Look To The Stars News: John McEnroe

Family Fun Days For Everyone This Weekend

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Two charity events are taking place on opposite sides of the Atlantic this weekend.

New Yorkers who want to get on their bikes can join Full Metal Jacket star Matthew Modine on his Bicycle For A Day campaign. The 49-year-old will be among cyclists pedaling off from lower Manhattan’s South Street Seaport on Saturday, September 20, to raise awareness of the need to reduce carbon emissions and to demonstrate the many simple things that each of us can do everyday to accomplish a cleaner world.

“The idea behind my project Bicycle for a Day is to help people understand that there is something they can do,“ he said. “In fact, just one simple thing they can do every day to become part of the solution. If everybody does this one thing, the cumulative effect could be tremendous. The environmental situation is a great opportunity for us all to work together to find solutions. Bicycle for a Day is just that – citizens of the world joining together globally and acting locally.”

Celebrity supporters of the campaign include Heather Graham, John McEnroe, Lara Flynn Boyle, Liev Schreiber and Liam Neeson, and anybody interested in joining the fun can visit www.bicycleforaday.org for more information.

A day of fun of a different kind is set to take place in the UK on September 21. The Day for Heroes Family Fun Day will go off with a bang in the Detling Show Ground near Maidstone on Sunday, and will feature British boyband McFly.

Celebrities, artists and the military are joining forces to give families a day out to remember, whilst raising essential funds for Help for Heroes. Compered by Cheryl Baker and Shaun Williamson, the day will be packed with entertainment and thrills. A parachute display team of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment will open the show with a spectacular entrance. There will also be 20 free funfair rides – including the ultimate experience reverse bungee power shot – and entertainment including military-based attractions such as aircraft simulators, parachute display teams and a challenging inflatable army assault course.

Help for Heroes was launched in October 2007 in response to the desire of ordinary people to do something practical to help our wounded servicemen and women. Celebrity supporters of the charity include TV show hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May (Top Gear), Prince Harry and Prince William, Simon Cowell, and Sharon Osbourne. David Beckham is also a supporter, saying: “I am incredibly proud and grateful for the commitment and work that our armed forces do for our country. I support the campaign fully.“

For ticket information and more information, visit www.dayforheroes.com.

McEnroe Mouths Off For Charity

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:31:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Former tennis star John McEnroe returned to the courts this week to raise money for breast cancer care.

The 49-year-old battled it out with 1998 Australian Open winner Justin Gimelstob at Dellwood Country Club in New York on Monday to raise money for the breast cancer care centers at Englewood and Nyack hospitals. And in a brilliant return to form, McEnroe defeated the 31-year-old Gimelstob 10-6 in a super-tiebreaker.

“Whenever I go on the court, I play to win. So if I didn’t think I could play, I wouldn’t play,” said McEnroe. “I can play pretty well for about an hour, so I figure I should be able to finish him off in that time frame.”

It actually took the legend a little longer than that to pull off the win – half an hour longer in fact – but he did it with style and even threw in a few of his trademark referee abuses for good luck. He also rolled up his sleeves and pulled at the back of his shorts to imitate Rafael Nadal to raise a few laughs.

“I’m in a pretty lucky position that I can come out and have some people be somewhat interested in what I say or do still at this age,” he said. “I try to set an example as far as tennis being a sport you can play for a long time.”

Gimelstob also acted as auctioneer at a special charity auction as part of the event, with items such as two hours in Arthur Ashe Stadium, an Andy Roddick signed game-used racket, and even a quick doubles match with McEnroe and Gimelstob up for grabs.

The event also included a number of other matches spread over 5 days, and netted $1,125,000 for the hospitals.

John McEnroe To Sell Andy Warhol Painting For Charity

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Former tennis star John McEnroe is selling an Andy Warhol portrait of himself and ex-wife Tatum O’Neal for charity next week.

The portrait – painted in 1986 when McEnroe paid over $30,000 at a charity auction to have his image captured by the artist – is expected to raise at least $687,000 at Sotheby’s in London on July 1, with proceeds going to Habitat For Humanity.

The acrylic on silkscreen portrait was painted from a photo Warhol took of the pair at their house – an event McEnroe wrote about in his 2002 autobiography: ``Was I overly impressed? A bit star-struck? Maybe. Maybe Tatum was too. It’s a funny thing when two well-known people meet: There’s an immediate magnetism, because you seem to have so many things in common—not least of which is that you both instantly feel liberated from what the rest of the world usually demands.’‘

The sale will be part of Sotheby’s contemporary art auction that will be held during the second week of the Wimbledon tennis championships. The painting can be viewed at Sotheby’s website.

Klitschko Gives At-Risk Children A Fighting Chance

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:36:35 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko is donating at least half a million dollars to Laureus Sport for Good Foundation programs for at-risk children in New York’s Bronx.

The Laureus Foundation offers a range of activities for local, disadvantaged children. Before learning to box, the children learn life skills and values, and participate in academic enrichment programs. They are also provided with a positive place to escape from the harsh realities of a depressed home and street life where absentee parents, substance abuse, and domestic violence are common.

Klitschko’s gift to Laureus comes from two sources. The first $350,000 comes from his fan base, who responded to his offer to embellish the robe he would wear for his championship heavyweight fight with the names of all who donated to Laureus in his name. A further $150,000 has already been offered for the robe, under auction until next month, and is expected to rise.

Laureus plans to use the money for a larger facility nearby so that the boxing program can reach a greater number of children. It will also be used to help fund an onsite computer tech centre, tutoring, health and nutrition education, a dance program, and upgraded sports equipment.

Their motto of “using sport as a tool for social change” has attracted the attention of other great athletes, like Boris Becker, Nadia Comaneci, Michael Johnson, John McEnroe, Katarina Witt and over 40 others who make up Laureus’s World Sports Academy. The Academy’s task is “to foster the development of sport, around the world through the development of a social programme” under the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

Bono's Charity Auction Raises $42.6m for (RED)

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:11:22 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Sotheby’s was seeing red last week as Bono and artist Damien Hirst organized a Valentine’s Day auction of more than 60 works of art to raise funds for Bono’s (RED) charity. And by by the end of the night, the U2 frontman had rallied deep-pocketed bidders to make the AIDS charity auction a raging success to the tune of $42.6 million.

“It is a historic night for artists” said Bono, “An extraordinary night in New York City. I am very moved.”

The U2 frontman was flanked by celebrity pals as he led the guests in a sing-along of the Beatles’ ‘All You Need Is Love’. “I see myself as a servant for Africa,” Bono said, “Tonight is about the awareness of AIDS and the medical treatment that can strongly aid in the demise of this disease.”

Throngs of celebrity bidders were on hand to snatch up items such as a steel and glass cabinet by Hirst called ‘Where There’s a Will There’s a Way,’ which fetched $7.15M. The cabinet was filled with drugs to treat HIV.

“I have watched people dying for lack of these pills,” Bono said after the sale. “I actually can’t quantify how many people that will keep alive. It’s not just the money we made tonight, it’s the excitement around the issue.”

Model Christy Turlington bought Francesco Clemente’s ‘Red Flower on Scorched Earth’ for $155,000, even though it was valued at $70,000.

“When I first saw the catalog, I loved this piece the most,’’ Turlington said after the sale. “It was completely impulsive.’‘

Bono seems to inspire the best of people, so it’s no surprise that most auction items were sold for well above their estimated value.

“Tonight we got serious about love, and not just the love of art, but the love of our brothers and sisters suffering from Aids in the poorest places on the planet,” he said.

A work by London street artist Banksy sold for $1.7M, though it had been valued at no more than $350,000; Murakami’s ‘Red Flower Ball’ was estimated at $700,000, but sold for $1.5M; Richard Prince’s ‘Untitled’ sold for $1.6 million even though the top estimate was $900,000; and Andreas Gursky’s ‘Pyongyang IV’ was valued at $300,000, but adding Bono into the mix led to a final bid of $1.4M.

“I’m never going to be cynical ever again for a while,” Bono said. “We’ve helped change the world a little bit.”

Among those on hand to support the cause were NBC news anchor Brian Williams, R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe, Queen Noor of Jordan, actor Dennis Hopper, tennis star John McEnroe, supermodel Helena Christensen, actor Ed Burns and hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons.

Proceeds from the sale, which was organized at no cost by Bono’s charity organization (RED), will go directly to the United Nations Foundation to support HIV/AIDS relief programs run by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Look To The Stars News: John McEnroe

Family Fun Days For Everyone This Weekend

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