Music News: Apple Announcement, Beatles Rock Band, and Beatles CDs Remastered

It turns out that 9/09/09 is a big day in the world of music: The long-awaited Beatles Rock Band game comes out today, Beatles remastered CDs are now on sale, and Apple is holding its usual early September announcement, with speculation on products ranging from new iPods (probable, since prices of current iPods have dropped) to the launch of an Apple tablet computer (not so likely) to the very-long-awaited appearance of the Beatles on iTunes (coming, but not yet).

Mac Observer will blog Apple's "Rock and Roll" event live at 1 p.m. today (you can also follow the news live on other sites such as The Apple Blog). The online Apple Store is down, as is the case before new product announcements. Some of the wags on Mac Observer dig through the rumors and anti-rumors regarding today's Apple presentation.

Amazon.com lists a range of options for The Beatles Rock Band game, from software for Xbox 360, Playstation, and Nintendo Wii to limited-edition bundles, controllers, and other add-ons.

You can buy the Beatles remastered CDs here. And if you're a real completist or just need to bring your Beatles collection up to speed in a hurry, you can buy The Beatles Stereo Box Set for $180. A mono box set is available for $230.

Music News: Monty Python Reunion, Beatles Rock Band Songs Announced

Beloved comedy troupe Monty Python is celebrating 40 years since its formation, and is reuniting in New York City for one night at the screening of a new documentary. Brooklyn Vegan says that they'll be at midtown's Ziegfeld Theater on October 15th for a showing of the theatrical version of "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)," along with a Q&A with the cast and a presentation from BAFTA, the British film and TV awards organization.

IFC is behind the documentary and will be televising it October 4th to 10th, in one-hour episodes. BV says IFC will also be showing the Monty Python films during a special Monty Python week. See the link above for episode descriptions and air dates for the episodes.

Speaking of beloved old British performers, the upcoming Beatles version of the Rock Band video game has been in the news a lot lately. Yahoo News says the names of the 19 of the songs to be featured in Beatles Rock Band were released today, with one song title yet to be released. The Web site Vintage Vinyl News lists what it says are 44 of the 45 songs to be included in the game.

Among the songs to be included in Beatles Rock Band: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "A Hard Day's Night," "Ticket to Ride," "Helter Skelter," "If I Needed Someone," and "Drive My Car."

Beatles Rock Band goes on sale September 9th.