Sure, M.I.A. disapproves of President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize, Asher Roth chimed in for some reason, and John Fogerty is just tickled pink over it, but there hasn’t been much talk from musicians about the media’s recent favorite go-to topic of the week (sans a smattering of 140-character tweets). Enter Bono.

In this week’s NY Times op-ed, the U2 singer seeks to draw a connection between the “fantasy” Obama and the “real” Obama, who, according to “some quarters of these not-so-United States,” is unworthy of such a preemptive award. The connection, Bono claims, lies in Obama’s statement to the United Nations that “we will set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time.”

This commitment is why Bono believes Obama “could well be a force for peace and prosperity — if the words signal action,” Bono says, later adding “The Nobel Peace Prize is the rest of the world saying, ‘Don’t blow it.’” Bono goes on to cite America’s recent climb on the “most admired country in the world” list from number seven to number one, as an example of the peaceful sea change afoot. A few interesting points from the Pope’s new buddy, as usual, but then it’s time for the obligatory Bono pull quote:

Americans are like singers — we just a little bit, kind of like to be loved. The British want to be admired; the Russians, feared; the French, envied. (The Irish, we just want to be listened to.)

Yeah yeah, Bono, we’re listening. And they can see your stage “claw” from space. Check out “Rebranding America” thataway.

Whenever I start to grow tired of Jack White’s attitude about the state of rock music, he pulls me back in drops a few new quotes and I’m back on Team Jack. In an excerpt in the LA Times from rock critic Robert Hilburn’s upcoming book Corn Flakes With John Lennon (and Other Tales From a Rock ‘n’ Roll Life), the author talks to Bono and Jack White about rock stardom in the post-Lennon music world.

“I think one thing is they are suspicious of fame because fame is now associated with ‘celebrity,’” Bono says, of bands that fear the backlash of huge success, “and that has become oppressive in our society.”

Jack White knows a thing or two about a hometown backlash, as he claims that the Detroit scene essentially accused him of being a sell-out when the White Stripes blew up. Interestingly, he admits that his reaction was, “you go to your room and you shut it all out,” which could explain why his former engineer Jim Diamond believes that “he alienated a lot of people.” Either way, here’s the Jack quote that jumped out at me:

The artists of the past all had their rebellion. Elvis was rebelling against sexual repression, and Dylan was rebelling against immorality, and I feel like I’m rebelling against technology and the death of romance.

The LA Times article has tons of great bits from Jack and Bono, so be sure to go thataway before it gets devoured by the news beast.

When John Lennon said the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus,” it was, as we all know, quite a controversy. Somehow I doubt Bono’s recent boast about U2 knocking the previous pope off the Giants Stadium attendance charts will be as big of a deal. I mean, he’s already down with the Vatican and Pope John Paul II did amicably try on his “fly shades.”

The NY Times’ ArtsBeat reports that, according to Live Nation, U2 managed to fill 1,524 more seats at Giants Stadium last night than the previous record-holder did in 1995: Pope John Paul II. “We’ve broken every record for attendance in this stadium,” Bono exclaimed for 84,472 U2 fans last night, “including the Pope.”

Bono is a humanitarian, I’ll give him that, but he’s also a big ol’ cocky rock star. He may have let the pope try on his shades, but Bono wears those things every freakin’ day.

Now that a Florida church is celebrating the U2charist, perhaps Bono has an even better excuse to meet with the second pope of his career. I doubt that’s how this news came about, but Bono clearly knows how to work his Vatican connections.

ARTINFO reports Bono is one of several artists to meet with Pope Benedict XVI in November to assist the Vatican in its effort to bring back “the special historical relationship between faith and art”; what better place to do so than in the Sistine Chapel, which of course is home to Michelangelo’s stunning frescoes. A progressive effort on the church’s part, one I’m sure Annie Lennox wouldn’t find “irresponsible.”

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the Sistine Chapel. When Bono met Pope John Paul II in 2005, the pontiff took an interest in the singer’s sunglasses: “I said ‘Holy father, do you want a pair of fly shades?’ and he said ‘yes’ and he put them on.” Now if we can snag a picture with Pope Benedict wearing Bono’s fly shades, our collection will be complete!

When it comes to bringing music-related film or theater productions to fruition, U2 frontman Bono has no problem ponying up his own cash. Not only has he saved the once-doomed Spider-Man musical from financial disaster, but now he’s backing a new feature film about an Irish showband singer.

Written by Barry Devlin of 1970s Irish rock band Horslips, The Virgin of Las Vegas stars Liam Neeson as an alcoholic, washed-up showband singer who travels to Las Vegas for a fresh start, Belfast Telegraph reports.

I’m not sure how big of a check Bono cashed to save his and the Edge’s Spider-Man project, but this Vegas film is said to cost at least $14 million. Good thing he’s been letting Coldplay borrow the private jet ‘cause Bono needs that fuel money for getting other things off the ground these days.

When rock photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn took on the daunting task of helming the Ian Curtis biopic Control, he had a lot to overcome: Corbijn had never directed a feature film before and attempting to portray a beloved band like Joy Division would be a precarious proposition for even the most seasoned filmmaker. He was, however, up to the task, delivering a solid directorial debut that pleased both critics and Joy Division fans alike.

In the upcoming documentary Shadow Play: The Making of Anton Corbijn, Corbijn’s famous friends and collaborators tell “the story of the ultimate insider who now finds himself outside the Hollywood system and far enough away from the dizzying orbits of fame to make things a little uncomfortable… and very interesting,” a description on the production company’s site reads.

Corbijn, who is publishing a photo/lyric book this fall with longtime portrait subject and friend Tom Waits, wouldn’t get just anybody to tell the story of his transition from photographer to director: the cast list includes Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Bono, Michael Stipe, Brandon Flowers, Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode, and more.

Shadow Play is currently doing the festival circuit, but with famous names like those mentioned above, a wider release (and a trailer?) should be in the near future.

If there’s one thing Bono values, it’s his humanitarian and diplomatic endeavors, but one of his favorite prizes from those efforts, an honorary Bosnian passport, might get taken away from the U2 singer. Between this, the Spider-Man musical’s downward spiral, and David Byrne’s tongue-lashing, Bono’s having a rough month.

Balkan Insight reports that though Bono was granted an honorary passport and citizenship by late president Alija Izetbegovic in 1997, Bosnian officials are now disputing that their laws allow an honorary citizenship to extend beyond the term of the president whom granted it.

Here’s the quote that inspired this post from Bosnia’s Civil Affairs Minister Sredoje Novic: “If we establish that a passport was given outside a regular legal procedure, we will have no other option but to take it away. We cut no slack to anybody, not even for Bono Vox.”

Sorry, but Novic’s use of Bono’s former fake surname cracks me up every time. I would’ve said, “not even for Bono Vox of O’Connell Street.”