'CBS News Live Experiences' launches with '50 Years: The Beatles'

Live, interactive multimedia event to mark the 50th anniversary of the band's first American television appearance on CBS - Sunday, Feb. 9, at The Ed Sullivan Theater

"CBS News Live Experiences" will launch with "50 Years: The Beatles," a live, interactive multimedia event to mark the 50th anniversary of the band's first American television appearance on CBS's "The Ed Sullivan Show." "50 Years: The Beatles," presented by "Motown The Musical," will take place Sunday, Feb. 9 (6 p.m.), at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City - 50 years to the day of the historic telecast, and in the legendary theater where it happened. Anthony Mason, CBS News senior business correspondent and anchor of "CBS This Morning: Saturday," will host the live event. 

"50 Years: The Beatles," presented by "Motown The Musical," is the first in an anticipated series of "CBS News Live Experiences," a conversational tour and video series that will examine the culture, society and politics of today in the context of catalytic events that took place 50 years ago. The events will combine the strong assets of the CBS Corp., including CBS News, CBS Entertainment, CBS Television Stations, CBS Radio, CBS Sports and CBS Interactive, to create unforgettable, exciting, moving experiences for attendees. The centerpiece of each event will be CBS News' vast archival coverage of key moments, in addition to a symposium of experts moderated by CBS News anchors and correspondents. 

"History was made 50 years ago in the Ed Sullivan Theater. Our reporting will help audiences reconnect to that history," said CBS News President David Rhodes. 

"The Beatles' appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - viewed by 73 million people in 1964 - was the single most significant moment in pop music history ever, making the Ed Sullivan Theater - exactly 50 years later - hallowed ground on Sunday, Feb. 9," said David Goodman, president, "CBS Live Experiences." "No other news or media entity has as close an affiliation with this pivotal moment as CBS, making this the perfect event to launch 'CBS News Live Experiences' - a series of live multimedia events that will take notable archival CBS News stories and bring them to life with audiences nationwide. CBS owns some of the most recognizable and valuable content in the world. We look forward to exploring ways to extend these brands to build stronger ties with our fans." 

"50 Years: The Beatles," presented by "Motown The Musical," will be live streamed on CBSNews.com and CBSNewYork.com/50yearslater will highlight rare footage from CBS News' extensive archives of the Beatles' first three days in New York City, and their famous appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on Feb. 9, 1964. Both sites will feature an extensive collection of photo galleries, archival radio interviews with the Beatles, and written pieces looking at their songs and cultural influence. 

The live symposium, moderated by Mason, will feature musicians and artists whose work has been influenced by the Beatles. The panelists will include Pattie Boyd, a photographer and model who was married to George Harrison and the inspiration for his song, "Something"; Andrew Loog Oldham, who managed the Rolling Stones from 1963-67, and before that was the publicity assistant to the Beatles' manager; guitarist, songwriter and record producer Mick Jones, who founded the rock band Foreigner and played the same Paris concert hall as the Beatles 50 years ago; and Julie Taymor, an award-winning film, opera and theater director whose Oscar-nominated "Across the Universe" is a '60s-era love story powered by more than 30 Beatles songs. 

"50 Years: The Beatles," presented by "Motown the Musical," will also feature an art gallery and exhibit of Beatles memorabilia displayed inside the Ed Sullivan Theater. Additionally, guests inside the theater will watch a presentation of "The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles, which will be broadcast on the CBS Television Network (8 p.m.) on Sunday, Feb. 9. The two-hour special will feature today's top artists covering the songs performed by the Fab Four on that momentous evening, and Beatles' songs through the years, as well as footage from that landmark Sunday evening and other archival material.