(09-27-2005) Bono and Izzard Take on Beatles Film - contactmusic*

[HelloAngel]

BONO AND IZZARD TAKE ON BEATLES FILM



U2 rocker BONO and transvestite funnyman EDDIE IZZARD are set to star alongside EVAN RACHEL WOOD in new musical ACROSS THE UNIVERSE - a movie plotted around songs by THE BEATLES.

The film will chart the adventures of a young British man who heads to America during the Vietnam war in search of his father.

And Bono, who sang alongside SIR PAUL McCARTNEY at the Live 8 charity extravaganza, is keen to make his acting debut in the film.

THE AVENGERS star Izzard, is similarly excited about the project which has been created by the writers of 1980s British TV hit AUF WIEDERSEHEN PET.


http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/bono and izzard take on beatles film

 

[Shade]

Wow, this sounds like a new SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND in the making. If it's even true. Sounds like a joke.

 

[beau2ifulday]

I was aware Evan Rachel Wood was due to star in this, and wasn't enthralled by the storyline. But Bono and Eddie Izzard too?

 

[Shade]

Holy crap, this is real?? Well, I'm sure if Bono's supposed to be in it, he'll end up dropping out because he's busy touring or writing or saving the world.

Remember when he was supposed to have Michael Wincott's role in STRANGE DAYS? I always wondered if he dropped out because he was busy, or because he didn't want his image identified with a scumbag record producer who has his brains blown out on camera.

In any event, nobody should be allowed to sing Across The Universe after Fiona Apple's version from the PLEASANTVILLE soundtrack. She nailed it.

 

[Lo-Fi]

Don't do it Bono! rock stars that become actors is a recipe for disastar.

 

[Shade]

Don't do it Bono! rock stars that become actors is a recipe for disastar.

What are you talking about? Jon Bon Jovi was awesome in VAMPIRES: LOS MUERTOS!

 

[ShellBeThere]

how very intriguing!

The key word though here for this rumoured possible acting debut is *musical*, no?

I mean, it's still not a very common form these days, and it would be cool to see new uses of it (this is coming from someone who thought Moulin Rouge was stunning).
My ignorance is vast...what else has Evan Rachel Wood done? And why isn't Ewan McGregor in it if it's a musical?!

Wonder what part in such a story Bono would play...I suppose it would be hard to throw off what everyone knows about him, to get folks to suspend disbelief as it were for a fiction. But it would have to be easier in a musical format I'd imagine.. Or especially if his character was left somewhat enigmatic or separate.

cheers all!

 

[forty]

... I have a really bad feeling about this.

 

[ShellBeThere]

wasn't there a recent rumour about how Bono was going to produce or to write or something a script about an irish guy traveling to vegas to find his long-lost now-loungesinger or drinking gambler dad or some such?! am i hallucinating that?

 

[biff]

wasn't there a recent rumour about how Bono was going to produce or to write or something a script about an irish guy traveling to vegas to find his long-lost now-loungesinger or drinking gambler dad or some such?! am i hallucinating that?

No, you're not hallucinating. It's to be called "A Version of Las Vegas", and Bono's working on the script with U2's old pal Barry Devlin.

 

[Shade]

I have a feeling a Bono script would be a disaster no matter who he's working with. Judging by MDH, and now this (rather trite-sounding) Vegas lounge singer idea, it seems like he's writing movies for people who hang out with him and understand his existence. He's been breathing rarified air for so long, I think he probably has very little idea what a regular person can actually relate to in a movie theater.

It's like this thing on Fuse where he's supposedly bumbling around in a grocery store because he hasn't been in one for decades. How's a guy who's actually forgotten how to buy unprepared food ever going to write a script that's going to connect with the 99% of the people in the world that aren't famous? I think his career and lifestyle have likely ruined him for movies, or novels, or whatever.

 

[biff]

I have a feeling a Bono script would be a disaster no matter who he's working with. Judging by MDH, and now this (rather trite-sounding) Vegas lounge singer idea, it seems like he's writing movies for people who hang out with him and understand his existence. He's been breathing rarified air for so long, I think he probably has very little idea what a regular person can actually relate to in a movie theater.

