Hope For Haiti Telethon

Well night owl me stayed up to watch this (it was on from 1 - 3am in the UK).  I thought it was done well, and there were some good performances, I especially liked Justin Timberlake's version of the wonderful Hallelujah (which must be one of the most amazing songs ever written).  Bono and Edge appeared on stage with Jay-Z and Rihanna.  Jay-Z took the lead with a rap, Bono and Rihanna were kind of backing singers, but Bono's mic was turned so low you could hardly hear him and I'm not a fan of Rihanna's shrill voice.  That put together with the fact I don't like rap meant I didn't really enjoy the performance.  I have to say though Edge's guitar was lovely, but he was hardly shown on camera.  The chorus of the song (called Stranded) was pleasant and melodic.  I've heard that you can hear more of Bono's voice on the iTunes download of the song.

I don't know why the likes of Bono and Edge do collaborations with rappers and R & B singers, rock doesn't mix well with those genres.  But I think they probably do it in an attempt to be more relevant to the youngsters who U2 seem so desperate to have on board.  These guys are having the longest mid-life crisis going I think! 

I feel a little bad about being a bit negative about the performance, it wasn't bad, and after all it was done for a good reason, but it is my opinion.  I seem to be moaning about U2 a lot recently, maybe I'm becoming a grumpy old woman LOL!

 

Hope For Haiti Telethon

The details of the Hope For Haiti event on January 22nd organised by George Clooney have now been released.  There will be concerts in three cities - London, New York and Los Angeles.  Bono and Edge will appear in London along with Jay-Z, also on the bill is Coldplay.  In the UK the two hour telethon will be shown on MTV from 1am Saturday 23rd January (8pm ET 22nd January in the US), if you can't stay up that late it will be repeated later on Viva.

Full details can be found here

The Crystal Caves of Mexico

On the BBC tonight a new series called How The Earth Made Us, which looks at how geology, climate and geography influenced humankind.  I'm interested in this sort of stuff, and will be watching the series.   I saw some information about  the first programme and there was a video and facts about this amazing crystal cave in Mexico.  It is absolutely stunning!  You can read the information and watch the video here .

The programme airs on BBC 2 tonight at 9pm.

Team U2 Fans Support Haiti

A site has been created for U2 fans from across the world to come together and donate in support of Haiti.  It is hosted via BetterPlace.org which sends 100% of donated funds to the organisations the Team is supporting: CARE, Save the Children, and action medeor. Click here to go to the U2 Fans Team Page, join, and make your donation.   The minimum donation is one Euro, so even if you have already given via some other organisation why not give a little here too?  It will show that U2 fans can join together and make a difference.

U2 Contribute to Charity Project for Haiti

Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz are organising a charity project for victims of the Haiti earthquake.  Dave Fanning aired an interview with Edge today on his RTE 2FM radio show.  Edge said that the band had recorded a new song for the project.

Edge explains how the song came about:

"Last night we wrote a song ... Bono got a call from a producer, Swizz. He and Jay-Z wanted to do something for Haiti. So, Bono came up with the phrase on the phone, and last night we were here, we wrote a song -- finished, recorded, and send it back to them. So, that might be the next thing you hear from us!"

What's not certain is when the next proper U2 album will be out. Fanning asked Edge what direction U2 will go in this year -- more ambient material from Fez? Rick Rubin material? Spider-Man material? Or will there be no album in 2010 and instead wait until 2011? Edge replies: "We're asking ourselves exactly the same questions. We don't really know yet. We're working on material here, and it's sounding amazing, but we're far from being certain about what we're gonna do with it."

Oh dear, time is going by and the likeliehood of an album in 2010 looks less and less likely.  This is not promising at all which is very disappointing but not surprising.

Edge also talked a little about the Glastonbury gig and the 2010 tour plans, read more here

Haiti Earthquake

I'm sure you've all seen the heartbreaking news items from Haiti over the last few days.  It so often seems to be the people who have the least suffer the most from these natural disasters.  It seems a hell on earth there, and it is taking aid so long to get there because of the devastation and poor infrastructure.  But amidst all the death and despair were two stories of amazing survIval.

Rescue attempts were still going on last night with British firefighters emerging as heroes.  They hauled two-year-old Mia Charlotte from the collapsed Beatrice kindergarten in Port- au-Prince. The firemen were among a 64-strong British team who raced to the country.

Pete Stevenson, operations commander, said: "We are over the moon. Mia is beautiful and the rescue was a huge success."  Mia was later reunited with her grateful mother.

