Bono and the Edge discuss the Spider-Man musical that may or may not happen
November 5, 2009 | 3:19 pm



Friday's Los Angeles Times features a report on the efforts to bring Marvel's Spider-Man to the stage, which has "turned into a tangled web of production delays, unpaid bills and costly theater renovations that even Peter Parker's alter ego would struggle to escape," according to John Horn's piece.

Based on interviews with a half dozen people close to the show, Horn writes that the budget for the musical has rocketed past $52 million in its six years of development. Music duties for the production are being handled by U2's lead singer, Bono, and the group's guitarist, the Edge. Bono, writes Horn, is a bit bewildered by the show's odyssey. "But who cares?" Bono said. "The visuals and the music are amazing, and that's what will matter."

Horn also provides some insight into the music of the production. An excerpt:


Famous for their soaring, sometimes political rock anthems, such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Pride (in the Name of Love)," Bono and Edge have crafted "Spider-Man" songs that are driven more by choral harmonies than lashing guitars. Because U2 does not play in the show (the performers are accompanied instead by a band and an orchestra), the songs are written for different voices (including women) with non-U2 arrangements.

Bono described his and Edge's compositions as varying from "giant, big pop songs to noisy rock 'n' roll to ethereal shivers" and said it was "the easiest job we've ever done when it comes to the pure joy.

"For me it's this wonderful thing of escaping from the first-person songwriting, to disappear into these outside characters, it's just been a thrill of a ride," Bono said. "You spend so much time digging up diamonds in your own music; it's a treat to dig in somebody else's dirt. To work on these songs was like a playpen."

Edge said he and his longtime partner were surprised that the rigidity of the musical format was actually liberating. "The process," he said, "got more fun, exponentially, as it went on."

Edge believes "Spider-Man" will eventually make it to Broadway. "It will happen," the guitarist said.
Read The Times' story for a closer look at the production
-- Todd Martens
latimes

On Broadway, 'Spider-Man's' greatest enemy is the budget
Sources close to the production say the musical's producers need to raise as much as $24 million to cover a $52-million budget.

By John Horn

November 6, 2009

As this Spider-Man tale opens, the audience sees New York City "on fire and in ruins" as "a section of the Brooklyn Bridge ascends with Mary Jane bound and dangling helplessly from the bridge." Soon thereafter, a new villainess called Arachne flies into the picture spinning her own deadly trap, and as Spider-Man battles all kinds of criminals he's swinging right over the audience.

It sounds like the 3-D opening for the next "Spider-Man" sequel, and even though this superhero story is filled with Hollywood-style special effects, it is instead a glimpse from a confidential script of a planned "Spider-Man" musical -- the priciest undertaking, and among the most troubled productions, in Broadway history.

Theater producers are always looking for the next movie-inspired musical blockbuster, and the pedigree of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" couldn't be more stellar: Sony's three Peter Parker movies have grossed nearly $2.5 billion worldwide, musical songwriters Bono and the Edge have shipped more than 50 million U2 records domestically, and director Julie Taymor's "The Lion King" has earned $3.6 billion globally.

But rather than develop into a surefire hit, "Spider-Man" the musical instead has turned into a tangled web of production delays, unpaid bills and costly theater renovations that even Peter Parker's alter ego would struggle to escape, according to interviews with half a dozen people close to the show who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the show and its finances. Given its immodest ambition to "reinvent Broadway," the musical's budget has soared to $52 million, counting theater renovations, according to one person familiar with its finances -- more than double the cost of 2006's "Lord of the Rings" musical, one of the most expensive musicals ever.

Like any compelling superhero story, "Spider-Man's" real-life final act is a cliffhanger.

Despite all the talent in its corner, it's still far from certain when -- or even if -- the elaborate musical will open after six years of development, as it has struggled to find a backer to close the budget shortfall. If the show doesn't premiere by the end of April, it not only will miss Tony Award eligibility but also face the expiration of the musical's license from Marvel Entertainment, whose comic-book division created the enduring superhero in 1962. Bono and Edge seem bewildered by the show's odyssey. "But who cares?" Bono said. "The visuals and the music are amazing, and that's what will matter."

While many factors have contributed to the show's holdup, the musical has been derailed by some of the most complicated staging in Broadway history, as the show's creators try to replicate the superhero's skyscraper-swinging movie maneuvers inside a theater.

Three people close to the production say the musical needs to raise as much as $24 million to cover its proposed budget of about $52 million -- $42 million for the show, $6 million for theater renovations and $4 million for theater restorations. At the same time, "Spider-Man's" fixed weekly running costs total around $1 million -- hundreds of thousands dollars more than what some elaborate shows such as "Mary Poppins" or "West Side Story" cost to stage every week. Part of "Spider-Man's" expense stems from its aerial and scenic effects: More than 40 stage hands are needed to operate the musical's backstage rigging, said a person who's seen the show's budget.

Those expenses mean "Spider-Man" would have to sell out every show for as many as four years (a feat only a handful of Broadway shows ever manage) simply to break even, according to several people familiar with the production and its finances.

The show has its devoted believers, led by Chicago lawyer David Garfinkle, who has been involved in the project from the start. It's easy to understand the enthusiasm: A reading of the musical's script -- along with listening to an hour of unreleased music by Bono and the Edge and reviewing a DVD sent to potential investors of Taymor's staging tests -- reveals why so many people have worked so long to see this show through.

Tough web to weave

From the very first page of the "Spider-Man" script, it's evident this is hardly the kind of musical you could stage in just any theater -- it makes "The Phantom of the Opera's" crashing chandelier look like a simple summer stock trick.

Throughout the script -- credited to Taymor and playwright Glen Berger, stamped "Confidential" on its cover and dated from this summer -- stage directions call for action sequences that at first glance seem almost impossible to stage, let alone transfer to another theater for possible touring productions.

The opening bridge scene is followed closely by the arrival of a giant web woven by Arachne, a temptress who is the musical's central invention. "A giant loom is revealed -- seven actors swing on vertical silks to form a tapestry," the stage directions read. At another point, Spider-Man is so busy battling bank robbers and muggers that he multiplies into five different crime-fighting superheroes. One of the duplicate spiders swings over the audience, landing on the balcony.

For all of the theatrical pyrotechnics, the musical's core story is comparatively old-fashioned, following the basic plot of the first "Spider-Man" movie while adding some new characters and back stories.

The central romance between high school students Peter Parker and neighbor Mary Jane Watson remains intact. Parker is still bullied by his classmates and moonlights as a photographer for a New York newspaper; moreover, he's torn over his unexpected transformation into a web-slinger. As in the movie, the play's central villain, Green Goblin, is the genetically mutated form of scientist Norman Osborn. The biggest departure from the movie is the musical's femme fatale, Arachne.

A figure cut from Greek mythology and sometimes accompanied by her own Furies, she stalks and tempts Spider-Man throughout the story as any god does a mortal. "We're linked by instinct, but you think a spider can wait? She exterminates deficient mates!" she tells Spider-Man at one point.

The music marks a departure for U2 as well. Famous for their soaring, sometimes political rock anthems, such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Pride (in the Name of Love)," Bono and Edge have crafted "Spider-Man" songs that are driven more by choral harmonies than lashing guitars. Because U2 does not play in the show (the performers are accompanied instead by a band and an orchestra), the songs are written for different voices (including women) with non-U2 arrangements.

Bono described his and Edge's compositions as varying from "giant, big pop songs to noisy rock 'n' roll to ethereal shivers" and said it was "the easiest job we've ever done when it comes to the pure joy.

"For me it's this wonderful thing of escaping from the first-person songwriting, to disappear into these outside characters, it's just been a thrill of a ride," Bono said. "You spend so much time digging up diamonds in your own music; it's a treat to dig in somebody's else's dirt. To work on these songs was like a playpen."

Edge said he and his longtime partner were surprised that the rigidity of the musical format was actually liberating. "The process," he said, "got more fun, exponentially, as it went on."

A heroic struggle

The musical's path to the stage has been filled with personal tragedy, and misfortune visited "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" in a most inauspicious way -- at a 2005 signing ceremony with the Edge cementing the "Spider-Man" deal.

Tony Adams, a longtime colleague of movie producer Blake Edwards and a partner in theater producer Hello Entertainment, died at age 52 of a stroke as "Spider-Man" contracts were being signed.

Hello and Garfinkle attempted to fill Adams' shoes, and three people who have invested or explored investing in the show said Garfinkle needed to (but ultimately didn't) bring in someone deeply experienced with day-to-day production to replace Adams and help Taymor create a show that was financially viable. Garfinkle declined to be interviewed.

Taymor, who also declined to be interviewed, always had grand ambitions for the show. At the outset, according to one person close to the show, she wondered if the musical even could be contained in a traditional theater. Just as Cirque du Soleil erected custom houses for its productions in Las Vegas (with a $50-million renovation to Los Angeles' Kodak Theatre in the works), Taymor considered staging "Spider-Man" in a specifically designed new building.

Instead, the producers picked Broadway's cavernous Hilton Theatre, which had housed "Young Frankenstein" until it closed on Jan. 4 of this year. The production started extensive renovations on the theater as soon as "Young Frankenstein" packed up, but when it later faced a money crunch, the renovations slowed down. A number of people weren't paid in a timely fashion, according to a person close to the show.

Some of the lead parts have been cast. Evan Rachel Wood, who was in Taymor's "Across the Universe," is set to play Mary Jane, with Alan Cumming as Osborn/Green Goblin and newcomer Reeve Carney, who is in Taymor's 2010 movie, "The Tempest," as Parker/Spider-Man. But the musical may lose them to other movies, television shows and theater productions if "Spider-Man" doesn't open soon.

"Mentally, you go from thinking, 'I'm going to be doing this for a year' to 'Oh, maybe that's not going to happen after all,' " Cumming said.

The slick promotional DVD sent to woo investors showcases some of Taymor's staging, aerial and web-shooting tests along with the musical's scenic (by "The Little Mermaid's" George Tsypin) and costume design ("Bram Stoker's Dracula" Oscar-winning costume designer Eiko Ishioka). If the creative team can create a format to "support the flying and fighting and stickability of Spider-Man," the DVD promises future investors, the show will "redefine Broadway."

That's assuming the musical can find its missing millions; there's one plan afoot to raise as much as $10 million by selling the income from 100 seats added to the Hilton auditorium, according to a person apprised of the idea.

No matter how appealing the "Spider-Man" musical might look on paper, it's unclear who its target ticket-buyers might be -- teenage boys and girls, the box-office drivers for the superhero movies, are hardly Broadway's lifeblood. Though the hits from movie-adapted musicals can be home runs, the margin for error is thin: For every "Hairspray" triumph, there's a "Shrek: The Musical" washout.

One interested party believes the money will fall into place before the end of the year: Edge, for all the setbacks, remains secure.

Said the guitarist: "It will happen."

john.horn@latimes.com

Times staff writer Geoff Boucher contributed to this report.
latimes

U2 warms up Berlin for Wall anniversary
By Simon Sturdee (AFP) – 2 days ago

BERLIN — Irish rockers U2 have warmed the German capital up for celebrations next week marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a spectacular mini-concert in the heart of the city.

On Thursday, the band played six songs at the historic Brandenburg Gate, a landmark blocked off to West Berliners prior to a peaceful revolution that tore down the Berlin Wall dividing the city on November 9, 1989.

The performance formed part of the MTV Music Europe Awards, held in an arena in an eastern district of the capital, with the concert featuring songs "One" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" beamed live into the ceremony.

The 10,000 tickets for the free concert by U2, who came to Berlin in 1990 to reinvent themselves and make the album "Achtung Baby", were snapped up in three hours.

With the Brandenburg Gate lit up with the words "Freedom" and "One", U2 also performed "Magnificent" and the Bob Marley classic "Get Up, Stand Up" with special lyrics to match the occasion.

Other performers at the MTV awards -- though not at the Brandenburg Gate -- included Beyonce, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Jay-Z, Leona Lewis, Shakira and German band Tokio Hotel.

The main presenter was Katy Perry, whose scantily clad opening performance for what she said would be a "sexy, sexy show" paid homage to "Cabaret", the 1972 movie set in 1930s Berlin staring Liza Minnelli.

U2 also won the MTV award for Best Live Act, while Lady Gaga won Best New Act and Tokio Hotel, whose twin brother stars were born East Germany two months before the Wall fell, took Best Group.

US rapper Eminem won Best Male, punk rockers Green Day took Best Rock act and Turkish rappers maNga claimed Best European Act.

Jay-Z, who also rapped with U2 for "Sunday Bloody Sunday", won Best Urban performer while his wife Beyonce was awarded Best Song for "Halo", Best Female act and Best Video.

It was the second time that the MTV awards were held in Berlin -- part of efforts by the music industry to jump on the back of the Wall anniversary to boost flagging sales.

Co-presenters helping hand out awards included "Knight Rider" and "Baywatch" star David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff, who performed in front of half a million people at the Brandenburg Gate on December 31, 1989.

The demise of the Berlin Wall dividing the city, itself an island in communist East Germany, brought about the unification of East and West Germany in 1990.

Around 100,000 revellers are expected at the official Berlin Wall celebrations on Monday, with Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, due to host a gathering

google

U2 strike emotional chord with Berliners on night of celebration
The Irish Times - Friday, November 6, 2009



NEARLY 20 years after recording their famous album Achtung Baby here, Bono and the boys from U2 rocked the Brandenburg Gate last night before 10,000 cheering fans.

Drenching the famous monument in emerald green light, the band delivered a rousing Sunday Bloody Sunday , as a fan’s Tricolour fluttered in the night air.

The anthem to the lost lives of 1972 hit an emotional chord with Berliners on a spot where, just two decades ago, a shoot-to-kill policy was in operation.

As the city kicks off five days of celebrations to mark the fall of the wall here in 1989, the former no man’s land was transformed into one man’s land: that man being Bono.

U2 – by special request of Berlin’s mayor – took to the stage in the city and launched into One . On what was once a cold war divide, Bono sang that “only love can heal such a scar”.

They marched through Magnificent , from their new album, before Sunday Bloody Sunday was greeted with roaring approval, and ample support from rapper Jay-Z.

“Thanks for sticking with us over the years,” said Bono, recalling their Berlin spell in 1990, when they “wrote some tunes, met some beautiful spirits”.

After a rocking Beautiful Day , they vibrated Vertigo loud enough around Pariser Platz for even the dancing American embassy staff to hear behind their bombproof glass windows.

The Irish party continued over at the MTV Europe Music Awards where television actor and German pop legend David Hasselhoff revealed he is buying a pad in Ireland: “the Hassle Castle”.

Meanwhile, Irish woman Gillian Deegan was chosen from 100 “fanwalkers” who hiked from Hamburg to Berlin to present an award.

Back out with U2, director Wim Wenders was rocking with the crowd, enjoying the music and casting an admiring eye on the light show. “Nice to have the boys at the gate,” said the band’s many-time collaborator.

After the band wrapped things up with Surrender and a “God bless,” the fans streamed home, cold but happy.

“It was a great concert – they were in great form,” said middle-aged fan Arthur Schrödinger. “Bono is ageless, and I find it good too that he’s political.”

American fan Dahlia was thrilled at the free concert.

“It’s good that U2 are doing this for the public,” she said. “The MTV awards are just all about VIPs.”

As organisers of the gig and the subsequent awards show, MTV erected big screens on Unter den Linden to allow fans without tickets see the concert.

They also slapped their corporate logo on panels of the original Berlin Wall alongside a sign reading “No Graffiti Please"


irishtimes

U2 UNITE BERLIN

06 Nov 2009

U2 played an electrifying mini-set to an audience of 10,000 at Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) this evening, to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.


With the crowd having waited patiently through snow, rain and wind on a bitterly cold Berlin night, U2's arrival on stage was greeted with joy and jubilation, the likes of which have not been seen in the city for almost 20 years. As the lights shone out over the historic city, it felt like a very special occasion indeed. And it was.


Bono took to the microphone like an old time preacher and immediately displayed his German linguistic skills. "Vielen Dank Berlin. Du bist Wunderbar," he told an appreciative audience. After that, it was down to business.

The opener, ‘One’, recorded 19 years ago in Berlin for the Achtung Baby album, went down a storm, backed by a stunning lightshow projected onto Germany's most historic landmark. The words WEST and OST were displayed together, then divided, followed by ONE, followed by FREEDOM and LOVE. It was perfect way to open the night.

‘One’ was succeeded by the powerful ‘Magnificent’ from No Line On The Horizon, and if ever there was a joyful noise this was it. The lines "Only love can heal such a scar" and "Only love unites our hearts" took on an added poignancy, as the whole of Berlin sang along.

However, it was ‘Sunday, Bloody Sunday’, which will go down, for many, as the highlight of the night. The song written about the divide within Northern Ireland could just as easily have been written about Berlin, the yearning for peace and unity amid the slings and arrows of outrageous human conflict seeming as relevant as ever. "Tonight, we can be as one," Bono sang and the as the mass chorus echoed into the night sky, Jay-Z – 'The Mayor of New York' as Bono dubbed him – joined the band to finish the song. Along the way, U2 merged ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ with Bob Marley's ‘Get Up, Stand Up’, minting some original lyrics to fit the moment:


"And all the lovers and hate
That pass these keepers of the gate
And it's a heavy weight this history
But it's not too late..."


After ending the song and bidding farewell to the mayor, Bono spoke directly to the audience and the cameras. "Feel this moment that we're in, in this beautiful city of Berlin... Ich liebe Berlin," he said, before putting his hand to his heart. ‘Beautiful Day’ was the natural follow-up and was as superb as it has ever been, ending with a verse from The Beatles' ‘Blackbird’.


"Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
all your life you were only waiting
for this moment to be free".


U2 opened their penultimate song, ‘Vertigo’, in German. An enjoyable rock’n’roll romp but without the resonance they achieved elsewhere, it was the least compelling part of the show.

The boys finished the night with what Bono described as "a song for people who are trying to hold – just that little bit tightly", before launching into a superb version of the epic and wonderfully moving ‘Moment of Surrender’. Set finished, and having given their all for half an hour, the band stood united, bowed and left.

And as the 10,000 flooded down Unter den Linden, a few began to hum the captivating melody of the song with which U2 had finished the show. It spread like wildfire and within a few seconds, every single person was singing at the top of their voice united in happiness – and maybe even love.


In the end, on what is almost the 20th anniversary of the epoch-making collapse of the infamous wall, U2 gave Berliners something special that they will hold onto tightly for many years to come. On occasions like this that you realize just how wonderfully sympathetic, and how resonant, U2’s music is.

One love, we get to share it...

hotpress

Beyonce Dazzles & U2 Scorches at Berlin Edition of MTV Europe Music Awards

Thu Nov 5, 2009 5:45pm EST

BERLIN, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Beyonce was the major winner of the evening at
the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) in Berlin. The versatile singer,
writer and producer took home a total of three EMA trophies - Best Female,
Best Song and Best Video - from the glittering music celebration, held at the
O2 World on 5 November 2009. The MTV Europe Music Awards were sponsored by
Sony Ericsson, MTV Games / Harmonix's The Beatles(TM): Rock Band(TM) and Dell.

Eminem won the coveted Best Male category at the Awards, which honours and
celebrates Europe's contemporary music stars, while Jay-Z triumphed in the
Best Urban category. U2 clinched a well-deserved Best Live Act - scoring
their third EMA award win since the MTV Europe Music Awards debuted in 1994.

Creative powerhouse Lady Gaga was honoured in the Best New Act category while
Green Day scored a victory over the Best Rock contenders. Best Group went to
German rockers Tokio Hotel, who also wowed the 9,000-strong crowd with a
stunning rendition of their hit The World Behind My Wall, culminating in an
explosive pyrotechnical display and the band's instruments consumed by flames.
Placebo captured the Best Alternative prize while Turkey's maNga carried off
the crown for Best European Act. Best World Stage Performance was won by
Linkin Park while Pixie Lott was pronounced the first ever MTV Push Artist -
both categories were added to this year's EMAs for the first time in
recognition of the artists who have been championed by MTV on their global
music franchises.

Held in Berlin to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the
Berlin Wall, the 2009 EMAs featured electrifying live performances from
Beyonce, Jay-Z, Green Day, Leona Lewis, Tokio Hotel, Foo Fighters, Shakira and
U2 - broadcasting to more than 500 million households around the world.

The EMAs burst into thrilling life with an electrifying opening number by
Green Day, followed by Katy Perry's irreverent mash-up of the five Best Song
contenders that included Beyonce's monster hit Halo and Kings of Leon'sUse
Somebody.

Effervescent host Katy Perry brought her trademark energy and quirky humour to
the awards, appearing in a dazzling array of costumes and looks inspired by
burlesque and Liza Minnelli's Oscar-winning appearance in Cabaret, the novel
which lifted the lid on decadent 1930's Berlin. The stunning hostess
fulfilled her role with signature relish and flair, equally at home in a
stylish bowler hat covered in thousands of crystals, or reclining in a giant
cocktail glass, or soaring high above the audience on a glittering half-moon
shaped swing.

Rock icons U2 brought Berlin to a standstill with an awe-inspiring performance
beamed into the show from the city's historic Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of
peace and reconciliation to people around the world and site of the first ever
MTV Europe Music Awards. In front of 10,000 music fans, the music legends
performed a short set comprising some of their best loved songs including a
powerful rendition of Sunday, Bloody Sunday and an uplifting medley of
Magnificent and One - the haunting anthem inspired by the fall of the Berlin
Wall in 1989.

Among the many show highlights was a strikingly sexy performance of Happy by
Leona Lewis, an upbeat version of Sweet Dreams by Beyonce and a high octane
rock medley of Wheels and All My Life by the Foo Fighters. Colombian siren
Shakira sent temperatures rising with a steamy performance of Did It Again,
performed with dancers dressed only in skimpy towels.

Guest presenters at the EMAs included actor, musician and international
celebrity David The Hoff Hasselhoff, hip hop star Lil' Kim, World heavyweight
boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, actor Jesse Metcalfe, pop/rock phenomena
Jonas Brothers, Backstreet Boys, Juliette Lewis, Jean Reno, Miranda Cosgrove,
Asia Argento, Bar Refaeli, Brody Jenner, David Guetta and Batista. Soul
singer Joss Stone hosted digital show 2009 EMA: Red Carpet Show while Fall Out
Boy's Pete Wentz hosted digital show 2009 EMA: All Access. Guests at the show
included Inglourious Basterds actor Daniel Bruhl, supermodel Franziska Knuppe,
German soccer legend Lothar Matthaus, David Guetta, Pixie Lott, Tara Reid and
Daniel Merriweather.
The winners of the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards are:

Best Male: Eminem
Best Female: Beyonce
Best Urban: Jay-Z
Best Group: Tokio Hotel
Best Video: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Best Song: Beyonce - Halo
Best Rock: Green Day
Best New Act: Lady Gaga
Best Live Act: U2
Best Alternative: Placebo
MTV Push Artist: Pixie Lott
Best World Stage Performer: Linkin Park
Best European Act: maNga


The MTV Europe Music Awards is one of the world's most prestigious live music
events. The Awards was broadcast to 532 million MTV homes around the world.
In 2008, the EMAs generated more than 4 million unique visitors to
www.mtvema.com and over 100 million online votes.

Antonio Campo Dall'Orto is EVP, Music Brands, MTV Networks International and
Executive Producer for the MTV Europe Music Awards. Co-executive Producer &
SVP, Talent & Music, MTV Networks International is Bruce Gillmer. Executive
Producer is Richard Godfrey. Co-executive Producer is Jane Fraser. Chloe Mason
is Producer and Hamish Hamilton is Director. Raffaele Sangiovanni is Executive
in charge of Production.

For more information on the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards please go to:
www.mtvema.com


Note to Editors

About the MTV Europe Music Awards

The 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards will be broadcast live 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, United
Kingdom.

About MTV Networks International

MTV Networks International includes the premier multimedia entertainment
brands MTV: Music Television, VH1, Nickelodeon, MTVNHD, TMF (The Music
Factory), VIVA, Flux, Paramount Comedy, Comedy Central, Game One, Neopets,
GameTrailers, Shockwave, Addicting Games, Atom Films and Xfire. MTV Networks'
brands are seen globally in 578 million households, in 162 countries and 33
languages via 168 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than
400 digital media properties. The company's diverse holdings also include
interests in television syndication, digital media, publishing, home video,
radio, recorded music, licensing & merchandising and two feature film
divisions, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. MTV Networks is a unit of Viacom
Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

About Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson is a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson established in
October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London and operations
in all major markets. Our vision is to become the industry leader in
Communication Entertainment; where new styles of communicating through the
internet and social media, become entertainment. Sony Ericsson offers
exciting consumer experiences through phones, accessories, content and
applications. For more information please visit: www.sonyericsson.com.

About The Beatles: Rock Band

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI
Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Harrisongs Ltd and Startling Music Ltd has
presented The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles:
Rock Band is published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's
premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band,
and available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from
Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Wii(TM) console
from Nintendo.

About MTV Games

MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality,
innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and
complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.

About Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., based in Cambridge, MA, and established in 1995,
is the leading developer of ground-breaking music-oriented videogames.
Harmonix was founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, who formed the company
to invent new ways for non-musicians to experience the unique joy that comes
from making music and have pioneered music and rhythm gaming in the US. For
more information please visit: www.harmonixmusic.com.

About Dell

People worldwide can buy Dell online, by phone and through more than 43,000
stores.

SOURCE MTV Networks International

For further press information and for biographies and artwork please contact:
Polly Stevens, Director, Communications, MTV Europe Music Awards, +44 207 478
6328/+44 7768 773386, Polly.stevens@mtvne.com, or go to:
www.ema.mtv.co.uk/press

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Video - U2 Rose Bowl - October 25, 2009