Now that NBC Universal owns The Weather Channel, what do they plan on doing with all the hard-hitting subjects that the station reports on?
'Kill em, of course. The Weather Channel's one original program dealing with climate change, Forecast Earth went off-air last Wednesday, ironically during NBC's so-called Green Week. The Forecast Earth staff was also axed entirely, representing the station-wide firings that will eventually get rid of 10% of the network's workforce. So far, 80 people have been let go, but Forecast Earth was the only program that suffered a complete bulldozing.
Because hey, with all the immediate bad news we hear every day about the economy and war in Iraq, who wants to think about the long-term effects of global warming anymore? Besides Al Gore, of course.
So Rahm Emanuel is the new chief of staff under Barack Obama, because he worked for the Clintons, is a great spin guy, and looks a lot like Anton Chigurh from No Country For Old Men but with a better haircut.
Who else is on Obama's team of Super Friends? Lots of old Clinton staff, for one thing.
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Al Gore, the non-candidate environmental do-gooder whose television network Current TV we tell people we watch (but secretly don't), is rumored to be buying the green magazine Plenty. This is also a magazine we might pretend to read, but secretly don't. Of course, Plenty — which features Gore on its cover, because, like who else is there? — is all about the environment, which explains why it's printed on 85 percent recycled paper and supposedly remains carbon neutral by purchasing carbon offsets. But also, a magazine about the environment should know that carbon offsets are basically bunk, and a terrible excuse to continue polluting.
The half-life on zinging Twitter ran out about three days after the microblog's conception, yet the users of the site keep managing to find ways to shoot themselves in the foot. Last week there was The Rocky Mountain News giving minutia updates on the funeral of a child shooting victim, now it's Al Gore's Current TV trying to cash in on the zeitgeist by combining it with blogger's other favorite activity, armchair politicking.
During the debates, the indie network will broadcast viewer-created "tweets," in as close to real time as the monitor lags allow. Cute idea, and it certainly fits into the Blog the Vote phenomenon that engulfed the conventions this year. But while Current TV CEO Joel Hyatt "lamented the limiting nature of debate coverage, populated by experts with axes to grind and predictable partisan arguments to make," you end up wondering: Who does he think Al Gore's desperate network appeals to? Or Twitter's? CONTINUED »
What could possibly be the reason the RNC decided to pull this introductory video for Sarah Palin moments before her speech yesterday?
Was it because Rudy Giuliani blabbered on too long?
Or was it because only Democrats saw An Inconvenient Truth and found the "PowerPoint Presentation As A Movie" genre worth clapping for?
A show of hands here: Who plans on buying a Louis Vuitton bag because it supports Al Gore's climate change project? How about slapping down an extra 300 bucks for a gold-painted recycling logo on your $2,300 Murakami bag?
The fashion biz, like every other industry, is feeling the push to "go green," which is less about climate change than it is about including warm fuzzies about Mother Nature in your marketing campaign. This means a look book stuffed with descriptions like "organic" and "environmentally sustainable."
It's comparable (but not quite as bad) as Exxon saying they are green because they've met with some environmental lobbyists. Or McDonalds saying their food is healthier in reaction to Supersize Me. Except in fashion, it's overconsumers like Marc Jacobs who pretend to send the message.
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Al Gore has made clear he has no intention of sitting in the Oval Office. But he might just aspire to be an Wall Street darling: His Current TV filed initial public offering papers with the SEC today, effectively testing the waters to see if the indie cable net can snag upwards of $100 million. The network, which hit airwaves in August 2005 and was founded by Gore and Joel Hyatt, reported revenue of $63.8 million in 2007, with loses totaling $9.9 million. If it's a go, you'll be able to buy shares in uber-chic programming under the ticker symbol CRTM.
After winning an Academy Award and the Nobel Peace Prize, Al Gore will receive his second Quill award for his book Assault On Reason.
The award bills itself as the Oscars for books. Of course, Gore showed up for the Oscars and is skipping this event. Turns out it takes more than red carpeting to woo him.
Losing the election after winning the popular vote must have hurt, but Gore is probably doing better now than if he had actually become President. His cultural approval rating has never been higher.
Al Gore faces the inconvenient truth of having to share his Nobel Peace Prize with the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The former V.P. of the United States (and creator of the boring-but-informative documentary on global warming) accepted his half of the award this morning. In a short statement, capturing both his enthusiasm and sleep-inducing monotone voice, Gore pledged to donate his share of the prize money to the Alliance for Climate Protection.
For its part, the U.N. Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change is expected to release a similar statement later today – with a few minor alterations – reading something along the lines of, "Fuck that. We're keeping the money."
If you buy into the Washington logic that a flawless campaign is one that doesn't make gaffes, never goes off-message and never makes news, then this analysis makes sense. The Clinton machine runs as smoothly and efficiently as a Rolls. And like a fine car, it is just as likely to lull its driver into complacent coasting and its passengers to sleep. What I saw on television last Sunday was the incipient second coming of the can't-miss 2000 campaign of Al Gore.
–Excerpted from Frank Rich's Op-Ed column in Sunday's New York Times, entitled "Is Hillary Clinton the New Old Al Gore?" [NYT]
U.K. mag sales are dropping heavily, with readers preferring to get their news from "digital rivals."
Meanwhile, insiders have already characterized the paper-to-digital trend as "the slow death of magazines," while we here at Jossip headquarters prefer to think of it as "amazing."
