Saturday, June 30, 2012

Three Years To The Day






It was at Camp Nou in Barcelona on June 30th 2009,  that 'U2 unveiled their 360 space station and 90,000 fans gave it lift off.'  


On Saturday, three years on, U2.com is  hosting an extended listening party,  recalling the shows and celebrating the release of U22, the soundtrack of the tour as chosen by the fans.


It`s called  'U22 Day'  and every hour we'll be streaming tracks from U22 .




To recall the first show of one of the best rock concerts in history, click here , here and here.




http://www.u2.com

Clayton PA found guilty of stealing €2.8m from star

 U2 star Adam Clayton

THE former personal assistant of U2 star Adam Clayton was "still maintaining her innocence" after a jury found her guilty of stealing €2.8m from the rock star's personal bank accounts.

Carol Hawkins (47), from Lower Rathmines Road in Dublin, was convicted on all 181 counts of theft, with unanimous verdicts by the jury at the Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin on each count yesterday. She will be sentenced on July 6.

The evidence in the case had been "overwhelming", Judge Patrick McCartan told the jury after they had returned their verdicts following five hours and three minutes of deliberations. "Nobody could seriously disagree with the verdicts you have reached," he said.

He released Ms Hawkins on continuing bail for a further week to allow the mother of two "to get her affairs in order" after being petitioned to do so by her counsel Ken Fogarty, who told the judge that his client was "still maintaining her innocence".

It took more than 25 minutes for the court clerk to read out each charge and for the jury foreman to reply.

Throughout it all, Ms Hawkins looked almost unnaturally calm and composed, staring into middle space with her chin resting on her clasped hands.

And when she raised a glass of water to her lips, her hand did not shake.

However, her face betrayed the stress of the ordeal as she looked deathly pale and lacking in sleep. Dressed in black, she had an expensive-looking olive green rain jacket by her side and a hair-tie wrapped around her wrist.

There was nobody there for her in court.

As the reading of the verdicts drew to a close, Adam Clayton slipped on to a courtroom bench, his face wreathed in a smile of obvious relief.

After the jury had completed its task, Ms Hawkins' barrister Ken Fogarty went over to whisper a word and Ms Hawkins gave a small but distinct hoot of dry laughter.

It had been a long and "grubby tale", as counsel for the prosecution had said in their opening statement of the trial.

Over the 17 years she had worked for the U2 bassist, the mother-of-two had gained his "absolute trust" to the extent that she had wound up as a signatory on two of his personal bank accounts with access to a "never-ending pot of money", the prosecution had told the jury.

"Deliberately, knowingly and cunningly", she had laid a false trail to cover her tracks when she wrote 181 cheques to deposit large chunks of money to her own account, a joint account with her then husband John Hawkins and to her credit card account, to which she had also linked cards for her two children.

The deception only emerged in 2008 when she confessed to Mr Clayton that she had used around €15,000 of his money to book flights to visit her children in the US and London. Weeping, she had told him that she blamed the stress of her marriage break-up for her conduct.

Friday, June 29, 2012

360 ยบ Tour 3rd Anniversary

U2 360 Tour Boceto


Tomorrow is the 3rd anniversary of 360ยบ tour , first staged in Camp Nous , Barcelona. In the website  www.stufish.com , we can see the way  The Claw _perhaps the most spectacular stage in the band`s history_was taking shape. 




http://news.u2fanlife.com/http://www.stufish.com

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Bono is a Trademark


Bono’s newly patented name and signature could spell a solo move for the U2 frontman. Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, has converted his stage name and squiggle into a trademark with the Irish Patents Office amid hints that U2’s 35-year career may be nearing its end. “I’m not so sure the future hasn’t dried up," Bono said during an interview last year. “It’s quite likely you might hear from us next year but it’s equally possible that you won’t,” according to the Irish Daily Star. The rocker’s new patent means he can use his trademark sign on everything from music releases to underwear and glasses, following in the footsteps of Jedward who trademarked their name earlier this year.


http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Confirmation: The Edge is a really nice bloke!

