London - Talks on making the Beatles' catalog available from digital retailers like iTunes (NASD: AAPL) have "stalled," Paul McCartney told the Associated Press on Monday. "The last word I got back was it's stalled at the whole moment, the whole process," the former Beatle told AP. "I really hope it will happen because I think it should."

London - Sir Paul McCartney has confirmed for BBC radio that there is a "lost" 14-minute-long experimental Beatles track recorded in 1967 that he is seeking to release. It would still require the approval of Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono-Lennon and Olivia Harrison for "Carnival of Light," recorded for an electronic music festival, to see the light of day. But the fact that it is a standalone track could make for an excellent foray into digital distribution for the long-time holdouts.

Los Angeles - While the Beatles' songs are still not available for sale from Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iTunes Store, department store chain Bloomingdale's has partnered with a custom laser etching firm to offer a limited edition Apple iPod boxed set that comes with all of the Beatles albums on CD, Wired.com reported.

New York - Representatives of the Beatles are in talks with Activision (NASD: ATVI) and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games, makers of the "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" video games, respectively, on deals that would license Beatles songs for inclusion in future iterations of the games, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The deals are reported to be worth "several million dollars," sources told FT, and could be completed within weeks.

Cupertino, Calif. - Following a report over the weekend in the U.K.'s Telegraph that said Sir Paul McCartney had signed a $400 million deal with Apple (NASD: AAPL) to distribute the Beatles catalog on the iTunes Store, Apple has dismissed the claim as unsubstantiated speculation. "This is not news nor is it a scoop," an Apple spokesman told Billboard.

Los Angeles - NASA on Friday announced plans to for the first time beam music into deep space, and has chosen the Beatles' "Across the Universe," to commemorate events including the 50th anniversary of the formation of NASA, and the 50th anniversary of key events in the formation of the Beatles. Monday, Feb. 4 also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the launch of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, and the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' recording of "Across the Universe." The song will be aimed at Polaris (aka the North Star), which is situated 2.5 quadrillion miles away, and will not arrive at its destination until the year 2439. "I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe," said Yoko Ono.

Detroit - The lucrative catalog of the Beatles will likely be made available in downloadable digital format for the first time in 2008, former Beatle Paul McCartney tells Billboard. "It's all happening soon… there's just maybe one little sticking point left, and I think it's being cleared up as we speak, so it shouldn't be too long. It's down to fine-tuning, but I'm pretty sure it'll be happening next year, 2008," McCartney told Billboard.

Hollywood, Calif. - EMI and Capitol Records has made much of the late George Harrison's solo catalog available from digital retailers, marking the last of the former Beatles' works to be made available digitally. The Beatles' lucrative catalog still has yet to be made available from digital retailers. Initially, nine of Harrison's solo records are being made available -- including as premium, DRM-free downloads -- with the remainder to follow in 2008. "It is exciting that George's catalog is finally available for downloading," said Olivia Harrison. "He had begun the digital remastering of his albums but had no idea how the digital world would change the way we access and listen to music."

Chicago - Hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan have become the first musicians to legally license a sample from a Beatles song for one of their own compositions, Pitchfork reported on Tuesday.

Cupertino, Calif. - Apple on Tuesday announced the addition of Beatle John Lennon's solo catalog on label EMI Music to the iTunes Store.

New York - Billboard reports that Paul McCartney, who is releasing his latest record to digital and mobile retailers, says that a deal to make the Beatles' lucrative catalog available for purchase from digital retailers is "virtually settled."

London - The Beatles have settled a $59 million dispute over royalties with record label EMI, London's Daily Telegraph reported. Along with the settlement in February of a dispute between the Beatles' label, Apple Corps, and Apple Computer over use of the "Apple" name with regard to music, the announcement could pave the way for songs by the Beatles -- longtime digital holdouts -- to begin selling at iTunes and other digital retailers.