beatles

Apple posts beautiful Beatles animated video

It's true that the Beatles have been on iTunes for some time, but on Friday, Apple paid proper tribute to the Fab Four with a gorgeous animated new ad.

Posted late this afternoon on Apple.com, the video takes viewers on a fast-pased nostalgic trip through the Beatles catalog, all to the sounds of "Magical Mystery Tour." It's a treat of clever animation, blended imagery, and good old fashioned fun.

It's not clear exactly why Apple posted this today, since there's no clues about anything new. But since the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" … Read more

George Harrison's DB5 sells at auction for $547,400

Somebody lucky car collector is going to have a great Christmas this year. An Aston Martin purchased by the late George Harrison in 1965, was sold at auction in London on Wednesday for more than half a million dollars.

According to the auction house, Coys, the winning bid went to an anonymous Beatles and Aston Martin fan from Houston, Texas. The purchaser plans to use the DB5 to raise money for Christian causes, Coys reported in a press release.

The DB5 wasn't the only car formerly owned by a member of the Fab Four this year. In February, John … Read more

Yellow Submarine dives into Apple as animated e-book

Beatles fans who dug the classic 1968 "Yellow Submarine" cartoon can now hop aboard their iPhones and iPads to revisit the adventure.

Now available as an e-book through Apple's iBooks store, "Yellow Submarine" tries to recapture the fun and whimsy of the movie by taking you on a journey through the magical paradise of Pepperland.

Much more than just another static e-book, "Yellow Submarine" is an interactive ride complete with full-color illustrations, animations, video clips, and music from the film.

Viewing the book page by page reveals many of the familiar scenes and … Read more

What does EMI sale mean for digital music fans?

Universal Music Group has paid Citigroup $1.9 billion to acquire the recorded-music arm of EMI, the once mighty British music company and home to such acts as Coldplay, Katy Perry, and the Beatles collection.

At the same time, Sony Corp., has obtained EMI's music publishing division for $2.2 billion. The Wall Street Journal reported the news this morning (subscription required).

The company had struggled financially for years and Citigroup it took over earlier this year because of the $4 billion EMI owed it.

It's early and lots of questions have to be answered before assessing the … Read more

The 404 915: Where we're not as think as you drunk we are (podcast)

CNET's Bridget Carey is here to talk about the imminence of the next iPhone. Signs like cases arriving at AT&T stores and the new smartphone appearing in Apple's inventory system have Wilson almost giddy.

Jeff obviously doesn't really understand why anybody would be interested in the new iPhone. It's just a different shape with more storage, right? Well, the iPhone 4S/5 may include some new patented technology that stabilizes shaky smartphone video. It might be the end of an era of vomit-inducing iPhone videos.

We also chat a bit about the crazy idea that Amazon may want to buy the beleaguered remains of Palm from HP. It seems to be a strange purchase, given that this week, Amazon seems to have a buzz-inducing product with the Kindle Fire.

It's not as crazy as Microsoft wanting to start its own TV service on the Xbox 360. That doesn't seem like a terrible idea, given the number of boxes that we have to hook into our televisions these days just to watch cable TV. In our opinion, we think it would be a lot better of a TV tuner than those generic cable boxes that seem to crash every other day.

Rounding out today's craziness, we also talk about faking a girlfriend with a Web site called Fakegirlfriend.co. Don't think that it is going to get you much help with your social life if you ever use it. Finally, we talk about the anarchy that will ensue if Facebook ever gets hacked, and your poke history is revealed.

Let us know what you think of the show by calling and leaving a voice mail at 1-866-CNET (2638). If it's good, funny and short, we'll play it. Or if the phone is foreign to you, you can send us an e-mail at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com, follow us on Twitter @the404 and like our Facebook page. OK, we're going to stop with the plugs now.

The 404 Digest for Episode 915

New iPhone appears in Apple's inventory system iPhone 5 case arrives at a AT&T retail store New iPhone may use accelerometer and gyro to stabilize video Amazon may want to buy Palm Microsoft looking into a Xbox TV service Fakegirlfriend.co lets you pretend to have a girlfriend Scientists use brain imaging to reveal the movies in our mind Facebook keeps history of pokes Justin's Bathroom Break: Kid video bombs sister's YouTube video Justin's Bathroom Break: Dog only responds to terrible Beatle's impression

Episode 915 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 915: Where we're not as think as you drunk we are (podcast)

CNET's Bridget Carey is here to talk about the imminence of the next iPhone. Signs like cases arriving at AT&T stores and the new smartphone appearing in Apple's inventory system have Wilson almost giddy.

