Beatle News #4 : Stay at Home and Let Your Hair Grow

 Beatle News #4  Bed-In #1

 

• 1969 – Five days after their marriage; and a day after having lunch with my all time favourite artist, Salvador Dalí; John Lennon & Yoko Ono, stage their very first famed Bed-In, for Peace, at the presidential suite (Room 902) of the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel, which last for seven days. Thus, Lennon & Ono spent their honeymoon, in that room, inviting the worlds press into their room every day between 9 a.m. to 9.p.m, where they discussed Bed Peace & Hair Peace, telling people not to go to war, but to stay at home, and let your hair grow. A strategy against the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. This was a non-violent protest staged by the two peace activist (a singer/songwriter and his artist wife).

I have loved the Beatles, since I was a kid growing up in the 80’s, and back then my favourite Beatle number most probably was, We all live in the Yellow Submarine. But, it’s only as a teenager, in the 1990’s, that I started to really understand what the Beatles were, and since then I’ve been a great fan of them, especially Lennon, and not just for their music. Then in July 2007, I went and watched this documentary, at the Chauvel Cinema, in Sydney, Australia, called The U.S. v.s. John Lennon (2006). I have watched very few documentaries on the Big Screen (hundreds on Telly, but rarely on the Big Screen). This was really worth it. It was a really good insight into Lennon’s peace activism, non-violence stance and he was like a new age Mahatma Gandhi. The movie dealt with how he managed to shake the Nixon administration, with just his songs dealing with Peace, and how the United States government wanted to get rid of him. Excellent Flick. I highly recommend it.    

• 2013 – A few days ago, 44 years after Lennon & Ono, got married, Yoko Ono tweeted a photo of John Lennon’s Blood-Stained Glasses, the ones Lennon wore the day he was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman, as a plea for Gun Control, in the United States. Stating that, ‘Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980,’ on the poster. She supposedly also stated that, “We are turning this beautiful country into war zone. Together, let’s bring back America, the green land of peace”

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Nuwan Sen’s Music Sense. Nuwan Sen n’ Peace. Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense. Nuwan Sen & The Beatles (Beatle News ).

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Beatle News # 3 : John & Yoko Get Married

 Beatle News # 3

JL-YO

• 1969 – My Favourite Beatle, John Lennon marries Japanese born Yoko Ono, avant-garde artist and peace activist, who also happens to carry Japanese royal blood in her veins, being a direct descendant of the Emperor of Japan, from her fathers side. Initially, John and Yoko were planning to get married in Paris, France; yet they weren’t allowed, as they hadn’t lived in France long enough. Then on the 20th March, 1969, they attempted to get married on the cross channel Ferry, whence that too failed, they flew all the way to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, where they were married and within the hour they had flown back to Paris for their honeymoon. 

The marriage of John and Yoko, would eventually lead to the break up of The Beatles, at least it is considered the root cause for the bands break-up till date. Yet John Lennon would not only end up in very successful solo career (his post-Beatles number, Imagine, happens to be my all time favourite song), but he would end up being one of greatest Peace activist of the 1970’s. If not for his untimely death, when he was shot dead by a deranged fan in 1980, he would have been known as a modern day saint by now. 

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Newly-Weds, posing in front of the Rock of Gibraltar (with their marriage certificate), where they got married, just before flying back to Paris. (20th March 1969)

 

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Nuwan Sen’s Music Sense. Nuwan Sen & The Beatles (Beatle News ).

Beatle News # 2 : Paul & Linda Get Married

 Beatle News #2

 

• 1969 – The most good looking Beatle (who happens to be my second favourite Beatle), Paul McCartney marries photographer Linda Eastman, on this day, 44 years ago. And they stayed married till death did them apart, when Linda McCartney died of breast cancer on April 17, 1998.
• 2013 – The latest movie on The Beatles is set to be released this month, i.e. the documentary Good Ol’ Freda (2013), directed by Ryan White, based on the accounts of Freda Kelly, the secretary to The Beatles, throughout their decade long carrier (who almost got fired by John Lennon), and the chief of The Beatles Fanclub. After the band broke up, it was Kelly who closed down the fan club. 

Pix: Above – Paul & Linda, the newly weds in 69′; Below – The new movie, and pictures of Freda Kelly with three members of The Beatles (Paul, Ringo & George).

 

Nuwan Sen’s Music Sense. Nuwan Sen & The Beatles (Beatle News).

Beatle News #1 : This Day, This Month — That Year

 Beatle News #1

 

• 1962 – The Beatles record their 1st BBC radio show. Since then The Beatles went on to record a number of songs, performing Live for the  BBC radio programmes, only 52 times altogether, within the first few years, out of  the groups decade old lifespan.

 

Nuwan Sen’s Music Sense. Nuwan Sen & The Beatles (Beatle News).

Niven Saint 103

Today happens to be (Sir) David Niven‘s 103rd Birth Anniversary.

Born today, Saint David’s Day, on the 1st of March, Year 1910, he was named after this patron Saint. It’s not clear whether David Niven ever received a Knighthood, but some reports hint that Niven was knighted by the Queen of England somewhere in the 1970’s. If so he would have earned the title ‘Sir David Niven’. None the less, being one of the greatest British exports to Hollywood, he is entitled to the ‘Sir‘ title, knighted or not.

Niven was an actor, a classy sophisticated Gentleman, and a writer.  I’ve known him through his films since I can remember. He was a class apart.

Most of the movies of his that I was familiar with were of a more mature Niven of the 60’s and 70’s. It’s only about a decade go that I watched Wuthering Heights (1939), with a much younger Niven. Having read/studied the condensed version of the novel about a hundred times as a kid, I was a tad bit disappointed when I watched the 39′ movie version, especially ’cause a whole generation was eliminated from the film. But as a film buff, I realised if I hadn’t known the story, would I have loved this as a movie. And Voila!! I realised I would have, and thus I do love the movie, ’cause Director William Wyler has done a great job, with a great cast, including Sir Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon in the lead. And I’ve heard of many latter versions with the whole story intact, that hasn’t necessarily worked so well as a screen adaptation.  Niven is one actor who has done it all, from very intellectual roles to light hearted comedy. His last movie role was his reprisal of his famed character of the ‘Pink Panther’ in Curse of the Pink Panther (1983). He died the same year the movie was released.

 – Niven Films –

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From the collage (clockwise from bottom left) Wuthering Heights (1939), 55 Days at Peking (1963), Casino Royale (1967), Lady L (1965), The Pink Panther (1963) and The Guns of Navarone (1961).

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Other Star B’day’s

Film Stars

Lana Wood, Javier Bardem and Jack Davenport.

Film Director

Ron Howard

TV Stars

Alan Thicke, Catherine Bach, George Eads, Mark Paul Gosselaar and Jensen Ackles.

…. to name a few other stars born on the 1st of March.

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Beatle News # ÔÔööôôÔÔ……………………………………..

From this month onwards I shall be posting significant news applicable to my favourite band, The Beatles, on what they were up to – This month That year, each month.

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense