TVSquad

MTV continues its commitment to inspire young people to get out there and vote. As part of the Choose or Lose campaign, on July 4th MTV2 will honor the millions of young men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The day-long programming event will include exclusive messages from both Senator McCain and Senator Obama. The programming block will not only pay tribute to the sacrifice of these young soldiers, but also elevate their issues in light of the 2008 Presidential campaigns.

Kathy Mullen and Michael Frith, two members of Jim Henson's original Muppet team, have joined forces with British charity No Strings Attached to create a film that warns children in Afghanistan about the dangers of land mines. No Strings Attached uses puppets as a teaching aid, and together the team came up with "The Story of the Little Carpet Boy," a tale based loosely on Pinocchio. The puppets used in the film are similar to the Muppets we all grew up with, but none of the American Muppets were used in the story. One puppet loses several limbs before he learns to avoid land mines completely. According to studies, sixty people a month are killed by land mines in Afghanistan, and half of that number are under eighteen.

Thanks to our sister site Blogging Baby for catching this first.

Diana DeGarmo, who is now 18 years old, rang in the New Year by entertaining American troops across the globe. The American Idol runner-up's schedule had her performing for troops in seven countries, in seven days. Tonight is her final performance, in Germany. She's also been to Qatar, Afghanistan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Iraq, where she spent the night in one of Saddam's many palaces. She's performing with comedian Reggie McFadden and country singer Michael Peterson as part of the USO Tour. Her part of the show includes pulling troops up on stage to compete in an impromptu-style dance contest and she wraps up each performance by singing America the Beautiful.