Look To The Stars News: Katie Couric

World Cancer Day This Weekend

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:50:00 +0000

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) announced a long-term alliance this week, with a multi-platform collaborative campaign in support of World Cancer Day on Saturday, February 4, 2012.

Issuing a global call to action, both organizations are asking the worldwide online community to raise awareness, fight cancer and take a stand at WorldCancerDay.SU2C.org.

The 2012 World Cancer Day initiative will serve as the first of many ongoing collaborative activities between UICC and Stand Up To Cancer, which will focus on a shared mission to build and strengthen public support for efforts to fight the disease.

Christine Taylor And Katie Couric To Be Honored At Midwinter's Night Dream Gala

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

A bunch of celebrities – including Christine Taylor and Katie Couric – will be honored by the Northport High School at its annual Midwinter’s Night Dream Gala this week.

A Midwinter Night’s Dream (AMND) is an annual charity fundraiser held by the students of the Northport High School. The event supports Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) research and is unique in that it is run entirely by high school students, ranging in age from 15 to 17. Each year the students produce a full-scale charity dinner at the beautiful Oheka Castle, complete with live and silent auctions and celebrity guests.

Among the celebrity guests will be Billy Baldwin, Robert Burke, Sarah Hughes, Amanda Setton and Zuzanna Szadkowski.

Hugh Jackman And Mariah Carey Join Made With Pencils Celebrity Charity Campaign

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:45:00 +0000

This holiday season, Pencils of Promise (PoP), a nonprofit whose mission is to build schools in the developing world, is launching their Made with Pencils campaign. The Made with Pencils campaign allows the world’s leading cultural curators and artistic minds to produce original works made from pencils that will be auctioned off to build new schools.

Beginning November 30, these one-of-a-kind creations will be auctioned on the Pencils of Promise website, so supporters can not only purchase an expression of iconic inspiration, but also play an active role in producing schools in the developing world. All funds raised go directly to building schools and educating children around the world.

Participants include leaders across all industries. In the entertainment sector Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Hugh Jackman, Lil’ John, Russell Simmons, Olivia Wilde, Lea Michele and Sophia Bush have all created original works. Sports superstars Shaquille O’Neal, David Freese and Steve Nash have contributed. Fashion gurus and designers Cynthia Rowley, Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan are participating, as are artists Joe Fenton, Jon Burgerman and Stephen Wiltshire. Other noteworthy individuals include television journalist Katie Couric and Chelsea Clinton. Many additional prominent actors, performers and creators are confirmed to participate and will be announced in the coming weeks.

Bill Clinton Honored By Women For Women

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:45:00 +0000

Women for Women International presented President Bill Clinton the 2011 “Champion of Peace Award” at an event in New York on Thursday night.

“President Clinton’s support of women and girls through Clinton Global Initiative has single-handedly shifted the discussion from a marginal to a central discussion essential to world stability and success,” said Women for Women International’s founder Zainab Salbi. “His personal passion and commitment on the issue has touched many hearts and led to much action and his dedication to bringing real change has led to solid impact on women’s wellbeing through corporations and NGOs action.”

Now in its 18th year, Women for Women International has helped over 316,000 socially excluded women, in 8 different war torn countries, including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Congo, Iraq, and South Sudan. WfWI provides female survivors of war, civil strife, and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies.

Martina McBride To Light Empire State Building For Breast Cancer

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Platinum-selling recording artist and GRAMMY award winner Martina McBride will light the world-famous Empire State Building “pink” on October 14, 2011, in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer.

The lighting will be followed by an event called “MARTINA McBRIDE: LIGHT UP THE SKY in partnership with Stanford Women’s Cancer Center,” which includes a VIP-invite reception and a private concert performance, showcased exclusively on Clear Channel Radio’s websites.

Exploring The Arts With Tony Bennett At Celebrity Charity Event

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:30:00 +0000

When Tony Bennett makes his debut at his sold out performance at the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday, September 18, he will be joined by Aretha Franklin, Sir Elton John and Alejandro Sanz for special duet appearances.

Franklin, John and Sanz all recorded with Bennett for his Duets CD projects: Elton John appeared on the first CD, DUETS in 2006; and Aretha Franklin and Alejandro Sanz recorded with the singer for the forthcoming follow up CD, DUETS II, set for release on Tuesday, September 20.

