andPOP » U2

U2 Brings the Concert to You

Stephen Baldwin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:06:58 +0000

U2’s second last show on their 360 degree tour will be streamed live this Sunday on the band’s website, CBC news reports. The concert will be viewable to fans in 16 different countries, including Canada and the U.S.

Taking place in the Pasadena Rose Bowl, California, the show is expected to draw around 96, 000 fans.

YouTube will enable the server support to handle the online screening of possibly millions of viewers. It will be available on both YouTube and U2’s official website after the show.

“A live stream of this magnitude gives us the opportunity to extend the platform and engage millions of people,” YouTube spokesman Spencer Cross said to CBC.

The move is characteristic of the Irish band’s global influence – it may be the most successful live-streamed event in history.

U2 Planning Another Tour

Sara Harowitz — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:47:34 +0000

While Irish rock band U2 is still in the middle of their North American 360 stadium tour, they are already planning to come back next summer, according to CHARTattack.

The band’s website has yet to release any dates, but a USA Today article says the band will begin their second leg of a North American tour in Mexico City, Mexico on May 30, 2010. The tour is then expected to continue through June and July, hitting cities not visited this year.

U2 already hit Toronto and Vancouver on their current tour. Each show is estimated to rake in about $750,000 U.S., so it is not difficult to see why the band wants to continue their jaunt. More Canadian dates could be added on the second leg, with such possibilities as Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg.

The tour, which is in support of the band’s latest album, No Line On The Horizon, is confirmed to hit Europe beginning in August and run until early October. The opening date for that leg of the tour is at Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany on Aug. 10.

The band is offering new memberships to their fan club, with one of the perks being presale access to 2010 concert dates.

U2’s previous Vertigo tour had a similar plan as No Line On The Horizon, with the band visiting western Canada and the U.S. in the spring of 2005, before returning for another round of shows in the fall of the same year. That second stint included a five-night stay at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre that September.

In other news, the USA Today article also stated that U2 had dreams of having their own Rock Band game last year, but decided against it due to some compromises they were not in favour of. But that could change, and the band is still very interested in the idea.

U2’s tour continues:

Oct. 9 Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium w/ Muse
Oct. 12 Dallas, TX @ New Cowboys Stadium w/ Muse
Oct. 14 Houston, TX @ Reliant Stadium w/ Muse
Oct. 18 Norman, OK @ Oklahoma Memorial Stadium w/ Black Eyed Peas
Oct. 20 Phoenix, AZ @ University Of Phoenix Stadium w/ Black Eyed Peas
Oct. 23 Las Vegas, NV @ Sam Boyd Stadium w/ Black Eyed Peas
Oct. 25 Los Angeles, CA @ Rose Bowl w/ Black Eyed Peas
Oct. 28 Vancouver, BC @ BC Place w/ Black Eyed Peas
Aug. 10 Frankfurt, Germany @ Commerzbank Arena
Aug. 12 Hannover, Germany @ AWD Stadium
Aug. 15-16 Horsens, Denmark @ Casa Arena
Aug. 20 Helsinki, Finland @ Olympic Stadium
Aug. 25 Moscow, Russia @ Luzhniki
Aug. 30 Vienna, Austria @ Ernst Happel Stadium
Sept. 3 Athens, Greece @ Olympic Stadium
Sept. 6 Istanbul, Turkey @ Ataturk Olympic Stadium
Sept. 15 Munich, Germany @ Olympic Stadium
Sept. 18 Paris, France @ Stade De France
Sept. 29 Seville, France @ Olympic Stadium
Oct. 2 Coimbra, Portugal @ Stadium

Entourage Season 6×12 Review: Give A Little Bit

Jeremy Singer — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:59:11 +0000

This Week On Entourage:

On the day before he leaves to Italy, Vince tries to get the boys to come with him, but only manages to get Drama. Turtle still trying to get over Jamie, and tries to forget about her with the college dorm girl. And Eric says he’s going to try and get Sloan back -but the guys think it’ll be pretty hard.

Meanwhile, Ari and his wife meet with the therapist to discuss why his wife should lend him $12 million to help buy Terrance’s agency. But after Ari admits why he truly wants to buy it and pours his heart out, she agrees to spot him the money.

Despite Lloyd’s suggestion, Drama decides not to read for any acting gigs, saying he’s taking a break from it for a while. While shopping with Vince, the two run into Matt Damon who tries to pressure Vince into donating a cheque for his children’s charity.

