The Paul Stafford Foundation Lunch took place at La Stampa Hotel recently and The Dining Room was packed to capacity for this now annual event. The Paul Stafford Foundation was established in 2007 to raise awareness and address the serious issue of suicide in Ireland. This year’s lunch was in aid of Walk in my Shoes, a campaign led by U2’s Adam Clayton which helps raise the much needed funds for young people with mental health issues or those suffering with depression.
U2 manager Paul McGuinness will open U2: 1978-81 at the Little Museum this Thursday, May 10th(the exhibit will remain open until September 2nd.)The exhibition, which is sponsored by Jagermeister, features 32 rare early photographs of U2. It’s the first time that the collection has ever been exhibited, and the show is the subject of massive international interest.
U2: 1978-1981 reveals the early U2 as a tight but restless unit – future icons but also teenagers mucking around. The photographs were taken by Dubliner Patrick Brocklebank, who worked as a graphic artist and photographer in the 1970s. “Because I was always in town,” recalls Brocklebank, “and because we were the same age, I’d often see U2 around the place. The show records the energy and ambition of a local band that would later conquer the world.”
Mucking around in Trinity College or gigging in the Project, these images reveal the relentless surge of a band on the rise. Pots, guns and paintings are used as props, and Bono proves himself a serial scene-stealer. “Paul [Bono] couldn’t play guitar,” recalls Brocklebank, “and he wasn’t much of a singer, but he had that certain something: the swagger and stage presence that would later make U2 a household name.” The Irish times shows a slideshow of some of the pics in the exhibition, here: U2 1978 - 1981 http://www.littlemuseum.ie/ http://www.irishtimes.com
"A Freak Like Me Needs Company" from Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark has been nominated for "Favorite Song" in Broadway.com's annual Audience Choice Awards. The musical has three other nominations: Jennifer Damiano (Favorite Actress In A Musical), Patrick Page (Favorite Funny Performance) and Reeve Carney (Favorite Breakthrough Performance). The awards are voted on entirely by the general public. Voting is open until 11:59 p.m EDT on May 9.
'Toast To Freedom' an exclusive commemorative song dedicated to human rights activism around the world and performed by nearly 50 artists, is released today by Amnesty International.
Written by music veterans Carl Carlton and Larry Campbell, performers include Levon Helm, Kris Kristofferson, Carly Simon, Angelique Kidjo, Ewan McGregor, Donald Fagen, Warren Haynes, Keb Mo, Eric Burdon, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Rosanne Cash and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
'Amnesty should have their very own song to sing in happy times and in struggling times.' says Carlton. 'To celebrate both small and monumental victories, to comfort loss and overcome pain.'
The track, released to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, is available for purchase online worldwide and proceeds will benefit Amnesty International. Read more about how the song came together here.
'Toast To Freedom' was inspired by Carlton, a longtime supporter of Amnesty International, who teamed up with entrepreneur Jochen Wilms and Art for Amnesty founder Bill Shipsey, longtime collaborator with U2 in their work with Amnesty International.
The basic tracks were recorded at the legendary Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y, and following Helms death on April 19, Wilms said: 'Levon was one great soul. I am so grateful we got to work with him, his outstanding band and team in his barn in Woodstock. He was an inspiration and our muse. The song “Toast To Freedom” is dedicated to Amnesty International but in a certain way is now a 'Toast To Levon' and a celebration for him as well: Truth, heart and soul were always part of Levon’s DNA and are the essential basis of Amnesty International and our project. We will miss him and love him forever.'
Visit the Toast To Freedom website. Buy the song from iTunes.
As part of its 10th Annual Build a Well for Bono's Birthday Fundraiser, the African Well Fund is auctioning drawings by celebrities including George Clooney, Elvis Costello and Anton Corbijn to raise money to fund a water, sanitation and hygiene project in Burkina Faso that will be implemented by African Well Fund partner Africare and aims to create a healthy environment for 257 schoolchildren. The auction will run May 5-12 on eBay.
"Bono has inspired so many people to care about Africa and its people, not just U2 fans like us, but also his many famous friends and fans," said Abbey Fisher, doodle project coordinator. "We wanted to do something special to honor Bono and celebrate the 10th Annual Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraiser, so our board president, Rob Trigalet, had a great idea for us to ask Bono's celebrity friends and fans to draw a doodle, either of Bono or of an image reflecting his work throughout the African continent. We have gotten a great response, and I am thrilled with the doodles we've received so far from celebrities like George Clooney, Elvis Costello and Anton Corbijn. It shows us that people really want to help those who go without clean water and sanitation on a daily basis, and it's a great opportunity to reach new supporters for our lifesaving projects."
From World Water Day, March 22nd, through Bono's birthday, May 10th, AWF is inviting U2 fans and others who are inspired by Bono's tireless activism on behalf of Africa to make a donation through the organization's website in honor of his 52nd birthday. AWF is also raising funds by selling limited-edition prints through its website and T-shirts through its Zazzle store. All donors are invited to add their names and birthday wishes to a card on the African Well Fund website that will be sent to Bono in care of Principle Management.
For more information on the Burkina Faso project, click here.
Donations from the nine previous Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraisers have totaled more than $213,000 and have been used to fund clean water and sanitation projects implemented by AWF partner Africare to benefit more than 56,000 people in Angola, Benin, Liberia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
An unreleased acoustic version of "Original Of The Species" is now available on the compilation CD
Every Mother Counts 2012 at Starbucks coffee shop locations in Canada and the United States. The disc supports Christy Turlington Burns' organization, Every Mother Counts. it can be bought at a Starbucks, or you can order it through Starbucks' website.
Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark received two nominations for the American Theatre Wing's annual Tony Awards. The nominations were for George Tsypin (Best Scenic Design Of A Musical) and for Eiko Ishioka (Best Costume Design Of A Musical). Tony Awards are on June 10 and will be broadcast on CBS.
