Why are we all part of Alec Baldwin’s public good-bye?

Whether you agree or disagree with Alec Baldwin is irrelevant.

The shallow media has had a dazzling run slashing actor Alec Baldwin. Following his altercation with a TMZ paparazzi, Baldwin has been hit with an outcry of criticisms and cold shoulders from the public, and the media and entertainment industries. His personal New York Magazine article published yesterday was a lay-it-all-on-the-line account of his life over the last few years, and why that was the last time he will “talk about [his] personal life in an American publication ever again.”

But why should we really care?

Alec Baldwin’s daily life — coffee runs, bike rides — all the things you and I do outside of our four walls without interruption, is literally someone’s job to document and sell. Baldwin (and all celebrities) has been trailed by photographers and videographers, just to capture an inside snapshot. And the worse the image, the better the story, the higher the paycheck.

His public ‘I’m Done’ statement speaks beyond him and his career. Between the lines of the essay, a power struggle of human dignity vs. entertainment lurks.

As fun as it may be sometimes to get an inside human glimpse of celebrity life of these beautiful, talented and wealthy individuals, it is nothing but entertainment. And yet, isn’t it ethically wrong for someone’s personal life to be entertainment? Their lives are filled with as much a mixture of doubt and joy as anyone’s.

For all the mindfulness that has entered our culture, so has the degradation of respect for privacy.

Think about it. The shallow media (which has grown to include most major media outlets that used to focus more on straight news) lives off celebrities’ personal, often sacred moments. Like when Valentino issued a press release promoting the designer’s handbag that Amy Adams was spotted carrying into Philip Seymour Hoffman’s funeral.

People, just like you and me, are experiencing their most hurtful human events, not only internally, but throughout news feeds around the globe.

Moreover, this form of media is distracting us from what is really news, like pivotal events that are happening around the world, such as the uprising on the streets of Kiev.

Rather than informing ourselves on how to create a better world we are matching ourselves up to people. It’s petty. So, no wonder why people are saying our generation needs a good ass kicking, and Alec Baldwin is saying good-bye to public life. We are criticizing rather than encouraging. Degrading rather than supporting.

“The heart, the arteries of the country are now clogged with hate,” says Baldwin in his statement.

And in today’s viral society the exposure happens quicker and more often.

“You’re out there in a world where if you do make a mistake, it echoes in a digital canyon forever,” said Baldwin.

Luckily, the truth is, we all have a choice as to which voice we will let resonate.

Related on Ecosalon

Consciousness and Compassion In Our (Stimulated) Universe

Celebrity Kids Vs. Paparazzi: A Bystander Tells All

image: Wikicommons

The post What Alec Baldwin’s ‘I’m Done’ Letter Is Showing Us About Media (and Ourselves) appeared first on EcoSalon.

A box full of films, books and snacks to keep you entertained all winter long.

Our exclusive EcoSalon shopping must-have, the curated product assortment known as The Box, is back. We’re offering $500 in eco-goodies for the New Year for just $99 and these won’t last. That’s a guarantee.

Since we’re in the middle of winter, we think the best way to embrace the season is to pack a box full of everything you’ll need for a night in. Warm up with a mug of organic hot chocolate and throw on a DVD; this box is all about keeping you entertained and cozy through the winter months.

(If you do miss out this time around, our friends at Ecorazzi are hosting a giveaway for the last remaining Entertainment Box standing. Head on over to their site and register to win!)

Just look at what we have in store for you this time around:

Vinylux coasters

Make sure to keep your coffee table clean and do it in style by putting your glass on a Vinylux LP coasters. Each coaster is created from an original record, which has been trimmed to frame the label with a thin ring of black vinyl. The coasters are double-sided (as were records) and laminated to protect the labels from moisture and to prevent scuffs on furniture.  Coaster sets are comprised of six assorted vintage record labels, so each set is totally unique.

(Retail value of $20)

23 Feet DVD

A film about a community of people who make the conscious choice to live simply and do what they love in the great outdoors, 23 Feet by Red Reel Video follows the story of three women who set out in their 23-foot, 1970 vintage Airstream and the stories they find along the way as they travel through the West. Bursting with wanderlust and inspiration, 23 Feet gives an intimate look at the ups and downs of dedicating your life to a passion.

(Retail value of $15)

i-Ecko eco-friendly speakers

Portable and convenient to store, these speakers not only fold flat, but they are also made from recycled materials. i-Ecko speakers are universally compatible with all MP3 players, iPods and iPhone 3G, meaning that you can blast your favorite beats no matter where you are.

(Retail value of $14.99)

Tweet This Book

What would Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill had said if they lived in the Twitter age? Full of some of great quotes from across, Tweet This Bookfrom Ulysses Press puts some of the best sayings from literary greats, politicians, musicians and celebrities all in one place, and easily translatable to the digital age.

(Retail value of $10)

Treeverse DVD

We’re big fans of video production company Uncage the Soul. They were the genius behind the stunning timelapse, Finding Oregon that we featured recently on EcoSalon. Treeverse is a complelling documentary that follows arborists Brian French and Will Koomijan as they attempt an unprecedented one kilometer canopy trek through old growth Oregon White Oak forest. The DVD but also features a collection of their other films, including “Finding Oregon,” all sure to get you motivated to get outside and explore the natural world.

