Colin Farrell was a guest on Letterman Friday night. I’ve been dying to report on these sexy photos of him outside the studio with his shirt half open. He looked delectable as usual, and was promoting the Fright Night remake he stars in, which is out in the US next Friday, August 19. On the show, Farrell mentioned his two boys, Henry, nearly 2, and James, 7. (Both are from previous relationships with different women, but it’s not like Farrell talked about that at all.) James has a rare genetic condition called Angelman syndrome, which is characterized by motor, intellectual and speech delays and a positive affect. Farrell has discussed his son’s condition in the past, and said that he is blessed to have him in his life. In 2007, he said “I have never thought of my son as being someone with a disability. It goes back to special needs and what is a disability and what isn’t.” On Letterman, he addressed the need for more funding to research the condition and said that a doctor has cured the condition in mice. Here’s more:
Colin Farrell appeared on Late Show With David Letterman last night to promote his upcoming movie, Fright Night, but also took a little time to give a shout out to CureAngelman.org and revealed that one of his sons has been diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome.
Colin has two sons James, 7, and Henry, almost 2, and briefly discussed his family with David Letterman.
“James, just a quick shout out if I can, James has a condition called Angelman Syndrome and it only affects one in 30,000 children, they say,” Colin said on Late Show. “So there’s not that much funding because it doesn’t benefit pharmaceutical companies, of course.”
The actor asked for anyone to help by visiting CureAngelman.org to help donate and then discussed a bit more about his son and how he was diagnosed.
“It was actually when a doctor saw how happy he was,” Colin explained. “He was like, ‘Does he always smile this much?’”
James started walking just short of his 4th birthday and doesn’t have any verbal speech, but Colin made sure to say that his boy is a “a really happy boy.”
For as much as Colin flits around to different women, he sure seems like a caring and devoted father. He’s also giving some invaluable attention to this cause.
Look at how shy Colin looks outside the studio with his hands crammed in his pockets. He’s doesn’t look too comfortable with the crowd. He also seemed a little nervous on the show.
Matt Damon took part in a Save Our Schools march and rally on Washington on Saturday for teachers’ rights. Damon’s mother, a former teacher, was at the event along with his former high school history teacher. The famous actor rallied the crowd with a speech praising teachers for shaping his life and outlook. Save Our Schools is calling for teacher empowerment and grassroots support to help end the practice of tying school funding and teacher salaries to standardized testing. Damon made many thoughtful comments about the cause:
Matt Damon dedicated his Saturday to a cause close to his heart, rallying with teachers on a march to The White House.
The Bourne Identity star, whose mother was a teacher, joined the Save Our Schools March to protest the use of standardized testing throughout the education system.
In a touching speech to the amassed crowd, Damon, 40, discussed how he feels his own public school education impacted his life.
“As I look at my life today, the things that I value about myself, my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity, came from the way that I was parented and taught,” Damon told the crowd as the sun beat down on his head, shaved bald for his next role.
“And none of these qualities that I just mentioned, none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, none of these qualities that have brought me so much joy, that have made me so successful professionally, none of these qualities that make me who I am can be tested,” he said.
“Now don’t get me wrong. I did have a brush with standardized tests at one point. I remember because my mom went to the principal’s office and said, ‘My kid ain’t taking that. It’s stupid, it won’t tell you anything and it’ll just make him nervous.’ That was in the ’70s when you could talk like that.”
Damon also voiced support of all the educators throughout the United States.
“We love you, we thank you and we will always have your back,” he said.
Both of my parents are retired teachers, and I admire the work that educators do and know a little about it. It’s a tough job for low pay and there’s a ton of bureaucracy to deal with. I’ve been out of the loop since they retired, but it sounds like it’s even worse now with these new federal policies. It’s heartening to see Damon lend his celebrity to this cause and you can tell that it’s one he cares about deeply.
