With the busy holiday season afoot, there are a few news items that might have flown under the radar screen…

1) If you’ve been following the news about Elevation Partners, then this New York Post article is right up your alley. It gives a head’s up that Conde Nast Portfolio’s January issue features an interview with Bono, as well as gives some insight about Bono’s thoughts on hair length and the boardroom.

2) If you enjoy the work of Edun’s designer Rogan Gregory, then you’ll be happy to know that he’s finalized a deal to design for Target stores.

and finally,

3) @U2’s fearless leader, M2 has been still locking himself in his tres chic office (approx. 15 square feet) to put the finishing touches on U2 Diary, but that hasn’t stopped him from talking with U2Spain about the project. Check out the interview here.

Recommended listen: Podcast with U2 manager Paul McGuinness discussing the Joshua Tree reissue and lots of other things on Phantom radio (Dublin).

One of the more interesting aspects of that conversation is when they discuss Rattle and Hum and the “in your face” marketing of it that turned some people off. McGuinness points out that the movie may have been appreciated more if an audience had been allowed to find it, rather than have it mass-marketed to them.

I think that’s a romantic notion about music, too, and one that U2 did not follow at all with the last album, but is sort of following with the (in comparison) low-key Joshua Tree reissue marketing.

I realize that the marketing plans for a new album and a reissue are on two very different levels. And that being “in your face” is sort of what Bono specializes in. Still, I’ll be interested to see how they market the next album. (The molten one.)

First they’ve got that little movie to promote …

—This post brought to you by Scatter O’ Light.

… watching Rattle and Hum with your about-to-be-10-year-old for the first time.

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In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 is an album that was sparked by the humanitarian efforts of producer Shawn Amos during his time in South Africa.

Released next spring, a portion of the album’s proceeds will benefit The Global Fund. The track listing is as follows:

1. Angelique Kidjo “Mysterious Ways”
2. Vieux Farka Touré “Bullet The Blue Sky”
3. Ba Cissoko “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
4. Vusi Mahlasela “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”
5. Tony Allen “Where The Streets Have No Name”
6. Cheikh Lô “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
7. Keziah Jones “One”
8. Les Nubians “With Or Without You”
9. Soweto Gospel Choir “Pride (In The Name Of Love)”
10. Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars “Seconds”
11. African Underground All-Stars Featuring Chosan, Optimus & Iyoka “Desire”
12. Waldemar Bastos “Love Is Blindness”

To learn more, read this press release (thx to U2ropa for the tip).