Still Love The Beatles

(Newser) - Heather Mills was an “inconsistent and inaccurate” witness in her divorce hearings with Paul McCartney, the case judge said today. He described the ex-Beatle’s ex as “less than candid” and “less than impressive,” but tempered his critique by noting that Mills is a “kindly individual” who showed “steely, yet courteous determination”  in representing herself in court, the Daily Telegraph reports. More »

(Newser) - A UK court today ordered Paul McCartney to pay Heather Mills $48.7 million to settle their protracted divorce case, in which the former model represented herself after firing her lawyers. "It was an incredible result to secure mine and my daughter's future and that of all the charities that I obviously plan on helping," Mills said on the courthouse steps, adding that “Paul was offering a lot less,” the Daily Mail reports. More »

(Newser) - Acclaimed guitarist Jeff Healey died of cancer at 41 yesterday after battling the disease throughout his life, the Globe and Mail reports. Healey, who lost his eyesight as a child to retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer, sold more than a million albums in the US, racking up hits such as “Angel Eyes,” “See the Light,” and a cover of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” More »

(Newser) - Indiana Jones' whip. The gun that killed JFK's assassin. Madonna's Like a Virgin wedding dress. All are up for grabs at a massive memorabilia auction scheduled for March 15-16 in Las Vegas, Reuters reports. Billed as the best pop-culture collection ever assembled, the 850-lot treasure trove could fetch more than $5 million, says the president of the auction house. More »

(Newser) - Paul McCartney and Heather Mills again failed to strike a divorce agreement today, and the judge hearing their case will announce a decision in a few weeks, opening up the possibility that the action will be heard in open court. If either side contests the judge's ruling, the case will move to the Court of Appeal, which Sir Paul wants to avoid but his ex says she is ready for. More »

(Newser) - Maybe all you need is love, but when that fails, $108 million isn’t bad either. That’s how much Heather Mills will get from her ex-Beatle ex-hubby Paul McCartney in a divorce settlement both have agreed to, the Daily Mail reports. But Mills will have to sign a confidentiality agreement, vowing not to speak publicly or write about the bitter breakup. No other Brit papers have confirmed the deal. More »

(Newser) - Divorce proceedings between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills will continue into next week, the BBC reports, amid media speculation that a confidentiality pact is holding up what is likely to be a record financial settlement. The private hearing in a London court was scheduled to end today but will extend at least through Monday. More »

(Newser) - Early hits from the Beatles and the Stones are only a few years away from falling out of copyright and into the public domain, but the European Commission wants to change that and keep royalties flowing to rock stars in their golden years, reports the Times of London. Plans to extend the European performers' royalty period from 50 to 95 years would be a financial boon for elderly rockers—and their record companies. More »