Tim Adams speaks to Bono about the origins of the Make Poverty History campaign and persuading a reluctant Bush administration to provide over $50 billion in aid to Africa.
Vid courtesy of Guardian News and Media Limited
Brad Pitt helped Bono celebrate his 48th birthday in Monaco over the weekend.
The ‘Fight Club’ star joined the U2 frontman and his wife Ali Hewson for an intimate dinner party at Sass’ Café, where they enjoyed an elaborate meal washed down with red wine and champagne on Friday night.
Although Brad’s pregnant partner Angelina Jolie didn’t join them, Bono’s bandmate The Edge was there along with Monaco’s Prince Albert.
The cafe’s maitre de said: “It was really quite a surprise. It wasn’t organised in advance. We only got called on it that afternoon.”
The meal, which began at 10pm, was finished off with a strawberry cake lit with candles.
A staff member described the party as “tres speciale”.
Last week, Angelina – who is rumoured to be pregnant with twins – and Brad took their four children, Maddox, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh, to visit Bono’s home in Eze, France.
The superstar couple are currently in France to prepare for the birth of their rumoured twin daughters.
Brad and Angelina have forged a close bond with Bono and his family as they only live 15 minutes away.
- Tonight & Independent Online (Pty) Ltd.
By Peter Mikelbank, People Magazine,
Even by Monaco standards, it wasn't your ordinary dinner party for 12 on Friday night - though there was cake and champagne.
To celebrate his 48th birthday, U2 frontman Bono held a small dinner party at Sass' Café in Monaco. On the guest list: Brad Pitt, Monaco's Prince Albert II and The Edge.
"It was really quite a surprise," the café's maitre de tells PEOPLE. "It wasn't organized in advance. We only got called on it that afternoon."
Despite Pitt's presence, Angelina Jolie, who had visited Bono in Eze with her children last Sunday, remained at home.
The sit-down dinner, arranged by Bono's wife Ali Hewson, began with red wine at 10 p.m., according to staff, even before The Edge arrived for the evening. The meal was followed by a champagne toast and strawberry cake lit with candles; a staffer described the party as "tres speciale."
No word on what gifts Bono received - but what do you give a man who has his own rock band and has already been nominated for the Nobel Prize?
Copyright © 2008 Time Inc. All rights reserved.
Irish Independent,
After years of planning, wrangling and rowing, it finally looks like the landmark U2 tower is finally set to get off the ground. Plans for the Liffey highrise remain on course even though a formal agreement with the developers has still not been struck.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) said negotiations between it and the preferred bidders -- a consortium including U2 members -- "are due to be completed shortly."
The DDDA expects "construction of the tower to begin by the end of this year or early next year," a spokesman said.
Geranger Ltd. was chosen by the DDDA as the preferred bidder for the €200m project on Britain Quay in October, beating off competition from Sean Dunne's Mountbrook Homes.
Geranger, a consortium consisting of Ballymore Properties, developer Paddy McKillen and the members of U2, plans to build a skyscraper soaring 60m higher than the Spire.
ENERGY
The scheme contains a design for an egg-shaped recording studio suspended beneath a battery of vertical wind turbines and a huge solar panel at the top. This "energy centre" will raise the overall height from 130 metres to 180 metres.
The Geranger project, a tilted triangular tower designed by Foster & Partners, will include a public viewing platform offering panoramic views over the city and Dublin Bay.
This will be located just below U2's "pod" studio, which will be separated from the structure for acoustic reasons.
Norman Foster's practice is best known for the Swiss Re or "Gherkin" tower in the city of London.
DDDA director of architecture John McLaughlin said that the Foster scheme "had the edge because its public spaces were really well handled" and it provided a gateway to a bridge over the Dodder where it joins the Liffey.
In addition to the tower, which will largely comprise luxury apartments, the scheme includes a five-star hotel in a flanking building, and a block of 34 social and affordable apartments.
© 2008 Irish Independent.
