How would you change the world? That’s what George Clooney wants to know as part of a new campaign to get people involved in the next United Nations meeting. The 48-year-old actor, who is also a UN Messenger of Peace, is turning to Youtubers to deliver their thoughts on how to make the world a better and safer place. Videos are due by October 10th — and the 5 best will be chosen and their producers invited to attend the meeting, receive a special guided tour of UN Headquarters, have their photo taken with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and receive VIP seating at the UN Day Concert, to be held on Friday 23 October.

Want to give it a shot? Jump here for details.

George Clooney took his fuel-efficient Vespa Scarabeo around Lake Como, Italy yesterday — only to get pulled over by police. Instead of a ticket, however, the cops only wanted his autograph and a photo-op. The life of a celebrity must truly border on the surreal sometimes. Check out TMZ for more images.

Photo credit: Revista Quem

Not On Our Watch

“I’ve seen first-hand how dire the situation is for Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa. Women are being raped, orphaned children have no protection, and thousands of people are without even the most basic supplies. Every-day survival has become a harrowing task,” said Not On Our Watch board member Matt Damon. “As the situation in Zimbabwe remains unresolved, the international community must stop sitting on the sidelines and instead take action to help those who need it most. Not On Our Watch is proud to support UNICEF’s work in this critical time.”

For more information on the organization, jump here.

The Bathroom Tour

Yes, you read that right. And don’t act surprised. This is PETA we’re talking about here — the masters in coming up with new, creative ways to draw attention their causes.

Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA (read our recent interview with her here), has a new idea for promoting tofu: make it George Clooney-flavored.

The organization received a sweaty towel Clooney recently used at a gym in D.C. from a PETA supporter who thought it might be auctioned to raise money. Newkirk, however, right away suggested that it would be better served as flavoring for tofu. Here’s a bit from the letter she wrote to the actor:

“The technology actually exists to take your perspiration and make it into George Clooney–flavored tofu (CloFu). We could do that and give the tofu away. Of course, your fans would swoon at the idea of eating CloFu, but what interests us most is that we would attract many people who don’t try tofu because they worry that it would be bland or that they wouldn’t know how to cook it. CloFu will help people be healthier and more environmentally friendly and will spare animals from being killed for the table.”

According to the Washington Post, Clooney responded with “As a mammal, I’m offended.” Check out the full letter after the jump.

March 11, 2009

George Clooney, c/o Smoke House

Dear Mr. Clooney,

We have been offered some of your perspiration, apparently taken from a towel at a gym in Washington, D.C. We are big fans, and this prospect has given us an interesting idea that we hope will amuse you too.

The technology actually exists to take your perspiration and make it into George Clooney–flavored tofu (CloFu). We could do that and give the tofu away. Of course, your fans would swoon at the idea of eating CloFu, but what interests us most is that we would attract many people who don’t try tofu because they worry that it would be bland or that they wouldn’t know how to cook it. CloFu will help people be healthier and more environmentally friendly and will spare animals from being killed for the table.

The science is pretty straightforward. According to Dr. Kevin Keener of Purdue University, all animals—including human beings—have unique odor profiles. Dr. Harry Lawless of Cornell University reports that if you use a sample of human perspiration, it is “no different than making artificial chicken flavor for instant gravy.”

Gas chromatography can be used to confirm stability of a stimulant matrix, in this case your sweat. There are trained panels of individuals with sensitive noses who can describe smells to a very precise degree. They could evaluate your sample and quantify the various odors in order to replicate them and use them to flavor batches of bean curd.

Researchers at Leeds University, for instance, used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to isolate 46 different odor compounds in fried potatoes—then, they asked people to describe what they smelled. Among the odors were butterscotch, onion, and ironing board. We can use a similar technique to isolate your unique scent. Researchers in Switzerland took sweat samples from participants’ armpits. After analyzing the odors, researchers determined that, generally, men smell of cheese, women of onions! Cheese- scented CloFu could be used as pizza topping and in lasagna. Since dairy farming is a huge problem (consider mad cow disease, cruel farming methods, and the separation of loving mothers from their calves), this would be great.

We hope this idea meets your approval.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President

If you’re not interested in learning too much about Sacha Baron Cohen’s upcoming mockumentary Bruno, please do not read further.

