Beatles For Sale - A lock of John Lennon's hair that was cut off as he prepared for a film role has sold for $35,000 (£24,298). The four-inch piece of hair was bought by UK collector Paul Fraser at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. A German hairdresser kept a piece of Lennon's hair after giving him a trim before the star began filming the 1967 dark comedy, How I Won the War. "This is the largest lock of John Lennon's hair ever offered at auction and this world record price is a lasting testament to the world's more than 50-year love affair and fascination with Lennon and the Beatles," said Garry Shrum, director of music memorabilia at Heritage.
Several other Beatles items were also up for sale at the auction. The biggest seller was a rare sealed copy of the band's US LP Yesterday and Today, which went for $125,000 (£86,778). Other sales at the entertainment and music memorabilia auction included a 1980s wristwatch that belonged to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, which went for $42,500 (£29,500).
On The Game - The Rocky Horror Show is the focus of a new, theatre-inspired mobile game that aims to bring the experience to new audiences. Creatives from the original stage show have also been involved in the development of the game, called The Rocky Horror Show Touch Me. As part of the creation process, game studio Rocket Lolly Games has consulted theatregoers and Rocky Horror fans in order to capture the feeling of a live experience. The game's creator, Oscar Clark, director and co-founder of Rocket Lolly Games, said the game would play on "the dynamism between the actors on stage and the audience. We want to capture what it is that makes it so special."
Park Life - Rihanna and Justin Bieber have been announced as the headliners of this year's V Festival. The pop stars will perform at Hylands Park, Essex, and Weston Park in Staffordshire on 20 and 21 August. They'll be joined by the likes of Sia, Bastille, Little Mix, Jess Glynne and Jake Bugg for the festival's 21st anniversary.
Northern Lights - An extra £2m has been invested in York Theatre Royal's refurbishment in order to overhaul the building's roof. The theatre is already undergoing a £4.1m refurbishment of its stage, auditorium and foyer. However, York Conservation Trust - which owns the building - has injected a further £2m to ensure the roof is watertight. A number of skylights will also be installed to optimise lighting inside the building during the day, while LED systems will also be added to improve evening lighting.
Protest Song - Ukraine will be represented at this year's Eurovision song contest by a Crimean Tatar who sings about her family's deportation by Stalin. Jamala was picked to represent the country with her song about the forced migration of hundreds of thousands of people from her Black Sea homeland, two years after Russia annexed the territory. The 32-year-old won the domestic competition on Sunday with her rendition of her song, 1944.
Hard Times - Chichester Festival Theatre boss Alan Finch has warned that regional theatre is facing a "difficult" time and has urged organisations to be more innovative. CFT's executive director, who departs the organisation alongside artistic director Jonathan Church later this year, also stressed the importance of audiences and theatregoers in convincing funders to invest in theatre. "Everybody is having such a difficult time with funding and we're all having to get used to less funding. We are having to be more innovative about ways in which we can make that money go further. It's not easy," Finch told The Stage. "We all just have to keep working as hard as we have done at convincing local authorities and the arts council that this work is worth the investment. As long as audiences are able to play their role in supporting the work, that is such a huge communication to local authorities."
(Jim Evans)
