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February 22nd 2008

Oscars Add A Bit More Green To This Year’s Awards Ceremony

Filed under: events: la, film-tv, movies, red carpet, television — michael @ 7:13 pm

As we mentioned earlier in the week, we were a bit skeptical that the 80th Academy Awards would continue on with the green precedents set by the 79th. Was it all just intimidation by Gore and company being in the seats last year?

Thankfully, it looks like the same sustainable practices implemented previously will be shown a seat for 2008 — with some extra initiatives thrown in as well. Grist’s Sarah van Schagen (and yes, Sarah. I was waiting with bated breath) did some digging and found a mysteriously buried press release on the official Oscars website. Here’s a bit of what we’re getting this year:

A few highlights of the Academy’s green program include:

>>With support from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 100% of the energy used for the telecast, the red-carpet arrivals show and the Governors Ball will be supplied by renewable windpower.
>>All of the generators used for the production, for press support and the red carpet arrivals area are powered by a fuel mix that includes biodiesel.
>>Among the vehicles made available by General Motors for use by production staff and presenters are zero-emission hydrogen-powered cars and hybrids.
>>Food serviceware for all events associated with the Awards Presentation is either reusable or biodegradable/compostable.
>>The programs, invitations, RSVP cards, envelopes, parking passes and other printed materials include a minimum of 30% postconsumer recycled content.

Now obviously, they’re not going to be throwing a wind turbine up on the roof of the Kodak Theater to supply green energy for the event. We’re looking at offsets here — which are better than nothing. A mix of biodiesel is commendable, but we’d rather they’d have gone with Green Power Generators — a company that uses pure biodiesel generators and has a proven track record providing clean, green juice for Hollywood events. The waste management is great, the mix of GM cars “eh”, and the partnership with the NRDC rockin’.

They’re definitely not pushing the green details as much as last year, but having these efforts become a part of business as usual is best in the long term. We’re just thankful there’s something from last year that’s managed to stick.

Now bring on Joan Rivers and a large bottle of whiskey. We’re ready.

February 21st 2008

5th Annual Global Green USA Pre-Oscar Party

First details swoop in!

Filed under: events: la, fashion, film-tv, food & drink, green and famous, movies, red carpet, television — michael @ 7:37 am

Last night, Global Green USA’s 5th Annual Pre-Oscar Party rocked out in grand style with a bevy of celebrities, performers such as Michelle Branch and Damien Rice, and a focus on the environment and sustainable design. While we had spies all over, we sent our main duo Pleasant Wayne and Damien Somserset to cover the action on the red carpet. That video is to follow shortly, but right now, here are some highlights from Pleasant:

1. Tate Donovan would ride his bike to the moon to work with Jennifer Aniston again. (old Friends co-star) He brought his bike on the “green” grass carpet and is a huge advocate for biking in the city.

2. Dana Delany had a non-eco PRADA purse, but said she recylces her scripts on the set.

3. Jason Lewis jetted past the press line and we think he was with his Mom. Aww…

4. Salma Hayek wore a Stella McCartney pantsuit because she said she is trying to lose the baby weight - “I’m not Nicole Richie, ha ha!”

6. Molly Sims was gushing about how Eco her boyfriend, Justin Chatwin, (from War of the Worlds) is….didn’t get her to speak as she was rushing into the party.

7. Sofia Bush would never date someone who isn’t into GREEN living. She was wearing earrings made of crystal stone and diamonds.

8. Taylor Dane was cool - she’s been taking her kids camping and teaching them how to live a softer-on-the-earth life even though she’s a New Yorker at heart. She has her heart set on a hybrid SUV.

9. Josie Maran was promoting her new all-natural cosmetic line - “Josie Maran Cosmetics”. She said her biggest passion was using eco-friendly diapers and gave some interesting facts about disposable diapers and landfills. She was with her friend, Rainbow, who was wearing a vintage dress and works with Adidas - they are working on developing some eco-gear.

10. Adrian Grenier whizzed past the “tabloid” section.

11. There was some speculation that Michelle Branch had a baby bump from our neighbor Press friends! She wasn’t interviewing as she had to perform.

12. Bill Mahr arrived very late and was driving a hybrid SUV.

13. Ian Somerhalder from “Lost” and many other projects eats organically and practices Yoga…what a cutie!

14. Thomas Ian Nicholas from American Pie etc. donates his time to children’s charities in addition to being active with Global Green.

More to come on this fantastic evening shortly!

