The BBC acknowledged today that they went a bit over the top in endorsing No Line on the Horizon in a particularly over-the-top way. They were doing an interview with Bono and some other members of the band and brought out a strange logo that read U2=BBC. It’s kind of strange that anyone would do this. Besides, U2 is popular enough that they don’t even need all this kind of publicity. People who want to get the CD know about it already. Others will find out from their friends or from the news. Meanwhile, the BBC had to apologize today for what many commentators were describing as a taxpayer-funded commercial for the band and its CD. That’s probably about right and networks should watch out for that kind of thing more in the future.

Although we thought we knew that the Spiderman musical was on its way, starting near the end of February, reports are beginning to confirm that the show is to be delayed. Alan Cummings, who seems to be on the inside of the discussions surrounding the show, says that it’s frustrating to have to wait, but that the money just isn’t there at the moment. The promotional pieces and the website are slated to open in February again. It’s not too surprising that they haven’t been able to put together the kind of stuff that they need yet, since it’s a U2 show. U2 is known for their big effects and sets, so that it will be an expensive show. It may take a little bit longer to get the show up, but it’ll be worth it!

The 2009 numbers have been tabulated and guess what! U2 had the highest grossing tour of the year. This isn’t a huge surprise. They toured for a little more than half the year and hit many of the biggest venues in the world. Even though they always needed a couple days between performances so that they could have their stage put up in the place. They have smoked out the competition, having sold more than 1.3 million tickets. If you divide that throughout the year, the average is a rather ridiculous number. This proves that while Dave Matthews might have been the “artist of the decade”, U2 is still the top group more recently. Yes, our guys don’t tour nearly as frequently or constantly. But when they do, people come out in hordes to see them!

Bono wrote an interesting article recently in the New York Times about the primacy of file-sharing in the music world right now. He cautioned the film industry not to approach it the same way as the music industry has. One of the problems with the music business’s version was that they decided to start prosecuting people who are actually customers and potential customers. Bono is, however, suggesting that governments monitor the web for this kind of thing instead, so that the artists aren’t harmed by internet piracy. Say what you will about this idea, but at least he’s thinking about this big problem. I’m not in the music industry, but I do worry about the fact that even very good musicians aren’t able to earn sufficiently for their work. Bono’s not worried about his own earnings, I think, but rather looking out for the less-fortunate musicians out there who are suffering.

Another controversy seems to be stirring up with the band. It’s kind of typical for a band that is so popular and has so much to get embroiled in controversy of some kind. This way, whomever is accusing them of something can get in the news and might become famous for a little while. We’re back to the issue of the Edge’s houses in California. People don’t like that he has these buildings on the mountains, an issue that has many nature lovers upset. But the Edge has great support from various people, from the government to NGOs that say his building will be good for the environment by preserving nature all around it. This is according to the video he released on his website in the last week. Hopefully the issue will be dealt with fully during the upcoming hearing and then they can get the job done.

Adam Clayton is angry! The U2 bassist is suing his accountant/assistant for the embezzlement of over $3million. He and his lawyers say that she slicked it off the accounts over the course of 13 months working with him. The suggestion is that she stole the money and spent it on cars and jewelry and other similar kinds of things. As a result, this will be the big story for a little while. The assistant finds herself with assets frozen because of this until the whole thing can be figured out. If this is true, it’s really too bad. If it isn’t, it’s too bad for her reputation. According to Clayton, she fessed up several months ago that she had been charging to her credit card, but remember, that’s an allegation, so let’s not prejudge it. They’ll figure out what happens.

This week, the big news is that U2 has been nominated for a Golden Globe for their song “Winter” for the movie “Brothers.” If you are interested in hearing this song, you can probably find it on YouTube or something, but a person will be hearing it all over this winter, I’m pretty sure. Either way, I’m sure they’re going to win this award, even though they are up against Paul McCartney and several other talented musicians. This is going to be a fun year for them though, because not only have they gotten this nomination (and possibly the Oscar nominations might be kind to them as well), but also they will be doing a great job heading into the next leg of their tour of the world. We hope to see them performing several times during that time. Maybe we’ll meet some of you there.

When Rolling Stone took their poll of the best albums of the year, who knew that U2 would take the top honors. But it’s true! Their album No Line of the Horizon was found to be the best CD this year. Remember they released it in a lot of different forms and it would be interesting to ask the people who voted which version of the album they had. Was it the actual LP version that people really enjoyed. Was it the version with the documentary on DVD? There are lots of possibilities, and it doesn’t seem like this vote could be completely true. But since we beat those other nominees so badly, I would recommend that the other bands release 6 versions of their albums in the future and it will be much more likely to win this poll!

It’s a tribute to U2 that people are excited to make a concert tour just like theirs. It’s not just because they are so big and exciting. This is the band that has brought back the huge flashy stadium tours that we used to know in the 70s and 80s. The U2 360 tour, as you know, has been one of the best-loved in the last few years. While other bands have their own stages that they haul around, none of them are as exciting as the aluminum claw that catches everyone’s eye and makes everything somehow more exciting. But the Black Eyed Peas have announced that they are going to have a tour that’s the scale of U2’s this year, and it’s going to be an amazing time! It’s a nice way to describe it, because everyone in the world knows what a U2 concert looks and feels like these days. The Peas will be going to 100 cities and it will be a huge “spectacle” according to its members.

Things have quieted down in the U2 world. We imagine that they are taking some time off before their big tour during spring. They still have a couple of shows left in December, if I’m not mistaken, but there isn’t that much. Hopefully we’ll be able to hear some great difference in their music when they get back. Maybe it’ll feel a bit fresher for them, and otherwise, it’s going to be a lot more fun during the course of the year. Their new shows are going to be a lot of fun, but let’s make sure to be there during at least one of these shows!