Pete's Hit and Run Notes

22 April  Happy Earth day....do your part....shut off that light !  And I'll do mine too, ok?

On this Earth Day we learn that Walt Disney is forming a new film group called Disneynature to produce documentaries on the environment. The first of seven films planned will be called simply "Earth" set for release April 2009, and will focus on a yearlong journey of three mothers, a polar bear, an elephant and a humpback whale with their offspring.

Premier Dalton McGuinty will mark Earth Day today by banning the sale of cosmetic pesticides for gardening use. There are loopholes for emergencies like an outbreak of west nile or the upcoming Gypsy Moth spray that's planned. Farmers, golf courses and managed forests will also have access to the pest killers.

The Faith Hill/Tim McGraw concert previously planned for Ivor Wynne Stadium has been given the deep-six.  City staff say it will cost 400,000 dollars to bring the stadium up to safety code for the event. The question on most people's minds is: why is the stadium safe enough for CFL games but not for a concert.  Kinda makes you squint your eyes a little, doesn't it ??

A dip in the ratings for blockbuster American Idol has some wondering if it's halo bubble has finally burst.  Idol dipped 7% in total viewers from last season and has lost nearly one-fifth of it's 18-34 aged viewers and kids 2-11. Those are the age groups that tend to bail out first as a show starts to get long in the tooth. Last Tuesday's  performance show was the lowest rated Tuesday Idol in five years !

So was he practicing on behalf of the military or was he just trying to impress his girlfriend? Prince William landed a 20 million dollar Royal Airforce chopper in Kate Middleton's back yard during an official military exercise.  This comes just days after the prince used a Chinook chopper to fly himself and Prince Harry to a stag weekend on the Isle of Wight.  Sure beats using an airline !

Howie Mandel's got a new gig, he'll star in a new comedy series for Global and NBC. Not many details out right now except the show may be called "Howie do it".