(Entered January 27, 2000)

(Photo Credit- AP, 1999)

The St. Petersburg Times featured an interview with Yoko on January 21 as part of a news story about "In My Life: The Artwork of John Lennon" which was on display at the historic Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg. The show ran in St. Pete January 21, 22 and 23.

Then it headed for West Palm Beach to the Blackstone Building, 100 South Dixie Highway January 27-January 30.

Proceeds from the St. Petersburg show benefited Operation Smile, a non-profit medical organization providing free reconstructive surgery to children with facial deformities.

The 125-piece show includes Real Love-The Drawings For Sean series and lithographs from the erotic series seized from galleries in London, Montreal and Chicago in police raids in 1970. The art is priced from $500 to $7,000, framed.

Asked about the financial aspect of taking John's art on the road, Yoko told The Palm Beach Daily News: "The trouble of it is too much for me to think of it as a financial asset." Yoko said the work is out there more for the cause of peace than for sales. Yoko: "John's work, especially his work for children, was done with a lot of love. There are important reasons for it to be out there."

The show's organizer, Larry Schwartz said whether or not sales benefit a charity directly is irrelevant because Yoko donates generously to the needy. Schwartz: "What she gives exceeds what we sell."

Yoko told Gina Vivinetto at the St. Petersburg Times: "(John's) songs, when you really look into it, they almost play out like a diary. He is a very personal kind of artist." As for the simplicity of the Real Love art, Yoko said, "Minimalism..I think in the beginning his drawings were a little bit more complex. Especially when he was about nine years old. There is an incredible book of beautiful drawings he did at that time. It really doesn't look like a drawing done by a nine-year-old."

When asked about Sean's art, Yoko said: "Sean's art is much more complex. Very, very beautiful, very focused. His artwork is nothing like mine at all. And not like John's at all."

Yoko commented on Sean's consideration in keeping in touch with her while he's on tour: "Sean is always reporting to me. He is very good about that. When he was touring and he was at a gas station or something and suddenly he hears 'Happy Xmas (War is Over)' and his dad and mom are singing to him - he started crying. He would call. I think that he is in a very unusual position where his father is always following him on the radio or something. That is a gift that he's got, but there is the other side to it, that he went through some incredible pain as well."

Asked about Yoko's own art and music, she told Vivinetto: "I am just being very busy with John's art stuff. I was going to record something last autumn, but I didn't because the art show was coming up. By summer I hope to go into the studio. I have all this stuff already."

SHOWTIMES IN WEST PALM BEACH:

Thursday, January 27 - 5PM-9PM
Friday, January 28 - Noon-9PM
Saturday, January 29 - 11AM-8PM
Sunday, January 30 - 11AM-6PM

Admission-$2 with proceeds from gate receipts going to Hope House of the Palm Beach's Quantum Children's Village - a project to construct three cottages to house children whose parents are too sick to care for them.

See an online article about the show at the Palm Beach Daily News site.

Check out the Legacy Productionsweb site which features John's art and information about upcoming shows.

(Entered January 22, 2000)

UTICA, N.Y. (Reuters/Zogby) - Yahoo reports that The Beatles - who led the way in revolutionizing contemporary music - have been named the best rock and roll band of the century.

An October Zogby America poll of 1,189 adults nationwide revealed that Americans love the Beatles by a three-to-one margin over their closest challenger, the Rolling Stones. More than 200 rock bands received votes.

What was asked: ``If you had to choose the single best rock band of the century, who would that be?''

Yahoo News

(Entered January 22, 2000)

Calling it "The user-friendly Yoko Ono," Rebecca Todd writing for eye.net calls "The Yoko Ono Project" "ambitious...well-written, well-performed and well-staged." "It's as if the clear intelligence of Ono trickles down through the performance, informing it and holding it together."

Todd feels that Jean Yoon's production "cries out" to be liked more than Yoko's work does. "Here, Ono's art is sometimes interpreted and even sanitized for us - for, example, the scene in which M.J. Kang re-enacts an Ono performance that involved inviting audience members to come up and cut pieces of her clothing. In this production, the actors do the cutting, tastefully removing small, non-essential amounts. There's no danger; it's all controlled."

Todd ends her review: "...to Yoon's credit, one of the ideas expressed here is that Ono's cool and courage are ideals we aspire to but rarely achieve."

(Full review was available online as of January 21, 2000 at: Eye.net

"YOKO PLAYS THE FAME GAME" was the heading on a review in the Toronto Sun by John Coulbourn. Coulbourn points out that the publicity surrounding "The Yoko Ono Project" is a two-edged sword. Too much publicity can create unrealistic expectations, not giving the play a chance to be judged for what it is, rather than for what the media has built it up to be.

