Look To The Stars News: John Krasinski

Stars Support First Book Campaign

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Following last year’s successful What Book Got You Hooked campaign, literacy charity First Book is once again joining with the stars to raise awareness.

What Book Got You Hooked is an initiative of First Book, a charity whose mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. The online campaign highlights the importance of books in the lives of children – especially for those in need.

From now through September 30, visitors to the First Book website are asked to share their memory of the first book that made reading fun, then help get more children hooked by voting for the state to receive a special donation of 50,000 new books for children in need. Visitors are also invited to make a $10 donation, to help provide four brand new books for a child in need.

Many celebrities have already shown their support for the campaign, with Morgan Freeman, Ed Asner, Selena Gomez, Marlee Matlin, Joan Allen, John Krasinski, Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LaBelle, David Duchovny and many more sharing thoughts about their favorite childhood books.

To find out more about the campaign, click here.

Stars Lend Their Voices To Speakaboos

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Speakaboos, a publisher of exceptional digital content for children, has announced its spring releases of online titles performed by celebrities – with some proceeds destined for charity.

“Law & Order: SVU” star Christopher Meloni, “The Office” star John Krasinski and Jason Ritter are among the stars to lend their voices to the stories, and at least fifteen percent of Speakaboos’ revenue is contributed directly to charities supporting children’s causes, such as the National Education Association – the leading organization in the US committed to advancing the cause of public education – and the Creative Coalition, formed for the charitable and educational purposes of bringing together artists and entertainers to learn about pressing issues so they can better inform and influence the community and nation.

Spring titles include:

The Golden Goose, read by Mark Thompson.
Caperucita Roja (Spanish version of The Little Red Riding Hood) read by Lisa DeSimone.
The Little Half-Chick read by Christopher Meloni.
Aladdin read by John Krasinski – April 20th
Man, Boy, Donkey read by Jason Ritter – April 27th
Three Little Pigs read by Judy Tenuta – May 4th
The Gingerbread Man read by John Krasinski – May 11th
Nickity Nick read by Veronica Webb – May 18th
Rip Van Winkle read by John Paul DeJoria – June 1st

Speakaboos is an online publisher that celebrates classic literary properties for children through the voices of today’s biggest stars, including Kevin Bacon, Nick Cannon, and Kelly Ripa. All the stories come with story guides, lesson plans based on national standards, worksheets and other resources for parents and teachers to reinforce educational lessons at home and in the classroom.

The entire Speakaboos library is available for viewing online for free on Speakaboos.com and available for download on the website at $0.99. Select titles that are combined into albums are available for the price of $8.99 per album. All Speakaboos audio tracks are also available on iTunes.com and Rhapsody.com.

Christina Aguilera Performs At CNN Heroes Event

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Pop singer Christina Aguilera joined fellow Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend at the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute event that aired on CNN last night.

The event honored the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008, and was taped in front of an audience of 2,500 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, was named 2008 CNN Hero of the Year, and will receive $100,000 to carry on her humanitarian work.

“In this time of economic turmoil, it is such a relief to know that there are people like these heroes, people who care more for others than they do for themselves,” said Anderson Cooper, who hosted the show.

Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, John Krasinski, Forest Whitaker, Meg Ryan, Terrence Howard, Lucy Liu, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale and Selena Gomez were among the stars that attended the event.

Aguilera has also spoken out about the recent Prop 8 decision and leant her support to the same-sex marriage campaign.

“They’re [gay couples] constantly pushing to be heard and given equal rights,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of unfairness that goes along with being gay, so the more I can do to give them a voice, then I’ll do so. But I think we’d be fooling ourselves if we thought that everywhere was accepting of gay rights and marriages. I think it’s unfair there has to be some kind of standard for marriage. Marriage should be about two people celebrating their love for each other. It shouldn’t have anything to do with someone’s sexual preference.”

Jeans Engineered For Celebs On Auction

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Anybody walking through Times Square may be surprised to find hundreds of jeans and shirts hanging like laundry from clotheslines above the streets. Don’t be too concerned… it’s all part of the Pair in the Square Celebrity Jeans Auction.

Alison Sweeney, host of The Biggest Loser and cast member of Days of Our Lives, kicked off the auction yesterday by auctioning off Ryan Seacrest’s jeans to benefit the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation. The remaining celebrity jeans from Miley Cyrus, Nick Lachey, Ashlee Simpson, Lauren Conrad, Rachael Ray, Minnie Driver, Debra Messing, Brittany Snow, Terrence Howard, Forest Whitaker, Neil Patrick Harris, and many more are available at www.clothesoffourback.org. A sweepstakes will also be held at www.washingmyjeans.com to win the new GE Profile Frontload Washer and Dryer as part of the auction.

Proceeds from the auction, which runs until September 8, will go to America’s Second Harvest, The Art of Elysium, Hope North, and H.E.L.P. Malawi.

Other stars offering to split their jeans with you include Alan Alda, Maria Menounos, Nancy O’Dell, Chris Rose, John Salley, Toni Collette, Jeff Probst, Kristian Alfonso, Shaun Robinson, John Krasinski, John McCrea, Melissa Joan Hart, Angie Harmon, Jillian Michaels, Christian Slater, Zachary Levi, Tony Shalhoub, Dule Hill, Greg Grunberg, and Coolio.

What Book Got The Stars Hooked?

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Before they were famous, they were reading under the covers with flashlights like the rest of us, and now, stars are sharing their love of reading with us through the What Got You Hooked? campaign.

What Book Got You Hooked is an initiative of First Book, a charity whose mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. The online campaign highlights the importance of books in the lives of children – especially for those in need.

From now through September 15, visitors to the First Book Web site are asked to share their memory of the first book that made reading fun, then help get more children hooked by voting for the state to receive a special donation of 50,000 new books for children in need. Oklahoma was last year’s campaign winner with over 34,000 votes in its favor. Visitors are also invited to make a $10 donation, to help provide four brand new books for a child in need.

So far, the campaign has generated celebrity support from an eclectic mix of stars including Stephen Colbert, Emma Thompson, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, David Duchovny, Neil Patrick Harris, John Krasinski, Rebecca Romijn, Barry Manilow, Ira Glass, John Hodgman, Bow Wow, Patti LaBelle, and many more. Each celebrity has given the charity information on what their favorite books were when they were younger, and their choices can be found at the organization’s website.

The choice was clear for John Hodgman, the author and humorist best known for his personification of PC in the popular “Get a Mac” advertising campaign: Tintin. “I don’t remember the moment I learned to read, but I do remember the moment Tintin’s captions – always in cursive, which might as well have been hieroglyphics to me – suddenly became clear to me,” Mr. Hodgman explains. “It’s the first time I remember a book actually, physically altering my brain. Though, I am glad to say, not the last.”

First Book was founded in 1992. The First Book model was developed to leverage the work of local heroes who reach children through existing literacy programs in a variety of settings, such as Head Start centers, libraries, soup kitchens, churches, housing projects, and afterschool initiatives. Working through this vast network of organizations, First Book plays a critical role in transforming the quality of preschool and after-school programs nationwide.

To find out more about First Book, or to donate books, visit www.firstbook.org.

Look To The Stars News: John Krasinski

Stars Support First Book Campaign

Related past articles

Stars Lend Their Voices To Speakaboos

Related past articles

Christina Aguilera Performs At CNN Heroes Event

Related past articles

Jeans Engineered For Celebs On Auction

Related past articles

What Book Got The Stars Hooked?

Related past articles