A collection of often-bootlegged Beatles songs went on sale via iTunes early Tuesday, but the recordings were online only briefly in several countries.
The tracks - expected to be mostly recordings of BBC performances from 1963, along with demos and studio outtakes - appeared at midnight in Britain, only to be pulled down shortly afterward. The digital music giant's sites in Australia and New Zealand no longer featured the collection by Tuesday morning.
A spokesperson for Universal Music Group confirmed the release of "The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963" for Tuesday, but provided no additional information.
FULL STORYThe doctor convicted in Michael Jackson's death did not appeared to be pressured by AEG Live, an expert hired by the concert promoter testified Friday.
Dr. Gary Green returns to the witness stand Monday, the 72nd day of testimony in the Jackson wrongful death trial in Los Angeles.
Michael Jackson's mother and three children contend AEG Live is liable in the pop icon's death because it hired, retained or supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, who is serving a prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter.
FULL STORYThe Doors' founding keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, died in Germany Monday after a long fight with cancer, his publicist said in a statement. He was 74.
The artist had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer.
The Doors formed in 1965 after Manzarek happened to meet Jim Morrison on California's Venice Beach. The legendary rock group went on to sell 100 million albums worldwide, establishing five multiplatinum discs in the U.S.
FULL STORYGeorge Jones, the country music legend whose graceful, evocative voice gave depth to some of the greatest songs in country music - including "She Thinks I Still Care," "The Grand Tour" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today" - has died, according to his public relations firm.
Jones, 81, died Friday at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, the public relations firm said. He had been hospitalized since April 18 with fever and irregular blood pressure.
FULL STORYFolk singer Richie Havens, the opening act at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, died Monday of a sudden heart attack, his publicist said. He was 72.
Havens, who retired three years ago, toured for more than 30 years and recorded 30 albums.
"While his family greatly appreciates that Richie's many fans are also mourning this loss, they do ask for privacy during this difficult time," a statement from his publicist, Carrie Lombardi, said.
After Havens, a Brooklyn, New York, native, gained attention at Woodstock, he recorded a soulful-voiced cover of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun," which rose on the pop charts in 1970.
Havens returned to Woodstock for the 40th anniversary festival in 2009.
FULL STORYA jury of six men and six women has been chosen to hear the Michael Jackson family's wrongful death lawsuit against concert promoter AEG Live.
Another six jurors must now be selected to serve as alternates in the trial, which is expected to last two or three months, in a Los Angeles courtroom.
Jackson's mother and three children are suing AEG Live, claiming the promoter was liable in the pop icon's death in 2009.
The judge has not set a date for opening statements and testimony to begin, although the trial opening could happen later this week.
Jackson died two weeks before his "This Is It" comeback concerts, organized by AEG Live, were to have debuted in London in the summer of 2009.
FULL STORYMichael Jackson's last concert promoter will defend itself in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the pop icon's family by arguing that Jackson was responsible for his own demise.
Child molestation accusations against Jackson, for which he was acquitted after a trial, and evidence of his drug addiction will likely be presented by AEG Live's lawyers as they argue that the company had no liability in his death.
Jackson died two weeks before his "This Is It" comeback concerts, organized by AEG Live, were to have debuted in London in the summer of 2009.
FULL STORYDr. Conrad Murray, who was Michael Jackson's personal physician, is refusing to testify in the wrongful death lawsuit that the singer's mother filed against concert promoter AEG Live.
If called, he will plead the fifth so as not to incriminate himself, the doctor said in a statement sent to the Jackson family.
FULL STORYA drummer for country music star Kellie Pickler was seriously injured in a massive crash on Interstate 65 in Kentucky, officials said.
Gregg Lohman, 36, was airlifted from the crash site Saturday with head and neck injuries, Master Trooper Norman Chaffins of Kentucky State Police told CNN affiliate WAVE. Lohman was in critical but stable condition Sunday at a Louisville hospital.
