Using your celebrity clout wisely

So many times,celebrities have been taken to task for being overly political(and rightly so,on a number of occasions)but when one of them uses their talent and fame for a good cause moderately and without fanfare,they can be easily overlooked.

I've always liked Sarah McLachlan and her music,both of which have been featured in a TV ad promoting the ASPCA for a while now. Sarah's song "Angel" is played over a montage of abandoned and injured pets that would melt the stoniest of hearts:



Yes,it's a shameless tearjerker but if this ad does encourage a few folks to adopt a cat or dog from their local shelter instead of buying a expensive breed to show off to the neighbors or more donations are made to help animals because of it,a few extra boxes of tissues(use green ones,if you need bonus environmental points)are worth the sacrifice.

Kudos to Sarah for this heartfelt ad. More sincere efforts like this from celebrities should be applauded. Here's the Christmas version,with "Silent Night" as the background song:





Making more noise on the internet,Funny or Die has put out a star studded video that takes the current gay marriage conflict in California in a very entertainingly clever direction for the debate.

"Prop 8: The Musical" was written by Marc Shaiman,who also composed the musical numbers for the South Park movie(including the one that was Oscar nominated)and some of the famous faces singing and dancing here belong to John C. Reilly,Maya Rudolph,Kathy Najimy, Jack Black and a special appearance from Dr. Horrible himself.

I'm sure that some people just won't take to this at all,which is a shame. Not only is this musical funny and smart,it offers up a reasonable solution to the whole dilemma,plus it's a debate that you can tap your toes to. It certainly would liven up C-Span if all political discussions could be presented via musical shorts.

Bravo and Brava to all who participated in "Prop 8:The Musical" and thank you,Funny Or Die,for making this topic a bit more than just a noisy shouting match for news pundits to rail about. Music and celebrity often mix together badly but it's nice to see fame and topicality work together in harmony for just once.