Access Hollywood reports that "Heather Mills has been "fired" before she ever set foot in Donald Trump's boardroom."

Ms. Mills, best-known for her divorce from former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney that included a demand for a $300,000 per year clothing allowance and a trial that involved Ms. Mills dumping a jug of water on McCartney's lawyer and shouting "You're a bitch! You're a traitor to your sex! How could you do this to another woman?"

Apparently her high-maintenance ways were also a turn-off to NBC insiders, one whom reportedly told The Sun that "The network was originally very keen on getting her involved. They thought it would be a clever move, attracting lots of publicity for the show... But her demands were ludicrous and it soon became clear that getting her involved would be a headache."

Here's the best part: she demanded a clause in her contract stipulating that she would make it to the finals!

I'm hugely disappointed that Mills won't be on Celebrity Apprentice. Having Heather Mills and Donald Trump on the same show would make for the most delightfully detestable hour of television since. . . ever. Maybe they should reconsider giving O.J. Simpson a spot. Some other celebrities I'd like to see on the most obnoxious show on television:

• Former Supreme Court Nominee Harriet Miers
• Congressional Sex Scandal Bad Boys Larry Craig and Gary Condit
• Amy Winehouse
• Former Enron chief Jeff Skilling (Let him out of jail early and call it community service!)
• John Rocker (Former pitcher who managed to insult just about every minority in a 2000 Sports Illustrated interview)

In the wake of his nasty divorce, Paul McCartney and his management are in the process of planning a massive world tour for next fall including shows in the United States. According to British newspaper NME, McCartney is also preparing to debut a large amount of new material on the tour, which will undoubtedly also feature material from his most recent album Memory Almost Full after McCartney played only limited venues last summer for its promotion. The pending tour will be the largest of its size for McCartney in nearly three years, after he toured in promotion of his 2006 Grammy Award winning album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.

The announcement that a tour is in the planning stages comes nearly a month after a British court awarded McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills a nearly $49 million divorce settlement, granting her about $34,000 a day for their marriage. McCartney's separation from Mills began in the summer of 2006, and the divorce included security matters and details related to the pair's daughter.

Independent record label Concord Music Group and Australian-based film company Village Roadshow Pictures Group, part of the media company Village Roadshow Ltd. (OTC: VRLDY), have merged to form Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, reported Billboard early last week. Village Roadshow will own nearly 40% of the new company, while the other majority split between two private equity firms based in New York and Los Angeles. According to Billboard, the two companies "had common owners in that Norman Lear and Hal Gaba's Act III Communications and Tailwind owned Concord; and Act III and Clarity -- through an entity called Crescent Entertainment -- owned 50% of Village Roadshow Pictures group."

The deal is nearly six months old, after being announced on September 3, 2007, and the Act III group paid close to $48 million to command more than 60% of the new company. Both companies will continue to operate as "separate entities, but some backroom functions like human resources and information technology likely will be combined." Additionally, the report indicated that some cross-promotion opportunities are to be expected via the merger of film and music companies.

While this deal and the merger seem logical for the owners and participants involved, the only concern this consumer has about a private equity firm owning a majority stake in a music company is the problems that have plagued London-based EMI since Terra Firma bought out the music giant last summer. Clearly, Concord has enjoyed a positive relationship with its private equity owners for longer and with much more success. Furthermore, the label has gained significant signings in the last year while creating a new label with Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) to release Paul McCartney's first album after leaving EMI last spring (before the Terra Firma buyout).

Following the solo catalogs of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr, George Harrison has joined the digital market this week.

Despite being the last solo Beatle catalog to be made available, Harrison's catalog is the most recent to be upgraded and remastered for physical release, and those editions are the versions now available in digital stores. While that is no surprise, what it means is that there are two albums actually missing from the new digital catalog: 1974s Dark Horse and 1975s Extra Texture (Read All About It). It seems apparent from remarks by Harrison's widow, Olivia, that the remastering work will not cease because of this move.

