Below are 20 journal entries, after skipping by the 20 most recent ones recorded in StephAndMom's Blurty:

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Current Mood: seeking justice
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Monday, January 10th, 2005
11:57 am	Beatles Cartoon Show: Eppy was NOT amused! Key paragraph: "When the Beatles finally got to see The Beatles, their reaction ranged from indifference to bemusement. Ringo reportedly found it hilarious that his character was made to be, in his words, the 'dum-dum' of the episodes. But Brian Epstein was thoroughly unamused by the cartoons and prevented them from being seen on British television. In fact, British viewers never saw The Beatles until 1980." ______________________________________________ From the Film Threat website When the Beatles finally got to see "The Beatles," their reaction ranged from indifference to bemusement. Ringo reportedly found it hilarious that his character was made to be, in his words, the "dum-dum" of the episodes... THE BOOTLEG FILES: "THE BEATLES" by Phil Hall (01/07/2005) On September 25, 1965, a very unlikely program debuted on ABC-TV. It was "The Beatles," an animated series inspired by the reigning kings of rock music. ( Read more... ) copyright © 1985 - 2003 Gore Group Publications Current Music: Eddie Izzard "Glorious" (Comment on this)
11:30 am	( A Beatles Slot Machine ??? ) Just posted this because this picture is such a novelty. If curious, Click pic to see the auction -- closes Jan 18, 2005. (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 8th, 2005
8:16 pm	==>> This must be the final sign of the Apocalypse! I've heard this show was being done, but Yikes! The full story here throws up all kinds of red flags. This is a definite first -- not only is Apple and all the other scattered Beatles, survivors, and misc. entities collaborating on a Beatles project, with their actual voices, but, everybody is finally agreeing on something Beatlish involving outside performers! ...Scary... I don't know about you, but I'm getting my affairs in order ... putting the finishing touches on my underground apocalypse shelter ... hoarding french toast ... ___________________________________________ The Beatles take to the big top  Fri Jan 7, 2005 06:33 AM ET By Paul Majendie LONDON (Reuters) - The Beatles are off to join the circus in Las Vegas, and it all started with George Harrison's passion for Formula One motor racing. After a three-year courtship with Cirque du Soleil, the world's most famous band have agreed for the first time to collaborate on a stage show with the world's biggest circus. Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have signed up along with the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison. Producer George Martin, known as the Fifth Beatle ( LIES!  ALL LIES!  EVERYONE KNOWS THE FIFTH BEATLE WAS... Click His Name-> WILLIAM SHATNER !!!  ~eppylover ) will be musical director for the show being staged in a custom-built $100 million theater at the Mirage casino on the Las Vegas strip. Click this link and be enlightened, my children==>>( The Official Canonical List of All of the Beatles! ) The collaboration began because George Harrison and Guy Laliberte, the French-Canadian stilt-walker who founded Cirque du Soleil in 1984, loved watching fast cars. Cirque du Soleil president Daniel Lamarre described the courtship that flowered in Montreal, headquarters of the multi-million dollar circus empire that has troupes performing around the globe. "Every year, Guy used to organize a party for friends from all over the world in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix," he told Reuters. "George came along and a bunch of (Cirque) artists and musicians convinced him to come and see some of our shows. "George introduced us to the other members of the band and we started courting them. Two events then made it happen." They met in London with George, Ringo, Paul and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono. "We wanted to see if two creative forces could work together. That went very, very well." Ringo, Paul and George went without warning to see 'O', a cirque show playing in Las Vegas. Afterwards they went backstage and talked to the artists. The chemistry worked. "This is the first time the Beatles have agreed to have their music represented in a theatrical performance," said Lamarre, speaking by telephone from Montreal. POIGNANT FIRST NIGHT For millions, The Beatles offered the soundtrack to their lives. For Cirque du Soleil, half the problem has been picking the right songs to fit their circus format, a mixture of daredevil stunts and high-tech wizardry. "The only voices in the show will be theirs," Lamarre said. "In every song there is an angle for us. We have way too much material, we are spoiled." First night will be poignant. "George and his wife Olivia were the starting point of this project and we are so touched she has decided to pursue it after his death," Lamarre said. McCartney approves and Yoko Ono, fiercely protective of Lennon's legacy, is equally upbeat, saying: "The Beatles and Cirque. I think it's a great combination -- The Beatles' agile mind and Cirque's agile body." But Ringo just wants a good night out: "How excited can I get? The Beatles, Cirque du Soleil and an incredible venue in Las Vegas." © Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved. Current Mood: Ba-KAWK! The Sky Is Falling!!! (Comment on this)