Damon has been sporting a bald head for a little over a week. He shaved it for a role in a science fiction film called Elysium, which he’s been filming in Vancouver. It also stars Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley. As Lainey points out we’ll be seeing plenty more of Matt this year. He has two films coming out: Contagion in September and We Bought a Zoo in December. I always love to see him on the big screen, with hair or without. (I much prefer with, but I’m not going to be picky.)
I love this picture of him spraying sunscreen on his head.
Ashton Kutcher is engaged in a little twitter war with the Village Voice over their adult-oriented personals section, backpage.com. Ashton is criticizing The Voice for allegedly providing a forum for underage prostitution and human trafficking, which is his cause celebre through his recently formed DNA Foundation. This all sounds very important and laudable, only The Voice just ran a piece that sheds light onto the issue of human trafficking and questions whether it’s as widespread and as ignored as Ashton and his wife Demi’s foundation make it out to be. Both Ashton and The Voice have vested interests in this very hot button issue.
Don’t mess with Ashton Kutcher! That’s the message he and his seven million Twitter followers have made very clear after he became embroiled in a bitter war with Village Voice, which he claims is profiting from victims of child prostitution.
The actor began his quest to bring down the paper after it published an article about he and his wife, Demi Moore. Village Voice claimed the pair had used exaggerated numbers when campaigning against sex-trafficking.
Ashton then used his Twitter social networking page to contact huge businesses such as American Airlines, Disney and Domino’s Pizza to get them to drop their advertising from the site.
“Hey @disney @dominos are you aware that you are advertising on a site that owns and operates a digital brothel?” he tweeted.
Now despite stating he is ready to put his battle ‘to bed’ he has launched another scathing attack on his blog.
Kutcher writes that Village Voice has a vested interest in downplaying the problem of sex trafficking. The paper and its website end with a huge section called backpage.com that advertises jobs, cars for sale and apartments for rent, and also escort services, “body rubs” and “adult jobs.”
“The Village Voice has repeatedly attempted to reduce sex trafficking to an ‘under-age’ issue,” Ashton wrote.
“And while they claim to spend millions of dollars fighting underage sex trafficking, they fail to address the countless number of girls that are over the age of 18 and being forced by their pimps and traffickers to post ads on Backpage.com. I have personally had conversations with many of these victims and have heard horror stories confirming this.”
Kutcher launched a campaign called ‘Real Men Don’t Buy Girls’ but was angered by the article published by the Voice called, ‘Real Men Get Their Facts Straight’.
In his latest blog he suggests is selling victims next to couches and bicycles and claims they are trying to ‘discredit’ his fight against the cause.
He signs off with a warning: “As for advertisers, it’s my intention to continue to make them aware of who you are and what happens on your platform. They can do with that what they choose.”
I get that Ashton and Demi want to protect kids and women from human trafficking and that’s admirable. Whether it’s 200,000, 800 or 8 kids that are being exploited yearly, it’s one too many. It’s good that this guy has a cause and that he’s raising awareness of it, even if it may be slightly misguided. (And I’m not saying it is, although I found the Voice article convincing.) However, he’s now going after the Village Voice and their advertisers hard right after they posted a negative article questioning his knowledge of the issue he claims to hold dear. This is a guy who blogs Internet hoaxes without checking snopes and has admitted he’s prepared for armageddon. The ad compaign for this charity was ridiculous. I don’t find Ashton an authority on much and it doesn’t help his argument that he’s striking out at the Voice right after they ran a well researched article questioning his cause.
However, Ashton did post some letters to his website from the Seattle Police department asking the Village Voice to help combat underage prostitution by running an age verification ID check for the classifieds in their “backpage” section. This seems completely reasonable and like something the Voice should institute. It just strikes me that there’s a better way to ensure that happens.
Halle Berry did an interview with Extra to help publicize her work with the Jenesse center for abused and battered women and children. (Video above and here.) Halle looked really hot in a lot cut fuschia dress that she wore to a fundraiser for the center over the weekend. Her face was impossibly smooth and glowing. If I could get some injectables, laser resurfacing and Botox and look as supernaturally perfect as Halle I would do it in a heartbeat. I’d probably get the dermatologist who ended up making me look like Jill Zarin, though. Maybe it’s genetics plus injectables though, like some people look more normal after getting work done.
