Bono

Thousands of people lined up last week for free medical treatment at the Forum in Inglewood. The arena floor resembled a vast healthcare assembly line as hundreds of patients at a time were seen by dozens of doctors, dentists and optometrists. But many others had to be turned away because of a shortage of medical professionals willing to volunteer their time and expertise. Stan Brock, founder of Remote Area Medical, the nonprofit group that organized the Forum mega-clinic, was clearly frustrated by being unable to match the overwhelming demand for healthcare with a sufficient supply of caregivers.

Re "Bono's Potty Mouth Gets an F," by Tina Daunt, April 29: Thank you, Justice Scalia. Finally a Supreme Court does something to slow the "filthification" of America. There's a new F-word for you. Tina Daunt misses the point. If she has children, she knows there must be standards of speech. Imagine a little Daunt screaming, "Mum, where's my . . . lacrosse stick?" Hopefully Bono can learn the King's English as if he were speaking to his queen or his own children, since my children are listening too. Bill Welsh Fountain Valley

Cher has sued Universal Music Group, claiming the company owes her and Sonny Bono's heirs more than $5 million. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Santa Monica, claims Cher and Bono's widow and children are owed royalties on songs that were included in recent greatest-hits compilations. The suit also states UMG has failed to provide key records that would show how much is actually owed. UMG spokesman Peter LoFrumento said the lawsuit was "without merit."

Bob Dylan, dressed for the Grammys in a pewter troubadour's coat and a dandy western tie, arrived backstage to greet the assembled press after winning the album of the year award for 1997, but before the first question he turned to his handlers and asked, "Is Bob out there?" Another night, a few years later, Bono peered out on sold-out Staples Center and told the story of U2's first visit to America and how a critic had thrilled the scruffy young band by declaring them a major new force in music.

Former Times pop music critic Robert Hilburn writes in his new book "Corn Flakes With John Lennon (and Other Tales From a Rock 'n' Roll Life)" that after John Lennon's death in 1980, he focused on artists who carried on in Lennon's tradition, including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Kurt Cobain. But in the second half of the decade, the music began to drift and widespread piracy threatened to throw the recording industry into collapse. Looking for some answers about the future of rock, Hilburn sat down with Bono, a visionary from one generation, and Jack White, the most captivating musician from a newer generation.

Charismatic U2 frontman Bono, in a reflective mood as the band brings its "360" tour to the Rose Bowl Sunday night, notes the different, more polarized atmosphere in the United States since the group performed at President Obama's inauguration in January. "I didn't think it could come to this so quickly, after the joyous occasion of that election," Bono said in an interview on board the band's plane. "I thought America was looking good. . . . Things are getting a little rough now." Bono said he's been in touch with Obama and is confident the president will deliver on promises made during the campaign, including the singer's favorite issue: funding to fight AIDS in Africa.

At a moment when "live" concerts, even the once-in-a-lifetime variety, are as accessible as a mouse click, how do you make people still value the act of sharing space with artists as they create music? U2 answers that question with its much-hyped and genuinely great new tour, which made two kinds of history Sunday at the Rose Bowl. The Pasadena stop on the band's 360 Tour was the first stadium concert ever streamed live on YouTube. It was also the biggest musical event to take place in that space.

U2's Bono helped persuade President Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to increase African aid and cancel a portion of Third World debt. But Ireland's most famous rock star is finding it harder to charm Dublin preservationists as he seeks to expand the 177-year-old Clarence Hotel. The singer failed to win over opponents with several bottles of wine and lunch at the Clarence in September, said Michael Smith, former chairman of An Taisce, an independent planning watchdog.

Irish rock star and global humanitarian Bono became a knight of the British empire Thursday -- and joked that his youngest son thought he was about to become a Jedi instead. Bono, 46, was named a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in an informal, laugh-filled ceremony in the Dublin home of British Ambassador David Reddaway. "You have permission to call me anything you want -- except sir, all right?