It's like this thing on Fuse where he's supposedly bumbling around in a grocery store because he hasn't been in one for decades. How's a guy who's actually forgotten how to buy unprepared food ever going to write a script that's going to connect with the 99% of the people in the world that aren't famous? I think his career and lifestyle have likely ruined him for movies, or novels, or whatever.

Sorry, but what crap. He's seen way more of real life than most of us ever will.
Yes, 99% of the people in the world are not famous, but a huge proportion of those 99% have never even seen a supermarket, and can't even imagine the obscene plenty that they display. I don't think he's out of touch with the world's reality, which is that we priviledged people do not represent the world's "regular person", whatever that really means. Why assume this script will be a "disaster"? I don't see Bono as someone who has been breathing "rarified air" for too long; is that what spending time in the Third World seeing death up close actually means? Sorry if that's harsh, but he's hardly the classic spoiled celebrity.

 

[Carek1230]

I say it's brilliant

 

[beli]

Has anyone seen that short film about looking for Bono in Dublin? The film featured Alexandria (sp?) McGuiness. Bono made a short appearance in the film, purchasing a scarf. And he was,umm,

 

[Shade]

Sorry, but what crap. He's seen way more of real life than most of us ever will.
Yes, 99% of the people in the world are not famous, but a huge proportion of those 99% have never even seen a supermarket, and can't even imagine the obscene plenty that they display. I don't think he's out of touch with the world's reality, which is that we priviledged people do not represent the world's "regular person", whatever that really means. Why assume this script will be a "disaster"? I don't see Bono as someone who has been breathing "rarified air" for too long; is that what spending time in the Third World seeing death up close actually means? Sorry if that's harsh, but he's hardly the classic spoiled celebrity.

You don't see Bono as out of touch with the working man because you're clearly obsessed with him and can't bear to see him criticized in any fashion. The truth is, the guy IS a spoiled celebrity, he hasn't had a real job in decades, and is usually the first to admit it - ESPECIALLY when he's talking about Third World poverty. He may visit war-torn and famine-stricken places, but, he still has a private jet to whisk him back to his manor so he can hang out with movie stars and supermodels and a gaggle of yes-men who tell him his screenwriting is brilliant. And, did you actually see MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL, Biff? Calling it a "disaster" is being too nice. His gift is songwriting, not screenwriting.

 

[Schmeg]

I don't see anywhere in this article where Bono is WRITING the musical, just performing in it, so I don't think we have to start freaking out about what a crap script it will be if he has anything to do with it.

Also, Bono initially agrees to a lot of things like this that never actually happen...starring roles in movies, duets with J-Lo...so who knows if this will happen.

And hasn't Contact Music been called basically a tabloid in this forum before?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

 

[ShellBeThere]

Has anyone seen that short film about looking for Bono in Dublin? The film featured Alexandria (sp?) McGuiness. Bono made a short appearance in the film, purchasing a scarf. And he was,umm,

so, then, this Across The Universe project wouldn't be his debut!
Or do cameos not count?
So, how did he fuck up purchasing a scarf? Did he eye the camera oddly, zootv style? I'm gonna have to look this one up!
And like Bono would be the first person writing a script about searching for something in Vegas...how that qualifies as 'rarified' I don't get I must say.
What's this about Bono being puzzled by the supermarket? I get confused there myself I must say, especially by those self-scan stations, but I surely am not a silver-spoon kinda gal!

cheers...

 

[biff]

You don't see Bono as out of touch with the working man because you're clearly obsessed with him and can't bear to see him criticized in any fashion. The truth is, the guy IS a spoiled celebrity, he hasn't had a real job in decades, and is usually the first to admit it - ESPECIALLY when he's talking about Third World poverty. He may visit war-torn and famine-stricken places, but, he still has a private jet to whisk him back to his manor so he can hang out with movie stars and supermodels and a gaggle of yes-men who tell him his screenwriting is brilliant. And, did you actually see MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL, Biff? Calling it a "disaster" is being too nice. His gift is songwriting, not screenwriting.

I'm glad to see you have such keen insight that you're able to analyse my character based on a six sentence comment.
I do respect the guy, as do a lot of people, but obsessed I most certainly am not.
And yes, I did see The Million Dollar Hotel, and I actually quite liked it. I suppose you'll say that makes me psychotic (as opposed to being someone who has an opinion that differs from yours). I still disagree with you, but I wouldn't suggest that makes you deranged.

