The Beatles are hitting theaters nationwide.
Recently discovered footage of the Fab Four’s first full-length concert in the United States is the subject of a new documentary, “The Beatles: The Lost Concert.”
Recorded at the District’s Washington Coliseum in February 1964 to an overbooked teenage audience of 8,000 screaming fans, the 12-song set included “She Loves You” and “I Saw Her Standing There.” The show came just two days after the group’s landmark appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
The documentary covers the band’s historic arrival in America and includes new interviews with Steven Tyler, Chuck Berry, Mark Ronson and others.
The film’s world premiere is scheduled for New York’s Ziegfield Theatre on May 6, and will be in 450 theaters nationwide on May 17 and 22.
Russell Brand urges love, compassion for addicts
Comedian Russell Brand said “love and compassion” are the key to weaning addicts off drugs.
Mr. Brand testified to a parliamentary committee in London on Tuesday about his own experience with addiction, and said society should not “discard people, write them off on methadone and leave them on the sidelines.”
During a 30-minute appearance, Mr. Brand said he believes drugs should be legalized.
He said: “I’m not a legal expert. I’m saying that, to a drug addict, the legal aspect is irrelevant. If you need to get drugs, you will. The criminal and legal status, I think, sends the wrong message. Being arrested isn’t a lesson, it’s just an administrative blip.”
Mr. Brand wore a black hat, gold chains and crosses, and a torn black vest top to the hearing.
Nugent to plead guilty in killing of Alaskan bear
Rocker and gun rights advocate Ted Nugent was expected to plead guilty Tuesday to transporting a black bear he illegally killed in Alaska.
A plea agreement with federal prosecutors signed by Mr. Nugent says he illegally shot and killed the bear in May 2009 on Sukkwan Island in southeast Alaska after wounding another bear in a bow hunt. The bow incident counted toward a state seasonal limit of one bear.
Mr. Nugent was set to participate by telephone in Tuesday’s U.S. District Court proceeding in the southeast Alaska town of Ketchikan, his lawyer said.
Mr. Nugent didn’t know he was breaking the law, his Anchorage attorney, Wayne Anthony Ross, said.
The agreement, filed in U.S. District Court last week, said Mr. Nugent knowingly possessed and transported the bear in a misdemeanor violation of the Lacey Act.
According to the agreement, the hunt was filmed for Nugent’s Outdoor Channel television show “Spirit of the Wild.”
Mr. Nugent, who signed the document April 14, agreed to pay a $10,000 fine, according to the document, which said he also agreed to a two-year probation, including a special condition that he not hunt or fish in Alaska or Forest Service properties for one year. He also agreed to create a public service announcement that would be broadcast on his show every second week for one year, the document states.
Mr. Nugent also agreed to pay the state $600 for the bear that was taken illegally, according to the document.
A plea agreement would have to be approved by a judge.
Bipolar disorder forces O’Connor to cancel tour
Sinead O’Connor said she is canceling her 2012 tour due to her bipolar disorder.
The singer made the announcement Monday in a posting on her website. She wrote that she is “very unwell” and had been advised by her doctor to not hit the road after her “very serious breakdown between December and March.”
In December, Ms. O’Connor announced her split from therapist Barry Herridge after 16 days of marriage.
The Irish singer-songwriter is best known for the early 1990s hit “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Her latest album, “How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?,” was released in February. The 45-year-old said she had planned the tour because of the album’s release, but was “attempting to be stronger than I actually am.”
Kevin Hart added to Essence lineup
Comedian and actor Kevin Hart has been added to the main-stage lineup for the 2012 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.
Organizers say Mr. Hart, hot on the heels of his starring role in last weekend’s No. 1 film, “Think Like a Man,” will debut his comedic talents during the festival scheduled for July 6 through 8 at the Superdome. Mr. Hart joins a lineup that includes Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Charlie Wilson, Ledisi, Fantasia and Eve.
The festival drew more than 422,000 attendees last year.
Essence Fest began as a one-time event celebrating the 25th anniversary of Essence magazine. The festival is organized by Essence Communications Inc., a media company with a presence in publishing, live events and online services.
• Compiled from Web and wire reports
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