Is this man ADORABLE, or WHAT?? :-)

British pop legend Sir Paul McCartney holds the honorary diploma he was presented with at a ceremony at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Russia, Thursday, May 22, 2003. McCartney, who ruffled the West when he co-wrote the Beatles' "Back in the USSR," is visiting Russia 35 years after the song's debut.

Ex-Beatle McCartney gets Russian diploma ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Paul McCartney, mobbed by fans in Russia's second largest city, collected an honorary degree Thursday and said -- in Russian -- he was pleased to walk the same halls as the country's greatest composers. "I am happy to be here," the former Beatle said to loud cheers after receiving an honorary doctorate and quickly checking his notes in St Petersburg's conservatory. "This is a big honor for me. Thank you." McCartney is to give a concert Saturday in Moscow's Red Square as part of his Back to the World tour. Tickets are reporting to be changing hands for hundreds of dollars in a country where average salaries remain less than $100 per month. In remarks to hundreds of well-wishers jammed into the building, he made no reference to the Beatles hit "Back in the USSR," but paid tribute to Russia's rich musical heritage. "It's really exciting to be in the same school that such great composers as Tchaikovsky came to," he said, switching to English and pointing to his doctorate. "It's fantastic to be here. And receiving this diploma is the icing on the cake." Beatles recordings were highly prized in Soviet times, when contact with Western musical trends was often limited. Russian television showed him later in the day stuck in a traffic jam, waving out of an open car window, with fans running alongside the vehicle. 05/22/03 16:25 ET