Even at his age, it doesn’t make it easy, especially for Katie and those close to him.

Katie Couric‘s dad, John, passed away at 90 after fighting Parkinson’s disease.

He had a very full life, and had a very successful, kind, and wonderful daughter. Here’s a bit about his life:

Couric’s father was a former journalist who reported from the southern U.S. and Washington, DC in the 1940s and 1950s before becoming a public relations professional, according to an obituary in the Washington Post. The elder Couric told the Post in 1991 that he supported Katie’s decision to go into broadcast journalism: “I encouraged her to go into broadcasting because I thought it was more promising than print, having been in print myself.”

Katie has expressed gratitude towards the many messages of condolences and support from her fans and followers on twitter, too:

“Thank you to all the kind people expressing their sympathy to my family. The loss is profound and I am grateful for your support.”

We’re sorry for your loss, Katie. He sounds like he was a good man!

[Image via Bizu/WENN.]

Original post by Perez Hilton

Although U2 has preached about world hunger and environmental issues, the band has ignited harsh criticism over the sizeable cost of their recent world tour.

The three steel structures that make up the custom-built stage cost between £15 and £20 million each, becoming the most ambitious endeavor of any world tour, including the intricate stages of Madonna and The Rolling Stones.

“We’re spending the money on our fans, I don’t think there’s a better thing you could spend it on,” said guitarist The Edge.

The green and orange “claw” stage allowed an estimated 88,000 fans an unobstructed of the band at England’s Wembley Stadium this past weekend.

Talking Heads singer David Byrne was one of many that offered his thoughts, “$40 million to build the stage and, having done the math, we estimate 200 semi trucks crisscrossing Europe for the duration. It could be professional envy speaking here, but it sure looks like, well, overkill, and just a wee bit out of balance given all the starving people in Africa and all.”

But, the band feels that this is part of the touring process!

“I think anybody that’s touring is going to have a carbon footprint. I think it’s probably unfair to single out rock ‘n’ roll,” continued The Edge. There’s many other things that are in the same category but as it happens we have a programme to offset whatever carbon footprint we have. We’d love to have some alternative to big trucks bringing the stuff around but there just isn’t one”

Do U think U2 are a bunch of hypocrites?!

[Image via WENN.]

Original post by Perez Hilton