« July 2006 | Main | September 2006 »
August 28, 2006
Cynics mock, charities defend stars aiding Africa
By Mike Collett-White and Mabvuto Banda
LONDON/MPHANDULA, Malawi (Reuters) - Madonna feels responsible for the children of the world and has found herself a "big, big project" to help orphans in Malawi.
Gwyneth Paltrow declares "I am African" in a new advertisement for a charity working in Africa.
The continent has long been a favorite destination for celebrity campaigners, going back to 1954 when Danny Kaye became UNICEF's goodwill ambassador.
U2's Bono and fellow Irish rocker Bob Geldof are Africa veterans, and more recently Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have brought Hollywood gloss to the continent.
But the latest flood of stars searching for a good cause has prompted a collective groan in the press and among bloggers, as people question their methods and motives.
"We are on the verge of farcical at this point," said Michael Wolff, columnist for Vanity Fair, when asked about Africa's popularity among famous performers.
"This has become just a part of the public relations play book. Everybody has a PR person and every PR person says 'which country do you want to adopt?'."
Aid groups hit back, blaming the media for creating the cult of celebrity in the first place and arguing that by discouraging stars from adopting good causes they are endangering vulnerable people's lives.
Madonna's charity plans were announced in an interview with Time magazine, which itself pointed out that for someone who has never been to Africa "the whole enterprise has the pungent aroma of a coordinated act of publicity."
The fact that orphans at a planned care center in Malawi will be taught a curriculum based on Spirituality For Kids, a group linked to the Kabbalah school of mysticism to which Madonna adheres, could add to the cynicism.
But to people in Mphandula, where the center is to be built, such arguments are unimportant.
"All I know is that she is rich and a very compassionate mother. She is our mother now," said village headman Mphandula, who had never heard of Madonna. "It is a gift from God."
GWYNETH GRATES
Paltrow's appearance in African beads and with painted stripes on her cheek above the words "I Am African" drew online blogs of derision. "Right Gwynnie. And I'm Martian," said one.
Michael Musto, celebrity columnist for the Village Voice, added: "The Gwyneth thing was kind of laughable. So many celebrities are jumping on the Africa bandwagon, like they descend on a hot restaurant -- because it's cool."
But Leigh Blake, founder of AIDS charity Keep A Child Alive (www.keepachildalive.org) for which Paltrow appeared, reacted angrily to what she said was damaging cynicism.
"From my perspective I can assure you there are hundreds of thousands alive today because of the work of all these celebrities," she told Reuters.
"They (media commentators) can't imagine for one second that these people they dehumanize actually care about poor people.
"The truth is, the media created this monster (of celebrity) and we in the world of charity are forced to use it."
Blake said the media had an important role to play in helping charities raise awareness and funds, but should beware of attacking celebrities with a cause.
"Don't put off the artists we can get on board," she said.
Deborah Tompkins of ActionAid argued the media was in fact becoming less cynical in covering aid issues.
"From a media perspective, I don't think we need celebrities any more," she said. "The media ... will often find the stories about the real people living the issues much more interesting than stories about celebrities talking about the issues."
Like Rosemary Chikanda, mother of four who is HIV positive but cannot access free life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs.
"I don't know Madonna. What I only know is that she is a rich musician who has come to help us," she said in Mphandula. "Whoever this woman is, God bless her because finally I will have someone to look after my children.
"My husband died five years ago and I know I am next and this center is my only hope."
(Additional reporting by Rebecca Harrison in Johannesburg)
Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Posted by Jonathan at 04:38 AM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2006
MTV Turns 25
by Brenda Clemons, U2 Station staff writer
MTV is 25! Why, that makes me; never mind how old that makes me. Lets just say I remember that fateful day when MTV first came on the air. Everyone under the age of 30 sat around our sets amazed at the images that flickered upon the screen. Of course, with few exceptions, most videos were cheesy and amateur compared to the ones today. Most were of people with bad hair dos dancing haphazard to (usually bad) electronic music. There were some exceptions of course. I remember Stevie Nicks dancing like a dream in Fleetwood Macs Gypsy. And Michael Jackson defined cool in Thriller.
