Look To The Stars News: Céline Dion

Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon Still Going Strong

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

If ever there was a main event in the name of charity it would be the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon.

Year after year, millions of Americans tune in to watch the all-day event. This year’s line up of celebrity hosts for the telethon included Jann Carl, Tom Bergeron, and Alison Sweeney among other esteemed personalities, with performances by Céline Dion, 3 Doors Down, Kid Rock and Reba McEntire. Running 21-1/2 hours, the MDA telethon began at 9 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 31 and continued through the evening of Labor Day, with about $65 million raised during the run.

A special plea was also made for MDA-registered families forced to leave their homes because of the hurricane, which made landfall Monday in Louisiana.

Now in its 43rd year, and with immense competition coming from multiple choices in cable programming and increased internet use, an online auction has been incorporated to boost the telethon’s efforts.

The auction runs until September 4th, and features thousands of celebrity items, sports memorabilia and trips. To view the full list of auction items, visit the MDA website.

Céline Dion Hosts Young Heroes

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Twelve lucky young people were in Montreal last week to celebrate life and meet with Céline Dion.

The children – all of whom have overcome huge physical challenges – were chosen by Readers Digest to take part in the Faces of Love project and raise funds for various causes endorsed by the Canadian singer, including the CHU Sainte-Justine, the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, and UNICEF. The mission of the visit – which was made possible by the donation of cash and goods and services from Quebec businesses – was to promote a book, a calendar and a set of greeting cards, entitled 12 Héros Parmi Nous, to be launched in August of this year.

“Children from all over the world are facing horrendous hardships. By telling the stories of the 12 little heroes who have overcome fear and suffering, Faces of Love offers a positive outlook on life,” said Martyne Huot, who led the project. "The determination of these children provides a lesson in courage for each and every one of us, and should prompt us to refocus on the basic values of our society.”

The group of children included a young boy who was discovered alive 19 days after the 2004 tsunami in Sumatra, after keeping himself alive for three weeks by eating berries and drinking water from puddles. There was also a young Peruvian girl who was born with her legs joined together from her hips to her ankles and her feet spread out in a V like the fin of a fish, and a boy who had both of his arms and legs amputated when he was severely burned after his father immolated himself.

“We already know about Céline Dion’s long-standing commitment to the
Cystic Fibrosis Association, as well as her affiliation with the CHU Sainte-Justine – she and her husband, René Angélil, were the spokespersons for the CHU Sainte-Justine’s most recent fund-raising campaign,” said Georges-Hébert Germain, who wrote the preface for the book. “What is not so well known is the fact that Céline is actually involved: she meets with sick and injured children, comforts them, shares their pain and fear, and brings them that which, more than anything else, can help change their lives. Their hope, determination and strength is largely derived from contact like this.”

Proceeds from the sales of the book and other products will go into a Young Heroes Fund before being distributed to the benefiting charities.

Celebrities Hair the Call of Charity

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:44:09 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

When most people think of Ken Paves, they think of big hair. The “hairstylist of the stars”, dubbed by the world’s media as the “hottest hairdresser in Hollywood”, is the man responsible for taming the locks of celebrities such as Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, and many more of the most beautiful people on the planet.

But now the stylist with the golden scissors has moved from big hair to big give with a new online auction he has organized through the Kompolt Online Auction Agency.

Inspired by the good deeds being achieved by the hit series “Oprah’s Big Give”, Paves has teamed up with a host of his celebrity friends to launch what could be the hottest auction this year, with all proceeds going to the EB Medical Research Foundation. So if it is once-in-a-lifetime celebrity items and experiences you want, hold on to your toupées and read on.

The auction, which can be accessed through eBay, runs until April 7, and features items from stars such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Sharon Stone, Marcia Cross, Bette Midler, and the Eagles. There are signed posters from Jessica Simpson, Eva Longoria, Carmen Electra, and John Travolta, and enough autographed photographs to cover the inside of even the biggest make-up trailer, including snaps from Courteney Cox, Jewel, and Christina Aguilera. And if it is clothes you are after, why not bid on a T-shirt signed by David Arquette, Ashlee Simpson, or Pete Wentz, a soccer jersey autographed by David Beckham, or slip into Victoria Beckham’s jeans.

If that is not enough to send shivers of anticipation through any star-hungry bidder, there is also the opportunity to snap up concert tickets – including meet-and-greets – to shows by Duran Duran and Céline Dion, as well as the chance to hang out with Ashlee Simpson and to visit the set of Scrubs with Donald Faison. There is even the opportunity to take a trip to Ken Paves’ salon with Eva Longoria.

Paves, who is also a spokesperson for Operation Smile, has chosen the EB Medical Research Foundation to recieve 100% of the proceeds from the auction.

The EBMRF is dedicated to increasing awareness of Epidermolysis Bullosa, a condition that affects the skin and can cause painful wounds, similar to burns, to form over up to 75% of a child’s body. Courteney Cox and David Arquette recently pledged to raise $1 million for the foundation.
More information about the disease, as well as the opportunity to purchase a special necklace designed by Cox and Arquette, can be found at www.ebkids.org.

Annie Lennox And Friends Sing For Africa

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:59:52 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Momentum is building behind Annie Lennox’s Sing Campaign, and the singer is now offering fans the chance to download the song that started it all for free in an initiative to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS problem in South Africa.

US residents will be able to download the song from Amazon MP3 until March 17 and support the Treatment Action Campaign, an orgainization that provides much needed support in the country’s struggle against the deadly virus.

The single, which was made available in the UK through the Body Shop, has sold out in countries such as Ireland and cities such as London. The entire UK has sold half of its stock in only two days, an unprecedented occurrence in the music industry, especially in relation to a charity single.

“One third of pregnant women in South Africa are HIV positive,” said the 53-year-old in a recent CNN interview. “We can prevent their children being born with the virus if we let the women have access to treatment. If you do not allow that to happen, you’re going to have future generations simply being wiped out.”

Lennox was joined by a choir of 23 well-known female performers for the song, which was originally released on her Songs of Mass Destruction album in 2007. The former Eurythmics lead singer believed that a group of female voices would make the message of the song stronger, so she enlisted the talents of Madonna, Céline Dion, Dido, Faith Hill, Joss Stone, Pink, Melissa Etheridge, Fergie, Bonnie Raitt, KT Tunstall, Shakira, Beth Orton, Sarah McLachlan, Anastacia, the Sugababes, KD Lang, Martha Wainwright, Angélique Kidjo, Beverley Knight, Shingai Shoniwa, Gladys Knight, and Isobel Campbell in the recording.

“Because I had written a song called ‘Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves’ in the 80s, which became a fairly well-known feminist anthem really, [I thought] perhaps it would be possible to try to attempt to write another kind of anthemic song for women,” said Lennox. “So I started to write a song and it ended up being called ‘Sing’. I sort of melded the song in with an HIV activist song written by a group of activists living in Khayelitsa in South Africa."

The Sing Campaign, which Lennox launched in 2007, has also just set up a new video on YouTube, in which the public can leave comments in support of the campaign.

More information about the campaign, visit the Sing Campaign website.

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.

Idol Gives Back to Children

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:20:19 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

When American Idol announced last spring that for every vote cast after their April 24-25 special broadcast “Idol Gives Back,” sponsors would make donations to the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF), no one expected it to result in over $75 million.

CPEF is distributing the funds through organisations that benefit children in the US and Africa. In the States, Save the Children, America’s Second Harvest, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America and Children’s Health Fund will be the recipients for approved project proposals. In Africa, $6 million has already been donated to each of five organisations for projects that focus on health and education.

Save the Children, UNICEF, and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria, each with a very strong presence throughout Africa, are grateful to the Idol Gives Back campaign. While Save the Children will continue to address preventable deaths from things like diarrhea and pneumonia across the continent, UNICEF is using the money in Rwandan schools to provide free meals and ‘catch-up’ programs to get drop-outs out of the working fields and back into the classrooms. The Global Fund is supporting anti-AIDS performances in South Africa, where in some areas HIV infection rates in youth are actually on the decrease. The sharp and critical plays on drugs, sex and AIDS are more powerful than a classroom lecture.

The CPEF donation is welcome support where malaria claims a child every 30 seconds. “It makes a massive difference,” says Martin Edlund of Malaria No More, who, along with Nothing But Nets is distributing insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and also works on anti-measles, AIDS and tuberculosis initiatives. Intelligent projects like these are not hand outs, but efforts to help get people’s lives back into their own hands. And they ensure the most benefit directly to those they’re intended for. “You can’t put a bed net in a Swiss bank account.”

Annie Lennox Leads Women To Sing For AIDS Projects

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:17:21 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Annie Lennox’s new album, Songs of Mass Destruction, due out October 1 promises “not to be lightweight, easy listening, coffee house kinda stuff.” According to Lennox’s website, Sing, a powerful feminist anthem on the album, will feature 23 of the most recognized and successful female solo artists in the world, including Madonna, Shakira, Joss Stone, Dido and Céline Dion.

Inspired by her involvement with both Nelson Mandela’s 46664 and Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and its vocal group, The Generics, organizations that support health care for HIV/AIDS patients, Annie created Sing to raise funds for TAC’s HIV/AIDS projects. The Generics are also featured in her new album.

Another not-for-profit organization based in South Africa, Life College, has also attracted Lennox’s attention. Life College offers educational and mentoring services to families to substantially improve their levels of success in life. Included in the curriculum is a Life Champion Leadership Programme, which pairs students with people who have achieved high levels of professional success, like Annie Lennox, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, top athletes and prominent business people. It’s said to be one of the best, life changing aspects of the course.

Lennox agrees: “I wish that there could be a Life College in every part of the world, and I wish I could attend it myself! It teaches people the skills to create a positive way forward into leading a constructive and successful life, both personally and professionally.”

Idol Gives Back $60m

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:25:51 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Fox has announced that $60m has been raised so far by the two-night “Idol Gives Back” special, with donations continuing to flow in.

Viewers cast over 70 million votes following Tuesday night’s performances; Fox’s parent company News Corporation had pledged 10 cents for each of the first 50 million votes, and its donation was matched by AllState and ExxonMobil. Further corporate donations came from Ford, Coca-Cola, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, ConAgra Foods and AT&T.

During a two-hour results show on Wednesday, viewers pledged money via a toll-free number and Idol’s website, while host Ellen DeGeneres gave $100,000 and judge Simon Cowell made a “significant six-figure donation”.

Celebrities pre-recorded appeals for donations, including Madonna, who was in Malawi, and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, who was in Uganda where he filmed “The Last King of Scotland.”

U2’s Bono also sent a pre-recorded message, saying, “People say you can’t be the generation that ends brutal, stupid poverty, but we can and we will,”

The money raised will be administered by the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF), a new charity aiming to battle extreme poverty in America and Africa.

In Africa, the Fund will use the Idol money to support The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Malaria No More, Nothing But Nets, Save the Children, and The U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

In America, CPEF will use the money to boost Save the Children, Second Harvest, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America, and Children’s Health Fund.

Mark Shriver, VP of U.S. programs for Save the Children, told Reuters, “They took a risk by using their show to raise issues of poverty and asking people to contribute, and that is a huge accomplishment. The American Idol format is hugely successful and they introduced starving, dying children in Africa and children struggling with poverty in the United States, and brought that to prime time television.”

Fans can still contribute directly via the Idol website, or visit the iTunes Store to buy for-charity recordings of the night’s performances by the contestants and celebrities including Céline Dion, Josh Groban, Annie Lennox, Earth Wind & Fire, and Il Divo.

Priceless Piano on Auction at the David Foster and Friends Charity Gala

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:44:29 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Over 60 superstars have signed David Foster’s one-of-a-kind Yamaha grand piano, which will be auctioned live and via the internet during the 2006 David Foster and Friends Gala.

The piano has been used in dozens of major performances including shows in Las Vegas, a recent performance at David’s home by Barbra Streisand, Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night to benefit the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, and Andre Agassi’s Grand Slam for Children benefitting underprivileged and abused children through the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation.

Some of the celebrities who have signed the piano are Barbra Streisand, Céline Dion, Faith Hill, Reba McEntire, Sting, Tim McGraw, Robin Williams and Donald Trump.

Foster says, “My favourite songs have been performed on this piano by the original artists. It has been with us for some truly great events at some spectacular venues. I am thrilled that its legacy will help improve the lives of families and children in need.”

The piano will be on public display at the River Rock Casino Resort in Vancouver until September 10, the night of the gala. All proceeds go the the David Foster Foundation and will benefit families of children in need of organ transplants.

Forbes' "Most Generous Celebrities" List

Fri, 19 May 2006 14:04:20 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Forbes Magazine has published a list of “Generous Celebrities”, highlighting the incredible generosity of some of the world’s most public faces.

The ten celebrities listed are:

Bono supports AIDS charity DATA and many others
Sandra Bullock gave $1m to the American Red Cross after the 9/11 bombings, and has also donated to the Tsunami relief fund
Nicolas Cage supports Chrysalis, an LA charity for the homeless, and gave $1m to Katrina relief
Jackie Chan is a UNICEF ambassador, founded the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation, and gave $100,000 to Chrysalis
Céline Dion is Celebrity Patron for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and donated $1m to the American Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina
Angelina Jolie has given more than $3m to the UNHCR
Paul McCartney supports the Adopt-A-Minefield charity, and he and wife Heather Mills jointly donateed $1.9m to Tsunami relief
Arnold Schwarzenegger supports the Special Olympics, and in 2001 he donated a total of $4.1m to the Twin Towers fund, After School All Stars and Nelson Mandela’s children’s fund
Steven Spielberg is a patron of the Righteous Persons Foundation, founder of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, and gave $1.5m to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts
Oprah gave $52m to charity in 2005 alone, and wrote a personal cheque for $10m to help victims of the Katrina disaster

Photo Auction For Third World Relief

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 19:33:02 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Avril Lavigne, Céline Dion and Alanis Morissette are among Canadian musicians taking part in the Art Gives Hope: A Decade of Music Portraits exhibit in Toronto.

Inspired by the Live 8 concerts, photographer Andrew MacNaughtan hopes that his prints will raise at least $100,000 for World Vision Canada, where the funds will go to families living with HIV/AIDS in Africa. He also would like fans of the artists to become active in bringing about social change in Third World nations.

Look To The Stars News: Céline Dion

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