Home News

This piece of news confirms something all U2 fans already know: The Edge is actually a really nice person.

An American family travelling around Ireland managed to misplace a piece of luggage at the Killiney dart station this week.
However, the family simply checked back in with the Fitzpatrick Castle hotel (where they were staying) to see if anyone had dropped anything in. Low and behold, the bag was sitting there waiting for the family in reception.
When they opened up the bag they found a U2 CD in it, which was signed by the guy who found the bag, who was none other than U2’s The Edge.

 Here's the family with their new U2 CD below. 




Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Electric Burma For Aung San Suu Kyi




'There is no one on this island who doesn’t understand how costly the word freedom is.  How difficult the word justice is to live by. How quixotic peace can be. After all your years of wide-open heartache in an enclosed space, your newly travelled road has brought you here to Dublin at a big old bun fight in your honour… and we love that.'


At Electric Burma at the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin this evening, Bono presented Aung San Suu Kyi with Amnesty International’s ‘Ambassador of Conscience’ Award. The award was originally announced from the stage when U2  played Croke Park in July 2009 - while the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize recipient was still under house arrest in Burma.


'The honour is ours just to be in your presence,'  said Bono in his speech. 'Everybody is here to sing for you tonight, but it’s your song that everyone wants to hear. It’s your song we need on the radio all over the world… your words… your topline melody. It’s a timeless song yet it seems more important in this time, than ever before…'  


Responding to the award Aung San Suu Kyi said that it was a reminder that 'Twenty four years ago I took on duties from which I shall never be delivered but you have given me the strength to carry on.' In Ireland she had discovered just how much people care: 'I had not expected this.'


'I feel very close to you. The British used to refer to the Burmese as the Irish of the East. We never quite understood why. Some say it was because we never gave them any peace, we were very rebellious and others say it was because our men like their drink and we are all rather superstitious.
For whatever reason tonight I  feel proud to be your Eastern counterpart - I am very happy to be the Irish of the East.


'Throughout these years, you and others like you, and Amnesty International and other organisations like AI have helped us to keep our small wick of self respect alight. You have helped to keep the light. And we hope that you will be with us in the years to come, that you will be able to join us in our dreams and not take either your eyes or your mind off us,  and that you will help us to be the country where hope and history merges.'


Irish and international artists from the worlds of music, drama, cinema and dance took part in  ‘Electric Burma’, a three hour show organised by Amnesty International.  


An audience of 2,000 saw Riverdance open the show followed by Donal Lunny leading a chant of Aung San Su Kyi's name. Music came from Damien Rice and Angelique Kidjo while actor Vanessa Redgrave read Seamus Heaney's  'The Republic of Conscience'.  Human right activists such as Wu’er Kaixi, the exiled leader of the Tiananmen Square protest,  reminded the audience of political prisoners across the world who remain behind bars. The set featured a wall of opened birdcages, referencing the lyrics to Walk On and Aung San Suu Kyi's  release from house arrest.





Read Bono's speech and Aung San Suu Kyi's response in full here.


Watch Bono's interview with RTE News. 


From A Conspiracy of Hope in 1986 to a clandestine film trip to Burma in 2011, our  slideshow charts U2's long collaboration with Amnesty International and with Aung San Suu Kyi.



http://www.u2.com

Monday, June 18, 2012

Bono Welcomes Aung San Suu Kyi in Norway




She wore red roses in her hair, he donned his huge orange sunglasses - Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday met one of her biggest fans, U2 frontman and activist rock star Bono. 
'I'm star-struck,' admitted the Irish singer, who has long supported her freedom struggle and dedicated the song Walk On to her, when they met at a peace forum in Oslo, Ms Suu Kyi's latest stop on a five-nation Europe tour. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ms Suu Kyi has herself received superstar treatment and been cheered by crowds of many thousands as she visited Norway on her first Europe trip in a quarter-century after years of house arrest. Long isolated, threatened and vilified by one of the world's must repressive dictatorships, she has recently rejoined mainstream politics in a changing country, while many of her party members have been freed from prison.


