Filed under: Documentary, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand

Departed star Leonardo DiCaprio is getting a little touchy over claims that's he's a convenient environmentalist. Over at Cannes, the actor has screen his own eco-documentary, which he wrote, produced and narrated, called 11th Hour. Of course, as soon as someone tries to be a voice in anything, questions will come to check for hypocrisy. In this case, he was asked if he took a "fuel-guzzling" jet to the Festival. DiCaprio's response: "No, I took a train across the Atlantic." Snap! Apparently, a British journalist explained that many stars say they're environmentally conscious, and then use huge-emission private jets, to which he replied: "I try to travel commercial as much as I can."

There is just something about the thought of Leo sitting next to a large, snoring man who begins to drool on him that amuses me to no end. I wonder, when can he not fly commercially? Is it a matter of whether they can wipe out the first-class section and let him sit there in peace with his entourage? DiCaprio says that the environmentally inconsistent are "all trying the best we can, truly, we really are." Now I understand wanting to better the environment, but still doing some environmentally-questionable practices -- it's a scale of means. However, it's completely valid to question whether he's doing enough.

Of course, part of the conversation turned toward Al Gore, and DiCaprio said: "This person is truly trying to relay a message to the public and the way he travels and the way he leads his life should not be splayed out like that." But shouldn't they, to some extent? We're a society testy about hypocrisy, and we like to try and fish out the genuine from those that are full of bull. Should Leo spew all that fuel from his private jet because he doesn't want fangirls molesting him and that old man drooling on him? I understand there are safety concerns, so where in the world is the Hollywood jet-setter airline? Get a saucy, decked-out plane that can take 50-100 stars from place to place instead of different jets for each person traveling somewhere. Maybe those green limo guys can look into it. Or, corral all the stars going to one area and say: "Hey, why don't we all go in one jet? It would be good for the environment, and just imagine the PR!"

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Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Cannes, Celebrities and Controversy, The Weinstein Co., Movie Marketing, Politics, Michael Moore

This weekend marks the world premiere of Michael Moore's SiCKO at the Cannes Film Festival, and while we wait for the feedback -- including a Cinematical review from James Rocchi -- to come out of the French Riviera, there is an interesting note from Moore, on the filmmaker's website, that is worth reading. Following his unrestrained response to the U.S. Treasury Department, the new note is a lot more calculated and mature. Sure, he still criticizes Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, as well as the Bush Administration (it would be a shocker if he didn't), but this time he expresses his points more clearly than he did in his previous rant. If only he addressed his opposition as well as he addresses his friends (to whom this note is directed), more people might pay him respect.

One major surprise in the note is that Moore honestly thought he could make it to Cannes without a lot of noise. He claims to have been intent on keeping SiCKO under wraps and on keeping himself uncharacteristically silent, mostly because he didn't want to prematurely upset the health care industry (wasn't it too late, though?). Of course, thanks to the Treasury Department's investigation of him, Moore and the film have been given a lot of press these past couple weeks, and certainly Moore is not too upset with the publicity. The filmmaker gives a tiny bit of information about the now infamous trip to Cuba and he hints that SiCKO actually goes somewhere far scarier, though he mentions that his lawyers have advised him to say little more about the incident other than to once again assure us that he has broken no laws. Moore also states that it was his lawyers who recommended hiding a copy of the negative outside the U.S. (he found the notion that the government might confiscate SiCKO to be absurdly un-American). Stay tuned for coverage of the filmmaker's reception at Cannes following its screening on Saturday night.

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