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Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 08:42 GMT

Ono slates 'tacky' Lennon seance

Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon on stage Yoko Ono's spokesman has attacked a "tasteless, tacky and exploitative" pay-per-view TV "seance" to contact the spirit of late Beatle John Lennon.

Viewers will be charged $9.95 (£5.70) to watch the programme on 24 April.

Ono's spokesman Elliot Mintz, who was a close friend of Lennon, said the show "only benefits the producers".

TV producer Paul Sharratt has said he is "making a serious attempt to do something that many millions of people around the world think is possible".

Lennon's widow Ono was invited to appear, Mr Sharratt said, but has not given the project her blessing.

"A pay-per-view seance was never his style"
Elliot Mintz
Yoko Ono's spokesman


"John Lennon was an amazing communicator of heart, mind and spirit," Mr Mintz said.

"He still speaks to those who choose to listen to his recordings. That was the medium he chose to speak with us."

The programme was "another example of the misuse of John's affirmation of life as opposed to the preoccupation of his death", he said.

"The proposed show strikes me as being tasteless, tacky and exploitative."

John Lennon The programme, on US digital channel In Demand, will feature psychics travelling to sites of significance to the former Beatle, including the Dakota building in New York where he was shot dead in 1980.

They will then assemble around a seance table, with infra-red cameras to capture any "presence" in the room.

An attempt by the same producers to contact Diana, Princess of Wales, attracted 500,000 viewers, paying $14.95 (£8.50) each, in 2003.

"I didn't come out a total believer, but it was good for a lot of people as a tribute to Diana," Mr Sharratt said.

"Lennon was very interested in the spiritual world. It's a natural follow-up to the Diana seance."

He said he accepted criticism from people who said the Lennon idea was disgusting but that he was making a serious programme.



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Related to this story:
Makers defend Lennon TV 'seance' (17 Mar 06 |  Entertainment )
Fans pay tribute to John Lennon (09 Dec 05 |  Entertainment )
Lennon's cousin re-lives memories (08 Dec 05 |  Scotland )
The life of pop icon John Lennon (05 Dec 05 |  Entertainment )
Lennon's friends recall ex-Beatle (25 Nov 05 |  Entertainment )
ITC monitors Diana spirit show (10 Mar 03 |  Entertainment )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Lennon Remembered
In Demand
Spirit of Lennon
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