The 67-year-old spoke of what he felt when he performed at a Q and A session in London late on Wednesday. "If I'm doing something like 'Something' -- the song -- obviously I'm thinking of George (Harrison)," he said in comments quoted in the British press. He was promoting his new live CD and DVD "Good Evening New York City".

"It's great actually. I really like it. In a way I'm revisiting them ... Similarly with John and Linda. In a way you're kind of in contact with them again you know. And it's sad, it's emotional."

John Lennon was killed in New York in 1980 at the age of 40. Linda McCartney died of breast cancer in 1998 aged 56.

It would appear that her recent acrimonious divorce from singer Peter Andre, whom, ironically, she met on an earlier series of the reality TV show, has done little for her standing in the eyes of the British public. Some commentators think the 31-year-old should have seen this coming.

Her departure leaves the show without its most high-profile and headline-generating contestant. That makes it two after Irish twins John and Edward Grimes were voted off the X Factor singing contest last night. ITV will be watching closely to see if the exits translate to lower viewing figures for two of its biggest shows.

So, the “terrible twins” from Ireland, John and Edward Grimes, have been booted off the X Factor, ending their skin-of-the-teeth, tip-of-the-fingernail existence on the show.

Once again in the bottom two of a public vote, Jedward were up against Olly Murs, the singer from Essex who was many tipsters' favourite to win the show … at least until last night.

Rather than a high-octane, madcap dash around the stage surrounded by dancers and pyrotechnics, and a performance closer to shouting than singing, the spiky-haired duo surprisingly chose to sing a ballad, Boyzone’s “No Matter What”.

The plan backfired, with a rendition that exposed Jedward’s limited singing ability. The fact that the British media has dubbed Jedward the “tuneless twins” says it all really.

Murs was his usual accomplished self with a performance of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight”, though clearly surprised to see himself scrapping it out with the also-rans.

Dannii Minogue had the last vote on the judging panel, and, for a change, declined to refer the decision to the public vote. She did, though, ask whether the X Factor was a singing competition before making up her mind – perhaps she ought to know the basic rules by now.

Louis Walsh, Jedward’s mentor, was sad to see his protégés go, and warned that the X Factor would be a duller place without them. Like Jedward or loathe them, perhaps he has a point?

Whoever you believe in the coming days, when the already speeding Twilight hype machine goes into overdrive, critics' opinions are likely to have little impact on how the film fares at the ticket booths. The Twilight franchise based on the hugely popular novels by U.S. author Stephenie Meyer is being touted as the next Harry Potter, i.e. billions of box office bucks in the next few days.

As in the original, British actor Robert Pattinson plays Edward, the brooding bloodsucker who befriends Bella, played by Kristen Stewart. And Taylor Lautner is set to become the next heartthrob for his portrayal of American werewolf Jacob Black.

Catherine Hardwicke's original Twilight movie made $384 million at the global box office. Few would bet against the sequel beating that tally, no matter what the critics think.

1. The Strokes – 'Is This It'; 2. The Libertines – 'Up The Bracket'; 3. Primal Scream – 'Xtrmntr'; 4. Arctic Monkeys – 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'; 5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – 'Fever To Tell'; 6. PJ Harvey – 'Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea'; 7. Arcade Fire – 'Funeral'; 8. Interpol – 'Turn On The Bright Lights'; 9. The Streets – 'Original Pirate Material'; 10. Radiohead – 'In Rainbows'

11. At The Drive In – 'Relationship Of Command'; 12. LCD Soundsystem – 'The Sound Of Silver'; 13. The Shins – 'Wincing The Night Away'; 14. Radiohead – 'Kid A'; 15. Queens Of The Stone Age – 'Songs For The Deaf'; 16. The Streets – 'A Grand Don't Come For Free'; 17. Sufjan Stevens – 'Illinoise'; 18. The White Stripes – 'Elephant'; 19. The White Stripes – 'White Blood Cells'; 20. Blur – 'Think Tank'

The weekend's X Factor shenanigans did not come close to the previous vote's controversy, but there were still plenty of harsh words for the four-member judging panel for once again taking the final decision on who gets the boot to a Deadlock. When the judges are split 2-2, the result is decided by which of the two nominated acts got the fewest public votes.

This time it was Dannii Minogue with the deciding vote, and she backed eventual loser Jamie Archer, recognisable by his frizzy hairstyle. He lost out to 16-year-old, blond-locked Lloyd Daniels, who lives to fight another day despite being widely seen as one of the weakest contestants.

