Have you heard of the latest Louisiana hot spot, the "Prius cabana suite"?
It's what Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder calls the place he just spent the night.
"That would be my rental car that I had to sleep in," Ian explains. "I couldn't find anywhere to stay. There's so many people here trying to tame this beast."
That "beast" is the devastating BP oil spill affecting a vast area that includes Ian's home state of Louisiana, which he is visiting now in an effort to help. Our E! News cameras just caught up with him exclusively...
Ian tells us he's hoping more people will get involved in relief efforts--especially those in the Industry.
"Coming from the entertainment world, I'm really shaken by how quiet Hollywood is," the actor admits. "And I say that out of respect for my peers and colleagues, but I'm really bummed that no one is really coming up to help the situation. I think a telethon is a good way to funnel money into these channels...We need to set one of those things up to really paint a picture of exactly how much devastation is here.
"This is ground zero right now," Ian adds, as he surveys more of the devastating effects of the spill in the region. "I'm looking at this slick of oil. I've been watching pelicans die...This place is going to need money, that is the bottom line--money in the right hands to replant these marshes."
This was actually Ian's second trip to the region in recent weeks. He is from Covington, La., and is very involved with St. Tammany's Humane Society, a local animal shelter that has been caring for pelicans affected by the spill. You can get more information on the organization here and on Twitter.
Ian went to his hometown a few weeks ago to tape a PSA that would draw attention to the oil spill and how it is affecting local wildlife. And after finishing a press tour in Monte Carlo, he returned this week to see what he can do to help.
"You know, it's crazy," Ian says, "which really breaks my heart...If you look at all these beaches right here. It's a June afternoon--this beach would be littered with families, kids playing, dads on the pier with their buddies fishing. None of that's here...The things you remember, the times you spent with your parents or your grandparents, brothers, sisters, fishing and learning about the ecology here is...it's your base, it's your root and you'll do anything, you will fight tooth and nail to protect it."
