Friday, February 28, 2014

U2.COM : Own Bono's Sunglasses

Own Bono's Sunglasses
Always seen yourself wearing a pair of Bono's sunglasses?  
A pair signed by the man himself? 
A pair you collect, with a friend, from Bono... backstage after a U2 show in the UK? 
 
UK charity Sport Relief has teamed up with some famous names - Kasabian, Rizzle Kicks, Paloma Faith, Stephen Fry - to raise funds for the 'Give It Up ' fund, founded by the comedian Russell Brand, to support people with drug and alcohol addictions .
 
Until  this Sunday - March 2nd - you can visit e-bay and bid on a series of unique items, including Bono's glasses, and all the money will go to 'Give it Up for Sport Relief'. 

You can also support the cause by selling something of your own.
 
Sport Relief is a partner of Comic Relief which campaigns for ' a just world free from poverty',  an organisation the band have supported for many years.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

U2.COM : 'Got To Be A Bit Of Blues...'

'The song has a gospel feeling, but it adds dimension. Like a lot of my favorite gospel songs, there's an ache to it. There's got to be a bit of blues for me.'

Bono has been talking with the LA Times about the Oscar-nominated 'Ordinary Love', which the band will perform at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. 

The track - from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom -  is nominated  for 'Best Original Song' along with 'Happy' fromDespicable Me 2 (music and lyric by Pharrell Williams),  Let It Go from Frozen (music and lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez) and 'The Moon Song' from Her (music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze.)

Early drafts of 'Ordinary Love', explained Bono, were  'more literal in referencing Mandela's freedom from prison'. Ultimately he wanted the lyric to be more emotional and universal, which he decided after reading the love letters traded in prison between Mandela and his wife Winnie
'The love letters from prison are very touching. They're very heartbreaking. They gave me a clue as to the kind of language to use in the song. The melancholy was in there. The song has a gospel feeling, but it adds dimension. Like a lot of my favorite gospel songs, there's an ache to it. There's got to be a bit of blues for me.'

Idris Elba, who plays Nelson Mandela in the movie, has also been talking about the song - and about the letters. 

'Ordinary Love' is no ordinary song, as President Mandela was no ordinary man. Everyone has a sense of who Mandela is - be it his nobleness, his white hair, his calming yet commanding voice. It wasn't until I read the letters - the personal and emotionally charged exchanges between Madiba and Winnie during his imprisonment that I gained a deeper understanding of the other side of Mandela: Mandela the vulnerable. Mandela the raw. Mandela, the man in love - in love with one woman and in love with a nation.'

Friday, February 21, 2014

Irish band U2 gets first tribute in hometown Dublin

Irish band U2 are making headlines. Earlier this week, they performed on top of Rockefeller Centre in New York to open Jimmy Fallon’s tonight show debut. They’re also up for an Oscar for their song "Ordinary Love", written for the movie "Mandela: Long walk to freedom". And, for the first time, an exhibition dedicated to the band has been set up in their home town.
U2 may be Ireland’s biggest musical export - but up until recently very little has been done to celebrate the bands history in Ireland. Now for the first time, a rare permanent exhibition has been set up in the bands home town – Dublin, to honor them.
Simon O'Connor, curator of Little Museum of Dublin, said, "Here in the museum we felt that it was unusual that there wasn’t anything of the kind dedicated to the band in their home town. Fans travel to Dublin and they go to windmill lane and they get in taxis and drive around parts of the city where the band are living but there was no dedicated exhibit to U2 and to the story of how they start in Dublin and how they are a Dublin band with a big connection to the city."
Curated by photographers and loyal fans of the band from across the globe. Rare memorabilia, signed photos and albums are on display. And visitors are walked through U2’s history year by year.
"I’m a big fan of U2 and that’s why I came to Dublin to visit the home town of U2 and so I heard about this exhibition from one of my friends and he told me I had to come here and it’s really interesting a lot of photos and I was on a pop mart tour in 1997 and I can remember some nice pictures and photos," said a German tourist.
"They should do an exhibit in the rock and roll hall of fame in Cleveland, that would be fantastic. It reminds me of that, we have been there, this reminds me of that. This would be fantastic there,”American tourists said.
The exhibit is still a work in progress and the museum is calling on fans from around the world to donate rare items.
Members of U2 have also come to visit giving the exhibition their seal of approval.
"Two of the band have come into see the exhibit themselves, Bono and the Edge came in over Christmas but unfortunately none of our staff recognized them. But they signed a lovely note in the visitors book," Simon said.
While the band may have visited unnoticed, museum staff say receiving a piece of memorabilia from the bands own collection would be a dream come through.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

U2.COM : 'Invisible'. The Video

'Invisible'. The Video
The official video for 'Invisible', directed by Mark Romanek. 

Shot in black and white, in a Santa Monica airport hangar, with an audience of 1200. 

A sixty second clip from the video, premiered on February 2nd during the Super Bowl, launched a partnership with (RED) and Bank of America in the fight against AIDS

In 36 hours downloads of #U2Invisible raised more than $3m.  On iTunes all proceeds from 'Invisible'  continue to go to (RED) for the Global Fund.  Download here.


Monday, February 10, 2014

U2.COM : Visible

Official video, directed by Mark Romanek, coming this Tuesday.

#U2Invisible. Visible. February 11th. http://smarturl.it/U2Invisible 



Wednesday, February 5, 2014

U2.COM : Three Million And Counting

Three Million And Counting
Over 36 hours on Sunday and Monday, the 'Invisible' download raised more than $3million for (RED) to help fight AIDS.

Every time the new track was downloaded, Bank of America paid $1 to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria. The total sum raised was $3,138, 470 - far surpassing the original pledge of $2m.

And the amount is set to rise.  'Invisible' has now been made available to purchase on iTunes, where all proceeds from every download will also go to (RED) for the Global Fund. 

The 60-second performance clip (below), which launched the song during the Super Bowl, is excerpted from the 'Invisible' video, directed by Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go, One Hour Photo).

The full length video is coming later in the week...  we'll keep you posted. 



Monday, February 3, 2014

U2.COM : 'Invisible', Now Downloading

'Invisible', Now Downloading
It's a new song, it's for (RED) and for 24hours you can download 'Invisible'  free from iTunes.   
Downloaded it already? Tell us what you think in the comments below. 

And check out this film from the studio with the band laying down the track and Bono recalling ideas and inspiration behind it.'The early lyrics were set on a train coming into London for the first time. I remember sleeping in Euston station, being broke... coming out of the subway into the spring of 1979, being 18 years old, it was punk rock in London...'