Fan Fare
Entertainment behind the scenes
from Environment Forum:
Brad Pitt, Matt Damon give krill a star turn
There are no small parts, only small actors, or so the old show-biz saying goes. Now there are big stars -- Matt Damon and Brad Pitt -- playing two of the smallest parts ever. In a far cry from "Ocean's Eleven" (and 12 and 13) they're lending their voices to a pair of krill, small shrimp-like creatures that form the base of the Antarctic food web.
Pitt and Damon play Will and Bill, the krill, in "Happy Feet Two," the sequel to the 2006 dancing-penguins animated feature. Both films have conservation themes. The latest movie opens in mid-November.
These Hollywood names might help shine a spotlight on krill at a time when the species is under pressure, according to the Pew Environment Group. An international meeting under way now in Hobart, Tasmania, is expected to consider more protection for these tiny animals, which penguins, seals and whales depend on to survive.
Increasing demand for krill as feed for industrially farmed fish and for nutritional supplements has pushed the krill fishery beyond a sustainable level, the conservation group said in a statement. Krill fishing in some areas could outpace efforts to protect the well-known animals that rely on it.
Marilyn Monroe wins new praise — for selling fishing tackle
Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe has been praised for many things over the years but here’s a first — the impact she had on the fishing tackle industry. Finland’s Rapala Group, which makes and sells fishing tackle, has inducted Monroe into its hall of fame as one of the influential people who assisted the company in its business.
The connection? The August 1962 issue of Life magazine bore a picture of the actress on its cover and carried a history of her life — with the same magazine carrying an article titled “A Lure Fish Can’t Pass Up” showcasing Lauri Rapala’s original floating fishing lure. This edition broke all circulation records.
