Latest U2 News & Information

U2 have moved to deny claims that Bono has written a song with the Spice Girls. It was recently claimed the singer in the Irish rock legends will contribute to the new album from the returning pop icons. However, the band’s manager Paul McGuinness insisted there was absolutely no truth in the reports, speaking to a UK tabloid at the Q Awards. “We’re great fans of the Spice Girls. But rumours that Bono is to join them as a sixth member are sadly not true”, commented McGuinness. Super-producer Mark Ronson, meanwhile, has said he would be interested in working with the group. “I love the Spice Girls. I think their music is great”, he said. “My sister has messed around with a couple of remixes of their songs. I would love to do a remix of ‘Stop’ - that’s easily my favourite.”

-DotMusic

Web Reservations International (WRI), the online accommodation reservation firm owned by U2’s manager, Paul McGuinness, saw profits surge 30pc last year.Its latest accounts show that the firm recorded pre-tax profits of E16.6 million up from E12.8m in 2005.

WRI owns a number of online accommodation brands including Hostels.com, Hostelworld.com, Boo.com, Trav.com and Worldres.com. The company, which is based in Dublin, also provides accommodation through third parties, including Ryanair.

Turnover for the year rose from to E27.2m from E21.7m, according to accounts just filed at the Companies Registration Office.

The company added 10 staff during the year, bringing the total to 45. The increase pushed up wages, which include directors’ salaries, to E2.3m from E1.6m.

(BizWorld)

U2 frontman Bono’s daughter was the centre of a GBP4 million kidnap plot when she was just four years old.

Five Irish criminals targeted Jordan Hewson, now 18, and staked out Bono’s Dublin mansion for six months in the 1994 plot. The plan was later dropped after a veto by top gangster Martin “The General” Cahill, according to claims made by his daughter Frances in her new book.

-  world entertainment news

U2 frontman Bono showered attention on House freshman Democratic lawmakers Wednesday during their weekly breakfast meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The Irish-born rocker-slash-philanthropist was on the Hill to solicit ideas for publicizing the successes of U.S. government programs and his own charitable initiatives in combating poverty, AIDS and other ills in Africa.
Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) started the morning meal by giving Bono a pop quiz in U.S. geography, asking whether he could locate the congressman’s home state on a map, according to sources.

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At Music Ireland 07, The RDS, Dublin from 5th - 7th Oct

For the first time in Europe, Stealing Hearts At A Travelling Show, an exhibition by Four5One°Creative, will feature the band’s collaboration with their design team in the creation of some of the most widely loved and admired album covers, images and rock’n’roll looks in the history of popular culture. In addition to large scale reproductions of the major images, the exhibition, curated by U2 designer Steve Averill, features a series of ‘sketches’ and out-takes from the album design concepts, which give a unique insight into the design process, and how the band work together with their designers to find the visual expression of their music.

Also an Intimate Q & A with the brains behind 25 years of U2 artwork will take place on Sat 6th Oct at 5pm.

For further information see www.hotpress.com or www.musicireland.com

THE former chairman of An Taisce has vowed to fight in the courts radical plans to redevelop the U2-owned Clarence Hotel into a city landmark.

Michael Smith expressed outrage last night at what he calls the “illegal bastardisation” of the protected building, which is to be revamped by Lord Foster. And he said if An Bord Pleanala allowed the application to go through, he would take legal action to save the antique streetscape of the Quays.

Renowned architect Lord Foster has promised that when he revamps the U2’s Clarence Hotel it will “define Dublin” in the same way the Savoy is synonymous with London.

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