Ecorazzi

For some reason, various media reports around the world are labeling the new film The People Speak as some kind of documentary about celebrity activism. In reality, the new film — which includes Matt Damon on the producing side — is an adaptation of historian Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.

Shot in various theatres, the film will feature “dramatic readings and live musical performances from the likes of Josh Brolin, Viggo Mortensen, David Strathairn, Marisa Tomei Jasmine Guy, John Legend, Q’Orianka Kilcher, Michael Ealy and Kerry Washington.” Most recently, Eddie Vedder and Sean Penn performed as part of a show at a concert in California. edder performed the classic folk song Here’s to the state of Mississippi by Phil Ochs, changing lyrics to take aim at US president George Bush.

And speaking of Penn, here’s what he had to say about President Bush while at Cannes: “When somebody operates without a brain and without a heart they kill hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world. It is a shame that we have to bastardize the word ‘politics’.”