Superherohype.com reports that director Julie Taymor is now seeking actors for the upcoming Spider-man musical, set to begin rehearsing in New York this July.

What does this have to do with U2? Well, the credits list “Bono and The Edge of U2″ as the folks responsible for Music and Lyrics.

I’m beyond excited about this possibility because:

A) Spider Man is my favorite superhero.
B) It would be cool if members of U2 could add a ‘Tony’ to their list of awards.
C) I would love to hear how their music is received by a theater crowd.
D) Perhaps this will mean another Larry Mullen Jr./Adam Clayton collaboration.

In a recent interview with Robin Williams in Dublin’s The Event Guide, interviewer Paul Byrne took the opportunity to ask Williams about Bono and The Edge toward the end of the interview:

Our time is nearly up, so I ask Williams if he’s aware that there are those in the U2 camp who have taken to calling Bono Mrs. Doubtfire, given his ever-growing resemblance to a certain jet-setting movie superstar. “My stunt double!” he laughs, before launching into the chorus of ‘In The Name of Love’. “Whenever I see him, I go, ‘Hello, son’. And The Edge. It used to be just Edge, now it’s The Edge. If he ever gets knighted, it’ll be Sir Edge. ‘I knight you, Sir Edge’.”

When we last spoke, Williams hadn’t quite gotten around to exploring U2 country all that much, having just managed a trip to Knock and a quick gander around Galway. “Yeah, it was weird. I was with a friend, and someone told her about the Galway Races. And she said, ‘The Galway Racist?!’. ‘No, the Galway Races’. ‘Oh, okay, that’ll be fine’. I’d love to get back, I had a lovely time. When I was in Dublin, I saw the Book of Kells. It’s a great, great place. I’ve got to come back and ride my bike there, because I’ve heard it’s a great place for bike riding.” And it would be the perfect opportunity to put that U2 tribute band together. “Oh, that would be great. Bonopalooza.”

The Edge

Originally uploaded by atu2.

The PR people pushing HBO’s upcoming “Off the Record” premiere were kind enough to share with us a half-dozen photos related to the show, including this one of Edge that I would call “dreamy” if I were a girl.

Other shots include Bono and Edge during the interview, plus Bono, Edge, and Dave Stewart in a studio portrait.

You’ll find all six in @U2’s Flickr Group.

Congratulations to The Edge, producer Bob Ezrin and Gibson Guitar CEO Henry Juszkiewicz for receiving Billboard’s 2006 Humanitarian Award at its upcoming Third Annual Billboard Touring Conference and Awards. Billboard.com quotes the three founders of Music Rising:

“We are so thankful to Billboard for this recognition,” says Ezrin, “especially because it keeps the devastated musical culture of the Central Gulf in the minds of our peers. We need the help of the entire industry to restore that culture. This award shines a brilliant light on that need.”

Jusczkiewiz says when Music Rising was launched in November 2005 with the intention of helping as many musicians affected by the Hurricane disasters as possible. “We have helped close to 2,000 musicians regain their livelihood and the spirit of a region in our country rich in music heritage and tradition,” he says.

Adds the Edge, “We are just trying to help out our brother musicians from the Gulf Coast, and while getting this award is a great honor and a wonderful thing, we feel like there is still so much to do before New Orleans and the whole area are back to full strength. Here’s to seeing that day.”

The full story can be found here.

Saw this in a Sojourner’s April Fool’s e-mail, so remember, this is SATIRE. Still, I love to see U2 references in unexpected places.

The Edge launches solo activist career

DUBLIN - Anti-poverty activists were stunned today when U2’s lead guitarist, The Edge, announced that he will be flying solo in activist efforts from this point forward.

“Today, I am happy to announce the launch of Campaign Deuce, or The Deuce for short,” said The Edge at a noontime press conference. “The Deuce will call for the United States to give an additional 2% of their budget to eradicating poverty and its root causes. I mean, nothing against the Bono and ‘Brangelina,’ but a mere 1% reeks of 1990s incrementalism.”

The reference to “1% for poverty” is a not-so-subtle shot at the One Campaign, founded by bandmate Bono and several nonprofits, the goal of which is to increase the United States foreign aid budget by 1%. One of the prominent symbols of the One Campaign and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a white rubber bracelet worn by concerned anti-poverty activists.

However, one white band just doesn’t cut it for The Edge. “Activists need two white bands to make a real statement. At The Deuce’s website, you’ll find a permanent two-for-one special. In your face, One Campaign!”

Asked to comment on The Edge’s announcement, Bono tried to take the high ground, but couldn’t resist a few jabs. “The Edge has to do what’s best for The Edge,” said Bono. “I just hope Yoko Ono didn’t have anything to do with this.”

Speculation continues that Will Farrell and Ben Stiller have plans to launch an even bigger anti-poverty campaign in the fall. “We’ve been beta testing some brands with a couple focus groups,” said Stiller. “I won’t tell you what it’s going to be called, but don’t be surprised if you hear about ‘Campaign Ocho’ sometime soon.”

Farrell added a wink, then seven more.

As I was sorting through some of my files, I stumbled upon this from a while ago. The MIT Wolk Gallery of the School of Architecture and Planning held an exhibit in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab and the Smart Cities Group called “Rethinking the Car.” What caught my eye in the brochure where there was a car drawn on a cocktail napkin and signed “Edge.”

Come to find out, MIT Professor William Mitchell had involved Edge in some of the concepts of the exhibit. Professor Mitchell said, “We had some early brainstorming sessions on the project in which a variety of people participated, including The Edge. To show something of the process, we included a few of the early napkin sketches.”

I’d have Edge on my Pictionary team anytime!

Some might remember that both Edge and Bono have been involved with the MIT Media Lab in the past, serving on the Board of Directors for the now disbanded Media Lab Europe.