Probably because I own just about every Beatles album in one form or another, I didn’t realize you aren’t able to purchase any of the Beatles extrodinary musical library on iTunes.  Crazy, right?!  And now it seems that talks have stalled between Apple Corps, the band’s representatives, and the record label EMI to allow the sale of The Beatles’ music on iTunes or any new music format.  I don’t know the details of the case, but it seems even sillier than when Apple Corp sued Apple Inc. over the name Apple, and related logos.  Whether or not you love The Beatles, their tremendous influence over popular music is undeniable, and it’s unfortunate their music isn’t more accessible.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the sound of analog recordings, but we are much more digitally oriented now, and it frightens me that kids can more easily download The Jonas Brothers’ SOS, than The Beatles’ Help!

Hopefully the companies will reach an agreement soon, but in the meantime here’s a clip from Help!  Go rent it!

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Photo:  monkeyc.net’s Flickr Photostream (creative commons)

Your Super Sunday Vegetarian of Awesomeness for today is Paul McCartney (SIR Paul McCartney to you), of this band called The Beatles, because I am extremely lazy today and hey why not.  A while back, I purposely stopped listening to The Beatles for about a year just so I could rediscover them to hear how good the band really is.  It’s hard to really get how amazing The Beatles were, when you hear so much of it all the time.  But listen to this track, “Tomorrow Never Knows,” off Revolver, and tell me that drum part, and really all if it, couldn’t be released today, maybe as a Radiohead song.

That might be my favorite song of theirs.  It’s hard to decide which songs to highlight here…because, you know.  It’s The Beatles.

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It’s June 27th, I’m Gina Telaroli and this is TakePart.com’s look at the week in social action

Social Action + Cinema Videos of the Day:

1) Burma: It Can’t Wait- Myanmar Celebrity Campaign PSA Montage

For the Cinema YouTube Video of the Day, Click here >>>

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Nicole Hughes:

U.S. Media Ignores Link Between Midwest Floods and Global Warming

Top 10 Houseplants for Removing Indoor Air Pollution

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Andy Kondrat:

Dubai to Build Rotating Positive Energy Tower

Bioethicist Peter Singer Tackles World Food Shortage

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Jon Popham:

Americacorps Workers Assist Flood Ravaged Town

Australians “Out-Fat” Americans

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Giulia Rozzi:

Progressive Book Club

Oprah Recommends “A New Earth”

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Gina Telaroli:

Human Rights Watch 2008 Film Festival Update

SilverDocs 2008 Update

So far so good! It’s my last day at Silverdocs but so far it has been nothing short of amazing. Here’s a little refresher on what I’ve seen and also a list of what’s to come. Stay tuned for more Silverdocs 08 and for a comprehensive write-up stocked full of TakePart links about how you can connect to the issues in the films.

Thus Far:

• Silverdocs 08 : Head Wind
• Silverdocs 08 : Meet the Paro (Mechanical Love)
• Silverdocs 08 : Opening Night and All Together Now

To Come:

• A look at Up the Yangtze : http://silverdocs.com/festival/films/2008/yangtze/
• A discussion of the DocuClub screening of my film Stages
  
• Some shorts : http://silverdocs.com/festival/films/2008/shorts-program-4-disconnections/
• Corridor 8 : http://silverdocs.com/festival/films/2008/corridor-8/
• Frederick Wiseman’s Law and Order : http://silverdocs.com/festival/films/2008/law-and-order/
• A film that’s all about Dust : http://silverdocs.com/festival/films/2008/dust/
• More video!!!!
• Lot’s of pictures

For now, here are some pictures from pal Cheryl - who also has a film in this years’ fest!

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/23166402@N06/sets/72157605653795062/
  

Opening Night - All Together Now directed by Adrian Wills

I’m at the Silverdocs Documentary Festival with two purposes in mind this year, one to write about the films and the festival and share it with you and two to present my collective’s film Stages at a special work in progress screening. Being that Stages was written, directed and produced by a team of 12 people, the opening night film seemed especially intriguing to me.

All Together Now tells the story of LOVE, the Vegas collaboration between the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil. The plan being that Cirque would create a new show based on a special organization of Beatles music. Of course, with the Beatles and with Cirque, you’ve got folks that are the best at what they do, that are world famous and that don’t like to compromise. Surprisingly enough, while there were some fun moments where various parties involved had a conflict of interest in regards to the show, the film’s backbone didn’t lie in the process.

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Blackbird is a song I often put on when I’m feeling a little sad and a little helpless and need some inspiration Beatles style. It seems I’m not alone, as after a Beatles filled show last week, Carly Smithson decided to bring them back again and sing Blackbird. The lyrics to the song are simple, beautiful and remind us all that even when times are rough we need to keep going. Watch the video below to see her performance and be sure to click below to hear the original Beatles version and on a practical note, to make sure that blackbirds and all birds continue to fly!

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On Monday I blogged about 5 songs that had helped shape Civil Rights Movement, and were sung during the rallies, sit ins, marches, arrests and beatings. These songs, often spirituals adapted during or after slavery, had no authors, but belonged to everyone. They were a civil rights soundtrack made of the people, for the people, and by the people. But what about the original songs that were written, composed, performed, and recorded to capture the injustice and racism that made the Civil Rights Movement so urgent? They may be written by songwriters, and not by the people. But they were certainly written for the people. These next songs are 5 of the countless ballads whose poignant lyrics and moving melodies raised awareness, called for action, and helped create that the Civil Rights Movement.

1. Old Man River (1927) was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II for the 1927 musical Show Boat and is sung by the character Joe, a black dockworker. But it was Paul Robeson who immortalized the song in the 1936 film version of Show Boat directed by James Whale. Paul Robeson, the singer, actor, athlete, trained lawyer and activist performed the song on countless occasions in recitals all over the world. But he would sing his own version, with his own lyrics which made the character of Joe more empowered and dignified. For example, instead of saying “Tote that barge! Lift that bale! Git a little drunk, An’ you land in jail,” Robeson sang “Tote that barge and lift dat bale! You show a little grit and You lands in jail.” And Robeson replaced “Ah gits weary. An’ sick of tryin’; Ah’m tired of livin, an skeered of dyin. But Ol’ Man River, he jes’ keeps rolling along!” with “But I keeps laffin, Instead of cryin, I must keep fightin; until I’m dyin. And Ol Man River, he’ll just keep rollin’ along!” Although the film was extremely popular, the 1936 version was taken out of circulation because of the black list against Paul Robeson until it debuted on cable television in 1983. Both Show Boat, which was the first integrated musical, and the song Old Man River highlight taboo subjects like passing for white, interracial relationships, and the tragedy of racism.

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