Bono Archives - The Playlist

‘Citizen Penn’ Trailer: New Doc Shows Sean Penn’s Extensive Work To Help People Across The World

Charles Barfield — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 17:22:10 +0000

There are plenty of people that like to make Sean Penn the butt of jokes about how Hollywood stars like to insert themselves into political arguments. The iconic actor has spent years being very outspoken about his views, which definitely can rub people the wrong way. However, as seen in the new documentary, “Citizen Penn,” the actor is also someone that doesn’t just talk about doing the right thing, he’s willing to devote his life to making it happen.

Continue reading ‘Citizen Penn’ Trailer: New Doc Shows Sean Penn’s Extensive Work To Help People Across The World at The Playlist.

Scarlett Johansson Takes ‘The Psychopath Test,’ Ewan McGregor To Direct ‘American Pastoral’ And More

The Playlist Staff — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 19:45:25 +0000

Scarlett Johansson Takes 'The Psychopath Test,' Ewan McGregor To Direct 'American Pastoral' And More

Continue reading Scarlett Johansson Takes ‘The Psychopath Test,’ Ewan McGregor To Direct ‘American Pastoral’ And More at The Playlist.

Liam Neeson And Bono Are Writing A Movie Script Together

The Playlist Staff — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 14:40:00 +0000

Liam Neeson And Bono Are Writing A Movie Script Together

Continue reading Liam Neeson And Bono Are Writing A Movie Script Together at The Playlist.

Bono & The Edge To Score Pixar’s ‘Brave’?

Christopher Bell — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:28:00 +0000

Bleeding Cool has reported that Bono and possibly The Edge are writing music for Pixar’s “Brave” (formerly titled “The Bear and the Bow”). A little more digging brought us to The Pixar Blog, which combined a bunch of Pixar tweets to come up with the hypothesis of Bono writing music/doing a song for this new, female-led Scottish Pixar film. However, nothing is confirmed, and it seems like an awful lot of presumptions.

It says that Bono is writing music for a Pixar film that is most likely “Brave,” he may be working with the Edge because he’s done previous non-band projects with him, and that the news isn’t officially confirmed by any means but seems reasonably solid.

Continue reading Bono & The Edge To Score Pixar’s ‘Brave’? at The Playlist.

Lance Bangs And Spike Jonze Reunite For AIDS Documentary ‘The Lazarus Effect’

Simon Dang — Sun, 16 May 2010 07:01:00 +0000

Filmmaker Spike Jonze and documentarian Lance Bangs have evidently reunited for a documentary on the AIDS epidemic in Africa titled “The Lazarus Effect,” funded by Bono and Bobby Shriver’s (Red) initiative.

The 30-minute film follows the stories of four HIV+ sufferers in Zambia as they go through the transformative life-saving antiretroviral medicine, which costs a mere 40 cents a day but helps bring sufferers of the disease back to life. The feature was shot last year on three separate trips to Africa by Bangs, adamant on letting “the people speak for themselves, rather than have a lot of earnest Western talking heads.” Bangs is directing the picture with Jonze only executive producing due to his commitment to “Where The Wild Things Are.”

“I had lost friends and teachers to Aids and Aids-related illnesses, but at least in the West the drugs are available,” Bangs explained.

Continue reading Lance Bangs And Spike Jonze Reunite For AIDS Documentary ‘The Lazarus Effect’ at The Playlist.

Paramount International Are ‘Killing Bono’ (In A Movie)

Oliver Lyttelton — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:41:00 +0000

Aside from a cameo in Wim Wenders’ “Million Dollar Hotel” and a strange appearance looking almost identical to Robin Williams in “Across the Universe,” U2 frontman Bono has thankfully refrained from any major acting ambitions. But with the upcoming comedy “Killing Bono,” he’s set to be the center of a movie for the first time.

Based on British music journalist Neil McCormick’s memoir “I Was Bono’s Doppleganger,” “Killing Bono” follows Neil and Ivan McCormick (Ben Barnes, from “Prince Caspian,” and Robert Sheehan), two brothers who form a band together, but are consistently overshadowed by their classmates, who go on to form U2.

Continue reading Paramount International Are ‘Killing Bono’ (In A Movie) at The Playlist.

U2 Biopic ‘Killing Bono’ Starts Filming Next Week

Kevin Jagernauth — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Remember when U2 wasn’t selling iPods, Blackberrys, pretending to save the planet and hiding their earnings in offshore accounts? Those early, much more glorious days will be the subject of a new film, “Killing Bono” based on the memoir by Neil McCormick. In the book, McCormick tells the story of U2’s rise to stardom from the sidelines. He was a schoolmate and friend of Bono, who struggled to nearly a decade to match the success of U2 and failed miserably.

