NEW BEATLES DVD, "ALL TOGETHER NOW," COMING JUNE 24

APPLE CORPS LTD., CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AND EMI MUSIC ANNOUNCE THE GLOBAL
DVD RELEASE OF 'ALL TOGETHER NOW' ON JUNE 24

Feature-Length Documentary Chronicles The Making Of The Beatles' "LOVE"
by Cirque du Soleil

London, England - April 16, 2008 - On June 24, 2008 Apple Corps
Ltd./Cirque du Soleil will release the feature-length documentary 'All
Together Now' on DVD, which will be marketed and distributed worldwide
by EMI Music. The film details the story behind the unique partnership
between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil that resulted in the creation
and launch of "LOVE," the stage production still wowing audiences at
The Mirage in Las Vegas, and the double Grammy-winning album of the
same name. The film is dedicated to the memory of Neil Aspinall, an
Executive Producer of the DVD.

The DVD's total running time is 122 minutes, including the 84-minute
documentary film and bonus features. The film and extras are presented
in DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital Stereo.

'All Together Now' faithfully recounts how the "LOVE" project came into
being, borne from the personal friendship between George Harrison and
Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte. George saw how the twin talents
of Cirque's artistry and The Beatles' music could be fused into
something new and totally original.

The director, Adrian Wills, records early meetings between the Cirque &
Apple Corps Ltd. creative teams, as well as contributions from Sir Paul
McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison discussing
how The Beatles' music can be used in a different way. We hear about
the decision to utilize the combined talents of Sir George Martin and
his son Giles Martin to produce what became a 90-minute soundscape
created from The Beatles' multi-track recordings and how this new audio
adventure was being quietly worked on in the famous Abbey Road Studios
in London, England whilst the first creative ideas for the show were
being formulated in Montreal, Canada.

These early stages of the project were all filmed, as were the first
rehearsals at the Mirage Hotel theatre in Las Vegas, which was
completely rebuilt with a one-of-a-kind sound system and complex round
staging to house the "LOVE" show. George and Giles Martin, the show's
Musical Directors, were involved every step of the way with the
remarkable Cirque du Soleil creative team, performers and backroom
staff.

It wasn't all "plain-sailing" and there has been no attempt to disguise
some of the disagreements that took place along the way regarding how
some of the songs would be portrayed visually. These creative
differences, a necessary part of the overall process of bringing "LOVE"
to its most vibrant life, illustrate the participants' love and respect
for the music and vision of The Beatles.

In addition to their roles within the main feature, George and Giles
Martin, along with engineer Paul Hicks, also pop up in another piece
titled "Changing The Music" which reveals in fascinating depth how the
music was created and the challenges they faced. They explain how they
sourced some of the individual instruments and effects and how they
were encouraged to experiment.

The 'All Together Now' documentary and bonus features provide a
fascinating insight into the creative skills and passion that went into
making this project a groundbreaking critical and commercial success.

DVD contents
'All Together Now' documentary (84:00)
Bonus Features:
- "Changing The Music" (22:00): A behind-the scenes look at the
decision-making process for the "LOVE" concept and music production.
- "Music In The Theatre" (07:00): A look at the process of creating the
"LOVE" show's unique audio design.
- "Making 'LOVE'" (09:00): A backstage pass to explore the design of
"LOVE," including the art direction, costumes, props, screen imagery
and the use of The Beatles' voices in the "LOVE" stage production and
its soundtrack .

DVD technical details
1 x DVD-9
PAL and NTSC
All regions

www.thebeatles.com

www.cirquedusoleil.com

The many ways to say "Bah! Humbug!"

'Tis the season (don't you hate when a writer says that) for snowflakes, mistletoe and Christmas on TV and video.
And maybe the tale about Christmas that you've all been told more than any other is "A Christmas Carol." No matter where you're reading this, I'm sure there's a production of it within your reach.
Movies and TV have been no stranger to it, certainly. But there certainly are some that are better than others.
Many people (and critics) seem to prefer the Alistair Sim 1951 version. (The cast also includes Patrick McNee, who later played John Steed of "The Avengers", as a young Jacob Marley.)Sim, who died in 1976, was a Scottish character actor who besides appearing in "A Christmas Carol" (also known as "Scrooge"), played Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two of the St. Trinian's films. He also re-created the role of Scrooge in a 1971 animated version of "A Christmas Carol" shown on television.
Most reviewers call Sim's version the most faithful to the book. Personally, I think Sim's version, though quite watchable, is dry and lacking soul.
A version that is somewhat forgotten next to Sim's is Reginald Owen's 1938 version. In the tradition of many MGM films, Owen's is bouncy and has a lot of human touches, making it a nice family film. It was originally intended to star Lionel Barrymore, who played the role of Scrooge annually on radio, but he was forced to drop out of the film because of his arthritis. Gene and Kathleen Lockhart played the Cratchits. The film was indeed a family affair for the Lockharts as a young June Lockhart played their daughter.
For years it remained the most famous film version of the story, and the most lavish, though it only lasts 69 minutes. But its popularity was eclipsed by the 1951 film after it started making the rounds on TV.
In his later years, Owen, interestingly enough, can be seen in a couple of Disney films, "Mary Poppins" (he's Admiral Boom, the commander on the noisy "ship" at the beginning of the film) and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks."
Another that often is underestimated and overlooked, primarily because of its age, is the 1935 version known as "Scrooge" starring Sir Seymour Hicks. Of all the versions out there, this one has be to the scariest. Though early in the film, Hicks plays Scrooge as the usual grumpy old man, when confronted by the demons in his life, he is profoundly terrified. There's no whitewashing of the story here. For those who want the coldest and dreariest version of "A Christmas Carol," this is it.
There are, of course, many others. Two recent TV verisions starred George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart. Scott, whose career included playing the stalwart Gen. Patton, shows a multi-faceted side of his acting talents here and is just charming when Scrooge realizes the error of his ways. Stewart, however, is less effective. He comes off more like his Capt. Jean-Luc Picard character from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" early on and his transformation later is not convincing.
There are countless other versions, too. For us, it isn't Christmas until we've watched "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol." Magoo's version butchers the story, adds incompatible songs and theatrics. But, perhaps for sentimental reasons having seen it since its premiere on TV in the '60s, we love it and consider it one of the best versions.
So what is your favorite? We'll put up a poll and you are welcome to add your comments.

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Check out our DVD Watch "A Christmas Carol" store featuring all the different versions of "A Christmas Carol" on DVD.