Both of them participated in The Oslo Forum  which gathered around 100 peace brokers and key players in peace processes around the world. Bono himself was there to speak about the peace process and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, before escorting Suu Kyi to Dublin Monday afternoon for a major concert sponsored by Amnesty International in Dublin Monday night. Bono told reporters he hoped he wouldn’t be too nervous to sing, with Suu Kyi in the audience.


Click here to watch the Forum where Aung San Suu Kyi   and Bono participated.


Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stรธre (left) welcoming Bono to the hotel and conference center Losby Gods in Oslo on Monday. PHOTO: Kjetil Elsebutangen/Utenriksdepartemente
Ahead of her visit, Bono met up with Nobel Prize-winning poet Heaney, who was taking part in a reading as part of the "Dalkey book festival" founded by Sian Smyth and David McWilliams. Thousands of supporters are expected to turn out to honour Ms Suu Kyi today when she will be presented with Amnesty International’s prestigious Ambassador of Conscience award.


Bono con Seamus y Sian Smyth en Dalkey Junio 2012
Bono with poet Seamus Heaney &  Sian Smyth
http://www.straitstimes.com/http://www.newsinenglish.no/http://www.thesun.co.uk

Friday, June 15, 2012

Bono gives Irish Voice an exclusive interview for 25th anniversary special


The Irish Voice celebrates its 25th anniversary this month and senior editor Debbie McGoldrick interviewed Ireland’s most famous citizen for the occasion.
Bono, the Irish rock star and activist, speaks at the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security following an appearance by President Barack Obama, Friday, May 18, 2012, at the Ronald Reagan Bu
Bono, the Irish rock star and activist, speaks at the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security following an appearance by President Barack Obama, Friday, May 18, 2012, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.


How to describe Bono? Let us count the many ways.


A rock star with his three best mates in U2, the world’s most successful and popular band.  A writer of unforgettable lyrics.  A showman who commands a stage as large as a football field, but still manages to closely connect with the tens of thousands of adoring fans in the audience.

A devoted husband and father.  A globe-trotting, deeply committed humanitarian. A Broadway star. An intensely proud Irishman who’s ready, willing and able to fly the flag for his country.

It’s easy to think that Bono (52) has already conquered the world, and yet in so many respects he seems to only be getting started.

“Never take anything for granted,” the U2 front man told the Irish Voice during a recent, wide-ranging interview in New York.

It’s the first time that Bono has been interviewed in the pages of the Irish Voice.  He’s a fan of the paper – “of course!” he says – and was happy to chat about anything and everything to mark our 25th anniversary.

“I’m really honored to be a part of this important voice, the Irish Voice, in this city, and I’m really glad I’m in New York celebrating that and doing the interview with you,” Bono said.

He’s the real deal, Bono.  Warm, personable and thoughtful with his words, he’s lived a big life that he never dared to imagine while growing up as Paul Hewson in fairly ordinary circumstances in Dublin, the second son of a Catholic father and Protestant mother.

Though he’s one of the world’s most recognizable stars, with a countless number of fans and millions in the bank, thanks to U2’s success and his other financial interests, Bono’s not one for a celebrity existence drenched in gross excess.

You won’t see him stumbling out of nightclubs in the middle of the night and fighting with waiting paparazzi.  And no one would think to question his utter devotion to his wife of nearly 30 years, Ali, and their four children.


Bono has skillfully used his fame, and all the attention that comes with it, to his advantage – or, more precisely, to promote his deeply held passion, advocating on behalf of the millions of Africans who are poor, sick and starving, trapped in a rich world that doesn’t seem to notice.

You’re a photographer looking for a shot of Bono? No problem – you’ll catch him at any number of events hosted by the advocacy groups he’s involved with, such as Product RED and ONE.

You want to talk to Bono about debt reduction for the African continent, or the ongoing AIDS crisis there and how citizens of the world can make a real difference?  He wouldn’t be hard to nab on his way to some prominent politician’s office somewhere in the world, where he’ll spend time painstakingly outlining the steps that governments must take to eliminate poverty and disease.


Bono is the first to admit that nothing would be possible without his band mates – guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen. 


To many Bono is the “leader” of U2 – not surprising, given his high profile – but when it comes time to make music he’s just one of four guys who still strive to climb to the next level, and are still determined to be not just good, but great.

During our interview Bono talked about many different things.  But it’s appropriate to start with what U2 fans across the planet love him for most – the music.

What does Bono think when he looks back at himself back in the eighties?  U2 could do no wrong, making classic albums like War and The Joshua Tree, and churning out hit after hit like “With Or Without You,” “Pride (In the Name of Love),” “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”


Still, Bono has a slight beef.


“Well, as I was explaining on The Late Late Show (Bono was a guest on the Irish chat show on June 1 to mark its 50th anniversary), I have an erase button on the mullet hairdo,” he laughs.

“Many lay claim to the mullet. I’m trying to think of the guy who invented it.”

Though Bono may cringe at his old hairdo, everything else about U2’s rise can be looked back upon with pride.  They’ve come a long way from four guys messing around with guitars and cover songs after school to one of the most important and influential bands in the world.

“Megalomania started at a very early age,” Bono jokes. “But really, we had no reason for confidence because we were a fairly shambolic garage band, but we had a certain sound even when we were out of tune.

“And I think that gave us the sort of courage to pour our lives into it. It’s been amazing. It’s been a hell of a ride.”

U2 came together as teens back in 1978 while attending Mount Temple Comprehensive school in Dublin.  Bono’s wife Ali, the former Alison Stewart, was also a student at the time; they began dating the same month as U2 formed.

Bands come and bands go; they fight and break up, and often they never make up.  But U2 is different.

The relationships between the four members can naturally be testy at times, especially when they’re creating new music, but at its core U2 is glued together by an abiding respect and admiration.  Simply put, Bono loves these guys, and clearly the feeling is mutual.

How have they managed to stay together longer than many marriages?

“Well, I don’t know who said it, maybe it was Neil Young, but to really, really know someone you need to know their memory,” Bono said.

“It helps if you know their memory, that’s for sure, and if you know the things that bond them.  These are very deep relationships because we don’t just know where each other has come from, but we’ve also seen each other take shape and form.”

They’ve had their moments, Bono admits, “but in general people return to their basic values, and we share a lot of basic values.”

U2 has an incredible catalog of work that was built to last. Generations from now won’t remember a flash in the pan like Miley Cyrus, but U2, like the Beatles and Rolling Stones now, has surely earned its historical place.

Bono, though, isn’t completely sure of that.

“Well, you never know,” he says.  “You hope that might be true, that if you can be really relevant in the moment, in the time that you’re in, that perhaps it give you a type of quality. But I don’t know because you can’t tell."

“I mean, there have been surprises over the years.  In the 1970s, the music that people thought would be timeless for the period, a lot of it sounds like rubbish now. And the kind of music that we thought would be shallow and uninteresting and a bit bland has turned out to be incredible.


“Look at Abba. That’s like folk music now. I love Abba. And I like disco music. I like all that stuff. Some of my friends look at me like I’m from outer space when I try to explain to them the genius of the Bee Gees.”

When asked about the current state of pop music, Bono feels there’s a place for everyone.

“I think that the world needs all music, and if you’ve got a great song on the radio your day is just better for it,” he says. “We need pop music. It’s a big thing in the world.

“Rock radio plays us, and every so often we’re on pop radio. We love to be on pop radio. Because, you know, when you’re walking down the street or getting out of a taxi and you hear songs coming out of a boutique or whatever, you can just feel the pulse of a city.

“I remember when Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing’ was everywhere in New York, coming out of every possible place. It was the pulse of Manhattan. There are moments when that happens, and those are great moments.”

U2 is hardly through with making more of their own moments.  Bono talks excitedly about recent studio work and a fruitful collaboration with Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, half of the former duo Gnarls Barkley with Cee-Lo Green.