(Retail value of $20)

Equal Exchange Hot chocolate

Warm up with a mug of hot cocoa from Equal Exchange. There are Plenty of reasons to love this stuff. The organic cocoa is sourced from small-scale farmers in the Dominican Republic, the organic sugar is fairly traded from farmer co-operatives in Paraguay, and the organic milk powder comes from U.S. dairy co-operatives, so you can fill good drinking a cup. Or two.

(Retail value of $7.75)

1 year Sierra magazine subscription

Why not add some regular compelling environmental and sustainability coverage to your reading list? With a tagline of “Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet,” Sierra is the official publication of the Sierra Club, and you’ll be getting an entire year’s subscription.

(Retail value of $15)

Gourmet Oren’s Kitchen Nuts

Committed to using seasonal and organic produce, Bay Area Oren’s Kitchen is committed to good food. Snack on a bag gourmet nuts, randomly selected bag from the following Oren’s Kitchen flavors: Wild Rosemary Almonds, Indian Ajwain Cashews, Smoked Paprika Pecans, Coconut Chili Macadamias.

(Retail value of $6.99)

Tipu’s Chai Now Tea

Tipu’s is the perfect quick fix of spiced goodness. All you have to do is add water, and you have a delicious mug of chai soy latte. Chai Now is made with organic spices and non-GMO soy milk.

(Retail value of $10.95)

Hug Me Pillow Cover

VivaTerra‘s Hug Me Pillow is the perfect item to snuggle up with on the couch, reminding you to take some time and relax. Please note that this is only the pillowcase – down pillow insert not included (we know you may prefer a vegan option). Only eco-friendly, humanely-sourced wool is used in the making of this cuddly soft pillow!

(Retail value of $39)

Funky Monkey Banana Snacks

In need of a quick snack for your movie night? Look no further than Bananamon by Funky Monkey. The freeze-dried organic banana and organic cinnamon is just as delicious for adults as it is for kids, so serve some up to the entire family.

(Retail value of $2.49)

Plantlife Lemongrass and Orange aromatherapy candle

Make your living room smell sweet with this Lemongrass and Orange aromatherapy from Plantlife. No matter which room you place it in, this candle will fill your space with its energizing, refreshing and subtly sweet aroma.

(Retail value of $9.90)

Albert Nobbs by George Moore

Curl up with this copy of Albert Nobbs, a novella-length story by George Moore that is the basis for the Oscar-nominated film, in which Glenn Close plays a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th-century Ireland. Some thirty years after donning men’s clothing, she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making. Glenn has been nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Albert in this film, so get a chance to read the book before you watch the film.

(Retail value of $10)

Green Field Paper Hemp Heritage Journal Book

If you need a break from films and television, take some time to write or draw your thoughts. This journal from Green Field is perfect for just that, filled with blank pages to fuel your creativity. The paper is made with 25% hemp and 75% post consumer waste.

(Retail value of $11.95)

Ginger People 3 oz. bag of Gin Gin Hard Candy

For a boost of energy for the evening, pop one of these hard candies from Ginger People. They’re double strength, which means they’re just as an after dinner digestive as they are for a soothing throat lozenge. You can’t go wrong with candy that does double duty.

(Retail value of $2.79)

Pawling Print Studios 2012 Calendar

Keep your walls beautiful and your life organized with this distinct calendar from Pawling Print Studio. The hand draw illustrations are inspired by traditional textile patterns, and printed in quarterly series, you’ll have a new one to hang on your wall every 3 months.

(Retail value of $25)

Discovery Channel’s Oceanic DVD
The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and contains 97 percent of the planet’s water, yet more than 95 percent of the underwater world remains unexplored. Discovery Channel’s “Oceanic” brings the ocean to life, following the team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as they make history, sending their robotic craft Nereus into the darkest depths of the ocean, past 6,000 meters to be exact.

(Retail value of $14.98)

Two Moms in the Raw Vegan Truffles

Wheat and dairy free, these truffles from Two Moms in the Raw are the perfect healthy evening treat. Made with almond butter, it’s chocolate you can feel good about indulging in.

(Retail value of $5)

Orders are processed through Paypal. Simply click to buy!

The fine print: Please note there will be an additional $30 flat charge which covers all shipping, handling and sales tax fees. Packages are processed and shipped with love within 7 business days of ordering via UPS ground. We cannot ship internationally (we wish we could!). You’ll receive a confirmation email once your order has gone through. Due to the extremely limited nature of these special assortments, we regret that refunds are not possible if you change your mind. If any items you receive are damaged, the participating brands and EcoSalon are happy to replace them for you as soon as the item(s) is available. If the exact item is not available, one of similar value will be offered. Enjoy your assortment of green goodies!

We’re excited to send them your way.

The post January Entertainment Box: The ‘Keep Me Entertained’ Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnWhere celebrity goes conscious.

We are one nation, under God (for some), indivisible (but don’t mention politics), with liberty and justice for all (we hope). But there’s one issue that seems to send Americans into a united clutching of pearls and shaking of heads – and that’s nudity in the media. On film. On cell phones. On the airwaves. A slip of a nipple on live television has the FCC scrambling. A late-night interview where a guest mentions an expletive has parents crying for blood. A congressional representative’s nether regions call for resignation. It seems that Americans are deathly afraid of nudity in film and television – and in life. But are we really?