Oh, yes, those were the days. Michael Jackson hadnt had plastic surgery and was still innocent in the eyes of the public. MTV actually played videos 24/7 and music news was updated every 20 minutes. Thanks to groups like Duran Duran, it was okay for girls to like guys who wore makeup.
Not everyone was in love with the network. Critics complained that videos were killing the integrity of music. Music executives scrambled as they tried to come to terms with the new media. Soon it wasnt as important to sound good, as it was to look good. I think it is true that video killed the radio star. Would we have Britney (Spears) and Ashley (Simpson) if they had to rely solely on their musical ability?
In the midst of the cold war, color and sound were almost as important as air. As we danced with the videos, we could forget that at any second the world might end in a fiery nuclear explosion. The joke at the time was that MTV was really a weapon invented by the communist. They would soon come and invade the West and no one would notice. We would all be too busy watching our MTV.
At its worse; MTV is tacky, and boring. At it's very best it defines a generation. Cheers to MTV and another 25 years.
Posted by Brenda at 11:38 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2006
Higher Than the Sun
A Southside environmental group says it is trying to obtain documents relating to the planning process surrounding the U2 Tower in a bid to stop the development. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) is currently seeking expressions of interest from 'world-class' development teams to compete for the opportunity to design, construct and finance the new U2 Tower at Grand Canal Dock.
To the chagrin of locals in Ringsend, the development, which would be carried out by the DDDA, is exempt from the normal planning process and there is no means of making an appeal against the proposals.
However, a spokesperson for the Ringsend Environmental Group, Damien Cassidy, said that although he has been informed by the Department of the Environment that there is no appeals process, he still intends appealing the decision to the European Commission.
Last month, the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche TD, approved an increase in the height of the U2 Tower to 100 metres, after initial proposals for the tower suggested that it be 60 metres.
Mr Cassidy said he is opposing the fact that the height of the tower was extended without any public consultation and that there is no appeals process.
"There is a way of taking it to the European Commission on the grounds that it is overshadowing a village and that it is not in accordance with good planning," he said.
Mr Cassidy said he was also opposed to to the development on the basis that the height of the tower could cut sunlight on the entire village of Ringsend during twilight hours.
"I am talking about the shading of Ringsend," he said. "With the sun setting in the west, that means that you won't see a sunset in the village of Ringsend.
"There has been absolutely no consultation with locals about this development," he added.
The landmark tower, which will become the tallest building in Ireland at 100 metres, will be constructed in conjunction with the adjacent Britain Quay Development and will house rock band U2's new recording studios.
The band has been in discussion with the docklands authority on the project since 2001, when the authority sought to purchase U2's studio at Hanover Quay to allow public amenity works relating to the Grand Canal Harbour development.
It is expected that the successful development team will be selected in 2007 and the construction of the tower will commence in 2008.
The U2 Tower will consist of approximately 20,000 square metres of mainly residential space, while the Britain Quay Development will be 11,500 square metres containing a mix of leisure, residential, commercial, arts and culture uses.
The top two floors of the U2 Tower will contain the exclusive recording studios for the band.
Both developments will rise at the confluence of three waterways, the River Liffey, River Dodder and Grand Canal, and will be served by specially designed boardwalks and marinas.
Lar Bradshaw, chairman of the DDDA, said that the tower is one of the most significant architectural projects to be delivered in the regeneration of the docklands.
"Combined with the recently approved planning scheme for a 100 metre tower on the Northside of the Liffey, the U2 Tower will form a dramatic architectural gateway into Dublin city," Mr Bradshaw said.
Copyright © 2006 Dublin People. All rights reserved.
Posted by Jonathan at 02:47 AM | Comments (0)