Al Gore's son is taking his father's celebrity straight down the well-beaten path of other trainwreck Hollywood children. And he couldn't have picked a better time! After all, moving vehicle violations are so hot right now, and with his July 4th arrest (for speeding and drug possessions) Al Gore III joins the illustrious dubious ranks of famous brats Brandon "Wedding Ruiner" Davis, Lindsay "Memorial Day weekend DUI" Lohan, and Nicole "Driving while smoking weed and cracked out on painkillers" Richie.
Oh, and speeding and by drug possession we don't mean pushing 70mph and a mere handful of Ritalin so much as cranking the eco-savvy Toyota Prius up to a cool 100pmh, and toting around approximately 140 Vicodin pills and "dozens" of other unauthorized meds. Or, in other words, enough to last LiLo approximately 4-6 hours. After a wild night of drinking. At the Chateau Marmont. With Olsens present.
So what does the future hold for Al Gore's "tree" happy son?
… just in time to take the stink away from Al Gore's son getting arrested for speeding and marijuana and prescription drug possession.
Had the White House been smarter, Jenna Bush would've had at least an engagement announcement ready for when Mary Cheney spit out Samuel David.
• Hillary Clinton is said to dress even manlier than war hero John McCain.
• This America's Got Talent contestant's routine wasn't supposed to include falling flat on his face.
• Lady Bird Johnson dead at the age of 94.
• David Beckham is all about the little girl's Fruit of the Looms
• Lil' Kim shows us that magical nipple slip, one more time.
• Maybe we aren't as green as Al Gore thought we were. Or maybe we just don't want to sit at home and watch Bravo all day.
• If we had a Roy Lichtenstein-esque picture of ourselves on a shirt, we'd probably wear it around, too.
• Apparently, the iPhone also makes a great smoothie.
• Brandon Davis takes time out of his busy birthday-party-ruining schedule to trash his brother's wedding.
• Michael Moore rants and raves at Wolf Blitzer for 11 zany minutes, then demands an apology from CNN.
• Paris Hilton is already well on her way towards poisoning America's youth.
• Sources say Posh's boring television special is completely representative of her non-existent personality.
• Alec Baldwin tries to disassociate himself from that shitty movie he starred in co-produced.
• The former VP of the United States introduced himself to a room full of celebrity-turned-environmentalist types by saying, "My name is Al Gore, and I'm a recovering politician."
On NBC's Today Show, former Vice President Al Gore has reiterated his desire to shy away from another presidential bid, insisting that he's currently focusing his energies on raising awareness for environmental issues/global warming instead.
When asked why he wouldn't run for president again — when presumably a president could shape an agenda to fight global warming — Gore said those in power must have the support of the people to make it work.
"I've kind of fallen out of love with politics. …Whatever experience and talents I've gained over the years — I think it may well be that the highest and best use of that is to try to bring enough awareness of the solutions to the climate crisis and enough of a sense of urgency that we come together across party lines on behalf of our children," Gore said.
Translation: My idiot son just got arrested on charges of speeding and drug possession, I'm not nearly as "hip" as Barack Obama, and America hasn't elected a fat guy president since 1909.
After an exciting, hangover inducing July 4th celebration, we showed up to the office bleary and bedraggled, relying heavily on Advil, Gatorade and copious amounts of caffeine to get us through the inevitably slow news day. Which is why we were both surprised and delighted (in a groggy, sort of way) to learn that something newsworthy had, indeed, gone down.
But what we read exceeded even our wildest expectations.
The 24-year-old son of former Vice President Al Gore was arrested for drug possession on Wednesday after he was stopped for speeding in his hybrid Toyota Prius, a sheriff's official said.
Gore was arrested on suspicion of drug possession and booked into the Inmate Reception Center in Santa Ana, about 34 miles south of Los Angeles, on $20,000 bail. Although he quickly identified himself as the son of the former vice president, Amormino said Gore received no special privileges.
We can't decide what's more amazing: that Al Gore's son was arrested for drug possession or that he was actually pulled over for speeding in a car that typically tops out at about 40 mph. All we know for sure is, there's nothing like finding out that the former Vice President of our country spent his July 4th ordering someone to shlep out 34 miles to the Inmate Reception Center in Santa Ana and bail his delinquent kid out of county jail.
And they say patriotism is dead.
Former Vice President Al Gore may not be in the running for the upcoming presidential elections, but his star has never been brighter.
First, he won us over on SNL, by giving an uncomfortably prescient glimpse into a world where peace reigns, global warming has long ceased to exist, cars run on trash (rather than oil or gas) and yes, Al Gore is president.
Next, he shot to stardom with An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary that delivered a powerful environmentalist message and revamped Gore's image by showing him to be bosom buddies with actor/Prius owner Leo DiCaprio.
And today we learn about Gore's most impressive accomplishment to date, namely his ability to procure an advance copy of the embargoed Sopranos finale.
• A friend swears OJ Simpson didn't do it! The book, not the double homicide, obvi.
• Only Barry Bonds' mistress knows the truth about those so-called "performance enhancing" drugs.
• John Stamos pulls a Paula Abdul, which is to say he slurs his way through a television interview then attributes it to being "jet-lagged."
• Nintendo hires Nicole Kidman to demonstrate that even attractive people who've had lots of plastic surgery enjoy video games.
• Hugh Grant may be back together with heiress Jemima Khan, If so, he may or may not have popped the question, in which case Khan conceivably answered with either a "yes" or a "no."
• If Al Gore was actually running for president, he'd never allow his daughter to have a Beverly Hills 90210 inspired wedding.