Halle told Terri Seymour about how she helped set up a special room with clothing, art and educational materials at the shelter called “Nahla’s world.” She said that there’s a stigma associated with staying at a shelter but that she wanted to create something aspirational for the women there. Terri asked about Halle’s boyfriend, Oliver Martinez, who went to the fundraising event to support her. Halle got kind of excited and said “he is really proud and you know, he’s inspired. He’s got his own ideas of how he can get involved in the center and help the boys… be sort of a male figure.”
Terri said it’s been a year since she saw Halle at the last fundraiser and asked her what her year has been like. She answered. “It’s been a year full of challenges, but every year seems challenging in one way or another.” As for whether custody is going well she said “It is, and you know what, that’s a relief. When there’s a child involved, it’s a relief when you can resolve things in a good way. Our issues were never about fighting for her, you know? We know that a child needs both parents but I think what I want to say about it is that sometimes as a couple you reach an impasse. We need a court and a judge to help us work out some of the delicate issues, and I’m so happy we’ve arrived at that place… because for her sake, this is the best way. So we’re good… It’s a huge relief, because we both love her more than life.”
Halle talks a good game and you could tell she was being careful about how she phrased things. Extra! reports that this is the first time she’s spoken publicly about her custody battle, and I could have sworn that wasn’t the case. Only Halle has just leaked stories to the press in the past to try and make Gabriel out to be the bad guy. When she finally deigns to talk publicly, she couches everything in vague concepts like she was just an average mom getting a divorce who didn’t exploit her daughter’s normal emotions about her parents splitting up in order to try and malign her ex. She probably feels like she handled it all normally too, because the end result is that she’s reached a peaceful agreement with Gabriel. Rumor has it that he had some real dirt on her and that’s why she was so willing to play nice.
Kaiser pointed me to this story on Gawker with some new PSAs I guess you would call them for Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s campaign to bring awareness to human trafficking and child sex slavery. My reaction is very similar to Gawker’s editorial, in that I issue a very hearty WTF?! The “PSAs” feature celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Sean Penn and Jamie Foxx doing stupid sh*t like ironing grilled cheese sandwiches, shaving with a chainsaw and opening a beer with a remote. They end the PSAs with their tagline “Real Men Know How To…” whatever and then concluding “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls.” Ok, but how are those two concepts even related, and how did someone greenlight these videos? They’re making really dumb light beer commercials out of kids being sold in slavery. It’s mind numbingly stupid and makes light of the issue, as Gawker notes:
Everyone needs a joke now and then, but do we really need one now, when discussing the very real and very horrifying problem of sex slavery? Hm, no, I don’t think we do? So it’s a bit strange that that’s the angle Ash and Dem chose to go with these ads, featuring silly things that Real Men are doing followed by Jessica Biel or Eva Longoria informing us who are Real Men. See, Real Men don’t buy sex slaves. See that’s how that works. So… no more sex slaves then, because Sean Penn made a grilled cheese? Right. Sean Penn, the original hobo with a shotgun, has once again rescued us from a great injustice, and this time he didn’t need to live in a tent or anything! Thank you also, Jamie Foxx and Bradley Cooper, two men who have totally never hired prostitutes, for bringing this issue to light.
So yeah. What was anyone thinking? Nobody knows. Ashton and Demi should maybe consult with a PR person or something next time. Guys, before you do your jokey ads with Lake Bell and Mila Kunis supporting spina bifida research, maybe make sure you’re not accidentally making light of the problem first.
Remember when Demi and Ashton put out a supposedly “funny” video around Christmastime, 2007 where Ashton played Santa and Demi was a sexy reindeer? It was supposed to be funny but it just made no sense and was incredibly dumb. Only in that case they weren’t trying to advocate for an important cause. Then in January, 2009 then had a video that they put out with their friends meant to promote Obama’s USA Service Pledge that was in no way endorsed or approved by Obama’s people.