All that remains now is for The Beatles catalog to be made available, but that is still rumored for some time in the new year. With that addition, quite a body of work will be available for fans and listeners digitally, even if the solo catalogs are not true successors to the group's catalog. It is unfortunate that the solo catalog's would be made available before the group catalog, especially for new fans that have no guide to understand how the music of the solo catalog's follows and makes distance from the output of The Beatles. Some might see that as a positive in light of views that The Beatles were a John or a Paul show, but that is what it is.

The reality of the situation is that The Beatles managing company Apple Corps Ltd. was in dispute with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) for so long, pushing off other projects like remastering (which now seems to coincide with the pending digital release). The Apple vs. Apple case ended in April 2006 in favor of the iPod makers. Apple is reportedly one of the major companies in talks with The Beatles representatives to get the band into stores like iTunes.

Billboard reported yesterday that Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX)'s Hear Music will re-release Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full album next month, with "new" tracks and a live DVD. The album was originally released in early June and debuted in the Billboard 200 at number 3, before going gold in the United States and achieving similar status around the world. For Starbucks, the album signaled a promising start for the coffee chain's music label, which enjoyed another high chart placement last week with Joni Mitchell's Shine debuting at #14 (Mitchell was the second artist to sign up with the label).

This second release of the McCartney album features three so-called "unreleased" tracks, but careful fans and listeners should note that "In Private," "Why So Blue" and "222" were originally released as a limited edition bonus disc upon the original June release. For the new release, these tracks are added to the original 13 and bundled with a live DVD that features the performance from a June concert at London's Electric Ballroom. It also comes at a time when McCartney is only performing at limited venues and is not embarking on the same kind of stadium world tour that followed the release of his two previous albums in 2002 and 2005.

Though the album signaled success for Hear Music and gave McCartney his highest charting album in ten years, it is all too clear that the coffee chain is hoping to gain more from this second release of Hear Music's initial success. The live DVD is a nice addition, but forcing fans and listeners to buy another copy of the album is far too reminiscent of what music lovers have been subjected to in the music industry. And it seemed like Hear Music was going to break that mold and be more in tune with listeners.

Beginning next month Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) is planning to distribute 50 million free digital songs from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)'s iTunes Store in promotion of the new iTunes wireless service that will be debuting in select markets, reported Billboard.biz this afternoon. Some may say that this is not a good sign, but it is certainly a logical one, at least in terms of Starbucks' move into the music business full time this year.

The step had to be expected, given the huge success Starbucks has had with its initial forays into the music business. Consider the windfall the company enjoyed with Paul McCartney, who put out his latest album on Starbucks' own Hear Music label. Hopes are high that the new Joni Mitchell album from Hear Music will enjoy similar success after it is released tomorrow.

Then the promotion begins in the wake of the recent Starbucks-Apple deal to allow "iPhone and new iPod Touch users the ability to download songs playing in a Starbucks shop directly to their portable devices." Patrons will be able to download that hot tune directly onto their laptops.

Although the service might appear to be a ploy to bring in consumers and drive coffee sales, it should also be noted for what it is: promotion of new Apple products, its iTunes Store, and Starbucks' own Hear Music. CD sales are never going to come back, and Starbucks, in all its coffee-fueled expansion, apparently can see the future of music. It's all so synergistic. Credit Starbucks with doing it right.

Today marks the 50th anniversary (July 6, 1957) of Paul McCartney meeting John Lennon in a church fete (fair) in Liverpool to form the core partnership that would become The Beatles. In 2007, there has been no "official" Beatles release or related material, but the world still looks on and music fans still buy up products by and related to the four members. Last month, Paul McCartney's 21st solo album Memory Almost Full debuted at #3 in the Billboard 200, while the collected works of the George Harrison supergroup Traveling Wilburys debuted at #9. Meanwhile, the John Lennon-fueled, various contemporary artists-filled Instant Karma compilation designed to aid Darfur debuted at #15.

