Celebrity advocacy

In the New York Times Magazine's money issue, James Traub offers a look at the phenomenon of celebrity advocacy, from Bono on debt relief and George Clooney on Darfur, to Natalie Portman on microcredit and Eve Ensler on the "global strategy to destroy women." It's a fairly generous examination - Traub could easily have gone deeper on the concerns he raises on Darfur advocacy towards the end for example - but hey, you only want so much cynicism with your Sunday paper or risk having readers go straight for Styles.