John Lennon 70th Birthday Events

(Reuters, 10/5, 4:45 p.m. ET)

NEW YORK (Billboard) - There are places we remember, all our lives,

though

some have changed. Seventy years after the birth of John Winston Ono

Lennon, the memories and music live on.

We remember where we were that night those lads from Liverpool leapt a

wild

octave -- "I wanna hold your hand!" -- before a screaming audience on

"The

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Ed Sullivan Show." And simply changed the world.

Or the days we carefully placed each vinyl gift from the Fab Four on a

turntable, from the irresistible "Meet the Beatles" through the

adventurous

"Rubber Soul," from the psychedelia of "Sgt. Pepper" to the swan song of

"Let It Be." Or where we first heard the songs of John Lennon, solo

artist:

the quiet ferocity of "Working Class Hero," the tough idealism of

"Imagine"

or the buoyant hope of "Starting Over," and so many more.

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And we grieve still for that December night in 1980 when a gunman struck

on

a street in New York, taking Lennon's life. But not his legacy.

Now a younger generation can say, "There are places we remember,"

linking

moments in their lives with the music Lennon created, whether with the

Beatles or as a solo artist. Younger fans have discovered the hits of

Lennon & McCartney through the film "Across the Universe," through the

Cirque du Soleil show "Love" or through the interactive joy of playing

"The

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Beatles: Rock Band" videogame.

And they've taken to the streets to protest wars from Iraq to

Afghanistan,

chanting Lennon's still-all-too-relevant demand, "Give Peace a Chance."

Seventy years after the birth of John Lennon, Billboard celebrates his

legacy by spotlighting events around the world.

REMEMBERING JOHN: BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION EVENTS

Just as the songs of John Lennon won the hearts of fans worldwide during

his lifetime, an array of events and projects are marking the 70th

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anniversary of Lennon's birthday on October 9. Here are just a few.

October 9: Lennon Ono Grant for Peace Awards in Iceland

Ono will be in Iceland to present the biannual Lennon Ono Grant for

Peace

Award to "Gasland" director Josh Fox, nature/culture writer Michael

Pollan,

author/human rights activist Alice Walker and human rights/safety

activist

Barbara Kowalcyk. She'll attend the annual lighting of the Peace Tower

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and

perform with Sean Ono Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band in Reykjavik.

October 9: "Peace and Harmony" Lennon Monument Reveal in Liverpool

Lennon's hometown of Liverpool will host his older son, Julian Lennon,

and

his first wife, Cynthia Lennon, at the unveiling of an 18-foot-high

monument titled Peace and Harmony in the city center. The work was

commissioned by Global Peace Initiative, an arts organization based in

the

United States.

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October 9: Screening of PBS Documentary "LENNONYC" in NYC

PBS will screen a new American Masters documentary "LENNONYC," which

focuses on Lennon's life in New York during the 1970s, on Lennon's

birthday, October 9, in New York's Central Park at 7 p.m. The film,

which

features unreleased recordings and home movies, will air nationally on

PBS

on November 22 at 9 p.m. "LENNONYC" premiered at the New York Film

Festival

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on September 25 and was promoted with a new PBS podcast series.

November 2: "Imagine There's No Hunger" Concert in Hollywood

Hard Rock Cafe International will present "Imagine There's No Hunger:

Celebrating the Songs of John Lennon," a concert at the Hard Rock Cafe

Hollywood to benefit the Grammy Museum and WHY Hunger, which fights

hunger

and poverty worldwide.

November 12: All-Star Lennon Tribute Concert in NYC

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An all-star tribute concert to honor Lennon is planned for November 12

at

the Beacon Theater in New York to benefit the Playing for Change

Foundation, with a lineup that will include Jackson Browne, Patti Smith,

Cyndi Lauper, Aimee Mann, Shelby Lynne, and others.

December 9: "Lennon Remembered" Tribute Concert in Liverpool

Liverpool's Echo Arena will host a tribute concert, "Lennon Remembered,"

on

December 9 to benefit three charities: the Alder Hey "Imagine" Appeal,

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local radio station Radio City's Cash for Kids promotion and the Mathew

Street Festival. The lineup for the concert hasn't yet been announced.

Miscellaneous Projects:

The Montblanc John Lennon Edition Writing Instrument, a series of three

luxury pens to honor the artist's creativity and style, was unveiled

Sept

12 in New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Mexico City and Berlin. Proceeds from

sales will benefit cultural and educational groups. At the New York

event,

filmmaker Sam Taylor-Wood presented "Nowhere Boy," his film about

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Lennon's

early years.

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will be present at the Plastic Ono

Band concerts and Grammy Museum events in Los Angeles. The bus offers

workshops to students on state-of-the-art audio and video equipment. It

began as an offshoot of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. (In August,

the tour bus created a scholarship with the SAE Institute in Nashville

named for SAE student Dan Brown, who died in Nashville's spring floods.)

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