The answer depends on who is speaking. Talk to some, and we’re Puritanical prudes afraid of our own sexual shadows. Case in point? How we handle our political scandals. Take Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, famous for his Bunga Bunga parties and sexual exploits. Berlusconi, though certainly the receiver of disapproving eyebrows everywhere, is still in office. In fact, he recently received a vote of confidence from Italy’s lower house of Parliament. All this, despite the fact that the Prime Minister was rumored to have slept with 33 women in two months, some of whom he paid. But Berlusconi, 74, has brushed this off, admitting to making payments to the women, but pointing out they were altruistic gifts, not payments for sex. As The Daily Mail reports, “Do you really think I am going to pay for sex with bank transfers? I am like a charity. I pay for surgery, dentist bills, university fees and anything else needed. Some of those bank transfers were to pay the mortgages of the parents of one of the girls. They were in dire straits.”

Now take the exploits of Prime Minister Berlusconi and place them in the hallowed halls of our own government. Let’s look at our political scandal du jour, Representative Anthony Weiner’s downfall via sexting. The married congressional representative admitted to sending sexually-charged pictures and texts to several women. Weiner has now resigned and is seeking mental health treatment – of course, after a three-week scandal that had united both Democrats and Republicans in a united frenzy of disapproval. While his behavior was undeniably questionable, it’s worth noting that Rep. Weiner didn’t break any laws but yet still felt compelled to resign since he’d become a “distraction” from the issues.

Tweet by Former Rep. Anthony Weiner

Now if you were to raise a Berlusconi to a Weiner, you’d notice a definite “European versus American” handling of sexuality, deviances and all. This isn’t an earth-shattering revelation. As Msnbc.com reports, “In the south of France, sunbathing grandmothers have no tan lines. In Norway, young children play naked in fountains. On summer days, accountants in Munich head to the park on their lunch break to grin and bare it, trading corporate suits for birthday suits.” But what happens here in America? In life, naked people are attacked. In politics, a government official resigns.

And in entertainment, all bets are off. A film trailer, such as the latest for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, gets re-cut to show less nudity. Janet Jackson flashes a nipple during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show and the controversy spends years (and tax dollars) traveling the court of appeals debating fines. Blue Valentine, a film depicting explicit consensual sex between a married couple, receives an NC-17 rating because of an oral sex scene. To which star Ryan Gosling replied, “The MPAA is ok supporting scenes that portray women in scenarios of sexual torture and violence for entertainment purposes, but they are trying to force us to look away from a scene that shows a woman in a sexual scenario, which is both complicit and complex – it’s misogynistic in nature to try and control a woman’s sexual presentation of self.” (We’ve also already addressed violence against women on film. We agree with you, Ryan. It is stupid.)

However, nary a conversation can be had about sex in the media in the United States without the screams of the public drowning out any relevant discourse. It would seem that Americans are hopelessly out of tune with their own sexuality, unable to bear the sight of an uncovered genital or worse, a simulated sexual act. Right?

The truth is a bit more ambiguous. Alexander Martin, PhD, is a therapist in Los Angeles. I asked him to weigh in on how Americans perceive sexuality. “We’re not nearly as Puritanical as some might think,” he told me. “It’s really the government, as the FCC, who likes to pretend to be the watch dogs of morality. The Puritanical streak we’re talking about comes from the FCC and certain interest groups who live in a dream world. Think about it, there’s sex all over premium cable. Trust me, Californication [on Showtime] is a hit for a reason.”

Research supports this. Americans are getting their sexual groove on by having a lot of sex and in many different combinations. Experts at Indiana University recently conducted one of the most significant surveys of American sex ever compiled. Logan Levkoff is a sexologist at New York University. As he spoke of the study to The Guardian, anal and oral sex are more popular than ever. Further, “There is enormous variability in the sexual repertoires of US adults, with more than 40 combinations of sexual activity described at adults’ most recent sexual event.”

So really, who are these Americans that are so up in arms about sex in both politics and film, and why is it that the two seem so intertwined? Is it the proverbial squeaky wheel/interest groups creating all the fuss? Or is it that our government simply likes to pretend we’re much more prudish than we really are? Ultimately, Americans seem to be okay with sexuality. The real question might be, why doesn’t anyone have a problem with vulgarity on television? (See: Reality television.)

Image: cordon.alejandro

The post Shade Grown Hollywood: Are Americans Really So Afraid of Nudity? appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnWhere celebrity becomes conscious.

Hollywood is a land of contradictions. An extra serving of ice cream can send people into hysterics while no one bats an eyelash at a starlet on her fifth arrest. But when it comes to abortion politics in film, everyone generally joins together to dive under high-end Egyptian cotton sheets, refusing to come out until someone yells “big opening weekend.” Even torture porn flicks such as Saw can cause less controversy than a pimpled teenager walking inside an abortion clinic. While the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion occurred in 1973, the debate has continued to rage. Take issues near and dear to people, nicely steeped in the American zeitgeist, and you have a political fire starter no one wants to touch. With such impassioned supporters on both sides, you would think Hollywood would have been quick to carry over the argument on film. Controversy breeds ticket sales, after all. Right? In a word: No. Abortion in cinema has become as popular as discussing abortion at a family reunion. No one wants to touch the subject for fear of reprisal. When films and television shows do deal with abortion, they generally employ the following ten rules of portrayal. While some of these rules walk the thin gray line, all seem determined to leave you confused and uncertain about the state of abortion.