Monday, January 3rd, 2005
8:18 pm	THE FOLLOWING WAS POSTED BY "Beatletoon," (alias THE *Mitch Axelrod*) -- the world's foremost authority on The Beatles Cartoons! Date: 2/2/05 rec.music.beatles newsgroup Subject:  Cool Beatle Cartoon Stuff As many of you are aware, I have been consulting on numerous Beatles cartoon projects that have produced some really great items like the McFarlane figures, Vandor items (with more to come), etc.  I am very happy that these companies have asked me to be involved and that hopefully their products and the sales of my book Beatletoons will force Apple to release the series on DVD in the very near future.   The company that I am REALLY excited about is the DenniLu Company.  They have acquired the license to create cels from the cartoon series and they are GREAT. The first series was okay and they have just released the 2nd series which actually has scenes from the episodes.  We are currently sorting through the episodes to pick and choose the most crucial, and fun, scenes from each one so all future cels will be really bright, colorful, fun and most of all, cool to have on your wall.  I have received samples of these pieces and they are SUCH a conversation piece and everyone asks about them as soon they enter the room where they are hanging.  Even my MOTHER IN-LAW likes them (and she doesn't like ANYTHING...LOLOL).   I can promise you that future images will be awesome.  Please give them a moment and check it out at:   http://www.beatlescartoon.com/   Have a great day everyone!   Mitch Axelrod ___________________________  . . . (christine~ is intrigued!) (Comment on this)
Friday, December 31st, 2004
7:50 pm	==>> A BAD BUSINESSMAN??? The (erroneous!) conventional wisdom about Brian Epstein is that - for all his promotional talents and honesty - he was a poor businessman for the Beatles! This widely-believed judgment is based just on one 1964 agreement, whereby Epstein trusted the weak advice of an otherwise highly-regarded gentleman, and was ripped off by sharks ... in the brand-new, completely uncharted waters of mass merchandising. From Saki http://www.recmusicbeatles.com/public/files/saki/saki.html : "To criticize Epstein for being ripped off on merchandising in 1964 is like criticizing The Wright Brothers for not using jet engines on their planes." This one very human and understandable misstep has been blown way out of proportion, partly thanks to the machinations of Allen Klein. Klein lusted for the position of Beatles manager since the beginning of their fame. He used Brian's merchandising troubles as the basis for his brainwashing campaign of the drug-addled Beatles, especially John, to ditch Brian. After the end of touring in late 1966, to his dismay, Brian began hearing snips of rumour about what his boys might be listening to and were being pursuaded by ... and indeed, on infrequent occasions, John, Paul and George would allude to his financial mistake when in business-related conversation with Brian. By his own admission, Klein heard on his car radio the announcement of Brian's death, snapped his fingers and said, "I got 'em!" Today Brian is remembered for his one poorly-advised marketing decision, and thus he is effectively discounted for all the other superlative work he undertook for the Beatles. And Klein ended up ripping off, and ripping apart, the Beatles. ( Read what really happened! ) Today Brian is also ignored for his persistence in getting the Beatles to agree to Yellow Submarine." That persistence almost 40 years ago grossed the Beatles hundreds of millions of dollars since its re-release on September 14, 1999 ... which was 5 days before what would have been Brian's 65th birthday. (Not a bad legacy for the man who was supposedly a bad businessman.) About Brian's Yellow Submarine battle: The Beatles had not seen the point in doing an animated movie. Brian Epstein saw the long-term potential benefits of a film which would enshrine them for children of future generations. (eppylover note: this movie is how I introduced my child to the Beatles, and it worked beautifully. Any other Beatles stuff would not have been half as effective.) Brian persuaded the doubting Beatles to commit to contributing four new songs for the project. Even after they agreed, the film was seen as Brian’s folly, and the Beatles would joke that if a song wasn’t "good enough for Sgt. Pepper" that they should "give it to Yellow Submarine." THANK YOU, BRIAN EPSTEIN. Your boys never said it enough. __________ (eppylover note: Well, he never enjoyed being a "businessman" in the first place. He had the creative heart of a Calvin Klein or Christian Dior. He had a flamboyant, theatrical soul, which contributed to his being a promotional genius. Hell, he was not a "bad" businessman, just a reluctant one. A Legendary Pop Music Business Manager is what everyone expected him to be, and he very much enjoyed the status and the fame bestowed upon him through that title. But he totally abhorred, and more and more tried to avoid, the business world that had trapped him in its fatal vortex. Between a rock and a hard place, I'd say! Damn!)
