is relaxin' in Skechers. Check out his spot below. Go out and shop some Skechers x Starr. —Amy Sciarretto 04.15.15
www.amazon.co.uk Lennon [VINYL] Box set John Lennon (Artist) Format: Vinyl Price:£153.99 & FREE Delivery in the UK This title will be released on June 8, 2015. Product details Vinyl (8 Jun. 2015) Number of Discs: 8 Format: Box set Label: UMC ASIN: B00TROXEHQ Product Description Universal Music are proud to present Lennon, a stunning new 8LP boxed collection featuring John Lennon’s eight solo studio albums on heavyweight, 180-gram audiophile vinyl with faithfully replicated original album art. John Lennon’s eight solo studio albums were remastered from their original analogue masters in 2010, by Yoko Ono and a team of engineers led by Allan Rouse at Abbey Road Studios in London and by George Marino at Avatar Studios in New York. These LP’s have been newly cut to vinyl from those 96k digital files for Lennon, cut by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios and manufactured for the world by Optimal Media in Germany. Each of the Lennon collection’s LPs is an authentic reproduction of its U.K. original, in its sound and visual presentation. In keeping with the original album artwork, Imagine contains reproductions of its two postcards, poster and inner bag, Some Time In New York City includes reproductions of its original postcard and inner sleeve, Walls and Bridges includes its sleeve with two fold-over flaps, an eight-page booklet and inner sleeve, and Mind Games, Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey also include reproductions of their original inner sleeves. The eight studio albums are; John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970), Imagine (1971), Some Time In New York City (1972), Mind Games (1973), Walls and Bridges (1974), Rock ‘n’ Roll (1975), Double Fantasy (1980) and Milk and Honey (1984). This 8LP boxed set from 1981 sold well. For Record Store Day in 2011, a limited boxed set "Imagine" was released.
metronews.ca Paul McCartney weighs in on seal hunt again By Sue Bailey The Canadian Press April 14, 2015 ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Former Beatles frontman Paul McCartney is calling again for an end to Canada’s East Coast commercial seal hunt, roiling supporters who say it’s a humane source of cash for struggling outports. McCartney appeals for a stop to what he calls a “senseless slaughter” in a statement released Tuesday by Humane Society International. The group plans to document the hunt on film as it has for years. “Their videos of the bloody seal slaughter provide the only vital evidence to demonstrate year after year that these seals are dying a horrible death for their fur,” McCartney said. Anti-sealing campaigns have helped inspire bans on seal product imports in the European Union, the United States, Mexico and other countries. The hunt opened Sunday on the Front off northeastern Newfoundland and southern Labrador, as well as in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It has dwindled in recent years with fewer than 55,000 harp seals landed last year compared to a federal quota of about 400,000. Hunters were urged to ensure they have a buyer before heading out. Eldred Woodford, president of the Canadian Sealers Association, said he won’t be going to the ice for the first time in 20 years. That’s because just one buyer so far has indicated demand for 30,000 harp seal pelts, he said from Twillingate, about six hours north of St. John’s. “It’s a very limited hunt this year.” The federal government set the allowable catch at 400,000 harp seals, 60,000 grey seals and 8,000 hooded seals. Woodford stressed that at about $35 each for the highest quality pelts last year, sealing provided a crucial boost. “It’s very important to smaller rural communities, coastal communities, which need every little bit of income they can get.” The hunt is also increasingly needed as a check on growing seal populations that feast on fragile fish stocks, Woodford said. Jeffrey Hutchings, a biologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said in a recent interview that harp seal numbers have soared in the last 20 years. “There is an imbalance, if you will, between predator and prey and it would not be surprising if the seals were having some impact on the recovery of cod. But the data really are not very clear in that regard.” The federal government has defended the commercial seal hunt as humane and sustainable. “We continue to tell the truth about sealing, and the effects of seal populations on our marine ecosystems, to combat misleading attacks on the hunt from radical animal rights activists,” Fisheries Minister Gail Shea said Tuesday in a statement. She was not available for an interview. “We’ve challenged the EU’s unfair ban on Canadian seal products, and are working with industry and our international partners to develop new products and open new markets.” McCartney made international headlines in 2006 when he staged a photo-op on the ice floes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, beseeching Canada to halt the centuries-old hunt. Terry Audla, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami representing about 55,000 Canadian Inuit, said in a statement that McCartney should stick to what he knows. “He is perpetuating myths, disregarding science and traditions, and turning a blind eye to the needs of working people to earn a living and feed their families.” Paul McCartney and his wife Heather pose with a seal pup on the ice floes off Iles de la Madeleine in the Gulf of St.Lawrence, Thursday, March 2, 2006, as part of a high-profile protest against Canada's annual seal hunt. McCartney is once again calling for an end to the commercial seal hunt off Canada's East Coast. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tom Hanson www.hsi.org Sir Paul McCartney Calls for an End to Canada’s Brutal Commercial Seal Hunt Humane Society International on location to film the killing to protect vital EU trade ban Humane Society International/Canada April 14, 2015 Sir Paul McCartney has issued an impassioned appeal for an end to the senseless slaughter of baby harp seals taking place off Canada’s east coast. The Canadian government has authorized the killing of up to 468,000 harp, hooded and grey seals. The seals—almost all just a few weeks of age—are shot, clubbed and skinned for their fur despite dwindling global demand for seal products. Humane Society International is the only organization on the scene to bear witness to the 2015 commercial seal hunt. McCartney said: "Canada's brutal commercial seal hunt has begun, and once again thousands of baby seals will be shot and bludgeoned to make fur products that nobody wants or needs. The European Union's trade ban on commercial seal hunt products has already helped save more than one million baby seals from a horrible fate. But we need to ensure the EU keeps this strong ban intact. That's why my friends at Humane Society International are once again setting out for the ice flows for the grim task of catching this horror on film. Their videos of the bloody seal slaughter provide the only vital evidence to demonstrate year after year that these seals are dying a horrible death for their fur. As HSI bears witness to this cruelty, I wish them well and hope that this will be the last year that Canada's ice turns red." The iconic musician, who visited the harp seal nursery with HSI in 2006, is also highlighting the importance of maintaining a strong European Union ban on commercial seal product trade. Following public outcry at the animal suffering, the EU banned trade in products of commercial seal hunts in 2009. While the World Trade Organization has twice upheld the EU’s right to ban this trade, the EU must now tweak the Regulation to bring it into compliance with international trade requirements. Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HSI/Canada, said: “This will be the 17th year that I have witnessed the seal slaughter. The suffering I have seen is impossible to forget. These baby animals are dying a violent death for fur products that nobody is buying. If the killing happened in view of the public, it would have been shut down decades ago. But it occurs far offshore, and that is why it is so important that HSI is here to film what happens. HSI is committed to protecting these seals and we won’t stop until peace is restored to the ice floes.” Global markets for seal products are closing fast. The EU, the United States, Switzerland, Mexico, Taiwan and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia have all stopped their trade in some or all products of commercial seal hunts. Chinese authorities have also blocked attempts to import seal meat into China. This has caused a dramatic decline in prices for seal products in Canada, convincing most sealers not to participate in the slaughter and sparing more than one million seal pups from a horrible fate. Facts: The 2009 European Union ban on trade in products of commercial seal hunts contains a clear exemption for products of traditional Inuit sealing. HSI does not oppose Inuit subsistence sealing. Our campaign seeks to end the industrial scale, commercial slaughter of baby seals for their fur in Atlantic Canada. Canadian government reports confirm that more than 98 percent of seals killed in Canada’s annual slaughter are less than three months of age. Veterinary reports consistently reveal high levels of animal suffering in commercial sealing, and leading veterinary experts have concluded that Canada’s commercial slaughter is inherently inhumane. Evidence gathered every year by HSI shows that many seals suffer considerably, including conscious pups impaled on steel hooks, dragged across the ice and cut open, and wounded seals left to suffer in agony and escape beneath the water’s surface, where they die slowly. HSI footage has played a vital role in convincing nations to stop their trade in seal products. National polling consistently shows most Canadians want the commercial seal slaughter to end, and oppose the Canadian government using tax dollars to promote the sealing industry. Polling shows half of Newfoundland sealers and the majority of Newfoundlanders, holding an opinion, support a federal sealing industry buyout (Ipsos Reid 2010). Media contact: Christopher Paré - 514 395-2914, cpare@hsi.org Sir Paul McCartney and HSI/Canada's Rebecca Aldworth during Seal Watch 2006 in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Rolf Hicker quebec.huffingtonpost.ca Paul McCartney demande l'arrêt de la chasse au phoque sur la côte est du Canada PC | ParLa Presse Canadienne Publication: 14/04/2015 Paul McCartney demande une fois de plus l'arrêt de la chasse commerciale au phoque sur la côte est du Canada. M. McCartney considère cette pratique comme «un massacre insensé», dans une déclaration publiée par l'organisation Humane Society International (HSI). Les campagnes contre la chasse au phoque ont contribué à faire pression sur l'Union européenne, les États-Unis, le Mexique et plusieurs autres pays pour qu'ils interdisent les produits à base de phoque. La chasse a commencé dimanche au large de l'île de Terre-Neuve et au sud du Labrador, mais également dans le golfe du Saint-Laurent. La chasse au phoque a toutefois diminué au cours des dernières années. Seulement 55 000 phoques ont été capturés l'an dernier, alors que le gouvernement fédéral établit