A few reviews of the new film Bruno, scheduled for release on July 10, have leaked out — and the news for Cohen fans is very postive. For those not in the know, Bruno is one of the characters Cohen created for his Channel 4 and HBO series, Da Ali G Show. As Wikipedia desribes, Bruno is a ” homosexual character claiming to be a reporter from an Austrian television station and interviews unsuspecting guests about topics such as fashion, entertainment, celebrities and homosexuality, with an emphasis on the latter as each interview progresses.” Needless to say, just like Borat, he’s absolutely hilarious. And he’s getting his own movie.

Anyways, according to the reviews, part of the plot involves Bruno drawing inspiration from people like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie to, as he says, find a “new shithole to save”..and…”Clooney has Darfur, I need to find my Darfive…” In his quest to become a big time celebrity, Bruno feels that the only way he can accomplish this is by giving back. He even flies to the Middle East to negotiate peace between Israel and Palestine by telling them “Why are you all so mad at Hamas, Pita bread is the real enemy, yes?”

The best part? Apparently there’s a giant charity song at the end of the movie featuring Bono, Coldplay, Elton John and Snoop Dogg. Any other movie and I’d call bullshit — but this is Sacha Baron Cohen, so expect it. Can’t wait.

Apparently, Pitt’s meeting with Obama was kept secret — an interesting decision, since the President’s meeting with George Clooney last week was made public well in advance. Once word got out, however, the White House went star crazy. From the AP,

The Power of Pitt drained entire congressional offices of their female employees and quite a few male aides as well, all of whom could be picked out by the way they suddenly appeared in the Senate’s doorways and halls, nonchalantly cupping cell phones and cameras at their sides and hanging around waiting news crews.

Hopefully, Pitt was able to get a few people to pay attention to his effort in ‘Nawlins. Make It Right officially opened several of its planned 150 green, sustainable homes in the Lower 9th Ward last December. The project has been a great success — and the overarching goal of the organization has always been to expand its model of sustainability to other areas in need. Fingers crossed that this administration will back the org to make that vision possible.

[Update: Video available after the jump!]

Throughout the past few years, Ecorazzi has been diligent in our reporting on George  Clooney’s involvement in Darfur. Now the Georgenheimer is taking to The Daily Beast to report about his experiences in the violent region. He writes:  

“Last week, I visited a camp in Chad—a camp of about 12,000 refugees and internally displaced persons. I was there three years ago. The violence there is nowhere near the scale that is going on just miles across the border in Sudan.”

“I think what was most disturbing about the place was how little it had changed. ‘Normal’ is 800 calories a day, sickness, threats of rebel violence, or just crime. When you see their faces, the hope that was there three years ago was all but gone. There are still moments. We walked through a village where children would follow me and chant the name ‘Obama.’ His promise of “hope” having such a different meaning here. But there’s too little hope. Time and time again they’ve seen the convoy of white trucks and even whiter faces pull up, drag out their camera crew and pull aside the most damaged family they can find. We film them as they give honest answers to questions no person should have to answer. ‘What happened?’ ‘How did you lose that arm?’ ‘Were you raped?’ ‘By how many?’ Then, just as they’ve seen time and time again, we jump back in our vehicles and run to the next place. ‘Not really tragic enough,’ is said out loud (probably by me). ‘Maybe there’s somebody that’s been attacked more recently.’ It’s all been covered before.”

To read Clooney’s full story, visit TheDailyBeast.com.

photo credit: huffingtonpost.com

As part of his work for Not On Our Watch, the group he helped co-found with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Don Cheadle, Matt Damon took time on Tuesday to visit refugee centers in Zimbabwe. The actor has been just over the border in South Africa filming the new movie The Human Factor directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman as the country’s first black president, Nelson Mandela. From the article,

“I have spoken to so many people who went through so much to get to this point. It is testament to the situation across the border in Zimbabwe,” Damon told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. An estimated 3 million Zimbabweans have fled economic collapse and dire humanitarian conditions at home, and Damon said he was “shocked and saddened” by the plight of those he spoke to.

In one camp visited by Damon, about 5,000 Zimbabweans are camped on a sandy patch strewn with rubbish and personal belongings. Some have built makeshift structures out of plastic, and others sleep on pieces of cardboard. There are about a dozen toilets and only a few taps. Damon, who patiently listened to heart-wrenching stories in the scorching heat, called the situation in Musina “untenable” and said “action has to be taken” by international and regional leaders.

To learn more about Not On Our Watch, please visit their site here.