ABC has blocked the recent “Repower America” television advertisement from WE Can Solve It from airing. The broadcast network flat out refused to run the ad during the Tuesday night debate between Illinois Senator Barack Obama and Arizona Senator John McCain, a time slot where new ideas like those presented in the the ad couldn’t be more necessary. Stranger still, ABC has failed to provide any explanation whatsoever to WE CEO Cathy Zoi as to the reason behind the refusal by a network that is plenty happy to run advertisements from Supermajor oil companies on the regular. You can check out the “Repower America” ad below:

httpv://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmEUHeI7fzE&eurl=http://www.wecansolveit.org/page/s/ABC

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

TakePart Gang:

Obama Global Love Fest by Martin Musatov

Interview with Lawrence Lessig by Wendy Cohen

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Nicole Hughes:

Top 10 Ways to Green Your Move

Climate Change Activist Superglues Himself to UK Prime Minister

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Andy Kondrat:

Can Junk Mail Be Green?

Google Maps Adds Walking Directions

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Jon Popham:

Recycling Building Materials Greens Up Home Improvement

CA Hotel Owner’s Anti Same-Sex Marriage Donation Brings Boycott Calls

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Gina Telaroli:

Naming a Generation

Ebert and Roeper Exit: Time to Give a Lady the Thumbs UP

It was announced yesterday that Ebert and Roeper were both stepping down from their show “At The Movies”, Ebert for heath reasons, Roeper for contractual ones. And it was also announced that Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz would be taking over for them. And to me, this begs the question, why not a lady? Growing up I always wondered why two older white men had to tell America what movies they should see, why couldn’t there be some variety? So now I wonder why do two younger white men get to tell America what movies they should see?

Of course most critics are men (and are also white…) so it isn’t ridiculous that there would be many able white male candidates available, but given that “At The Movies” is a television show and the point is actually to see the critics, couldn’t the show at least try to move things forward and show an awesome woman talking about movies? Especially since both ABC and Disney have claimed the show is moving forward in a “new direction?”

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Fellow TakePart blogger Gina alerted us about Stand Up to Cancer back when the news broke,  but as the date approaches here’s more. Stand Up to Cancer, The Show, will be coming to a television near you the evening of Friday, September 5th. Major television networks ABC, CBS and NBC will all be running this hour long history-making, interactive special, uniting the country against the deadly disease.

The broadcast will include over fifty of the biggest stars from film, television, music & sports manning the phone bank to take viewer donations. Segments from celebrity-journalists such as Brian Williams, Katie Couric and Charles Gibson will inform the viewing public about cancer and the current state of research. Stand Up to Cancer also plans to auction off video chats with celebrities with all proceeds going toward cancer research.

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After being “caught” on NBC’s Dateline: To Catch a Predator show, William Conradt Jr. killed himself and now Conradt’s sister has successfully filed a lawsuit against NBC blaming the TV show for her brothers death.

The suit was brought by the sister of William Conradt Jr., an assistant district attorney in Rockland County, Texas, who shot himself in the head after a local police SWAT team, accompanied by a Dateline crew, surrounded his house and moved in to arrest him in November 2006.Conradt’s suicide was at the center of an ABC News 20/20 investigation looking into troubling questions for both law enforcement and the news media raised by the popular Dateline series.

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Former NFL running back Herschel Walker released his new book “Breaking Free” today, in which he speaks about his bout with Disassociative Identity Disorder (DID) aka multiple personalities .

On ABC tonight Walker, 46, will discuss the book and his struggle on “Nightline.” Walker says after eight years of treatment he believes the disorder is under control and writing the book was a form of therapy.

For more on DID and other mental health issues visit National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is America’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness.

Anyone who has read any of my many Wire posts knows that I love Omar Little (the character Michael Kenneth Williams played on the show). It seems I am not alone - apparently a few months ago Barack Obama announced that he loves Omar too! This may not seen like such a big deal, except that Omar is a violent street criminal (keep in mind that it’s all in the game) and openly homosexual. I found a YouTube video of an ABC report about Obama’s liking of Omar that features an interview with Michael Kenneth Williams where he talks his character and the significance and importance of Omar (FYI - it’s a little out of sync) - it will make you love Omar even more!

How could you not love Michael K. Williams! In honor of Omar, to learn about an awesome health center in New York City that works to help the gay and lesbian community.

Last night the ABC special The Bachelor: Where Are They Now aired giving audiences an update on what some of their favorite bachelor and bachelorettes are now doing since being on the show including one couple that has dedicated themselves to going green.

Trista and Ryan Sutter are in the midst of building an eco-friendly home. Ryan is also a part of The Green Team featured on The EcoZone Project, a home improvement series. The new TV and Web series is focused on making celebrity homes more environmentally-friendly.

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A Raisin in the Sun, is the groundbreaking 1959 play written by Lorraine Hansberry, the first black woman to have a play produced on Broadway. In 1961, a film version of A Raisin in the Sun was released featuring its original Broadway cast of Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Ivan Dixon, Louis Gossett, Jr. and John Fiedler. Hansberry wrote the screenplay, and the film was directed by Daniel Petrie.

Tonight the stage goes to screen again as the cast of the 2004 Broadway production of a Raisin in the Sun (Sean Combs, Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad, and Sanaa Lathan) reprise their roles for the ABC TV adaptation. Check out this trailer ( and a little promo from Sean Combs aka P. Diddy)

The story is about the Youngers, a family hopping to achieve their American dream while living on Chicago’s South Side in the 1950s. When Lena (Rashad) gets a $10,000 life insurance check, the family must figure out how to best use the money. Walter Lee Jr. (Combs) wants to start a business, his wife Ruth (McDonald) wants a new home, and his sister Beneatha (Lathan) wants to finish up college so she can become a doctor.

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5 year old Braden Eberle, the boy who swallowed two magnets was on “Good Morning America” today to highlight the dangers of powerful magnets now found in many children’s toys.

Last April, when Braden swallowed two pencil-eraser-size magnets from a toy construction set, his mother, Jill, didn’t think it was a big deal. But she took him to Good Samaritan Hospital’s emergency room after Braden complained of stomachaches.

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