The evening at the Metropolitan Opera will also mark the official celebration of Tony’s 85th birthday where he will be honored at a post-concert gala hosted by Alec Baldwin. The gala is a benefit for Exploring The Arts, the non-profit organization started by Bennett and his wife Susan, to support arts education in public schools. Over $2.5M has been raised for the evening thus far.

Heidi Klum To Trick-Or-Treat For UNICEF

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF has announced that top model, host and executive producer of Project Runway Heidi Klum is taking on yet another role, this time as the 2011 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Ambassador.

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is one of the longest-running youth volunteer initiatives in America. For 61 years it has served as the original Kids Helping Kids campaign for American children, providing them with an impactful way of making a difference in the lives of their peers in other countries.

As the 2011 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Ambassador, Heidi Klum will serve as the spokesperson for the first ever online Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Costume Party. This new digital aspect of the campaign will allow UNICEF supporters to participate in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF in a variety of fun, interactive ways. At trickortreatforunicef.org, supporters will be able to plan a Halloween party, share Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF stories, and create a virtual costume.

Rob Lowe Unveils Celebrity Charity Handprint Auction

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Rob Lowe has joined Valspar Paint and Habitat for Humanity International in unveiling Valspar Hands for Habitat, an initiative to auction the handprints of celebrities and notable personalities to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s relief efforts in Haiti.

Habitat has set a goal to serve 50,000 families impacted by Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, helping move them toward safe, secure and permanent housing. Those donating to the auction created their handprints using Valspar paint.

Celebrities Stand Up To Cancer On National Survivors Day

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Stand Up To Cancer and LiveSTRONG have joined together to call on everyone affected by cancer – survivors, family and friends of those who lost the battle, doctors, nurses and scientists; advocates – to step up and inspire everyone living with cancer to continue their fight as part of National Cancer Survivors Day.

There are 28 million people living with cancer right now across the globe. Each day, in the U.S. alone, over 4000 more people are diagnosed.

Stand Up To Cancer and LIVESTRONG are joining forces in recognition of the bravery of those in the fight and those who have won the battle. They are calling for survivors to declare themselves and inspire everyone living with cancer to stand up and keep fighting.

Susan Sarandon To Be Honored As Outstanding Mother For Charity

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0000

The National Mother’s Day Committee today announced that it will honor five exceptional women for balancing accomplished careers and the demands of motherhood at the 33rd Outstanding Mother Awards luncheon at 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, at The Pierre New York Hotel.

The awards will be presented by mistress of ceremonies Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN, Inc., and a 2010 Outstanding Mother Award Honoree, to the following:

Join Katie Couric and Daryl Hall at Breakthrough Ball

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:57:00 +0000

Katie Couric is set to receive the “Key To Life” award from the Children’s Cancer & Blood Foundation (CCBF).

She will be joined by legendary singer/songwriter Daryl Hall and NBA Champion/Founder of the Trent Tucker Non Profit Foundation Trent Tucker, who are the charity’s “Breakthrough Spirit Award” recipients.

CCBF’s annual benefit gala will be held on Wednesday, October 27th at the Plaza Hotel, and they invite you to join them for cocktails at 6:30 pm and dinner, program, and auction at 7:30 pm.

Andre Agassi And Friends Raise $8.5 Million At Charity Grand Slam

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:00:00 +0000

As reported by LookToTheStars.org last week, Andre Agassi hosted his star-studded Grand Slam For Children on October 9. The event saw a host of famous faces hit the stage, and raised a massive $8.5 million for the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation’s educational work.

Among those to perform were Elton John, Jason Mraz, Jennifer Hudson, Rob Thomas, David Foster and Bill Cosby, and an auction feature items donated by Katie Couric, Michael Phelps, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, Robin Williams, Wayne Gretzky and many more.

The live auction saw a personal dinner with Robin Williams go under the hammer for 6 people at $100,000 each. Lars Ulrich’s drum lessons went for $35,000, and a trip with Freida Pinto to India went for $75,000.

Elton John And Friends To Rock Andre Agassi's Charity Bash

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Elton John, Jason Mraz, Jennifer Hudson, Rob Thomas, David Foster and Bill Cosby will perform at Andre Agassi’s Grand Slam for Children on October 9.