son quota à 400 000. Le gouvernement du Canada défend la chasse commerciale au phoque en soutenant que cette pratique est humaine et suffisamment réglementée. Paul McCartney avait fait les manchettes en 2006 lorsqu'il avait orchestré une séance photo le montrant sur les banquises du golfe du Saint-Laurent, demandant l'arrêt de cette pratique qui perdure depuis des siècles. Paul McCartney visits with a newborn harp seal pup on the ice floes of the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Canada's Atlantic Coast Thursday, March 2, 2006. The McCartney's came to Prince Edward Island to support the efforts of the Humane Society International and Respect for Animals, both of which are demanding the end of the annual hunt. (AP Photo/Christopher Brown) | CHRISTOPHER BROWN/AP Paul McCartney demande l'arrêt de la chasse au #phoque sur la côte est du #Canada
wzlx.cbslocal.com Ringo Starr Didn’t Get Over the Beatles’ Breakup for 20 Years By Matt Dolloff April 13, 2015 Ringo Starr admitted in a new interview that he didn’t get over the 1970 breakup of The Beatles for two decades. Who could blame him? They were, and still are, the most beloved band of all time. Ringo laments the lost glory days of the Fab Four on his new album Postcards From Paradise, particularly with the lyric “I’m looking forward / Not looking back,” which he discussed recently in an interview with Cha-chi on Breakfast with the Beatles. Talking to The Times in London, Ringo added: “We can’t not have memories of the past, but we don’t have to live them.” Even though Ringo has since enjoyed a long and successful solo career, with little to no help from his friends in the Beatles, he still had plenty of years – up to two decades – where he turned to alcohol in an attempt to make the pain of the breakup go away. “I was mad for 20 years,” Ringo said, presumably meaning he went crazy. “I had breaks in between of not being.” He admitted even some of his most successful years as a solo artist are blurs to him: “Some of those years are absolutely gone.” Despite Ringo’s heartbreaking account of the years following the Beatles’ breakup, he is still standing and continues to put out strong solo material. It’s just fortunate that he never went too far with his problems – he entered rehab in 1988, which essentially saved his life. In retrospect, it’s not surprising that the Beatles member who had arguably the smallest role in the breakup would be so upset after the group disbanded. But he has emerged from his darkness a stronger person, and he’s still here to deliver his musical gifts to the world. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/Getty Images) wzlx.cbslocal.com Ringo Starr Talks About The Hurricanes, The Beatles and “Postcards From Paradise” With Cha-Chi Loprete April 5, 2015 Former Beatle Ringo Starr joined Cha-Chi Loprete on Breakfast With The Beatles this morning to talk about his new album, Postcards From Paradise. After playing “You Bring The Party Down” on this morning’s program, Cha-Chi felt compelled to ask Ringo who exactly is bringing the party down in the song. Ringo explained what he meant in the song by saying, “It’s actually a general expression. We [Ringo and songwriter Steve Lukather] were just talking in general about how many people we still bump into that live in that other life, you know the ‘I’m gonna get it together next week, man’, and they never do, and I was one of them for many years and now I’m getting it together, but that’s what the whole song is about.” But Ringo isn’t just talking about his former self in the song. He’s also talking about the musicians he has met over the years. “And a lot of people, because we’re musicians, we bump into used to be in bands. ‘We’re gonna put the band back together man, yeah!’ and they never do that either, so it’s a generalization of people that we’d love would get well and put the band together, but I’m afraid no matter what we say, they’re all rocking out there in that other life we’ve all led.” Next, Ringo talks about his departure from The Hurricanes into The Beatles, and how people actually questioned his decision at the time. While hearing Ringo talk about his early days with The Beatles never gets old, our favorite part of the interview is when Cha-Chi corrects Ringo on his own record. Cha-Chi found 37 Beatles references on Postcards From Paradise, while Ringo claims to have only written in 28! Hear how the references came about and enjoy the rest of Ringo’s interview with Cha-Chi below. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
beatlesblogger.com McCartney/Rihanna/Kanye ‘FourFiveSeconds’ CD Single by beatlesblogger Posted on April 13, 2015 This just arrived from Amazon. It’s the CD single of Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney singing ‘FourFiveSeconds‘: There’s just the one song, plus another track with the official video: Have to say we really like the song. One of the most interesting things about now having a physical copy of this release is the packaging – especially the detail contained in the prolific small print on the inside sleeve: As you can see, for just one song, there is certainly a LOT of small print…… Turns out ‘FourFiveSeconds’ was indeed written by McCartney and Kanye West – but we learn they did it with (wait for it) seven other people. That’s a total of nine composers listed: The rights to the song are administered by thirteen listed companies. And the song was recorded in New York, Santa Monica….and Mexico. Paul McCartney played acoustic guitar, but bass was provided by multi-instrumentalist and hip hop producer Mike Dean. Oh, and apparently that Braille-like writing on the front cover is in fact Braille and it reads “four five seconds”.
