American Idol’s season finale, which appears to be happening on May 20 and May 21 (don’t know how a finale can be two separate shows, but whatever), will be a carbon-neutral event.  This is a part of FOX’s campaign to be a network with no carbon footprint by 2010.  FOX News/pollution joke goes here.  Anyhow, from the American Idol website:

In partnership with the LADWP [Los Angeles Department of Water and Power], FOX secured renewable energy for the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE for the duration of the American Idol production. The power will be provided by LADWP’s “Green Power for a Green LA Program,” and sources will include a combination of solar energy, wind energy and hydropower.

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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. In celebration of Earth Day 2008, we made ‘green’ the major theme on the TakePart blog this week - green documentaries and television programs, Earth Day quotes and action activities, as well as some great film reviews. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie Halper:

Top 10 Earth Day Videos From the Hub

Joanne Herring Invites You to “Charlie Wilson’s War” Screening Discussion - Free DVD!

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Nicole Hughes:

Top 10 Documentaries About the Environment

Top 10 Ways to Take Action On Earth Day 2008!

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Andy Kondrat:

Top 10 Quotes About the Environment

Disney Launches DisneyNature to Make Documentaries - I Freak Out

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Jon Popham:

B Corporation Takes the Guesswork Out of Going Green

Sea Level Rise Explorer

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Giulia Rozzi:

Oprah and My Mom Going Green

Green It. Mean It.

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Gina Telaroli:

Taking Part In the Blogsphere With “The Visitor” and “Standard Operating Procedure”

“The Soloist” Explores the Homeless and Mentally Ill With Grace and Music

Fox recently launched a networkwide public service campaign called “Green It. Mean It.” Leading up to Earth Day on April 22, the weeklong eco-themed campaign includes on- and off-air elements including promos starring Fox talent. Here is just one of the “Green It. Mean It” PSA’s:

Omar Epps and Lisa Edelstein from “House,” Emily Deschanel from “Bones” and Kelsey Grammer and Fred Willard from “Back to You” are among those who will offer “green tips” to viewers, and Fox affiliates are offered an “Are You Smart Enough to Save the Planet?” promotion to drive tune-in for a special two-hour “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”

and visit http://www.fox.com/earthday/ for more video tips on how to live a greener life.

Idol Gives Back is happening tonight (as fellow TakePart blogger Giulia pointed out!). One thing I am excited about is that the first preview for Alicia Keys and Keep a Child Alive’s new short film Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland will air:

“Everyone who visits Africa is changed by the experience, but not everyone can afford to go to Africa,” Alicia explained. “Come with me on my journey and learn as I learn. Let’s start a virus to stop a virus”“ send the film to everyone you know. Let’s change this nightmare into our generation’s greatest success story.” [KCA]

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Idol Gives Back is on tomorrow night and celebs coming our more than ever. this annual event is causing an online stir, here are just some of the many mentions of Idols efforts:

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I love words. I love silly words. I love new words. And I LOVE dirty words. Call me a twelve year-old boy, but potty mouths make me laugh. However seems the Supreme Court is looking to crack down on cracking obscene jokes.

The justices agreed to give the Federal Communications Commission a chance to defend its decision to start punishing broadcasters for the isolated and fleeting on-air use of expletives, an abrupt change in the commission policy that a federal appeals court last year found procedurally improper.

It has been almost exactly 30 years since the Supreme Court ruled in the “seven dirty words” case that the First Amendment did not bar the government from regulating the broadcasting of speech that, while “indecent,” was not actually obscene. The broadcast at issue then was a 12-minute monologue by the comedian George Carlin, titled “Filthy Words,” that deliberately challenged federal regulators by highlighting “the words you couldn’t say” on the public airwaves. [New York Times]

I was going to embed that brilliant Carlin clip but alas it’s a bit too foul for Takepart.com so click here to view it. Warning it’s explicit… and awesome.

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A new “American Idol” theme park attraction is set to be unveiled at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida this year. We’re not sure how it’s going to work exactly, but the word at Entertainment Weekly Popwatch is that it will involve multiple stages and lots of aspiring singers performing in front of live audiences with judges picked from the crowd. The daily winner could win a top spot in line when Fox comes to town with the real “Idol.”

Last year American Idol teamed up with Fox and Charity Projects Entertainment fund for a TV extravaganza to help young folks in extreme poverty in the US and abroad. and see what “Idol Gives Back” is up to for 2008.

ThinkProgress carries has a moving story about one man’s struggle against poverty. Fox News judicial commentator Andrew Napolitano told the Wahington Post that he traded in serving as a judge for serving as a Fox News commentator because “I was really was tired of being poor.” Just how abject was the poverty in which Napolitano lived? He was being paid slave wages: $100,000 a year. And I thought former fellow-Fox man Tony Snow had it hard when he “ran out of money,” making $180,000 as Bush’s spokesman.Now I understand how and why Fox News is so fair and balanced. It identifies with the everyman because it IS the everyman.Do you care about real poverty? Then urge Congress to fund food stamps .