If your character goes through with her abortion, be prepared to fight the studio to keep it in. Dirty Dancing, 1987’s wildly popular tribute to 1963 Catskill dance moves, reminds us that abortion was once completely illegal in America. Penny Johnson (Cynthia Rhodes) is forsaken by her bad-guy boyfriend and will lose her ability to earn a living as a dancer. She almost dies after seeking a back-alley abortion, and is saved by kindly Dr. Houseman (Jerry Orbach). Eleanor Bergstein wrote the script for Dirty Dancing. The Daily Beast reports that when the studio saw the final version, they urged Bergstein and director Emile Ardolino to edit out all references to the abortion. As Bergstein tells The Daily Beast, “I explained that it was integral to the plot…and if we cut that out, the rest of the story would collapse. So we kept it in.” According to Bergstein, the lesson is clear. As she further expounds, “What movies are saying now is that if you are of fine moral fiber, you make the opposite decision and decide to have the baby. And everything turns out beautifully. The girls never end up in a shelter, as girls in real life often do.”

If your character is thinking about abortion, she will likely back out of it or experience an unfortunate miscarriage. Several television shows have addressed the issue accordingly. The original Beverly Hills: 90210 (1990-2000) explored abortion when brainy Andrea became impregnated by her boyfriend, Jesse. Jesse breaks up with Andrea over the decision, only to realize the error of his judgmental ways. In the meantime, Andrea has decided to back out of the abortion. Happiness reigns. No judgment! Sex and the City (1998-2004) similarly dealt with abortion a decade later. Miranda finds herself pregnant by her sometimes boyfriend, Steve. She initially chooses abortion, but backs out when confronted with the realization that, at aged 36, this may be her last chance at motherhood. While this episode explored the myriad issues surrounding abortion, it inevitably gave us a main heroine, Carrie Bradshaw, who has admitted to having an abortion. Further, Carrie truthfully acknowledges the uncomfortable feelings she still has over the procedure. And if your character is still undecided? She can always fall back on the conveniently-timed miscarriage. In Party of Five (1994-2000), teenager Julia (Neve Campbell) chooses abortion, backs out, chooses it again, then has a miscarriage. 

If your character decides to go through with an abortion on a TV show, make sure it is on premium cable. Abortion issues on the small screen almost always coincide with a premium cable bill. We’ve already mentioned HBO’s Sex and the City treatment of the issue. The same network also gave us Claire Fisher’s procedure on Six Feet Under (2001-2005), as well as with the HBO produced movie If These Walls Could Talk (1996), which looked at three women dealing with abortion over a span of forty years. But abortion issues on network television? Keep looking. In 1972, Bea Arthur’s Maude decided to have an abortion after becoming pregnant at age 47. This episode of Maude, which was on CBS, is one of the only times where a character on network TV actually went through with an abortion.

European producers or financiers are more likely to back a film with an abortion plot line. The Yellow Handkerchief (2008), written by Erin Dignam, features an abortion plot line. William Hurt is a recently released convict who went to jail after being incited into a criminal rage by the revelation that ex-wife Maria Bello has an abortion. As Dignam has said, finding financing for the film was extremely hard. Eventually the film was produced by Europeans, Arthur Cohn and Lillian Birnbaum. According to Digman, “The producers backed me. I’m sure the fact that they are European helped.”

Your character should be played by Laura Dern.If you want to discuss abortion in the most satirical way possible, cast Laura Dern. Dern wickedly plays the titular character in Citizen Ruth (1996), the worst possible candidate for motherhood. Ruth is a stupid, often inebriated drug addict who already has lost custody of her four children. When she is arrested, the judge offers to lighten her sentence if she has an abortion. Pro-life and pro-choice sides are inflamed, nonsense and hilarity ensues. It’s rather like watching political debates on abortion today.

To avoid social moralizing in 1982, your unwed pregnant character must have the abortion. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) had Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Stacy Hamilton getting an abortion after an ill-fated hookup in a pool shed. The procedure was done quickly and without judgment, aside from the ire heaped on her hookup’s head for bailing out on Stacy.

To avoid social moralizing today, your unwed pregnant character must not have the abortion. In 2007’s Juno, teen Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) considers an abortion and even visits an abortion clinic. But she backs out after a classmate points out her unwanted baby already has fingernails. Also in 2007, Knocked Up’s Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) is an ambitious, career-oriented young woman who gets pregnant after a one night stand with a slacker. She doesn’t even consider abortion as a viable option. Of course, neither film would have had a story if they had. In the meantime, both films were appropriated by the pro-life movement as a testament to the right to life. But there’s also the point to be made that both heroines were merely exercising their right to choose not to have an abortion.

If your character has an abortion, make sure she is impregnated by a really bad guy. In The Godfather: Part II (1974), Kay Corleone (Diane Keaton) aborts a male heir to the Corleone crime family. Penny Johnsons’ aforementioned lover in Dirty Dancing is a shady rich boy who is sleeping with wealthy married women. In The Cider House Rules (1999), Rose Rose (Erykah Badu) is raped by her father. Who she then murders. Because he’s a really bad guy.

After her abortion, your character will likely pay for her choice in some negative way. The Cider House Rules walks a fine line of moralizing about abortion rights. Michael Caine’s Dr. Larch is a charitable abortionist in 1940s Maine who treats women while taking in their unwanted children. He ends up dead. Tobey Maquire plays Homer Wells, his uncertain protégé, himself an unwanted child. Homer’s ambiguity over abortion is challenged by two women. Charlize Theron is Candy Kendall, whose abortion is seemingly consequence-free until her boyfriend turns up from war paralyzed from the waist down. Candy is now likely permanently childless. Coupled with the grim fate of Rose, who wins in any of these scenarios? No one. Even Homer Wells, who returns home to Maine to take up where Dr. Larch left off, is left to provide medical care to women in desperate situations in a barren, frozen landscape with a young Paz de la Huerta making eyes at him over the staircase.

