Guatemala invites U2 and Elton John

Guatemala invites U2 and Elton John to celebrate end of Mayan Era

The Mayan calendar ends on December 21. Will Neil Young, Sting and Bruce Springsteen join in on the festivities in Guatemala City?

David Boddiger | Tico Times

Elton John in Costa Rica on Feb. 3, 2012.

GUATEMALA CITY – The Irish band U2, British singer Elton John and Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, among other musicians, were invited to Guatemala to celebrate the end of the Mayan calendar, on December 21, according to the Culture Ministry.

 The list of invitees also includes Canadian singer Neil Young, English singer Sting, Armenian metal group System of a Down and U.S. superstars Bruce Springsteen and Janet Jackson.

 The ministry stated “world leaders, thinkers, philosophers, scientists” are invited to the “World Summit for Humanity” on December 21.

 “That day marks the conclusion of the Grand Cycle of the Mayan calendar – called 13 B'aktun – and the beginning of a new era of 5,200 years,” explained Culture Minister Carlos Batzin.

 Others happen to believe that the end of the calendar marks the end of the world.

 The Guatemalan government, Mexican producer Raúl Julia-Levy, Guatemalan writer Carlos Barrios and Mayan spiritual guides are leading the activities.

 “We are at a turning point, a moment of opportunity, but overall of commitment, so that the natural order that the Mother Earth is going through parallels as human beings, our lives, our civilizations,” Batzin added.

 According to the Mayan solar calendar, December 21 ends an era of 5,200 years and starts a new cycle, which has led to speculation about the end of humanity, but the Maya did not share that vision.

 On Tuesday, Mayan priests performed a ceremony in the archeological center Kaminal Juyu, in the Guatemalan capital, as part of the activities of the countdown to the end of the age “Oxlajuj B'aktun.”

 The Mayan calendar consists of 18 months of 20 days each, plus the ‘Wayeb,’ the holy month of five days. The ‘B'aktun’ is the longest unit of this system and is equivalent to about 400 years.

Quick Hits

U2, No Doubt, Kanye West / G.O.O.D. Music, Frank Ocean, Sean Paul, Guns N' Roses

U2 plans to unleash a double-disc live album culled from the 360 tour. U22 features 22 songs and buyers will get to download 12 tracks immediately. The set is presented in a deluxe book of live photos complete with liner notes from Adam Clayton.

No Doubt has posted on their website the full tracklist for their new album, Push And Shove. The album will offer 11 songs, opening with the single "Settle Down." The title track features guests Busy Signal and Major Lazer. Push and Shove is set to drop on September 25.

The debut album from Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music crew, Cruel Summer, has been pushed back by a few weeks to accommodate some new features. The disc, originally due in early August and then pushed to September 4, is now reportedly slated to drop on September 18. G.O.O.D. Music associate Malik Yusef tweeted the news when he wrote: "it looks like a push back on #cruelsummer but our wish has 4 additional features has MOSt DEFinitely been granted."

Frank Ocean has canceled his appearances at a number of European festivals, and the singer also pulled out of a stadium tour with Coldplay that was due to begin on August 28. No real explanation has been given for his change in plans, except for a vague statement that reads: "Let me start by saying I feel like an asshole right now, but a tough decision had to be made in regard to my schedule over the next months." Ocean has been seeing massive success lately with his debut solo album, Channel Orange.

Sean Paul's fifth studio album, Tomahawk Technique, is finally hitting U.S. stores on September 18 after being available for months overseas. "It's been coming out in different territories at different times, the reason being that it just reacted in different places," Paul told Billboard.com. He will head to the U.S. for a headlining tour in the fall. Thus far, two Las Vegas dates have been announced for September 15 and 16, with more to follow.

Guns N' Roses is set to play a limited Las Vegas residency this fall. The 12 shows will take place at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, running from October 31 to November 24. Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 17.

Effie Phillips from the U2 concert photo

Q&A: Effie Phillips from the U2 concert photo

Since the archive series Let’s Go to the Morgue! began last year, I’ve been tracking down subjects from old San Francisco Chronicle photos to catch up and deconstruct their moments in history. I haven’t been disappointed by a Let’s Go to the Q&A yet.
Effie Phillips continues the streak. She appeared in last week’s U2 retrospective from the Chronicle photo morgue, third from the left in the above photo. Captured by Chronicle photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice during a Nov. 14, 1987 concert at the Oakland Coliseum, those kids look like they were about my age when “The Joshua Tree” came out. There’s a combination of enthusiasm and fear that I recognize from my own concert-going teen years. I was thrilled when she sent an e-mail on Friday and agreed to a Q&A.
I spoke with Effie, who just moved to London, yesterday afternoon. Before you start this interview, I highly recommend queuing up  ”Exit” and “Mothers of the Disappeared” from “The Joshua Tree” as background music.
Look for a 2012 photo of Effie at the end of the interview …
Q. Apologies in advance for the out-of-nowhere phone conversation.
A: Don’t apologize. It was a treat to see that photo again. I hadn’t thought of that in probably 20 years. That memory was buried deep. My sister and a childhood friend both posted it on my Facebook page at the same time. My jaw just hit the table.

Q: Were you a big U2 fan?
A: I was 16 years old, I was almost 17, and it was probably the third time I had seen them perform. I first saw them on “The Unforgettable Fire” tour at the Cow Palace.
I was a teenager living in Sacramento. I went with my best friend, and her dad drove us there, and I think he probably waited for us outside the Coliseum until the show was over.
Q: So I’m guessing there was no drinking …
A: No, no. I wasn’t that interesting. I wasn’t that cool.
Q: How did you get so close to the stage?
A: We got to the front somewhat luckily. We ran into some kids from the neighborhood that we grew up in. They were older than us, so they could drive themselves. They got a spot right on the wall. We saw them and popped right next to them.
Q: Are they in the photo?
A: I think they’re in the photo.  It was a guy named Paul Caruso … He’s all the way over to my left, and his sister I think is next to him, on the other side of the woman with the braids. I didn’t know them very well. I don’t think I’ve seen them since that day.
Q: Speaking of the woman with the braids. It looks like you’re conjoined. Did you know her?
A: Not at all. Total stranger. That’s how intensely we were being pressed together up there. Through the opening act it was a do-able situation. But as soon as U2 came on, the crush of the crowd became so intense. I didn’t last much longer than that photo was taken.
For a good part of the time that I lasted up there, my feet weren’t even touching the ground. I was pressed so hard against the wall. I’m also short. I’m 5’2’. I couldn’t get my arms over the wall without boosting myself up. I was on my tippy toes and then I was off the ground. It was extraordinarily painful.

Q: You have your fist raised, and there’s this look on your face of — it’s hard to describe — maybe it’s a combination of happiness and despair?
A: (Laughs) I think you nailed it. We really loved U2. To be so close and up against the wall. The coveted wall.
But that photo, when I look at it, my neck and shoulders hurt. You can see how hard I was pressed against that stranger with the braids. I think it was just really uncomfortable. It was just impossible to enjoy the show in any way. After that concert I don’t think I ever tried anything like that again.
Q: Who pulled you out?
A: I think we must have signaled one of the guys who was working. And they were pulling tons of people over. It was person after person, plucked out of the crowd and carried off to this funny triage place at the back of the stage.
Q: Do you remember what song was playing when you got pulled over?
A: Not at all. But I do remember, as they plucked me out, I was still looking up at the stage, because U2 is right in front of me. And I remember Bono saying something like “Nobody gets hurt at a U2 concert.” You’ve got to be kidding me. Apart from my shoulders being totally asleep, it felt like my ribs were going to crack … I didn’t think much of that comment.
Q: That’s so Bono.
A: Even as a 16-year-old, who totally idolized the band, I remember thinking “Are you kidding me?”
Q: What happened next?
A: There was an area that wasn’t behind the stage proper, but was sort of behind that wing that went out. … I was lying on some kind of mat …
I could actually look up to my left, and see Bono standing, potentially right above me, running back and forth in his brown leather pants. I could hear the crowd, but I couldn’t see them. It was just this one guy, in brown leather pants and a vest, just manically running back and forth and shaking his arms in the air. It was an entirely different experience from being on the other side.
Q: Did you find your friend?
A: We were next to each other initially, and then when the big press came she was pushed back, and she was just gone. But we did find each other.
After I was in that little triage area for a while, they let me out. I found a nice place to sit and watched the rest of the show. It was from a distance that I saw Vaillancourt come out on stage. I remember not understanding a word he said. I only understood after I read it in the Chronicle.
My friend and I found each other. We found her dad and he drove us back to Sacramento. A couple days later, my friend, whose parents had a subscription to the Chronicle, brought me the clipping with the photo. Otherwise I probably would never have seen it.

 

Jay-Z picks Coldplay, U2, Kanye West

Jay-Z picks Coldplay, U2, Kanye West tracks as he curates 'NBA 2K13' soundtrack 

Jay-Z has curated the soundtrack for new basketball computer game NBA 2K13 and has selected tracks from Coldplay, U2 and his 'Watch The Throne' partner Kanye West among his choices.

Coldplay make an appearance with 'Viva La Vida', while U2 make their computer game debut with 'Elevation'. Kanye West's 'Amazing' and 'We Major' are included, as are six of Jay-Z's own songs, including 'Run This Town', which you can see the video for at the bottom of the page.
The rapper, who is a part owner of NBA team Brooklyn Nets, has not only curated the soundtrack, but, as executive producer, was also involved in the basketball game's creation, according to producers 2K Sport.

Speaking about Jay-Z's involvement in the game's making, 2K Sport's vice-president of marketing, Jason Argent told Billboard: "Jay is completely obsessed with authenticity. So right off the bat, he said 'Look, I love this franchise and I love this game, but if you want me to be involved, I need to be truly involved. I want to actually help make this game."

He continued: "We wanted him to truly be involved from a behind-the-scenes production standpoint. With his involvement within the league, he brought such a level of understanding to what we were trying to accomplish. I think the final product will reflect that level of excitement that he had."

Also included on the soundtrack are tracks from the Dirty Projectors, Santigold, Justice, The Hours, Phoenix, Daft Punk and the rapper's former great rival Nas.

Jay-Z has just completed a lengthy world tour alongside Kanye West in support of their joint album 'Watch The Throne'.
 

U2 star gives evidence in ex-assistant trial

U2 bassist Adam Clayton has been giving evidence against his former personal assistant accused of embezzling 2.8m euro of his money.

Carol Hawkins, 48, of Lower Rathmines Road in Dublin, is accused of 181 counts of theft over a period of four years. She denies the charges.
Clayton was questioned in court about their working relationship and details of his bank accounts.
The defendant was a signatory on two of his accounts.
Dublin's Criminal Circuit Court heard that it was from two of these accounts that Ms Hawkins is accused of drawing 181 cheques and lodging them into her own bank and financing a lavish lifestyle.
A prosecution barrister previously told the court that Ms Hawkins lodged the money into her own personal account, a joint account with her then husband John Hawkins and a credit card account, between 2004 and 2008.

 

Carol Hawkins, pictured at a previous court hearing, denies the charges

Clayton said Ms Hawkins - who worked for him for 16 years - had carried out her duties "efficiently and well" when she worked for him.
He told the court he only ever hired people who were capable of doing their job to look after his affairs.
"I trusted people, and that's why we're here today," he said.
Clayton originally employed Ms Hawkins, a mother-of-two, as a housekeeper and her then husband as a driver and occasional chef.
They were paid a joint salary of about 48,000 euro - a set-up Clayton described as "tax advantageous" for the couple.
Ms Hawkins' duties evolved from looking after the house and preparing meals, to eventually looking after Clayton's books.
When she and her husband separated - in about 2007 - Clayton continued to pay her the full salary of the two.
Clayton told the jury of seven men and five women that the defendant had confessed in 2008 to booking herself between 13,000 euro (£10,500) and 15,000 euro (£12,100) worth of flights on Clayton's account to visit her children in the US and London.
"She also mentioned that she had been suicidal and had taken an overdose," he said. "I was concerned for her health and recommended she see a therapist. I got her a therapist locally.
"In the matter of the money, I accepted she was a distressed woman. Her marriage broke up, her children had gone away.
"I said we would have to verify the amounts she had been claiming."
Clayton said he removed Ms Hawkins as a signatory on his accounts, but kept her as an employee.
"She had my absolute trust. We had been together a long time - working together. She had been very conscientious," he added.
"I felt she looked after my money and on many occasions accused others of being greedy so I was extremely surprised."

 

U2 star's £250,000 'lodged in PA's bank'

U2 star Adam Clayton's former personal assistant had a €310,000 (£250,000) cheque in his name lodged into her bank account, a court has heard.
Carol Hawkins is on trial over the alleged embezzlement of €2.8m (£2.25m) of the bassist's funds over a four-year period while she worked for him.
A jury at the Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin was shown a detailed paper trail of bank lodgements, statements and transfers.
One document was a copy of a €310,000 cheque from Mr Clayton's bank and a lodgement slip showing the funds had been transferred into a joint account held by the defendant and her then husband John Hawkins.
The sum is the largest single transaction being examined in the criminal trial.
Prosecution barrister, senior counsel Colm O'Briain, claimed the cheque was paid into the account in April 2007, when Ms Hawkins had been a signatory on two of Clayton's personal bank accounts.
Ms Hawkins (48) of Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin, listened attentively in the dock while the evidence was being considered.
Clayton, who was absent from court, is expected to be called as a witness later in the week.
Ms Hawkins worked for Clayton from 1992 until 2009.
The trial, which is listed for six weeks, continues today.

Trial of former U2 assistant to go ahead

A former personal assistant of U2 bassist Adam Clayton will stand trial tomorrow after pleading not guilty to the alleged embezzlement of €2.8 million of his funds.
Carol Hawkins (48) was charged with 184 counts of theft from a number of the musician’s bank accounts between 2004 to 2008.
The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard today that on one occasion in 2007 she made a single withdrawal of €310,000.
The remainder of the alleged transactions ranged from €1,000 to €36,000 over the four-year period.
Ms Hawkins, of Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin, pleaded not guilty to every count.
Mr Clayton, who sat in court during the proceedings, will be called as a witness when the trial gets under way.
The 52-year-old bass player, dressed in a navy suit with an unbuttoned white shirt, looked relaxed as the registrar listed every charge against his former assistant.
He was joined by U2 manager Paul McGuinness in the public gallery of the court room.
Judge Patrick McCartan spent half an hour appointing and swearing in the jury today — of seven men and five women — and indicated the trial could take up to six weeks.
It then took several hours for the court to arraign Ms Hawkins. The judge had insisted each of the 184 courts against her be read out in keeping with legal formalities.
Ms Hawkins, who is understood to have another address at Crannagh Road, Rathfarnham, responded quietly during her arraignment when she was asked to voice her plea after each count.
She denied all charges, which included stealing Bank of Ireland cheques from Clayton and drawing funds in favour of Bank of Ireland credit card services.
The prosecution will make its opening remarks tomorrow morning.

U2 bassist Adam Clayton's

U2 bassist Adam Clayton's former personal assistant goes on trial

U2 bassist Adam Clayton's former personal assistant has gone on trial, accused of stealing almost £2.4 million from the star.

Carol Hawkins pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 181 counts of theft on June 6, reports BBC News.

She is accused of stealing money from two of the bassist's bank accounts over a four-year period from 2004 to 2008.

Clayton also attended court, and was joined by U2 manager Paul McGuinness in the public gallery. He is due to give evidence in the trial when it opens today (June 7).
The court heard that on one occasion in 2007, Hawkins made a single withdrawal of 310,000 euros (£250,000). The remainder of the alleged transactions ranged from 1,000 euros (£811) to 36,000 euros (£29,196) over a four-year period.

Judge Patrick McCartan swore in a jury of seven men and five women for the trial, which is expected to last six weeks.
Meanwhile, U2 singer Bono recently said that the band's recent recording sessions have been their best "since 1979".

He also recently rubbished reports which stated he was to become the richest musician in the world, overtaking Paul McCartney. 

U2 bassist Adam Clayton

U2 bassist Adam Clayton 'had 2.8m euro stolen by his trusted PA who embezzled hundreds of cheques'

U2 bassist Adam Clayton's former personal assistant is on trial for embezzling 2.8 million euro of his personal funds, a Dublin court heard today.
Carol Hawkins worked for Clayton for 16 years starting as a housekeeper and earning his trust before being promoted to the role, earning up to 48,000 euro a year and living rent free at his home.
She is on trial for 181 counts of stealing cheques from the bass player between 2004 and 2008.

Adam Clayton and Carol Hawkins pictured outside The Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin today before prosecution opened its case

Hawkins was initially employed as a housekeeper at the bassist’s Georgian mansion - Danesmoate - in Rathfarnham, South Dublin, but quickly gained his trust and was promoted over the years to the role of personal assistant.

Prosecution barrister, senior counsel Colm O’Briain, told the jury of seven men and five women  at The Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin that Clayton appointed Ms Hawkins as signatory to a number of his bank accounts.

t was from two particular accounts - known as the Fitzwilliam account and the Danesmoate account - that she is accused of withdrawing a total 2.8 million euro (2.25 million pounds) over four years.
Clayton, dressed in a dark jacket and white shirt, sat intently at the back of the court as the prosecution opened its case.

Clayton (right) and U2 manager Paul McGuinness leave Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The court was told that Adam Clayton will be called to make a witness statement

Mr O’Briain said Ms Hawkins and her then husband John Hawkins, who had also been employed by Clayton as a driver, lived at the musician’s Danesmoate home - where U2 recorded their album The Joshua Tree.

The property was refurbished during 2005 and Ms Hawkins and her husband were forced to move into another house, which Clayton picked up the monthly rent bill of around 2,600 euro.

The pair had also been paid a joint salary, taking in around 3,800 euro a month.

But Clayton continued to pay Ms Hawkins the full amount even after her marriage ended in 2007, eventually raising her monthly income to 4,080 - representing a net salary of around 48,000 euro (38,715 pounds), the barrister added.

Ms Hawkins, from Lower Rathmines Road in Dublin, denies all the charges.

The trial is expected to last six weeks.

Mr O’Briain described the case as “a grubby tale” involving a gross breach of trust.

He urged the jury not to be swayed by the fact that Clayton is famous and wealthy, saying no man deserves to be stolen from by someone he trusts.

'Mr Clayton employed Ms Hawkins from 1992. She lived in his own house for 13 or 14 years, he placed a substantial amount of trust in her'
Mr O’Briain added: 'Trust developed. He is no different from anyone else in respect of that. He is as entitled as any other to place his trust in people, to rely on that trust and to not go about his life thinking the worst of people.'
Ms Hawkins is accused of stealing cheques from two bank accounts on which she was a signatory.

She allegedly withdrew 1.7 million euro (1.1 million pounds) from the Fitzwilliam account and 1.1 million euro (889,400 pounds) from the Danesmoate account.

The funds were then placed in three separate accounts - her own personal account, a joint account between herself and her husband John and a Bank of Ireland Credit Card Services account.

Clayton will be called as a witness during the trial.