February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Eileen Murphy
People – or, rather, journalists (who are quite different from regular people in that most can type with three fingers while juggling two phone calls and a hamburger) – are still buzzing about U2’s money problems. Of course, depending on who you talk to (or to whom you talk, if you wanna get all grammatical), the band is either rolling in dough or gnashing their pearly whites over alleged business losses. Whatever.
This week’s Sunday Independent examines the question on two levels. Reporter Stephen Dodd notes that the band has mastered the three areas in which rock bands usually make money: “the sale of tours, tunes and T-shirts.” In addition, he notes, the band’s back catalog is a huge money spinner, with 1987’s “Joshua Tree” selling 104,000 units in the U.S. this year, compared with 45,000 copies of “Pop” in the same period. It’s also interesting to note respectable sales of the “War” album (44,000), “Rattle and Hum” (43,000) and “Achtung, Baby” (40,000).
Dodd also discusses U2’s involvement in a number of charitable causes, and the public-relations problems caused by the band’s more practical financial interests. Gossip about their investments in bowling alleys and laser-shooting galleries, and rumors of a management shakeup, contrast rather unpleasantly with the band’s often-stated philanthropic ideals.
Dodd writes, “Bono, with a liberal credibility to protect, can hardly be pleased with such gossip of infighting. The stories, with statistics of profit at their heart, hint at the financial interests of small group of musicians who already possess so much more than those whose causes they claim to espouse. Post-Sarajevo; post-peace process; post-Greenpeace activism; U2 will be turning the pages with alarm.”
Meryl’s “Dancing” for Ireland
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The long-awaited film version of Brian Friel’s Broadway smash “Dancing at Lughnasa” will have its world premiere in Ireland next month. The film, produced by impresario Noel Pearson, stars Oscar winner Meryl Streep, Catherine McCormack, Michael Gambon and Sophie Thompson.
The gala opening, on Sept. 23, will take place at Dublin’s Savoy Cinema on O’Connell Street, and there naturally be a swanky party afterward in Dublin Castle. The affair will benefit the Barrattstown Gang Camp in Kildare, which was founded by Streep’s fellow Hollywood star Paul Newman.
The movie will open in the U.S. in November, in plenty of time for Oscar consideration. And with Streep’s track record – she won Academy Awards for her performances in “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “Sophie’s Choice” – there’s a strong possibility of a three-peat.
Celebrity housing crunch in Ireland
We’re warning you now – keep an eye on all impressionable husbands, sons and brothers throughout the land. Sexy screen siren Sharon Stone has set her sights on the Emerald Isle, and is determined to follow her basic (nesting) instinct.
The newly married actress has reportedly been house hunting throughout Ireland these past few months. Now she’s found the house of her dreams – in Carlingford, near Dundalk. The wealthy Stone has reportedly paid _250,000 for the stately pile of bricks, which is located on the south side of town. Not for Stone the wealthy ghetto of Killiney. In Carlingford, she’ll get to mix with regular folks, just like fellow star Angela Lansbury does down in Cork.
By the way – Stone is not the only celeb looking for her own pile of bricks in Ireland. We hear that Posh Spice, Victoria Adams, is duking it out with equally spicy tenor Luciano Pavarotti. The object of their affections? A $10 million mansion in Ireland.
The New York Post reports that Adams, known for her Gucci skirts and haughty demeanor, has an edge over the opera star. Apparently, Posh is buddies with the seller’s daughter. See, it’s always who you know . . .
Master of his domain
Well, it certainly didn’t live up to the hype; it was almost painfully brief and only mildly amusing. No, we’re not talking about Monica’s reminiscences with the grand jury – although if the shoe fits, etc. – we’re talking about Jerry Seinfeld’s hot ticket Broadway show.
The standup comedian-turned-sitcom star (not that there’s anything wrong with that) took New York by storm last week as fans were rumored to pay up to $1,500 a ticket to savor his wry views on life. Of course, our mommy didn’t raise any stupid children, so we stayed home and caught the act for free on Sunday night, courtesy of cable channel HBO. Which is just as well – it would have taken us longer to travel to the theater than to sit through the 60-minute act.
Though critics reviewing the show were rather lukewarm, the opening act, Irish comic Kevin Meaney, got kind words from all. We hear his best bit was a duet with a Frank Sinatra recording, “The Coffee Song (They’ve Got an Awful Lot of Coffee in Brazil).” Which leads directly into our next item . . .
Coffee talk for Cara
Flipping channels over the weekend, we happened to catch a Folger’s Coffee commercial that has an Irish twist. Titled “A Dancer’s Morning,” it stars Cara Butler, who’s been touring with The Chieftains along with fellow dancer Donny Golden.
The beautiful, red-haired Butler, sister of original “Riverdance” star Jean, is shown waking up to a sun-drenched morning, quaffing a cup of Folgers, and dancing up a storm with some other dancers. (No doubt aided by the dose of caffeine!) More power to them. We could drink a gallon of coffee and still be too groggy to walk a straight line.
Something’s cooking . . .
Having made his mark in the highly competitive New York restaurant world, Donegal-born Conrad Gallagher has become something of a phenom in Dublin. A former chef at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, the 27-year-old Gallagher has opened three eateries in the Fair City: Lloyd’s, Christopher’s and the Michelin-starred Peacock Alley.
It’s not unusual . . .
Well, we thought we’d seen everything a few years back when curly-haired, swivel-hipped Tom Jones was donning Ray Bans and covering Prince songs like “Kiss.” But the Welsh crooner with the tight britches is just chock full of surprises. After deciding to try his luck as an actor, he landed a part in Anjelica Huston’s current film project, “The Mammy.”
Jones, who’s best known for posing the musical question, “Why, why, why, Delilah?” is staying in Dublin’s venerable Shelbourne Hotel while he films his scenes. According to news reports, he’s spent some of his time in front of the cameras “surrounded by hundreds of extras in 60s gear – kinky boots, hot pants, that sort of thing.” Which must give Jones a feeling of deja vu all over again. (We’re wondering if Anjelica was a fan in her youth . . .)
Concert venue un-Moored
Millionaire businessman Harry Crosbie, who numbers among his possessions the Point Depot and a stake in U2’s Clarence Hotel, is going ahead with construction of the concert venue he had originally planned to build with singer Christy Moore.
What should have been the Christy Moore Center for the Performing Arts has temporarily been redubbed the Baby Point (the official name will be Vicar Street). Crosbie says he’s mystified at Moore’s sudden pullout, which followed the singer’s retirement announcement earlier this year.
“It’s a great pity because we had been working closely on plans for this theater for a number of years. It was Christy’s dream to have his own venue and it would have been great to have his name on it.”