As I pointed out yesterday, last night Al Gore was on a special green episode of 30 Rock!  His cameo comes late in the show but as usual the entire show is funny and it is totally worth it to wait a little while to see Al Gore interact with Kenneth.

Beyond the Gore cameo the show showcased (and admittedly made fun of) the various ways people can reduce their carbon footprint. I can’t think of a better way to brainstorm ways to change your life then by laughing along with the gang at 30 Rock.

Give a watch and then visit the “act” section of this post to see how you can help in the fight against global warming.

I love 30 Rock and I love Al Gore so news that Al Gore has a cameo on the comedy program tonight has love just gushing out of me.

The cameo is set to align with NBC’s Green Week and if the preview clip below (no Gore, but some good environmental commentary) is any indication the episode should be hilarious.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for clips/recpas of the episode!

Slow Food NYC started a 10 day online auction yesterday with proceeds set to benefit Slow Food NYC’s Harvest Time in Schools Program. The auction is going to run from November 18 through November 28 and features some pretty awesome items if you’re into food. Check out some of my favorite selections below.  Read the rest of this entry >>

The first thing that got me excited about Defamation is the fact that one of the main characters in the film is infamous college professor and author Norman Finklestein.  (When I was in college at DePaul I took a class with Finklestein and it was one of the best classes of my entire college career.) When I started to learn more about the film it looked like it would be a pretty fair and balanced look at anti-semitism and Judaism in general.

The trailer below is pretty loose and doesn’t really name who the experts will be but I kind like that.  It paints a portrait of a film and makes it clear what you’ll be spending your time delving into a film about religion, persecution and power.

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The list of films that might get nominated for Oscar’s Best Documentary prize have been announced and I have some very exciting news, both Food, Inc and The Cove are on it! The shortlist consists of 15 films and will eventually be whittled down to the five actual Oscar nominees.

I am so happy that both The Cove and Food, Inc are on the list. They are easily two of my favorite docs of the year and they have both helped to create major awareness in the arenas of food and dolphin slaughter.

Go below for the entire shortlist and my personal picks (and trailers for them) for the five nominees.

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Good news for fans of movies and fans of sustainability: A movie theater in Tennessee called Majestic 12, part of Carmike Cinemas Inc., is the first real green cinema! From the Huffington Post:

U.S. Green Building Council spokeswoman Ashley Katz said Carmike has applied for LEED certification for the 70,000-square-foot building.

LEED Gold certification means it adheres to the greenest building standards, requiring use of recycled materials in construction and environmentally friendly amenities to reduce energy consumption.

The 12-screen, 2,500-seat theater building, representing $12 million invested by RiverCity Co. and local private foundations, is catching rain on the roof for toilets and landscaping, using low-energy lighting and making electricity with solar panels.

Movie-goers have already praised the theater’s comfort and the picture and sound quality (so important!), so if you find yourself in Tennessee, support sustainability and movies and see a flick at the Majestic 12. For now go below for a video of the official opening of the theater! Read the rest of this entry >>

A few weeks ago Danny blogged about Organizing for America’s recent video contest concerning health reform (he showcased his favorite entries) and I am happy to report that they’ve chosen a winner!

There were nearly 1,000 submissions and 20 finalists and millions of views from supporters and judges and now the winning video is below.  The folks at OFA are working to make sure the video airs as much as possible before the final vote.  For now though watch below and spread it around! Read the rest of this entry >>

I have adored Tim Burton ever since I saw Edward Scissorhands at a sleepover party in third grade.  Since then he’s made many movies that I still love and written what remains one of my favorite books of all time, “The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories” Well now in some ways it seems my life is coming full circle as Tim Burton is about to get his own exhibit and screening series at MOMA in New York City. From the MOMA website:

This major career retrospective on Tim Burton (American, b. 1958), consisting of a gallery exhibition and a film series, considers Burton’s career as a director, producer, writer, and concept artist for live-action and animated films, along with his work as a fiction writer, photographer and illustrator.

Below is a video of Burton talking about his work and how he got to where he is today and his process.  Especially interesting is where he discusses his unique drawing style and how he had a teacher that encouraged his work despite the fact that others had told him his style wasn’t very good.  Also, I love his attitude towards his  non-traditional exhibit that includes all the different categories of his work and also how his socks seem to really encompass who he is.  Read the rest of this entry >>

Here at TakePart Ciara O’Rourke and I have both written about the film Precious and how much we like and appreciate it. Well now we another reason to be on Team Precious, the film is using Twitter to raise money for literacy.  The film’s distributor Lionsgate has teamed up with Everybody Wins!, a literacy and mentoring non-profit, and TwitCause to raise money to help get kids excited about reading.

Through tomorrow, whenever any Twitter user uses the hashtag #Read2Kids in a tweet Lionsgate will match one dollar per tweet, up to $1,000 to be donated to Everybody Wins!.

So get yourself over to Twitter and tweet for literacy!

And when your done get yourself to the movies and see Precious! You can watch the trailer HERE.

Tonight on PBS’s Frontline they explore the recent conflict in Iran and the death of the Iranian protester named Neda with a piece called A Death in Tehran.  From the PBS website:

FRONTLINE investigates the life and death of the woman whose image remains a potent symbol for those who want to keep the reform movement alive. The film also explores a number of unanswered questions in the aftermath of the greatest upheaval in Iran since the 1979 revolution: How many were arrested and killed as the security forces attempted to contain the growing protest movement? To what extent was the presidential vote manipulated? What is the future of the movement that seems to have been silenced?

It sounds like an amazing and inspiring piece of journalism.  It airs tonight at 9pm in most places and a trailer for the show is below. Read the rest of this entry >>