One of the things about language that fascinates me most is that so much of translation is really just a science of digesting a saying comfortably into another tongue. For instance, the phrase me gusta– delineating one liking a person, place, or thing and often translated to mean I like–actually translates literally to mean gives me pleasure. So when I falter on my attempts at vegetarianism and proclaim “Pero [but] me gusta tacos de al pastor,” what I’m saying isn’t “But I like al pastor tacos.” No, more accurately what I doth protest is really: “Al pastor tacos give me pleasure.”  (My inner foodie is in agreement on this one.) As most things do, this brings me to cinema–I’m a lover of food and film, what can I say? As such, I was recently blessed with the experience that is Broken Embraces or Los Abrazos Rotos by acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

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I am so sad to report that Oprah has confirmed that in 2011 she will end her daytime talk show.

A spokesman for the CBS Television Studios, which distributes her show, said “We have the greatest respect for Oprah and we wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors, we do know anything she turns her hand to will be a great success.”

But Oprah can’t retire until I’m one of her guests! I adore Oprah, her shows are insightful, compassionate and smart. I always dreamed of being onstage with her and answering her thought-provoking questions and discussing our new collaborative charity project. The show would of course end with us giving her audience free autographed copies of my latest book and dvds of the first season of my sitcom, to which they would howl and cheer with overly enthusiastic joy!

Aside from Oprah’s always fantastic shows, she is well-known for her generosity and amazing amounts of charity work. Oprah’s Angel Network was established to “encourage people around the world to make a difference in the lives of others. Oprah’s vision is to inspire people to help others rise to their potential.” To date, Oprah’s Angel Network has received more than $80 million in donations from the public and has used those funds to help build more than 55 schools in 12 countries, provided education for thousands of children in rural areas throughout the world, helped victims of Hurricane Katrina and Rita, given life-changing assistance for women and girls, and so much more. I know once the Oprah Show goes off the air, Ms. Winfrey herself will continue her wonderful charity work, but I (and all of her fans) will still miss her daily does of on-air goodness.

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.

Editor’s Note: This post is by Erich Rettstadt, a student at New York University who attended The People Speak College Tour event on his campus last week.

A rainy mid-November day in Manhattan did not deter the NYU masses from attending the latest stop on The People Speak college tour. Lines of students buzzing with anticipation wrapped around The Cooper Union’s historic Great Hall hours before the 2PM event began, braving the wet and windy weather to see the headlining mega-celebrity. Matt Damon, you ask? Oh no. None other than Mr. Howard Zinn himself. After Damon’s passionate reading of an excerpt from Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the crowd’s cheers were overwhelmed by the standing ovation Mr. Zinn received upon entering the stage moments later. Handling himself with grace, dignity and unmatched wit, Mr. Zinn encouraged the largely college-aged audience to push and prod our government until we get the change that we wanted to see. And to never give up.

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Photo: Getty Images

More little resonant treats from the disastrous Bush administration: a ruling was just made by Judge Stanwood Duval which accuses the Army Corps of Engineers of neglicence for its shameful mismanagement of the Hurricane Katrina flooding.

It’s a well-supported idea that much of the damage and lives lost in New Orleans could have been prevented by timely acting from the Corps. The Judge ruled after an examination of three cases of families whose livelihoods were crushed by the hurricane. The ruling opens the possibility of a potential 100,000 victims seeking settlements that could amount to an estimated 100 billion dollars. Read the rest of this entry >>

Last night Jimmy Fallon performed a hilarious set of eco-friendly remixes to pop songs, creating an amazing sustainable soundtrack for NBC’s Green Week.  Some of my favorites of the environmentally-inspired rewrites include Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind” adapted to celebrate Jimmy’s sustainable wood flooring and Justin Timberlake “Bringing Recycling Back”.

The green adaptations are a fun way to get people thinking about ways they can conserve energy and reduce their impact on the planet, and they’re pretty catchy too.  Check out the clip below, which also features green versions of songs from Green Day, Amy Winehouse and T.I. with Rihanna.  And be sure to use the “Act” section below to find out what you can do to get involved with NBC’s Green Week. Read the rest of this entry >>

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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