TresSugar

Bono to Rock His Opinions in the New York Times

CitizenSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:00:30 -0700

He is a world famous singer and songwriter, a spokesman for Africa, a Noble Peace Prize nominee, and now he’s a writer for the New York Times. My David Brooks is looking at some rocking competition. Bono, lead singer of U2, is set to be a contributing writer for the NYT, offering his insight on topics including Africa, poverty, and a little Frank Sinatra too. Bono will be penning as many as 10 pieces for the paper spreading throughout 2009.

Editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal, who announced this new appointment this week, may also have had an ulterior motive: it seems as though Mr. Rosenthal is learning the guitar. Bono’s pay may also be a factor in his assignment, as he will be receiving no money whatsoever.

Does a Bono op-ed sound like music to your ears? Or does it hit a sour note?

Source

What Is the Clinton Global Initiative?

LibertySugar — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:00:39 -0700

This week heads of state, nonprofit leaders, and philanthropists met for the fourth annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). By gathering global leaders, the ex-Pres hopes they will devise and implement concrete solutions to some of the world's biggest challenges. Since 2005, CGI has committed $30 billion to programs that have impacted 200 million lives in more than 150 countries.

Some of the highlights from this year have included:

Bono spoke out about global priorities: "It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G-8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable disease and hunger."
Wyclef Jean's foundation committed to providing hot school meals for 14,000 poor children, food for 20,000 families a month, thousands of new agriculture jobs, micro-enterprise grants for 165 small businesses, 36,000 farmers with seed, fertilizer, and training, and implementation of a broad communications campaign to engage international and local Haitian musicians in the Together for Haiti Campaign.
Al Gore was joined at the opening session by Clinton, Queen Rania of Jordan, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Bono and E. Neville Isdell, chairman of Coca-Cola Co.'s board. Gore called for civil disobedience against new coal plants.
Lance Armstrong, who is planning to race in next year's Tour de France, pledged $8 million to a global awareness campaign for cancer, including a meeting that would convene in Paris after the tour.

To see more pictures from the event, including shots of Jordan's Queen Rania, the presidential candidates, Drew Barrymore, and Sarah Palin, read more.

View 15 Photos ›

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Part II: Interview With Tom Sheridan, Lobbyist to the Stars

CitizenSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:00:49 -0700

Here's the continuation of our interview with Tom Sheridan, the lobbyist who works with Bono on his ONE campaign to end global poverty. Liberty took in a ONE campaign panel with Ben Affleck, Madeleine Albright, and Tom Daschle at the convention yesterday - more details on that event soon! Here's the continuation of our conversation with Tom:

Who else do you work with?

Julia Ormond is another great example, she's a client of ours who is doing work on human trafficking and slavery, and speaking out before anyone was really talking about. She wasn't only talking about it, but she was immersed, was deeply immersed in the substance of it. You know, what are the major policy issues that need to be launched in order to track people, things like a universal birth certificate. She was on top of that stuff before anyone really wrote about this.

What makes a celebrity seek you out?

To see his answer and more, read more.

What we look for and what we really love working with are celebrities who are about those two Cs. We're not your usual K Street lobbying firm. We represent almost only not-for-profits and are about taking those tough issues into the Washington environment. We're a little off the beaten path, so for people like Bono and Julia Ormond to find us, they really have to be committed in a much deeper sense. Bono doesn't need anyone to open a door for him, he's perfectly capable of opening his own doors - and he'll tell you that - that is not the hard part of my job with him. The hard part is how will we ask for what we want when we go in, how will we defend what we asked for last time, and why are we defending a taxpayer investment in a place called Africa and for a disease called AIDS. He's got to have real answers for those questions and thoughtful policymakers ask those questions. So my job is to make sure he is always well-positioned in the playing field and very well informed.

How does he become the perfect advocate for ONE?

To his credit, he gets on an airplane and he goes to Africa and gets on the ground so that he can say to people, "Look I just came from there and there's a village in Uganda where they've cut their maternal transmission of HIV rate from 70 percent to 10. He can speak to it with the level of passion that you can only have if you seen it and felt it. A good actor I guess can put on any emotion, but there's another whole dimension when it doesn't come from a place of craft.

We'll be unpacking more tidbits from Tom soon. Stay tuned!

Meet a Celebrity Lobbyist Committed to Star-Powered Activism

CitizenSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:45:08 -0700

Parked in the intersection of politics and pop culture is the celebrity activist. There all kinds of ways celebrities get involved in causes from serving on boards to inspiring laws on Capitol Hill, and Tom Sheridan knows how to harness that fame and make the issue the real star. A lobbyist based in DC, he represents Bono and his work on the ONE campaign against global poverty. We sat down with him this week ahead of the big ONE event Kanye is headlining to benefit the organization here at the convention, and we couldn't have been more impressed. Tom Sheridan is using the intersection of fame and charity to inspire real change and a legion of committed issue advocates.

Can celebrities distract from an issue or a message? What are the hallmarks of a happy marriage between celebrity and activism?

It really comes down to two Cs. One is commitment and the other is credibility. I think if we go with alliteration and add in celebrity, I think that is where people will discern the difference between a celebrity using an issue to distract and/or promote themselves. There may be a fair trade in that but it doesn't always sustain a cause, and it doesn't get to the level of a policy change that we look for celebrities to engage in.

Well, we see celebrities speaking out on issues all the time. Is that enough to motivate change?

To see his answer, read more.

We're not interested in a 15-minute hearing on Capitol Hill with some press, that's not that difficult to achieve frankly, and you don't actually need any talent from people like me to achieve that. The question then becomes, "what for?" And that's where commitment and credibility become really important factors. Are they willing to sustain their interest in this, and what does that sustaining interest mean, and how much time does that take?

How much time does it take, and how does that help a cause?

Celebrities work, and like Bono, he's got a rather significant day job. Bono was at the convention four years ago [for ONE] and he's not here this year because he's recording an album, you know that's the day job, but the fact remains four years later he's still involved. It's very much taking the cult of ONE and not doing the predictable stuff with it that gives him both long-term commitment because he has great motivation to stay in this for a long time, and has been in it for a long time. I've been working with him for almost eight years. He's been at this for a long time and there's no one out there that doesn't believe that he's not only committed to it but that he's incredibly credible on the topic.

To see who else Tom Sheridan works with and how committed celebs inspire real change, check out part two of our interview with him later this week!

Source

Flashback: Ben Stiller as Bono in a Cereal Commercial

GiggleSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Oh, man. This is vintage Ben Stiller again from his '90s show. Here he is mocking U2 (but mostly Bono) in their Achtung, Baby and Zooropa era. Ben is imitating Bono in his "everything I sing is important and freighted with angst" phase, demonstrating that he can deliver this even for a Lucky Clover commercial. And he's totally right! Amazing.

Say What? Chaz Bono Sheds Light on Transgender Experience

TresSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

"I always felt like the male from the time I was a child. There wasn't much feminine about me. I believe that gender is something between your ears not between your legs."

- Chaz Bono, the child of Sonny Bono and Cher, explains why he decided to transition from female to male. In his first interview since announcing his decision, Chaz says that he didn't want to wait until he was an old man to enjoy his life in a male body.

Sonny and Cher's Child Transitioning From Female to Male

TresSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0700

"Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity. He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago."

- Chastity Bono's spokesperson, Howard Bragman, in a written statement about Bono's decision to identify as male. Transitioning doesn't always mean gender reassignment surgery. According to Mara Keisling, executive director of the Washington-based National Center for Transgender Equality, "It's sort of a general term that encompasses both or either a social transition or a medical transition." Although Keisling said she didn't know Chaz's case specifically, to transition means that he will now be "known, seen, viewed" as male.

Source

Flashback: Sonny Bono Does Anti-Pot PSA

GiggleSugar — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 13:00:00 -0800

What could go wrong? Well, for one thing, Sonny (RIP) looks stoned out of his mind. Is he speaking slowly because he really wants to get his message across, or because he just smoked a fattie? This is almost as good as handing out beer bottle openers to caution against the dangers of drinking. (The music and images that open this public service announcement are awesome, I must admit.)

Mrs. Bono's Sunglasses

DearSugar — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 11:37:45 -0700

Dear Sugar
As you seem to be The Expert when it comes to spotting the origin of celebrity clothing and accessories, maybe you'll be able to help me with this. I've been searching for months now for Ali Hewson's (aka Mrs. Bono's) sunglasses. Can you identify them for me? I2 Want These Shades

glasses

Dear I2 Want These Shades
These are bringin' me back in time. Ali's glasses are about 7-8 year old Prada's. I know these shades well. A friend of mine used to wear them all of the time; inside, outside, out at night etc...they were all the rage back in the day.

Unfortunately, they are no longer for sale anywhere anymore, but I've found these for you. Hopefully, they'll satisfy your craving. You couldn't have picked a better time to find something similar - purple's back!

Cher Supports Chaz's Decision to Transition

TresSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:00:00 -0700

“Chaz is embarking on a difficult journey, but one that I will support. I respect the courage it takes to go through this transition in the glare of public scrutiny, and although I may not understand, I will strive to be understanding. The one thing that will never change is my abiding love for my child.”

- Cher on her child's decision to transition from female to male and call himself Chaz.