And finally, if your character is going to have the first legal abortion on television, make sure the aborted fetus “reappears [decades later] fully grown after having been miraculously saved by the unscrupulous doctor who had performed the initial procedure.” In 1973, All My Children’s Erica Kane had the first legal abortion on television. Which one would think is a landmark event, no? Until said fetus, now fully grown, showed up year later in Pine Valley. Just this April, ABC canceled All My Children after decades on the air. Tough break, fetus. Welcome to show business.

The post 10 Rules for Depicting Abortion in Movies appeared first on EcoSalon.

The crustiest U.S. Marshall ever to step foot in the Indian Nations is rounded up to aid a willful 14-year-old girl seeking to hunt down and punish her father’s killer. A repressed and stammering soon-to-be king is rescued by an eccentric speech therapist who refuses to bow down to the royal and becomes his BFF. And in the virtual wild west of social networking, a Harvard misfit and his geek cohorts execute an online scheme for profiling and hooking up with cool chicks – an idea “borrowed” from hulking twin brothers on the Crimson’s crew team.

The bonding, wrangling and retribution underlying this year’s Oscar contenders – The King’s Speech, True Grit and The Social Network – all strike a familial chord with male film goers who grow tired of a bucket of popcorn with compassionate mothers, wedding tales and child loss grief – common fodder of book club faves spun into celluloid. While I shudder to use the phrase dick flick – which is arguably as sexist and minimizing as chick flick – it just might fit the bill, especially when you toss in an Irish American fighter saga with a Rocky-rise and feckless half brother in need of extreme rehab.

Christian Bale already took the Golden Globe for his stunning performance as the weaker half of the Mickey Ward story, while bets are on Colin Firth over the ripped Wahlberg in the best actor title. As George VI, Firth also displayed how containing one’s temper yields tremendous results, and was crowned with the gold for his role.

Manly, yes, these yarns, but I like them too, and with the exception of violence, torture, rattlesnakes lurking in caves, severed limbs and blatant child neglect, the testosterone pulsating through the veins of these films doesn’t make them any less entertaining, or even enjoyable, for most women. It is the vulnerability revealed in the exceptional performances that strikes a chord.

We want our men to open up and get it out, as Firth’s “Bertie” eventually does with the gentle nudging of his loving wife and the tactical prodding of Geoffrey Rush’s Lionel Logue. We fantasize about our daughters having the uncanny resources exhibited by Hailee Steinfeld’s Mattie Ross when confronted with the worse elements roaming the planet – those that threaten to bring physical harm to the innocent. She isn’t dependent on males but finds it works better to interact and do business with them on her rough and tumble journey.

And while the domain of billionaire achievers in the entrepreneurial tech field has largely existed as an exclusive man’s club, we look for inroads while tapping the benefits of social networks to further our professional and personal lives. We may not come to love the founder of Facebook but we are grateful to have reconnected with our friends from junior high.

What allows these films to cross the genders in appeal is they don’t smack of the usual gratuitous violence that makes past Coen brother films too gross for comfort, the Fargo credo of a mucked kidnapping and slaughter of a North Dakota housewife – senseless murder deconstructed as black humor deemed as genius. In 1991, when Silence of the Lambs was crowned best picture, many of my women friends threw their hands up in total disgust. Sure, the suspense in the psychological thriller mounted to an edge-of-your-seat crescendo, but it didn’t negate the fact the basic plot surrounded the serial torture and killing of women.

In the Coens’ remake of True Grit, the female protagonist is empowered on cartoonist proportions, yet empowered nonetheless, and like Clarice Starling, she perseveres when finally confronted with the devil in the flesh. We are able to root for her throughout the film without being exposed to horrific scenes that haunt us when we are alone and hear things going bump in the night. This is what separates Grit from the maiming scenes of Quentin Terantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction or the gut wrenching bloodshed in Oliver Stone’s Platoon or Natural Born Killers.

In terms of The King’s Speech, it is the tender, feminine side of these men that eventually comes to define their lifelong friendship, the stripping of the egos and the trust that allows us to be vulnerable enough to grow and to be loved. While the performances of the British cast are perhaps the most Oscar worthy of any of the contenders, I wonder if the subtleties of the film’s message are powerful enough to win over the academy – one that has embraced past winners: The Hurt Locker, Slumdog Millionaire, No Country for Old Men, The Departed, Unforgiven, Bravehart, The Departed and Gladiator in recent years.

If Speech walks away empty handed (Firth was the only winner at the Globes), I for one will be left asking if the film could have benefited by a riveting dueling scene among the princes, a raping or beating of a chambermaid or visuals depicting the starvation the prince claimed to have suffered under the watch of a sadistic nanny.

Should Grit or Social Network, other good films, take the big prize, it will validate something I have felt for years, that vulnerability in men is a much harder thing to reward than corruption and violence, at least in Hollywood. It’s a shame because in the end, discipline and diplomacy over cheating, scheming and brawn will reign supreme in ensuring the survival of the species.

Images: True Grit; KingSpeech; The Social Network; The fighter

The post Testosterone Tempered with Vulnerability in Oscar Contenders appeared first on EcoSalon.

Green Acres was the place for me in the sixties, light years ahead of its time as a green comedy. A savvy businessman is fed up with the rat race of the concrete jungle, flees Park Place and whisks his dilettante wife to Hooterville to grow their own food, befriend local yokels like con man Mr. Haney and Arnold the pig and live a simpler, yet more abundant life. It was a hoot. Who in the Camelot era wanted to live with such sacrifices?