So Demi and Ashton, both followers of the Kabbalah cult which is being investigated by the IRS for potential fraud and is being sued by a wealthy victim who claims that they start charity projects that never materialize, have started their own foundation. They’re advertising it through these ridiculous videos and they’re asking for donations through their website DemiAndAshton.org and on Facebook. So while it seems admirable they’re involved in a worthy cause, these videos don’t seem to be doing much to bring awareness to it, and it’s possible that whatever money they collect for it will go the same way as Madonna’s Raising Malawi project – nowhere.
Bradley Cooper:
Jamie Foxx:
Old Spice Guy:
To quote Michael K at DListed – something in the milk ain’t clean.
As we talked about yesterday, Angelina Jolie flew out of LAX on Sunday, reportedly to go to the Middle East on some UNHCR business. Now we know where – Tunisia. Thousands of Libyan refugees have flooded through the Libya-Tunisia border, and are now living in makeshift refugee camps. She also used the trip to focus on some gaps in the international financing to support the refugees – and she announced that the Jolie-Pitt Foundation would be picking up some of the slack, donating Foundation money to help give 177 refugees the right of return, as well as financing a new ambulance for the camps. These photos (courtesy of some Tunisian media outlets) are of Jolie meeting with some refugees, and arriving at the airport. Here’s the UNHCR’s press release:
RAS ADJIR, Tunisia The UN refugee agencys Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie travelled on Tuesday morning to the Tunisian-Libyan border to urge greater international support for people fleeing Libya.
More than 400,000 people have escaped the violence in Libya in the last month, arriving in surrounding countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Niger, Algeria, Chad and Sudan. Tunisia alone has received more than half of the outflow from Libya and has mobilized an outstanding relief operation.
The outpouring of generosity from the Tunisian people says so much for the future of this country, said UNHCRs Goodwill Ambassador. It is a sign of the openness sweeping across the region.
At the end of February, transit facilities were erected 7 km inside Tunisia to provide temporary shelter. At the same time, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration began helping migrants home with a humanitarian air evacuation. Today, over 70,000 people have reached home safely with help from UNHCR and IOM, but more continue to arrive. Some 11,000 third country nationals are still in transit.
The international community has done well to reinforce Tunisias remarkable relief effort, said Jolie. But with 2,000 people still crossing each day, we cannot let the funding dry up and need to sustain the momentum.
During the visit, an important contribution is being made by the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to help sustain the humanitarian evacuations being carried out. The Foundation covered the costs for a flight of 177 persons to return to their countries of origin and purchased an ambulance to help support Tunisian efforts on the border to assist the injured arriving from Libya.
We would encourage others, individuals and governments, to continue to support and assist with the needs on the ground, said Jolie.
While migrants make up the majority of these new arrivals, there are also some 2,500 people from war-torn countries who are unable to return home and thus require international protection.
They’re waiting here with little hope, unable to return home and unsure of what’s to come. This constant cycle of displacement must finally come to an end, said Jolie.
In conversations on Tuesday with people who had recently left Libya, UNHCRs Goodwill Ambassador was told of heavy fighting inside the country. She listened to harrowing stories of checkpoints, harassment and assaults. She appealed for measures that would allow the UN and non-governmental organizations to access Libya, and to distribute urgent assistance, including food and medical supplies.
Jolie also heard dramatic accounts of eastern and sub-Saharan Africans being deliberately targeted inside Libya. Many remain in hiding in desperate conditions, unable to move for fear of violence. Jolie called for a humanitarian corridor to facilitate the safe access of these populations to points of refuge.
Without this corridor, thousands of eastern and sub-Saharan Africans are escaping Libya by sea, relying on unseaworthy vessels organized by smugglers. In recent weeks, there have been several landings on the small Italian island of Lampedusa as well as interceptions off the coast of Tunisia. There are also reports of some people not surviving the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.
