Global Green’s Pre-Oscar Party Guest Hosted by James Cameron
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 03. 4. 1o
Across the street from Capitol Records’ tower, outside the Avalon Hollywood club, a line of green autos included the Tesla, Prius and luxury Audi A3 TDI from LA Car Guy, the biggest green car dealer in the US. GM also displayed its Chevy Volt as celebrity guests arrived in a variety of hybrids for Global Green’s 7th annual Pre-Oscar bash last night, raising awareness for climate change solutions. Strolling down the lead-free green carpet, eco-minded stars shared stories, such as the set of Valentine’s Day had solar powered trailers and no bottled water. Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of Avatar’s director, unveiled her “green” Oscar gown , Leonardo DiCaprio snuck in and surprise guests took the stage for a jam session.
The head of Global Green USA, Matt Peterson, spoke of the changes over the years that he has run the organization with its all-encompassing efforts from affordable green housing to green schools. In 2010, the theme for the evening’s fundraiser was Greener Cities for a Cooler Planet. “It’s a broader perspective this year. When we started the green carpet campaign seven years ago, we managed to squeeze stars like Cameron Diaz and their gowns into the small first-generation Prius. Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins were real pioneers.”
“The good news now there’s more coverage than ever before. The movement doesn’t need celebrities to get attention.” But he looks ahead with “calculated optimism.” There’s a lot of great stuff going on but its still challenging.” Hollywood won’t change environmental policy, he admits, “Though this year Avatar has a strong environmental message.” Attitudes have shifted, he says, as evidenced by the Cocktail Party Test: “When I’d mention I worked with an environmental organization it used to be a tune-out, but now people are really interested and ask questions. That’s a big difference.”
The cast of the presidential summit on the Funny or Die site includes Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush, Darrell Hammond as President Bill Clinton, Dana Carvey as President George H.W. Bush, Dan Aykroyd plays President Jimmy Carter and Chevy Chase returns as President Gerald Ford.
The only comedian who isn’t a veteran SNL regular is Jim Carrey who appears as Ronald Reagan. He takes the place of “SNL” funny-man, Phil Hartman, who typically played Reagan on the show. Hartman died in 1998.
Of course, there’s a reason behind this video and it’s not just a reunion of SNL cast members. Directed by Ron Howard, the video is made in association with Americans for Financial Reform, a pro-regulation coalition of labor and consumer activists.
LOS ANGELES — It’s the end of the world as we know it, and Hollywood feels fine.
Global warming, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, continuing terrorist threats and the economic meltdown have people in a gloomy, even end-of-days frame of mind. Filmmakers are tapping into worries about humanity’s future with apocalyptic sagas such as “2012,” “The Road” and “The Book of Eli,” along with documentaries about environmental or economic doom.
End-of-the-world stories have been a cinema subgenre since the early Cold War days with such nuclear-war movies as “On the Beach,” “Fail-Safe” and “Dr. Strangelove.” The advent of environmentalism and overpopulation concerns resulted in another wave of films depicting bleak futures, among them “Soylent Green,” “Silent Running” and “The Omega Man.” (more…)
Say Direct
Short amateur level low resource documentary made on environmental issues for PTV contest. Equipment: Sanyo high8 handycam, yashica 3.2 MP point and shoot camera and a cheap tripod. Date 31.5.2005
AT&T has leapt into the texting-while-driving debate, launching a campaign to educate the public about the danger.
“Texting has increasingly become the way to communicate for many people, and the urge to quickly read and respond – even while driving – can be tempting,” said Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson. “Our goal is to send a simple, yet vital, message to all wireless users: don’t text and drive.”
The campaign has a number of elements. First, like Caesar’s wife, AT&T staff are expected to be above reproach – although with nearly 290,000 employees, there’s surely a PR disaster waiting to happen.
The company is also going to label its handsets ‘don’t text and drive’, and stick the message into its catalogs, in-store signs and bills.
It plans to produce a series of public service announcements – some with high-profile spokespersons, it says proudly – and aimed at a variety of audiences including parents and teens. It will also create an online resource center for downloadable tools and tips for parents and teachers.
Presumably it will stop short of sending out text alerts on the topic.
Les Paul( June 9, 1915 – August 13, 2009 ) is the man! After all those years of creating his own sound. I still try to watch every move that he makes on stage even in his older years. Subtle strokes of the guitar, always under playing but impeccable with his note placement. Now he uses the effect pedals that emulates the natural reverb he created through placing one microphone at the end of the hall while Mary Ford sung pure sweetness into a microphone on the other end of the hallway. Les Paul was the first to show the world that you can make studio quality music in the comfort of your own home. If you have a ear for mixing, effects and a multi-track recorder. Gary Dann and I both agree on the genius that is Les Paul. So while we are putting the finishing touches on our debut album, watch a little of this and once again marvel at our hero Les Paul.
This week I took the time to get back to myself – working in the garden, updating the bathroom and kitchen to be more efficient. Just moving forward. I took a break to watch this movie about getting around in a more energy efficient way and really enjoyed it. Snagfilms.com has a new picture from ITVS International, and it really helped with my transportation decisions. Check It out. – Millen
In RiP: A remix manifesto, Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.
The film’s central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil’s Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil and pop culture critic Cory Doctorow are also along for the ride.
A participatory media experiment, from day one, Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org, for anyone to remix. This movie-as-mash-up method allows these remixes to become an integral part of the film. With RiP: A remix manifesto, Gaylor and Girl Talk sound an urgent alarm and draw the lines of battle.
Which side of the ideas war are you on?
In a stunning indictment of sweeping policy changes during the Bush years, best-selling author Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth) makes a chilling case that American democracy is under threat. Investigating parallels between our current situation and the rise of dictators and fascism in once-free societies, Wolf uncovers a number of deeply unsettling similarities-from the use of paramilitary groups and secret prisons to the targeted suspension of the rule of law. With this galvanizing call to arms based on her recent book, she urges regular citizens to take back our legacy of freedom and justice. *note: GCR really wants you to see this film.Watch Full Movie Here
