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.

Thanks to Babette who pointed this out to me on youtube. Great twist at the end!

Many in Boston were duped over the past few days as a Bono lookalike took on the city. It went so far that even Gayle Fee at the Boston Herald was reporting in her “Inside Track” gossip column all of the Bono-sightings through the city.

Trouble is, it wasn’t him.

Today’s Boston Globe reveals that it’s an imposter roaming the streets of Boston. You might recognize the lookalike as it’s the same one who was featured on NBC’s The Today Show and blogged about here a few months ago.

The Bono in Beantown news even reached the major television news stations as WHDH Channel 7 (the local NBC affiliate) reported Fee’s story almost verbatim while WFXT Channel 25 (the local FOX affiliate) corrected their story at the end of their news broadcast saying that they received a phone call from someone stating that it wasn’t really Bono.

The fact that this story has overtaken the Boston media isn’t surprising. Next to Ben Afleck, Matt Damon, and any member of the Kennedy clan, Bono’s an adopted son of Boston; so anything he does in the city is news…and in this case, anything anyone who looks like him does is news too.

Great. Bono’s name is mentioned, so now I have to admit to the world, or at least the world of @U2 readers, that I watch “American Idol.” (It’s a guilty pleasure; I can’t help it!)

On Thursday’s episode, host Ryan Seacrest announced the show’s “Idol Gives Back” charity event April 24-25. According to the show’s Web site:

“Fox, American Idol and the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF is a charitable U.S. organization) have partnered on an historic television event – Idol Gives Back – a two-night special to help raise awareness and funds for children and young people in need in America and Africa.”

The first night of the special will be the top six finalists competing, with the show’s sponsors making donations for every vote viewers cast. The second night, when results are announced, will also feature celebrities and give viewers a chance to donate by vote or Internet.

Seacrest said on Thursday’s show, “Bono has said we’ll see worlds collide when Africa appears on America’s most-watched television show. He’s also called it ‘pop history.’”

Seacrest wasn’t clear about what Bono’s role would be, but Reuters reported that he is expected to sing, along with Gwen Stefani and Pink, among other stars. Reuters also quotes Bono as saying, “I wouldn’t underestimate the reach of (’Idol’) or the impact its audience can have.”

Among the charities listed on Idol’s Web site as beneficiaries are Save the Children, The Global Fund and UNICEF. The One Campaign has a link under a heading to “Learn more.”

Even though I’m an Idol watcher, I’m not sure how I feel about my favorite singer making an appearance on the show. But hey, anything for the cause, right? (Yes, I know: It’s not a cause; it’s an emergency.)

For those of you keeping track, VH1 has started airing a revised version of the “Window in the Skies” video. As director Gary Koepke pointed out in his interview in the Washington Post, Beatles footage clearance came too late for the first version of the video. The new version incorporates The Beatles footage midway in the video, just before Elvis’ 1968 comeback special footage. This now makes 3 different versions of the video.

Well, CBS’s Cold Case television program just concluded here on the East Coast and I have to admit - if a television show could take the *most literal* interpretation of a song lyric, then this program wins the award for it. Most of the songs used could be found on U218 Singles:
Beautiful Day
Window in the Skies
Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
Running to Stand Still
Bad
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
MLK
With or Without You

With the exception of the CBS promotional advertising for the show prior to the broadcast, U2 received no acknowledgement for the songs used in the program during the opening or closing credits, nor were there any commercials during the program to promote U218 or any other U2 item/product. If you’re wondering what the tie between the band and the show is - well, the consulting producer for the episode is Mark Pellington. Yup - the same person responsible for some of the creative work behind ZooTV and other U2-related endeavors.