2008 October | U2Exit.com News Blog

Happy Birthday, Boss man!

Posted by SPun2U on Oct 31, 2008 in News & Rumors | Comments Off

Happy 47th Birthday to the one who gave Bono his first (and only) job!!

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Dublin shelves plans for U2 Tower

Posted by SPun2U on Oct 31, 2008 in Band Management | Comments Off

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) — Plans to build the tallest building in Ireland – with new recording studios for Irish supergroup U2 on top – were suspended Friday because of Dublin’s slumping property market and slide into recession.

The Dublin Docklands Development Authority said it remains committed to building the long-planned U2 Tower, but a souring economy at home and abroad means the project must be shelved. It expressed hope of reopening negotiations with potential developers within 12 months. (more…)

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When Love Comes to Town with BB King

Posted by SPun2U on Oct 29, 2008 in Appearances | Comments Off

October 27th 2008: Bono & Edge perform When Love Comes to Town with BB King at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA. Originally recored & uploaded by U2Mel

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The billion dollar band

Posted by SPun2U on Oct 25, 2008 in Band Management | Comments Off

U2 will still be rocking and coining it when they approach their 60s, after the fine print of their lucrative new deal was revealed this week.

Recession may be the buzzword of the year, but not in U2′s world. The band’s ability to command top dollar seems to be as strong as it always was.

And this week, while students and pensioners took to the streets to protest over a divisive Budget, details of U2′s most recent deal were coming to light.

It was revealed that Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr had received shares totalling €19m as part of their deal with US entertainment giant Live Nation, which was signed amid much industry gossip in March.

The up-front payment — made public after being reported to US regulator Security and Exchange Commission — is effectively a sweetener for signing up to Live Nation’s new model order, and a telling illustration of how crucial the Dublin four-piece is for the US corporation. (more…)

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Bono to become New York Times columnist

Posted by SPun2U on Oct 25, 2008 in News & Rumors | Comments Off

The U2 frontman will wax lyrical on Africa, poverty and Frank Sinatra – and he’ll be doing it for free. Expect future contributions from Brian May and Bruce Springsteen. No, really

A new writer will be joining the New York Times editorial staff, issuing literate meditations on the issues of the day. He’s Irish. He wears wrap-around sunglasses. And his name rhymes with “Oh no!”

Yes, U2′s Bono is the latest columnist to be hired by New York’s esteemed newspaper. Editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal announced the decision at Columbia’s School of Journalism this week, saying that the former Nobel Peace Prize nominee will pen between six and 10 articles over the course of 2009.

Bono will wax lyrical (or actually, less lyrical than normal) on the topics of Africa, poverty and Frank Sinatra, Rosenthal said.

The appointment of Bono may have been spurred by Rosenthal’s fascination with learning the guitar – he showed students several sheets of guitar tablature he had downloaded. But more likely it was inspired by, er, Bono’s celebrity status. And by his pay demands; Bono will be paid exactly “nothing”, Rosenthal said.

The New York Times also expressed an interest in bringing Queen’s Brian May back to the pages of the paper. The guitarist – who recently earned his doctorate in astrophysics – has already written about space for the New York Times website. Rosenthal said he was a fan, too, of previous op-eds by Bruce Springsteen.

Though rockers and pop stars are welcome, another group faces an uphill battle on to the New York Times’ editorial page – conservatives. “[US Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice is a particularly bad op-ed writer,” Rosenthal said. However, the problem doesn’t end there. “The problem with conservative columnists,” Rosenthal said, “is that many of them lie in print.” And they can’t sing.

- Guardian