A commemorative British coin honoring late The Beatles member John Lennon has gone on sale in the U.K., weeks after what would have been the legend's 70th birthday. On Friday, October 29, the "Imagine" hitmaker was announced winner of an online vote to determine which British luminary would be honored with a commemorative coin struck by the Royal Mint.
He beat out late author Jane Austen and late Scottish engineer John Logie Baird. Lennon's coin, which depicts him with long hair and sideburns and his trademark round glasses, will have a face value of GBP5 ($8) but will be sold for GBP44.99 pounds ($71.63). Only 5,000 will be sold.
The Royal Mint also plans to produce one single coin in 24 karat gold that will be given to the star's estate. A Royal Mint spokesperson says, "It's entirely fitting that John Lennon has been chosen by the public in what would have been his 70th year. The massive proportion of the vote he received shows clearly just how much his untimely death still resonates with the nation. He ranks alongside, and even ahead of, some of the greatest names in history."
Lennon, who was murdered outside of his New York apartment in 1980, would have celebrated his 70th birthday on October 9.
Officials at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have offered to help cash-strapped Lindsay Lohan pay for her rehab treatment if she eats a vegan diet for the remainder of her stay. The "Mean Girls" star has been in and out of jail and rehab this year and is currently serving a three-month stint at California's Betty Ford Clinic after failing two court-ordered drug tests.
Lohan's recent probation report stated the actress fears she will be unable to pay the $53,000 fees for her rehab stay because she "can not afford" it. PETA executives have now reached out to Lohan and offered a solution to her financial problem - they will give her $10,000 if she cuts animal products from her diet until she is released from rehab in January.
They have also promised her another $10,000 if she remains a vegan for a year afterwards. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk tells the Los Angeles Times, "Lindsay Lohan is the most visible example of a real addict, and if she can conquer her addiction to meat and cheese, absolutely anyone can. If she does, she'll not only save animals but save her own health, and she'll be an example to the millions of people who watch her every step."
John Mayer Urges People to Donate to Africa Children to fight Malaria
John Mayer has joined a plea, hoping people across the world to donate money so children in Africa could fight Malaria and reach the same age as Justin Bieber, who is now 16. In the new campaign called "Comedy Fights Malaria", Mayer said, "Almost a million people die every year from malaria."
Then Mayer explained that due to the illness, those children were not able to reach the same age as Bieber. "And of that number 85% die under the age of Justin Bieber," the "Your Body Is a Wonderland" hitmaker stated.
In the PSA, Mayer was joined by fellow stars such as B.J. Novak, Aziz Ansari, Jeff Probst and Rob Riggle. In the campaign, which plans to wipe-out malaria deaths in Africa by 2015, the stars urged people to donate $10 for mosquito nets by visiting MalariaNoMore.
A spokesman for the campaign said, "Every 45 seconds a child dies in Africa from malaria but humor can keep malaria in the spotlight and in the conversation too." Other stars who have joined the forces include Orlando Bloom, Elizabeth Banks, Elliott Gould, Josh Groban and Jason Schwartzman.
