Look To The Stars News: Emily Deschanel

Emily Deschanel To Hold Q&A For Charity

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:30:00 -0000

The Screen Actors Guild will present a special screening of the hit TV show Bones in Los Angeles tonight, followed by a Q&A session with actress Emily Deschanel.

An actress with talent and poise, Emily Deschanel has built an impressive list of credits in her career, challenging herself with each new role.
 
An animal rights activist passionately involved with the charity Farm Sanctuary, Dechanel works to end cruelty to farm animals and promotes compassionate living through rescue, education and advocacy. She is also involved with The Humane Society and Women for Women International.  Deschanel was born in Los Angeles and received her B.F.A. in Theater from Boston University.

The Screen Actors Guild encourages interest in acting and improving the acting skills of interested persons though educational seminars, workshops, tapes and films.

This event starts at 7pm tonight, October 27, at the SAG Foundation Actors Center at 5757 Wilshire Avenue. For more information, click here.

Carrie Ann Inaba iParticipates At Food Bank

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

ABC’s Dancing with the Stars judge and iParticipate celebrity ambassador Carrie Ann Inaba donated her time – along with 50-plus volunteers – for a day of service at the Three Square Food Bank in Las Vegas on Wednesday, October 21.

The event was part of the iParticipate initiative that Look To The Stars reported on earlier this week, in which celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Blythe Danner, Morgan Freeman, Faith Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Simon Baker (CBS’ The Mentalist), Emily Deschanel (FOX’s Bones), Eva Longoria Parker (ABC’s Desperate Housewives), Julia Louis Dreyfus (CBS’ The New Adventures of Old Christine), Masi Oka (NBC’s Heroes), Michael Strahan (FOX’s Brothers), Kate Walsh (ABC’s Private Practice) and Rainn Wilson (NBC’s The Office) have joined with the Entertainment Industry Foundation to encourage people to volunteer for good causes.   

Inaba joined her fellow volunteers in sorting and packaging food for distribution to needy residents of Southern Nevada. Three Square is the only food bank in Las Vegas and prepares more than 8 million meals annually for underprivileged families.

The photo shows iParticipate celebrity ambassador Carrie Ann Inaba, center, and UnitedHealthcare employees Brian Elkjer, left, and Jay Sivasailam at the Three Square food bank in North Las Vegas during the event.

Photo © Isaac Brekken/UnitedHealthcare

Stars Want Fans To iParticipate In Charity Initiative

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0000

The Entertainment Industry Foundation has mobilized the entertainment community around a groundbreaking initiative designed to inspire a new era of service and volunteerism.

Called iParticipate, the initiative aims to show what we can achieve when we all pull together. A number of celebrities have given their support to the campaign, including Michelle Obama, Blythe Danner, Morgan Freeman, Faith Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Simon Baker (CBS’ The Mentalist), Emily Deschanel (FOX’s Bones), Eva Longoria Parker (ABC’s Desperate Housewives), Julia Louis Dreyfus (CBS’ The New Adventures of Old Christine), Masi Oka (NBC’s Heroes), Michael Strahan (FOX’s Brothers), Kate Walsh (ABC’s Private Practice) and Rainn Wilson (NBC’s The Office).

As a centerpiece for this initiative, EIF has enlisted major broadcast networks including, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, for an unprecedented, week-long television event beginning Monday, October 19. Tune in to seven days and nights of television and watch how your favorite TV shows and personalities shine a light on the power of community service.

The rate at which Americans volunteer regularly has not increased in 40 years and has generally remained around 26% of the population, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While volunteerism usually declines during periods of economic distress, volunteerism is currently on the rise in America, particularly among young people, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.

EIF has also produced a series of public service announcements to reinforce the importance of volunteerism. Through these PSAs, EIF will also recognize and encourage support for five key areas of service: Education & Children, Health & Well Being, Economic Development, Environmental Conservation, and Support for Military Families.