It sounds like Libya is becoming Europe’s Cuba, right? Refugees making sea journeys on makeshift rafts and boats, trying to get someplace where their lives aren’t in mortal danger. It’s all so… sad. Ugh. Just what the Middle East needs, right? Another overwhelming refugee crisis.
UPDATE:X17 talked to a photographer covering the goodwill trip, and the guy says Angelina caused a mini-riot. The refugees were chanting her name and they kind of went crazy when she got on the ground.
These are new photos of Matthew in Wales on Tuesday, posing his cute ass off on this 614-acre farm he’s trying to save. I think I’ve included Matthew Rhys in a couple of Hot Guy Fridays, many months ago. Um, I definitely need to add him again! Now, I’ve noticed that Matthew Rhys is a cutie before (he‘s on that show, Brothers & Sisters)… but I really should revisit the issue with a Fassbender-esque obsession, right? Matthew is my type too, as you bitches have probably figured out by now. Dark hair, light eyes, pale, with an accent. Throw all of those characteristics together, and my panties explode.
But wait! This story gets even better!!! Matthew is trying to save this land because it’s part of some Welsh myth about a DRAGON. That’s right, bitches. Matthew Rhys. DRAGON. And it’s not even a euphemism for his (incredibly) Welsh dong!
The National Trust has launched a £1 million appeal to save a hill farm in Snowdonia where the myth of the Welsh dragon was born. In the biggest appeal since Sir Anthony Hopkins helped to save Snowdon, the Trust are trying to buy Llyndy Isaf, a 614-acre farm in the Nant Gwynant valley. The hill farm includes Llyn Dinas lake, known as the jewel of Snowdonia, and rare birds such as the chough.
The hills around the farm are also steeped in mythology, with legend telling how the red dragon won a battle over lake and became the national emblem of Wales. The Trust fears that if it does not buy the property, the estate could fall into commercial hands, meaning access could be closed to the public and bad management would threaten wildlife. The current owner, Ken Owne has run the farm using traditional methods for decades and has also kept a bunk house and campsite for walkers.
“We’ve worked hard and over that time, we’ve realised more and more the importance of farming in harmony with the environment and that’s why we have offered the farm to the National Trust as I know they will continue to farm in the same way I have,” he said.
Matthew Rhys, the Welsh star of the Hollywood TV Series Brothers and Sisters, urged the public to help raise the money by the deadline in December.
“The stunning beauty of Snowdonia is enjoyed by so many but now part of it is under threat. We have a once in a lifetime chance to buy and protect Llyndy Isaf, including Llyn Dinas, the beautiful lake that played a part in the dramatic scene which witnessed the birth of the Welsh dragon emblem,” he said. “If we don’t act now we risk losing the peace of this tranquil valley to commercial development.”
The appeal to buy Llyndy Isaf is launched under the umbrella of the National Trust’s Snowdonia Appeal. In 1998 the appeal raised £4 million to buy the 4118 acre Hafod-y-Llan estate on the southern flank of Snowdon.
If the National Trust is successful with its appeal, walkers and campers will continue to have access to the farm and land around the lake, the basic campsite and bunk barns will be open to everyone and there are plans to start improving the network of footpaths.
There are more details at The Telegraph link in case you want to donate your panties (or your money) to The Matthew Rhys Dong Trust (hey, that’s what it should be called). How sexy is it that he’s not only hot, he’s a conservationist too? And he’s involved in local issues! Sigh… I need more Matthew Rhys in my life.
By the way – I’ve started doing previews and completely unscientific polling for HGF on Twitter. If you would like to see, start following me!
These are new photos of Sandra Bullock leaving her house in New York City. I think Sandra and Louis have been spending a lot of time in New York lately, for whatever reason. And it’s the only city they seem to get consistently pap’d in. I think Sandy looks really good in these photos – she looks healthy and content, and I like that she even gives the paparazzi a smile. So classy.
