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Master skeptics and raconteurs Penn Jillette and Teller recently took the environment to task on Showtime's "Penn and Teller's Bullshit" claiming, among many things, that Al Gore is an energy hog.

The "Being Green" episode brings up the now-old allegation that Gore's 20-room Tennessee mansion uses more electricity each month than the average American uses every 17 months. The sleight of hand sleuths also report that the carbon offset credits Gore purchases come from Generation Investment Management, a company our ex-VP owns.

A wolf features prominently in upcoming PBS coverage.

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"This used to be a soda bottle." So says the print on the lanyard securing my FOX press credential at the TCAs (Television Critics Association) -- a two-week long conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in the very same ballroom the Golden Globes are held, where stars and execs from all the net and cable channels trot out new and returning shows.

Tommy Lee and Ludacris from Planet Green's Battleground Earth

While we can't answer why -- with 200-plus channels -- most TV fare is lame, we can fist-bump the industry for making green strides onscreen and behind the scenes. (Even watching FOX News' latest star Karl Rove smirking on a panel didn't curb our enthusiasm, but more on that later.)

What do you do when Japanese whale hunters ignore the laws (or find a "scientific expedition" loophole), killing more of these magnificent mammals in the past twenty years than ever before? You sic a radical sea-faring crew of eco-pirates on them, of course.

In Animal Planet's intense documentary "Whale Wars" (airs in November), the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, headed by Captain Paul Watson, engage in sea battles with the hunters -- ships are rammed, stink bombs tossed, anti-whaling declarations are broadcast over loud speakers, and whales are chased to safety.

During one confrontation, Watson was shot in the chest (thankfully, he wore a bullet-proof vest), and in another, a grenade was lobbied onto the Sea Shepherd. The Japanese threaten that the fight will get even nastier. But Watson, who was a Greenpeace founder, is unperturbed: "Whaling has no place in the 21st century. Sea Shepherd will not stop until the killing ends."

The showdown between Paul Watson's Sea Shepherd Society and whalers is featured in Animal Planet's "Whale Wars."

A less serious clash pits metal rocker Tommy Lee against rapper Ludacris in Planet Green's "Battleground: Earth," and both talked up their personal green changes. Ludacris just purchased a GM Tahoe hybrid and says he's in the process of plopping solar panels atop his Atlanta home. "Georgia is one of the few states that I know you can charge the power company back for the energy you don't use," he said.

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You know something's rotten in D.C. when indie bands like Something Fierce have no choice but to cancel much-anticipated summer tours over mind numbing gas prices. "Once I ran the numbers it was a 'There was no [expletive] way' kind of moment," the band's 23-year-old singer-guitarist Steven Garcia tells USA Today after pulling into a Houston gas station to fill up the band's Dodge tour van.

The Police announce a contribution to MillionTreesNYC with Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Gas prices are making a serious dent in our summer music fun. It's not just the bands that can't pony up the travel fees, it's us fans who're already so tapped out 'cause of pump prices that we're hard pressed to buy live music tix without breaking the bank. As Mike Meyers' cooler than "The Love Guru" alter ego Wayne used to say; "That's mental."

But before we spew, vomit or hurl over our sorry state of the union, let's take the high road and do the glass half full thing. Like opting to spend our hard-won greenbacks on the acts that can afford to tour and who're doing it eco-correctly.

Put on the Green Light
If you missed The Police while they were out on their top-grossing 2007 reunion tour, you can catch their last round of U.S. shows in July and August, with Elvis Costello as the opener.

The August 7 finale is at NYC's Madison Square Garden (with The B-52s opening) because, says the group: "We kicked off our very first American tour at CBGB's in 1978, and this summer, 30 years later, our journey will come full circle as we play our final show here in New York City."

Of course, Sting is no stranger to green efforts -- having established The Rainforest Foundation in 1989 with wife Trudie Styler -- and along with bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, will donate $1 million to a NYC program that aims to plant 1 million trees by 2017. "We have a long history here. We wanted to leave a gift with our last performance that would keep on giving year after year, decade after decade -- the gift of trees does do that," said the frontman in looktothestars.org.

Though after this it's Adios, Policia, the group reportedly plans to release a live DVD of concert footage shot in South America.

