Entertainment

Paul McCartney Reunited With Stolen Guitar ‘That Kicked Off Beatlemania’ After 50 Years

Published

9 months ago

2024-02-16

LONDON — Paul McCartney no longer weeps over his original bass guitar.

A five-year search by the instrument’s manufacturer, assisted by a husband-and-wife team of journalists, helped reunite The Beatles star with the distinctive violin-shaped 1961 electric Höfner, which went missing half a century ago and is estimated to be worth 10 million pounds ($12.6 million).

McCartney had urged Höfner to assist in the search for the missing instrument that helped launch Beatlemania around the cosmos, according to Scott Jones, a journalist who worked with Höfner CEO Nick Wass to locate it.

“Paul said to me, ‘Hey, because you’re from Höfner, couldn’t you help find my bass?'” Wass stated. “That’s what triggered the great hunt. Sitting there, knowing what the lost bass meant to Paul, I was resolved to unravel the puzzle.”

Paul McCartney Reunited With Stolen Guitar ‘That Kicked Off Beatlemania’ After 50 Years

McCartney purchased the bass for approximately 30 pounds ($37) in 1961 while The Beatles were honing their skills during a period of residency in Hamburg, Germany. The instrument appeared on the Beatles’ first two LPs, including songs like “Love Me Do,” “Twist and Shout,” and “She Loves You.”

“Because I was left-handed, it looked less daft because it was symmetrical,” McCartney once explained. “I got into it. And after I purchased it, I fell in love with it.”

It was rumoured to have been stolen while The Beatles made their final album, “Let It Be,” in 1969. But no one knew when it went missing.

What began as a lengthy and winding route for Wass to find the bass gained momentum when Jones unexpectedly joined the hunt after witnessing McCartney headline the Glastonbury Festival in 2022. At one point, the stage lights appeared to spotlight nothing except McCartney’s sunburst pattern on his bass, prompting Jones to wonder if it was the same instrument he had played in the early 1960s.

When he later searched the internet, he was surprised to discover that the original bass had been lost and that there had been a search.

“I was staggered, amazed,” Jones added. “I think we live in a world where The Beatles could do almost anything and it would get a lot of attention.”

Jones, his wife, journalists, and researcher Naomi contacted Wass to share the message more widely.

Paul McCartney Reunited With Stolen Guitar ‘That Kicked Off Beatlemania’ After 50 Years

After hitting a dead end with a lead concerning a roadie for The Who, they revived The Lost Bass Project in September and were swamped with 600 emails containing the “little gems that led us to where we are today,” Jones explained.

One of those emails came from sound engineer Ian Horne, who had previously worked with McCartney’s band Wings and marked the first significant breakthrough in the search. Horne claimed the bass was stolen from the back of his truck one night in Notting Hill, London, in 1972.

The researchers released the new evidence on their website in October, adding that Horne claimed McCartney told him not to be concerned about the theft and that he continued to work for him for another six years.

“But I’ve carried the guilt all my life,” Horne explained.

After publishing that update, they received a bigger break when they were approached by someone who claimed their father had taken the bass. According to Jones, the man did not intend to steal McCartney’s guitar and became scared when he realised what he had.

The thief, who was not identified, eventually sold it to Ron Guest, the proprietor of the Admiral Blake tavern, for a few pounds and some drinks.

Word had already spread among his family as the Joneses began searching for Guest’s relatives. His daughter-in-law approached McCartney’s studio.

Cathy Guest stated that the ancient bass in her attic for years resembled the one they sought.

It had been passed down from Ron Guest to his oldest son, who died in a vehicle accident, and then to a younger son, Haydn Guest, who married Cathy and passed away in 2020.

The instrument was returned to McCartney in December, and it took around two months to authenticate it.

Paul McCartney Reunited With Stolen Guitar ‘That Kicked Off Beatlemania’ After 50 Years

The project had planned to make an announcement, but they were overshadowed by Cathy Guest’s son, Ruaidhri Guest, a 21-year-old film student who posted images of the guitar on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, writing: “I inherited this instrument, which has been restored to Paul McCartney. Share the news. He sent a message on Friday, stating the family had received numerous interview requests and would soon tell their story.

According to Jones, the estimated worth of the instrument is based on a Gibson acoustic guitar Kurt Cobain played on MTV Unplugged, which sold for $6 million (4.7 million pounds). However, it has lost nearly all its worth during the last 50 years.

“The thief couldn’t sell it,” Jones explained. “The Guest family never attempted to sell it.” It’s a red flag because the moment you step forward, someone will say, ‘That’s Paul McCartney’s guitar.'”

It is now McCartney’s again. His official website announced its comeback, writing, “Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”

SOURCE – (AP)

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Entertainment

Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

6 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

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Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.