In addition to getting back to work, hanging out in New York with her son, and generally being cool (and maybe being a lesbian too, of course), Sandra also donated one million dollars to the Red Cross, to help support the people of Japan:
Sandra Bullock gets charitable as she donates $1 million to the Red Cross to support the relief effort for the Japan disaster.
“The American Red Cross is extremely grateful for this generous support from Sandra Bullock and her family,” the organization said in a statement. “This contribution is vitally important as the Red Cross works to provide critical assistance and essential relief items in this time of urgent need for so many people in Japan.”
This isn’t the first time the Oscar winner has shown such generosity. Bullock also gave $1 million to Doctors Without Borders to aid in the Haiti relief effort after the devastating earthquake there in January of 2010.
Yes, and Sandra has given to all of the big tragedies over the years – Katrina and the Gulf Coast, 9/11, the 2004-05 Tsunami. She’s a giver. She’s got a good heart.
In other Sandy news, In Touch Weekly (via Jezebel) is reporting that Jennifer Aniston is trying desperately to throw Sandy a big pity party. According to the tabloid, Sandy and Aniston are “bonding over their breakups” and Aniston and Courteney Cox have invited Sandra to be part of their First Wives Club. God, I really hope that isn’t true.
To make a donation to the International Red Cross, go here.
Above is a photo of Angelina Jolie in Afghanistan on a UNHCR goodwill mission, attempting to highlight the issues of Afghan refugees who have returned to their country after years of living in exile (mostly in Pakistan). Here’s the UNHCR’s press release regarding Jolie’s statements in-country:
KABUL, Afghanistan, March 2 (UNHCR) – UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie on Wednesday called for greater focus to be put on the reintegration of former Afghan refugees as she wrapped up her second visit to the western Asian nation. During her two-day trip, the acclaimed actress met internally displaced people and refugee returnees still struggling to survive and reintegrate almost 10 years after returning to Afghanistan from years of exile.
More than 5.5 million refugees have returned since 2002, mainly from Pakistan and Iran, and now make up 20 per cent of the population. UNHCR is concerned that too many of these former refugees continue to live without jobs, shelter and other basic needs.
“It’s clear travelling through the country that what needs to be done is a very focused approach in places of return. We need to revisit the idea of what return is and the difference between just returning and reintegrating,” said Jolie, who last visited Afghanistan for UNHCR in 2008. “The focus needs to be put now on reintegration, and that means not just putting up shelter but making sure there is water, job opportunities, a school for the children and medical clinics,” she added.
On Wednesday, Jolie returned to visit families living in a dilapidated warehouse in Kabul that once served as a storage facility for the national bus company. The Tamir Mili Bus depot is now one of 30 UNHCR-identified sites in the Afghan capital where returned refugees and internally displaced people can live while they eke out a living.
The Goodwill Ambassador caught up again with Khanum Gul in the small damp room she shares with her husband and eight children. A UNHCR plastic tarpaulin covered a gaping hole in the front wall, providing some shelter from the wind and snow. On Jolie’s first visit in 2008, Khanum had just given birth to her son Samir.
“It was very distressing to see that, because of the poor conditions, Samir seems to be suffering some form of developmental delay due to malnutrition or lack of medical care. He can’t walk and is barely surviving in what can only be described as a very cold and damp warehouse,” Jolie said.
Khanum’s husband, Eshan, tries to earn a living as a daily labourer. He waits for hours every day but is rarely picked for work. The couple also support Khanum’s ailing 70-year-old mother, Bi Bi Zamo Jan, who also met Jolie on her first visit.
“This old woman was so upset, because she feels like a burden. She watches her grandchildren go onto the streets every day to wash cars for a dollar a day so the family can eat. Often they earn nothing,” Jolie said. “Everyone I have met on this visit has been very clear. The Afghan people don’t want to become beggars. They want the opportunity to work for a living with dignity so they can provide for their families.”
The day after arriving on Monday evening, the Goodwill Ambassador travelled to the village of Qala Gadu, which lies north of Kabul on the Shomali Plain, the scene of fierce fighting during successive waves of conflict in Afghanistan since the late 1970s. Among the 2,500 families in the area, almost everyone is a returned refugee or was internally displaced before 2002.
Jolie met a group of young girls who will study at a new primary school that is being built in the village with funding from the actress. She also paid for a school in the remote returnee settlement of Tangi in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The girls in Qala Gadu currently study next to the local mosque. The lack of a proper classroom means most girls can’t study beyond 4th Grade.
Ten-year-old Sahira presented Jolie with flowers on behalf of her classmates, saying: “If you build this school, I promise I will work really hard and study until the 12th Grade.”
Sahira, who wants to be a doctor when she grows up, is the youngest of five daughters and the first of them to attend school.
UNHCR is currently rallying support from donors and humanitarian and development agencies to redouble efforts to help returning refugees integrate in Afghanistan.
In addition to speaking out on Afghan refugee issues, Jolie went topical and discussed the unfolding refugee crisis in Libya – beyond the fact that there are Libyans who want to leave their country because of the bloody and violent situation, there are thousands of African migrant workers who are trapped in Libya, and there is no mechanism for the Libyan government to provide support for the stranded workers, and the UN is having serious problems getting in-country. In addition to the Libyan crisis, Jolie also spoke about the Côte d’Ivoire refugee crisis (I have to admit, I hadn’t heard about that one):
“As we witness these newest crises unfold in west and north Africa, it is critical that all parties respect the fundamental right of people in danger to flee to safety – whether civilians caught in conflict in their own country or refugees and asylum seekers caught in new conflicts,” Jolie said. “All I’m asking is that civilians be protected, and not targeted or harmed.”
In Côte d’Ivoire, fierce fighting in the Abobo district of Abidjan and clashes in the west over the past few days have blocked access for humanitarian organizations and brought the country perilously close to all-out civil war. Thousands of people have been displaced in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire’s commercial hub, and refugees have been streaming across the country’s western border into Liberia in unprecedented numbers. Eastern Liberia is already dealing with more than 70,000 Ivorians who have arrived there since the presidential election of late November.
At the same time, UNHCR is worried for thousands of refugees, asylum-seekers, and irregular migrants still inside Libya and in circumstances of considerable danger. Few of these have been able to make it out of Libya and into either Tunisia or Egypt – where most people leaving the country have been heading. On Tuesday, UNHCR said it was particularly concerned for sub-Saharan Africans who have become vulnerable because of suspicions that they are foreign mercenaries. Amid chaotic scenes at the Tunisian border, UNHCR also issued a joint appeal with the International Organization for Migration for a massive humanitarian evacuation for people fleeing Libya into Tunisia.
“With these new waves of uprising and conflict, there is and will continue to be massive new displacement. The world needs to address this moment. We have to give people safe passage, evacuation if needed, and ensure they have asylum. We don’t want to look back and find their deaths are on our hands,” Jolie said.
”As the world’s attention shifts to the newest refugee crises, we need to remember that if we don’t support people in the long term to really get back on their feet – to feed, shelter and educate their families, to earn a living with dignity, and to participate in meaningful ways in their societies – we will see a continued cycle of instability and new crises,” Jolie said.
George Clooney is the cover boy for this week’s Newsweek. It’s all about Clooney and his work in Sudan, where he’s been spending a lot of time over the past six months. Once again, since this is a celebrity site, I’m not going to get into the history of Sudan, or get into details about the genocide or the history of oppression and violent, bloody rule, or how more people should be paying attention. If you’d like to know more, here is Wikipedia’s overview. The full Clooney-Newsweek piece is here, and here are some of the highlights:
Clooney on using his celebrity: “It’s harder for authoritarian regimes to survive, because we can circumvent old structures with cell phones and the Internet,” says Clooney. “Celebrity can help focus news media where they have abdicated their responsibility. We can’t make policy, but we can ‘encourage’ politicians more than ever before.” Which was why, a few weeks ago, Clooney was being driven in a white pickup down a red dirt road under the watchful eyes of teenage soldiers armed with AK-47s. L.A. was half a world away, but the paparazzi were not far from his mind. “If they’re going to follow me anyway,” he was saying, “I want them to follow me here.”