“You know, there might be life in the old dog yet!” Bono says.

“We’ve hit a vein. We’re working with this special soul, Brian Burton. He listens in a very different way.”The sound, Bono says, is hardly old school U2.

“There are things that have always been in our music but maybe not being accentuated. It’s really very, very different. It’s shocking how different it is.”Edge, Bono says, is on fire. “He’s unbelievable when he works.  I feel very sorry for his family,” Bono laughs. Larry and Adam are also pumped.

“There’s a bass line coming up that you literally cannot believe. It’s just unbelievable. So yeah, it’s exciting.”But Bono isn’t putting a timeline on when the music will be finished, or even if it will see the light of day.  If the band isn’t completely thrilled with the end result it will go nowhere.

“We can still spoil it, and you know, I could be wrong,” Bono says. “And if so then people will not hear from us because there would be no reason for us to be around.

“There’s no sense of entitlement with these men. They are absolutely, you know, as honest right now as they were when making our first album, Boy.

“They don’t expect there to be an audience for us every time we go and put an album out. We have to dig down very deep.”

THERE’S the music, and then there’s Bono the activist and humanitarian. His advocacy work is hardly a hobby or a break from the day job. Highlighting the dreadfulness of life in Africa for so many is very much his life’s passion. His African awakening has unfolded in many parts.  There’s Bono the hands-on activist, visiting camps and orphanages and schools to see first hand what’s unfolding on the ground.

Then there’s Bono the political lobbyist, meeting leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations and urging them to do the right thing, to look at the African nightmare – poverty, AIDS, war -- not as something happening on another remote continent, but as a human atrocity that should never be allowed to occur in a world as wealthy as the one we live in. U2 has given Bono a platform to inform and educate millions of people who would otherwise never comprehend the ongoing African tragedy. 

“I’m sure it’s insufferable to have me on my soapbox so I try not to take it out unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Bono said.

“It can be a bit of a bull’s wreck for a rock and roll singer.  A rock and roll singer is about taking people to the other side, it’s about getting them to the next level, it’s about transporting them.  It’s about all that stuff. “

And so, U2 has been at times weighted down by a lot of moral baggage – and those are my words – and I feel the band has been very patient with me about it. But the truth of it is that they share those same convictions.“You know, the first rule of a rock and roll band is not to be dull. And I think U2 is interesting. It’s certainly the most interesting band on the planet because there are so many dimensions to it. 

“It’s interested in politics, matched by an interest in theology, and matched by an interest in commerce, matched by an interest in the things that change the world.

“It’s about the zeitgeist. And I hope that makes it fun for our fans. Some people look at me like, ‘What, you’re a singer in a band and you’re interested in technology? What’s that about?’“Or, ‘You’re a singer in a band and you have the time to lobby lawmakers in capital cities? What’s that about?“But that’s who I am. And that’s kind of who we are as a band.”

Bono’s activism – and that of many others, he’s quick to point out – is making a difference.  But there’s a long way to go.“I look back . . . it’s years since the debt cancellation movement, Jubilee 2000. There are over 46 million children going to school who otherwise wouldn’t be,” he says.

“It’s been us, and working with others in a movement that we were a part of that brought that home. We were very educated by that experience and uplifted by it.  Fighting for access to antiretroviral pills for people with AIDS who couldn’t afford it.  That’s amazing. “And it’s all, by the way, part of who we are as a band.  And I hope it adds to the music, and not takes away from it.

“We’re still a rock and roll band. We still want to make a lot of noise. We’re still a bunch of messers. There’s a lot of mischief in the band.”PRESIDENT Obama has impressed Bono. They’ve met on several occasions – U2 played at the ceremonies leading up to Obama’s inauguration in 2008 – but Bono doesn’t endorse political candidates per se.  If they’ve got solid track records when it comes to African debt relief, and if they’re committed to spending money for things like AIDS prevention and poverty elimination, then Bono is on board no matter the political affiliation. 