Another little girl rescued:

Little Winnie Tilin - just 16 months old - was pulled alive from the rubble of her family's home after 68 hours.  Her faint moans were heard by chance by an  Australian TV crew filming the devastation outside the Save the Children charity's office.. Tragically, among those dead  are Winnie's parents, crushed to death by the falling masonry which amazingly missed her.

The TV team's interpreter Deiby Celestino heard her faint cries and jumped into the concrete hole she was trapped in.  After crawling over dead bodies to get to her, he was able to pull her out. Mr Celestino, from neighbouring Dominican Republic, said: "It's very emotional. It felt like my own baby I was pulling out there."

A Save The Children doctor who examined the toddler was amazed to find that, though she was severely dehydrated, she was not seriously injured. The toddler was then passed to her uncle, Frantz Tilin, who was looking for her after losing his pregnant wife in the disaster.

In these situations there's not a lot the ordinary person can do but donate whatever they can towards the appeal, every penny counts.  Those in the UK can donate here .

It Might Get Loud Premiere in Dublin

The Dublin premiere of It Might Get Loud took place at the International Film Insitute in Temple Bar last night.  Considering my previous post I found it amusing that Edge and Bono (I'm not sure if Adam and Larry attended, I found no mention of them in reviews I've read) were late because of the severe weather!

You can read a Hot Press review here 

And a review from the Evening Herald here

Edge and Bono at the Dublin premiere of 'It Might Get Loud'

Photo: Gareth Chaney

Brrrrrr......... The Big Freeze Continues

It was minus 15 degrees centigrade here last night!  This cold snap just goes on and on, I saw that we were way colder than Iceland yesterday.  I was out walking my dogs and felt a cold I'd not felt before nipping at my face (the only part of me open to the elements).  It's such a palaver getting ready to go out at the moment, putting layers of clothes on, boots, scarf, hat, gloves, then of course coats on the dogs too.  Pepsi and Max, being dachshunds, almost disappear in the snow at times but Pep loves it, Max would be quite happy not to go on walks at the moment.  Being wired-haired the snow collects on Pepsi's tummy and forms snowballs, if I walked him long enough he'd be one big snowball rolling along LOL!  Not the best weather for dachshunds.

But having said that we have had a few days of bright blue skies and sunshine, yesterday's sunset was gorgeous, with wispy baby pink clouds in the blueness.  When I was little, my mum used to say that the angels were baking cakes when there were pink clouds, and it made me think of her when I saw them, she too would have noticed their beauty.  The mountains close to where I live look beautiful cloaked in white.  This kind of weather is severe, but there is also beauty in its austerity.

Apaprently this freakishly cold weather here is due to a static weather depression that is literally sucking in icy air from Siberia right onto us.  And at the moment there is no sign of a let up, we've been shivering our socks off for almost a month now. 

The school where I work is closed, as are most of the schools in this area.  I still have to go in to do my hours though or I wouldn't get paid.  I have been able to get there ok - my car temperature display told me it was -10 centigrade at 4pm today as I drove home, yikes.  Most other things have been cancelled - my voluntary work, meeting friends, Tai Chi, shopping (I'm saving a bit money!) people are only going out if absolutely necessary.  My friend Debbi was supposed to be visiting me this weekend, she lives in the Midlands but it just wasn't feasible for her to come.   The Veuve Cliquot will have to wait in my fridge - we always treat ourselves to a bottle when we meet up.

So it's dark now and the curtains are closed, I've got my cosy PJs, dressing gown and bedsocks on and it's warm and snug in here.  Definitely the best place to be, I'm going to put my feet up, open a bottle of red, eat some nibbles and watch the telly and that's me for the next few hours.  Weather report from Siberian Cumbria ends here.

Sliding Out of the Noughties

The last day of 2009 already, and we are literally sliding towards 2010 - it's still icy outside and the best place to see the New Year in is at home with a good red wine and nibbles.  Don't know where the other 364 days of the year went, never mind the decade.  It seems only a short time ago that I was at a New Years party to herald in the new Millenium and now the Noughties are nearly gone.  I'm not doing a usual review, just a quick question and answer piece on things that pop into my head.  Here goes:

Nicest New Placed Visited - Sorry for the pun - Nice of course!

Fave Three Songs 
Uprising - Muse (Rocking, real class, must see them live in 2010)
Sometime After Midnight - The Airborne Toxic Event
Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap

Worst Buy - In Nice, a "cicada" that you hung on the wall and it chirped when you passed by (yeah I am a bit  eccentric, things like that amuse me).  It drove me mad and I threw it out, it got it's own back though, it was even chirping from inside the dustbin LOL!

