"The John Lennon Letters"  Peter Gabriel's "So' 25th anniversary edition. Pete Townshend to be presented with Les Paul Award. Ben & Jerrys sues over 'Ben & Cherry's' porn films. Is the lipstick effect theory a myth? The top everyday inventions mothers can't live without.

JOHN LENNON

Set for publication on October 9th -- John Lennon's 72nd birthday -- will be the Yoko Ono sanctioned book, The John Lennon Letters. The book has been edited by noted Beatles author Hunter Davies and features letters sent by the late Beatle to lovers, friends, family, and fans from every point in his life, and culled from a collection over nearly 300 letters and postcards.

Hunter Davies wrote the 1968 authorized biography The Beatles, with the complete help and support of the Beatles and their families. Due to the fact that most of the group's parents were still alive, much of the book is now deemed to be "whitewashed" in places -- yet remains a perfect spot for a beginner to learn the Beatles' basic history. It broke new ground describing John Lennon and Paul McCartney's songwriting session for "With A Little Help From My Friends," among other insider reporting.

Last year, Davies spoke about The John Lennon Letters, and explained to the BBC, "I've found a lot of letters that nobody's ever seen. When he wrote a letter or a postcard to somebody, he saw it as a challenge to write a unique piece for them and to amuse them and respond to their humor."

Pattie Boyd met Lennon in 1964 on the set of A Hard Days Night, and throughout her years married to George Harrison, she spent more time with Lennon then she did with her own family. She was asked what Lennon was really like: "Very funny. Very funny. Cruel as well. If anybody got on the wrong side of him, or (if) they were complete idiots, then he wouldn't fail to let them know."

PETER GABRIEL

Peter Gabriel says that because his 1986 hit "Sledgehammer" was inescapable on MTV, it did much to final separate him from his past with Genesis. On October 23rd, Gabriel will release his 25th Anniversary edition of his 1986 Top Two album So, which spawned his only chart-topper to date, "Sledgehammer." Rolling Stone asked Gabriel if he felt as though the video was "played a ridiculous amount of times on MTV," to which he explained, "Yeah, I think it was the most played video on MTV, and still is today. But I was trying to get some income from it, which is another battle, another story. . . At the time, I was still fighting the ex-Genesis label, so to have a new label that was bigger than ex-Genesis. . . I was quite pleased about that."

Guitarist Steve Hackett is one former member of Genesis, who's happy to delve into the band's past, and will release his new studio set, Genesis Revisited II, on October 22nd. Hackett, who quit the band in 1977, told Ultimate Classic Rock, that he remembers Genesis as being "an extremely magical band, full of great songwriters and singers, (who were) visionaries in a sense. . . (Genesis was) the most broad-based band in the business. We did everything from gentle little lyrical acoustic songs, tinkling on 12-strings. . . to atonal stuff and extraordinary moments borrowing from jazz."

Hackett plans to hit the road to support Genesis Revisited II, which will be released in several format, including "a double CD media book as well as a quadruple LP and standard two-CD versions."

Mike Rutherford, who recently incorporated three Genesis songs into his recent Mike & The Mechanics shows -- "Throwing It All Away," "Follow You, Follow Me" and "I Can't Dance" -- told Genesis-news.com that he's not one for reviving the past for long periods: "Well, I find it kind of strange, I know (one time Genesis-vocalist) Ray (Wilson) does it a lot. I rather live in the 'now.' I find it strange, going back and play these songs. . . it's not for me. If I were Steve. . . I'd rather do something new."

PETE TOWNSHEND

Pete Townshend, will be presented with the prestigious Les Paul Award on January 25th at the 28th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards, at Southern California's Anaheim Hilton during the 2013 NAMM Show. Presented by the TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio, the TEC Awards recognizes outstanding achievement in professional audio technology and production. The Les Paul Award, named in honor of the legendary musician and inventor who died in 2009, is presented annually to honor individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio and music technology. Russ Paul, the son of Les Paul, will make the presentation to Townshend on behalf of the Foundation.

Over the past 21 years, recipients of the award have included such legends as Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, and Al Kooper, among others.

The TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio is a public benefit corporation headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to presenting the TEC Awards, the Foundation has helped fund programs, including those of H.E.A.R. and the House Research Institute, that educate audio professionals and music listeners about safe hearing in the music environment.

Pete Townshend explained that contrary to popular belief, the damage to his hearing didn't occur on stage with the Who, but on his own, alone in his home recording studios over the years: "What hurt my ears was not guitar, it wasn't. It was recording. It was living in the recording studio. And it was getting drunk; making great songs at home, and listening to it over and over and over and over again, like, real masturbation stuff. Y'know, I've written a great song, and a bottle of brandy, listen to it again, and really, just blowing my brains out in the studio as well. Y'know, I never gave myself a rest."

Pete Townshend's autobiography, Who I Am, will be published on October 8th.

BEN & JERRY'S SUES OVER 'BEN & CHERRY'S' PORN FILMS

 Ben & Jerry's has sued the creators of the "Ben & Cherry's" pornographic DVDs, saying they've smeared the ice cream maker's reputation. In the trademark infringement lawsuit, Ben & Jerry's said the series of DVDs feature titles and themes based on Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors as well as packaging that contains key company features such as a grazing cow, green grass and white puffy clouds. The suit lists some of the DVD names, including Boston Cream Thigh, New York Fat & Chunky and Peanut Butter D-Cup. Ben & Jerry's has flavors called "Boston Cream Pie," "New York Super Fudge Chunk" and "Peanut Butter Cup."

IS THE LIPSTICK EFFECT THEORY A MYTH?

A leading economist claims the 'Lipstick Effect' theory -- which suggests that women buy less-expensive luxury goods like cosmetics in tough economic times -- is a myth, saying that the research behind it is based on 'over-generalized gender stereotypes'. Per the Lipstick Effect, the purpose of women buying the less-expensive cosmetics is to increase their attractiveness to mates. Julie Nelson, from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, has stated that the 'overly general' findings only serve to reinforce 'stereotypes about women's lives - and social value - centering on questions of their attractiveness to men.' She added: 'Along with young women not looking for a partner, it is not at all clear that older women, married women, lesbian women, or women from other educational and cultural backgrounds would share this so-called 'women's psychology.' (BelleNews.com)

THE TOP EVERYDAY INVENTIONS MOTHERS CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT (Daily Mail)

1. A flushing toilet
2. Toothpaste
3. Eyeglasses
4. Pain killers
5. TV
6. The light bulb
7. Paper
8. Vacuum
9. Wi-Fi
10. Coffee

Thanks for listening to The Eagle while you work. Keep it fabulous, Houston!

xoxo,

Jennifer Tyler