January 7th 2008

Designers Go Green for New York Fashion Week

Filed under: events, events: nyc, fashion, red carpet — kelli @ 6:07 pm

When New York Fashion Week kicks off at the end of January, designers will be showcasing their new green designs- but that doesn’t mean lima-bean green will be the new black.

Some of the world’s hottest names in fashion- including Marc Jacobs, Versace, Jil Sander, and Narciso Rodriguez will join no-stranger-to-the eco-scene designer Stella McCartney to participate in Earth Pledge’s FutureFashion runway show, which will feature their one-of-a-kind designs made from recyclable, sustainable, and earth-friendly materials.

This isn’t the first year for the show, which promotes renewable materials and production methods, and eco-fashion no longer means you DIY a re-purposed burlap sack into a clever (but still unfortunately hideous-looking) dress. An ever-increasing awareness of environmental issues has definitely taken root, and socially and environmentally-conscious purchasing options can now be found at all your favorite shopping locales, from your favorite ridiculously cute but shockingly overpriced neighborhood boutique store to all the major department stores.

If you’ve got champagne tastes, but are forced to live on a beer budget, don’t feel too sorry for yourself. You can check out some of the designs featured on the runway in Barney’s Madison Avenue store window displays starting February 1st. Then you can sulk that while your burlap sack dress is eco-friendly, the one-of-a-kind garments featured in the show are pure eco-fashion.

September 11th 2007

Rock Hard with Willie, Woody, and Darryl

Filed under: events: nyc, green and famous, red carpet — margaret @ 12:44 pm

Monday night, September 10th found a gaggle of celebrities packing into the Times Square Hard Rock Cafe to committ their famous face power to promote the event whose proceeds go to the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance. A huge shout-out to the beautiful and talented ecorazzi photographer Melissa Rosenberg for these exclusive shots!

Host Willie Nelson and wife Annie Nelson both clearly having a great hair daypose on the Green Carpet of the event they co-hosted.

Co-host Daryl Hannah rocks pretty hard for the cause.

Co-host Woody Harrelson looks ready to party in his hat.

Law and Order’s Ramon Rodriguez looks pretty comfortable with an over-sized guitar, no?

Other notable stars at the event included designer Kate Spade, Rosie Perez, Stephen Colbert,Natasha Bedingfirld, the group OAR , and Oscar Winner/Dancing with the Stars Alum Tatum O’Neal.

September 4th 2007

Eva Longoria Hosts First Annual Playing for Good Summit

Filed under: donations, red carpet — paige @ 8:51 pm

Goldie Hawn, Paris Hilton and Terrence Howard were among the many celebrities who gathered for the first annual Playing For Good International Philanthropic Summit in Mallorca, Spain. Eva Longoria hosted the gala celebration and presentation of the 2007 Awards of Charitable Excellence.  According to the press release:

Oscar nominated actor Terrence Howard presented legendary Oscar and Golden Globe winning actress Goldie Hawn with an award and donation for her charity, The Hawn Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting children by advancing mindfulness training in educational, healthcare and community-basted settings. Also honoured were Spread the Net, Millennium Promise and Keep a Child Alive.

Other celebrities supporting global philanthropy at the event included Fran Drescher, John Legend and Chaka Kahn. Check out The Playing For Good Foundation for more information on this landmark international event for good.

August 13th 2007

Paris at The 11th Hour

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, events: la, fashion, green and famous, interviews, movies, red carpet — Sarah Shewey @ 8:38 pm

At a private Hollywood screening hosted by ForestEthics and Warner Independent for Leonardo DiCaprio’s production of The 11th Hour, celebs Paris Hilton, Adrian Grenier, and Vanessa Williams (of Soul Food) stopped in to support the film and the environmental organization that has saved 5 million acres of forest in the last five years. Paris and Adrian held up the screening 45 minutes with their late entrance and unfortunately us ecorazzi reporters were waiting patiently in the screening room for the show to start and missed a snapshot with the glamorous Ms. Hilton. Eco-fashion show producer Rob Ganger of EcoNouveau was an eyewitness of the spectacle and said, “It was amazing to see her and think about the footprint that woman has on our lives.”

