Week of December 8, 1980

Beatle John Lennon is slain in front of the Dakota apartment

building he and Yoko called home. The suspect is Mark David

Chapman, who was photographed getting an autograph from

John Lennon by Paul Goresh, who talked to Chapman earlier

in the evening. He said a guy named Mark, spoke with a

Southern accent and said he was from Hawaii by way of

Atlanta. “He said he spent the last three days trying to see

Lennon and get an autograph on Lennon‟s new album.”

When Lennon and his wife emerged from the building, mark

approached with the album said Goresh. “He timidly held it in

front of him. Lennon took it and signed “‟John Lennon‟ across the cover.”

Police say Lennon and his wife arrived

at 10:50pm in a limousine from a

recording studio and had just stepped out

of the car when the gunman approached

them. “Mr. Lennon” the man said,

drawing a .38 caliber handgun from

under his coat. Chapman then opened

fire without waiting for an answer.

Lennon was struck in the chest, back and

shoulder and staggered from the

sidewalk into a small vestibule of the apartment used by the doorman. “Do you

know what you just did?” said the doorman to Chapman? “I just shot john

Lennon,” the gunman responded throwing down his gun. The first policeman

arrived and made the decision to take Lennon directly to the hospital without

waiting for an ambulance.

Lennon was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, less than a mile

away. Doctors pronounced him dead at the hospital.

Next day - Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach slipped

into the Dakota building to see Yoko. They broke off a

vacation to fly into the United States after hearing of the

murder. Paul McCartney - quoted leaving his Sussex,

England farmhouse after learning of Lennon‟s murder - “I

can‟t take it at the moment. He is going to be missed by

the whole world.”

In New York, President-elect Ronald Reagan, asked about the Lennon shooting

said “we have to find an answer” to violence in the nation‟s streets, but that

Week of December 8, 1980

handgun control legislation is not the answer. Asked if there is any solution to

such killings, Reagan said, “Well if there is, it should be done, but I think the

overall picture of violence in our streets has to be treated.” He called the murder

of John Lennon “a great tragedy… just further evidence of something we‟ve got

to stop.”

Despite the murder of her husband, Yoko Ono still

believes in the philosophy of peace:

This is not a time for hate or disillusionment.” She said

of the even - “it was so sudden… so sudden. We had

planned to go out to eat after leaving the recording

studio but we decided to go straight home instead. We

were talking to the entrance of the building when I heard

the shot. I didn‟t realize at first John had been hit. He

kept walking, then he fell and I saw the blood.”

Continued Yoko Ono - “The future is still ours to make.

The 80‟s will blossom if only people accept peace and love in their hearts. It

would just ad to the tragedy if people turned away from the message in John‟s

music.”

John Lennon is cremated and his ashes are privately inurned sources close to

Lennon‟s family said the action was taken to avoid any of the mss public

adulation that has marked the grave of Elvis Presley in Memphis.

Yoko Ono says she has explained the

killing to their 5-year-old son Sean: “I told

Sean what happened. I showed him the

picture of his father on the cover of the

paper and explained the situation.” “I

took Sean to the spot where John lay

after he was shot. Sean wanted to know

why the person shot John if he liked

John. I explained the he was probably a

confused person.‟

The lawyer for Mark David Chapman is replaced after he reportedly received

death threats an after he told the court the defense had become „an albatross” in

terms of the time it was taking from his other clients.

Mark David Chapman is secretly moved from a psychiatric hospital to an island

jail in the East River.

Week of December 8, 1980

President-elect Ronald Regan fills eight Cabinet-level jobs, naming Wall Street

financier Donald T. Regan as Treasury secretary, confidante Caspar W

Weinberger as defense secretary and his personal lawyer, William French Smith

as attorney general.

Art - millionaire Armand Hammer buys the last Leonardo da Vinci manuscript for

$5.28 million.

Entertainment news -

“Mr. Bill” - the playdough star on “Saturday Night Live” is

the subject of a copyright lawsuit. Walter Williams, the

squeaky voice of Mr. Bill, holds the copyright, but Vance

DeGeneres, at one time Williams‟ close friend and

roommate, claims he and Williams co-created Mr. Bill in

1974 and developed him in their New Orleans comedy act.

Music news -

Federal district court in Los Angeles awards performer Bruce Springsteen and

CBS Inc. damages in excess of $2.2 million in connection with an infringement

suit they brought against an alleged bootlegger. It‟s the largest-ever judgment in

a bootleg record related case. The judgment was against Andrea waters, aka

“Vicky Vinyl.”

Television news -

Ted Turner maintains that if present trends continue, CNN

cable news will in the black next November. CNN pulled in

about $1 million in advertising in November, its best

month to date. Turner Broadcasting is presently raising

$25 million for CNN to cover its outstanding debt, most of

it by selling shares of common stock. CNN now reaches

3.8 million homes with a daily increase of about 10,000.

CNN‟s present loses may be greater than the $2 million a

month Turner originally anticipated.

More cable-TV - Although it began in 1977 as an all-

sports cable channel, USA Network now places reliance

on other entertainment forms. In the beginning, the

network was called “Madison Square Garden Sports

Network.” Sports are still the mainstay of the network. In

Week of December 8, 1980

season, it shows a baseball game a week, a hockey game a week, a basketball

game a week and indoor and outdoor soccer on night a week - a live and in

primetime for the most part.

Friday night television -

CBS - The Incredible Hulk, Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, Late Movie

NBC - Marie-Debut, Number 96, NBC Magazine With David Brinkley, Tonight,

Midnight Special

ABC - I‟m A Big Girl Now, Movie, Fridays, Hollywood Heartbeat.

PBS - Washington Week, Wall St. Week

Dukes of Hazzard - Bo and Luke encounter sneak thieves, a pretty girl and a

haunted house.

Week of December 8, 1980

Marie - Debut of Marie Osmond‟s new variety show (see ad).

Dallas - JR‟s elated about the sinking of an oil tanker.

Midnight Special - Robert Klein hosts with the Rolling Stones, ABBA, Dire straits,

Cliff Richard, Kool and the Gang, Fred Knoblock, Susan Anton and the

Tremblers.

Top movies this week -

Flash Gordon

Private Benjamin

Ordinary People

The Elephant Man

It‟s My Turn

Song of the South

The Idolmaker

Dragon Vs. Neeles Of Death

The Empire Strikes Back

If You Don‟t Stop You Go Blind