Continue reading U2 Biopic ‘Killing Bono’ Starts Filming Next Week at The Playlist.

The Spike Jonze/U2 Music Video With Jim Carrey That Might Have Been…

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:17:00 +0000

This one pretty much speaks for itself and yes, while we love Spike Jonze, we’re kind of glad this one didn’t happen.

Bono: I kind of always knew, actually. Yeah. [Spike] pitched an idea… [laughs] I’ll tell you this just as I go. He didn’t know I was calling him, I called him in his car because I had heard he was on his way to Warner Bros. I called him up as Bugs Bunny.

Continue reading The Spike Jonze/U2 Music Video With Jim Carrey That Might Have Been… at The Playlist.

Original ‘Brüno’ Ending Climaxed With Gay Bashing Scene?

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:38:00 +0000

We hate to give The Wrap’s National Inquirer-style reporting any ink or credence, but perhaps their articles that said Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Brüno” was softened and made more “gay friendly” were somewhere on the money? Then again, their reports were revealed to be nothing more than printing random emails, but still, this one can’t be overlooked.

Movieline is reporting that the original ending of Brüno featured a “brutal gay bashing played out for laughs.”

Apparently a cut screened in February to industry people was far more biting than the tame, “We Are The World”- esque singalong with celebrities like Bono and Coldplay’s Chris Martin that now closes out the film — which we singled out as being a “toothless and with-a-whimpering conclusion” in our review.The film does feature a cage-match UFC championship scenes, which we’ve discussed at length, and evidently the film ended shortly after that moment in the Feb cut.

Continue reading Original ‘Brüno’ Ending Climaxed With Gay Bashing Scene? at The Playlist.

Evan Rachel Wood Tries To Tame Bono’s Pretentiousness On ‘Spider-Man’ Musical

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:16:00 +0000

We missed this the first time. Evan Rachel Wood trying to mollify Bono’s humorlessness when writing music for Julie Taymor’s “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark,” Broadway musical. Funny…

“Bono and the Edge are doing the music. It was hysterical, I got to do the workshop, sit down with them playing guitars going over the music, and I was making jokes going, watch by the end of this, I’ll be telling them what to do.

Continue reading Evan Rachel Wood Tries To Tame Bono’s Pretentiousness On ‘Spider-Man’ Musical at The Playlist.

‘Brüno’ Is Mostly Forgettable, Without Sharp, Satircial Bite

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:20:00 +0000

Considering just how uproariously funny and excruciatingly outrageous the footage of “Brüno” that screened at SXSW was — not to mention how it went over with audiences; like a carpetbomb of positive blog buzz — it’s almost shocking to discover just how tame and forgettable the laughs of the final film product are.

While frequently diverting, marginally amusing and occasionally just plain funny, “Brüno” also contains ephemeral laughs that do not possess the hysterically subversive or arresting qualities hinted at in Austin back in March.

Continue reading ‘Brüno’ Is Mostly Forgettable, Without Sharp, Satircial Bite at The Playlist.

Alan Cumming To Play Green Goblin In ‘Spider-Man’ Musical

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:15:00 +0000

Remember the Julie Taymor-directed “Spider-Man” musical that will hit Broadway sometime in 2010 (unless there’s more delays) and will star Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane?

Well, actor Alan Cumming has joined the cast as the Green Goblin, the role played in the Sam Raimi film by Willem Dafoe. U2’s Bono and The Edge are still doing the music. We’re hoping this is a glorious fiasco to remember for the ages.

This musical is now officially titled, “Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark.” Preview performances begin February 25, 2010 and the opening date will be announced after.

Continue reading Alan Cumming To Play Green Goblin In ‘Spider-Man’ Musical at The Playlist.

U2 Says ‘Spiderman’ Like Every Rock N’ Roll Star’s Story When Discussing Upcoming Broadway Musical

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:06:00 +0000

Man, Bono from U2 comes across so bloody pretentious in this U2Place.com clip about Julie Taymor’s upcoming “Spiderman Turn Off The Dark” musical.

“We were open to the idea of musical theater,” Bono says in measured, trying to import gravitas tenor. “But ‘Spiderman,’ [pause for affect] that’s a different thing again, because that’s comic books, which has a whole series of relationships between punk rock and comic books, that goes back years. but to mess with all these different aspects of pop culture and put ’em in a blender and see what comes out…”

“Every rock n’ roll star probably started out as the geek who was bullied in school and eventually there form of revenge was to right songs…” says The Edge, trying desperately to make some sort of correlation or parallel between rockers and Peter Parker yet without bringing up any Spider-Man example (his revenge was accidentally being bit by a radio active spider and then turning into crime fighter?

