Bono says he has to limit his time fighting poverty

Bono says he has to limithis time fighting poverty
LONDON -- Bono said he feared his commitment to campaigning against poverty would force him out of his band, U2. "They [the band] are hugely supportive spiritually and financially of the work I do, but they are in a rock 'n' roll band, and the first job of a rock 'n 'roll band is not to be dull," Bono told British Broadcasting Corp. radio recently. "So we have to be very careful about just letting me go too far." With fellow musician Bob Geldof, Bono was one of the leaders of this year's international Make Poverty History campaign and Live 8 concert, and he frequently makes on-stage statements about global poverty during U2 concerts. "When I do my rant on making poverty history, I have got Larry Mullen, our drummer, behind me looking at his watch, timing me."
"I thought we would wear our audience out, but it hasn't happened," he said. "People are smart out there. They know what you are doing, they know the compromises you are making, they get it."
'Tonight Show' announcerand wife welcome a son
LOS ANGELES -- "Tonight Show" announcer John Melendez is a father for a third time. Oscar David Melendez weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces when he was born early Sunday. He was believed to be the first baby born in the San Fernando Valley in 2006. "It's just funny that my husband's the one who usually is in the spotlight," mother Suzanna Melendez, 39, said. "To pick how you come into this world and have it be New Year's Day is pretty funny to me." Oscar has two sisters, age 9 and 5. "Three kids already'; I might have to ask Jay Leno for a raise. That's a lot of mouths to feed," said Melendez, 40. Melendez is known to Howard Stern fans as "Stuttering John," who carried out cringe-inducting red-carpet interviews for Stern's radio show before moving to the "Tonight Show."
Bracco likes being boss,so she buys real estate
NEW YORK -- Lorraine Bracco keeps a simple strategy when it comes to investing: She sticks to real estate. Bracco said she has never bought a stock in her life and doesn't understand it. But real estate "is like porn for me." "Listen, if I am going to get in a cab to go home, and I see a sign for an open house, I will go in. I like real estate because I am the boss," she said in Sunday's New York Times. Bracco filed for bankruptcy in 1999, the same year of the debut of "The Sopranos." Since then, Bracco said, she has paid off much of her $2 million in debt as well as nearly $500,000 in back taxes. "I owe my last $50,000 to the bankruptcy lawyers," she said, adding that the show has given her financial security.
Minnelli sings for mayor
NEW YORK -- Liza Minnelli helped heat things up at Mayor Michael Bloomberg's inauguration with a lurching rendition of "New York, New York." At times pumping her fist in the air, Minnelli, wearing a billowy red coat and black pants, received a standing ovation from the crowd, which joined in a sing-along at the outdoor city hall ceremony Sunday. Bloomberg, who was sworn in for a second term, helped the 5,000 guests in attendance keep the chill off by providing hot cider and wool blankets.
Notable deaths
Bill DeArango, a master guitarist who played with some of the greatest names in jazz and mentored later talents, was 85 when he died from pneumonia Dec. 26 at a home for seniors in East Cleveland, Ohio.
Candy Barr, a well-known exotic dancer from the 1950s who settled into a quiet small-town life in Texas, died at age 70. The Texas native died Friday of pneumonia at a hospital, the Abilene Reporter-News reported in Sunday editions.
Richard De Angelis, who played Baltimore police Col. Raymond Foerster on the HBO crime drama "The Wire," died at 73 on Dec. 28 of congestive heart failure at his home in Silver Spring, said his son, Richard M. De Angelis.
Today's birthdays
Record producer Sir George Martin is 80. Actor Robert Loggia is 76. Actor Dabney Coleman is 74. Journalist-author Betty Rollin is 70. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Bobby Hull is 67. Singer-songwriter-producer Van Dyke Parks is 63. Musician Stephen Stills is 61. Rock musician John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) is 60. Actress Victoria Principal is 56. Actor-director Mel Gibson is 50. Actress Shannon Sturges is 38. Jazz musician James Carter is 37. Contemporary Christian singer Nichole Nordeman is 34. Actor Jason Marsden is 31. Actress Danica McKellar is 31. Actor Nicholas Gonzalez is 30. Singer Kimberley Locke ("American Idol") is 28. Actor Alex D. Linz is 17.