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Ah, summer. Time to roll out the big flicks, beach parties and global grooving. So who's rocking the green?

Planet Green Premiere Party
Discovery's Planet Green threw one heckuva launch concert for their new 24/7-eco channel (debuts June 04) and thedailygreen.com scored a VIP pass to the Tommy Lee/Ludacris headlining love jam. The duo is set to star in "Battleground Earth," where they "fight the toxic forces that threaten Mother Earth." We're buying it.

Tommy Lee and Ludacris on stage.

Comedian Tommy Davidson hosted the fete while aud members tossed giant green balls around L.A.'s beauteous Greek Theater. A surprisingly taut-looking Twisted Sister's Dee Snider belted "We're Not Gonna Take It," followed by more perfs including Christian band Switchfoot, Ziggy Marley and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons.

PG's newest stars dutifully walked the green carpet, such as a hirsute Tom Green plugging his upcoming game show, celeb announcer Maria Menounos (who hosts "Hollywood Green"), and Bill Nye, making the rounds for "Stuff Happens."

Adrian Grenier and the cast of "The Green Life."

A dapper, suit-sporting Adrian Grenier joined green guru Boise Thomas, sustainable style expert Angela Lindvall and eco-renovation expert Darren Moore to talk about their new series "The Green Life." Grenier recently told TV Guide: "My friends and I get together, turn off all the electricity in the house and go off grid. We enjoy each other's company without distractions from the radio or cell phones -- and our carbon footprint is zero!" Somehow we can't see Turtle, Drama, E or especially Ari digging that scene.

Back to the (Santa Monica) Beach
At the beach city's Pacific Park Pier amusement park, Mrs. Governator Maria Shriver and her kids recently rode the spanking new Ferris Wheel -- a $1.5 million energy-efficient marvel -- at the ride's dedication ceremony. The wheel is solar powered and 75 percent more energy efficient than the previous one, which was auctioned off on Ebay for a whopping $132,400, half of which went to the Special Olympics charity.

The Hulk.

Edward Norton's Incredibly Green Hulk
Edward Norton's been getting some bad press for his "feud" with Marvel over the final cut of "The Incredible Hulk" (in theaters June 13), so he's laying low so as not to jeopardize the movie from becoming a green monster hit.

But Norton and producer Gale Ann Hurd shouldn't be mum about the enormous eco efforts they made throughout the "Hulk" production. Early on, they teamed with the Environmental Media Association to "be the greenest movie ever." EMA prexy Debbie Levin developed a "green coach" program -- experts who advise films on all aspects of production from purchases to building green sets and carbon offsetting.

Hurd said she intended to make "Hulk" a green standard-bearer for the rest of the biz.

Catching Cash For Kelly Slater's Charity
Sean Penn, Eddie Vedder and Ben Harper recently turned out to fete surf god Kelly Slater's Foundation, supporting enviro groups Miocean, Reef Check and the Surfrider Foundation. The bash, held at a Cotton Point, CA Oceanside estate raised more than $350,000.

LooktotheStars.org reports that Vedder and Harper performed to a group of 600, with Slater joining to jam on the night's final tune -- Pearl Jam's "Indifference." "Half of every song I've ever written, was written in the ocean so that's sort of my way of giving back," says Vedder.

Chris Noth at a Rainforest Alliance Event.

Big's Little Green
And with boffo box office numbers for "Sex and the City," we're inspired to mention that "Big" actor Chris Noth recently attended a Rainforest Action Network bash for Gotham Magazine in NY. Proudly showing pics of his 4-month-baby boy Orion, Noth tells the New York Daily News that people need to support the organization and protect our "green little planet despite George Bush!"

Shoeless Scarlett
June 1 kicked off Soles4Souls Barefoot Week, and Don Cheadle, Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson are some celebs helping support the charity's work--donating shoes where needed, especially after natural disasters. According to Soles4Souls founder Wayne Elsey, 300 million children have never owned a pair of shoes and that same amount was dumped into American landfills last year alone. Ms. Johansson has reportedly donated 2,000 pairs of shoes to the charity.

Photo Credits: Wireimage.com and Universal Studios

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