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John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, in 1973, six months before he died (AP Photo, File)
A series of previously unheard interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono are expected to fetch up to 30,000 pounds ($A55,900) when they go under the hammer.
Chats with Canadian writer Ken Zeilig from 1969 feature the former Beatle and his wife discussing everything from their love for each other, their Bed-ins for Peace anti-war protests and Lennon's haircut.
The tapes were discovered by the family of interviewer Zeilig and they will be sold at an Omega Auctions event later this month.
Lennon, who was murdered aged 40 in New York in 1980, married Ono the year the interviews took place.
Of their bond, he said: "That's our only worry in the world, is that we die together. At exactly the same minute, otherwise, even if it's three minutes later, it's gonna be hell. I couldn't bear three minutes of it."
Lennon, who was still a Beatle at the time of the recording, discussed the band's future.
They broke up in 1970.
Asked what plans The Beatles had, Lennon said: "They don't, you know. The Beatles never made plans after they stopped touring.
"Plans were always made for them. And once there was nobody making plans for us, we didn't want any plans, so we don't make them."
The revered singer-songwriter mused about the future of hairstyle trends, having pioneered the mop-top look in his early Beatles career before growing his hair long while campaigning against the war in Vietnam.
Told his hair had become a "symbol" for peace, Liverpudlian Lennon said: "Well, I hope so, you know (chuckles). You see, because now everybody that complains about the length of my hair now, they're all middle-aged people with Beatle haircuts that I had in 1964, you know.
"And in, maybe, in 1984 - that dreaded year - they'll all be wearing long hippie haircuts and I'll be bald, you know. And they'll be complaining about that."
Paul Fairweather, of Omega Auctions, hailed the interviews as a "hugely important find".
The tapes will be sold by Omega Auctions during the Beatles Collection sale on September 28.
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Apple Inc says it will hold a special event on September 14, which most industry watchers believe will be used to unveil a new line of its iPhones.
Since 2013, Apple has delivered new iPhones around September like clockwork.
The tech giant, which launched a redesigned iPhone with 5G connectivity last year, is not expected to make radical changes this year, with most analysts pointing to small technical updates to the phone's processor and camera system.
"Upgrades rates peaked in 2021 on 5G, we expect upgrade rates to moderate but still drive high volumes in 2022," JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee wrote in a note, adding that he still expects a record year thanks to higher sales of the lower priced iPhone SE.
The new line of smartphones are expected to expand the Portrait mode feature to video and also have higher-quality video recording format, according to a Bloomberg report.
The Portrait mode uses the phone's depth sensor to focus on faces while blurring the background, allowing amateur photographers to produce high-quality snaps.
Apple was not immediately able to comment beyond the invitation sent to the media.
The mid-September launch results in a sales surge in the last week of Apple's fiscal fourth quarter as millions of avid shoppers snap up the newly released iPhones.
Last year, however, the event was delayed by a month because of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning opening-weekend iPhone sales were not included in fourth-quarter results.
The event also helps Wall Street analysts model their sales projections for the holiday shopping season in North America and Europe, typically Apple's largest sales quarter.
Known for its splashy phone launches packed with hundreds of journalists at its sprawling campus in Cupertino, California, Apple has turned to virtual events since last year because of the pandemic.
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Daniel Scali has smashed the world record for the "longest time in the abdominal plank position” for a male, beating the previous record of 8 hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds.
Scali, from Adelaide, set the record on the 6th of August with the staggering time of 9 hours, 30 minutes, and 1 second.
The previous record was held by 62-year-old ex-marine George Hood from the USA in February 2020.
Making the feat more impressive, Scali has CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome) which means his left arm is in almost constant pain.
When talking to Guinness World Records, he said the condition resulted from a severe break in his left arm when he fell off a trampoline when he was 12 years old. He said:
"It’s the brain sending wrong messages to my arm, which is the affected area. So anything like soft touch, movement, wind, water, will cause me pain.”
"It was a full head to toe experience of constant pain. My feet were numb. My knees were burning. My thighs were burning. My left arm felt like it was on fire. But it was all worth it in the end."
To prepare himself for the challenge, he said he conditioned himself for the plank with push-ups and sit-ups whilst also getting a mind coach to prepare himself mentally.
Scali has used the platform as a way to raise awareness for his condition. This year his campaign to raise funds for Pain Australia reached over $19K.
In a post on Instagram, Scali explained he attempted the record in June but due to a technicality on his form, the record was not approved. In an update, he was elated to learn to receive the confirmation from Guinness World Records, with a letter telling him, "We are thrilled to inform you that your application for Longest time in abdominal plank position (male) has been successful and you now the Guinness World Records Title Holder! You are now eligible for one complimentary Guinness World Records certificate."
Image Credit: (Guinness World Records / Youtube)
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The Wire actor Michael K Williams has been found dead aged 54 at his home in Brooklyn, police sources have told the PA news agency.
Williams, best known for playing the charismatic Omar Little on HBO's acclaimed crime drama, was found at about 2pm local time on Monday, PA understands.
As well as The Wire, Williams, who had a distinctive facial scar from a bar fight on his 25th birthday, had roles in gangster series Boardwalk Empire and TV film Bessie.
He was a four-time Emmy nominee for Bessie, The Night Of, When They See Us and Lovecraft Country.
Last week, it was announced Williams had joined the cast of Sony's untitled biopic of famed world heavyweight champion George Foremen.
He was set to play Doc Broadus, who was Foreman's trainer and mentor.
His other film roles included The Road, Inherent Vice and 12 Years A Slave.
However Williams will be best remembered for Omar, the gay, morally ambiguous criminal who frequently targets drug dealers.
The character was known for the distinctive duster jacket he wore to conceal weapons while wandering the streets of Baltimore.
Isiah Whitlock Jr starred alongside Williams in The Wire and paid tribute on Twitter.
He said: "Shocked and saddened by the death of Michael K Williams. One of the nicest brothers on the planet with the biggest heart. An amazing actor and soul. May you RIP. God bless."
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IMAGE SOURCE: David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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