Coulbourn writes, "'The Yoko Ono Project' emerged as one of the premiere theatre events of the season -- a lot of weight for one little production to shoulder. That 'The Project' fails to live up to its advance billing should come as no surprise. That it succeeds so well in the face of it, however, should."

"...in the main, the work explores the experience of growing up Asian in a largely non-Asian society, where Ono nonetheless loomed large."

Coulbourn feels the play doesn't really cover any new ground, and has little new to say, "but still says it rather well."

Did he like it or not? Can't really tell from his review! We must assume he liked the play for what it is..not for what it was built up to be.

As of Saturday, January 22, 2000, this review was still available online at Toronto Sun but there was a notice that it could be removed from the site at any time to make room for new reviews.

(Entered January 19, 2000)

The Following News Story Is Excerpted From: Washington Post

The National Liberty Museum which opened last week in Philadelphia is filled with glass sculptures that reflect both freedom and the pain of violence.

The exhibits, designed for adults and school-age children, range from upbeat stories of heroism and courage to re-creations of Anne Frank's World War II hiding place and Nelson Mandela's South African prison cell.

In one part of the museum, visitors are encouraged to vote electronically on issues such as whether citizens espousing violence should be permitted to air their views via the Internet, radio or television or at rallies.

The second floor houses an exhibit for younger visitors on the pervasiveness of violence and hatred in this country. A small statue of slain Beatle John Lennon and photographs of last year's shootings at Columbine High School are accompanied by brutal facts: Every 90 minutes a child is murdered in America, which is the equivalent of losing an entire high school of students to murder every two months.

Young people are challenged to consider whether violent movies or hard-rock and rap lyrics that espouse violence, sex and torture are entertainment.

Further on is a paper shredder into which children can feed the unkind and hateful words they've used or been called. They are encouraged to write positive messages, which are posted at the museum, such as: "We should see through color and look at the heart."

The National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St., is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for students. Call (215) 925-2800 for more information.

© Copyright 2000 The Washington Post Company

(Entered January 19, 2000)

In a story in the LA Times about a John Lennon art exhibit there, Yoko was quoted again regarding the recent George and Olivia Harrison incident. She said: "It was terrible and it affected us all so much. I got the news in the middle of the night and I couldn't stop shaking. I kept praying he was going to be okay. I didn't want another tragedy."

Complete story at LA Times Online

(Entered January 19, 2000)

Sean's song, "Winged Elephants" is currently in a loop on the Grand Royal online radio site at http://205.188.245.34:8000

Sean Lennon will contribute to an experimental project on the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal label. Sean, along with Money Mark, Sonic Youth, Bis and Cibo Matto, take a crack at "At Home With the Groovebox" which is scheduled for release in March. "At Home" features each artist creating a track by using the Groovebox, a compact, programmable synthesizer containing samples from some of the most popular sound machines. Each artist was to "go off with this 'band in a box' and then collect and distribute the results."

Grand Royal plans to put a new Real Audio track up on their website each week until the album's release. The full track listing is:

1) Jean Jacques Perry - 'The Groovy Leprechauns'
2) Buffalo Daughter - '303 + 606 = ACID'
3) John McEntire - 'J.I.H.A.D.'
4) Air - 'Planet Vega'
5) Pavement - 'Robyn Turns 26'
6) Money Mark - 'Insects Are All Around Us'
7) Beck - 'Boyz'
8) Sean Lennon - 'Winged Elephants'
9) Gershon Kingsley - 'Popcorn'
10) Sonic Youth - 'Campfire'
11) Bis - 'Oh My'
12) Cibo Matto - 'We Love Our Lawyers'
13) Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - 'Today I Started Celebrating Again'
14) Dick Hyman - 'Glass Slipper'

(Our thanks to Richard Joly at Onoweb)

(Entered Janaury 17, 2000)

"Olivia and I are overwhelmed by the concern expressed by so many people. We thank everyone for their prayers and kindness." - George Harrison

George was in Ireland Sunday and according to "The Guardian" newspaper, Olivia stood with her arms around George while he made a statement to the fans. George reportedly looked gaunt but relaxed in a "wooly hat."

See the Music 365 news article for more details.

(Entered January 12, 2000)

(Thanks to Larry McGahey)

New Release From Q Online----
Lennon killer up for parole hearing

John Lennon's assassin Mark Chapman will appear before a US state parole board later this year, which will decide whether he should be freed - and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono will help them decide. Chapman, who has served the minimum twenty years of his sentence, may be released in December this year if he is granted parole.

Ono has the right to request an audience with her husband's killer, but it's known that John's two sons Sean and Julian are strongly opposed to Chapman's release. Apparently, Yoko has refused to discuss her plans with her son and his half-brother. Chapman regularly gets death threats from distraught Beatles fans, but is protected inside the maximum security Attica Prison.

