Beatle News # 26: Death of a Beatle

 Beatle News # 26: John Lennon’s 33rd Death Anniversary

• 1965 – The Beatles perform at Gaumont Cinema, Bradford, UK

This is the 6th day of The Beatles final British tour, which started on the 3rd of December, 1965, at Glasgow’s Odeon Cinema. The Beatles perform in various venues around the United Kingdom, for 10 days, culminating on the 12th of December, 1965, at Cardiff’s Capitol Cinema.

• 1967 – EP release of The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour on Parlophone (Record Company label) in the United Kingdom.

Annie Leibovitz’s photograph of Lennon & Ono, just hours before John Lennon was shot dead (8th December1980)

 

• 1980 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono, pose for a photo shoot, in their apartment, by Annie Leibovitz, for the Rolling Stones magazine. Leibovitz promises Lennon that the (above seen) picture would make the cover of the Rolling Stones, and she left their apartment at around 15:30 hrs (3:30 pm), in the afternoon. Hours later, at 2250 hrs (10:50 pm), John Lennon was shot dead, by a fan, Mark David Chapman; a 25-year-old security guard from Honolulu, Hawaii; in front of The Dakota, the building which housed Lennon & Ono’s apartment, in New York, USA. He was 40 years old.

(Annie Leibovitz was the last person to photograph John Lennon professionally)

• 1983 – On John Lennon’s 3rd Death Anniversary, David Bowie; who had befriended Lennon in the mid-1970s, and had last seen Lennon in Hong Kong; performed a tribute to Lennon in his (Bowie’s) final show of his Serious Moonlight Tour, at the Hong Kong Coliseum, in Hong Kong.

 

• 2000 – A bronze statue of John Lennon is unveiled in Havana, Cuba.

This Day, This Month – That Year
Nuwan Sen’s Music Sense, Nuwan Sen & The Beatles (Beatle News)

Also see Lennon Births
Beatle News # 22 : John Lennon B (Tomorrow, That Month)
Beatle News #8 …& Brett Whiteley (This Day, That Month)

Nuwan Sen & The Beatles (Beatle News)

The Sunshine Award

I have been nominated for The Sunshine Award. This is my very first blog award. I was nominated, day before yesterday; by the kindly gentlemen known as, Tom Ford (no not the fashion designer, but a Café blogger); found out yesterday, but never got around to working on this post till now, sorry for the delay Mr Ford. To find out more about Tom Ford’s Blog Café, check out his website (www.thomasjford.wordpress.com), in which he serves up some delicious movies, music, books and you name it.

Being nominated isn’t enough. I can’t just sit around and wait, there are six rules, five of them in 11’s, each, and I have to work on it. So here they are :-

• Post a picture of The Sunshine Award in the blog post

(Chk)

• Post 11 random facts about oneself.

Me, Myself

1. I was born in New Delhi, India; but was never an Indian Citizen.
2. I’ve lived in six countries in three continents.
3. Unofficially, I’m a citizen of the world, I go beyond borders, I’m international, I belong anywhere where they accept me as one of their own. Anywhere, where I can live my life the way I want and find contentment, peace of mind and Happiness.
4. Am a total loser when it comes to love, romance & sex (never been lucky in love); but have achieved a lot in various other fields, like academia, travel and work experience (in different fields whether I needed or not)
5. I’ve been a movie buff since I can remember. My first word as a baby most probably was ‘Movies’, not ‘Amma’ (Mamma), even though I’ve been told otherwise.
6. As a baby my cheeks were supposedly as red as apples.
7. I’m a Midnights child (not on the dot); born on apparently a full moon night; but I do not possess any special powers.
8. I’ve been told that just before conceiving me, my mother had a dream of a beautiful white horse (or unicorn), gently walking towards her.
9. I don’t drink, but am not an anti-alcoholic either. I love desserts and enjoy ones with alcohol as well; that way you get the necessary sting, minus the bitter taste on your tongue. I’m also a chocoholic.
10. I love spicy food (specially North Indian Cuisine), but detest chillies. I hate it when loads of chilli, chilli and chilli tend to overpower and burn your taste buds and you can’t taste anything but chilli, in turn resulting in headaches and other unpleasant burning sensations in unwanted places. But I love various other comparatively milder spices.
11. As much as I’m a film buff, I’m also a bookworm. And am currently reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

(Chk)

• Answer the 11 questions from the blogger who nominated me. So Mr. Ford here you are :-

