Could VH1 be going positive? On Monday night I trekked downtown to New York's Mocca Lounge to attend a premiere screening of VH1's surprisingly idealistic new series Celebs Gone Good. I say "positive" and "surprisingly idealistic" because over the years VH1 made a name for itself as an unlikely venue for the promotion of humanitarian content. However, VH1 President Tom Calderone, who attended the event, said, "What we love about DoSomething.org and their CelebsGoneGood.com property is that it's meaningful but still fun." The Church, as they say, always makes way for late vocations.

With the help of DoSomething.org, VH1 compiled a list of the 20 celebrities that have the greatest charitable impact. Celebrity is an odd, uniquely modern institution. In olden days it used to be such a narrow category, often conferred only by birth or proximity to power. That is less the case nowadays. Still, what better way to harness the capricious nature of Fame than to use it to draw attention to worthy humanitarian issues? There is synergy between the celebrity-centric VH1, which has often used it's platform for pessimistic snark, and DoSomething.org, which seeks to empower the Obama generation towards volunteerism and philanthropy.

Among the media throng at Mocca Lounge celebrating a worthy cause were Nancy Lublin, the CEO of Dosomething.org and Darrell Smith of HBO's The Wire. "Celebs Gone Good," will air on VH1 December 19th, well-placed in the thick of the holiday season where we are all counting our blessings.

For more a sneak peek at "Celebs Gone Good," check out the trailer below:

[Image: Steven B Ekerovich / SBE Photography]