Continue reading U2 Says ‘Spiderman’ Like Every Rock N’ Roll Star’s Story When Discussing Upcoming Broadway Musical at The Playlist.

U2, Coldplay And Village People For Brüno Film? Bad April Fool’s Joke? Or Just Typically Shitty U.K. Tabloid Journalism?

Simon Dang — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:40:00 +0000

Numerous British tabloids are reporting that Sacha Baron Cohen has apparently recruited U2 and Coldplay frontmen, Bono and Chris Martin, for a mock single in promotion of his upcoming film, “Brüno.”

As it is April 1st though, this reeks of an April Fool’s joke, however it’s also ironic that it reads pretty much exactly like the daily reporting spat out by British tabloids like the Daily Mail, the Mirror, etc.

It’s almost sad that you can’t really spot a difference.

Continue reading U2, Coldplay And Village People For Brüno Film? Bad April Fool’s Joke? Or Just Typically Shitty U.K. Tabloid Journalism? at The Playlist.

‘Spider-Man’ Musical Finally Sees The Light Of Day

Gabe Toro — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:32:00 +0000

“Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark,” the highly anticipated Spider-Man musical, has an opening day- February 10th, 2010. Many thought this momentous day would never come- budget overruns and postponements made it sound as if the project, directed by Julie Taymor with music from U2’s Bono and The Edge, was doomed from the start. A plot synopsis was revealed…

“The musical follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down—literally—when he’s bitten by a genetically altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to his bedroom ceiling.

Continue reading ‘Spider-Man’ Musical Finally Sees The Light Of Day at The Playlist.

Evan Rachel Wood Steps Into Mary Jane for Spidey on Broadway

astrudsands — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:02:00 +0000

There are so many potentially disastrous elements to this story that we hardly know where to begin. Evan Rachel Wood, noted indie actress and former Marilyn Manson paramour, has reported herself that she has signed on to star in director Julie Taymor’s Broadway adaptation of “Spider-Man.” In fact, the show will apparently actually be called Spider-Man: The Musical (insert reflexive eye-roll here). You’ll recall that Wood and Taymor worked together on “Across the Universe” – the Beatles musical movie that got mixed reviews in 2007.

Continue reading Evan Rachel Wood Steps Into Mary Jane for Spidey on Broadway at The Playlist.

Pools Of Sorrow And Waves of Joy: Reviewers Mixed On ‘Across The Universe’

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:20:00 +0000

Julie Taymor’s paean to the tumultuous ’60s via the music of the Beatles – “Across the Universe” – hits theaters this weekend and reviews are decidedly mixed.

In the film, U2’s Bono plays the character Dr. Robert in the film and sings “I Am the Walrus” and “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” Joe Cocker sings “Come Together” in three different guises–pimp, homeless man and hippie, and Eddie Izzard portrays circus ringleader Mr.

Continue reading Pools Of Sorrow And Waves of Joy: Reviewers Mixed On ‘Across The Universe’ at The Playlist.

Bono Sings “I Am The Walrus” As Dr. Robert In “Across The Universe”

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:03:00 +0000

We like Julie Taymore and everything (“Frida” was actually pretty great), but how awful is this thing going to be? Extra (barf) has the first look at Bono in the Beatles musical film, “Across The Universe” (gotta love the gratuitous and random Salma Hayek as the “sexy nurse” mention in this piece).

Continue reading Bono Sings “I Am The Walrus” As Dr. Robert In “Across The Universe” at The Playlist.

Soundtrack Wrap: Bono, Eddie Vedder, Cate Blanchett Warns “I’m Not There Fans”

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:14:00 +0000

The Soundtrack to the Julie Taymor directed Beatles sing along, “Across The Universe,” is due via Interscope on September 18. 33 Beatles songs are used in the film as the backdrop to the ’60s counter-culture political tulmult, including “All My Loving,” “Let It Be,” “Something,” “Oh Darling,” “Helter Skelter,” “Strawberry Fields,” “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” and “Hey Jude.”

U2’s Bono plays the character Dr. Robert in the film and sings “I Am the Walrus” and “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” Joe Cocker sings “Come Together” in three different guises–pimp, homeless man and hippie, and Eddie Izzard portrays circus ringleader Mr.

Continue reading Soundtrack Wrap: Bono, Eddie Vedder, Cate Blanchett Warns “I’m Not There Fans” at The Playlist.