The annual event supports the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation’s efforts to transform education and benefits the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy (Agassi Prep), a K-12 public charter school in Las Vegas that strives to provide children with a first-class education. Hosted by tennis legend and philanthropist Andre Agassi and presented by Genworth Financial, the 2010 Grand Slam for Children will take place Saturday, Oct. 9 at Wynn Las Vegas.

Celebrating its 15th year, the Grand Slam brings together international stars – from music to comedy – each year to build awareness and raise money for the Foundation. Dedicated to transforming education, the Foundation opened the Agassi Academy in 2001; in 2009, the public charter school graduated its first senior class with 100 percent of graduates accepted into college. The Foundation’s work is directly impacting students in Las Vegas, Agassi’s hometown community, but it has broader implications for education nationwide.

Michael Douglas Takes Part In Stand Up To Cancer Event

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:30:00 +0000

Michael Douglas made an emotional appearance via video at the massive Stand Up To Cancer television event on September 10.

“Cancer doesn’t care how many Oscars you’ve won or how many tough guys you’ve played,” said the actor, who is currently battling stage 4 throat cancer.

A huge number of stars took part in the event – simulcast live and commercial-free on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Bio, Discovery Health, E!, G4, HBO, HBO Latino, MLB Network, mun2, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, The Style Network, TV One, and VH1 – including Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, Sir Richard Branson, Michael Chiklis, George Clooney, Baron Davis, Emily Deschanel, Bill Hader, Dorothy Hamill, Anne Heche, Cheryl Hines, Randy Jackson, George Karl, Dr. Jon Lapook, Rob Lowe, Jane Lynch, Marlee Matlin, Shareen Mitchell, Olivia Munn, Lisa Niemi, Kelly Osbourne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Passmore, Will Smith, Sam Trammell, Denzel Washington, Aaron Yoo, Renee Zellweger, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tatyana Ali, Dave Annable, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, David Boreanaz, Abigail Breslin, Cindy Crawford, Fran Drescher, Elizabeth Edwards, Donald Faison, Sally Field, Derek Fisher, Michael C. Hall, Alyson Hannigan, Tony Hawk, Jon Heder, Marg Helgenberger, Terrence Howard, Ken Jeong, Rashida Jones, Minka Kelly, Laura Linney, Zachary Levi, Ray Liotta, Seth MacFarlane, Mandy Moore, Apolo Anton Ohno, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Jim Parsons, Aubrey Plaza, Dr. Ana Maria Polo, Yarel Ramos, Naya Rivera, Robin Roberts, Seth Rogen, The Simpsons, Eric Stonestreet, Marcia Strassman, Alison Sweeney, Maura Tierney, Gabrielle Union, Sofia Vassilieva, Sofia Vergara, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Reese Witherspoon and Ethan Zohn.

George Clooney Joins Stand Up To Cancer Lineup

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

The extraordinary lineup of actors, musicians, athletes and journalists participating in the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) primetime roadblock television fundraising event (September 10, 2010, at 8PM EST & PST / 7PM CT) continues to grow.

The following supporters have now joined the broadcast: Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, Sir Richard Branson, Michael Chiklis, George Clooney, Baron Davis, Emily Deschanel, Bill Hader, Dorothy Hamill, Anne Heche, Cheryl Hines, Randy Jackson, George Karl, Dr. Jon Lapook, Rob Lowe, Jane Lynch, Marlee Matlin, Shareen Mitchell, Olivia Munn, Lisa Niemi, Kelly Osbourne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Passmore, Will Smith, Sam Trammell, Denzel Washington, Aaron Yoo and Renee Zellweger.

Stand Up To Cancer Announces Celebrity Lineup

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:30:00 +0000

An extraordinary line-up of actors, musicians, athletes and journalists have banded together for Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), the groundbreaking initiative aimed at raising funds to accelerate innovative cancer research bringing new therapies to patients quickly that will saves lives now.

Stand Up To Cancer will return to primetime TV on September 10, 2010, at 8PM EST & PST / 7PM CT. The one-hour fundraising event will be simulcast live and commercial-free on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Bio, Discovery Health, E!, G4, HBO, HBO Latino, MLB Network, mun2, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, The Style Network, TV One, and VH1.