Wednesday, December 29th, 2004
5:42 pm	==>> Ref to - the prev. post, "Winner of 2004 Turner Prize calls Brian Epstein One of His Heroes" "Jesus Died For Your Sins" "Brian Epstein Died For You" Indeed a take-off on the old chestnut. I don't think Deller's meaning has much to do with prejudice against homosexuals or Jews, although Deller may have had those factors also in his mind as contributing to Brian's end. I think what Deller is trying to make people realize is that Brian gave his life to give us all the astounding 60's evolution in not only music, but civilization/culture as well ... ah hell, make that virtually everything we look at and do in everyday life ... through "his boys" The Beatles. And then, in exchange for his gift, the world let him die. In my mind, this is a communal "You," all of us, the world. ( Cut for a cellarful of bla-bla-bla... ) All in the meantime the world was eagerly, greedily lapping up Brian's "product," his Beatles, which were actually his source of energy, his life force. I think this was not a permanent situation; it was a phase of his life that was just barely beginning to change and would improve with Nat's help ... but it became a permanent situation with his demise. So I think Deller feels (as I do) that we, the consumer, the world, killed Brian. His secret life, or secret lives, prevented him in that day and age from being "out there" enough for not only his boys, but us, to see his dilemma. So it was quite an indirect fault of ours, but the world does bear a guilt, by not caring enough to pay attention to the one who changed our lives forever. I think that's what Jeremy Deller was trying to get at. It all comes down to paying attention, caring, and acceptance. Deller is saying, "This is what happens when you fail to open your eyes and heart to other people!" Most of his artworks seem to aim for the same target. Of course, this would just be my take on the whole thing. :) Deller likes his art to encourage people to form their own thoughts. As it should be. (Comment on this)
5:36 pm	"Winner of 2004 Turner Prize calls Brian Epstein One of His Heroes" I'd say Jeremy Deller is one of the good guys. Excerpt from the article: What, then, is the point of Deller's art? He is best understood as a facilitator, one who devises what he calls social interventions and gets other people to perform in them and thereby take his projects in directions he could never have imagined. He's a catalyst - no wonder, perhaps, that one of his heroes is Brian Epstein. He memorialised the late Beatles facilitator by erecting a plaque near Epstein's Belgravia home, and he also put a notice in the Telegraph's In Memoriam pages that read thus: "Epstein, Brian Samuel, 27 Aug 1967. Remembered this day and every day. J." Deller is, then, the very antithesis of the lone genius beloved of Romantic art, one who produces collectable impassioned personalised artefacts after solitary, if not onanistic wrangles, in his garret. The most telling remark Deller has made about his work is: "Art isn't about what you make but what you make happen." Read the entire article at The Guardian Unlimited website. p.s. This is the same guy who in 1994 erected a street sign in London with the words, "Brian Epstein Died For You."  (Google that phrase including the quotes and you will come up with several sites mentioning it.) Deller also installed a bench in Belgravia for Brian (mentioned in the 6th or 7th paragraph down). I wish I could find photos of any of these projects, but alas, I cannot. I'm just so glad whenever I find another person keeping the fires burning for our Brian. :) Especially one in the public eye. (Comment on this)
Monday, December 27th, 2004
1:10 pm	The below review is in   The Times Online December 11, 2004  The rest of the best of this year’s books are recommended for more perverse reasons. While you could run a closely fought competition for the worst line in a rock book this year there are two books that hold true to that old encomium “So bad it’s good.” The first is I Should Have Known Better by Geoffrey Ellis (Thorogood, £16.99; offer £13.59), one of the suits at NEMS, the Beatles’ publishing company. Ellis is a fabulous creature to have written a book on the Beatles — a Pooterish* figure for whom a typical anecdote about a wild Beatles party will go “I fell asleep in a twin bedroom and woke to find the late comedian, Kenny Everett, in the next bed. We had no conversation as, by the time he woke, I had left the house.” Any Beatles fan will truly delight in it, in the same way they delight in Piggies. *Definition of "Pooterish" -- Adjective. Usage: UK Being in the character of Pooter from "Diary of a Nobody": somewhat pompous, unintellectual and unimaginative (but basically well-meaning) traditionalist with an unexciting lifestyle; probably derogatory if used by a Guardian reader, more sympathetic if by a Telegraph reader. Read the entire article in The Times Online -- This review is second from the bottom. BTW, Bob Dylan fans should be interested in the first few reviews on this page. To see book at Amazon.co.uk, use below link: I Should Have Known Better: A Life in Pop Management - "The Beatles", "Brian Epstein" and "Elton John" ~ Geoffrey Ellis -- (Hardcover - October 29, 2004) Our Price: £11.89 Used & New from £11.32 I cannot wait until I can afford to order this. I have put a bug in the US Amazon.com's ear, but have yet to hear or see any results on my inquiry. (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 25th, 2004
