Several hundred people packed into the historic Riverside Church last night for an Occupy Wall Street vigil honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. The event featured performances by Patti Smith, Steve Earle, Stephan Said, Global Block, and St. Christopher's Gospel Choir, among others. Russell Simmons, civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. and Sumumba Sobukwe addressed the crowd. more ›

As part of a worldwide candlelight vigil tonight honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., Riverside Church in Morningside Heights is hosting performances by Patti Smith, Steve Earle, Stephan Said, Kozza Olantunji Babumba, and will include "inspirational words" from Yoko Ono, Russell Simmons, and Norman Siegel. The event, as envisioned by Stephan Said, begins at 7:00 p.m. as the protesters amass outside the church. The performances begin at 8:00 p.m. in the nave. more ›

Last weekend Yoko Ono celebrated the late John Lennon's birthday in SoHo, and it was a far cry from the Lennon parties of the past. At this one, Ono was selling "the artwork of John Lennon" to benefit Citymeals-on-Wheels. And now ArtInfo is calling Ono out for selling counterfeit pieces, after collectors who paid thousands of dollars for prints are complaining they were sold "cut and paste mash-ups." more ›

Yoko Ono will briefly depart her digs at the Dakota for a move down to Wooster Street. She's leasing a 10,000-square foot brick building at 76 Wooster Street (between Spring and Broome) for a celebration of what would have been John Lennon's 71st birthday. And you're invited over. more ›

The litigious Yoko Ono is once again trying to protect her late husband's name, by suing a Lennon-themed bar in Scotland. According to NME, Ono has threatened to sue the bar's owner, Mike Craig, for copyright infringement, and her lawyer has already been in touch. more ›

John Lennon may have left his mortal coil more than 30 years ago but his words and music live on. And next year a whole lot more of them will be living in public, as Yoko Ono has consented to the publication of a collection of the singer's correspondence that will include everything from doodles to postcards to actual letters. more ›

A former board president of the famous Dakota is suing the co-op board, claiming that they have entrenched racist and discriminatory practices. Former board president Alphonse Fletcher Jr. says in his suit that he was smeared by board members who were trying to block him from buying a second apartment in the building, which has been home to such luminaries as John Lennon, Leonard Bernstein, Lauren Bacall, Rosie O'Donnell, and Rosemary's demon baby. "Although such conduct by a co-op board on the Upper West Side of Manhattan may seem surprising, this behavior was consistent with the defendants' extensive pattern of hostility toward non-white residents of the building," he claims in the lawsuit. more ›

Yesterday details were scare regarding the man who managed to sneak into the Dakota, but now more are emerging. 24-year-old graphic design student Sungno Kim, a Korean tourist hitting up some spots in his guide book, says he went to the building because he's a Beatles fan and read that is where John Lennon lived (and died). more ›

It's probably fair to assume that Yoko Ono isn't a fan of strangers sneaking in to The Dakota to pay her a little surprise visit, no matter how well-meaning they may be. Yet, on the afternoon of January 12th, one brave tourist decided to sneak in to the building—which is where Yoko lives, and her husband was fatally shot. more ›

Yoko Ono is certainly sticking to her story: the interview-friendly artist denied her culpability in the break up of the Beatles again in an interview with British rag The Daily Mail this weekend. If the glove doesn't fit, then Yoko is not the culprit: "The Beatles were a group made up of four very complex men, and my small hand could not have broken these men up." more ›

... or at least she knew people who were. Ono recently talked to Edible Manhattan about her eating habits, then and now. Certainly doesn't sound like she was ever baking bread with her husband, but she does want to remind all of you local young things that while you're making your pickles, and your fine mustards and whatnot, you weren't the first to do it! She declares: "Women of the ’60s made pickles, too, you know. Health food started then. We were feminists but we weren’t dumb." So show some respect you artisanalistas. more ›

Recently Yoko Ono discussed that whole thing about breaking up The Beatles, with Anderson Cooper on CNN. She told him, "I think I was used as a scapegoat, and it's a very easy scapegoat, you know, Japanese woman." When he asks if she believes it was mostly about sexism and racism, she answers: "sexism, racism, but also just remember the United States and Britain were fighting with Japan in WWII, it was just after that in a way, so I could understand how they felt. [It hurt] in a way, but it was sort of like a distance thing... John and I were so close, and we were totally involved in each other." more ›

Yesterday would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday, and celebrations and tributes took place across the universe. Ex-wife Cynthia Lennon and son Julien unveiled the "Peace and Love" sculpture in his native Liverpool, England. Yoko Ono was joined by son Sean and Ringo Starr (as well as George Harrison’s widow Olivia and son Dhani Harrison, among others) for a performance with the Plastic Ono Band, and to light the Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavik, Iceland. And in the city, hundreds gathered at the Strawberry Field memorial, across the street from the Dakota apartment building where Lennon and Ono lived for nearly a decade. You can see a video from yesterday below. more ›