After an hour and a half of watching the film’s interviews, startling images, and eco-hero Leo on the silver screen, The 11th Hour received wild applause from the crowd and a panel of environmental leaders came on stage to talk about the action we can take to battle climate change. Tzeporah Berman of ForestEthics, who was one of the experts interviewed in The 11th Hour was joined by Nina Simons of Bioneers (whose company was profiled in the film), Sarah Laimon of Green Ambassadors, and eco-celeb Sharon Lawrence of the TV show Monk. Sharon confessed that Hollywood was “a dirty industry” and could look into powering up with bio-diesel fuel, recycling paper, bottles, cans, as well as electronics, and get teamsters involved with greening production offices and sets. Nina Simons encouraged us to “clarify your passion for re-inventing the world” as there are many ways to get involved with protecting the Earth. Sarah Laimon told us to “empower the youth with solutions” and immediately after a bold young woman of the Green Ambassadors unscriptedly got on stage and announced that she would be a green leader in the future.

Changes, friends, they are a-coming. The 11th Hour will be released nationwide on August 11th.

Sarah Shewey is a contributing writer for ecorazzi and produces eco-friendly happenings for Pink Cloud Events.

May 23rd 2007

Cannes Film Festival Faces Uphill Battle To Going Green

Filed under: festivals, movies, red carpet — michael @ 11:05 am

While the Cannes Film Festival may be have the honor of premiering such eco-conscience films as The 11th Hour and An Inconvenient Truth, don’t expect those green themes to be rubbing off anytime soon. The waste produced during the festival is just about as large as one would expect with the glam and glitter overtaking any form of environmental stewardship.

Leila Conners Petersen, co-director of 11th Hour had this to say in a recent interview, “Cannes is an icon of waste and consumption, but it is also an icon of cinema, where the world’s attention is focused. While it’s upsetting to see all the waste here, Cannes also provides a unique opportunity to get the green message out.”

Truly, Cannes does provide one of those “inspiration with the entertainment” type venues; but resistance is met by organizers at almost every level to pursue eco-friendly alternatives. However, as the article points out, there are promising developments shaping up.

“For the first time, the American Pavilion has a carbon-neutral footprint, having bought carbon offset credits through the U.S. group Native Energy to match the energy it wastes. The AmPav also has a 40-strong “Green Team” of students trawling the international pavilion and Cannes hotels, collecting recyclables from festival attendees.

The Marche du Film, the market of film buyers and sellers that takes place during the festival, introduced its own recycling bins this year, another first.”

Unfortunately, that’s about it. Not one of the dozens of other pavilions scattered about the festival bothered to approach the American Pavilion for advice on how to reduce their impact. As another perfect example, that giant red carpet — almost 5,000 sq ft. of it — is pure plastic that’s ripped up and thrown away as soon as everyone leaves. Kenny Ausubel, founder of the environmental group Bioneers (who also makes an appearance in The 11th Hour) summed it up perfectly,

“‘Right now, I think that humanity is acting a lot like a movie star trashing a hotel room at Cannes, when it comes to the environment,’ Ausubel said. ‘Maybe that’s a message we should also get out there.’”

It’s interesting that with the Oscars and Golden Globes embracing green, that a major film festival like Cannes has yet to ride the wave. Considering the press green receives today, you would think it would be in vogue. Is it European high society indifference on the subject that makes is less than “chic” to promote? Or has the message simply not been made serious enough to trump the other green attracting all the attention?

May 19th 2007

Publicity Shots For DiCaprio’s 11th Hour Now Available

Filed under: green and famous, movies, red carpet — michael @ 11:21 am

 

We’ve received access to some publicity shots for Leonardo DiCaprio’s upcoming eco-documentary, The 11th Hour. For the past couple months, Ecorazzi has been reporting on the status of this exciting new film and its focus on exploring the solutions and people helping to fight climate change. It’s a particularly exciting week for everyone involved as the 11th will be making its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. We know for certain that Kenny Ausubel of Bioneers, David Orr, and Daryl Hannah will be in attendance for the screening. We’re working with people in attendance at Cannes to gain impressions of the screening and will share those as they become available. Till then, enjoy some shots from the movie below!

April 27th 2007

More Greenies Attend Tribeca Film Fest!

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, events: nyc, festivals, movies, red carpet — valerie @ 12:59 am

Tonight, the Tribeca Film Festival debuted Gardener of Eden, the new film starring Lukas Haas, directed by Kevin Connolly, and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Leo, of course, is the Ecorazzi Holy Grail…a huge star and a huge environmentalist.

He also happens to be notoriously press-shy. ‘Razzi was there on the red carpet to try and catch him…but like the fish that got away, he slipped by with a sparkle and a swish. Let me just say, the air around this man is electric!

