The News Today. Oh Boy.

28 years ago today, on December 8 1980, pop icon and peace activist John Lennon was killed in New York city.

11 years before that, in 1969, a 14-year-old named Jerry Levitan managed to talk his way into the Beatle’s Toronto hotel room. Lennon let him hang out, and allowed the teenager to record a rambling five-minute chat that covered war, peace, hidden messages in pop music, and the arrival of the Bee Gees. Last year, Levitan teamed up with filmmaker Josh Raskin to make a 5 minute animated film based on their conversation. “I Met the Walrus" has since been nominated for dozens of international awards including a 2008 academy award for Best Animated Short Film. The conversation is loose, the animation is beautiful, and the film is one more reminder of how many people were profoundly inspired by Lennon's art and by his example.