 

[Shade]

I don't see anywhere in this article where Bono is WRITING the musical, just performing in it, so I don't think we have to start freaking out about what a crap script it will be if he has anything to do with it.

Dude - read before you mediate. Somebody in a previous post stated that Bono was writing a script with Barry Devlin about a guy who goes to Vegas to find his lounge singer father.

 

[beli]

so, then, this Across The Universe project wouldn't be his debut!
Or do cameos not count?
So, how did he fuck up purchasing a scarf? Did he eye the camera oddly, zootv style?

He has a self conscious smirk, the way bad actors (and this includes most people, especially me) often do.

 

[Shade]

Are you an actor, Beli?

 

[Shade]

I'm glad to see you have such keen insight that you're able to analyse my character based on a six sentence comment.
I do respect the guy, as do a lot of people, but obsessed I most certainly am not.
And yes, I did see The Million Dollar Hotel, and I actually quite liked it. I suppose you'll say that makes me psychotic (as opposed to being someone who has an opinion that differs from yours). I still disagree with you, but I wouldn't suggest that makes you deranged.

I don't think you're psychotic, Biff - I think you're a syccophant.

What was so telling from your post was that you started off your defense of Bono with the words "what crap", over some stranger's opinion of Bono's movie output/grasp of the day to day life of the average moviegoer. I really don't think you were looking for a discussion, there - I think you actually thought it was ludicrous that a super-famous guy like Bono might be out of touch when it comes to what people want to see in the movies, when he apparently has to struggle to shop for food like non-famous people do every one to two weeks.

THEN, you had to go and bring all the Third World poverty histrionics into it, to somehow prove that Bono knows everything about life and can do no wrong. That's what syccophants do when they sense that their idols are in jeopardy and feel they need to respond, but have nowhere else to go. But, hey, maybe you're right; maybe Bono really does know more about life than the rest of us because of all the bullet-dodging and dead-baby-cradling he's managed to fit in between recording sessions and touring and vacations in Bali. However, if the guy can't remember how to shop for himself - I'm sorry, but I've got to call his grasp of the working man's life into question. And, the working man is the one who buys movie tickets. At least, that's where my statement lay when you picked it up and ran away with it.

Lastly, I think it's wonderful that you enjoyed MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL. As a fan of Wim Wenders and Bono, I truly envy you that, because, I found it unwatchable and blame them both equally for it. And, the handful of people that I've encountered who have told me they really liked that movie were ultra-touchy syccophantic U2 fans who can't accept that members of the band are capable of doing things that aren't so good. In my quite possibly deranged opinion, that casts you as a syccophant, Biff. Sorry.

 

[beli]

Are you an actor, Beli?

No, no, no. Absolutely not. And I could never be. I have the same selfconscious deer in the headlights look as Bono. I'm sure thats why he wears his sunnies all the time.

 

[Shade]

No, no, no. Absolutely not. And I could never be. I have the same selfconscious deer in the headlights look as Bono. I'm sure thats why he wears his sunnies all the time.

You mean, like the custodian on THE OFFICE who stands in the background and stares at the camera?

My problem whenever I've tried to act - which is the main reason why I don't - is that I end up imitating Harrison Ford, because I grew up on his movies. You can see that a lot in young actors. You can usually tell who they're really big on by their mannerisms.

I was watching that Bruce Willis movie HOSTAGE a couple weeks ago, and one of the young guys that was in it - Ben Foster - basically imitated Brad Dourif through the whole film. Ryan Gosling from THE BELIEVER and THE NOTEBOOK imitates Sean Penn. Brad Renfro imitates Richard Gere, right down to that rapid-blinking thing he does when he's playing angry.

Maybe it's because they're all from the video generation. Your Hackmans and Hoffmans and Pacinos and Newmans and Brandos couldn't watch performances they admired over and over again, so maybe they weren't saturated with the mannerisms and gimmicks of their predecessors. I find it interesting, though.

 

[biff]

I don't think you're psychotic, Biff - I think you're a syccophant.