Years later, the earnest eco revolution has spawned a new brand of humor (it’s just that hip!) as we parody the seemingly all-consuming agenda, as in the Audi Green Police ad shown during the Super Bowl. It lampooned the campaign for reusable bags, keeping water consumption down and using low energy appliances. I thought it was poignant because we have gone to extremes at times with the monitoring of consumption. It takes extremes to save the planet, and if humor works, make em laugh!

In addition to the Audi ad, eco humor has seeped into various sitcom story lines and entertainment specials. Among my faves: Saturday Night Live’s Chewable Pampers (all great taste and no waste in eco-friendly containers); and F*ck The Earth Day with old coot Jack English: In the spoof ad for celebrating the day after Earth Day in April, he tells us to ignore the hippie alarmists and do what makes us feels good – like leaving the lights on, driving a hummer and pouring oil on a duck.

And then, there is the new breed of stand-up comics, finding unlimited material in the green lane.

Take Bob Hirschfeld, a self-described business satirist-turned eco satirist, who offers his Funny Green Business presentations at corporate conferences held by Forbes, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Cox Communication, Honda, and IBM to name a few.

Bob makes audiences laugh at the inconsistencies woven into the eco agenda pointing to well-intended solutions aimed at lowering our footprints. “I was at a bookstore where I got the book, 100 ways to Save the Planet,” he recalls. “Number one was buy less paper! So I returned the book.” He also takes harmless stabs at LED bulbs (how many dollars does it take to screw in a lightbulb?); the complexities of sorting plastics for recycling and the embarrassment of low-flow potties not really doing the job of flushing waste in just one flush – especially at dinner parties where your hosts question why you’re taking so long. You can watch his spiel here:

Convention Connection in Malibu, CA which books Bob and other acts, says it gets many requests for green speakers for events, and stand-up brand humor is an added bonus. “Any speaker or entertainer tries to look at the trends, and green is certainly in,” observes booking agent, Kiela Hine. “Humor for all times has tried to make light of things that are difficult and that is a good thing.”

Brings to mind the song Smile, Charlie Chaplin’s theme music for his last silent picture, Modern Times about a tramp struggling to live in modern industrialized society. The song asks, what’s the use of crying? If you light up your face with gladness, you will see the sun come shining through. If Chaplin only knew to what extent we have screwed the divine paradise we have been gifted. I can laugh about it here and there, Charlie. But it is hard to hide the sadness and just smile.

Images: Sitcoms Online, Edna Purviance

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If you thought “Titantic” was a compelling disaster film, try wrapping your brain around the submersion of an entire nation – one of the most breathtaking and remote places on earth. This is the story currently being shot by award-winning documentary filmmaker Jon Shenk. He is trailing President Mohamed Nasheed to deliver this essential an message about how climate change can literally engulf us.

“If we get inundated with water from the effects of too much carbon in the atmosphere, then this planet is going to be a very unpleasant place to be,” says Shenk, who adds that the Maldives struggle packs a human message. “Hundreds of millions of refugees, famine – the U.S. and Europe will not be immune from this. Much of Florida will be underwater. So, I hope this film ends up being a story about people who are doing what they can to help the world.”

Shenk’s company, ActualFilms, has spent the past year interviewing the president who has been shopping for a new country to house the current inhabitants of nearly 1,200 islands and atolls in the Indian Ocean. Global warming causes the polar ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise, and the Maldives is only eight feet above sea level at its highest point. Nasheed isn’t waiting around to sink or swim, and his plight promises to be a fascinating one to observe on the screen.

“I’m not interested in scaring people or overwhelming viewers with science and other information, but I hope people watch the film and see a group of people who are frightened about their future and who are using whatever tools they have at their disposal to prepare themselves,” says Shenk. “Nasheed and Maldivians are an example of people whose nation, way of life, and identity will very likely be erased by climate change.”

Slated for release in May 2010, Dirty Business uncovers the true social and environmental costs of coal power, following visionaries leading the path to an alternative energy future. The series of stories are shot in China, Saskatchewan, Kansas, West Virgina, Nevada and New York, with Rolling Stone reporter Jeff Goodell examining the pitfalls of a continued dependency on 19th century technology linked as the largest single source of greenhouse gases. Along with the families battling the devastation on the front lines, the documentary features industry reps, political leaders, civil servants and environmental experts – all trying to piece the conflict together.

Split Estate warns, “What you don’t know CAN hurt you” and maps a tragedy in the making as citizens in the path of a new drilling boom in the Rocky Mountain West, deal with their rural homes being threatened by polluted waters left unprotected by the oil and gas industry. The citizens frustrated by the erosion of their civil liberties, communities and health, share their struggle of clashing with interest of an industry that assures residents it is a “good neighbor.” In additional to meeting victims like Laura Amos (the proverbial canary in the coalmine) the documentary features civil servants, industry reps, political leaders and environmental activists, all trying to piece together the difficult conflict of energy versus humanity.

Garbage Dreams, which first aired the end of April, is a coming of age tale of three teenage boys in the world’s largest garbage village of Mokkatam on the outskirts of Cairo – home to 60,000 Zaballeen (Arabic for garbage people). They survive by recycling 80 percent of their trash, and when faced with the threat of the globalization of their trade by disposal companies, the villagers must make hard choices about how to sustain their community. The trailer shows the enormous burden the teenagers “endure” while combing for waste amid crowded rooftops where as geese, chickens and goats grazed on remnants of waste.