Irish Independent,
After years of planning, wrangling and rowing, it finally looks like the landmark U2 tower is finally set to get off the ground. Plans for the Liffey highrise remain on course even though a formal agreement with the developers has still not been struck.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) said negotiations between it and the preferred bidders -- a consortium including U2 members -- "are due to be completed shortly."
The DDDA expects "construction of the tower to begin by the end of this year or early next year," a spokesman said.
Geranger Ltd. was chosen by the DDDA as the preferred bidder for the €200m project on Britain Quay in October, beating off competition from Sean Dunne's Mountbrook Homes.
Geranger, a consortium consisting of Ballymore Properties, developer Paddy McKillen and the members of U2, plans to build a skyscraper soaring 60m higher than the Spire.
ENERGY
The scheme contains a design for an egg-shaped recording studio suspended beneath a battery of vertical wind turbines and a huge solar panel at the top. This "energy centre" will raise the overall height from 130 metres to 180 metres.
The Geranger project, a tilted triangular tower designed by Foster & Partners, will include a public viewing platform offering panoramic views over the city and Dublin Bay.
This will be located just below U2's "pod" studio, which will be separated from the structure for acoustic reasons.
Norman Foster's practice is best known for the Swiss Re or "Gherkin" tower in the city of London.
DDDA director of architecture John McLaughlin said that the Foster scheme "had the edge because its public spaces were really well handled" and it provided a gateway to a bridge over the Dodder where it joins the Liffey.
In addition to the tower, which will largely comprise luxury apartments, the scheme includes a five-star hotel in a flanking building, and a block of 34 social and affordable apartments.
© 2008 Irish Independent.
Well, well, well, another year older!!
Happy Birthday, Bono.
Your tireless efforts in making a difference in Africa is inspiring. You haven’t hitched yourself to a cause, the cause has hitched itself to you. Lead the charge!
God bless you time & efforts.
All the best from your friends at U2Exit.com
The African Well Fund is accepting donations for its sixth annual Bono’s Birthday Well fundraiser, “Walk to the Water … Walk with Me,” through Saturday, May 10, Bono’s 48th birthday. Donations can be made at http://www.africanwellfund.org/Bono-Well-2008.html.
Donors to the Bono’s Birthday Well are invited to sign their names to an online birthday card that will be forwarded to Bono. Last year Bono sent a thank-you note to African Well Fund that can be viewed at the well homepage, http://www.africanwellfund.org/Bono-Well-2008.html. The well page also includes flyers, banners and avatars that can be uploaded or forwarded to spread the word on the fundraiser.
The first Bono’s Birthday Well fundraiser was held in 2003 with the intent of collecting $1,000 to build one well in Bono’s honor. That year, the African Well Fund collected more than $10,000. The second year, $15,000 was raised. More than $26,000 was collected for Bono’s Birthday Well in 2005. Over $32,000 was collected in 2006.
Last year saw the largest Bono’s Birthday Well total to date, with more than $34,000 collected. Those funds were used toward projects at several schools in Uganda implemented in partnership with Invisible Children and Africare. These projects are currently underway.
Tax-deductible donations to the African Well Fund are used by our partner organization Africare to fund various water projects in Africa. To date, African Well Fund donations have given more than 100,000 people in 10 African nations improved access to water.
I was just looking at the Amazon.com book page, and saw a discussion started by U2Kitteh, which includes this:
As a true diehard U2 fan, Matt knows exactly what U2 fans want and U2 Diary is sure to become an important staple in every fan’s collection. Promising to be packed with tons of information that fans are itching to commit to memory, U2 Diary sounds like it will hit the spot! Can’t wait!!
(That’s just some of the post. Here’s the full thing.)
Wow! Thanks, U2Kitteh — that’s the sweetest thing. I hope the book lives up to your expectations!
Available October 2008
U2 is the biggest band in the world and U2: A Diary (Oct., 2008, $29.95) is the single most comprehensive resource that details all of the relevant day-to-day events that have shaped U2 into the group it is today. It provides the important stories behind the ‘who, what, when and where’, including insights about key moments in U2s development that have never been told before. Their story is revealed through an unprecedented timeline of facts and events, with interviews and quotes from those involved.
Pre-order your copy now.