A friend of Yoko's says, "The point we make to Yoko is that if he is allowed out, it will only be a matter of time before someone decides to get the man who got the Beatle. We're not trying to give her a cop out, but if John Lennon could speak from the grave, I'm sure he would say it would be wrong to subject Mark to a situation in which he would almost certainly be killed, perpetuating the circle of senseless violence."

No date for a parole hearing has been set, according to Q. But Rolling Stone's online news report indicated the hearing would be held in October and Chapman could be free by December, 2000.

Concerns about whether John's murderer would go free eventually have been on fans' minds for years. One fan took her concerns and turned them into action. As IK! reported several months ago, Kristy D. Mundt started a petition in 1997 that she hopes to deliver to the parole board when the time comes. The petition reads: "We the undersigned wish to let the New York Department of Corrections know of our belief that Mark David Chapman should never walk the earth as a free man. He took from us a person who believed in peace and love. John Lennon was very important to all of us, whether we grew up with the Beatles or are just learning what a creative mind John had. John is missed by all ages and backgrounds."

Chapman apparently spends his time in prison reading religious material, visiting his wife and sorting through his mail.

If you are interested in circulating one of Mundt's petitions, visit her web site to download a copy. sunmoonstars

Main News Source:
Q Online

(Entered January 11, 2000)

The Yoko Ono Project opens January 13 in Toronto, Ontario. A copy script of the play will be available for online purchase after the show opens. The play's writer and co-director, Jean Yoon, will have details about that very soon.

Yoko told Toronto Star Entertainment Reporter, Peter Goddard, that Yoon is "courageous to do it. I'm not involved in it at all, but that doesn't mean I don't support it. I'm not a commercial figure. I'm a controversial figure." Yoon told Goddard, that the play "was something I wanted to do as an Asian-Canadian woman because so many Asian-Canadian women have heard (Yoko's) name used as a slur. Yoko-bashing is a sport amongst many because of the Beatle thing." Yoon: "John said it several times that Yoko Ono is the most famous unkown artist in the world. And she continues to be. I completely understand why John Lennon would be attracted to her. Anyone who has any respect for John as an artist, and not as a pop star, would understand that."

The play centers around three women who come to grips with their feelings about Yoko as they confront her art.

THE YOKO ONO PROJECT runs from January 13 to February 6 Previews January 11 & 12, 2000 at the Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace, 16 Ryerson Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

Tuesday to Saturday at 8:00 pm Sunday at 2:30 pm.

Ticket prices are PWYC for previews $19 Tuesday to Thursday, $28 Friday and Saturday, with PWYC performances on Sunday afternoons.

Tickets available at the box office or call (416) 504 PLAY (7529).

(Entered January 10, 2000)

Rolling Stone's Really Randoms reported that John Lennon's childhood home will likely receive a blue English Heritage plaque by next Christmas. Some fans have wondered why the home hasn't received a plaque yet, but the "blue plaque" cannot be bestowed in someone's honor until twenty years after the person's death. The plaque will be placed at 251 Mendip Avenue in Liverpool where John lived from 1945 to 1963. Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein's home in Liverpool will also be honored with one of the historic markers in 2001.

(Entered January 9, 2000)

In a retrospective titled, "The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-2000" at The Whitney in New York City, Yoko's films "Rape," "Fly" and others are being shown. Yesterday, Yoko appeared in person after the showing of an hour's worth of her films to answer questions and talk about her filmmaking experiences. Visit The Whitney's web site for information about the retrospective exhibit.

(Entered January 9, 2000)

In a long review-interview in today's Toronto Star, Yoko commented on Jean Yoon's "The Yoko Ono Project," her art and music. There's also a nice, fairly recent photo of Yoko that accompanies the article. Find it in the Back Issues online at http://www.thestar.ca/thestar/back_issues/ED20000109/entertainment/20000109ENT01_EN-YOKO9.html

(Entered January 4, 2000)

"Imagine" was the most-played song in the United Kingdom in the last week of the millennium. Dotmusic reports that the song, which was re-released in December to mark the 19th Anniversary of John's death, was played 883 times, according to radio monitoring agency, Music Control.

"Imagine" beat just-for-the-New-Year songs, "Will2K" by Will Smith, R Kelly's "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" and Robbie Williams' "Millennium."

In chart news, the "Imagine" single dropped from #3 in the UK to #7 in its third week.

(Entered January 3, 2000)

(The Following From USA Today):

After spending New Year's Eve in a hospital, ex-Beatle George Harrison is home today in his mansion west of London, recovering from the serious stab wound he received Thursday when a knife-wielding intruder broke into his home. Meanwhile, details emerged about another break-in at another Harrison home, his estate on Maui, Hawaii. Cristin Keleher, 27, is being held there on burglary and theft charges after she was arrested Dec. 23 inside the estate, according to wire service reports.

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