While these numbers may be impressive for the products of the former Beatles more than 37 years after the band broke up, the music industry slowly and loudly falls apart in self-defeating decline. Luckily, we do not (and frankly cannot) look to The Beatles to save the industry. It's likely the band could not anyhow, despite the potential sales the digital catalog that may one day see light of day might pull in. With the uncertainty of that release on the horizon, all that is left now is the current state of the music industry, but it is not unlike the music industry that The Beatles entered. True, the early 1960s were not a state of decline, but when The Beatles started, the emphasis was not on albums. It was on singles. Is there any difference in the digital tracks that see higher downloads than albums? There might be, but fundamentally there is not.

If The Beatles catalog is ever released it will likely sell the same way many albums today sell. Yes, fans will buy the newest remastered versions from digital stores and relish in the joy of buying a Beatles album in a new way for the first time (akin to 1987's CD versions?), but new listeners (and maybe even some fans) will buy up their favorite tracks, destroying the core albums in the same way that albums are not bought today. Everyone says the album is dying, but in the industry it may never have been meant to be.

Following two secret shows in London and New York, Paul McCartney is planning to stage another impromptu show tonight in Los Angeles. Fans from across the nation have reportedly rushed to Los Angeles with hopes of seeing the former Beatle in concert, as rumors that McCartney will tour are quietly dismissed. McCartney has repeatedly admitted that any tour in support of his first album for Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX)'s music label Hear Music, Memory Almost Full, is postponed until his divorce from Heather Mills is final.

According to McCartney's spokesman, around 300 people will be the final tally of fans to see the show at Sunset Boulevard's Amoeba Music tonight. The same article does not quote the number of fans waiting to get a wristband for the show, but it does imply that hundred waited outside the record store. While a tour of grand scale would normally accompany a McCartney album, Memory Almost Full was released during a difficult time for McCartney. The album however, is a beacon of hope for McCartney in its musical and lyrical content and due to the success he has enjoyed after the album peaked at #3 in Billboard's album chart.

Starbucks staged a day long celebration of the album, repeatedly playing it all day when it was released on June 5th. The coffee-company secured McCartney from his 45-year relationship with EMI Group PLC (OTC EMI) in March and rumors are circulating that McCartney aims to secure a long-term deal with Hear Music because the success he has enjoyed with Starbucks.

Billboard released the weekly chart details for last week yesterday and holding tight at number three is Paul McCartney's debut for Starbucks Corp.'s (NASDAQ: SBUX) Hear Music, Memory Almost Full. The nice surprise in the announcement was the news that the Traveling Wilburys reissue set debuted at number nine with over 78,000 copies sold last week. In the United Kingdom, the set debuted at number one in the Albums Chart. The UK charting is much higher than either albums in the set originally achieved upon release in 1988 and 1990 respectively.

I first blogged on BloggingStocks about the Traveling Wilburys set in April, commenting that a nice chart placement for this release might boost Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE: WMG), but more importantly help revitalize the reissue "series" it is effectively part of: the George Harrison catalog. The debut is higher than last year's Living in the Material World from George Harrison's early solo career, but it does not indicate any growth for Warner Music. The stock closed at $15.05 yesterday after falling from over $15.60 before the reissue came out. The two may not be directly connected, but such a strong debut for a reissue is nice, especially as WMG is rumored to bid for EMI Group PLC (LSE: EMI) soon.

The George Harrison reissue "series" (as I call it, it's not really very organized) remained unavailable on downloading services like Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes until the release of the Traveling Wilburys set. With the addition of Ringo Starr's early solo catalog this means that all or portions of three of the four Beatles solo material are available to download: a nice sign for every Beatle fan hoping to download the Fab Four's catalog. Such high placement in the charts for new and reissued albums (Paul McCartney and the Traveling Wilburys) makes it clear that the band is still profitable.

