Berlin: U2, Beyonce, Eminem win MTV awards

Beyonce sweeps 2009 MTV Europe Awards

EU-Digest

The Irish band U2 won the Best Live Act prize on Thursday night at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards, after playing a sold-out free concert at Berlin's dramatic Brandenburg Gate setting to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as part of the awards' return to the German capital for the first time in 15 years. The other winners were Beyonce (Best Female), whose Single Ladies won Best Video and Halo took the prize for Best Song; Eminem (Best Male); Tokio Hotel (Best Group); Green Day (Best Rock Band); maNga (Best European Act); Lady Gaga (Best New Act); Jay-Z (Best Urban); Placebo (Best Alternative); Linkin Park (Best World Stage Performance); Pixie Lott (Best Push Artist).

Beyonce put her stamp on the MTV Europe Music Awards. The multi-award winning and talented songstress added three more to her collection after winning Best Female, Best Song for "Halo," and Best Video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" at the awards show in Berlin on Thursday. The singer, is married to rap superstar Jay-Z.

BERLIN: Its show time again - 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards November 5 at 21.00 CET

Coming from Berlin the 2009 MTV Music Awards

EU-Digest

Mark your calendars this week for the 5th of November at 21:00 CET. Watch the LIVE 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards hosted, by Katy Perry and featuring highly anticipated performances from Tokio Hotel, Green Day, Leona Lewis, Shakira, Foo Fighters, Jay-Z and U2. The show is also going to include the exclusive MTV 2009 EMA: All Access backstage show will be presented by Pete Wentz. That means that this is the only place you can watch Pete as he hangs out with the EMA stars before and after they hit the stage!

Free U2 MTV Europe Music Awards performance at Berlin Brandenburg Gate celebrating fall of Berlin Wall

EU-Digest

Free U2 MTV Europe Music Awards performance at Berlin Brandenburg Gate celebrating fall of Berlin Wall

U2 will perform in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate next Thursday, November 5, as part of the 16th MTV Europe Music Awards. The performance is also intended to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, which fell in 1989. U2 were based in Berlin for the recording of Achtung Baby in 1990. "It'll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down," said U2's manager, Paul McGuinness. The actual anniversary of the fall of the Wall is November 9, a date which will be marked by many celebrations in Germany.

The actual MTV Europe Music Awards will be held at the 02 World in Berlin on November 5, 2009, and will be broadcast live on MTV at 21.00 CET in the following countries: Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. For additional details on the MTV Europe Music Awards click on this link.

Telegraph.co.uk: Church of England attempts to broaden appeal with songs by U2 and prayers for Google - by Jonathan Wynne-Jones

For the complete report from the Telegraph click on this link

Church of England attempts to broaden appeal with songs by U2 and prayers for Google - by Jonathan Wynne-Jones

Christian services that feature DJs, songs of the Irish band U2 and prayers for the chief executives of Google and Wal-Mart are being promoted by the Church of England. The ideas for alternative-style worship are part of an initiative launched by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to appeal to the younger generation. They are set out in a new book compiled by the Church's Fresh Expressions programme, which aims to boost church attendance with more relevant and exciting services.

One Holy Communion service promoted in the book, called Ancient Faith, Future Mission, begins with the congregation being shown a video clip from the YouTube website about a United Nations anti-poverty campaign. Worshippers are told that "our planet is messed up" and that "things are not right". A psalm is recited in "beat poetry" style to the accompaniment of African Djembe drums, and prayers are said "for the corporate world, for influential CEOs who oversee billion-dollar industries". The prayers go like: "We pray for John Chambers of Cisco Systems, Bill Gates of Microsoft, Dr Eric Schmidt of Google Inc, H Lee Scott Jr of Wal-Mart Stores and others who have already made commitments to justice." However, traditionalists have criticised the unorthodox services as "pointless" and "shallow", and have warned that experimenting with Church tradition would do more harm than good.

Rolling Stone: Inside U2's Plans to Rock Stadiums Around the Globe - by Brian Hiatt

For the complete report from the Rolling Stone click on this link

Inside U2's Plans to Rock Stadiums Around the Globe - by Brian Hiatt

Toward the end of U2's last tour, in November 2006, longtime show director Willie Williams presented the band with sketches of a four-legged monster — a massive structure with speakers mounted on each side that would allow the group to play stadium shows in the round. On the new U2 360° Tour, which hits the U.S. beginning September 12th, in Chicago (and kicks off in Barcelona, on June 30th), Williams' vision will finally come to life. "The band is just sitting in the palm of the audience's hand," says Williams. "It really works." Adds Bono, "It creates this real physical proximity to the crowd." With 120 trucks needed just to cart the stage around, the tour will be U2's most expensive ever — the band will defray costs in part by taking on a corporate sponsor for the first time, BlackBerry. (Conscious of its environmental impact, the group will be purchasing carbon offsets.)

BBC NEWS: U2 confirm plans to tour Europe

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U2 confirm plans to tour Europe

Irish rock band U2 have confirmed plans to tour Europe this summer. The tour will open at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium on 30 June and will visit 13 other cities, including London, Sheffield, Glasgow, Dublin and Paris.The tour is the band's first stadium outing since since the Vertigo Tour in 2005 and follows the release of their acclaimed album, No Line On The Horizon.