3:27 pm	YOU MIGHT WELL ARSK... Hey, it makes no sense to me, either (Comment on this)
Friday, December 24th, 2004
6:30 pm	And now for something freaky Eppy/Beatley in a Jewish kinda way I know Hannukah's over, but I just found this and could not resist sharing: Sunday the rabbi was Ringo: Maccabee mishugas in Vallejo An excerpt: "John, Paul, George, Ringo and manager, Brian Epstein, all played by synagogue members in their 40s, sang a medley of songs recounting the Chanukah story." Peruse this ditzy news at: The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California Choice bits: "A Beatles' Hanukkah," written by members of the Shalom Tzofim Youth Group of Congregation Ner Shalom in Rohnert Park, was an overwhelming success. In fact, some women -- shrieking and asking for autographs -- mobbed the mop-haired singers before they could set foot from the stage. The good-natured group, however, happily obliged. The Fab Four plus One included ... Gary Horowitz (as) manager Brian Epstein. In real life, ... Horowitz researches in-vitro fertilization. (eppylover note: Yikes, what a fine profession for a Brian wannabee!) Oh, and this story was from Friday December 22, 1995 ... but I think the, uh, sentiment is ageless! All I can do is roll my eyes, slap my forehead and exclaim, "Oy vey iz mir!!!" (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004
11:05 am	==>> What Criminal Ronnie Kray did to Lawyer David Jacobs, a very good friend of Brian's (eppylover note: the murder of Jacobs by the Kray Gang is pretty much assumed to be true. However, any associated rumours about Epstein being murdered the year before are far-fetched, to say the least.) The Eppy Connection: In December of 1968, David Jacobs was found hanging from a length of satin tied to one of the beams of the garage at his seaside home ... Brian Epstein hired David to represent the Beatles when he moved down from Liverpool ... In return, David introduced Brian to the London gay scene ... David and Brian often had lunch near his office at Overton’s, an expensive fish restaurant in St James’s Street, or at La Caprice in Arlington Street. ( Read whole story ) The entire article is at http://www.peterthompson.net/contact.html -- it's the last article at bottom of page. (WARNING: this url loads incredibly slowly, even with a cable modem!) (Comment on this)
Friday, December 17th, 2004
9:35 pm	For all you of the Judaic persuasion, I hope you had a happy Hannukah ... and, for those of you who aren't ... well, as a wise man once said in Independence Day ... nobody's perfect. (Text stolen from LiveJournal's cursedcaitand rephrased to suit myself) Current Mood: silly (Comment on this)
8:22 am	It will certainly be interesting to see how she describes Brian.  Beryl's tragical tour Dec 14 2004 By Philip Key, Daily Post   BERYL Adams was never an important figure in the Beatles story but she witnessed a lot. She had been secretary to Beatles manager Brian Epstein, secretary to Cavern Club owner Ray McFall, was married to the Cavern disc jockey Bob Wooler and late in life had become romantically involved with Allan Williams, the man who was the group's first unofficial manager. She died aged 66 in 2003, a tragic victim of the human form of Mad Cow's Disease. ( Read More ) (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 14th, 2004
12:16 pm	Some time ago I came across a "Chloe Jo Epstein" who is a cousin of Brian's ... in what way a cousin, it wasn't specified. ( *Here's one of her poems attesting to that legacy* )Well, I just checked in on the site again yesterday. She's quite a prolific poet/artist -- and here's the page from her old site (now defunct)containing the Brian connection -- it would be the 2nd entry there, by a teacher of hers, and it's a totally lame-sounding reference to the Beatles. Her new site, still under construction, is: http://www.chloejo.com/ . Chloe Jo doesn't seem to want to publicize the Brian connection; don't know why not ... hey, I'd be so proud I'd burst. It can't be because of his gay/scandalous rep, because she's quite that way herself, gay and scandalous! I don't even see the name Epstein in her stuff, except for that mention by the teacher. But, I didn't go through the entire site with a fine toothed comb, either. Guess she just wants to "make it on her own" or something. Eh. I don't know how long the http://www.chloejo.com/bios/index.html and the associated links are going to be up, because they're reconstructing the whole site ... so save whatever you don't want to lose to your computer somehow if you think you'll want to refer to it again! Click HERE to see her image gallery (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 11th, 2004
