BBC Kills 50th Anniversary Celebration of Beatles “Love” Simulcast
The BBC has pulled the plug on a TV special celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the first worldwide simulcast, during which the Beatles premiered the son All You Need Is Love”. And the cancellation threatens a San Francisco component of the project, produced by the Antenna Television.
On June 25, the BBC was planning to air several three-minute segments from dozens of cities around the world, including London, Venice, Italy, and San Francisco. For the videos, local arts producers would create visual spectacles on the theme of love.
Chris Hardman, founder and artistic director of San Francisco’s Antenna Theater, was planning San Francisco’s contribution: a live video stream in which two planes would sky-write a heart over the Golden Gate Bridge while local choruses sang the iconic Beatles’ song from a fleet of boats on the San Francisco Bay.
“The timing,” Hardman said Monday, “was perfect, with the anniversary of the Summer of Love.”
“The last time I talked to them, the word was full steam ahead, green light,” Hardman said. “And then three days ago we got an email from the BBC saying, ‘We’re just not going to do it.’”
By: Cy Musiker
Source: KQED
