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PAUL McCARTNEY: British rock 'n' roll icon Paul McCartney says Yoko Ono, the wife of late Beatles band member John Lennon, is not to blame for the group's breakup.

The band released its first single, "Love Me Do," in 1962 and, after enjoying worldwide popularity, broke up in 1968. Some Beatles fans have long held Ono responsible for the split.

"She certainly didn't break the group up," the BBC quoted McCartney, 70, as telling interviewer David Frost in a program to air next month on the al-Jazeera English TV channel.

"I don't think you can blame her for anything," McCartney said.

Lennon was "definitely going to leave" no matter what, he said.

The BBC reported McCartney also said Lennon, who was shot and killed in 1980, would not have written his classic song "Imagine" without Ono, an artist.

"When Yoko came along, part of her attraction was her avant garde side, her view of things," McCartney said. "She showed him another way to be, which was very attractive to him. So it was time for John to leave."

TOM CRUISE: A man was shot with a stun gun and arrested after he got drunk and tried to climb a fence outside Tom Cruise's home in Beverly Hills, Calif., TMZ reported.

Jason Sullivan, the actor's 41-year-old neighbor, was arrested for trespassing Sunday night after he was subdued by a Taser-wielding security guard on Cruise's property.

The film star was not at home at the time of the incident.

"Upon arrival, officers contacted a lone male suspect who was attempting to leave the location. The suspect had been previously detained by a security officer, who was on duty at the residence and had observed the suspect climbing a fence to gain access to the property," the police department said in a statement issued to the Los Angeles Times Sunday night.

The man was arrested and taken to a hospital where he was examined after being hit with the stun gun, the newspaper said.

PETER FONDA: Hollywood actor Peter Fonda has been named jury president of Sweden's 23rd Stockholm Film Festival, organizers said Monday.

Fonda is best known for co-writing and starring in the 1969 counterculture classic "Easy Rider."

The festival, during which the jury will hand out its Bronze Horse awards, is to run Nov. 7-18.

Serving on the jury with Fonda will be U.S. director Antonio Campo, Serbian filmmaker Srdjan Dragojevic, Swedish producer Anna Croneman and Swedish writer Karolina Ramqvist.

SMASH MOUTH: American pop rock band Smash Mouth is to release its first Christmas album, "The Gift of Rock," 429 Records said Monday.

The group is known for its hits "All Star," "Walkin' on the Sun," "Then the Morning Comes" and "I'm a Believer."

"Produced by Greg Camp and Michael Urbano, the album's 10 tracks capture a raucous holiday spirit while showcasing the quintessential Smash Mouth party sound," the band's record label said of the holiday CD, which goes on sale Tuesday.

"'The Gift of Rock' includes brilliant interpretations of holiday standards old and new and features Steve Harwell, Paul Delisle Greg Camp and Michael Urbano."