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CBS News Launches New Series With '50 YEARS: THE BEATLES'

NEW YORK, NY (CBS) – CBS News Live Experiences is set to launch with an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the appearance of the Beatles on CBS's "The Ed Sullivan Show."

"50 YEARS: THE BEATLES" will be presented by "Motown the Musical" on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014 at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. Anthony Mason, CBS News Senior Business Correspondent and anchor of "CBS This Morning: Saturday," will host.

The live, interactive multimedia event will happen 50 years to the day of the historic telecast and in the theater where it originally happened.

"History was made 50 years ago in the Ed Sullivan Theater – our reporting will help connect audiences to that history," says CBS News President David Rhodes.

"50 YEARS: THE BEATLES" is the first in a series of CBS News Live Experiences, a tour and video series that will look at the society, politics and culture of the present day in the context of major events that happened 50 years ago using CBS archival coverage.

"The Beatles' appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' – viewed by 73 million people in 1964 – was the single most significant moment in pop music history ever, making the Ed Sullivan Theater – exactly 50 years later – hallowed ground on Sunday, Feb. 9," says David Goodman, President, CBS Live Experiences. "No other news or media entity has as close an affiliation with this pivotal moment as CBS, making this the perfect event to launch CBS News Live Experiences – a series of live multimedia events that will take notable archival CBS News stories and bring them to life with audiences nationwide. CBS owns some of the most recognizable and valuable content in the world. We look forward to exploring ways to extend these brands to build stronger ties with our fans."

In addition, a live symposium of those who have been influenced by the Beatles will be moderated by host Mason. Panelists will include Pattie Boyd, a model and photographer who was married to George Harrison and is the inspiration for his song, "Something"; Andrew Loog Oldham, who managed the Rolling Stones in the 1960s and before that was the publicity assistant to the Beatles' manager; guitarist, songwriter and record producer Mick Jones, who founded the band Foreigner and played the same Paris concert hall as the Beatles 50 years ago; and Julie Taymor, an award-winning film, opera and theater director whose Oscar-nominated "Across the Universe" is a love story that includes more than 30 Beatles songs.

"50 YEARS: THE BEATLES" will be live streamed on CBSNews.com, and CBSNewYork.com/50yearslater will highlight rare footage from CBS News' extensive archives of the Beatles' first three days in New York City and their famous appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on Feb. 9, 1964.

For more information, click here.

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