As if Howard Schultz, founder and chairman of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) doesn't have enough to worry about, the chairman may have to answer to Sir Paul McCartney! It seems that "Sir Paul" has recently fired a few roadies for having the audacity to eat a few hamburgers! That's right, a few hamburgers. Did these guys drop and break some valuable equipment? No. Did these guys hook up the amplifiers incorrectly? No. Did these guys fail to set up the "Sir's" sound system poorly? No. They ate meat!

It seems that Sir Paul is not quite the tolerant sole that he appears to portray to the world. McCartney is an avid vegetarian and an activist for the mission. Great, ah, Sir Paul it's "Live and Let Live," not "Live and Let Die." McCartney has a brilliant new CD out that is available at Starbucks' 11,000 store unit system. As I wrote last week, the initial sales since its June 5 release have been fabulous. The 13-song CD has all new McCartney material and is a testament to Paul's talent -- and, by the way, yesterday, June 18th was Sir Paul's 65th birthday.

So here we have this ex-Beatle having turned 65 years of age. Don't you think Sir Paul would be a little more tolerant of other people's personal choices? After all, hamburgers are almost as popular in the United Kingdom as they are in the United States.

Well now, if Sir Paul cannot work with anyone that dares place any sort of meat to his or her lips, the big question is: Does Howard Schultz of Starbucks eat red meat? If he does, what will Sir Paul do? Will he immediately terminate his relationship with Starbucks? Will he try to convert Mr. Schultz and any other red-meat eater executive of Starbucks to the ways of this "tolerant vegetarian"? Let's see, Starbucks has about 11,000 stores and if each one sells just 100 copies of McCartney CD's in just the first month at $15.95 each, and McCartney's cut is ... I think you get the picture.

Sir Paul, what say you? How about bringing back those roadies and sing 'em your beautiful song " Let It Be"...

Georges Yared is the CIO of Yared Investment Research and a former Paul McCartney fan.

While I don't have a particular ear for Sonic Youth's unique and revered brand of dissonant alternative rock, I'll always have a place of respect for them in my heart -- for years, they were my late brother's favorite band. In fact, I have a distinct memory of using a Sonic Youth poster (featuring that vaguely creepy orange yarn chew toy from the cover of 1992's Dirty album) to cover a hole in my brother's wall that was the direct result of an scuffle we'd had when he was 16 and I was 21 (i.e., old enough to know better).

My brother was also a coffee aficionado, working in several local coffee shops during his college years, so a bittersweet smile crossed my face this morning when I read that Thurston Moore and the other members of the venerable act were part of a project for the chain of all coffee chains, Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX).

A compilation record will feature the favorite tracks of celebrities, including singer-songwriter Beck, Arrested Development star (and Ellen DeGeneres' long-term companion) Portia de Rossi, and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, all of whom will write a small note about why the selected song is a favorite. In addition, the band itself will record one exclusive song for the album.

With your scone and your caramel macchiato, you can pick up a fresh mix of some of Sonic Youth's most beloved classics. In an interview with Pitchfork, Moore jokes that "Starbucks is the new record, store, right?" Paul McCartney would likely agree.



Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

With the constant back and forth about the purchase of England's EMI Group PLC (LSE: EMI), how much does the often rumored and hoped for reissuing of The Beatles catalog factor? Certainly, if Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) or a private equity firm ends up the "winner" in the EMI buyout, the gain that the future release will make must be under consideration.

Of course, that could be the very reason the process has sped up and become so intense in the last month. As Paul McCartney's solo catalog went digital from EMI, his newest album was released by Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) and fared better than any of his recent albums for EMI. Buyers must be thinking about that success for a former Beatle and what it can mean for the pending remastered Beatles albums. The persisting rumors now indicate that a release will occur later this year or in 2008, but will the buyout be finished before then? Warner has pursued EMI for over seven years to no avail because of regulation concerns in the European Union courts.