Jeff obviously doesn't really understand why anybody would be interested in the new iPhone. It's just a different shape with more storage, right? Well, the iPhone 4S/5 may include some new patented technology that stabilizes shaky smartphone video. It might be the end of an era of vomit-inducing iPhone videos.

We also chat a bit about the crazy idea that Amazon may want to buy the beleaguered remains of Palm from HP. It seems to be a strange purchase, given that this week, Amazon seems to have a buzz-inducing product with the Kindle Fire.

It's not as crazy as Microsoft wanting to start its own TV service on the Xbox 360. That doesn't seem like a terrible idea, given the number of boxes that we have to hook into our televisions these days just to watch cable TV. In our opinion, we think it would be a lot better of a TV tuner than those generic cable boxes that seem to crash every other day.

Rounding out today's craziness, we also talk about faking a girlfriend with a Web site called Fakegirlfriend.co. Don't think that it is going to get you much help with your social life if you ever use it. Finally, we talk about the anarchy that will ensue if Facebook ever gets hacked, and your poke history is revealed.

Let us know what you think of the show by calling and leaving a voice mail at 1-866-CNET (2638). If it's good, funny and short, we'll play it. Or if the phone is foreign to you, you can send us an e-mail at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com, follow us on Twitter @the404 and like our Facebook page. OK, we're going to stop with the plugs now.

The 404 Digest for Episode 915

New iPhone appears in Apple's inventory system iPhone 5 case arrives at a AT&T retail store New iPhone may use accelerometer and gyro to stabilize video Amazon may want to buy Palm Microsoft looking into a Xbox TV service Fakegirlfriend.co lets you pretend to have a girlfriend Scientists use brain imaging to reveal the movies in our mind Facebook keeps history of pokes Justin's Bathroom Break: Kid video bombs sister's YouTube video Justin's Bathroom Break: Dog only responds to terrible Beatle's impression

Episode 915 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Behind the scenes at Abbey Road Studios

LONDON--After spending a day on a behind-the-scenes tour of Abbey Road Studios, it's hard to know which great anecdote to start a story with.

It could be hearing about how, just a few days ago, a studio rehearsal session was interrupted by the sound from another studio of someone pounding out The Beatles' "Lady Madonna" on the very piano used in the original song and that person turning out to be Paul McCartney. Or perhaps it was walking through a random hallway and having my host point out how a four-track recorder placed unceremoniously against a wall … Read more

Remastered Paul McCartney albums sound better than ever

Paul McCartney has been a solo artist for a lot longer time than he was the Beatles' bass player. Yeah, he co-wrote a ton of hits for that band, but he really got a chance to spread his wings in 1970 with the release of his first solo record, the one with the catchy title, "McCartney." Forty-one years after its initial release "McCartney" still sounds very Beatles-esque, you might even think at times that Ringo's in there playing the drums, but in fact McCartney plays every instrument himself. The album has a stripped-down, return-to-basics feel; … Read more

For fifth birthday, Cirque reveals more 'Love' secrets

LAS VEGAS--"Love," Cirque du Soleil's successful celebration of The Beatles, is five years old this month.

Now that the show has reached this milestone, Cirque du Soleil is willing to unveil more of its secrets. Last week, Tom Wegis, technical director for "Love," served up an all-access, stat-soaked, guided tour of the show's backstage world now it's had five years to settle and grow into its surroundings. "Love" is the only Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show performed in the round, and the three-level theater seats 2,013 visitors, all within 98 feet of the stage. The space has four control booths positioned in four separate corners (controlling lighting, projection, stage management, and automation, respectively). A total of 276 separate production cues flow back and forth between the booths as the show comes together.

Four automated tracks built into the stage carry artists and smaller stage pieces out into the show. The theater has 10 12,000-lumen projectors for each of two 2,000-square-foot panoramic screens wrapping around the space. Four 832-square-foot semi-transparent screens move in and out of the space, thanks to eight motors. They're illuminated by four 16,000-lumen projectors offering images of The Beatles and their music.

The most impressive machinery powering "Love" from behind the scenes resides under the stage. Nine stage lifts raise and lower artists and set elements in and out of the performance space. The largest motor-driven rack-and-pinion lift raises a center stage segment weighing about 22,000 pounds. Engineers dug 32 feet down into the desert ground to install it; it provides a force of 150 pounds per square foot and can raise the huge stage at a speed of a foot per second.

All Cirque productions stress that the safety of the artists and crew is the primary concern. To that end, the larger set elements are monitored by a specially designed encoder system that confirms that the moving piece is precisely where it needs to be when it needs to be there. If anything onstage strays by so much as millimeters, the movement cuts out and the show stops. … Read more