Wheels of Fire

Horse hair seats, an impressive stereo system, and a fire extinguisher. What do they have in common? They’re all things you can find in Bono’s car.

In today’s Irish Mirror, Bono’s friend Paul Birkett (PepsiCo Ireland CEO) reveals that Bono’s interest in customizing the interior of his cars is a dangerous one.

“He has speakers in the door, a graphic equalizer, a multi CD player, and a spectacular number of amplifiers,” Birkett said. Because the stereo system consumes so much power, it is considered a fire hazard, which is why he keeps a fire extinguisher inside the car.

Bono’s Millions

Bono and his money will be the topic of a TV documentary on BBC3, a new channel aimed at people in their 20s and 30s that launches in February. “Bono’s Millions” will document how the Irish rock star has accumulated a net worth of GBP 108 million ($177 million) through writing fees, tours, and radio royalties. The documentary premieres on March 9.

Bono and Bukowski

North Americans will have the opportunity to see “Bukowski: Born Into This,” John Dullaghan’s documentary about Beat author Charles Bukowski, this summer. According to Variety, Magnolia Pictures has acquired the rights to distribute the film, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The film is comprised of interviews with friends of the author and celebrities inspired by his works, including Bono, that reveal who Bukowski was and why his work is significant.

U2 fans may recall that the band dedicated “Dirty Day” to Bukowski on the album sleeve of “Zooropa.”

Bono-mania on the Red Carpet

The current issue of Us Weekly, an American entertainment magazine, is devoted to news and gossip from the Golden Globe Awards. According to the magazine, Bono was the celebrity who received the loudest cheers from fans in the bleachers beside the red carpet — even more than Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston together.

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Dinner with George and Bill

In its January 27th issue, Billboard reports that the MusiCares dinner honoring Bono on February 21 is expected to draw some big-named guests. Because of Bono’s humanitarian work, the dinner will likely be attended by a number of top political figures, including Presidents Bush and Clinton. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences president Neil Portnow wouldn’t comment on who will attend the event, but he admitted, “To the extent that we have an honoree who does have preeminence and world attention, we would expect and want to broaden the potential list of celebrities beyond our own industry to be part of this.”

Still time to vote for U2log.com

There’s still time for you to vote for us in the 2003 Bloggies, the publicly chosen weblog awards. Please vote for U2log.com in the music category. And while you’re at it, you might as well tick off Whedonesque.com in the best topical and best new weblog categories. ‘Cause that’s one of our sites too.

We can’t go to the SXSW festival in Texas to pick up the award, should we win, but we’ll make sure someone’ll be there to do the honours for us.

The Next U2 Video Star?

Today’s Daily Star reports that Bono gave actress Lara Flynn Boyle (The Practice) his phone number at the Golden Globe Awards and asked her if she would like to star in U2’s next music video.

“I’m a huge fan of U2. I love you. I’ll work for free,” she reportedly told the singer.