Look To The Stars News: The Cure

Celebrities Offer Support To Darfur

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:29:43 -0000

The Sudanese region of Darfur is benefiting from several new initiatives this month, all designed to raise awareness and money for the war-torn area. And the biggest effort comes from an independent record label that has waded into the music industry to put its money where its mouth is.

Waxploitation, established in 1997 by Jeff Antebi, is a label for innovative artists that has broken with the tradition of managing “producer/engineers” and instead manages artists as record producers – a huge difference in the industry, and one that has led to a huge shift in industry interests.

But not only are they challenging the way record companies operate, Waxploitation is leading the way with programs to fight poverty and hunger, especially in war-affected Sudan. The label has just released a compilation CD, featuring a host of artists who have donated songs to the effort, which has debuted at number 32 on the iTunes chart and almost sold out its first physical CD printing.

“Causes 1:Darfur” includes songs by The Cure, Travis, Death Cab For Cutie, and Spoon, with all proceeds going to three non-profit organizations: Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam America.

“This level of attention is not something we were expecting, given how grassroots our marketing efforts have been,” said Jeff Antebi. “But it shows the strength of the fans and artists who participated and the enormous desire to help Darfur. It’s quite telling that on iTunes people have chosen to buy the album, instead of cherry-picking individual songs. That says people are aware of how important the donation is.”

“Causes 1:Darfur” follows the label’s first charity release, “Genocide In Sudan”, and is available from www.waxploitation.com and iTunes for only 90 days to highlight the urgency of the situation.

The label has also hit the news this week by launching its fourth Darfur Benefit Auction, a massive online event that aims to raise money for the 2 million people forced to flee their homes in the wake of conflict in the region.

The auction, which can be viewed on www.ebay.com/causesauction, features a huge range of unique and collectible items, many of them personally signed by celebrities such as Kanye West, Coldplay, Macy Gray, and Gnarls Barkley. Norah Jones, Avril Lavigne, and Nickleback have all signed guitars for the auction, and other items have been donated by Sony, Xbox, Nintendo, Nokia, and Adidas.

Also joining the fight for Darfur this month is Golden Globe winning actress, Mia Farrow. The 62-year-old has launched Fund4Darfur in association with the Aegis Trust, the UK’s leading genocide prevention organization.

“I have visited Darfur seven times since 2004,” said Farrow on the Fund’s new website. “In these visits, I have seen the suffering that the people of Darfur endure. I believe strongly we should work together to give dignity and hope to survivors and enable Aegis to continue its work against genocide.”

Singer Annie Lennox has also lent her support to the initiative, and has donated a track from her new album to be used to promote the Fund.

Fund4Darfur will directly support survivors of Darfur’s ethnic cleansing, and one third of the money raised will be used to fund campaigning for the protection of Darfur’s threatened African population. Donations can be made at www.fund4darfur.org.

Bid Now For Christmas Gifts

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:21:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The countdown to Christmas has begun, and celebrities are doing their best to make holiday shopping easy this year. Several charity auctions have already kicked off to raise money for good causes, including one that may be eBay’s largest sale of celebrity items… ever!

The BID 2 BEAT AIDS online auction will open on December 1, World AIDS Day, and will feature over 1000 specially signed items, ranging from posters to iPods. The annual auction will raise money for LIFEbeat, the music industry’s AIDS fundraising and service charity, and in the past has raised up to $175,000.

The array of memorabilia up for sale this year is simply colossal, with perhaps the most interesting items being a series of “Lend a Hand to LIFEbeat” cards that feature the handprints of over 100 celebrities. Stars such as Britney Spears, Jack Black, and Kathy Griffin traced around the outlines of their hands and decorated their artworks for the auction, and the finished products will make a unique addition to any Christmas stocking.

Also included in the auction is a selection of signed musical instruments. Rapper 50 Cent has donated the tambourines he used during his performance at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, and Metallica and the Foo Fighters have both donated guitars. There are also over 200 official RIAA gold and platinum record awards up for sale, from artists such as Annie Lennox, Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Green Day. Rare tour crew jackets from Guns N Roses, Cher, George Michael, and Prince are also available.

There are a stack of autographed CDs and DVDs on offer in the auction, from Mariah Carey, Elton John, Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, Amy Winehouse, and Val Kilmer, as well as books signed by Madonna, Bill Clinton, Rosie O’Donnell, Martha Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Ethan Hawke. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Elijah Wood, and Usher have all signed posters for the auction.

For those people after something a little different, the auction also includes an iPod designed by Yoko Ono, a box of cereal signed by Will Ferrell, Borat’s hat signed by Sacha Baron Cohen, and a Spiderman action figure autographed by Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.

And if nothing mentioned so far whets your appetite, there are also signed items from Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Nelly, Joan Collins, John Travolta, Kanye West, The Cure, Jay-Z, Cameron Diaz, Victoria Beckham, Robin Williams, Hilary Duff, Jason Alexander, Jack Nicholson, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adam Sandler, John Legend, Jessica Simpson, Whoopi Goldberg, Aerosmith, Denzel Washington, Good Charlotte, James Blunt, Jeremy Piven, Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Norah Jones, Razorlight, Wyclef Jean, and many more… far too many to list here.

More information and a full list of items can be found at www.bid2beataids.com.

As if this wasn’t enough choice for Christmas shoppers, there are also several other auctions and events on the go at the moment. The biggest of these is the 10th Annual Collaborating For A Cure Benefit Dinner and Auction, a massive black tie gala to be held on November 29. It also happens to be one of the highest grossing charity events held every year in New York, and last year raised over $4 million for the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization that has provided over $55 million in grants to cancer research, and has been instrumental in the development of new cancer drugs.

The gala dinner and live auction will be held at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue, New York City, and over 1200 guests are expected to attend. The host for the evening is Chevy Chase, and attendees will be treated to a very special performance by Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh, members of 70’s rock group, the Eagles.

Selected items up for auction on the night as well as online include dinner with Chevy Chase, the chance to play tennis with Andre Agassi, and a meet and greet with Aerosmith.

More information can be found at www.charitybuzz.com.

Also on the Charitybuzz website is an auction to raise funding for Stand Up For A Cure, an organization dedicated to lung cancer research and awareness.

The auction runs from November 28 until December 12, and features unique items such as the chance to have Andrea Bocelli perform in your own home, the opportunity to have Patti LaBelle host your cocktail party, and VIP tickets to see Céline Dion at Madison Square Gardens.

And if you still can’t find a suitable gift, have a look at the Have A Heart Auction on Charitybuzz. All proceeds from the auction, which features the chance to meet Avril Lavigne, a copy of “An Inconvenient Truth” signed by Al Gore, and a “Godfather II” DVD signed by Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, will benefit HEART, an organization that aims to foster compassion and respect for all living beings.

But you have to be in quick, as the auction ends on November 29.

2006 Teenage Cancer Trust Performances

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 22:15:24 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

The Cure and Ricky Gervais will be performing for the annual Teenage Cancer Trust series. A full list of the performances, held in London from March 27th-April 1st, can be found at the Teenage Cancer Trust website.

Look To The Stars News: The Cure

Celebrities Offer Support To Darfur

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Bid Now For Christmas Gifts

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2006 Teenage Cancer Trust Performances

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