BREAKING NEWS: Paul McCartney to receive honorary degree from Yale today

Paul was quoted by the New Haven Register talking about the museum exhibit on Sunday, and possibly the ceremony. "Cherie Blair (wife of Tony Blair, former prime minister of Great Britain,) and myself were particularly interested in that. I had just happened to have picked up a book a couple of months ago and didn’t realize that it was all exhibited here. So, that was great. It was a great ceremony — the whole thing was lovely and we couldn’t have asked for a better day for it.”

Though several people asked him to sing and he politely declined, he did grant one request -- that of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who is a fellow at Calhoun College. “He recognized me!” Westheimer, best known as a sex therapist, told the New Haven Register. “He said ‘Hi,’ and I said, ‘Sing a song’ and he sang ‘I love you, yeah, yeah, yeah,’ ” she said.

Nancy Shevell was seen in at least one picture at the ceremony.

More links: NME.com, Undercover, New York Times.

We're told Tony Blair introduced Paul at the graduation. Though he was supposedly in the audience during the ceremony, his voice (or a tape of it) introduced Paul.

While in the area, Paul stayed at the Josef Albers foundation in Bethany, CT. It has artist in residence facilities. John Eastman is on the board.

Another picture of Paul, from the Hartford Courant.
(Thanks to Patti Murawski for some of the info on this page.)

(Update 5/27/08)

This Yale Daily News story contains this interesting anecdote: Yale President Richard Levin was himself a Beatle fan and won two tickets to the Candlestick concert from a local San Francisco radio station (probably KYA-AM) by being the first caller to correctly identify a Beatles song -- "In My Life," to be exact. The tickets were in the top row of the stadium's upper deck. But the girlfriend of Levin's brother had two prime seats, Levin told the paper. His brother was out of town at the time, so his girlfriend was planning to bring her sister along to the concert. But Levin had a different idea. The future Yale president called his brother's girlfriend — "with my brother's permission," he noted for the record — with an offer. "Wouldn't your sister like two tickets to the Beatles so that she could take a friend?" he recalled. She agreed. "I parlayed the two tickets in the nosebleed section into a seat for myself in the third row of field boxes long before the eBay era!," he said. Yale's story also notes the paper was not allowed to get a reaction from Paul.

Local coverage from WTNH (includes video)

Photos of Paul at Yale from Yahoo. One photo has Nancy Shevell just behind him, while in another, he's with Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

TMZ.com (video): That's Dr. Beatle to you.

By the way, we're told Paul was not listed in the commencement program.

From Kris Tash:

We've all been in an uproar back here about Paul being at Yale today! Our friend, Jennie, who lives in CT, drove to New Haven, hoping to catch a glimpse, but no luck. We only heard the news around 10am, and she got there right as the ceremonies had concluded. But at least she gave it the ol' college try! A couple of the NYC local newscasts showed clips of him receiving the honorary degree, and I also checked the evening news broadcasts. The only one to have something on was NBC and I missed getting it on tape! It came on right about 6:45pm, so I hope you can see it in your local time zones!

If you didn't see yesterday's coverage, look at the item below this. There were many items added throughout the day.

And just a word to thank all who helped us with new links. If we list names, we'll probably leave someone out, so we'll just say a sincere thanks to all.

(5/26/08, UPDATE 6:05 P.M. ET) Here's an audience video from YouTube. (Thanks to Barb Pazmino.)
(5/26/08, UPDATE 4:20 P.M. ET) Here's a TV report video (thanks to Patti Murawski and Barb Pazmino):

This slide show on the Yale home page has at least one picture of Paul.

(5/26/08, UPDATE 4:05 P.M. ET)

Dr. McCartney, I presume? (Thanks to Patti Murawski)
(5/26/08), UPDATE 1:15 P.M. ET) During the ceremony, Sir Paul McCartney was serenaded by his hit, "Hey Jude" and donned a sash as the crowd cheered him on, WTNH.com (Thanks to Patti Murawski).

(5/26/2008, UPDATE 11:30 A.M. ET) The Associated Press reported that the university, in awarding the honorary degree to McCartney, said no one compares with McCartney and that he awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock, roll, rhythm and blues.

(5/26/2008, UPDATE 9:35 A.M. ET) The Yale Daily News reports Paul McCartney will receive an honorary degree from the university at 10:30 A.M. ET today at the commencement ceremony at the University's Old Campus. The paper reported McCartney was spotted several times around the area, and was at Sunday night's dinner at the Yale Center for British Art. The New Haven Register printed a picture of McCartney and Tony Blair outside the British Center for the Arts at Yale and reported that Paul was seen touring a downtown art gallery and attending a dinner with Yale dignitaries. Sources told the publication he would be honored at the commencement ceremony on Monday, which begins at 10:30 a.m. ceremony on the Old Campus.

Curiously, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair mentioned Paul in his Class Day speech Sunday.

“Be prepared to fail as well as to succeed, and realize it is failure, not success, that defines character. Sir Paul McCartney reminded me that the first record company the Beatles approached rejected them as a band no one would want to listen to,” Blair told the students.

The paper says honorary degrees are awarded by the Yale Corporation, the University’s governing body, based on the recommendations of a committee comprised of Corporation members, faculty and alumni. The identities of the recipients are not traditionally revealed in advance.

Asked to comment by the paper, Yale President Richard Levin, in an e-mail, said, “Here’s one comment: Yesterday … all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it seems as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday. Or perhaps another, relative to the Sir Paul sightings: 'Here, There and Everywhere.'”

One fan, who saw McCartney outside the museum, was quoted in the New Haven Register as saying, “He looks as cute as ever. I’d love to run my fingers through his wavy hair."

Mary Ellen Barbarito sent us this note:

While I was at Mohegan Sun seeing Billy Joel in concert (Mark Rivera was wearing a Beatles Help pin and Billy Joel sang "A Hard Day's Night) I missed the news that Paul was in New Haven around the Yale campus. The media reports that Paul will get an honorary degree today. This is usually a closely guarded secret (I know I work at Yale) but seeing Paul out and about with Tony Blair sort of gave it away .

New Haven Register: Sir Paul visits Yale museum, will receive honorary degree

WTNH in New Haven (with video report): Report: Paul McCartney to receive honorary degree from Yale
(Thanks to Mary Ellen Barbarito for the alert.)

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