Bono to get Liberty Medal today

Joining the likes of Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, and Jimmy Carter, U2 frontman Bono received yet another award today. The singer received the National Constitution Center's 2007 Liberty Medal award at a ceremony in Philadelphia. The award, which recognizes "leadership in the pursuit of freedom," is honoring Bono and the DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) organization he cofounded.

Bono, 47, is the first nonpolitician to receive the award in 18 years. The award comes with a $100,000 prize, which will be donated to DATA. The group launched the ONE campaign, which resulted in 2.4 million Americans pledging to join the international fight against AIDS and poverty.

"In the American body politic there's no poetry like the poetry of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution," Bono said in a statement in advance of tonight's ceremony. "What I love about America started in Philadelphia. It's the expression of those values that the world needs to see. The America that liberated Omaha Beach, that rebuilt Europe with the Marshall Plan. That put a man on the moon."

Pistols' Rotten calls Police a carcass

Never one to shy away from trashing other rockers for selling out or vacating ideals, Sex Pistols' frontman Johnny "Rotten" Lydon has turned his ire toward Sting and the reunited Police. In an interview with the UK's Virgin Radio about his band's reunion minitour in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of their landmark debut album, Never Mind the Bollocks..., Rotten was asked about other bands who have recently reunited to tour, including the Police.

Rotten called the reunited band "a soggy old dead carcass," saying, "Listening to 'Stink' try to squeak through 'Roxanne' one more time, it's not fun. It's like letting air out of a balloon."

In other Sex Pistols news, the band has agreed to rerecord "Anarchy in the UK" for inclusion in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, the next installment in the hugely popular music video game franchise. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be sponsoring the band's show at The Brixton Academy in London on Nov. 8. "A bit of anarchy in a video game is alright by me," Rotten said.

Elton John claims ownership of controversial photo

Elton John said yesterday that he owns a photo of two naked girls taken by award-winning photographer Nan Goldin. The photo was seized by police at a British gallery over concerns it amounted to child pornography.

John confirmed ownership of "Klara and Edda Belly-Dancing" in a statement on his Web site. He said it is among 149 images comprising Goldin's "Thanksgiving" installation.

Police said the photo was taken from the BALTIC Center for Contemporary Art in northeastern England "to assess whether or not an offense had been committed."

"The photograph exists as part of the installation as a whole, and has been widely published and exhibited throughout the world," Elton John, who bought the photo in 1999, wrote on his Web site. "It can be found in the monograph of Ms. Goldin's works entitled The Devil's Playground, has been offered for sale at Sotheby's New York in 2002 and 2004, and has previously been exhibited in Houston, London, Madrid, New York, Portugal, Warsaw, and Zurich without any objections of which we are aware."

Investigators: two DMX dogs had wounds

Two dogs found buried at the Arizona home of DMX had serious wounds, authorities investigating animal-neglect allegations told the Associated Press this week. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said that one of the dogs had serious bite wounds and another had trauma to its abdomen, but the exact causes of death were not determined. A third dog carcass had been burned so badly an exam was inconclusive.

The remains were dug up on Aug. 24, when sheriff's investigators probing allegations of animal neglect raided the rapper's home in north Phoenix. DMX has not been charged following the raid, which saw authorities confiscate 12 live pit bulls, numerous weapons, and about a quarter-ounce of marijuana in a bedroom. The rapper has claimed that he was not at the home during the raid, hadn't been there for months, and was paying caretakers and veterinarians to care of his animals.

DMC nabs Emmy for VH1 doc

Darryl McDaniels--best known as DMC of legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC--landed himself an Emmy this week for his critically acclaimed VH1 Rock Doc documentary, DMC: My Adoption Journey. DMC's documentary beat out CBS News' I'm Mike Wallace: A 60 Minutes Tribute, Cinemax's Favela Rising, and PBS's Lomax the Song Hunter, a documentary about legendary record man Alan Lomax.

DMC received his award at New York's Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers on Monday night during the 28th Annual Emmy Awards. The documentary chronicled the rapper's discovery that he was adopted and his efforts to track down his birth family.

"For me it's a whole 'nother level," DMC told Allhiphop.com. "I got the foundation of hip-hop I'm representing. Now the mission has begun for sure. This is the beginning of something new for all the foster kids out there. It shows me that I touched people's lives. This next project is going to change lives, make history, and change the world."

Alabama adopts Skynyrd song for ad

In an effort to drum up some tourism business, the state of Alabama has turned to the band that immortalized it in the song "Sweet Home Alabama." At a state tourism conference Monday on the Alabama coast, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley announced Alabama's tourism agency will use the line "Sweet Home Alabama," made famous Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1974 song and later by the 2002 movie starring Reese Witherspoon.

The ad campaign's symbol is a red, blue, yellow, and white logo with the words "sweet" and "home" flanking the stylized word "Alabama." State tourism director Lee Sentell told the Associated Press that although tourism marketing campaigns often spend millions on brand recognition, "this one is instant."