He worked well with President George W. Bush and counts a number of U.S. Democratic and Republican politicians as allies.President Obama has made a commitment to lift Africans out of poverty, Bono said.  “And it’s interesting that his approach is in partnerships.

Lots of countries in Africa have ideas on how to get their agriculture more efficient, how to help farmers, so he has a very interesting angle on that.

'Grace And Courage...'


In Dublin on Monday Amnesty International’s prestigious ‘Ambassador of Conscience’ Award will be made to Aung San Suu Kyi. 

The presentation, at 'Electric Burma',  will be made by Bono - it was originally announced from the stage when U2 when played at Croke Park in July 2009.

'It's so rare to see grace trump military might and when it happens we should make the most joyful noise we can. ' says Bono. 'Aung San Suu Kyi’s grace and courage has tilted a wobbly world further in the direction of democracy. We all feel we know her, but it will be such a thrill to meet her in person. How honoured we are that she should consider Ireland for her first real trip from home.'

From A Conspiracy of Hope in 1986 to a clandestine film trip to Burma in 2011, the U2.com slideshow charts U2's long collaboration with Amnesty International and with Aung San Suu Kyi.

Around the World in 760 Days


U2: 360° - Um die Welt in 760 Tagen


 GQ`s editor , Dylan Jones, has written  the texts of the   photography (Taken by  Ralph Larmann)  book  of  U2 360 Tour, published by Random House .It will be released in September and it is already advertised by Amazon. For the time being, the book can only be purchased in German (U2: 360° - Um die Welt in 760 Tagen).
some of the photos taken by Larman can be seen in his website: Ralph Larmann Company 

The book includes interviews with  U2, Paul McGuinness, Willie Williams and  Mark Fisher.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Edge´s Mother Passed Away


Gwenda and Garvin Evans  with The Edge


Gwenda Evans  passed away in Dublin on Monday evening after a short illness.
The Edge was said to have been especially close to his artist mother. Bono described her as a key supporter of the band in their early days.
The mother of three, who was in her late seventies, lived in Malahide with her husband Garvin since the 1960s.
Speaking in 2008, proud Gwenda admitted her guitarist son always had an ear for music — because it ran in the family.
She said: “Both my husband and I are very musical, in that we both sing in the local choir.
“Music was always part of our lives. I used to sing to the children, so he had a good ear for music at a very young age.”
And she recalled how she was her son’s first ever roadie when U2 started out, saying: “I was his first roadie! I had an old Beetle and we’d be able to get the equipment in it.”

Our condolecence to the Evans family.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Adam Clayton 'had 2.8m euro stolen by his trusted PA '


Clayton (right) and U2 manager Paul McGuinness leave Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The court was told that Adam Clayton will be called to make a witness statement

Adam Clayton's former personal assistant is on trial for embezzling 2.8 million euro of his personal funds, a Dublin court heard today.
Carol Hawkins worked for Clayton for 16 years starting as a housekeeper and earning his trust before being promoted to the role, earning up to 48,000 euro a year and living rent free at his home.
She is on trial for 181 counts of stealing cheques from the bass player between 2004 and 2008.
Hawkins was initially employed as a housekeeper at the bassist’s Georgian mansion - Danesmoate - in Rathfarnham, South Dublin, but quickly gained his trust and was promoted over the years to the role of personal assistant.
Prosecution barrister, senior counsel Colm O’Briain, told the jury of seven men and five women  at The Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin that Clayton appointed Ms Hawkins as signatory to a number of his bank accounts.
It was from two particular accounts - known as the Fitzwilliam account and the Danesmoate account - that she is accused of withdrawing a total 2.8 million euro (2.25 million pounds) over four years.
Clayton, dressed in a dark jacket and white shirt, sat intently at the back of the court as the prosecution opened its case
.U2 bassist Adam Clayton is pictures leaving court today as his former PA stands on trial
Mr O’Briain said Ms Hawkins and her then husband John Hawkins, who had also been employed by Clayton as a driver, lived at the musician’s Danesmoate home - where U2 recorded their album The Joshua Tree.




Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Nancy Pelosi Honored By Bono, Richard Gere For HIV/AIDS Work

Nancy Pelosi Bono Hiv Aids
Bono, Richard Gere and Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.) honored Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday for her efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and poverty.

WASHINGTON -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was honored Tuesday by U2 lead singer Bono and actor Richard Gere, among others, at a private event in New York City for her work in fighting poverty and HIV/AIDS over the years.
Bono, a co-founder of the ONE Campaign, a grassroots organization combating world poverty, called Pelosi "indispensable" in the fight on both fronts.
"No one has fought harder than Nancy Pelosi since the day she came into office 25 years ago," Bono said in a statement provided by Pelosi's office. "Millions of people all over the world owe their lives to Nancy and the bipartisan coalition that fought to contain the AIDS epidemic, not just here in America, but in the poorest parts of this planet. She has reached across the aisle in this fight and worked with presidents from left and right, and her leadership has been indispensable."
Pelosi returned the praise for Bono, whom she called "an idealist who inspires, leads and acts to get the job done. We all appreciate Bono's ongoing leadership and will continue to work with him to meet our global humanitarian challenges."
During her time as House speaker, Pelosi worked with President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama to double U.S. funding for global health from $4 billion to $8 billion a year, according to Pelosi's office.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

U2 at The Queen`s Diamond Jubilee

What's happening, when?

Last night a multi spectacular group of artists were on stage to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee at The Diamond Jubilee Concert. Among others, Paul Mc Cartney, Elton John, Robbie Williams, Will-I-am,  Kylie Minogue, Tom Jones, Jessie J were present to sing for the Queen.
U2 was present indirectly as the BBC orchestra played “Beautufl Day” while images of the  Queen`s 60 years` reign were projected over the wall of the Buckingham Palace .
Two weeks ago, Bono participarted in a homage to the Queen en the London Royal Academy reception.

Here`s a clip of the opening of the concert by  Robbie Williams:





Monday, June 4, 2012

(RED) RUSH TO ZERO Campaign

Bono - (RED) And Beats By Dr. Dre Kick Off (RED) RUSH TO ZERO Campaign
Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for (RED)

Bono  and Alison Hewson attended (RED) RUSH TO ZERO Campaign at Beats By Dr. Dre Store on June 2, 2012 in New York City.
(RED) has launched the (RED) RUSH TO ZERO Campaign (from June 1st to June10th) with the aim of reaching AIDS zero  in just born babies by 2015. The mission is to get 1.4 million pregnant women on HIV + medication (a medication that costs 40 cents a day).What can we do? The Campaign presents 10 different ways to help : from buying iconic (RED) brands to gettting tickets to  concerts by Coldplay, The Killers ,Leonard Cohen, and many more artists.Check  (RED) RUSH TO ZERO  website for more!!!

And you can always JOIN (RED) to help!!!

http://www.redrush.com/ http://www.zimbio.com

Saturday, June 2, 2012

BONO: U2'S 'BEST 3 WEEKS IN THE STUDIO SINCE 1979'




Bono  appeared on RTE TV tonight in Ireland during the 50th anniversary special for The Late Late Show, and talked  about U2's album progress.


"Looking for the perfect pop song. Edge is in denial of his genius. I'm a little too sure of my own. Larry is suspicious of both and Adam sees merit in both. They're unbelievable. They really want it, though, I will say that. As a band there's no sense of entitlement. I think they're very aware that U2's gotta do something very special to have a reason to exist right now, so that's what we're doing. We're song writing -- you know the process. But it's -- they're amazing men. They really are extraordinary. They really, really want it."

"There won't be a U2 album unless there's something really special. You just gotta go to that place. You gotta dig a deep well and see what you can pull up. We've been through many songs and there's some great stuff. I would say we had the best three weeks in the studio that we've had since, like, 1979. Three weeks is all it should take...."

Later in the interview, he says he knows U2 has a great song "because the band will stop arguing."



You can watch the show online via RTE.

http://www.atu2.com//http://www.rte.ie