Steve and Sherry Lawrence (of our @U2 staff) aren’t the only @U2ers who’ve tied the knot.
Turns out that two members of our Forum, spanner1971 and niku2, got married a year ago. Spanner says “things couldn’t be more perfect!” And we say, Congrats to you both!
The ABC Network has a new television program for the summer months called “The Next Best Thing” where the goal is to be the best celebrity/personality impersonator.
In last night’s episode, Pavel Sfera got through to the next round as he was able to impress 2 of the 3 judges with his Bono impersonation. If he sounds familiar, he’s the one who had the city of Boston all aflutter with people believing Bono was in town, as well as representing yer man at Universal Studios in California.
Based on the Celine Dion and Little Richard impersonators, Pavel has quite an uphill road in winning the competition. We’ll keep you posted on if the imitation Bono is even better than the real thing =)
Distracted Bono and Bored Edge with Domenico Dolce, Naomi Campbell and Stefano Gabbana in Cannes last week. (Photo via style.com). What do you think is going through The Edge’s mind in this photo? Is he guess-timating the total number of ice cubes in that bucket?
— This post brought to you by Scatter O’ Light.
This just in from The Guardian Online
Bono tortures Britney Spears with a voodoo potato
Allegedly. And we are the ones who allege.
Paul MacInnes
Monday May 21, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Sometimes it’s difficult not to be a conspiracy theorist. Certainly when it comes to two events that took place over this past weekend - one in Cannes, the other in some franchise nightclub in Orlando, Florida - it’s hard not to see the links, the connections, the eerie coincidences.
Firstly, in Cannes, Bono passed somebody a potato. Why? The incident is so spooky it immediately caught the attention of the best-connected Goth in showbiz, Vicky Newton, who printed a photograph of the incident in order to pad out space, sorry, bring it to her readers’ attention.
Speculation as to the reason behind the spud shifting is rife. Some believe it is one of the legendary King Edwards of County Kildare, believed to bring immortality to anyone who turns them into a gratin with some courgettes. Others believe that Bono has, in fact, convinced himself that the controversial kartoffel is in fact his own child and that he decided it was time said child was fed.
Others still, and this column falls into that category, believe that it is nothing more than a solanum tuberosum of voodoo. For at precisely the same time as Bono was passing the potato, bar a couple of days or so, Britney Spears was having her miming lies exposed by a particularly malevolent CD.
With apologies to fake Steve Jobs …
We present fake Adam Clayton’s blog from Cannes:
The Edge was worried we wouldn’t have enough gear set up at the top of the Palais steps for our big Cannes U23D pre-show performance. I told him it was just two songs, we wouldn’t need the whole space station plugged in. He wasn’t sure. I told him he was a genius and not to worry, it would be fine. Secretly, I added an extra guitar track on one of his effects. It popped up when we started playing Vertigo and sounded all wacky. It was okay, I knew Edge could handle it.
Larry was upset that we ran out of hair gel. We only brought two bottles, and apparently Larry needs three. There was a stray hair he thought might pop out over one of his ears. I told him he looked great and it would be fine. Secretly, I’m glad my silver fox head of hair is natural and I don’t need product.
Bono was worried he looked “not thin.” He thought the people on the Internet might notice and make fun of him. I told Bono that was silly. People aren’t that judgmental and shallow. Especially not U2 fans and especially not on the Internet! Secretly, I hope Bono has never read the Internet.
I wore a horizontal striped T-shirt to distract the viewers from Bono. Edge didn’t want to wear a T-shirt. Larry and Bono said he had to, because “It’s rock ‘n’ roll.” But Edge is a Doctor now, so he decided to go go with a button down. I let them squabble. Secretly, I am secure in knowing that I look naturally stylish no matter what I wear.
Bono asked if there would be hot chicks near the top of the Palais steps in case he needed to kiss someone during a song. Edge said no, it would just be us and Sam and Dallas. I suggested maybe Bono could kiss a lady photographer if he got desperate. He did. Secretly, I’m glad I don’t need constant female attention to feel secure in my awesomeness.
Anyway, it went well. Bono didn’t fall down the stairs. Everyone loves the movie. Plus, there’s tea.
Click here to view U2’s performance of Vertigo and Where the Streets Have No name live from Cannes.
— This post brought to you by Scatter O’ Light.
My father clued me in to a special on the Documentary Channel tonight called “In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story,” and I’m so glad he did. (It’s from 1999, so some of you may have seen this already. But it was new to me.) Bono puts in a couple of appearances; his longest segment describes meeting Roy Orbison and how “She’s a Mystery to Me” came to be. If you don’t have the channel, you can see Bono’s segment on YouTube, which is actually a little longer than the one in the documentary:
But if you have access to the Documentary Channel and have even the slightest interest in Roy Orbison, I highly recommend watching the entire special. (It’s on again at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday.) I watched it because of Bono, but in the process, I gained a new respect for Roy Orbison and his amazing talent. That seems to be how U2 works for me. I watch and listen because I love our boys, but through that I’m introduced to something wonderful that I hadn’t given much consideration to before. And as a fan of such a demonstrative performer as Bono, it’s interesting to see the contrast in Orbison’s beautifully understated performances: the yin and yang of rock and roll.
Bono, photographed on Tuesday in Berlin. Used with permission of macphisto.net.
We’re attempting to go with a “Best Of the Week” theme, so please feel free to reply with what we’ve missed. If you are wondering why a weekly recap would come in the middle of the week, then you clearly have never done a pie chart statistical analysis of U2 band member sightings. Friday night through Tuesday afternoon. Prime viewing opportunities. (Just saying .)
Bono cliche alert of the week came during the CNN video interview that we linked to on the home page on Tuesday. It is a video podcast with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Near the end, Bono refers to his above outfit as “the enemy’s clothes.” Is that a new one? I think so. Bono also brings back the time-worn “I am Bono and I’m sick of Bono” utterance. Aaah, we’ve missed that one. (Bono was in Germany on serious business, to deliver the DATA report, which you can read in full on the DATA website.)
Best Bono political photo-op of the week has to be this photo of Bono and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso for the sole reason that the EU flags on the podiums will give you flashbacks to Zooropa.
Best hat of the week award clearly goes to Dr. The Edge for this sweet number he donned at Berklee College of Music last Saturday. Ditch the beanie! Edge probably also needs to win best heavy metal reference for quoting AC/DC in his graduation address at Berklee. AC/DC? Is it possible that Edge has been practicing his power chords in the studio this month? Or is he just a big tease? The talking in circles award also goes to Dr. Edge for telling the Boston Herald “We’re still working on material for the new album so it’s impossible to say what will happen when.”
Speaking of the studio, did you catch this drummer and bass player sighting?
- This post brought to you by Scatter O’ Light.
That’s what Richard Stearns, President of World Vision, calls Bono in an interview posted today on Guy Kawasaki’s blog:
Given the number of celebrities in our world it is actually shocking that so few of them are using their celebrity to make a difference. Bono is amazing. He has perhaps done more for the poor than anyone in the last century. I call him “Martin Luther Bono” because he has really been the leader of our movement.
(Thx to Beth for the tip.)
