discovery

Introducing: Planet Green

deborah — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

The Discovery Channel's much anticipated all green, all the time eco channel "Planet Green" will launch June 4th. Formerly "Discovery Home," Planet Green will feature 250 hours of original green lifestyle programming.

"Planet Green represents a full spectrum of life experiences, personalities and points of view," said Eileen O'Neill, President and General Manager, Planet Green. "Working with a broad range of partners, our goal is to find innovative ways to engage people of all ages and backgrounds through content that's entertaining, relevant and accessible. Planet Green is about motivating people to take an active role in a new conversation about the future of our planet."

The bad news is I won't get Planet Green. At least not yet. I never get the good channels, but then, in my neck of the woods we're lucky we have cable TV.

But I digress...

Expect to see specials and programs featuring Emeril Lagasse, Adrian Grenier, Tom Bergeron, Tom Brokaw and Tom Green. That's the Green Tom Trifecta right there. Previews of Planet Green will begin to appear on Video on Demand and also through the PlanetGreen.com website starting April 17th.

Programs include:

Emeril Green - Emeril Lagasse's new green cooking program. The focus will be on organic and locally grown foods."
"G" Word -The "G" word, of course, is "green." Not so taboo anymore though. Expect to see lots of green news and products.
The Green Life - Adrian Grenier will show us how we can become green like him.
Greenovate - As one would expect, this series is about making one's home more green.

That's only a sampling of the wonderful programming coming to us on June 4th. Well coming to you. I'll probably have to wait a few years until it gets to my neighborhood.

Tommy Lee Ludacris to Appear in Green Reality Television Show

deborah — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

We all know touring rock bands leave dinosaur-sized carbon footprints behind. Some are doing something about it, and some are being challenged to do something about it. Tommy Lee and Ludacris will star in a new reality show for Discovery's Planet Green aimed at encouraging an eco-friendly touring style. On "Battleground Earth" the two will "battle against the toxic forces destroying mother earth, attempting to keep their high-wattage acts on an eco-friendly course."

Both players along with some help from activists and fellow celebrities will explore the impact their lifestyles have on the environment and see what they can do to correct or reverse their damage, while competing to see who does it better. In the 10 weeks the series will run, expect to see the pair run out of gas in the Texas panhandle and end up running their tour buses on grease from a fast food restaurant.

The series finale will be a "green carpet" event featuring a benefit concert in Los Angeles starring Tommy Lee and Ludaris of course, and also some of their famous friends. The concert is to raise funds for the renewal of Griffith Park - the victim of a series of wildfires.

Who will win the battle? I can't predict. It's sure to be interesting and entertaining as these two charismatic performances compete to greenify the earth.

Image: PR Photos

Adrian Grenier: His Green Eyes Are Just The Beginning

Matt — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Behind Adrian Grenier’s beguiling gaze lies the resolve of a consummate idealist. He genuinely wants to save the world, and he doesn’t even need to put on purple tights as Aquaman, the superhero role his Entourage alter-ego Vincent Chase plays in the movies, to get the job done. Dude is all over the place, straight healing. His famously green/recycled/energy efficient Brooklyn brownstone was our first clue that it wasn’t just his eyes that were green. Watch him modestly chat about his digs at a screening of Leonardo DiCaprio’s eco film, 11th Hour:

Last month he hosted the star-studded holiday charity ball for Charity: Water, a foundation dedicated to providing safe drinking water people in need all over the world. Word on the street is that his public speaking chops are nonpareil. Good thing it was a charity for water, since some of the ladies at the event needed something to cool off once our boy showed up looking like this:

Lest you think he only has time for fancy philanthropy parties, here he is getting down and dirty at a Brooklyn soup kitchen:

When Paris Hilton was in need of some advice on how to make her life more eco friendly, it was our knight in shining armor who took the damsel in distress under his wing and showed her how to go green. An environmentalist and a gentleman. Convincing Paris to turn her hummer into a hybrid probably took some (ahem) charming.

Now we hear that Grenier is set to host a 13-episode home makeover show on Discovery’s new Planet Green network. It sounds like the gist is that regular people invite AG to their homes, and he guides them through the green remodeling process. Honestly, this might be just enough to pull me away from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Ty, with all of his crying and substance abuse problems. Such is the allure of Grenier’s munificence.

If you look closely enough at Grenier’s past, you’ll realize that his altruism should not come as a surprise. His parents met in a commune. Born in New Mexico and raised in Brooklyn, he has long sported a Manu Chao-type global hippie sensibility. He was on a surfing beach in Mexico when he landed his star role in Entourage. Need more? “I was in Williamsburg before Williamsburg was Williamsburg,” he once notably declared, proof that he has always led a cutting edge boho lifestyle.

Oh, Adrian. Your dreaminess makes a greener future for our planet more than just a dream. You go, boy.