Best buy -  My iTouch, an amazing little creation, I love it!

Most Amazing Day - 15th August, London.  Met Bono in the afternoon and then saw one of the most amazing U2 shows ever that night.  And sharing all that with wonderful friends.

Ambition Achieved - Visited Berlin, fabulous, moving, cold and unique.  Amazing to see U2 play in front of the Brandenburg Gate, something that will stay with me forever.

Scariest Thing - I've liked the last two Black-Eyed Peas singles!  There, I've come clean, can hardly believe it myself.

Surprising Thing - That I am working as a cleaner, I hate household chores, yet I really enjoy my little job!

U2 Status - Loved the new album, after two good but safe albums, this more daring creation brought me fully back to their music.  The romance was hot in the summer when they entertained magnificently (sorry I've done it again).  We had a bit of a row recently and I nearly fell out with them, but I've made up and am speaking to them again now.  So the relationship continues into its 27th year.....

So thanks to all who come to my blog, I've enjoyed sharing some of my life and thoughts with you.  Have a happy and healthy 2010.

Bono At Leopardstown Races

Bono and Ali were at the Leopardstown Races as usual on St Stephen's Day and the Irish Indpendent got a short interview with him and Paul McGuinness.  Both  talk a little about future plans. "We are working away and we have a couple of yearlings in the stables that could really turn out to be thoroughbreds in the future," said Bono.  Though McGuinness was "diplomatic"  in what he said, "I have heard some of the stuff the guys have played and, yeah, it is great. Bono is always an optimist but he seems confident of getting a new record out by the end of the next six months. They're talking about June. By that time we will be ready to go back on tour and I think that will give it a different flavour."

Mc Guinness also talks a little about Adam and the court case he has had to take out against his former housekeeper who has allegedly stolen a large amount of money from him.  Read the full article here .

Oh To Be On Grafton Street on Christmas Eve!

Bono joined Glen Hansard, Damien Rice, Mundy, and others to busk on Grafton Street on Christmas Eve.  They played to raise money for the Dublin Simon Community, a group that works to prevent homelessness and help the homeless.

Bono sang "Stand By Me," "One," and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"  with the others.  I just love it when he does things like this, especially in his home city.  Some videos have appeared on You Tube and you can watch the part of the performance in which Bono featured in below.

Merry Christmas!

We're going to be having a white Christmas for once here in Cumbria it is very rare for us.  The snow from the other day is still on the ground as it's remained cold.  On the pavements the snow has become impacted and as icy as a skating rink, I'm going out as little as possible, the dogs are getting short walks at the moment, thank heavens they don't need a lot of walking!

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas for you and yours, eat, drink and be merry!

U2 15th August at Wembley Highlights On BBC Radio 2

There I was, sitting warm and snug in my living room, curtains closed against the bitter cold and snow outside, as I listened to the highlights of U2's 15th August 360 Tour show at Wembley Stadium on Radio 2.  I was swept back to the blue skies and sunshine of that day in London - the day I saw one of the best U2 gigs of my life.  All the feelings came back and I had that silly grin on my face that I get when I am entranced with U2,  I felt the rollercoaster of emotions, the pride. 

It wasn't exactly a greatest hits set of highlights which surprised me, good to hear Magnificent, Crazy, there was no One, or Streets, and I would have loved to have heard No Line On The Horizon, Bad  and The Unforgettable Fire.  But that didn't really matter, as the atmosphere of the gig was what was most special about that show and I was able to relive it once more.  I remember well how the crowd spontaneously took over the singing on Still Haven't Found.... a magical moment amongst many special moments.

I've been a bit pissed off with U2 recently, but when I heard the highlights of that gig tonight it reminded me why I am a fan,  they are great live.  And, every now and then their music can take you to a place way beyond yourself, where you are at one with the rest of the audience and the band, and a stadium becomes as intimate as a small room.  That is special indeed....

Anyone who hasn't heard it yet can listen to it here

The Gig That Never Was .... For Us!

My friend Kath and I went to Newcastle yesterday to do some shopping and see the Scottish band Runrig.  I've seen them a few times in the past and always enjoyed their shows, for Kath it was going to be the first time, she'd had tickets to a gig of theirs once before but had been unable to go.