To coincide with the week of programming, hundreds of employees working at entertainment industry companies are answering the call to serve with organized volunteer projects throughout Los Angeles. Planned projects include:

Tuesday, October 20
Paramount Pictures, NBC Universal and United Talent Agency (UTA) will team up to make food packages for families at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

Thursday, October 22
Warner Bros. Entertainment employees will be planting trees in Griffith Park, which was devastated by fires last year, in partnership with TreePeople.
WME Entertainment will volunteer at the Lowman Special Education Center with The Art of Elysium, a program that helps children battling serious medical conditions.
Fox Entertainment Group, International Creative Management (ICM) and Screen Actors Guild(SAG) will work side-by-side with CITY YEAR corps members to beautify Carthay Center Elementary School.

Friday October 23
Sony Pictures Entertainment,AEG and Paradigm will build homes for Habitat for Humanity at the first LEED certified housing development in the city of Lynwood.

Saturday, October 24
Disney | ABCTelevision Group and Creative Artists Agency(CAA) will assemble holiday care packages for military troops with Operation Gratitude at the Van Nuys National Guard Armory.

Other entertainment organizations who will volunteer this week include: CBS, Directors Guild of America, Nickelodeon, Producers Guild of America and Writers Guild of America.

Also as part of the initiative, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars judge and iParticipate celebrity ambassador Carrie Ann Inaba will donate her time along with 50-plus volunteers for a day of service at the Three Square Food Bank in Las Vegas on Wednesday, October 21st at 10:30 AM.

Inaba will join her fellow volunteers in sorting and packaging food for distribution to needy residents of Southern Nevada. Three Square is the only food bank in Las Vegas and prepares more than 8 million meals annually for underprivileged families. Inaba supports numerous charities along with “iParticipate” including the Face Foundation and Rescue Train.

To find out more about iParticipate, to watch PSAs, or to take part in this amazing revolution of volunteerism, visit the official website here.

Celebrities Sign Letter To Stop Tail Docking

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:30:00 -0000

An animal rights charity has gathered support from a number of celebrities for its urgent call to end a cruel practice commonplace in the dairy industry.

On behalf of Kim Basinger, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Maher, Bob Barker and a host of other California celebrities – as well as their more than 200,000 members and supporters – Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, sent a letter today to Governor Schwarzenegger urging him to do the right thing and sign a bill sitting on his desk that would end the cruel and outdated practice of amputating dairy cows’ tails.

Both chambers of the California legislature recently passed a bill that would ban tail docking in the dairy industry, but the bill will not become law unless the governor signs it.

Tail docking, the amputation of a cow’s tail by applying a tight rubber ring around the appendage until the tissue becomes necrotic and falls off, or is alternatively cut off with shears, is a procedure usually performed without analgesics and causes the animal to suffer acute and lingering pain. It also prohibits them from warding off biting insects with their tail, leading to greater distress during fly season. Peer-reviewed research from both governmental and academic sources indicates there are no health or safety benefits associated with tail docking, and the procedure has been opposed by numerous professional associations such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.

“With last November’s landslide passage of Prop 2, banning the three cruelest farm animal confinement systems in the state, Californians made it clear they will no longer tolerate cruel and unnecessary practices on factory farms,” said Gene Baur, Farm Sanctuary’s president and co-founder. “By putting an end to tail docking, Governor Schwarzenegger has the opportunity to continue this wave of compassion and send a humane message to the rest of the country.”

Celebrities who signed Farm Sanctuary’s letter to Governor Schwarzenegger urging him to ban tail docking in California include Alicia Silverstone, Bill Maher, Bob Barker, Emily Deschanel, Eric Roberts, Esai Morales, Fred Willard, Ginnifer Goodwin, James Cromwell, Joan van Ark, Kim Basinger, Kristen Bell, Mariel Hemingway, Mimi Kennedy and Valerie Harper.

Ellen DeGeneres Awarded By The Humane Society

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The stars gathered at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, March 28, for The Humane Society’s 23rd annual Genesis Awards, held in tribute of the organization’s ProtectSeals Campaign.

Special guests such as internationally acclaimed photographer Nigel Barker, Corey Feldman, Hal Sparks, Jorja Fox, James Cromwell, “Bones” star Emily Deschanel, former Oakland Raider Jarrod Cooper, Jennifer Coolidge, Carrie Ann Inaba, “Big Love’s” Ginnifer Goodwin and many more were on hand to present awards to a variety of celebrities, shows, and activists who have spent the last year making the world a better place for animals.