www.dailymail.co.uk Help! Gloom of Macca's girls at doomed wedding: First view from inside Paul and Heather's wedding - but did grim-faced Stella and Mary know what was coming? · New photos emerge of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills' 2002 wedding · But after tying the knot, Sir Paul's daughters looked decidedly glum · The pair were said to have been less than overjoyed at their father's partner · Pictures and other memorabilia are to be auctioned for charity next month By SANCHEZ MANNING FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY PUBLISHED: 11 April 2015 | UPDATED: 12 April 2015 It's the must-have wedding snap for newlyweds – the happy couple celebrating with their closest family and friends after they tie the knot. But not everyone was smiling after Sir Paul McCartney married Heather Mills. Take a closer look at Macca's wedding party picture and you'll spot his daughters Stella and Mary looking decidedly glum. We can’t work it out: As Sir Paul and Ms Mills celebrate, his daughters Stella (circled left) and Mary (circled right) fail to raise a smile The pair – daughters of Sir Paul's first wife Linda, who died of cancer four years previously – were said to have been less than overjoyed by their father's choice of partner. The remarkable picture is a portent of the bitterness that would follow the wedding in 2002 – as Sir Paul and Ms Mills separated in 2006 and went through a bitter and messy divorce in 2008. Astonishingly, the image is the first to emerge of the former Beatle and Ms Mills from their wedding reception. In another never-before-seen picture, Sir Paul acts out a mock striptease in front of his delighted bride during the reception, which was attended by 300 guests. Sir Paul, then 59, and Ms Mills had ordered a media blackout of the event in Ireland. Crowd-pleaser: Sir Paul delights his new wife Heather at the reception with his 'striptease' The wedding invitation, which will also be auctioned, featured Sir Paul giving Ms Mills a piggy-back These pictures belong to the family of Sir Paul's late housekeeper Rose Martin, who was among those invited to the event at the 17th Century Castle Leslie in County Monaghan. The ceremony was shrouded in such secrecy that on the invitations guests were told only to arrive at a hotel at Heathrow Airport at an appointed time from where they would be flown to an unnamed destination. Other guests included the only other surviving Beatle, Ringo Starr, the band's legendary producer Sir George Martin, Pretenders singer Chrissy Hynde, and model Twiggy. Sir Paul and Ms Mills are pictured (up) in 2003 at a screening for the film 'Concert For George' and (down) in Hollywood in 2007 The pair posed with photographer Dennis Stone (left) as they arrived back in London after a trip abroad Sir Paul and Ms Mills went through a bitter and messy divorce in 2008 and are pictured leaving the High Court after one of their hearings Mary (left) and Stella (right) McCartney join Sir Paul at the launch of Meet Free Monday seven years after his 2002 wedding The couple turned down a £1.5 million offer from Hello! magazine for exclusive photos of the event. One official portrait – of the couple outside the church – was published, for charity. These photos and other memorabilia, including the invitation – featuring Sir Paul giving Ms Mills a piggy-back – are being sold at Omega Auctions in Stockport, Cheshire, next month. Mrs Martin's family decided to sell them after her death aged 92 in 2013. Auctioneer Paul Fairweather said: 'They decided the best thing was to pass them on to fans.'