The weather hadn't been good over the previous 24 hours, with lots of snow in some parts of the country though none in our area, but it had snowed in Newcastle.  We were glad to see the road to Newcastle (55 miles from where we live) was fine and there was just a light dusting of snow over the countryside.

We found our hotel easily and soon were in Ikea shopping.  It was blissfully quiet in there - it's not the kind of place most people shop just before Christmas.  I only spent £25 but had a load of stuff, that's what I love about that shop!  We came out and were surprised to find the snow was falling heavily and had been for a while by the look of it.  We slithered on the roads in the car as we headed back to the hotel - England doens't often get snow and is always woefully unprepared and unable to cope with it. 

Our hotel was in Gateshead which was a few miles from the City Hall in Newcastle where the gig was being held. (That venue holds special memories for me because as a young teenager I went to some of my first gigs
there).  We decided to take a taxi into the city as the roads were lethal.  But try as we may we could not get a taxi, most firms didn't even answer their phones, reception staff at the hotel were very helpful and tried too but to no avail.   Kath and I had a discussion, our only option was to drive into the city in Kath's car and as the roads were so bad and it could keep snowing, we reluctantly decided to forgo the concert.  Luckily we had brought a bottle of wine and some nibbles with us so we ate, drank, chatted and watched TV and had a good evening. 

At least we could see the funny side of travelling 55 miles to see a gig and ending up only seeing the inside of Ikea and our hotel!  Seems Kath is doomed when it comes to seeing Runrig live, maybe it'll be third time lucky for her.

U2 On BBC Radio 2

A one hour radio broadcast of highlights of U2's 360 Tour date at Wembley Stadium on 15th August 2009 will be aired on Monday 21st December at 7pm GMT.   You can hear it by clicking on "Listen live" on the top right of the page here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pf3tf

Industrial Clingfilm

I was at my beauty salon getting eyebrow and lip waxing today (the joys of middle age eh? ) After the waxing I pondered on what treatment I would have next (I try to pamper myself once a month). A friend recently had a body vitamin moisturising treatment that she recommended so I asked about this. Kim, the beauty therapist, said that you get this lotion put on your body and then they cover it up with clingfilm - then she added, "..... Industrial sized clingfilm." Well I know I'm not exactly svelte, but industrial sized clingfilm!!! I just thought it was so funny and said. "I'll need that!" Kim was too polite and professional to agree LOL. So I booked an appointment next month to get wrapped in industrial sized clingfilm and be thoroughly moisturised and emerge a new woman!

Bono Versus Morrissey

There was a good article in The Guardian today comparing Bono with Morrissey. I’ve always been baffled by the adoration heaped on Morrissey, as the article says, yes his music is ok, but why do people fawn over him yet rip Bono to pieces? Don’t get me wrong, I know Bono is his own worst enemy sometimes, but we all know his heart is in the right place when it comes to helping the disadvantaged and he gives the most precious thing he has to that cause – his time. He doesn’t whinge, he knows his celebrity is ridiculous sometimes, but he uses the publicity fame gives him to help others. Still people like Morrissey are lauded and Bono is viciously attacked, strange. I think the article is well written and gives a balanced view, and I wholehearedly agree with it. Read the article here .

Holidays and U2 in Q

I’m feeling good today, got my first payday for my job, great to have that extra money.  Also I’ve got a few trips planned for next year – I’m always a bit antsy when I’ve no holidays planned as has been for the last few months.  In February I’m off to Dublin for a few days with Debbi, it’s been quite a while since either of us has been there so it’ll be great to go to our fave haunts (mainly restaurants!!).  Then in April I’ve got a short trip to Iceland with my cousin Glenys.  We got a real bargain, and it was just one of those chances that was too good to miss, so I raided the savings and we’re going!  Iceland is on my “to do” list so that’s another ticked off (Berlin was one too).  Finally, in August we will be in Germany for a week seeing two U2 gigs and having a holiday too.

I’ve relaxed a little about U2, it wasn’t so much them not playing here on the tour, (after all we got shows last year when some fans so far haven’t seen U2 in their countries) it was moreso the way the whole thing has been handled and I still stand by what I wrote.   Anyway, U2 are in Q Magazine again, there are a few nice new photos and quite a funny and interesting question and answer interview (minus Larry).  My favourite quote is:

Q.  What is the thing Larry moaned about most this century?

B.   Trying to get a good cup of tea in America.  Wars could be fought over that.  Air hostesses have had their doors opened mid-flight.  He takes his tea very, very seriously.

(Larry I must agree with you on that one!) 

Photo Q Magazine