FREEDOM for U2. According to Music365, Dublin’s Lord Mayor Mary Freehill bestowed the honor of "Freedom of Dublin" on native Dubliners U2, who merited the award based on their extensive support of local charities.

BEASTIE do-it-yourself. The Beastie Boys are offering fans the opportunity to build their own custom CDs of greatest Beastie hits to go along with the group’s two-disc retrospective entitled Sounds of Science to be released later this month. Live Daily News reports that fans can take their pick of 150 songs, including their latest single "Alive," available through participating retailers and only on the Internet and, of course, for a limited time. Check out www.beastieboys.com for the details.

Compiled by Glennie Rabin
News Editor