Look To The Stars News: Keira Knightley

Stars For A Cause To Raise Charity Funds Tonight

Thu, 28 May 2009 15:30:00 -0000

A selection of items designed and decorated by some of Entertainment’s biggest stars will go under the hammer at Bonhams and Butterfields Auction House in Los Angeles tonight, May 28.

The Stars For A Cause Auction features a wide range of rare and collectable items, such as posters signed by Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Glenn Close, Susan Sarandon, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anna Paquin, David Duchovny, Rumer Willis, Jonas Brothers, P. Diddy, America Ferrera, Hayden Panettiere, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Anne Hathaway, Steve Carell, Emma Thompson, Marisa Tomei, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Tina Fey, Steven Spielberg and many more.

There are also shoes from William Shatner and Ludacris, and bags adorned with kisses from Al Roker, Nancy O’Dell, Nicollette Sheridan, Marcia Cross, Hugh Laurie, Phillip Seymore Hoffman, Geena Davis, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Teri Hatcher, Reese Witherspoon, Kelly Clarkson, Green Day, Keira Knightley, Paula Abdul, John Legend and many more.

And if that is not all, there are also cufflinks from Miley Cyrus and Trace Adkins, and jewelry from many others.

A public preview of the lots will take place between 12pm and 5pm today, at the Bonhams and Butterfields Auction House at 7601 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles. The auction will begin at 8pm.

Half of the proceeds of the auction will go to charities chosen by the participating stars, such as the The Art of Elysium, Keep A Child Alive, Red Cross, Elton John AIDS Foundation, UNICEF and many many more. The other half will go to the Prince’s Trust, which helps young people develop confidence, motivation and skills to find work.

More information can be found here.

Keira Knightley Stars In Domestic Violence Campaign

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Actress Keira Knightley stars in the new Women’s Aid short called Cut, created for the charity’s fight against domestic violence campaign that launched last week.

The two-minute film is tense from beginning to end. The premise is simple: Knightly comes home from work. But on a darker note, it also portrays what many women endure regularly: coming home from work to an abusive partner. Cut packs a wallop, literally.

“While domestic violence exists in every section of society, we rarely hear about it,” said Knightly in a press release. “We may not think we know someone who has experienced domestic violence, but this does not mean that it is not happening.”

Grateful to have the celebrity involvement, Women’s Aid Chief Executive Nicola Harwin says, “We hope the Women’s Aid campaign will both increase public awareness of domestic violence, letting abused women and their families and friends know that there is help out there, and also raise vital funds for Women’s Aid, to help us to continue in our work.”

Since 1974, Women’s Aid has been providing practical and emotional support to victims of domestic violence. They not only develop awareness campaigns and education programmes, but have also been able to influence laws and policy.

“We will continue to help save lives and keep abused women and children safe until we can put a stop to domestic violence,” said Harwin.

“Domestic violence affects one in four women at some point in their lifetime and kills two women every week,” said Knightley. “Without the services provided by Women’s Aid, many more women could be at risk of being killed, yet without donations the charity may not exist this time next year. Please donate £2 a month to Women’s Aid to help save lives.”

On this movie set, “Isn’t it time someone called cut?”

Stars Heal Patients With A Kiss

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Marie Gorrettie

Medicinema is a registered charity that has partnered with the Health Sector and the Film Industry, installing state-of-the-art cinemas on site in hospitals around the United Kingdom.

By creating purpose built cinemas in hospitals, Medicinema provides a much needed escape for the patients – it’s a welcome break from the hospital ward. Each cinema is specially designed to cater for beds and wheel chairs and nursing staff on duty throughout every Medicinema screening.

With nurses instead of usherettes, Medicinema harnesses the magic of the Silver Screen to help enrich the quality of life for patients. By screening the latest releases for patients young and old – including those in beds and on wheelchairs – patients and their families are able to escape the reality of hospital life.

As the lights dim and the film starts, with the big screen filled and Dolby Surround sound bursting into life, patients can be forgiven for thinking they are spending a night in the West End – apart from the occasional bleep of a patient’s monitor, you could be in a cinema!

Everyone needs a little escapism in their lives, especially if they’re in hospital. There is often not very much to look forward to so a visit to the cinema can give a much-needed boost to the spirits, providing the sort of family outing that is otherwise difficult in hospital. With the help and active support of the leading film distributors, Medicinema screens a wide variety of feature films from action and adventure to romantic comedies. Some films are even screened to Medicinema audiences before they go on general release.

