CONAN'S U2PALOOZA

OSLO, Norway (AP) -- Mohamed ElBaradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency that he heads won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.



ElBaradei, a 63-year-old lawyer from Egypt, has led the U.N. nuclear agency as it grappled with the crisis in Iraq and the ongoing efforts to prevent North Korea and Iran from acquiring nuclear arms.

The Nobel committee said ElBaradei and the IAEA should be recognized for addressing one of the greatest dangers facing the world.

"At a time when the threat of nuclear arms is again increasing, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to underline that this threat must be met through the broadest possible international cooperation. This principle finds its clearest expression today in the work of the IAEA and its director general."

ElBaradei said in Vienna, Austria, that the prize "sends a strong message" about the agency's disarmament efforts and will strengthen his resolve to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

No doubt, many fans of 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominees Bono and Bob Geldof were disappointed that the Nobel Committee bestowed the award on Mohamed ElBaradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

However, as Bono said last night, when U2 was featured for the entire hour on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, he considered it an honor just to be nominated and recognized for his work to eliminate debt and remedy poverty in poor African nations.




For any U2 fan, Conan's October 6, show was a real treat.

Click here to watch highlights.

As usual, it started off with Conan in his monologue spot. He didn't do any topical jokes, but instead introduced a brief taped segment of the fans lined up outside of 30 Rock for a chance to be a member of the audience. Some of them had been there nearly a day in advance of the taping. Although Conan's interaction with them was entertaining, it did delay what I wanted to see.



Immediately after that, U2 took to the stage and launched into "All Because of You." Bono's voice sounded a little hoarse, compared to when I saw him nearly two weeks ago. Nonetheless, it was great to see them performing on late night TV.

A fun segment followed. Conan did "The Year 2000-The Edge Edition." Edge did a great job delivering his lines. Toward the end, Bono came out from behind the curtain, dressed in the Year 2000 garb, and offered a couple of predictions before cutting to another commericial break.


Photo by Dan

Bono, Edge, Larry, and Adam were then interviewed by Conan. It was somewhat scripted, but still enjoyable, with a number of laughs.



Conan showed some photos of how U2 has changed over the years, including a real photo of Bono as a younger man and an amusing altered image documenting the band's weight gain period.





Then, they performed "Original of the Species." Again, although Bono's voice was a little shaky, that didn't detract from the performance, at least for me.



Conan also did a segment with only Bono on the set. It was at that point that they discussed the One Campaign and got into some politics.



It may be hard for some to imagine, but Bono was quite humble in discussing his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. He expressed doubt that it would be awarded to him. Still, he seemed genuinely pleased and more than satisfied with just the recognition of being nominated.

I suppose much to the chagrin of many libs out there, Bono, as has been his practice in the recent past, did not bash Bush. He praised him.

Rather than go off the deep end with anti-Bush rants, Bono understands the necessity of showing respect in order to be taken seriously and wield influence with Bush. He gets it that divisiveness and negativity will not help to make positive strides toward alleviating the poverty in Africa.

Note to Kanye West: Saying "Bush doesn't care about black people" is a counterproductive strategy.

Note to the Dems: Try Bono's approach.

U2 ended the show with two songs.

Edge and Bono did a lovely acoustic version of "Stuck in a Moment."

Then, Larry and Adam joined them for "Vertigo." Unfortunately, the broadcast ended before the song did. Too bad.

All in all, Conan's U2palooza was a very pleasant way to end the day.

Don't take this as sour grapes.

I just want to point out that although Bono didn't win the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize today, I feel confident in asserting that there is no chance that Mohamed ElBaradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency will ever win a Grammy.