Fellow Celebrity Who Gives A Damn: Angelina Jolie 30 August 2006

These celebrity profiles are short and sweet, intended only to highlight that celebrity does, indeed, lend itself to educating the public and drawing media attention to the plights of those who collective voices, however many millions in total and however infused with horrific suffering, are drowned out by the aimless meanderings of empty socialites. One by one, I’m picking my way through fellow celebs who actually do seem to give a damn.

Who gives a damn? Angelina Jolie gives a damn.

When it comes to individuals who are doing what they can to improve the lives of others using all the tools available to them, this woman stands out as a real champion.Yet, for whatever reason, there seems to be a special brand of vitriol pulled off the shelf whenever she makes a statement or appearance. Not to say that she doesn’t have plenty of supporters or that she is the only high-profile celebrity targeted for derision, but her detractors are unusually vocal. I’m not sure what her dating status have to do with the social and economic issues to which she dedicates herself so thoroughly. She doesn’t get taken seriously at Davos because she stars in action flicks. One doesn’t get an audience with the world’s top influentials unless one walks the walk and talks the talk (or unless one is lucky enough to be placed in the Oval Office by Daddy and his friends).

From the almighty Wikipedia:

“With increasing experience, Jolie became more involved in promoting humanitarian causes on a political level. Since 2005 she has attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, announcing the formation of a Council of Business Leaders with UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner, Wendy Chamberlin, in 2005, and participated in the panel discussion Human Rights: Reduced to Charity? in 2006. Jolie also began lobbying humanitarian interests in Washington, D.C. where she met with congressmen and senators at least 20 times since 2003. She explained in Forbes:

“As much as I would love to never have to visit Washington, that’s the way to move the ball.”

Tip of the iceberg, this excerpt. Read the whole thing here. You really should read it (skip down to Humanitarian Works). Along with Bono, George Clooney and a few others, she’s right up there, in terms of celebrities who are working to make a real difference. Certainly, the power of celebrity is a great boon, drawing attention to people and causes who have difficulty attaining recognition any other way. Yet, it also has its drawbacks. Celebrities who try to do right are often ridiculed: Who are we to fight for the environment? Who are we to voice our concern? A better question to ask is, “Who is our President to be fucking everything up?” And who are the men and women, on both sides of the party lines, who aid and abet him? Think they were all born leaders? Think they weren’t born with silver cutlery sets jammed in their jaws? All I’m saying is, anyone who is trying to do right, to fight against the destructive forces of ennui (consumer-citizens), greed (consumers and politicians) and ignorance (all of us) should be applauded, no questions asked.

I’d love to hear your comments.

++

The most significant book you’ve read or I will buy it back from you at full purchase price: Lester Brown’s Plan B 2.0 Trust me on this one, just order it. You’ll thank me later.

Technorati Tags: angelina-jolie, celebrity, lester-brown, darfur

The Green Trend vs. The Green Battle 22 August 2006

(You can get background info on my fame and what I plan to do with it HERE.)

As you know, there’s a big old trend taking place. It’s HOT. Everyone wants a part of it. It’s likely why you’re at this site. And the label it’s been given is so basic, primary even: G R E E N. This story found on ENN’s great site asks the right questions. From the article:

You could commute in a hybrid, sip fair trade coffee, swaddle your tyke in organic cotton, spend vacations saving rain forests, bank your retirement on socially responsible investments, even power your home from a low-pollution utility.

But while all that green may leave you feeling good, does it really leave the world a better place? Or just thin your wallet?

Damned good questions. With everyone from BP to Wal-Mart (that’s not quite A-Z, but close) working to greenwash their corporate logos (and let’s be fair here, we do want to encourage these companies to do the right thing, and if/when they do, we have to be willing to reward them with our business - scary thought, I know), are we really affecting any substantial change through our consumer choices? What we need are better tools that allow us to know that our dollar-votes are going to the right companies. Tools like Alonovo.com are critical in that they allow us to make informed decisions. However, how much are we willing to “sacrifice”? Selection? Savings? Fabric choices?