In any case, EMI is expanding the Digital Rights Management technology deal that the company made with Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes Store to other companies. The new deal with PassAlong Networks follows similar agreements with Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and creates new competitors for iTunes, but all three will sale the DRM-free tracks for $1.29. The DRM deal and the buyout signal that EMI is making gains right now, but will The Beatles release be a part of this growth or the products these developments are intended to benefit?

Billboard reported this afternoon that Paul McCartney's latest album, Memory Almost Full, debuted at #3 in the albums chart this week, with 161,000 copies sold. A strong showing for McCartney on new label Hear Music, founded by Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), is also a nice indicator for Starbucks, which fellow blogger Georges Yared wrote about this morning. The album, which has received rave reviews, debuted at #5 in McCartney's home country of England last weekend.

As far as touring in promotion of the album, the former Beatle has only announced two secret shows, one in London last week and one tonight in New York. A full blown tour, reminiscent of his 2005 or 2002 tours is dependent on the outcome of his divorce, which is currently on hold according to reports. The 2002 tour was chronicled by the live album Back in the U.S. which debuted with 224,000 copies sold in its first week according to Billboard.

While not a #1 release, such a strong debut by "new" label Hear Music should shake up the music world, primarily because so many copies of the album were sold at Starbucks locations. The album is available at most retailers and from online stores, but the marketing Starbucks put into the release included a "global listening party" where the album played continuously in stores the day it was released, making every coffee buyer a listener if not a buyer.

Eight days ago, Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) began selling the new CD from former Beatle Paul McCartney titled Memory Almost Full. Currently, the CD is only available from Starbucks stores in all 27 countries and on Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN). The CD may be the spark that Starbucks needs to get its stock going, as it is selling extraordinarily well and may lift Starbucks' June same-store sales.

Starbucks is a long-term, excellent growth story. The company currently operates almost 12,000 stores, with a stated corporate goal of growing to over 40,000 units in the next decade. This year so far has been a frustrating one for Starbucks as its stock has traded as high as $36, but is sitting at its low point right now at $27.74.

Update June 13, 2007, 4:36 p.m.: "First-week sales of 160,541 copies marked a 33% improvement over those for Flaming Pie."

The first quarter earnings for Starbucks came in right at consensus expectations: no upside surprise. The market reacted with a rather large yawn and the stock has been trading sideways since. The Paul McCartney CD may be the catalyst necessary to get the stock and the same store sales popping in sync.

Yesterday, June 5, marked an important day for Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) as it launched the new Paul McCartney CD Memory Almost Full. Starbucks has the exclusive distribution for this new work of art by the former Beatle. The results should lift Starbucks same-store sales for June and July. It's a shot in the arm that Starbucks could certainly use.

I visited four different Starbucks stores in the greater Minneapolis area yesterday, and yes, I drank four different cups of coffee. I bought only one CD, however. I spoke with the managers of each store and asked about the CD's sales so far on the first day. Three of the stores sold 12 or more units, and the fourth store sold 10. My unofficial survey ended at 7 p.m. as I figured it was time for some decaf.

If these four Minneapolis, Minnesota stores are any indication of the rest of the Starbucks system, then the all important same-store sales metrics may see a good month or two. As a point of reference, the four stores sell about 4-5 CDs per day of various artists. Obviously, the exclusivity of Paul McCartney is a huge selling advantage for Starbucks.The four stores were also playing the CD all-day long for customers' pleasure.

One store manager was concerned about running out of supply by the weekend -- a nice problem to have. The Starbucks customer cards were also covered with the new McCartney CD versus the standard Starbucks logo. The early results will be interesting to hear when they are officially released in a couple of weeks time. Starbucks needs to beat the June quarter expectations to get the shares going again. The stock has been caught in a tight trading range, between $28-32 these past 3-4 months.

Starbucks is a tremendous long term growth story currently stuck in neutral. The McCartney CD may be just what the doctor ordered.

Georges Yared is the CIO of Yared Investment Research where he explores more growth stock ideas.