Clooney invested in his own Sudan satellite: Celebrity statesmen function like freelance diplomats, adopting issue experts and studying policy. More pragmatic than stars turned social activists in the past, they use the levers of power to solve problems. Clooney has Sudanese rebel leaders on speed dial. He’s had AK-47s shoved in his chest. And when he’s on movie sets, he gets daily Sudan briefings via email. Now he’s gone one step further—George Clooney has a satellite. Privately funded and publicly accessible (SatSentinel.org), this eye in the sky monitors military movements on the north-south border—the powder keg in a region the U.S. director of national intelligence described a year ago as the place on earth where “a new mass killing or genocide is most likely to occur.” “I’m not tied to the U.N. or the U.S. government, and so I don’t have the same constraints. I’m a guy with a camera from 480 miles up,” Clooney says. “I’m the anti-genocide paparazzi.”
Clooney on celebrity-activists: “Bono’s model really worked,” Clooney says. “There is more attention on celebrity than ever before—and there is a use for that besides selling products.” Stars like Brad Pitt (Katrina), Ben Affleck (Congo), and Sean Penn (Haiti) followed suit. “A lot of the young actors I see coming up in the industry are not just involved, but knowledgeable on a subject and then sharing that with fans,” says Clooney. No one’s just a “peace activist” anymore—they have a specialty.
Clooney doesn‘t want to run for anything: “I didn’t live my life in the right way for politics, you know,” he said, sitting outside the Central Pub in Juba, scarfing down pizza. “I f–ked too many chicks and did too many drugs, and that’s the truth.” A smart campaigner, he believes, “would start from the beginning by saying, ‘I did it all. I drank the bong water. Now let’s talk about issues.’ That’s gonna be my campaign slogan: ‘I drank the bong water.’?”
Clooney’s strategy for public diplomacy is informed by film. “You have to get people in the theater first,” he reflects. “The trick is to be really concise—it’s a one-liner on a poster, right? You have to make it clear. ‘You can stop a war before it starts’ [or] ‘If you had a chance to prevent the next Darfur, what would you do?’? You cannot sustain people’s attention seven days a week, for a long period of time. Actors have an advantage, because you do a movie and then you disappear for a while,” he says. “That’s what John and I try to do—come back every three or four months with something new to reignite interest.” Then he jokes it might take The Real Housewives of Sudan to keep Americans’ attention.
Clooney on his job as a celebrity activist: “My job is to amplify the voice of the guy who lives here and is worried about his wife and children being slaughtered,” says Clooney, summing up the opportunity and obligation of the celebrity statesman. “He wants to shout it from the mountaintops, but he doesn’t have a very big megaphone or a very big mountain. So he’s asking anyone who has a mountain and megaphone to protect his family, his village. And if he finds me and asks, ‘You got a big megaphone?’ and I say, ‘Yes.’ ‘You got a decent-size mountain to yell it from?’ ‘Yeah, I got a pretty good-sized mountain.’ ‘Will you do me a favor and yell it?’ And I go, ‘Absolutely.’?”
The Newsweek article is full of quotes from people who give George a lot of credit for positively affecting the situation in Southern Sudan – and I think it’s well-deserved. Clooney has put his time, his money and his credibility where his mouth is, and he did positively affect the situation. Although, and this is just nit-picking: I wish Clooney would stop referencing his 2005-06 Oscar campaign as the catalyst for him getting more involved in international humanitarian tragedies. It makes him seem… blasé. That’s my only complaint though, so he’s doing something right.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Newsweek cover courtesy of CoverAwards.
