Beatles News Briefs: 12/31/08: Photographer of Beatles and others named CBE in UK New Year's Honors

December 31, 1:02 PMBeatles ExaminerSteve Marinucci

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From left, Ringo Starr, photographer Harry Benson and John
Lennon in 1964. Benson was named CBE (Commander of
the British Empire) in this year's British New Year's Honours list.
(Photo courtesy Gigi Benson.)

• For this American, it's great when the British New Year's Honours list comes out every year. It's fun to see who gets honored in the UK for being a rock 'n' roll singer or having a connection to music in the wide categories of New Year's honorees each year.  (If only Americans would do something like this.) This year, Harry Benson, whose iconic photos of the Beatles are nothing short of outstanding, was honored with a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) title "for services to photography, and to the community in the UK," reports the BBC. Benson's photos also have included pictures from the civil rights movement,  every U.S. president since  the '60s and many famous Hollywood celebrities. His official website is here. Also honored with a CBE was Led Zep's Robert Plant, who is listed under his full name Robert Anthony Plant (do a search for the name). Maybe he'll reconsider doing that Zep reunion tour after all.
   
• Yoko Ono posted a New Year's Eve wish on her MySpace blog site consisting of a picture of the Imagine Peace Tower, a letter and a poem of peace. You can view a live webcam of the Imagine Peace Tower here on New Year's Eve and part of New Year's Day.
   
• Author Gordon Thompson ("Please Please Me: Sixties British Pop, Inside Out") sent us this link for this encyclopedic reference for British pop groups and events of the day. We were floored with the detail. And he says it's a work in progress. This is one you want to bookmark.
                                                                                                        
• Several British papers, including UK Metro and the UK Telegraph, had reported the BBC has taken to chopping a Paul McCartney interview to remove a segment they deemed offensive. In the interview segment supposedly whacked, Paul spoke in a high-pitched tone in an apparent imitation of Michael Jackson. But Gigwise reported that the BBC said the only trims made were because of "time constraints." The tabloid reports originally speculated the BBC was reacting to the controversy over to recent incidents involving controversial UK broadcasters Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand, who were both suspended in October by the BBC for nasty on-air conduct. But speculation isn't news no matter how much you try to make it that way. 
   
• If you were at the HMV signing Dec. 21, you might want to check the Rex Features site. Pictures of fans with Paul McCartney were taken by Rex Features at the signing. Todd Baxter sent us a note that his picture is here and he was able to purchase it. He says other pictures for sale are here.
   
• Paul McCartney's latest comments about the iTunes negotiations logjam apparently came from an interview with This Is Nottingham, not the Liverpool Daily Echo which was where we first saw them. The full interview covered a lot more than just iTunes.
   
• Speaking of iTunes, we found this posting on the Apple (as in Computer) board asking why the user can't find the Beatles music on iTunes. Which leds us to this blog post by Philip Elmer-DeWitt. The hard facts are near the end: 

 The irony is that the parties involved have dragged their heels for so long that much of the deal’s original value may have evaporated. Most everyone who cares about the Beatles has already filled their iPods with songs ripped from the CDs. Meanwhile, as Peter Kafka reports on All Things Digital, the boom in digital music sales seems to be slowing, which could make even the digital Beatles harder to sell.

If Sir Paul is really waiting for a better offer, he — and the Beatles fans — could be waiting for a very long time.
 

• Starting 10 a.m. local time Saturday, Dennis Mitchell's "Breakfast With the Beatles" will now be heard on KMZQ AM-670, in Las Vegas. Mitchell told us, "Yes, in Las Vegas I'm switching from KUNV, which is UNLV's non-commercial station, to KMZQ, a new AM station that plays a very wide variety of rock, pop and r&b from the 60s, 70s and 80s.  Starting Jan. 3, the show will air on KMZQ (AM 670) at 10 a.m. Saturdays, repeated at 5 p.m. Sundays.  On January 6, I will have hosted the show for 18 years without ever running a repeat.  I am also adding KMZQ in Payson/Phoenix Arizona (99.3 FM), which simulcasts the signal from Vegas.  At last count that makes 47 affiliates."  You can read about it further in Las Vegas Weekly. 
   
• Atlanta Leisure Travel Examiner Todd DeFeo, as part of a year-end review, has a post on the closing of Shea Stadium that mentions the Beatles.
   
• Here are a couple of alerts for some upcoming Beatle-related TV shows. Steve Berg of PBS gave us this advance notice that the Jan. 5 edition of  "Antiques Roadshow" (on most PBS stations ... check your local listings) will have a segment on an autographed "Meet The Beatles" album. The segment, Berg says, also has a couple of stories about the Beatles and Rickenbacker guitars.
   
•  Also, the Biography Channel will be airing "The Beatles' Women" at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Jan. 9 and 4 a.m. Jan. 10 ET. (Check your local listings for this one, too. Thanks to Peggy for this one.)
   
• The rumor mill says Joe Walsh and Marjorie Bach, sister of Barbara, were married Dec. 12 in Los Angeles. That would now make Ringo Joe's brother-in-law by marriage now if it's true.
   
• And for those who pointed it out from the interview with Bill King: "Mull of Kintyre" was released in November, 1977, but stayed on the charts into 1978, which contributed to the success of the single as mentioned at the top of the interview. 
   
• Ring out the old, ring in the new. Have a safe New Year's Eve and here's to a happy 2009. Let's hope it's a good one without any fear.