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:

Arrested in Development by Wendy Cohen

Is Google Making Us Dumber? by Blair Golson

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Nicole Hughes:

Top 5 Ways to Green Your July 4th

Greenopia: Eco-Guides For Your City

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Andy Kondrat:

Hypermiling Contest Winner Gets 124 Miles to the Gallon

Rise in Fuel Prices May Lead to Dirtier Energy Sources

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Jon Popham:

Red Tide in Yellow Sea Threatens Olympics

Mercedes-Benz Ditching Gasoline Cars by 2015

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Giulia Rozzi:

46664 Concert: Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela

Denise Richards Likes to Share

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Gina Telaroli:

Top 10 Movies for the 4th of July: For Patriots and Cynics!

The Radical and Beautiful Journey of Wall-E

Going into Wall-E on Sunday I knew a few things.

1) It was a Pixar film, meaning beautiful animation and cute characters

2) It was an eco-parable. On purpose I didn’t read much about the film, but I knew that is was somehow supposed to bring up the earth.

3) I would probably like it because I like things about robots.

When I left Wall-E all my thoughts (while true) had been turned upside down as I realized I had just seen a politically radical Disney film! And more than that it was chock full of cinematic references!

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Social Action and Cinema YouTube Videos of the Day:

1) The Modern American Cowboy from NPR

For the Cinema YouTube Video of the Day, Click here >>>

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What do Brigitte Bardot, beach litter, and American rappers on skid row have in common? They’re all on the TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup!   The 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!

Katie:

Pras On Skid Row (Literally)

Top 10 Reasons to Go to the Havana Film Festival in New York

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Nicole:

6 Million Pounds of Trash Found On World’s Beaches In One Day

“Take A Bite” Out of Climate Change

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Giulia:

Once Upon A Time Mommy Wasn’t This Pretty

We Can Solve It

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Gina:

The Fresh Air of the Flight of the Red Balloon and Hou Hsiao Hsien

Brigitte Bardot on Trial for Her Contempt Towards Muslims

NPR has a great audio review of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Flight of the Red Balloon and the idea of remaking films or adding to them. He also gives Hou Hsiao-hsien his just due (something I was glad to see):

Hou is a Taiwanese filmmaker who tells slow, meditative stories, often centering on the act of storytelling itself. His narratives loop around in time, yet his transitions are so seamless you might think you’re watching slice-of-life realism. Many critics regard him as one of the world’s greatest directors, yet his work has rarely been commercially distributed in the U.S.

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I love movie trailers! Nothing gets me more pumped about the world of cinema than a great trailer. Lucky for me and other trailer watching fans apple.com finally has the trailer up for one of my favorite films from the New York Film Festival Hou Hsiao Hsien’s The Flight of the Red Balloon.

A simple yet inspiring story about the power of imagination, the importance of friends and family and the magic of art, the film takes you on a journey you won’t soon forget. So please please please watch the trailer below and to learn how artists are helping children everyday.