As well as reinforcing many people's belief that the judges are deliberately manipulating the vote to go to Deadlock, the latest result also means that "Jedward", the twins who are regularly ridiculed for their performances, are still on course to win the contest in what would be a major upset.

A word of advice if I may? How about having a panel with an uneven number of judges?

In an interview with London's Evening Standard, ostensibly to promote his new CD "If On a Winter's Night", the Police frontman-turned-solo star launched into the music talent contest which regularly attracts peak audiences of more than 15 million in the UK.

"I am sorry but none of those kids are going to go anywhere, and I say that sadly," he said of the contestants. "They are humiliated when they get sent off. How appalling for a young person to feel that rejection. It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music. In fact, it has put music back decades. Television is very cynical.

"They ... are not encouraged to create any real unique signature or fingerprint. That cannot come from TV. The X Factor is a preposterous show and you have judges who have no recognisable talent apart from self-promotion, advising them what to wear and how to look. It is appalling."

Whether the 58-year-old's comments will bother Cowell, the show's other judges or the ITV channel which airs the hugely successful series is far from clear. They may be watching the upcoming viewing figures closely, however, after many fans vowed not to watch the programme again after Cowell's recent antics.

It hasn't all been plain sailing for the 35-year-old, whose previous album "Rudebox" was poorly received and recorded sharply lower sales than his previous efforts. He failed to make it big in the key U.S. market and has said he suffered from chronic stage fright -- a surprising admission from someone renowned for his cheeky grin and apparently indomitable character.

A statement from his spokesman says Williams is at number one in the midweek album charts in the UK, with over 85,000 copies sold in the country on the first day of release on Monday. It is also number one on the iTunes chart in 16 countries, including Germany, France, Austria and Belgium.

That, however, is not enough to stop the questions about his eventual reunion with Take That, a group which has enjoyed a remarkable comeback of its own in the last few years. Robbie has proved he has what it takes to go it alone, but everyone, it seems, wants to see him back with the band.

Twin act John and Edward Grimes (aka Jedward) survived a popular vote while singer Lucie Jones was shown the door. The two acts ended up at the bottom of the heap in a phone vote, and it was up to the judges to decide which one to throw out. But if the judges are split 2-2, the results of the public vote come back into play. Cowell had the deciding vote with the panel split 2-1 in Lucie's favour, and he decided for the twins.

The Daily Mirror's headline (because the X Factor has long been headline news in Britain) was "Farce Factor" while rival The Sun wrote: "'Ward a Load of Cobblers". Quoting fans, the latter newspaper added: "Cowell's gone too far ... show is ruined."

Readers may reasonably ask if any of this matters. Well, it may matter to Cowell, who has become one of pop music's most successful managers through his appearances on X Factor and similar singing competitions here and in the United States. It may also mean something to ITV, the channel which airs the show in the UK. With peak audiences approaching 15 million, its advertising revenue from the biggest show on British TV must be healthy to say the least.

 For those who follow the show, and care about it, many feel that Cowell's decision to refer the decision back to the popular vote, rather than voting off Jedward, smacked of a stitch-up. He had been Jedward's most vocal critic for weeks, and popular opinion would appear to support the argument that loser Lucie had far more talent than the twins, whose performances have been variously described as "bizarre" and "ridiculous".

Theories abound as to why Cowell might decide to save the twins. The most popular is money -- like them or loathe them, the twins seem to get the crowds going and Cowell might be looking ahead to the X Factor tour when the show is over. The removal of strong vocalist Lucie may also remove a potential threat to the singing acts on the show which he endorses.

Will his decision backfire? Will less people tune in to the show because they feel the whole thing is rigged? Or has Cowell pulled it off again by ramping up the stakes and getting the nation talking about the show again? It wouldn't be the first time.

British director Roland Joffe, renowned for Oscar-nominated "The Killing Fields" and "The Mission," is making "There Be Dragons," a film set during the Spanish Civil War that focuses in part on the life of Opus Dei founder Jose Maria Escriva.

(Photo: Image of Escriva at his canonisation at the Vatican, 6 Oct 2002/Paolo Cocco)

Principal photography is complete, and Joffe is now in the editing room aiming to have the movie, which stars Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, ready for theatres by autumn next year.

Joffe originally intended to turn down a project which, owing to its religious theme and Opus Dei's controversial profile, promises to draw closer scrutiny than the average film.

In The Da Vinci Code, Opus Dei was cast as a secretive cult that resorted to murder to defend a fictional, 2,000-year-old Catholic cover-up. It has also been criticized by church liberals suspicious of its power and reach and by estranged members telling of coercion and corporal mortification.

But when he saw a video of Escriva addressing a large crowd, Joffe changed his mind.

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