NAMES & FACES
Monday, April 3, 2006; Page C03
Bono's Beef With Berlusconi
Philanthropic rocker Bono has written a letter to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to complain that his picture was used to promote Berlusconi's reelection bid next week.
The U2 frontman's photo appeared in a glossy, 161-page magazine published by Berlusconi's Forza Italia party that was sent to millions of Italian households.
  Below, Goopy Robin Williams, left, and Jack Black slime the young crowd at the Kids' Choice Awards. (By Mario Anzuoni -- Reuters) Save & Share |
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Bono, who has led a campaign to persuade the leaders of G-8 nations to double aid to Africa, is pictured in the brochure with a caption that reads, "The Irish star is grateful to the prime minister for the actions promoted by the Italian government toward poor countries."
"Mr Berlusconi, as flattered as I can be of appearing in your brochure, I also feel a bit exploited," Bono said in the letter, which was printed on the front page of the Italian daily paper Corriere della Sera yesterday.
The letter then calls on Berlusconi to fulfill the promises made by the Group of Eight in Gleneagles, Scotland, last year, pointing out that Italy would need to double its contributions by 2010 to honor its pledge.
Berlusconi's government replied in a statement yesterday: "The difficulties we are going through -- and we are not the only ones -- due to the unfavorable economic context, are visible to all and can cause some delays, but certainly not the non-fulfillment" of Italy's commitments, it said. "We will show with the facts the strength of our commitment to the poorest countries."
Death Row's Number May Be Up
It could be curtains for Suge Knight 's Death Row Records: The hip-hop mogul missed a Saturday court hearing regarding his assets, which cleared the way for authorities to take control of the label. Death Row has released music by Snoop Dogg , Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre , among others.
Last year Knight lost a $107 million judgment to Lydia Harris and her ex-husband, Michael Harris, who say they helped start Death Row. Knight, who denies the couple's claim, has missed several court hearings since then. On March 23 a judge ordered the record label into receivership if Knight did not appear at Saturday's hearing. Under the ruling, a court-appointed receiver would take control of all of the label's assets, according to the Associated Press.
Another hearing is scheduled for tomorrow in Los Angeles to finalize the receivership and address a request from the Harrises that Knight be held in contempt and jailed until he discloses his assets to the court.
Knight's attorney, Dermont Givens , said, "We try our cases in the court and not in the press."
Slimed at the Nick Picks
You might have thought it was the Oscars, except that some celebrities were sprayed with green slime and -- oh, yeah -- most of the 10,000 attendees were kids. Nickelodeon's 19th annual Kids' Choice Awards took place Saturday in Los Angeles and were given a raucous start when host Jack Black took the stage in a white Elvis-style jumpsuit and sang Elton John 's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting."