From Al Gore lecturing Kenneth Parcell about global warming on 30 Rock to the appearance of ‘Recyclops’ on The Office, NBC has unleashed a slew of subtle and not-so-subtle green messages on its audiences this past “Green Week”. But perhaps the funniest bit was Jimmy Fallon’s hilarious greenified medley of hit songs from the likes of Amy Winehouse and Jay-Z.

While we applaud NBC’s initiative, we also couldn’t help but laugh at the inconsistencies pointed out by (of all sources) Maxim.com:

Via [Ecorazzi]

It seems too ludicrous to be real: a U.S. Army unit that sought to acquire and refine Jedi-like powers, and trained by attempting to kill goats through mind power alone. But the movie ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’, starring George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey, is based on actual events and people.

One of those people is retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jim Channon, who was the brains behind the loopy 1st Earth Battalion.

From Sign On San Diego:

Channon, who is loosely portrayed by a Dudelike Bridges, embarked on a two-year government-funded fact-finding mission that included naked hot tub encounters and yoga retreats so he could write a military manual in 1978 to help Army “Jedi” soldiers reach a higher spiritual plane. He envisioned a more Zenlike approach to combat, with troops wearing ginseng-equipped uniforms, offering symbolic flowers, cradling baby lambs in hostile territory and greeting enemies with “sparkly eyes.”

“If the ideas were instituted and they worked, we would be a far better world,” Heslov says. “Do I believe it could happen? Probably not. But I’ve got to give the military credit.”

Channon now lives on an “eco-homestead” in Hawaii and describes himself as a “global elder” and “mystic landcrafter” still pursuing creative ways to bring world peace. In a video posted on his Web site, firstearthbattalion.org, he takes the movie’s humor with a grain of salt and asserts that his out-of-the-box thinking for his “mythical battalion” wasn’t absurd.

“If soldiers are telepathic during a firefight, that would be very useful,” Channon explains at one point. He ends the video with his trademark “Go Planet!”

The movie definitely takes liberties with the story – director Grant Heslov figures about 65% is lifted from Jon Ronson’s non-fiction book of the same name – but fear not, Jim Channon is here to tell you the real story. His website contains all kinds of information about the 1st Earth Battalion, and he explains some of it below:

Read more at Sign On San Diego.

Link [Sign On San Diego]

Every celebrity has lunatic fans, but pole-dancing tween queen Miley Cyrus seems to have inspired a particularly fervent devotion among the completely unchained. First there was her extremely creepy stalker, and now she’s got someone threatening to kill their beloved cat if she doesn’t come back to Twitter.

Why did Miley leave Twitter? Who the hell cares? Oh, wait. This dude (or chick?) clearly does. And if Miley doesn’t come back by November 16th, Fuzzy is going to get it.

The other day I asked myself: ‘What can I do to bring Miley back to Twitter?’ Fan video? Petitions? Letters? That never works. Heck, Miley even made her own video about never wanting to use Twitter again. Then I looked at my cat, Fuzzy and I realized, maybe Fuzzy can help. Fuzzy can make the ultimate sacrifice for this cause. It was very difficult for me, you see, as I sincerely love Fuzzy. But my mind is made up. I could always get another cat, but nothing can replace Miley’s tweets for me!

The idea is very simple. I’ve set a deadline of November 16, 2009, when Fuzzy will part with his life and become a meal. I intend to make a cat dish according to our ethnic cuisine. Check out the Recipes section for more information. Also, you can view some pictures of Fuzzy here.

I do not consider myself a cruel person and I do love my cat. Fuzzy will receive quick and swift death and I’ll try to minimize his suffering.

Wondering what, exactly, this unnamed psycho fan is going to do with Fuzzy? Well, you need look no further than MileySaveFuzzy.com, where he/she has posted a recipe for ‘Braised Cat’. This fan swears that it isn’t a hoax or a joke (though, you know how that goes).

Hey, eating cats is as normal as eating chickens in some parts of the world – and there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that. In fact, it’s kind of messed up that we place such sentimental significance on certain species and are totally blasé about the treatment of the ones we eat.

But eating your pet for Miley freaking Cyrus’ TWITTER ACCOUNT? Maybe you should marinate yourself and let Fuzzy put you out of your misery.

Link [MileySaveFuzzy.com]

Talk about tone-deaf, ham-fisted marketing: somehow, Denny’s thought it would be a good idea to promote the very vegan Morrissey’s West Coast concert with free hamburgers. Cue Morrissey’s head spinning like the Exorcist in 3…2…1…

From Ecorazzi:

On recent ticket orders for Morrissey’s upcoming west coast gig,Ticketmaster has allowed Denny’s to run a cross promotion offering a free hamburger. Why isn’t this okay? Only because Morrissey is one of the most outspoken vegetarian celebs ever!

Earlier this year, Morrissey banned all food that “used to have a face” from his concert hall and even walked off stage once because he was annoyed with the meaty smell from the crowd.

No word yet on if Morrissey knows about this promotion, but we’re pretty sure he’s going to FLIP when he does.

Hellooooo, Denny’s/Ticketmaster: this is the man who wrote the song Meat is Murder!

Apparently the company is promoting something it calls a ‘Better Burger’, which is suppossedly higher quality than the meat that it usually offers, and one of the choices is a Boca Burger. So, why not target that marketing a little better and push the Boca Burger? Vegetarians have drunken late-night cravings too.

Lame advertising + missed opportunity = FAIL.

Link [Ecorazzi]

Last spring, British actress Sienna Miller traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to document the lives of the women who are embroiled in the inescapable political conflict of the region. The documentary, titled ‘8 Minutes’, is named after a horrifying statistic: a woman is raped in the Congo every 8 minutes. The journey changed Miller’s life, and the story she tells is undeniably poignant.

From her travelogues on Take Part:

I met a mother who was running away from a group of militia three days earlier with her baby strapped to her back. They both got shot, but survived and thankfully made it into the facility in time. Her boy is so little and the huge bandages on his arms break my heart. Everything about this place breaks my heart.

These people all have stories which they share with me and there is just simply too much to try to grasp. Everyone has lost something, everyone has lost someone. I meet malnourished babies, mothers, fathers, widows and widowers, malaria sufferers, their eyes glazed, victims of rape and pillaging.

They are all here in massive numbers, and their stories are agonizing. I meet a group of about a hundred who have selected an old man to read out on behalf of them all, their list of grievances. They have no homes and no possessions and they need others to recognize they are in crisis.

Read the rest over at Take Part – and watch the documentary in its entirety at Ecorazzi.

Link [Take Part] + [Ecorazzi]
Photo credit: Take Part

It’s not often that pretty young Hollywood actresses admit to something weird like enjoying the act of shoveling goat manure. But, Ellen Page isn’t a typical Hollywood actress.

The ‘Juno’ and ‘Whip It’ star told USA Today that she discovered just how relaxing goat shit shoveling can be while taking a break from the spotlight.

“I went to Oregon to study permaculture and lived in an eco-village for a month outside Eugene. It’s called Lost Valley. It was amazing and exactly what I needed.”

“You’re learning how to live in a holistic way with the cycles of the Earth. At one point I was digging goat manure and putting it into a wheelbarrow, and while shovelling it, I just went, ‘Oh, my God, this is exactly what I want to be doing right now.’”

Page definitely seems a lot more down-to-earth than peers like Lindsay Lohan, and you won’t find her hawking nasty spray tan or crashing somebody else’s Maserati any time soon.

“I’m not a fancy person. I love small spaces. I like tiny cars. I don’t buy things, aside from music and books. I don’t get loads f attention and maybe it’s because I’m kind of boring. I don’t think I’m boring, but I have different interests. I don’t go out much, not because I’m hiding but because I’m not a big drinker. I go out and have a good time, I go to concerts and stuff.”

Page stars as roller girl “Babe Ruthless” in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut ‘Whip It’, which is in theaters now.

Link [Digital Spy]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Does Matt Damon secretly have a wicked temper? The Bostonite has been captured on camera giving a verbal ass-kicking to environmentalist and actor Adrian Grenier while filming a PSA for clean water organization OneXOne as Grenier’s fellow Entourage star Jeremy Pervert Piven looks on.

Damon is set to appear in a cameo on Entourage next week promoting OneXOne, which is his real-life charity. Here’s the scoop, from US Magazine via Ecorazzi:

“The joke is that Matt is very passionate about his charity — almost in a stalkerish kind of way,” Adrian Grenier, who plays movie star Vince, said. “Vince becomes intimated by his intensity. He ends up bullying Vince into giving much more than he should.”

Costar Emmanuelle Chriqui, who plays Sloan, added: “Matt gets Vince to make a massive donation. He’s like, ‘Bro – whip out your checkbook!’”

So, of course it’s just promotional for Damon’s appearance on Entourage. But, it’s still funny to see this notorious ‘nice guy’ drop the F-bomb a dozen times in a two-minute clip!

Link [Ecorazzi]

A new time slot isn’t the only change coming this fall as Jay Leno takes the helm of his own late night show after leaving The Tonight Show. MNN spoke to Leno, who’s a major car buff, about one cool (and somewhat strange) addition to his new show: an eco racetrack, where celebrity guests will face off a couple times a week in the Green Car Challenge.

From MNN:

Ford is supplying electric Focus models outfitted with in-car cameras and microphones.