As part of a new initiative, stars of the Silver Screen have donated kisses to celebrate ten years of Medicinema to help enhance therapeutic care for patients in hospitals around UK. To mark their 10th Anniversary, MediCinema is auctioning the HEALED WITH A KISS COLLECTION. The collection contains over 50 original signed lip prints from some of the biggest names in the Film Industry. The following are the stars who have donated Healed With A Kiss Lip Prints to help bring magic of the Silver Screen to hospital patients across UK: Madonna, Catherine Zeta Jones, Dame Helen Mirren, Sigourney Weaver, Ewan McGregor, Kate Winslet, John Hurt, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Helena Bonham Carter, Dame Judi Dench, Joan Collins, Glenn Close, Shirley MacLaine, Dame Diana Rigg, Kate Beckinsale, Thandie Newton, Nickolas Grace, Tim Roth, Jeremy Irons, Ben Stiller, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Broadbent, Honor Blackman, John Travolta, Claire Bloom, Martine McCutcheon, Greta Scacchi, Saffron Burrows, Geraldine Chaplin, Mariella Frostrup, Juliet Stevenson, Robbie Coltrane, Zoë Wanamaker, Cathy Tyson, Jason Isaacs, Anthony Andrews, Tommy Steele, Mark Addy, Kenneth Branagh, Alice Eve, and Dwayne Johnson.

The Auction party will be held in April 2009 and the complete Healed With A Kiss collection will be auctioned at the Medicinema Private Auction Party at The Movieunm, London’s biggest Film Memorabilia Museum.

The Healed With A Kiss Auction party will offer you the opportunity to own these highly collectable pieces of film memorabilia and the chance to rub shoulders with Movers and Shakers of the film industry. Hugh Edmeades, Christie’s International Auctioneer, will chair the auction in support of MediCinema. An exclusive drinks reception, live entertainment and a private tour will be followed by the auction of the healed with a kiss collection in support of MediCinema.

Here are some of the quotes from patients and their families whom MediCinema has touched:

“Really happy at the thought that I was not going to have to spend an evening on the ward, staring at a blank wall with no neighbours and chewing my lips to avoid being in pain”. Niamh.

“I completely forgot that I was in hospital, and that I had loads of needles in my arm, and when the film ended I thought “right, time to go home; and it was only when the lights came back on and I saw all the other beds and steelchairs that I remembered that I was in hospital”. Jesica, St Thomas patient.

If you would like to Bid for Original Signed Lip prints from the Stars of the Silver Screen and attend the Auction Party and bid in person please contact MediCinema: Tel:+44(0) 20 7188 3697 or email medicinema@gstt.nhs.uk.

If a celebrity lip print has caught your eye, you can make an advance bid before attending the Auction event in writing, on line or by telephone.

If you are unable to attend the Auction Party in person, you can secure an original signed lip print by placing “ABSENTEE” Bid, in writing, on line or by telephone. Please register your bid/s in the Healed with a Kiss Auction by contacting medicinema@gsst.nhs.uk or telephoning +44 (0) 20 7188 3697.

Once you have registered interest in placing an “Absentee” or advance bid, you will be contacted to confirm your bid and contact details.

For more information about the Auction Party please contact MediCinema on +44 (0) 20 7188 3697 or email medicinema@gstt.nhs.uk.

Stella McCartney Designs Tees For Comic Relief

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British designer Stella McCartney has designed a line of T-shirts to raise money for Comic Relief and has called on the help of some of her celebrity friends to help promote them.

Advertising campaigns for the new Tees – one of which features a photo of her father, Paul McCartney, with The Beatles – feature Claudia Schiffer, Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley in photos shot by McCartney’s sister, Mary.

’It’s a real honor to be involved in such a tremendous cause and be a part of the Red Nose Day campaign 2009,“ said Stella McCartney. "The designs of the T-shirts were inspired by iconic images of iconic people by iconic photographers and adding an element of humor to them.’

McCartney has designed each t-shirt with iconic images from famous photographers like Herb Ritts, David Bailey and her mother, Linda McCartney. Every t-shirt sold helps raises vital funds for Comic Relief. 100% of the cotton has been sourced from Fairtrade certified organic cotton co-operatives in Africa.

“I wanted to focus on photographs where people are happy and create a charity t-shirt that would become a staple of a person’s wardrobe,“ she said.

The Tees are available at TK Maxx stores in the UK for £9.99, and more information can be found at this special website.

Celebrity Lip Prints To Be Auctioned For Charity

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:00:00 -0000

A collection of over 50 original signed lip prints from some of the biggest names in film will be auctioned in April in support of the charity Medicinema.

Amongst the stars who have donated a Healed With A Kiss lip print are Keira Knightley, Ewan McGregor, Kate Winslet, John Travolta, Shirley MacLaine, Jeff Goldblum, Madonna, Jeremy Irons, Sigourney Weaver, Dame Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson and Glenn Close.

A window display, featuring copies of a selection of the kisses, will be unveiled in Fenwick Bond Street, London and Newcastle during the lead up to Valentine’s Day 2009. The entire collection of over 50 original Healed With A Kiss signed prints will be exhibited at The Movieum, County Hall, London in March 2009. The Exhibition will culminate with a Party on 2nd April at the Movieum, as the first in a series of events to help celebrate MediCinema’s 10th Anniversary year. The lip prints will be auctioned during the Party at the Movieum to help MediCinema bring the magic that is cinema to patients, including those in beds and wheelchairs, in hospitals around the UK.

Ewan McGregor, an active and longstanding Patron of the charity, said “I am delighted to participate in the Healed With a Kiss initiative, having seen at first hand how much patients and their families look forward to an all-encompassing cinema experience and welcome break from the daily routine of life on the hospital wards.”

For further information on the entire Healed With A Kiss collection of celebrity lip prints and details on how to bid for your own signed kiss from a star of the silver screen visit www.medicinema.org.uk.

Keira Knightley Rhymes For Amnesty International

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British actress Keira Knightley has joined the Amnesty International Protect The Human campaign by appearing in a rhyming video.

The 23-year-old actress in one of a number of celebrities – including Minnie Driver – who have appeared in a new short film for the organization to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) last week.

“I wanted to be part of this film for Amnesty to help raise awareness of the UDHR and to help them, in a small way, to campaign against the abuses of human rights that are still happening every day,” She said. “It seems that ‘human rights’ has become a bit of a loaded term in this country, but if you look at the declaration that countries made 60 years ago, it just sets out a series of basic rules about how people should treat each other. The UDHR is something that every one should be aware of and be proud of as a statement of our common humanity.”

The rhyming video – which also features Rosario Dawson – can be viewed here.

Win Jessica Alba's Handbag

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Throughout November, make-up giant Revlon will be donating a percentage of their profits to Rainbow Trust, a children’s charity which provides support to families dealing with terminal or life threatening illnesses. And to celebrate, they are running a competition to win Jessica Alba’s handbag.

As part of the month-long initiative, Revlon has also teamed up with In Style magazine to auction off bags signed by some of Hollywood’s favorite starlets – including Keira Knightley, Elle Macpherson, Claudia Schiffer and Thandie Newton, Sharon Osbourne, and Eva Green – at a champagne tea event at The Berkeley hotel ballroom on the 4 November.

“This is going to be a fun, über glam event which will raise lots of money for an incredibly good cause,“ said Trish Halpin, editor of In Style. “After all – what woman doesn’t want a fantastic handbag?”

“Revlon are proud to be working alongside In Style Magazine to hold the UK’s first-ever In Style Handbag Auction to raise money for the Rainbow Trust Charity,“ added Scott Peterson, commercial director UK & Ireland for Revlon. “This amazing event is perfectly suited to Revlon’s heritage of contemporary glamour and iconic beauty. We are also pleased to bring this event to life in-store through our partnership with Boots to raise even more money and grateful to our spokeswoman Jessica Alba for donating her designer bag for the Boots customers to win.”

More information about the competition and auction can be found at the In Style website.

Handbag.com Launches Handbag Amnesty

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

www.handbag.com and Cancer Research UK have announced a new partnership with the launch of the first ever Handbag Amnesty.

Taking place throughout the month of September – www.handbag.com’s dedicated handbag month – and climaxing in October, the Handbag Amnesty will give women across the country the opportunity to bid for the designer handbag of their favourite celebrity including, just to name a few, Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Dame Shirley Bassey, to raise money to help beat cancer.

www.handbag.com and Cancer Research UK are asking celebrities to make space in their wardrobes by donating one of their designer handbags to the Amnesty. The bags will then be auctioned on eBay from Friday 3rd – Sunday 14th October to tie in with Breast Cancer Awareness month. Open to everyone, all proceeds will go to Cancer Research UK, the largest single funder of research into breast cancer, one of the most common cancers in the UK.

Some of the other celebrities who have donated handbags are America Ferrera, Annie Lennox, Ashlee Simpson, Geri Halliwell, Dame Judi Dench, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scarlett Johansson.

