The air at the American Museum of Natural History was rather thin. It wasn't necessarily due to global warming, though, or any subtle, yet perceptible, climate shift. Perhaps it had something to do
with all the bold-faced names that turned up Monday night at the party to celebrate the publication of Al Gore's book,
An Inconvenient Truth. The party was hosted by Rodale, which published the
gorgeous Phaidon Press-like book and threw a soiree among the dioramas of polar bears and seal pups.
You might know that An Inconvenient Truth chronicles the long-simmering global
warming crisis and is a companion to the film which is out in many theaters. The documentary is based on the former vice president's travels across the U.S. and throughout the world speaking on the
implications of the climate crisis. Gore has been speaking out on environmental issues for 25 years. He's also involved in Current Media, the San Francisco-based Web company that attracts all sorts of
user-generated video content.
The book and film have received heaps of acclaim. In fact, the book will debut next week at No. 3 on the New York Times Best Sellers' list and No. 2 on the
Washington Post list. And we hear that the book will also appear in the No. 2 slot on the Times Best Sellers Paperback Nonfiction list for the week of June 25.
Rodale CEO Steve
Murphy lured Gore's book to Rodale. The two men first met to discuss the project in January. The publisher put a full-court press on the project since it had to be ready within 80 days to coincide
with the release of the documentary. Rodale finessed the publication and delivered the book to stores on May 24.
Consider this your Page 6-esque report from the party where the Gores
appeared--Al and Tipper, of course, along with Karenna Gore Schiff and her husband Drew. Naturally, Rodale's top brass appeared in force: CEO Murphy, along with Ardie and Maria Rodale. With abs of
steel, Men's Health Editor in Chief Dave Zinczenko made the rounds, as did Sen. John Kerry's daughter Alex Kerry, ABC's Lynn Sherr, singer Michael Feinstein, Consul General of France Francois
Delattre, and former Colorado Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, now president of the Association of American Publishers.
Also cruising the party--humorist Patty Marx, environmentalist Kim Elliman,
MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, Viacom head Tom Freston, and New York Times reporter Jim Dwyer. We could have sworn socialite Georgette Mosbacher was there,
along with Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation. Too, Laurie Garrett, author and fellow at The Council on Foreign Relations, showed up, as well as Marcus Mabry of
Newsweek, and Steve Rattner.
The lighting was dim but it seemed like people had a great time. Gore appeared relaxed and accessible. We actually managed to speak to him. For our part,
we're hoping that he will contribute an op-ed piece to Media magazine's September issue on cause-related media. We're exploring the possibility of creating sustainable business models and using
media for the greater good. Gore's involvement with Current Media, environmental causes, as well as his other philanthropic endeavors, are compelling.