“All celebrities talk about being green. We want to see who is green and fast,” Leno tells MNN. He got the idea from the attention he’d get — especially from women — whenever he drove one of his electric or hydrogen-cell vehicles (which he parks in a solar-paneled garage) to work.

“It’ll be fun to see if Shaquille O’Neal is faster than Cameron Diaz,” says Leno, noting that Tom Cruise requested a practice run — and was denied. “Nobody gets to practice,” he warns. Drew Barrymore has already accepted the challenge, and Leno would love to get race enthusiast Patrick Dempsey. No word yet on whether first guest Jerry Seinfeld will get behind the wheel.

Hey, it’s a slight deviation from the standard late night older-white-dude-behind-a-desk schtick, so it just might draw in some extra viewers. And Leno knows a thing or two about green cars. Though his huge car collection may not exactly qualify as eco-friendly, a number of those vehicles are ultra-efficient and/or powered with renewable energy. He also co-designed the EcoJet concept, which runs on biodiesel.

“The Jay Leno Show” debuts tonight, September 14th, at 10pm EST on NBC.

Link [MNN]
Photo credit: GM

If you just can’t get enough of watching bizarre animal sex behaviors acted out by a beautiful Italian actress, we’ve got good news. Season three of Green Porno is coming, and this time, it’ll focus on undersea shenanigans.

Isabella Rossellini spent previous seasons of Green Porno bringing the sex lives of creatures like earthworms and snails to life in vivid detail, donning weird animal costumes, moaning and rubbing against props.

Though we’ve been under the water with Isabella before, exploring the sexuality of whales, anglerfish and starfish, the new season will feature sea creatures that tend to end up in our kitchens.

From the release, via Ecorazzi:

“Green Porno 3″ introduces several new elements to the series as Isabella examines the routines of sea animals popular in human kitchens in the first three films of the series: “Bon Appetit: Shrimp,” “Bon Appetit: Squid” and “Bon Appetit: Anchovy.” The films also feature biologist Claudio Campagna, who talks about what we can do to keep our plates in balance with the sea. In the fourth film, “Harem on the Beach: Elephant Seal,” Isabella explores the curious ways of the elephant seal and journeys to Argentinean Patagonia to see the animals in action. Here, too, she is joined by Campagna, who has studied elephant seals for 30 years.

Check out the starfish episode from season 2:

The season premiere debuts on September 11th at the Toronto Film Festival, and will come to your television on Monday, September 21st at 8pm ET/PT only on the Sundance Channel. It’ll also be available for free viewing online starting September 14th at SundanceChannel.com/GreenPorno.

Link [Green Porno] + [Ecorazzi]

Mathematician, nuclear science researcher, nun in the order of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, human rights activist and author Dr. Rosalie Bertell knows a thing or two about uranium, and how it effects the human body. Dr. Bertell has devoted her life to speaking out on behalf of those most vulnerable and affected by radiation – women and children, aboriginals and workers in uranium mines and nuclear facilities.

Bertell is an activist of protecting the health of the planet through peace, writing in her book Planet Earth: The Newest Weapon of War,

“It is my belief that we have been treating the symptoms but not the cause of the disease of the Earth. We have been abusing Earth’s natural systems, the way it regulates temperature and water supply, recycles waste and protects life. For me, some of the most fundamental abuses have occurred because of our continued reliance on the military.”

Dr. Bertell is especially vocal about the consequences of the 1984 Union Carbide explosion in Bhopal, India and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown. Both disasters killed and sickened hundreds of thousands of people and still have an effect today on people who live near the accident sites.

The dual Canadian and U.S. citizen knew from childhood that she would become a nun, but her interest and abilities in the field of science were also clear from an early age. She took a research job at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the world’s first cancer research facility, and it was then that she became interested in radiation and nuclear-related subjects.

Bertell told interviewer Wendy Jewell,

“I was a senior cancer research scientist studying the harm done to a large population by unnecessary uses of diagnostic medical X-ray. I became outraged when I found that nuclear power plants were releasing radioactive materials (like X-rays) at this same level routinely, indiscriminately exposing the unsuspecting public. My first experience was a nuclear plant, which wanted to locate its facility next to the Gerber’s Baby Food Farm in Barker, NY. That plant was never built.”

After suffering a heart attack in 1972, Dr. Bertell spent much of her recovery time in a monastery studying the effects of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings and emerged as the field’s top expert. She quit her job at the Roswell Institute, which accepted research money from the nuclear industry, after they put pressure on her to keep quiet.

Dr. Bertell is an outspoken critic of the use of depleted uranium in warfare, which has extremely destructive effects on the planet and human health.

Rosalie Bertell has written several books and was among 1,000 women peace activists from around the world nominated as a group for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. She has also received numerous awards including the Alternative Nobel Prize, the Right Livelihood Award and the World Federalist Peace Award.

Dr. Rosalie Bertell’s Green Score: 79,995