The major award of the night – the Wyler Award – went to Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi for using their wedding and Ellen’s talkshow as an opportunity to publicize to a broad audience their ethical decision to avoid animal products in the hope of influencing public behavior. After viewing videotaped congratulations from Sir Paul McCartney, both DeGeneres and de Rossi spoke about their journey toward ethical living and the changes they have made in their lives to reduce animal suffering.

“People need to understand that animals are thinking, feeling beings who have a right to a free life,” said DeGeneres.

Also throughout the evening, guests were treated to special video treats from stars such as Heather Mills and Lily Tomlin.

The complete list of prize winners was as follows:

Wyler Award ELLEN DEGENERES & PORTIA DE ROSSI
Feature Film  BOLT
Dramatic Series  GREY’S ANATOMY “Life During Wartime”
Sid Caesar Comedy Award  THE SIMPSONS “Apocalypse Cow”
Children’s Programming  HANDY MANNY “Manny’s Mouse Traps”
TV Newsmagazine – National 20/20 “Elephant PTSD”
TV Newsmagazine – Cable REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL “Hidden Horses”
National News Feature  WORLD NEWS WITH CHARLES GIBSON “Monkey Business,” “Person Of The Week,” “Rescuing Racehorses,” “Saving The Rhinos,” and wolf segment
Local News Series (a tie) KGO-TV (Bay Area) “I-Team Investigation: Battery Cages” & KLAS-TV 8 (Las Vegas) “Elephant Abuse: Life on the Road”
Local News Feature  KHOU-TV Houston “Slaughtergate”
 * TV Documentary  BLINDERS  
Unscripted Televison Series  30 DAYS “Animal Rights”  
Brigitte Bardot International  THE MONG LAH CONNECTION
Talk Show  THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW multiple shows   
Series of Newspaper Articles  USA TODAY multiple articles by Sharon L. Peters
News Magazaine  NEWSWEEK “Extinction Trade” by Sharon Begley
Magazine  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED “The Good News out of The Bad Newz Kennels” by Jim Gorant
Brigitte Bardot Internaional – Print DAILY MAIL (U.K.) multiple articles by Dr. Danny Penman
Special Recognition SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS multiple editorials

Celebrities Attend An Evening Of New Dreams

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The stars were out – clear and bright – on September 16 for An Evening of New Dreams, raising money for the Somaly Mam Foundation.

Susan Sarandon, Daryl Hannah, Petra Nemcova, Jane Seymour, Ashlee Simpson, Kevin Connolly, Kim Kardashian, Kevin Dillon, Seal, Emily Deschanel, Peter Wentz, and Ron Livingston were some of the stars who came together in Beverly Hills for the gala event which featured musical entertainment from Bonnie Raitt. Catered by Tommy Tang and held at the private residence of Foundation supporters Jeff and Mei Sze Greene, the evening raised awareness of global sex trafficking.

The Somaly Mam Foundation is dedicated to combating the global sex slave trade through the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of victims and through raising global awareness on the issue by funding organizations in various parts of the world that are combating sexual slavery in the field. Named after a survivor of the abhorrent problem, the foundation rescues girls from brothels and offers them shelter and safety, basic education, and reintegration into new communities.

Born in Cambodia, Somaly Mam was forced into a life of prostitution at a very young age, sold by her own grandfather for money. However, after witnessing the murder of a fellow prostitute at the hands of a pimp, Somaly broke free of the cycle and dedicated her life to rescuing girls living in similar circumstances. With Mam’s vision and leadership, the foundation – established in 2007 – strives to get to the root of human trafficking. Their global vision of ending the sex trafficking trade will allow their activities currently in the United States and South East Asia to expand to other countries around the world.

For more information about the Somaly Mam Foundation and how to support their efforts, visit www.somaly.org.

Jenna Fischer Hosts Fur Ball

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Kitten Rescue, Los Angeles’s largest no-kill animal rescue group, held its first annual Fur Ball celebration on Sunday at the Skirball Cultural Center.

Hosted by longtime Kitten Rescue supporter and former volunteer Jenna Fischer (NBC’s “The Office”), the Fur Ball featured cocktails and dinner, live entertainment, a film presentation about Kitten Rescue, a silent auction, and awards for special members of the Kitten Rescue community, including actress Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”, “Burn Notice”).