Eric drives Sloan to a surprise location, refusing to reveal the day’s events. But after he takes her to a special restaurant that they went to while they were a couple -to tell her that they should get back together- Sloan refuses to listen to him, and tells him to take her home.

Turtle tries to forget about Jamie with the college chick, but realizes he can’t. He decides that he should go New Zealand to get her back.

At the agency merging meeting, Ari finds out that Terrance put a last-minute clause in the buying contract, stating that the agency name must remain in Terrance’s name.

Back at home, Vince and Drama get a call from Matt Damon who continues to pressure Vince into donating money. Turtle comes home and tells them that he’s been lying to himself about getting over Jamie, and that he’s going to see her. After seeing Turtle’s performance, Drama reconsiders his decision about leaving the industry, and realizes that he was born to be an actor.

Terrance drops by Ari’s office, and the two exchange their nagging thoughts that they’ve been carrying all these years. After Terrance apologizes, Ari finally accepts peace, and assures him that he’ll keep Terrance’s name in the merger.

Drama gets another shot at the Melrose audition, and nails it. Meanwhile, driving back home, Eric pulls over and confesses his love to Sloan, swearing that he’ll be committed and proposes to her.

Ari strolls through Terrance’s agency on a celebratory rant with a paintball gun, pegging everyone who he had grudges with- including Adam Davies. Though, he gives Lloyd a 24-hr window to come back to the Miller-Gold agency.

While about to takeoff on his flight, Turtle calls Jamie, but she tells him not to come to New Zealand, and that the long distance aspect will never work out. But the plane takes off, so he decides he’ll meet up with Vince in Italy.

And about to leave to Italy with Vince, Drama gets a call from the Melrose producer who admits that he and the network both loved his performance, but that he’s too old for the part. As a result, they want to give Drama a holding-deal to create his own show.

Lloyd comes back to the Miller-Gold agency in agent-fashion, giving Ari a ballsy rant. But when Ari apologizes and shows him his new agent office, Lloyd happily accepts.

About to take-off, Vince and Drama are ambushed by Matt Damon who brings along LeBron James to persuade Vince to donate $150,000 for Matt’s charity.

Eric and Sloan meet them at the airport to break them the big news that they’re engaged- Sloan showing them the diamond ring. As Vince and Drama leave on the private jet, Eric carries Sloan to the car in bliss.

Watching the new couple leave, Vince and Drama wonder which one of them will be next to get hitched.

Hookups:

None

Celeb Cameos:

Matt Damon, LeBron James, Bono, Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Overall:

Let me put it out there. Despite the opinions about the unorthodox story-line this season, if there’s one thing this show knows how to do, it’s to close the deal. Entourage knows how to close perfectly.

Not only that, but this one episode presented two of the top greatest moments in the show’s history.

A) Seeing Ari Gold go Terminator a la paintball gun through an agency.

and

B) Through an unpredicted turn of events, seeing Eric get hitched with Sloan- a feat that makes any guy, no matter how much of a man-whore he is, wish to god he found the “Sloan.”

And the celeb cameos were overflowing like a fresh bottle of Dom Pérignon. Matt Damon, a webcam Bono, LeBron James. I mean this episode was awesome, upon awesome.

Not to mention that Matt Damon gave one of the funniest celeb cameos this show has ever seen. I mean pressuring a celebrity Jason-Bourne style to donate to the charity. Hilarious.

So let’s recap.

—> Ari Gold: He buys Terrance’s agency, makes peace with his foe, and becomes the King Kong of Hollywood. And did a celebration fit for a king- paintball storming through the agency, pegging off any people he had grudges with. And putting the hardships aside with Lloyd, and surprising him with his induction as a real agent back at Miller-Gold was the icing on the cake. Who were we kidding, Ari needs Lloyd just as much as Lloyd needs Ari.

—> Vince: Funny seeing him be pressured by Matt Damon. But he’s off to FINALLY begin filming his next project, which means…the real Vinnie Chase in Season 7.

—> Eric: Oh boy, what can we say about our lovable Irish buddy. Well for starters, Mazel Tov. That spontaneous proposal couldn’t have made any dude more happier. The Sloan n’ E Saga continues.