As Dreams director Mai Iskander so eloquently describes the children at work: “I filmed them day after day, scavenging for tiny bits of cardboard and plastic, the hard, dangerous and dreary work of carrying and sorting garbage with their bare hands, breathing in the dust of the plastic granulators and fabric grinders, making a tiny living from tiny bits of trash.” Iskander says he hopes the world will realize that it is these dreamers who will become world leaders as they save the Earth while lifting themselves out of poverty. The film has scored 21 awards including Al Gore Reel Current and Humanitas winner of the IDA (International Documentary Association).

“Why didn’t we save ourselves when we had the chance?” Is the haunting question aptly posed in the film, The Age of Stupid, which started out as a documentary but was morphed into a futuristic drama following seven characters and narrated by  Pete Postlethwaite. The award-winning actor plays a shell-shocked lone survivor in the devastated future world of 2055 – reflecting on footage from 2008 and questioning why we sat back instead of moving on climate change.

A co-production between Franny Armstrong, first-time producer Lizzie Gillett and John Battsek’s company, Passion Pictures, was first released in 2009 to rave reviews. The New York Times wrote: “The film is a scorching appeal for humans to avoid knowingly up-ending the earth’s climate, delivered form the vantage point of 2055, when the giant London Eye Ferris wheel looks more like a waterwheel,with its bottom immersed in the Thames, along with much of central London.”

Unlike other green docs in recent years, Stupid uses dramatization to heighten emotions in prompting us to take action while we can. Filmmakers like Shenk believe that going this extra mile works better in getting people – especially Americans consumed with jobs and kids and busy lives – to care about the cause.

“I think if people saw this has a human problem they would be more likely to prioritize the issue,” Shenk finds. “I think much of the written material and documentaries about climate have focused on the facts – and the message communicated is not quite working. Movies can be great for moving hearts. Once you have the heart, the mind follows.”

To learn more about where to view these films and how to host community screenings and events, visit Working Films.

Images: Chi King, Mnn, Age of Stupid, Dirty Business, Split Estate, Haumaldives

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Reasonable people can differ on beauty contests. Like the military, some ardent supporters argue pageants build confidence and open doors for young people. I don’t buy the argument in either case, because of the dangers involved in putting yourself on the line in the name of defense. In the case of the military, it’s to defend our country. In the case of the pageants, it’s the egos of the mothers behind the scenes who are exposing their kids to chemicals and the kind of criticism that can contribute to girls hurting themselves later on.

This is especially the case in the televised series aptly called Little Miss Perfect on WeTV. The little showgirls are primped and paraded, awarded points for perky stage presence and marked down when their flipper teeth, monstrous hair extensions and spray-on tans fall short of perfection. We may all want to measure up, but this is a despicably shallow message for a loving world, much less healthy girls.

Considered an unbiased documentary, the tots and tiaras reality show lures in an audience that follows the small town competitors from dance lessons in their makeshift home studios to air freshened hotel hospitality rooms in Dallas where the final coat of Aqua Net is unleashed to shellac the Barbarella teased tresses of the miniature bombshells. In other words, it takes off where Little Miss Sunshine stopped in exposing the highly competitive nature of these hotly contested side shows.

It should be renamed Little Miss Poison. It’s that toxic.

Pageant Director Michael Galanes (prounounced Ga-lan-ness) advertises this is more than just a pageant, and he is right. For many of us, it is Halloween night fun made serious business. Every girl loves to play dress up. The danger comes when they are vying for who is best and doused with chemicals to get there.

Consider the adults behind the pageants.

Ninety-nine percent of the mothers driving the ambition of the young contestants are women clad in camp wear prepared to do battle. And battle they do, as they coax the kids to perform.

The moms will readily admit they are funneling all of their energy into coaching their daughters, while funneling family savings into paying for hired hands they  find on the circuit.

“It’s no different than putting your kids in football uniforms with big shoulder pads and helmets and sending them out into the games,” argues one of the moms,” rationalizing her notion that this is some kind of healthy sport.

Check out contestant Ashley’s mom on You Tube.

Contestant Ashley

The judges have the television persona of former beauty queens with mile-high hair and augmented bodies, with the exception of the lone male judge, who is disguised as a conservative, suited executive. Yes, the fragile egos of adorable and sensitive young girls are in these people’s hands.

Unnecessary exposure to harmful beauty products.

As a green writer and journalist, I also abhor the environmental and biological damage being done to the children in the name of beauty – the synthetic kind considered essential to winning. Let me count the ways.

1. Acrylics: Put them on for a week so a teen can quit biting? Maybe. Put them on every weekend to win a beauty contest? I don’t think so. Aside from the risk of infection, acrylic nails and polishes are made with nasty substances such as formaldehyde, methyl methacrylate, and metal balls at the bottom of the polish containing traces of nickel, another allergen. Many nail and cosmetic products contain the plasticizer DBP (dibutyl phthalate) which is thought to pose a risk to fetuses. A CDC study revealed women of childbearing are likely to be 20 times more exposed to DBP than the rest of the population.

2.  Synthetic Hair Spray: It’s the number-one armor used by hair professionals on the children to hold the coiffure. Never mind how much damage it does to the hair, itself. The ingredients in synthetic hair sprays include Polyvinylpyrrolidone, Propylene glycol, Polyvinyl alcohol, Hydrofluorocarbon, Denatured alcohol and Carboxylmethylcellulose. These toxins are certainly harmful to the health of the children being sprayed. Symptoms connected to hair spray poisoning include rashes, low blood pressure, eye burning, burning throat, breathing problems, blurred vision and even coma.

