This is exclusive to this column: Actor George Clooney is planning to host a telethon to raise money for the people of Haiti next Friday on all the MTV channels.

George told me last night at a private reception for his movie “Up in the Air” at the Monkey Bar — hosted by Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter and Paramount’s Brad Grey. Clooney is putting out the call today to all his celebrity friends and performers to participate from both coasts on Friday, January 22nd — and he’s gotten MTV’s Judy McGrath to agree to air the show on MTV, VH-1, etc. That may be one reason McGrath was a guest at last night’s shindig.

Clooney, in a celebratory mood over “Up in the Air,” has gotten producer Joel Gallen, the guy who handled the famous 9-11 telethon on all the networks, to produce the show. At last night’s party he started in by buttonholing Sting — who came to the Monkey Bar with wife Trudie Styler — to participate. Sting merely asked, “Where do I go?” and Clooney was off to the races.

Meanwhile George had more celebrating to do last night. It was his dad’s birthday. George bought Nick — who came into the Monkey Bar late with George’s mom, Nina — a signed first edition of Arthur Miller’s classic “Death of A Salesman.” Just so the gift didn’t seem too ‘heavy,’ George gave his dad a birthday card that he himself illustrated, wishing him a happy 90th. The picture George drew showed an old man on a cane. Nick was not amused, but everyone got a big kick out of it.

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Remember Zowie Bowie? He was the kid born to David Bowie and his wife Angela. Now Zowie Bowie is Duncan Jones, film director. On Monday, Jones took home the Best Director prize from the British Independent Film Awards for his “Moon,” starring Sam Rockwell. And “Moon” won Best Feature as well. Not bad for a small film that Sony Pictures Classics released here to little fanfare.

I ran into Sam last night at an after party for rocker Sting’s first show at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The connection here is that Mrs Sting, Trudie Styler, was a producer  on “Moon.” Both she and Sam were a bit stunned at news of the prizes. They didn’t think it had a chance. For Sam, who’s good in everything he does, it was a nice accolade.

For Styler, it’s more confirmation of her good eye as a producer. Her Dito Montiel movie from 2006, “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,” featured Shia LaBeouf and Channing Tatum before they were famous. Robert Downey, Jr. was also in that film — which is worth renting. So here’s a secret: it’s Styler who suggested Downey to Guy Ritchie for “Sherlock Holmes.” She also produced Ritchie’s first two movies, “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” and “Snatch.” So if you like Downey as Sherlock, you have Styler to thank! She sure believes in Guy Ritchie —certainly more than another blonde (ahem!).

And Styler is a political activist for the environment, as we all know. She recently spoke at the UN General Assembly’s hearing on climate change. Here’s the text of that important speech

Meanwhile: the British Independent Film Awards gave out a lot of prizes, but the best one, I think, was the Jury Prize to U.K. Daily Mail correspondent and columnist Baz Bamigboye. Baz is the most respected film and theatre writer in London. No one is more deserving. Congrats!

Joe Berlinger’s “Crude” looked a little troublesome at Sundance this year. The political documentary about Chevron allegedly poisoning Ecuador’s water with oil spills didn’t get picked up right away.

But lo and behold: First Run Features made the deal, the film opened last night with a premiere downtown, and the New York Times’s A.O. Scott was among the rave reviews. And I do mean, rave. “Crude” should be on the short list for Academy Award consideration now that the word is spreading.

What’s interesting about “Crude” is that it tells two stories. One is about Chevron Oil inheriting a mess left behind by Texaco in Ecuador — and instead of cleaning it up, making it worse, then defending their position. Children have died from the tainted water, massive amounts of corruption have occurred, and a corporation is — allegedly — killing a whole country.

I say allegedly because there’s a long-aborning court case filed by the people of Ecuador against Chevron. There was a premliminary suggestion of an award to the people of $27 million. But the court doesn’t have to accept that finding, so the case winds on.

The second interesting thing is that the case has gone on so long that Pablo Fajardo had enough time grow up in Ecuador, go to college and law school, and then bring the suit. A CNN “Hero,” Fajardo was featured two years ago in Vanity Fair’s Green Issue. He’s a compelling central subject.

A third aspect of the film, and the case, is the presence of Trudie Styler and Sting, and their Rainforest Foundation. Styler is in the film, having taken an active interest in Fajardo’s story and the plight of the Ecuadorians. She helped get water filtration systems down to the country — a band aid for sure, but something while the oil slicks keep coming down the river. Sting is featured from The Police’s appearance at Live Earth in 2007, where Fajardo came to meet North Americans who could help him get the word out. Of course, back then he’d never heard of Sting or The Police. Now he knows the words to “Message in a Bottle.”

“Crude” is as entertaining as it is jolting. Documentaries don’t get long runs in theaters, so try and see it fast before it heads to DVD. It will make you think twice and three times when you see a Chevron station. Just the idea that Chevron/Texaco’s oil spills are millions of gallons more than what the Exxon Valdez left behind should give pause.