Also, while it feels great to run down to the local natural food store and buy organic foods, we have to recognize that this is a luxury that most can’t afford the wild salmon or the organic heirloom tomatoes. What of the rest? What of those who are stuck in an economic feedback loop in the midst of the fast food jungle? Are you telling me that they don’t WANT to eat better? That’s absurd. My point? Sure, it feels good to make the “right” decisions at the checkout line, and don’t get me wrong, it’s something we must continue to do, but are we really making enough of a difference?

What are your thoughts? How do we avoid the type of polarization that efforts like Al Gore’s movie, however powerful, significant and well-intended, help foster? How do we do the right thing without alienating the “other half” without whom we’ve no chance at making significant gains? Preaching to the choir is an oft-repeated mistake of myriad movements.

(feel free to comment)

Bad, Bad Lester Brown Part Two: A Partnership 19 August 2006

I met with Lester Brown, founder of the Earth Policy Institute (EPI) and author of Plan B: 2.0 yesterday at his office in Washington D.C.. It can be argued with a straight face that the works being issued by Mr. Brown and his office are far more critical than any policy originating from the White House. That said, the opportunity to meet with Mr. Brown and his staff was more than an honor (As an aside, I have to mention that everyone at EPI, Lester Brown included, is amazingly good looking. It’s great to know that the superheroes working hard to save our planet look the part.). Lester Brown is not only a true genius, but he possesses a zen-like calm that is very inspiring. Knowing what he knows, possessing the ability to hear the tick-tick-tick of a global time bomb, he still maintains absolute grounding and calm. Beyond belief, this.
I am very excited to announce that I will be working with Mr. Brown and EPI’s co-founder Reah Janise Kauffman on parallel projects. While one is as yet top secret, the other will provide copies of Plan B 2.0 to many of my fellow celebrities. Within a short time, many of the people who gather the most media coverage will be very familiar with the contents of this all-imporant text. Again, I urge you, dear reader, to pick a copy right now. This isn’t a sales pitch, this is a call to action. Read it and you’ll understand. Read it and you’ll be one of us. Read it and you join the history’s most important army as we fight together in our generation’s Great War.

(Note to self: Insert wisecrack *here* to provide a moment of levity. The audience always expect humor to lift them after a sobering statement. It is critical to try to hammer home a point but not too hard. Asking people to look hard at themselves, their actions, their responsibility to the world, to their neighbors, to future generations, is a proven method of making them tune out, hands clapped fiercely and protectively over ears. Tod Brilliant the celebrity MUST maintain a smiling, joking attitude/demeanor lest they turn back to Paris Hilton/Britney/Lindsey Lohan for escapism. MUST REMEMBER that, while the end of the world is nigh, the audience must be kept in stitches.)

(feel free to comment)

Bad, Bad Lester Brown Part One: First Contact 12 August 2006

If you’ll take a moment to reference the press release below (Tod Brilliant Announces His Fame), in which the genius of Lester Brown and his book, Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble are mentioned, you’ll get a sense that I idolize the man. True enough. In fact, his book, and the question of how to get it more widely recognized, distributed and read was a major influence on my decision to become famous. Well, it turns out that Mr. Brown’s camp got wind of my efforts to lend my fame to his efforts. After talking via telephone with Mr. Brown and Reah Janise Kauffman, co-founder of Brown’s Earth Policy Institute, it was decided that the three of us should meet next week in Washington D.C. to discuss how we can work together to effectively promote not only Plan B 2.0 but the ideas within.

How excited am I to meet with them? To meet with Lester Brown, whom the Washington Post has hailed as “one of the world’s most influential thinkers”? Very excited. Beyond excited. Blown away. Bowled over. And intimidated as hell! Who am I to meet with such a monumental mind? Am I going to waste his time? Fellow celebrities, power, money – these things don’t impress nor intimidate me. True genius, now that’s a different matter. That’s beside the point, I suppose, as the meeting is set and I’m going to do what I can, bring what creativity and insight I may possess to bear upon the question of how to “prime the pump” and turn Plan B not only into a national bestseller, but into the blueprint for how to fix the damage we’ve done before we leave nothing, and I do mean nothing, for future generations.

As it stands, I’m headed to D.C. on August 17^th. Wow. Let’s see what happens. Go buy Plan B 2.0 already. You can grab it at www.alonovo.com – same catalog as Amazon, only much mo’ betta.