Look To The Stars News: Larry David

Giving Back Fund Releases 2009's Top Celebrity Givers

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Look To The Stars is proud to announce that our partners at the Giving Back Fund have announced their third annual Giving Back 30, a list of celebrities who have made the largest donations to charity according to public records.

Readers may have been surprised to learn that Paul Newman replaced Oprah Winfrey as the most generous celebrity of 2008. Oprah had occupied the number one spot by a wide margin for the first two years of the list.

Before his death, Newman made a donation of nearly $21 million to his self-named Newman’s Own Foundation. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were second with a $13.5 million donation to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which distributed $6.4 million to charity, including a $2 million grant to The Global Health Committee for an Ethiopian clinic project, a $1 million grant to the Make it Right Foundation founded by Pitt, and $500,000 to the Armed Services YMCA USA.

“Our hope is that celebrities will begin to become more comfortable sharing information about their charitable giving - perhaps not disclosing everything they give, but sharing enough to enable them to serve as role-models to their peers and fans,” said Marc Pollick, President and Founder of The Giving Back Fund.

Also on the list: Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Mel Gibson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Laurie and Larry David and Drew Barrymore. Several authors made the list this year, along with representatives from the NBA, NFL and NASCAR. To see the complete list visit The Giving Back Fund’s web site at www.givingback.org.

HOW IT WAS COMPILED
 To compile the most accurate rankings, The Giving Back Fund culled media reports of charitable giving by sports and entertainment professionals; reviewed PF-990 tax-forms; contacted more than 250 publicists, attorneys, agents, agencies, and managers for information about their clients; polled more than 150 charities known for their celebrity associations; and contacted all of the major sports leagues.

The Giving Back Fund did not include grants made by foundations in the list so as to avoid counting the same funds twice - once when the donor gave money to a foundation and again when the donor decided on a beneficiary for that money. The Giving Back Fund did not calculate giving as a percentage of the celebrities’ income because there are no public records documenting income. Re-directed income from sponsorship and merchandising deals to charity made by a celebrity was also not reported as it is not available to the public.

 Donations to private foundations are disclosed in public documents. However, donations to public charities are not publicly disclosed and therefore may not be reported in the Giving Back 30.

UPCOMING: CELEBRITY CHARITIES’ DISTRIBUTION TO CHARITY
 The Giving Back Fund will be releasing a second list in early 2010 reporting on the dollar amount distributed to charities by public and private celebrity foundations, respectively. Charities may submit their 2008 990 reports for review to The Giving Back Fund at GivingBack30@givingback.org.

Celebrity Skiers Go Downhill For The Environment

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A host of stars hit the slopes earlier this month to raise money for environmental causes.

The annual Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest took place at Utah’s Deer Valley Resort and kicked off the winter ski season by raising money for Waterkeeper Alliance, a group that protects waterways and ecosystems from pollution.

Among the celebrities seen on the piste were Gwen Stefani, Larry David, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Matthew Modine, Scott Wolf, Ian Ziering, Joe Pantoliano, Neil Patrick Harris, Dylan Bruno, and many others.

“It’s always a thrill to start our ski season with a celebration,” says Deer Valley Marketing Director Coleen Reardon. “We celebrate the arrival of winter, the start of a new season, the excitement of hosting celebrity guests to ski our mountain, and the satisfaction of helping out a non-profit organization we feel strongly about: the Waterkeeper Alliance.”

Look To The Stars Exclusive: The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Rachel Zeskind

After preparing herself for the biggest night of the year, Look To The Stars Celebrity Ambassador Rachel Zeskind found her way to the red carpet of the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards earlier this week, where she caught up with some of the stars:

Arrival was tricky – after an apparent security breach, additional measures had been put into place to secure the safety of all in attendance, thus making parking an hour long waiting process that was filled with numerous police and bomb squad check points.

Once there – and very late a mad dash to connect with my publicist was made – I headed to the red carpet as fast as six-inch high-heeled shoes would allow. Then came the insanity of the red carpet for an event of this magnitude, hundreds of stars in front of a thousand members of the press. Video cameras and crews swarmed everywhere and camera’s flashed from every angle down the entire red carpet walk.

Honestly, it’s intimidating and weird. I stand there, suck in my tummy and try not to feel less pretty, less famous, less tall, less thin…yadayadayada… and remember that on this day, I am the very best reflection of me that I can be. I accept this, try to say something loving to myself and smile posing for the photo’s. My insides are vibrating and I hope I don’t look as freaked out as I feel inside. No matter how many times one walks down a red carpet, the experience is intimidating and surreal.

Once inside I took my seat and tried to decompress as the show began. From inside the Nokia Theater a sea of glamour spread out from the edges of the theater down to the stage. The room was abuzz. This is one of the few times every year when all the actors and actresses and producers and writers and directors all get a chance to be in the same place at the same time, catch up, meet the ones they don’t know, and acknowledge and appreciate their peers.

One of the most powerful acceptance speeches was by Glenn Close. Her statements about how Hollywood has finally begun to recognize that ‘mature’ women can be sexy and powerful and play the leads in successful TV shows was met by an eruption of applause. She is one of those ground-breaking, pace-setting leaders for all female actresses. It is women like her that shake it up and teach people that women are not disposable after thirty – in fact, they just get better, hotter, and smarter!

During the commercial breaks and after parties I was able to catch up with some celebrities and talk to them about their favorite charities, organizations and ask them what issues were on their hearts and minds currently.

Larry David of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ said voter fraud was a huge concern for him right now as we move closer and closer to the election date for our next US President.

Conan O’Brien of ‘Late Night With Conan O’Brien’ said his most recent favorite charity is the Fresh Air Fund NYC.

Christina DeRosa, the up and coming star who will be seen in the new FOX series ‘Dollhouse,’ said that she was an Agape member and fully supported their outreach programs.

At the TV Guide after party I caught up with Emmy award winning composer John Wineglass – whose favorite charity is CASA – and Jon Voight, who is a passionate supporter of the troops stationed overseas.

The point to this all is no matter who you are, what you do for a living or what you look like, you are a human being who sucks in air the same way all the stars do. Your brain shares similar positive and negative thoughts as anyone else’s and certain issues move your hearts too. As a human being you were given a very specific unique set of gifts, passions and abilities to be appreciated by yourself and others as well as to be used to do your part in changing the world we all share.

(photos copyright Rachel Zeskind)

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Giving Back Fund Releases 2009's Top Celebrity Givers

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