What was so telling from your post was that you started off your defense of Bono with the words "what crap", over some stranger's opinion of Bono's movie output/grasp of the day to day life of the average moviegoer. I really don't think you were looking for a discussion, there - I think you actually thought it was ludicrous that a super-famous guy like Bono might be out of touch when it comes to what people want to see in the movies, when he apparently has to struggle to shop for food like non-famous people do every one to two weeks.

THEN, you had to go and bring all the Third World poverty histrionics into it, to somehow prove that Bono knows everything about life and can do no wrong. That's what syccophants do when they sense that their idols are in jeopardy and feel they need to respond, but have nowhere else to go. But, hey, maybe you're right; maybe Bono really does know more about life than the rest of us because of all the bullet-dodging and dead-baby-cradling he's managed to fit in between recording sessions and touring and vacations in Bali. However, if the guy can't remember how to shop for himself - I'm sorry, but I've got to call his grasp of the working man's life into question. And, the working man is the one who buys movie tickets. At least, that's where my statement lay when you picked it up and ran away with it.

Lastly, I think it's wonderful that you enjoyed MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL. As a fan of Wim Wenders and Bono, I truly envy you that, because, I found it unwatchable and blame them both equally for it. And, the handful of people that I've encountered who have told me they really liked that movie were ultra-touchy syccophantic U2 fans who can't accept that members of the band are capable of doing things that aren't so good. In my quite possibly deranged opinion, that casts you as a syccophant, Biff. Sorry.

Thanks so much for your pop-psychology anaylsis of me, based on your close examination of my life as displayed through a handful of sentences. If liking Million Dollar Hotel makes me a sycophant then I suspect you don't know the actual meaning of the word. You certainly don't know how to spell it.
I'm not quite sure why you're so worked up and making this so personal. I can assure you your description of me is way off. But you can believe what you want. Hope you enjoy getting grounded through all that shopping with all those authentic working men out there.

 

[Schmeg]

Dude - read before you mediate. Somebody in a previous post stated that Bono was writing a script with Barry Devlin about a guy who goes to Vegas to find his lounge singer father.

Thanks, check profiles before you label, I'm no dude!

You caught me, I missed that one, but once again...that's not what this article is about.

*waits to see if I'm obsessed, a syncophant, or something completely different this time*

 

[Shade]

Thanks so much for your pop-psychology anaylsis of me, based on your close examination of my life as displayed through a handful of sentences.

Free of charge, Biff - my work is pro-Bono!

If liking Million Dollar Hotel makes me a sycophant then I suspect you don't know the actual meaning of the word. You certainly don't know how to spell it.

Ew, spelling corrections. Last refuge of the legless. And, no, you still fit the definition. I looked it up in my Funk & Wagnall's.

I'm not quite sure why you're so worked up and making this so personal.

Actually, you were the one who got a little worked up about me criticizing Bono's ability to write a screenplay that would connect with an audience. All defensive on Bono's behalf, and...::sniff::...so brutally dismissive of what was only my opinion, leading off with "what crap". If other peoples' opinions are sacred, Biff, you break your own rules.

I can assure you your description of me is way off. But you can believe what you want.

I don't have to believe it - I know it. That's why you're still responding to my "pop-psychology" instead of moving on to something more important. Which is kinda fun.

Hope you enjoy getting grounded through all that shopping with all those authentic working men out there.

Oh, man, I think I just figured this out! You can't shop, either!

 

[Shade]

Thanks, check profiles before you label, I'm no dude!

You caught me, I missed that one, but once again...that's not what this article is about.

*waits to see if I'm obsessed, a syncophant, or something completely different this time*

Why would you think I would care what's in your profile? And, comments in the forum are just as valid as the article itself - otherwise, there's point in having a forum.

 

[biff]

I don't have to believe it - I know it. That's why you're still responding to my "pop-psychology" instead of moving on to something more important. Which is kinda fun.

Hmmm... So, if I write a response it's because I pathetically can't let go and move on. But if you write a response, it's because you're right. It's also because you're someone whose arrogance means you must absolutely have the last word. I "know" this about you; it's obvious from your posts.

(By the way, you may have looked up sycophant in the dictionary, but you are still wrong in the way you used it. It means a toady, an ass kisser, someone who flatters a person of influence or power for self gain, a parasite and a hanger-on. Last time I checked, I wasn't a member of someone's entourage.)

Anyway, have fun with this. I know you will.