Fischer is a self-confessed cat lover – although not quite as fanatic as her co-star on The Office: “In the show, Angela has all these elaborate procedures for her cat. I’ve done all that – the eye drops and ear swabs. I’ve checked their poop and massaged their tummy.”

The 34-year-old also ran her own kitten crisis line for a year: “That was like being a social worker for cats. You feel totally responsible when someone calls about an abandoned kitten.”

Other stars showing their support were Emily Deschanel (“Bones”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“Reno 911”), Daniela Sea (“The L Word”) and Kent King (“General Hospital”). Funds raised at the Fur Ball will go to support Kitten Rescue’s programs and the Kitten Rescue Sanctuary.

Stars Flock To Farm Sanctuary Gala

Wed, 21 May 2008 10:32:57 -0000

Written by Parrish

What could be better than a fancy evening in downtown Manhattan celebrating a brilliant foundation with some of today’s hottest celebrities? The answer: absolutely nothing!

This past Saturday I had the honor of attending Farm Sanctuary’s annual gala. Farm Sanctuary was started in 1986 and is now considered to be the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization. Each year the gala helps raise funds for their noble work and honor those who make a difference.

The evening was pure elegance with beautifully decorated tables, a classy silent auction area and, of course, the second floor VIP loft where all the famous faces mingled.

Within minutes upstairs I was surrounded by a goggle of celebrities all sharing one thing – a love for Farm Sanctuary. Swoosie Kurtz told me: “I’m just so blown away by what they do. They are so specific in what they do and their goals and they really get thing done.”

Emily Deschanel, a vegan of 16 years, said that she “loves that Farm Sanctuary works from so many different angles” and “that they do so much like passing laws for the farm animals and educating the public.”

As the evening progressed I hobnobbed with stars like Rory Freedman, Dennis Kucinich, Kevin Nealon, Victoria Moran, Ally Sheedy, Loretta Swit, Russell Simmons and Farm Sanctuary president and co-founder Gene Baur.

The ceremony itself was hosted by Heather Mills, emceed by Melissa Rivers and Susie Essman led the live auction. As the evening closed we were treated to a twilight reception with desserts by Vegan Treats and a musical performance by Grammy Award winner Shawn Colvin.

All and all it was a glorious example of what people can do with a compassionate heart, a willing spirit and a generous pocket. To learn more about how you can get involved, visit www.FarmSanctuary.org.

Parrish is a regular contributor to Ecorazzi, the web’s leading green-gossip site.

(Photo copyright Andrew Ford)

Heather Mills Hosts 2008 Farm Sanctuary Gala

Mon, 05 May 2008 12:51:18 -0000

Written by Dawn Fantasia

Heather Mills is giving hope to animal-lovers everywhere by returning to host this year’s Farm Sanctuary Gala on May 17th, with emcee Melissa Rivers.

Heather and Melissa will be joined by many caring people and well-known celebrities, such as Kristen Bell and Kevin Nealon, who share their dream of bringing public awareness and compassion to the safety of farm animals. This will be a night to remember, full of exquisite vegan cuisine and sensational entertainment provided by Shawn Colvin.

Gift bags featuring vegan foods, cruelty-free items and other unique farm animal-related gifts are to be given out at the event to educate Gala guests about compassionate living, and an auction featuring original paintings, photography, gift baskets, jewelry and more will help to raise funds for the charity.

Guests set to attend this black tie event include Rachel Leigh Cook, Jennifer Coolidge, Emily Deschanel, Christine Ebersole, Lisa Edelstein, Susie Essman, Corey Feldman, Richard Kind, Swoosie Kurtz, Vanessa Marcil, Peter Max, Esai Morales, Eric Roberts, Ally Sheedy, Hal Sparks, Loretta Swit, True Whitaker, Persia White, Debra Wilson Skelton and more.

While volunteer opportunities to help at the event are no longer available, tickets for the Gala are still on sale at $400 each. For more information about purchasing a ticket or making a donation please visit the Farm Sanctuary Gala ’08 website.

(Photo courtesy of Farm Sanctuary)

Look To The Stars News: Emily Deschanel

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