A page of lyrics handwritten by Paul McCartney to the hit Goodbye, John Lennon's exam results and a guitar signed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have gone on sale at Christies in London.

They are part of an auction of more than 200 items of music memorabilia, including 80 lots connected to The Beatles.

These include gold discs, autographs, albums, toys and other fan memorabilia.

Items from The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Madonna and Robbie Williams are also among those being auctioned.

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Kennedy recovering from surgery

Actor George Kennedy has left hospital after undergoing a hip replacement, triple heart bypass and treatment for sleep apneoa.

Kennedy, 77, had gone to hospital for the scheduled hip replacement in early September, but further tests revealed that he also needed the heart operation.

Doctors said that sleep apnoea, in which a blocked airway interrupts regular breathing patterns during sleep, had weakened the actor's lungs, kidneys and heart.

Kennedy, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Cool Hand Luke, has appeared in more than 100 films.

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Vengerov leads Gramophone Awards

Violinist Maxim Vengerov has taken the top prize at this year's Gramophone magazine awards.

Vengerov, 27, was named Artist of The Year at the prestigious ceremony which honours the best in classical music.

The Siberian-born musician, who gave his first recital at the age of five, is regarded as one of the world's greatest violinists.

Other awards included a Lifetime Achievement award for Italian soprano Mirella Freni.

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Grammy group names new chief

The group that awards The Grammys, the US industry's top honours, has named industry veteran Neil Portnow as its new president.

The National Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences (Naras) said it chose Mr Portnow because of his many years' experience of working at major record labels.

He takes over from previous president Michael Greene, who resigned amid controversy in April.

Portnow has worked at EMI and Arista Records, and is currently vice president of operations at Zomba.

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Seagal faces lawsuit

A judge has refused to throw out a $60m lawsuit against action star Steven Seagal that alleges he dropped out of film projects on the advice of his Buddhist advisor.

Judge Joseph Maltese has said that the suit, filed by producer Julius Nasso, Seagal's former business partner, can go to trial.

Nasso has said Seagal backed out of four films, with a combined budget of $125m after his Buddist advisor, known as Makura, allegedly persuaded him to do so.

Seagal's last film Exit Wounds, which co-starred rapper DMX, was released in 2001.

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Raymond set to end

The hit US sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond may come to an end after the 2003/4 season, according to reports.

The show's star Ray Romano told American magazine TV Guide he wanted it to go out while it was still popular.

"You don't want to leave when you're sliding down," he said of the show, currently in its seventh season. "I don't see it going to a tenth season, I don't even see nine".

Romano recently won an Emmy award for his role on the programme.

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Streisand headlines gala

Barbra Streisand has come out of retirement to perform at a fund-raising event for the US Democratic Party.

According to reports, Streisand raised a record $6m at the gala evening, which saw her perform before an audience of Democratic supports and Hollywood stars.

Abour 3,500 people paid $500 each to attend the event, which also featured a performance from Barry Manilow.

Streisand withdrew from public life two years ago, saying she wanted to spend more time with her husband James Brolin.