Barry Caine

JULIE TAYMOR resurrects the Beatles and the’60s in “Across the Universe” (out in a “2-Disc Deluxe Edition”), a visually splendid musical that gathers emotional steam as it rolls along.Riddled with romance, riots, civil rights, hippies and Vietnam, the semi-unwieldy piece keys to Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood, whose fine singing voice surprises), an upper-class U.S. student, and Jude (a scruffy Jim Sturgess), a working-class Liverpool lad who jumps ship in New York.
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Piano Man humbled to be a part of ‘The Last Play at Shea’

By Ben Apatoff / MLB.com

NEW YORK – If anyone at Thursday’s press conference at Shea Stadium needed a refresher on the venue’s rock ‘n’ roll history, they got it in the form of a video montage introduced by Mets Executive Vice President Dave Howard. Footage of the Beatles playing the first major outdoor rock concert in history and now-legendary shows by the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen preceded the introduction of the man who will headline the final musical performance at the Amazin’s ballpark: New York’s own Billy Joel.Joel, looking every bit the everyman in a baseball cap and goatee, took the podium to much applause. The native New Yorker acknowledged the honor of being chosen for this performance. “I remember when the Beatles played in ‘65 at Shea; they were my idols and still are,” said Joel. “This is something I never dreamed of back in the day.”
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 by Mike Dennis

Liverpool brewery Cains has commissioned artist Sir Peter Blake – designer of The Beatles’ iconic 1967 Sgt Pepper album sleeve – to launch a limited edition of its Cains Finest Lager.
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