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Bono admits he's started smoking cigarettes due to his back surgery. The rock legend blames his painful, often boring back surgery. Can Bono quit again?

Bono has restored his health since his recent back surgery that had him out of the music world for over two months. The U2 frontman missed out on their North American tour and Glastonbury Festival, but he's back and ready to rock.

'That's in the past now and I'm very much fit for the future. This band is like a family. I am the prodigal son. I would like to thank my brothers for their patience.'

With so much time on his hands, Bono not only took up smoking, but took time to write and enjoy delicious ice cream.

By the Daily Mail

If he's not careful, hard-bitten actor and director Sean Penn will earn himself a reuptation for being a lightweight.

He celebrated his 50th birthday with a lunch in Dublin with local boy Bono but skipped out of proceedings after a mere two hours.

However, in true Irish fashion, his U2 frontman friend felt able to carry on the revelries, emerging from the restaurant an impressive six hours later.

The duo were enjoying lunch together at Marco Pierre White's Steakhouse and Grill in Dublin, ahead of the actor's landmark birthday tomorrow.

However, when Penn emerged he didn't look like he was celebrating much at all, with his head down and a scowl on his face.

Bono was a different matter though.

When the U2 frontman left it was night time and he looked a little worse for wear as he clung onto a lamp post at one point for some much needed support.

by John D. Luerssen, Spinner

Although the Sex Pistols were a significant early influence on U2, frontman John Lydon could care less. The notoriously contentious Rotten -- aka Johnny Rotten -- thinks that Bono and the boys have no business making music.

"U2 -- that's a band that never should have existed," Lydon snapped during an interview with the Daily Star. "There's no life experience in any of their songs."

Lydon made the remarks during efforts to publicize the return of Public Image Ltd., his post-Pistols band. The PiL mastermind also explained he was "astounded" by the fact that his experimental post-punk troupe hasn't been inundated with bids to play the many European summer festivals.

"We haven't had any offers," Lydon moped. "They have been quite negative, which has astounded us because PiL is the perfect festival band."

Spinner.com © 2010 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Cahir O'Doherty, Irish Central

Just weeks after his emergency surgery, Bono is recovering at his luxury villa in the French Riviera - with a little help from friends, including bike racer Lance Armstrong.

Whilst the north American part of U2's tour is on hold, Bono spends his days meeting pals for lunch in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat restaurant (he drove himself there).

'Lunch with an old friend,' Armstrong tweeted on Thursday, posting a photo of himself with the Irish rocker in front of a very scenic backdrop.

Bono, who is still looking quite tired, is pictured holding a wine glass and has his arm around Lance's pregnant girlfriend, Anna Hansen, while Lance holds their son, Max.

An American in Ireland, by The Yank, Irish Central

Bono might be returning home to recover after his back surgery, but rest might be harder to come by.

I have sympathy for Bono, suffering with his bad back. I'm sure if I was 20 or so my reaction to Bono's injury would be something along the lines of, "What's that old guy doing anyway, trying to behave like a young rock star. He's lucky he can still stand at the microphone." But, I'm in my mid 40s and can fully understand why Bono doesn't want to give up yet. Who wants to be old?

The media says Bono will do his recuperating in his home on Killiney Hill in south County Dublin. What better place? It's beautiful there. Tremendous views looking out over Killiney Bay from Bray to Dalkey and Dalkey Island {photo}, with its medieval church and 19th century Martello Tower.

Irish Times

As he turns 50 next week Bono has much to celebrate, not least achieving world domination as the frontman of U2. But are his lyrics worthy of celebration and will they be relevant in another 50 years, asks TONY CLAYTON-LEA

CONSUMERS OF pop music are fussy about lyrics; the examples of good and bad are far too numerous to list (this writer's favourite clunkers include "there were plants and birds and rocks and things" from America's Horse With No Name , and the geographically unsound "Coast to coast, LA to Chicago" from Sade's Smooth Operator ), but you can guarantee that one person's rounded gem of a lyric is another person's dog-eared phrase.

For more than 30 years now, Bono's lyrics have been on the receiving end of brickbats and bouquets; his detractors might point you to the likes of: "Some days are slippy, other days are sloppy; some days you can't stand the sight of a puppy" ( Some Days Are Better Than Others ), while his fans might direct you towards this example from So Cruel: "You don't know if it's fear or desire/Danger the drug that takes you higher/Head of heaven, fingers in the mire/Her heart is racing you can't keep up/The night is bleeding like a cut/Between the horses of love and lust we are trampled underfoot."

He's been U2's sunglasses-sporting chairman of the board for 35 years. If anyone knows what this front man lark is all about, it's him.

Q Magazine

Words: Bono

1. Front is important but so is back. Get the right people to watch yours -- band, missus, management, your mates.

2. Lie about your height, even if you're 5'10" like me.

3. Don't imagine the audience doesn't know who you really are -- they really do...in a very intimate way. You live in their ear after all, just next door to the brain, down the hall to the bedroom of their heart. Especially if they sleep with earphones. Very, very intimate. They have heard the sound of your spirit snap and stretch. (Truth is, you probably don't know who you are.)

Singer and actor Jared Leto has said that he would love to collaborate with U2.

Speaking to RTÉ.ie, the 30 Seconds to Mars frontman said: "Yeah, I'd love to do something with U2."

"To do a song with Bono would be great."

He also spoke about working with Kanye West recently, saying: "It was great."

"He was fun, easy, professional, creative and I think he did a great job on the song [Hurricane]."

© RTÉ 2010

By Candace Jackson, The Wall Street Journal

Of the dozens of art world events happening as part of Armory Arts Week in New York right now, one of the most buzzed about was last night's New Museum's opening of a controversial show that features highlights from the personal collection of Greek billionaire Dakis Joannou, curated by artist Jeff Koons.

At last night's opening party Koons, wearing a crisp black suit, wandered the galleries with his daughter. Speakeasy caught up with him on the fourth floor of the museum, which featured an eclectic mix of works including brown gouache paintings by Kara Walker and a sparkling sculpture called "Super Sister" by Liza Lou of an oversized bejeweled woman with an afro wearing short-shorts, platform red heels. "Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection" marks the first time Koons has taken on the role of curator.

"I think I ended up dealing mostly with the body, inside and out," Koons said of his approach. But as for making a career out of putting together art exhibits in the future, Koons says his plan now is to "to focus on my own work."

Bono insisted on specially-prepared food when dining out recently, it has been claimed.

The U2 frontman amazed fellow diners at New York eatery Butter on Tuesday (23.02.10) when he made a string of requests to restaurant staff - and then made sure they were carried out.

A source said: "He demanded that his salad be chopped. And he made sure it was when it arrived."

The 'One' singer - who was eating with his bandmate The Edge - sent staff into a panic when he asked for a specific type of bottled water not stocked by the eatery.