—> Turtle: Bruuuutal. Dude, always stay with the smoking college chick. But he had to find out the hard way that long distance relationships rarely work out. We left off with him making his way to Rome. We’ll see what happens.

—> Drama: The guy finally put his antics aside and realized his passion for acting. And what did it do? It made the network want him more than ever. Way to go buddy.

ED note: It’s been a pleasure doing this blog for you guys, and I will see you come season seven.

Rating:

5/5 (Yes. That’s right, I went there)

Best Line(s):

1) Drama to Vince, after Matt Damon pressures Drama to get Vince on the phone to donate money to his children’s charity-

“Sorry, he Jason-Bourned me.”

2) Ari’s epic rant in the therapist’s office to his wife as to why he truly wants to buy the new company-

“Ok yes. If I could gauge out Terrance McQuewick’s eyeballs for what he did to me, I would. And I would sell that Benedict Arnold Adam Davies in a white slavery if we lived in a place that had a market for it. And Lloyd, that little queen, who I welcomed into my home, play with my children and care for my dog, I would tie him up and allow for the entire Screen Actors Guild to anally rape him if not for the fact that I think he would enjoy it. I hate’em all. And yes I would like to see them destroyed. But THAT is not the reason why I want this company. I want, no I need this company because it’s good business, good god damn business. And if I don’t buy it someone else will, and that’ll be VERY, very bad for my business. And my wife of all people should know that when it comes to business my judgment is never clouded. So please, please support me like you always have, and I will deliver for us, like I always have.”

3) Ari storming through the new company, paint balling everyone who he had grudges with-

“I’m back…and you’re fired.”

Best Moment(s):

1) Ari going “Terminator a la paintball gun” through the new agency.

2) Ari’s beautifully acted rant at the therapist’s office.

3) E proposing to Sloan.

4) Matt Damon pressuring Vince into donating money.

SNL Wants Robert Pattinson

Vanessa Baker — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:53:27 +0000

On the red carpet for the 61st Annual Emmy Awards, E! News kicked off a campaign to get Twilight’s Robert Pattinson a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live.

“We would love to get Robert Pattinson,” said Seth Meyers. “How dare you tell me he’s the hot guy from Twilight, like I don’t already know! We’re actually hoping if he’s not available, at least his hair will come by and host.”

“Oh yeah, he’d be great,” said Kristen Wiig.

Andy Samburg simply gave a thumbs-up and nodded when asked if he thought Pattison would do a good job hosting.

Season 35 of the sketch comedy show premieres on September 26. Megan Fox will have the honour of hosting while U2 performs as the musical guest.

Jack White Plots World Domination

Emma Renda — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:08:36 +0000

Jack White has been a very busy, very lucky man lately.

Along with his film It Might Get Loud featuring U2’s The Edge and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, White has entered the studio with the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, according to Pitchfork.

This isn’t White’s first brush with the Stones – he performed “Loving Cup” alongside Jagger in Martin Scorcese’s concert documentary Shine A Light. Now Richards says the two have been recording together, but wouldn’t confirm rumours that White is lined up to produce the next Stones album.

Details for the album are still vague, and Richards says he is still just trying to rally his band to get writing although they are working together to compile bonus tracks for a re-release of Exile on Main Street next year.

“I’m trying to gather the boys together,” Richards told Rolling Stone. “One way or another, I’ll get them back in line.”

Besides entering the studio with Richards, White spent this year hob-nobbing with Page and The Edge as they filmed It Might Get Loud with Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth). In between his brush with the moguls, White continued to forge his own legend touring with his thus far well-received new project, The Dead Weather, bringing them to every major music festival around the world.

If the rumours are true and White teams up with the Stones, 2010 will be just as White a year as this one.

The Edge is Harmful to the Environment

Jennifer Brooks — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:05:52 +0000

The Edge, guitarist from mega group U2, is causing some environmental concerns in his new neighborhood.

According to Candace Brown, Malibu mayoral candidate and Councilman Jefferson Wagner’s partner, The Edge has been paying landscapers to dig a 15 foot trench that has reportedly trapped deer and foxes that inhabit the surrounding area, as reported by chartattack.com. The trench is also reported as being “the size of three football fields,” according to Candice Brown’s statement.

The guitarist is said to have plans to build five houses across his 1,000 acres of land and neighbors are concerned that his construction poses a threat to the wildlife and may cause erosion.

“Two years ago, he pulled up outside my house and mentioned he was going to be my new neighbor,” resident Jim Smith told LA Weekly Magazine. “He was friendly and charismatic. I was happy knowing he was buying the land, as I assumed he would be sensitive to the environment — though that’s not the case.”

Bono ‘Offended’ By Illegal Downloading

Joelle Tomlinson — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:00:58 +0000

In the current music industry today, it is not uncommon to download an entire album from the comfort of your home, without spending a cent. Bono, from the rock band U2, takes offense to this and made it public when interviewed by the USA Today newspaper.

Bono admitted he was overpaid when he told the newspaper that illegal downloading “offended” him, according to chartattack.com.

“People think people like me are overpaid and over-nourished, and they’re not wrong,” he told the newspaper. “What they’re missing is, how does a songwriter get paid? There’s no space for a Cole Porter in the modern age.”

“It’s not the place for rich rock stars to ask for more money, but somebody should fight for fellow artists because this is madness. Music has become tap water, a utility, where for me it’s a sacred thing, so I’m a little offended.”

U2’s No Line On The Horizon was downloaded at least 445,000 times before its March 3 release, according to USA Today. Although it debuted at the top of the U.S. album sales chart, it only sold 484,000 copies during its first week of release.

U2 Could Release Another Album In 2009

Ilan Mester — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:15:16 +0000

It’s possible that in the near future, maybe even as close as later this year, U2 will release another album, according to MTV News.

The band is said to have material they compiled in the original “No Line” recording with Rick Rubin nearly three years ago. However, after recording with Rubin in 2006, they decided to move into a new direction, leaving enough songs for another LP.

“We have talked about a second album. We certainly have loads of material,” said U2’s The Edge to MTV News. “But we’re still so delighted with this record. It’s hard to put a timetable on it.”

U2 drummer Larry Mullen also explained to MTV News why they moved into a new direction. “It wasn’t like we fell out with Rick — it just wasn’t the right time for us,” he said. “It went really well. The songs were fantastic. It would have been great for Atomic Bomb … [the songs] weren’t right for this.”

U2 To Embark On ‘360′ World Tour In June: Report

Eva Lam — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:39:40 +0000

U2 are ready to hit the road in support of “No Line on the Horizon.”

The Irish rockers, whose 12th studio album hit stores Tuesday, will kick off their “U2360″ world tour on June 30 in Barcelona, according to Billboard magazine.

The first North American leg of the tour will launch on Sept. 12 in Chicago, the magazine said. Altogether, Bono and co. plan to play up to 100 shows before wrapping up in fall 2010.

“It’s hard to come up with something that’s fundamentally different, but we have, I think, on this tour,” guitarist the Edge told Billboard. “Where we’re taking our production will never have been seen before by anybody, and that’s an amazing thing to be able to say.”

Tickets are scheduled to go on sale in late March or early April in North America.

Details of the tour (which was previously dubbed “Kiss the Future”) will officially be announced Monday.

U2 have been on a huge promotional blitz in the run-up to their album’s release. Following a rooftop performance in London last month, the foursome played a week-long gig on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and even had the honour of seeing a street temporarily named after them in New York City.

Bono Insults Coldplay’s Chris Martin

andPOP Staff — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 15:10:17 +0000

U2 frontman Bono appears to be getting a tad bit jealous of Coldplay’s new label as “the new U2 of our generation”. According to E! online, in a radio interview promoting U2’s new CD, No Line on the Horizon, which drops this week, Bono also “dropped a couple of verbal bombs on Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.”

The interview was held by BBC Radio 1 deejay Jo Whiley, who asked Bono if Martin was as talented as Paul McCartney. This question appeared to rub Bono the wrong way, as he replied “I think he’s a good melodist, but he’s a wanker”.

He went on to elaborate that Martin was “obviously a completely dysfunctional character and a cretin, but he happens to be a great melodist and up there with Ray Davies, Noel Gallagher and Paul McCartney.”

Whiley asked Bono for an apology, but Bono was insistent on his original opinion, E! online reports. He responded with “I’m a reformed character, I don’t any more.”

Bono must have realized the negative consequences his comment could have, as he tried to smooth over his earlier comment later in the interview. His version of an apology was, “I think [Coldplay] are a great band, and actually, it turns out [Martin’s] a great soul as well. Sorry about that. I was joking entirely.”