Al Gore took another step toward sainthood ? or at least becoming the next Bob Geldof ? when the musical acts for his Live Earth concert extravaganza were announced today. As you'll recall, the 24-hour, globally simulcast program will take place on July 7th (you know, 07/07/07, which symbolizes... well, I don't know what) and feature scores of artists grinding out tunes in seven concerts on seven continents (oh, I get it now!) in order to raise awareness for climate crisis. The stars are a diverse lot, and, I must say, a pretty impressive one, too. Here are some of the bigger names:

Performing in London

? Beastie Boys

? Black-Eyed Peas

? Duran Duran

? Foo Fighters

? Genesis

? James Blunt

? John Legend

? Madonna

? Red Hot Chili Peppers

Performing in New Jersey

? Alicia Keys

? Bon Jovi

? Dave Matthews Band

? John Mayer

? Kanye West

? Kelly Clarkson

? Sheryl Crow

? Smashing Pumpkins

? The Police

So there you have it. Thoughts? Concerns? How do you think this lot compares to Live Aid's 1985 roster? Or to that of Live 8 two summers ago? What about major acts like Madonna (pictured) and the Police roughing it with all sorts of flavors-of-the-moment? Where the bleep is U2? Maybe they'll appear at one of the other five concerts, whose lineups have yet to be announced. Even still, will you tune in?