In case you were confused by Google putting up their commemorative Lennon doodle a day early, today would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday. And there are tributes to the former Beatle going up all over the world: Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, Brian Wilson, Run DMC and many, many others put up video tributes to Lennon on YouTube. There are official birthday events happening in diverse locations such as Cleveland, Liverpool, and Reykjavik. In NYC, you can see the Lennon documentary, “John Lennon: A Journey in the Life,” at the Paley Center for Media at w 52nd st, or gather at the Strawberry Fields memorial in Central Park near w 72nd st. Tonight, you can head to Central Park to attend a free screening of the new Lennon-in-NYC documentary, LENNONYC. more ›

Judging by all the high quality fan fic going around, John Lennon's birthday must be coming up soon. And PBS has a new documentary of the musical icon, LENNONYC, which focuses on the time in the 1970s when Lennon was semi-retired from music, living a domesticated life living at The Dakota on the Upper West Side with Yoko Ono and son Sean (you can see a clip from it below). The film will run on PBS in November, but because this is Lennon and NYC, Ono announced there will be a special Summerstage premiere on Lennon's actual birthday, Oct. 9. more ›

In unsurprising news: John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, was denied parole again yesterday. The AP reports that a State Division of Parole board decided not to release Chapman after they interviewed him via teleconference at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York. The board wrote to Chapman, saying they remained concerned about "the disregard you displayed for the norms of our society and the sanctity of human life when, after careful planning, you traveled to New York for the sole purpose of killing John Lennon." more ›

It's been just over two years since Mark David Chapman was last up for parole for killing John Lennon. At the time, Yoko Ono said, "It's dangerous for him to come out. Not only for us, but for himself. There are so many people out there who dislike him. It's safer for him to stay in jail." The parole board stated his release "would not be in the best interest of the community," and denied him parole for the 5th time. Chapman has said in the past that Lennon would have forgiven him (and below is an interview he did with Barbara Walters, where he describes the night he killed Lennon). more ›

Last night, at Ringo Starr's 70th birthday party/concert at Radio City Music Hall, the house nearly came down when Paul McCartney appeared to sing some Beatles tunes. And not just that—Yoko was singing along to "I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends." Here are two videos from attendees—we can't imagine what the shrieking must have been like during the height of Beatlemania: more ›

Last night BAM housed quite an insane lineup, all part of Yoko Ono's We Are The Plastic Ono Band one-night-only concert. We were lucky enough to be at the show, where the widow of John Lennon celebrated her 77th birthday (it's tomorrow) just like the rest of us would—with friends like Bette Midler, Eric Clapton, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Paul Simon... you know, just a small gathering of some the biggest names in music. more ›

Jeffrey Dietch, controversial art dealer and founder of Manhattan's Deitch Projects gallery has been named director to Los Angeles's Museum of Contemporary Art. MOCA, which sagged with the economy last year, is putting its money in the hands of a savvy businessman, hoping Deitch can save the non-profit cultural institution from sure financial ruin. So why are museum people whimpering that the dealer will commercialize their precious shrine to modern creativity? more ›

The owner of Williamsburg's Monkey Town tells us there's "the tiniest pinprick of light under the door" suggesting that he may not have to close down his eclectic restaurant and performance space on January 24th. According to owner Montgomery Knott, his landlords—a group of four artists who own the building—violated an agreement made over the summer, and he's suing them in state Supreme Court for $1.2 million. If his lawyer can persuade a judge that the landlords violated a signed stipulation, Monkey Town's demise could be delayed. But if that happens, Knott will be in a bind because he stopped programming acts after January 24th. And that's where musician Yoko Ono might come in. more ›

Are you ready to hear 16 hours of Beatles tunes live... on the ukulele? Well, you have over a month to get ready. This December 5th and 6th, a two-day benefit for Yoko Ono will take place, featuring 185 Songs (the entire Beatles catalog), 60 Singers, 40 Musicians and 16 Yokos. more ›

This morning we got to check out the new exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex, called John Lennon: The New York City Years. Opening to the public tomorrow, the exhibit presents exclusive artifacts from the life and work of the former Beatle, as well as never-before-seen items that uniquely commemorate Lennon’s life in New York City. more ›

This coming week, throngs of John Lennon fans will come together once again to celebrate his life and remember the day that he was murdered outside of his home at the Dakota. The Beatle was shot on the night of December 8th (28 years ago this Monday) by Mark David Chapman (who was just denied parole again). Shortly after, he was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital, and was later cremated in Hartsdale, New York. Today, those who loved and admired him continue to commemorate his life. more ›