The Handbag Amnesty, however, is not just about celebrities. www.handbag.com and Cancer Research UK are also asking members of the public to donate a handbag that is still in good condition to their local Cancer Research UK shop. Good handbags always sell like hot cakes in Cancer Research UK’s nationwide chain of charity shops.

Claire Higgins, Head of Marketing at www.handbag.com, says: “As the leading lifestyle website for women in the UK, we are in the unique position of being able to reach more than 1.5 million women across the country. 44,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK so we are very proud to be working with Cancer Research UK to help make a difference – not only by raising a lot of money to fund research into preventing breast cancer, but also by helping to raise much needed awareness of the illness.”

Paul Farthing, Director of High Value Relationships at Cancer Research UK, says: “We’re delighted to be working with www.handbag.com to launch Handbag Amnesty. The auction of celebrity handbags will be an exciting way to raise funds for our vital research into breast cancer. We also hope that by encouraging supporters to donate their own favourite handbag, and other unwanted quality items to our shops, we will be able to raise even more to help beat cancer.”

For more information and a full list of celebrities taking part, please visit www.handbag.com/amnesty

Charity Gifts For Valentine's Day

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:18:47 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it is time to think about loving gifts that rise above the standard red roses. And there are a number of products available this month that not only tell that special person how much you care, but also help raise money for those who are less fortunate. Shoes, dresses, T-shirts, and even a second-hand swimsuit are on offer to help Cupid’s arrow hit its mark.

Actress Keira Knightley’s latest movie, Atonement, has recently received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and now fans have the chance to buy a very special part of the production. The dazzling green dress Knightley wore in the emotionally charged romantic scenes opposite James McAvoy is being auctioned by the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation to benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity.

The dress is one of several made for the scene, and was designed by Jacqueline Durran, who has been nominated for a Costume Design Academy Award for her work on the film. The auction runs from February 1 until March 1 at www.clothesoffourback.org, and bids have already reached $3,000.

Clothes Off Our Back is also selling a series of outfits donated by some of Hollywood’s most beautiful woman. The Little Black Dress Auction runs until March 13, and features dresses from the closets of Julianne Moore, Felicity Huffman, Mena Suvari, Gabrielle Union, and Jaime Pressley. Beneficiaries include Second Harvest, The Art of Elysium, World Education, and autism research.

If it is shoes you are after, look no further than the Spirit of Women Health Network’s Celebrity Red Shoe Auction. The auction is being run on eBay from February 5-14, and features footwear autographed by celebrities such as Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Rachael Ray, LeAnn Rimes, Alanis Morissette, and Dancing With The Stars’ Carrie Ann Inaba.

“This February, we hope to encourage women to take action for their heart health by dancing and exercising, discussing their health with their physicians, and helping to support women’s heart health research and education,” said Josh Davis, President of the Spirit of Women Health Network.

The auction is part of the Red Shoe Initiative, a national health education and action campaign that aims to encourage women to be aware of their heart health. As with past shoe auctions, proceeds will benefit several charities, including the National Stroke Association and the Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition.

The auction will also precede Spirit of Women’s Day of Dance, an event that will involve dance and health screenings around the US on February 23.

Another gift idea this Valentine’s Day is the new charity T-shirt from designer Marc Jacobs – featuring a naked Victoria Beckham.

The T-shirt has been designed to raise awareness of the Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group, an initiative with aspirations almost as big as their name. The program was established by Jacobs’ business partner, Robert Duffy, to raise consciousness of one of the most common types of cancer in the world – over 160,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every year, with around 48,000 deaths.

“Since we moved to California, I have realized how important it is to practice safe sun for myself, and to keep my three boys skin well protected as well,” said Beckham. “Skin cancer is a huge problem, and I really wanted to help raise awareness by taking part in Marc’s initiative.”

The T-shirts are available at Marc Jacobs’ stores in America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia for $35, and even Victoria’s husband David has been seen sporting one recently, at the opening of the David Beckham World of Sport in Brazil.

The Victoria Beckham line of T-shirts follows a similar series designed by Marc Jacobs last year, featuring Heidi Klum, Julianne Moore, and Naomi Campbell, which raised $60,000.

Finally this month, if you are looking for something really special to give your loved one this Valentine’s Day, why not buy Nicole Kidman’s old swimsuit – it is to be auctioned in Sweden to raise funds for poor families in India.

The story behind the swimsuit is long and twisty. Kidman visited Sweden six years ago to film Dogville, and hired a private pool while there. However, she left her black one-piece swimming costume in the changing rooms when she went home. