1. What was the motivation to take this step and write this book? 
 
The motivation was Omnibus Press opening a door and inviting me to write it. I’d love to claim the idea as my own, but I was in contact with them to pitch a different book idea. They weren’t interested in my proposal, but were interested in doing a U2 diary-style book — similar to a Beatles diary-style book they’d already published to considerable success. Since I’ve always been fascinated by U2′s history, and had lots of good material on @U2 to use as a starting point, it was pretty easy to say yes. 

2. What do you think U2 fans will enjoy most about this book? 
 
I think it’ll probably be different for everyone, or for different types of fans. I hope newer and more casual fans will appreciate learning some new things about the band that maybe they didn’t know before, or maybe the way I describe certain events will give them a new understanding of the importance of certain events. I hope longtime fans will enjoy the reference aspect of the book; since it’s the whole history of the band broken up into year-by-year chapters, it’ll be super easy to look up some date or event and quickly get the details you want to know. 
 
And I hope that everyone appreciates the timeline format and how, in my opinion, it really helps get a better sense of the band’s development and how what happened one year really impacted what happened the next year. 
 

3. What do you enjoy the most about managing @U2?  
 
There are three things that I love about being involved with @U2: 1) I get to work with some of the smartest, coolest, nicest, and best people I’ve ever met. The @U2 staff is just a really super group of people, and I’m blessed to call them friends and have them working on the site, too. 2) Getting emails from readers that just say “thanks for all you guys do” and stuff like that — it’s awesome. 3) Very similarly to that — it’s great to meet @U2 readers at concerts or other U2 events. Everyone is always so cool and so nice, and it just reminds you why you love being a U2 fan. 
 
 
4. What was the best U2 show you ever attended? 
 
Easy answer: San Jose, April 20, 2001. That’s the one that both Willie Williams and Bono both agreed was one of their best ever. I think Bono even said it was his best show ever. It was absolute magic. Crazy energy in the arena. There’s a great description of it in U2 Live – A Concert Documentary. 
 
5. In your opinion, what U2 song best captures what you believe is the true spirit of the band? 
 
I don’t know if I could pick just one song, because there’s so many faces to U2. No, actually — scratch that. Five minutes later, and my answer is “One.” It’s the quintessential U2 song. Bono always talked about wanting U2 to work on three levels: political, spiritual, and sexual. I think that song works on all three levels (and more). It’s probably one of the best five or ten songs ever written. Don’t you think?  (Phil response: without a question!)

The book can be ordered at Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble.  I look forward to reading it and adding it to the library. 

Of course, this all adds to my excitement for the upcoming album and tour!

The presale tickets that popped up were all in the second half of the arena, the area further from the stage. I tired pulling tickets up a few times in hopes of getting seats closer to the stage but did not get anything so I figured they were saving the seats up front for the general sale so I did not buy any and waited for today.

This morning, at 10am, my wife and I try for tickets and immediately starting getting tickets in similar sections in the back of the arena that were being offered in the presale.  I tried a few times and it was the same each time. After about 15 minutes, we figured we should jump on a pair of these seats in case the show sells out and we were left out of the show and we did, a pair in the 300s, about middle of the arena.  Once these were locked in, we tried for fun to see if the show would sell out and suddenly, out of the blue, a pair of tickets in the 100s, right at the side of the stage pop up! We ended up grabbing those and hope to sell the others at face before the show. Once we got this solitary pair in the 100s, we just checked again for fun and the tickets popping up were in the back of the arena again.

Where were the good floor seats and the rest of the sections near the stage? I understand that some are saved for radio stations, VIPs (whetever that means) , etc but usually some good seats are available based on the hundres of shows I have bought tickets for in the past.

Anyway, Im in and I cannot wait. I have seen Oasis about 10 times and they have been awesome every time!

I never expected I would have turned on Kenley so fast as I have after the last two weeks.  While I was able to overlook some of the combativeness earlier in the show, she has reached new lows in her refusal to accept criticism.  She had MAJOR attitude during the runway show. What I also found weird was that she took a floral-based challenge and got a vision of scales of a fish. And the best part was that when Tim Gunn mentioned it, she said that was exactly was she was looking for!

Overall, I didn’t find any of the designs last night too appealing although I believe Jerell rightfully won.  I think they are bringing back all 4 for the finale because, as Heidi said, they were interested to see what Kenley could do but I dont think they wanted to eliminate Korto based on this one performance after being so string throughout the show so I think it was the right thing to do.

Power Rankings:

1. Jerell

2. LeAnn

3. Korto

4. Kenley

I have been a Kenley fan all season so far but I must admit that she should have been knocked out this week.  That outfit was horrible although I am not sure LeAnn did much to help the presentation of the outfit with her mean look and weird arm gestures that I guess were supposed to be hip hop.

New PR Power Rankings

1. Jerell – On a roll!

2. LeAnn – She got Country and didn’t make it look tacky!

3. Korto – Solid every week

4. Kenley – Attitude and apparent lack of flexibility probably lead to her departure before Fashion Week.

Anyway, Simmons’ article got me thinking about these new dynamics so I highly recommend everyone read the article. 

Jerrel is on a roll now.  Coupled with Joe’s elimination, I put him in third place now in the Power Rankings.  I am kind of happy that the mothers of the girls the designers had to design for were not around at the fitting as well as the preparation for the runway show. They were just being disruptive to the designers.

Next week’s highlights indicate that Kenley’s combative nature will be the focus of the episode. While I still consider her my favorite, I am most concern with her disrespectful comments towards Tim Gunn, who is super nice to them and is clearly looking out for the designers with his advice. I dont mind  her debating the judges at the runway show but she should be nice to Tim Gunn.

Anyway, here are the Phil Power Rankings for the week.

1. Kenley – Was very close to winning again so despite all the criticisms from the other designers as well other viewers of the show, until she is in the bottom pair, she will remain at or near the top of this list.

2. LeAnn – Judges seemed a little disappointed in this week’s dress but she has been strong.

3. Jerell – Gaining momentum after a slow start to the show. He may end up being the most versatile of the designers so right now I think he has a spot at Bryant Park.

I was not surprised Blayne was knocked out. It was obvious the writing was on the wall for him when Michael Kors said the outfit looked like it was “pooping fabric”.  I was surprised however, that Terry was knocked out. I expected better from her but her animosity towards Keith, her partner in the challenge, took control of her.

Since it is Football Season and many sites have their Power Rankings for NFL teams, I will create the Phil Top 5 Project Runway Power Rankings.  These will be changed weekly based on each episode.  This week’s ranking:

1. LeAnn  – Another strong performance combined with Kenley’s disastrous insect like costume puts her in the top spot.

2.  Kenley – Still think she is headed to Bryant Park but needs to bounce back strongly. Her combative personality makes for good TV.

3. Joe – Does anyone else think he looks like a cross between Mike Piazza and Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy?  Silently staying in the game.

4. Jerell – This week’s winner has been on a LeAnn like run of week to week improvement.

5.  Korto – like Joe she is progressing under the radar.

Next week, I will have to rely on the DVR as I will be attending the Swell Season (Glen Hansard from the Frames and Market Irglova’s project for the movie Once)  show at Central Park Summerstage on Wednesday night so the review will probably come on Thursday or Friday.

Another good place where you see people taking artists’ words a little too much to heart is the great documentary on the Dixie Chicks called Shut up and Sing, which chronicles the effects of Natalie Maines’ comments at a London show in 2003 about how she is not proud President Bush is from Texas. You see boycotts of radio stations by country fans as well death threats against the Chicks themselves.  Pretty disturbing but a great documentary.  It has been running on Starz lately so you may catch it there or definitely put in on your Netflix or Blockbuster.com queues.

Today is week 1 of the NFL season and after spending the first part of the day watching the pre-game show and then watching the Jets barely defeat the Dolphins along with the pathetic St. Louis Rams and my first round fantasy football pick Steven Jackson put up a terrible performance against the Eagles, I needed a break from the testosterone fueled events on TV so I decided to run through the DVR and watch Project Runway. 

I have wanted to keep weekly thoughts on Project Runway on this blog as I tried to do with Hell’s Kitchen and Top Chef earlier in the summer but I usually either am putting my son to sleep at that time or I myself fall asleep while watching it at it’s original airing, forcing me to catch up with the shows later in the week. 

Anyway, I am caught up so here we go.

This week’s episode was my favorite of the season so far as they got a major league designer, Diane Von Furstenberg to be a judge and give the challenge.  I was getting a little worried that the show was having too many former Project Runway contestants or celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Apollo Ono,  and Brooke Shields as judges and that they were unable to get higher profile judges such as Roberto Cavalli last season anymore.  I was proven wrong (as usual).

Anyway, the challenge was to make an outfit based on Marlene Dietrich’s character in the 1948 film Foreign Affair that could also be part of Von Furstenberg’s fall collection.  LeAnn won this challenge, her second in a row as the designers loved her blue dress with gray jacket (great verbal description, huh?).  My favorite for this season, Kenley, seemed to have come in second.  This results adds to my prediction that both will be at Bryant Park at the end (I think Terry or Joe will be the other).   This is surprising because I thought LeAnn should have been eliminated in one of the first few episodes but she got by and seems to be in the zone now.

I think it was also time for Stella to go. She seemed to only be able to do leathery biker-like outfits and did not have the flexibility and creativity to go to the end.  I think Blayne, Korto, and maybe Jerrell will be the next ones out.

Anyway, I ask you, my legions of reader(s) to let me know your thoughts on Project Runway this season. Who do you think will be going to Fashion Week based on what you have seen so far as well as any thoughts you may have on the show.

It seems like Chelsea are going fully after Robinho.  I have a theory that if this happens then Christiano Ronaldo will head to Real Madrid.  This theoy has been solidified by the fact that Manchester United are pulling off what I feel may be the best signing of the summer as they are near to officialy completing the signing of Tottenham star Berbatov.  Berbatov makes a worthy replacement for Ronaldo so I bet we see him head to Madrid in the next two weeks (pure guess on the timing).

Finally, in some Greek player news, Giorgios Samaras has signed a deal to stay at Celtic.