Adrian Grenier, another ‘Razzi darling, dropped in to catch the film. He zipped past all of the press, but then when I shouted, “I write for an environmental website!” (or something similarly inane) he paused, gave me the ol’ knuckle-five, and said, “Rock on!” Then he smiled like a Cheshire Cat for my camera.

Who’s feelin’ the love?

Even though the eco-themed portion of the Festival is over, I’m happy to hear encouragement when I tell folks, “I write for an environmental blog.” After all, we’re not in it for the opening night gala glory. We’re in it for the long haul. And it’s good to let guys like Adrian and Leo know that we care more about what they do for this world than who they’re dating. (Unless you’re me. Because I do care about that, too, a little.)

April 26th 2007

Global SOS Dominates Tribeca Film Festival Opening

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, events: nyc, festivals, green and famous, movies, red carpet — valerie @ 10:44 am

The Tribeca Film Festival opened last night with a short-film program dedicated to global warming. SOS (Save Our Selves), the campaign behind the Live Earth concerts, sponsored seven eco-themed films. The Festival was founded by Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff to revitalize Lower Manhattan after 9-11, and I think it’s great to see that the Festival is forward-thinking with the global warming movement.

Ecorazzi got a spot on the red carpet for the much-anticipated Opening Gala. Bobby DeNiro, in his trademark fashion, breezed right by the press, looking amazing! (I love him). Also snubbing interviews were Adrian Grenier, Chris Cooper, Jimmy Fallon (cute!), Petra Nemcova, Christie Brinkley, Josh Lucas, Freddy Rodriguez, Diego Luna, Damon Dash, a dashing Tom Brokaw and the magnificent Martin Scorsese. (Obviously I have a crush on most of these people.)

Green beauty Shalom Harlow chatted up the press, explaining that even though thinking about the global warming crisis can be “overwhelming,” she tries to help by making little changes in her life. Edie Falco, most recently seen stumping for Riverkeeper, also made her presence known as a supporter of the SOS program.

Jesse Bradford, most recently of Flags of Our Fathers, was also quite chatty.

I asked him what he thought about Ecorazzi and the current hipness of green:

“I think that if [global warming awareness] could actually take over the way the way that trucker hats did two years ago, then that would be great! Trendy is only as valuable as the thing that becomes trendy. If something as beneficial as this could become trendy somehow, then we’d be in good shape.” Well put, Jesse. P.S. You’re cute.

Jon Bon Jovi arrived in amidst a flurry of excitement, and while he declined to talk to the press on the red carpet, he performed three songs at the end of the film program. He shared his thoughts on stage: “I’m up here as a father, a husband, and as a citizen of this country and the world.” Al Gore introduced him by saying that Bon Jovi was the first musician to sign up for the Live Earth U.S. concert! Bon Jovi sang a really (surprisingly) pretty acoustic version of “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and it made me choke up a little.

As the host of the evening, Vice President Gore pointed to the arts as a way to challenge our moral imaginations, beyond the scientific facts: “We have the capacity to feel what is true. We need to call upon the creativity of the artists of SOS and Live Earth.”

And the film program? I think that there’s no way around being a bit heavy-handed with a theme like global warming. The films were beautifully shot, but nearly all of them relied on images set to music, interspersed with text giving us all the grim statistics. Sunny Day showed peaceful, serene shots of clothes drying on a line, juxtaposed with loud, crazed industrial shots of clothes dryers whirring. Another film showed peaceful, serene shots of people riding bikes, juxtaposed with loud, crazed industrial shots of cars driving. Et cetera!

The gem of the evening was a film showing Spinal Tap’s efforts to reunite for the London Live Earth concert. The film followed Rob Reiner’s character, Marty Debergi, contacting each member of the group. As singer David St. Hubbins (played by Michael McKean) says, “I’ve always been against devastation so…” Count him in! Turns out Rob Reiner has been involved with the Natural Resources Defense Council for over 20 years! It was refreshing to see some humor mixed in with earnest efforts to affect positive change…

All the while I thought of Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro sitting in the auditorium, and what they must think of the SOS films. I hope eco-films will become more diverse and interesting as the environment becomes as ubiquitous a movie theme as love and war. If anyone can achieve this, I bet Leo can!

The Tribeca Film Festival is a sprawling event, with more information than this blogger can possibly convey. To learn about all the events and read up on the films, be sure to visit their website.