Executive produced by Laura Ziskin, the special will be hosted Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, and Brian Williams (the anchors, respectively, of the CBS, ABC and NBC evening news programs), and will feature numerous celebrity cancer survivors who exemplify that cancer can affect even the smartest, strongest and toughest people in our lives. Those expected to participate include Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Fran Drescher, Elizabeth Edwards, Delta Goodrem, Michael C. Hall, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sharon Osbourne, Robin Roberts, Maura Tierney, Sofia Vergara, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Ethan Zohn.

Zac Efron And Friends Stand Up To Cancer With Celebrity Charity PSA

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:30:00 +0000

More than a dozen of Hollywood’s young stars have joined together for a new public service campaign called “Change The Odds,” in support of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), an initiative raising critical funds for innovative cancer research. The SU2C “Change the Odds” PSA launched online today and will be featured on the upcoming SU2C broadcast event on September 10.

The cast includes Zac Efron, Dakota Fanning, Andrew Garfield, Vanessa Hudgens, Logan Lerman, Kristen Bell, Jon Heder, Aubrey Plaza, Zachary Levi, Sofia Vassilieva, Clark Duke, Olivia Munn, Naya Rivera, Donald Faison, Aaron Yoo and William Moseley. The PSA can be viewed here.

Jake Gyllenhaal Stands Up To Cancer

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:00:00 +0000

The Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) television event is set to air live and commercial-free on FOX, September 10, 2010, at 8p.m. EST & PST / 7 p.m. CST. Joining ABC, CBS and NBC, FOX will donate one hour of live simultaneous commercial-free primetime for the nationally televised September 10th fundraising special, to be broadcast from Los Angeles.

Additionally, VH1, HBO Latino, TV One and G4 have agreed to air the SU2C event. They join HBO, Discovery Health, E!, MLB Network and The Style Network for an historic evening to raise much-needed funds for groundbreaking cancer research.

“Cancer claims one person every minute of every day in the United States – 1500 people every single day. This year it will take the lives of more than half a million people in this country, and almost eight million people worldwide… Cancer is a crisis and we want to convey that ALL Americans can play a role in helping the scientists who are working to end it. We’re delighted that the entertainment community is banding together in such a big way to help us get that word out,” said Laura Ziskin, who will produce the September 10th broadcast. Ziskin is a cancer survivor. Her film credits include the Spider-Man trilogy, As Good As It Gets, and Pretty Woman; she also produced the 74th and 79th Annual Academy Awards.

Stand Up To Cancer To Return With Second Celebrity Charity Telecast

Thu, 20 May 2010 20:45:00 +0000

Two years after an historic fundraising telecast and the start of a groundbreaking grassroots movement, Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) will return to primetime television on September 10, 2010, at 8PM EST & PST / 7PM CT, with a star-studded appeal to build continuing public support and donations for cutting-edge cancer research that translates at a rapid pace from the laboratory to treatments and technologies that benefit patients.

Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer and Brian Williams announced the upcoming show during individual live appearances on CBS’s “The Early Show,” ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “TODAY” show, respectively. The three network evening news anchors — who will host the September 10th telecast, executive produced by Laura Ziskin — participated in an interview together last week, discussing the upcoming fundraising event as well as the encouraging progress of “Dream Teams” of researchers SU2C has funded to date. Portions of that interview, the first joint appearance by this group of anchors, also aired on the morning shows.

Sting Joins Elton John And Lady Gaga For Rainforest Charity Concert

Mon, 17 May 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Sting and Trudie Styler hosted the 16th annual Rainforest Foundation benefit concert to celebrate the organization’s 21st anniversary at Carnegie Hall on Thursday night. This year’s performers included Elton John, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Debbie Harry, Mary J. Blige and Shirley Bassey.

The event – which has been the Foundation’s main fundraiser since 1989 – was dubbed as an evening of 1980s hits and stars (“Sting told me we’re doing a show of ’80s nostalgia,” said Springsteen. “I said, ’That’s easy! We’re both ‘80s nostalgia!’”). And the concert didn’t let fans down, with Sir Elton covering Madonna’s Material Girl and The Boss singing a version of Bryan Adam’s Cuts Like A Knife. Sting duetted with Lady Gaga on Stand By Me, while Gaga joined Sir Elton for Speechless/Your Song. Sting also joined Mary J. Blige for their 2003 duet Whenever I say Your Name. Both Elton and Sting joined Shirley Bassey for Hey Big Spender, and the evening ended with everyone on stage for Don’t Stop Believing.

To watch a video of Sting and Trudie Styler talking to Katie Couric about the work the Foundation does and the history of the Rainforest Foundation concerts, click here.

Alfre Woodard To Be Honored At Charity Mother's Awards

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:30:00 +0000

The 32nd Annual Outstanding Mother Awards will take place on May 6 in New York to benefit Save the Children’s US programs, and will be hosted by CNN’s Soledad O’Brien.

The National Mother’s Day Committee will honor five outstanding women for their success in balancing accomplished careers and the demands of motherhood: actress Alfre Woodard, lawyer Victoria Reggie Kennedy, HSN CEO Mindy Grossman, CHANEL CEO Maureen Chiquet and HealthiNation Chief Medical Officer Holly Atkinson.

The National Mother’s Day Committee is an entity of the Father’s Day/Mother’s Day Council and exists for the sole purpose of conferring “Outstanding Mother” Honors to contemporary lifestyle leaders of our society. The Council – a non-profit, all volunteer, non commercial, organization – donates funds raised with presentations of its Annual Awards to meaningful family related philanthropies dealing with issues affecting Mothers, Fathers and Family. Past honorees include Former First Lady Barbara Bush, Andrea Jung, Estee Lauder, Senator Hillary Clinton, Bobbie Brown, Katie Couric, Caroline Kennedy, Marie Osmond, Chris Evert, Meryl Streep, Reba McEntire, and many other outstanding mothers.

Bid On A Role In Next X-Men Film

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

The creators of the action-packed X-men films are auctioning off a walk-on-role in the next installment of the highly successful film series as part the Worldwide Orphans Foundation charity auction on Charitybuzz.com.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for one lucky bidder to be part of the X-men action. Although cast info has not yet been announced, the next X-men film will likely find the series previous stars returning for more action packed thrills. X-men fans can bid now through April 1st at www.charitybuzz.com/worldwideorphans.

So the question is, “What X-men power would you request?”

Celebrities Donate Items To World Wide Orphans Charity Auction

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:30:00 +0000

A star-studded auction for World Wide Orphans has launched online at Charitybuzz, raising funds to transform the lives of millions of orphaned children around the world.

Daniel Craig, Sting, Bette Midler, Mariska Hargitay and Katie Couric are just a few of the acclaimed artists and stars auctioning meet-and-greets, set visits and VIP tickets to benefit World Wide Orphans as part of its online charity auction at www.charitybuzz.com/worldwideorphans.

Some of the incredible items up for auction include:

Katie Couric, Julianne Moore, Julianna Margulies Talk Charity

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Ladies Home Journal has profiled 3 celebrity women who work hard for charity – Katie Couric, Julianne Moore and Julianna Margulies.

Katie Couric is a co-founder of the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, and is also involved with Stand Up To Cancer.

“It would be criminal not to take advantage of these professional gifts I’ve been given,” she tells the magazine. "I have a bully pulpit from which to communicate a message and educate people. Helping to raise awareness and research dollars is my way of putting my fingerprint on the world in a positive way.

Stars Stand Up To Cancer On Demand

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Comcast Corporation and Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) have joined together to create the first-ever video-on-demand (VOD) initiative Stand Up 2 Cancer On Demand to broaden awareness and raise critical funds for innovative cancer research.

Debuting exclusively on Comcast beginning December 15th, Stand Up 2 Cancer On Demand will feature an extraordinary library of musical entertainment including hundreds of music videos from many of the world’s biggest stars and groups.

Available for no additional cost to viewers in more than 18 million Comcast homes through March 14th, Stand Up 2 Cancer On Demand will feature more than 60 of the viewers’ favorite artists including Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews Band, Norah Jones, Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Idina Menzel, Jack Johnson, Sting, Renée Fleming, Placido Domingo and other stars of the Metropolitan Opera.