1. Safe House (2012), I watched it on cable TV (Star Movies), on Tuesday.
2. Imagine by John Lennon (not that it literally makes me cry, but I do feel pretty emotional and tend to lose myself into the song).
3. Christmas Pudding
4. My all-time favourite, would be the Brit-com (British sit-com) Fawlty Towers (1975-1979)
5. Liger (assuming it includes a Lion’s mane and a Tiger’s stripes)
6. Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) in Gone with the Wind (1939); what a relaxed mind, for he simply doesn’t ‘give a damn’.
7. No, I don’t mind giving you my blog address – http://www.nononsensewithnuwansen.wordpress.com, and phone no. Lucky7 (I wish). Ha!! Karaoke – Nope, I’m a singer in the shower.
8. Being able to start this blog. Ha!! No, I’d say being able to get two Masters, that I chose (MA in International Cinema and MA in Painting), done within the last decade; despite all the obstacles including a load of negative energy surrounding me and constantly trying to put me down. Same with my blog, including trying to get this post done.
9. Yup! Love Tom Ford. Wait!! Which Tom Ford ??? Ha!!!
10. Summer Crossing by Truman Capote
11. Yes, I generally like Matthew McConaughey (it actually depends on the role he does), but am not sure how much you do.

(Chk)

• Nominate 11 bloggers.
  And the nominees are :-

1. Cindy Bruchman (http://cindybruchman.wordpress.com)
2. William Jepma (http://williamjepma.wordpress.com)
3. Today I watched a movie (http://todayiwatchedamovie.com)
4. Vinnieh (http://vinnieh.wordpress.com)
5. Shaj’s Films (http://melovefilms.wordpress.com)
6. Otto von Münchow (http://munchow.wordpress.com)
7. Sebastián Arena (http://jsaaopinionpersonal.com)
8. Sheila Pringle (http://talkingtreesgallery.com)
9. Black Mountain (http://itsonthetellystupid.wordpress.com)
10. Fergal Casey (http://fergalcasey.wordpress.com)
11. Theadora Brack (http://peopleplacesandbling.com)

(Chk)
And these are not in random order. These are among my top 12 favourites, so far. Tom Ford (www.thomasjford.wordpress.com), who nominated me, thus not mentioned here, would have been within my Top-5. Congratulations to all of you.

• Write 11 questions for them to answer. So fellow nominees, here are my 11 questions. I shall make this easy for you.

Just tell me which of the two you prefer? You can only name one in each case, and if you like/dislike both, just tell me the one you like more, or dislike less.

1. Books or Movies
2. Friends or Family
3. Love or Lust
4. Chocolate or Chilli
5. Tea or Coffee
6. Snow or Sea
7. City Life or Country Living
8. Peaceful Solitude or Cheerful Crowds
9. Denims or Corduroys
10. Singing Songs or Reciting Poems
11. Love Stories or Romantic Comedies

(Chk)

• Let the nominated bloggers know that they have been nominated.

(Chk)

And To Mr. Tom Ford,
Thank you sir, once again, for this great honour, you’ve bestowed upon me.
Kind Regards
Nuwan Sen

Portraits de Maîtresses: Rocco Labbé’s take on Charles Baudelaire

Last night I watched an interesting short film, called Portraits de Maîtresses (2012), on TV5 Monde. Directed by Rocco Labbé, Portraits de Maîtresses, is based on, the 19th century French poet, Charles Baudelaire’s Le Spleen de Paris [a.k.a. Paris Spleen]; a compilation of 51 short poems written in prose, yet preserving the poetic imagery, vital effectual elements and essence.

Portraits de Maîtresses, is set in a smoking lounge, during the Belle Époque; a period of optimism, peace, new technology and scientific discoveries in Europe (i.e. from 1871- 1914), and in this case towards the end of the 19th Century; in Paris, where Four gentlemen meet, smoke and drink into the night. Each one discusses, a memory of theirs, that involves a beautiful woman. A woman each one had once loved and lost. A woman that has affected them, leaving behind a deep mark on them, either positively or negatively, like no other woman had ever done.

The first three, talk about their women, with a sense of humour, jestingly, thus making us feel this short flick is a comedy. But then the fourth, the most pensive, quiet, brooding, of the four gentleman reflects on his affaire de coeur, with the perfect woman; both looks wise and personality wise; with a disastrous shocking twist.

This whole movie, runs only 14 minutes, and set in one night. Superbly done, by a new director, who has only two short films to his credit. This is a superb insight into the late 19th century society, when the world unfortunately still predominantly was a man’s world. And their perception of women was that of an inferior sex that existed solely for man’s pleasure. Women are both admired and ridiculed, desired and debased. It’s an excellent flick which entwines all the Cinematic elements of History, Poetry, Satire, Comedy and Intellect. Love this flick, that managed to say so much in such little time. 10/10

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense