News: April 2007 Archives

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April 28, 2007

They're worth all of (EU)715m ... but U2 still fall down the rich list

Jason O'Brien

Rock band U2 now have an estimated collective fortune of (EU)715m...but even that huge wealth is only enough to secure 20th position on this year's Irish Rich List.

The full list will be published on Sunday and is again expected to be topped by Dublin-born model Hilary Weston, who married into a retailing dynasty in Canada and has an estimated fortune of (EU)7bn.

But the fall of Bono and the boys from 13th position on the list -- despite earning more than (EU)25m last year from their Vertigo tour -- highlights the increasing competition at the top of the Irish rich list.

A number of property magnates are understood to have overtaken U2, and the number of Irish billionaires has also increased from last year's total of seven.

Quinn Group chairman Sean Quinn and Independent Newspapers chairman Sir Anthony O'Reilly are believed to be among the top three richest. However, the four U2 band members -- who split their earnings with manager Paul McGuinness -- continue to top the separate list of Irish music entertainers, which was released yesterday.

Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley is the runner-up with his estimated (EU)550m fortune. He is followed by reclusive singer Enya, who was Ireland's best-selling artist last year and saw her personal fortune top (EU)112m. Others on the list include Van Morrison (EU74m), Bob Geldof (EU51m), and Chris de Burgh (EU46m).

The full Sunday Times Rich List -- including 1,000 of the wealthiest individuals and families in Britain and 250 in Ireland -- will be published on Sunday.

But the full music entertainment list shows that the only band that continues to tour and have more cash roll in than U2 is the Rolling Stones, with (EU)835m.

The reclusive former record label boss Clive Calder tops the entertainment list easily. The fortune of the man behind pop acts such as Britney Spears and N'Sync is valued at (EU)1.9bn.

Paul McCartney may be facing an estimated (EU)140m divorce payout to Heather Mills but even when that is taken into account his wealth is still valued at (EU)1.06bn.

That is slightly less than Andrew Lloyd Webber (EU1.1bn), but ahead of the man best known as David Beckham's agent. Simon Fuller's wealth (EU660m) now stands at more than four times that of the Real Madrid star, despite Beckham's impending megabucks transfer to LA Galaxy later this year. When it comes to young musicians, Irish stars are thin on the ground although Belfast-based Katie Melua takes 11th spot with estimated earnings of almost (EU)12m.

Violinist Vanessa-Mae Nicholson (28) tops the list. The Singapore-born star of the electric violin is worth (EU)46m.

Posted by Brenda at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2007

American Idol Raises $30M for Charity

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Television singing talent show "American Idol" proved its clout as a U.S. cultural phenomenon on Wednesday by raising more than $30 million for young people in Africa and the United States.

A two-hour show filled with inspirational songs, movie, television and music stars and stories of poverty from Africa and the United States rounded off the two-night special.

"People say you can't be the generation that ends brutal, stupid poverty, but we can and we will," Bono, U2's lead singer and leading spokesman for the ONE Campaign to Make Poverty History, said in a prerecorded segment.

"I have been in front of 70,000 people here in L.A. and its a pretty amazing feeling. I can't think of any feeling better except perhaps the feeling that you can save somebody's life and there is not one person watching this program tonight who cannot save a life," he said.

The six Idol contestants closed the "Idol Gives Back" show with "American Prayer" -- the song written by Bono and Dave Stewart some years ago about the AIDS emergency in Africa.

The show's contestants received more than 70 million votes -- a new record and almost double last week's 38 million -- but the so-called "shocking" result promoted by host Ryan Seacrest was that none of the remaining six contestants were voted off.

Each vote cast by viewers via text and telephone triggered an undisclosed donation to charities by the corporate sponsors of "Idol" -- Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T. News Corp., which owns the Fox TV network, donated $5 million after the vote tally hit 50 million.

Viewers were also invited to phone in donations that will go to Save the Children, UNICEF, Malaria No More, The Global Fund and Nothing But Nets for youth relief programs in Africa and poverty-hit areas of the United States, including hurricane ravaged Louisiana.

Throughout the show Seacrest regularly crossed to comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres at a concert she hosted at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles for musical performances by stars such as opera group Il Divo, Annie Lennox and former Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. DeGeneres herself donated $100,000.

Stars prerecorded appeals for donations, including Madonna, who was in Malawi -- the African nation where she adopted her son David -- and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, who was in Uganda where he filmed "The Last King of Scotland."

Once dismissed as a cheesy summer talent contest, Fox network's "American Idol" has become the nation's most watched TV show with an average of 30 million viewers.

Posted by Brenda at 07:42 AM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2007

Taymor to Direct Spider-Man Musical, Scored by Bono & Edge

According to Superhero Hype!, a new musical based on Spider-Man may soon be weaving a web over Broadway audiences.

A casting notice reveals that the musical, soon to be presented in an Equity 29-hour rehearsed reading, will be directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor, with music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge and a book by Taymor and Glen Berger.

The reading will also feature musical supervision by Teese Gohl. Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, and Marvel Entertainment are the producers. Rehearsals will begin on July 2nd in New York City, while the readings will take place on July 12th and 13th.

Producers are casting for the title role of teen superhero Peter Parker, as well as his sweetheart Mary Jane, the powerful spider-woman Arachne, scientist Norman Osborn (whose villainous alter ego is the Green Goblin), Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson and a Geek Chorus, comprised of three teenage boys and one girl "who meet to ritualistically retell the greatest Spider-Man stories."

Created in 1962 and clad in his signature bewebbed blue and red, Spider-Man first appeared as a Marvel Comics superhero. The franchise has since spawned a TV series, syndicated newspaper comics and a blockbuster series of films directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. The third Spider-Man movie will be released on May 4th.

Taymor, who won a Tony Award for directing the Broadway musical The Lion King and who is also known for equally visually imaginative films such as Titus and Frida, helmed the recent Metropolitan Opera production of The Magic Flute, as well as productions such as Juan Darien, The Tempest, and Oedipus Rex.

Posted by Brenda at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2007

German chancellor assures Bono Africa is on G-8 agenda

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country chairs the G-8 conference, assured Bono that Africa will play "an outstanding role" during this year's meeting.

BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told U2's Bono on Tuesday that the future of Africa will play a major role when Group of Eight leaders meet in June, the government said.
Bono met Merkel at the chancellery to press his call for the continent to remain high on the agenda of the world's leading industrial countries. Germany, which chairs the G-8, will host their annual summit in the Baltic sea resort of Heiligendamm.

Merkel pledged that Africa will play "an outstanding role," with a focus on issues such as improving the climate for investment, a government spokeswoman said on customary condition of anonymity.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair made debt relief for Africa a key issue when he hosted the G-8 summit in 2005, and has called for a redoubling of momentum this year.

Bono has echoed that call, saying at January's annual meeting of the World Economic Forum: "Africa is this magical, extraordinary continent and we've got to start describing it more as an opportunity than a burden."

The 46-year-old Irish rocker is co-founder of the organization DATA, or Debt, AIDS and Trade in Africa, which seeks to raise awareness for Africa.

Posted by Brenda at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2007

The Edge to Get Honorary Degree from Berklee

Music stars to get honorary degrees

Latin pop star Gloria Estefan and U2 guitarist The Edge will receive honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music, in Boston, US, at its graduation ceremony next month.

The music school also will present honorary degrees to Estefan's husband, Emilio, and Chicago jazz pianist and composer Andrew Hill.

Berklee spokesman Allen Bush said the musicians were chosen for honorary doctorates based on their achievements in music and contributions to American and international culture.

Gloria Estefan, who has sold 70 million albums worldwide and won fame as the leader of the Miami Sound Machine in the 1980s, will deliver her commencement speech to 850 graduates on May 12 in the 7,000-seat Agganis Arena.

Past recipients of honorary doctorates from Berklee include Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie and Bonnie Raitt.

Posted by Brenda at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

April 05, 2007

U2 Station Exclusive Interview with Rob Trigalet of The African Well Fund

by Brenda Clemons, U2 Station Staff Writer

Why is it so important to dig wells?

Rob Trigalet, Vice Chairperson of the African Well Fund: Everyday thousands of people in Africa, some of them children, die from illnesses due to the lack of clean water. What I'm talking about is people dying just because they have diarrhea or parasites, not AIDS or malaria, but a bug or a stomach virus. In the west, this would not be tolerated. 10 or 13 people getting sick from lettuce at Taco Bell is national front page news. So, wells are easy and inexpensive to do and that's why the African Well Fund thinks it is important. Because it's something we can do, so we feel that we should.

How many wells have you built so far?

Our last total was 43 water projects but we are waiting on several reports to come in for projects that are nearly complete.

Were you surprised at the amount of money U2 fans have donated over the years?

Absolutely. The first year we asked for donations (2003), our hope was to raise enough money to build one well. We ended up building 13 in Uganda with our first fund drive and have raised over $200,000 since inception. We here at AWF think that U2 fans ROCK!

What African country has the most need for wells?

This is a difficult question to answer as I believe it would be hard to obtain objective information. But from a purely statistical viewpoint, I believe Ethiopia has one of the highest percentages of people without access to clean water.

How do you decide where to build each well?

We work with an organization called Africare based in Washington D.C., who actually have people on the ground in 26 countries in Africa. When we collect money from a particular fundraiser, we receive proposals from the Africare staff in D.C. who receive them from their staff in the field in a particular country and then we decide together how the money could be used to help the most amount of people in the worst situations.

What is involved in digging a well?

As I just said, there is a review process where Africare employees "nominate" water sites that will benefit the most people, they submit a proposal to the home office in their respective countries, which then in turn gets submitted to D.C. where it is presented to AWF. Once the project is approved and the money released, the local Africare staff will then purchase the necessary equipment such as trucks, if needed, supplies such as plastic liners, stones and gravel, concrete, etc. They will use the labor of the beneficiary community to help dig the water hole, lay the pipes, while the community will provide food and shelter if outside contactors are needed.

What is the reaction to the people when they see the first drops of their clean drinking water?

While we've never been there to see the "first drops" we're told it's quite the celebration. That's something that I think each of us at AWF hope to experience someday. I can tell you that on our recent trip to Uganda, where some of the wells are three years old, there was still a great amount of celebration and thankfulness on the part of the people we met.

Have you traveled to Africa?

AWF made our first trip to Africa this past September (2006)

What are your impressions of the land and it's people?

The countryside of Uganda is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life and I remember thinking, "why aren't there tourists just flocking to this place?" As for the people, the word that keeps coming back to me is generous. Generous in the sense that, they had no problem in welcoming us and telling us their stories. I just found the people we met so gentle and beautiful in spirit. I found a thankfulness that I hadn't encountered before.

I was amazed at many of the facts on your website -- especially those concerning women's health issues. I never thought of the lack of clean water as something that contributes to premature births or spontaneous abortions. Can you give a bit more information on this?

Unfortunately, when you talk about the struggle for water in Africa you are mostly talking about women and young girls. If people there have any money at all to send their children to school, the culture is such, that they will send the boys before they send the girls, or else, the seach for water is so time consuming that the children simply don't have the time to go to school. In Uganda, Steve, the guy who was filming our trip, thought it would be great if we would carry the jerry cans from the well to one of the houses in the village and let me tell you, I'm 5'10" and not a slight man and it was very, very hard work. I can't imagine doing that several times a day. And more so, I can't imagine doing all that work when the water you are carrying will most likely make you and your family sick. But as we were carrying these water cans I noticed that all the people were just laughing hysterically and I turned to our guide and asked him what was so funny and he said, "you are doing a woman's work." So, it is certainly a culture that is different to what most of us would be used to. But I found the women to be remarkable.

What about the safety of the women as they travel long distances to bring back water?

Certainly, I'm sure there are parts of Africa that are more dangerous than others. In the places we visited we were not made aware of any danger to the women.

Is wild life a problem?

Again we were not made aware of this. I don't think that it would be an exaggeration to say that it is probable that the most dangerous animal in Africa, in terms of numbers of victims, would be the mosquito and it's ability to carry malaria to vast numbers of people.

Do you guys listen to U2 music during your daily routine?

Well, unlike the other Board members of AWF, I have a wide range of musical tastes other than U2, but the rest of them are U2 FREAKS!!! (just kidding) Actually, I couldn't answer for anyone else at AWF, but for myself, I probably listen to U2 a few times a week, certainly not everyday. Volunteering for AWF is a lot of hard work and it takes quite a bit of our free time. But the fact is that AWF was started by a group of U2 fans who were inspired by Bono's work in Africa. And for me, its so inspiring to be a part of an organization that is so dedicated and determined to make a difference in other people's lives. So while we might not listen to U2's music every day, I think the spirit of the band truly underlies the work we are doing and hope to accomplish.

How is debt forgiveness and trade agreements related to the amount of clean drinking water in Africa?

I'm not sure that I can answer that question from any sort of informed view. I don't really consider myself a "numbers" guy. I find world trade and economics fairly daunting as a dinner subject. In fact when I go out to speak to people about the need for clean water in Africa, I tell them to throw out the numbers, that in a sense, numbers like 600 million people without clean water are meaningless to the average person, who can imagine 600 million people? Who can in their minds, comprehend 3,000 children dying every day? So, to try and answer your question, in my opinion, every dollar spent on debt repayment is a dollar not available to the goverments of Africa to spend on infrastructure in their own countries, whether that be roads, electricity or water.

What effect does poverty have on conflicts in Sudan and other regions?

Again, when I signed up to serve on the Board of AWF, I wasn't and still am not anything close to an expert on the problems facing Africa. In fact, one of the things that attracted me to AWF was the simplicity of the idea. You see, I, like most people I meet, see the problems of Africa on the T.V. and I think to myself, "that's horrible, but what could I possibly do?". I think that AWF, by concentrating on just one aspect of the problems in Africa, water, empowers our donors to see a tangible way of helping and seeing results. So all that to say, in reference to your question, it is obvious that poverty leaves populations more vunerable to the effects of a conflict. In an area like Sudan where people tend to live near viable water sources, conflict drives people from their homes and then places tremendous strain on the water souces in the areas where refugees relocate to.

I heard Bono speak at Penn. U. He made a joke about building wells but the women still walk the distance to watering holes to get away from the men. This makes me think about traditions and what place water has in African society, their traditions, and their religious/spiritual ceremonies. Are there any you would like to see changed?

I am not familiar with this joke, but to answer the second part of your question, Africa is a place of thousands of traditions and religious beliefs, and while sometimes these beliefs can be frustrating to us in the west, especially in regards to AIDS / HIV, I strongly feel that there needs to be a respect of the people. For example, in the villages we visited in Uganda, it was explained to us that many people there have protein deficiencies, so Africare installed a Child Health & Nutrition program, where they have the children raise rabbits and fish for a source of protein and also carrots for a source of Vitamin A in their diet. We were told that many of the adults refuse to eat these "new" foods as they are foreign to them.

If you had one wish for Africa, what would it be?

That the rest of the world would come to see Africans not as a poor, needy desperate people but as beautiful and strong people, who, given the opputunities, are ready to work and to achieve great things.

What do you think needs to happen for that wish to come true?

It's about changing perceptions I suppose. It's about educating people that the problems of poverty and disease exist and that there are ways for each person to contribute, to make a real, tangible difference, in whatever small way they can. I feel hopeful about Africa, there are so many people who are waking up to the problems there and there are some brilliant ideas out there on how to solve some of the worst problems. Blood Water Mission comes to mind as well as Kiva loans. I feel like there is a sort of realization going on that this generation can truly change the way the world is and I'm humbled to be a part of whatever small role that AWF plays in that.

What is next on the agenda for the African Well Fund?

Well this year is already starting to fill up. We have several new partnerships with organizations like the American School Of Paris & Project H2O in Atlanta. This spring, we'll be releasing a documentry DVD about AWF. We'll have the Bono Birthday Well Campaign in March & April, and we've already collected several autographed items from different celebrities for our annual Got Water auction in November and we're also looking at another trip to Africa for 2008. The most exciting part is the growing amount of people and organizations that continue to contact and ask us how they can help.

Editor's note: If you would like to help the African Well Fund, please visit their site (africanwellfund.org) to help build a well for Bono's Birthday anytime between March 22 - May 6, 2007.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:13 AM | Comments (0)

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