12:40 pm	An old Geocities Brian website This old (1999?) website claims to be "the first unofficial web page..." ...and it probably is. But, well, I don't mind because Brian needs all the positive web presence he can get, without any Beatles mucking up the sites (joking, but Brian seems to only appear as slightly more than a footnote in Beatles sites ... or, worse, as scandal fodder)! This other Brian Epstein site is at: http://www.geocities.com/epstein3467/brianmain.html It seems to originate from some non-English-speaking country, and is so full of spelling errors that my proofreading persona has a terminal nervous twitch! Aaauugghhhh! Let's not forget to occasionally peek in at our: MBE - A Brian Epstein Website ...More Eppy websites need to be created, don'cha think? (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 8th, 2004
8:50 pm	-> SPEAKING OF FRENCH TOAST... The eBay UK seller of the 1967 book Celebrity Cooking was kind enough to email me some very large digital pictures of the Brian Epstein recipe, which I cropped and consolidated into one large picture... ( *to be found behind this LJ-Cut* ) Current Mood: smiley Current Music: Steph is humming theme to "Case Closed" (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 4th, 2004
10:11 pm	Some very cute figures & shakers (Why hasn't anyone ever made Brian Epstein figures or thingies? Wotta rip!  - :P) From Beatlefest:  "The long awaited Brand New set of Beatles Cartoon Figures (#7406) have arrived in our warehouse, and we started shipping them out immediately. They look terrific, and we believe we are the first in the country to have stock on these. "The figures come in four separate plastic packages, and each Beatle is around 7 inches tall. They are each standing on a quarter of a stage, which makes a whole stage with the set of four. The set is based on The Beatles Saturday Morning Cartoons that ran on ABC TV from 1965-1967. "If you want more information on this TV series, read Mitch Axelrod's excellent book, Beatletoons (our #2588). If you are interested in ordering a set, don't delay too long as this is one of the hottest items we have had in quite a while." SET OF 4 BEATLES CARTOON FIGURES Code:7406 Price: $56.00 Quantity in Basket: none ...also see these really cute salt & pepper shakers! Current Mood: amused (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 2nd, 2004
6:52 pm	(Actually, not a bad website) ...this picture set me off in a fit of giggles, and I haven't smoked reefer in 20 years! But you'd have sworn I was on something!  Ohhhh, the mental image this beer can generated! Mmmm - my favorite hedonist   enjoyed the occasional beer, but whatever belly he had came from Courvoisier, champagne, and loads of both gourmet and comfort food... not to mention an aversion to exercise... Current Mood: giggly (Comment on this)
10:57 am	-> BRIAN EPSTEIN RECIPE ON EBAY! Steph and I cracked up big time when we read the list of celebrity recipes from the 1967 book, Celebrity Cooking, available only to UK bidders. A whole string of hoity-toity sounding dishes, such as... Gene Pitney - Avocado & Grapefruit Salad.  Eric Sykes - Paella a la Sykes. Peter Sellers - Veal Cordon Bleu. Vivien Leigh - Fruta Almina.  David Frost - Creme Brulee.  Leslie Caron - Lemon Mousse.  ...and then, the very last in the long sophisticated list is... Brian Epstein - French Toast ...! French Toast???!!! Heheheee! I needed that! Current Mood: giggly (Comment on this)
Monday, November 29th, 2004
7:26 pm	Well, every longtime Eppy and/or Fabs aficianado already knew this happened for many years; and so many other celebrities, (especially musicians) did this practically from the beginning of time. But now they're once again going to make Brian the scapegoat. Of course it was wrong. But if you were Brian, what would you have done? It was just the way the game was played, and we know he felt awful about it. We just can't win, can we? New Beatles documentary will shock fans A British TV documentary will shock Beatles fans with claims the Fab Four fathered a string of children before they married, and that manager Brian Epstein paid off the mothers to keep them quiet after their brief affairs with the rockers. [more...] I'm sure there will be more hurtful crap to come. I hope this "documentary" is kept within the UK, and the Americans are too savvy to go ga-ga over it. Although ... the popularity of "reality shows" and immature tawdry talk shows makes me seriously question any faith I might have once had re the intelligence of Statesiders ... indeed, humans in general. (Comment on this)