3. Cosmetics: These aren’t applied once in a while for special events like a relative’s wedding, but caked on like masks by professional make up artists using professional cosmetics, which means phthalates. The plastic softeners found in consumer items from cosmetics to kids’ toys are shown to damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive systems after absorbed through the skin or inhaled. A CDC study found the largest amounts of these chemicals are in women of child bearing age. Studies by the Environmental Working Group also found these very chemicals among the 232 pollutants in the umbilical cords of 10 babies tested in five states.

Lasting damage isn’t so sunny.

Of course, there is always the damage that will be measured in the years to come: The psychological repercussions of both winning and losing these dreadful contests.

Little Miss Perfect may develop poor self esteem, become anxious or depressed, cut or starve herself, become susceptible to unhealthy relationships, or even cultivate her own pageant toddler.

Thank goodness Olive Hoover had adults around her who knew when to say “No!” to false eyelashes and glue on their living doll.

Main Image: You Tube

Images: Bassett Hound; Miss Africablogazine; WETV; Jezebel; Latemag

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“Will Sandra Bullock get nominated?” asked my 13-year-old daughter, blown away like the rest of us by the feel-good Christmas movie of the season, The Blind Side.

“I’m not sure,” I said, “but she should.”

Bullock clinched the Best Actress for me when her character stopped the family car to help a boy clad in a thin tee shirt, walking and shivering in the rain. She had seen him at her kids’ Christian private school, and asked him if he had a place to stay that night. “Don’t you dare lie to me,” she said to the teen, drawing on her maternal bravado. Then she took him home, tucked him in, and adopted him as her son.

The rags-to-riches tour de force is certainly Bullock’s film, but the saga based on a real life story (below) engages us in a way that makes it our film, too, and our story of redemption. We want to be part of the benevolent village that rescued gentle giant, Michael Oher, taking him out of the projects and into the world of private education and college football. Filling the Salvation Army cup at Christmas just isn’t enough, the film poignantly illustrates, leaving us awed by pure Christianity in action.

Most startling of all was how the Tuohy family of Memphis took a complete stranger into their own home, knowing nothing about him except that he was cold, hungry and had no place to sleep. In an interview with the family, members admitted that southern matriarch Leigh Anne just had it in her to take the homeless teen under her able wing.

“It was just mother’s intuition,” said the former Ole Miss cheerleader, who did everything a mother would do for her son: dress him, feed him, tutor him in school, and guide his athletic career.

“It was a turn over, and lately I’m just into that word, turn over,” says Leigh Ann. A turn over, indeed. How many of us have the courage to do what this woman did?

While Bullock infused the character with a Scarlett O’Hara spunk, she drew her inspiration from the real life heroine, who boldly marched into the rough projects to trace her adopted son’s roots, and then later to search for him after a family squabble returned him to his original home.

Her two other children, Collins and SJ, were good sports about Michael moving in and joining the family, as was Leigh Anne”s husband, Sean. A delightful scene is when the four pose for their traditional family holiday shot in their Sunday finest, adding Michael as an afterthought to the picture for fun. Naturally, that is the image the mother sends out – raising eyebrows among her Memphis society lunch pals.

“You are really changing that boy’s life,” one of them says over an $18 salad. “No, answers Leigh Anne, “he has changed mine.”

My own mother urged me to see this heartwarming film, and I’m glad I saw it with my two daughters, who volunteer at the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center. We need our children not to turn a blind eye to life on the other side of the tracks. This film is a first step for some, even if it is a dramatic reenaction starring the stunning Bullock.

We cried, we laughed, we flinched, but mostly, we rooted for the dignified Michael in this story of redemption. And then we asked ourselves, why just one?

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The casting call went out last January, not to big Hollywood agents but to animal shelters and rescue groups across the country.

Looking for four-legged crooners, black and white, who can get along with others on tour, do the old soft paw on stage, and won’t leap off into the audience when they hear the sound of applause.

Dozens of shelter dogs got the parts for the The 101 Dalmatians Musical including Rascal, a puppy with a broken leg found on the side of the road. Like the others, he has been given a new leash on life by getting to reside on a Florida ranch and travel in a celebrity tour bus while the show begins a national tour this month, starting in Minneapolis.

Animal trainer, Joel Slaven, told the Associated Press it was tough finding dogs to cast for the show.

Apparently, following the release of the popular live-action Disney “101 Dalmatians” in 1996 there was a rush on Dalmatians as  family pets, a role not suited to the breed. After the cute puppy stage, many new owners abandoned the dogs which flooded  shelters. Since then, canine rescuers are protective of the animals being exploited.

“When the movies came out, they were over-bred and that made the breed, which already has some health problems, even worse. People got the dogs, couldn’t afford the vet bills, found the dogs untrainable, or that they didn’t get along with kids. Shelters, Humane Societies and rescue groups don’t want anyone to use these dogs for entertainment, and they don’t want to help someone who’s going to do this again,” Slavin said.

I guess they came around when Slavin convinced them the animals would be treated like divas and dapper, leading men. Training the newbies like Rascal (above) involved helping the choreographer stage a three-minute finale of all dogs performing a dance routine to a tune by composer Dennis De Young of Styx fame. I hear it’s “jaw dropping.”

But instead of using the Dalmatians throughout the show, their parts are primarily played by actors, as in the musical Cats.

Images: Bree Bailey, The 101 Dalmatians Musical

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