FULL STORYBobby Rogers, an original member of Motown staple The Miracles, has died, the group's longtime front man Smokey Robinson announced Sunday. He was 73.
Robinson, Rogers and the rest of the Miracles were a cornerstone act for writer-producer Berry Gordy's infant Motown Records, putting songs such as "Shop Around," "Tracks of My Tears" and "The Tears of a Clown" on the R&B and pop charts throughout the 1960s. After Robinson left the group, the Miracles had a No. 1 hit with "Love Machine" in 1976.
FULL STORYVan Cliburn, a classical pianist honored by a New York ticker-tape parade for winning a major Moscow competition in 1958, died Wednesday after a battle with bone cancer, his publicist said.
"He died peacefully in his Fort Worth, Texas, home ... surrounded by loved ones," spokeswoman Mary Lou Falcone said.
FULL STORYThe lawsuit filed by Michael Jackson's three children and mother that accuses a concert promoter of contributing to the pop icon's death can go to trial, a Los Angeles judge tentatively ruled Monday.
The trial for the wrongful death lawsuit against AEG Live, filed by Jackson matriarch Katherine Jackson and his children, Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson, is set for April. A final order on Monday's decision has not been issued yet.
As an heir to the King of Pop, Prince Michael Jackson should not have to work, but at age 16, he has taken a gig as a reporter for "Entertainment Tonight."
After receiving an on-camera coaching session on journalism techniques from ET's Brooke Anderson, Jackson recorded his first interview. The topic: an upcoming remake of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
FULL STORY[Updated at 6:22 p.m. ET] Hours after a U.S. Marine Band spokeswoman said Beyonce lip-synched the national anthem during President Obama's inauguration yesterday, the Marine Corps is backpedaling.
The Marine Corps said in a statement that no one in their organization "is in a position to assess whether [Beyonce's vocal performance] was live or pre-recorded."
The conflicting reports from the Marines have yet to be clarified by a statement from Beyonce or her representatives, who have not responded to CNN's request for comment.
[Initial post, 12:57 p.m. ET] Beyonce's rendition of the national anthem at President Obama's inaugural yesterday was certainly lovely, but apparently not live.
According to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marine Band, the pop star opted to use a "pre-recording" of her rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner" during inaugural ceremonies in Washington Monday.
"We don't know why the decision was made," U.S. Marine Band spokeswoman Kristen DuBois said. "She did not actually sing," DuBois added, noting Beyonce lip-synched her own voice.
FULL STORYA new investigation into the death of singer Amy Winehouse found that she died of accidental alcohol poisoning, authorities in the London borough of Camden announced Tuesday. It's the same result as the original investigation, but the earlier one had to be thrown out because the coroner did not have the right qualifications.
Winehouse died at the age of 27 on July 23, 2011.
FULL STORYThere will be a new investigation into what caused the death of singer Amy Winehouse, government officials in Britain are saying today.
London's Camden Council says the coroner who performed the original investigation into Winehouse's death did not have proper credentials and has been suspended.
There had been speculation that the case would be reopened after the coroner who conducted the investigation resigned in February.
A new investigation into the death will begin on January 8, reports CNN's Richard Allen Greene from London.
Winehouse died in July 2011. She was 27 years old.
FULL STORYJoe Jackson, the Jackson family patriarch, suffered a stroke Thursday morning and is being treated in a Las Vegas hospital, a source close to the Jackson family said.
Jackson, 83, "is in very good spirits" and expects to be sent home from the hospital Friday, said the source, who asked not to be identified.
The "mild" stroke is similar to two others he suffered in the past five years, another source close to Jackson said.
FULL STORYHenry McCullough, a guitarist who played with Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles band Wings, was in critical condition Thursday at a hospital in Northern Ireland after suffering a heart attack, a publicist who has worked with him told CNN.
The publicist, Anne Leighton, cited McCullough’s longtime girlfriend, and said the family has asked for privacy. Leighton said she believed the heart attack happened earlier in the week.
Recent Comments