Nobel Prize bet

“That would be a highlight for me,” Bono added after he told us he’d like to visit RP. The rock star is much-admired for being a very vocal spokesman for humanitarian causes, working to cancel Third World debt and raising AIDS awareness.

A three-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, Bono was also in town for Miramax’s other NY fest entry, the superb “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” by director Julian Schnabel. U2 music is featured in the drama which has been steadily gaining good buzz since it wowed critics in Cannes last May.

At one point in the party, Bono took off his ubiquitous sunglasses, treating guests to a rare sight.

Julian, whose “Lou Reed’s Berlin” competed with Lav Diaz’s “Kagadanan sa Banwaan ning mga Engkanto (Death in the Land of Encantos)” and other entries in the Horizons (Orizzonti) Documentary section of the recent Venice Film Festival, shared a table with wife Olatz Lopez Garmendia (part of the cast of “The Diving…”), Javier and Penelope, who was beautiful in a black gown.

Javier’s co-star, Josh Brolin, who should also get nods for his breakthrough performance in “No Country…,” was his usual affable self, mingling with guests which included actress Jennifer Jason Leigh and her director husband Noah Baumbach (the much-lauded “The Squid and the Whale”), who collaborated on “Margot at the Wedding.”

Tommy Lee Jones, who is likewise in “No Country…,” also graced the party.

- Asian Journal Publications