One of the closest people in John Lennon's life is calling B.S. on Lennon's former assistant ... claiming John believed in the message of "Imagine" until the day he died ... and was NOT a Ronald Reagan fan.



TMZ spoke with Elliot Mintz (pictured left) -- Lennon's former publicist and close friend for nearly ten years -- who told us Fred Seaman's claim that Lennon was "embarrassed" by the lyrics to "Imagine"... is pure nonsense.

Mintz explains, "From the time I met John in 1971, until the end, all of those things he expressed in 'Imagine' were part of his belief system until the last breath of his life."

"If you listen to the last recorded interviews that were done with John, you'll hear him express in his own words ... his own beliefs ... which are virtually identical to the beliefs he held in '71."

As for Seaman, Elliot jabbed, "Apparently his memory was refreshed at the same time his documentary's release date was imminent ... Fred Seaman has a distorted revisionist view of history."

Left-wing anti-war icon John Lennon turned his back on the liberal agenda before he died ... this according to his former assistant who says the "Beatles" singer wanted to vote for Ronald Reagan.



John's ex-assistant Fred Seaman dropped the bombshell in a new documentary called "Beatles Stories" -- claiming, Lennon was "embarrassed" by his anti-war radicalism.

Seaman claims, "[Lennon] was a very different person back in 1979 and 80 than he'd been when he wrote 'Imagine.' By 1979 he, looked back on that guy and was embarrassed by that guy's naivete."

According to Seaman, "John, basically, made it very clear that if he were an American he would vote for Reagan because he was really sour on Jimmy Carter."

But Seaman's credibility isn't exactly untarnished -- back in 1983, the man pled guilty to stealing Lennon's photos and diaries ... and was sentenced to five years probation.

Super Christian Kirk Cameron says Stephen Hawking is WRONG about the non-existence of Heaven -- insisting Hawking is just as ignorant as ... (wait for it) ... John Lennon.



Kirk -- who is HUGELY active in his evangelist church -- tells TMZ Hawking has no scientific evidence to back his claim that Heaven is merely a, "Fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

Cameron tells us, "Professor Hawking is heralded as 'the genius of Britain,' yet he believes in the scientific impossibility that nothing created everything and that life sprang from non-life."

He adds, "Why should anyone believe Mr. Hawking's writings if he cannot provide evidence for his unscientific belief that out of nothing, everything came?"

So how does John Lennon fit in to all this? Cameron explains:

Click here... it's not over yet

John Lennon's application for U.S. residency has been yanked from auction after the FBI put its foot down ... this according to the auction house.


A rep for the Gotta Have It! Rock & Pop Culture Auction tells TMZ ... "The item has been under investigation by the FBI because it is considered government property."

We're told the auction house has now pulled the document. Too bad ... word is the starting bid was for $100,000.

So far ... no comment from the FBI but a government official tells TMZ, "There is currently an investigation regarding the John Lennon documents in the auction and it's being headed by the FBI."

We took your questions today on everything -- including the FBI yanking John Lennon memorabilia from an auction, Octomom being offered on-the-job porn training, and Oksana Grigorieva claiming she didn't know the Mel tapes were worth money.


Plus: TMZ Fit Club unveils another delicious, healthy lunch!

The man who shot and killed John Lennon in 1980 will remain behind bars for at least another couple of years ... after officials determined Mark David Chapman is still not fit for parole.



Earlier today, the New York State Division of Parole informed 55-year-old Chapman that they had concerns "about the disregard [he] displayed for the norms of our society and the sanctity of human life." 

It was nearly 30 years ago that Chapman gunned down the "Beatles" icon outside Lennon's NYC apartment.

A rep for Yoko Ono tells us she's "very pleased with the result" of today's hearing.

Chapman won't have another shot at freedom until August 2012 -- when he will become eligible for another parole review.

In the world of high-end photography, Annie Leibovitz's portfolio is the equivalent of The Beatles' catalog -- and she's in danger of losing it all.



Leibovitz, who took the infamous last photo of John Lennon before he was assassinated, is facing catastrophic financial problems -- if she doesn't pay back a $24 million loan by Tuesday, she'll lose the rights to every big photo she's ever taken. The list includes that controversial Miley Cyrus photo from last year, the pregnant Demi Moore Vanity Fair cover, the cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" -- and really every interesting VF cover for the last 20 years or so.

In classic Michael Jackson-esque form, Leibovitz sunk deep into debt and then got a loan using her photo catalog (estimated at $40 million) and homes as collateral.

Tuesday is D-Day.

Like the rest of us, Sean Lennon is just "trying to make a living" in these tough economic times -- something that must be hard to do when your dad was only in one of the biggest moneymaking groups of all time.

The Vatican has finally gotten over that little thing John Lennon said back in 1966 -- that The Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ.

The Vatican newspaper, according to MSNBC, now says the remark "sounds only like a 'boast' by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success, after growing up in the legend of Elvis and rock and roll."

The story in Vatican Daily Osservatore Romano went on to praise The Beatles on the 40th anniversary of The White Album -- apparently they're fine with the Charles Manson theme song "Helter Skelter," "Revolution," and "Why Don't We Do it in the Road."

Ob-la-di, ob-la-da.

Imagine there's no Jonas Brothers .... It's easy if you try -- at least according to John Lennon's son.

Not only does Sean not know who the hell those guys are, but outside LAX yesterday the 32-year-old Beatle spawn asked if they were, "like a Disney cartoon or something?" Yeah, something like that.

You can't expect a guy and his lady friend to know about pop culture, when they just stepped out of "The Great Gatsby!"

Julian Lennon (now 45 years old!) couldn't escape his father's legacy last night at Mr. Chow.


Both "Eight Days a Week" and "Ticket to Ride" played as John's look-alike son went to his car -- Mr. Chow's creepy idea of a tribute or just eerie timing?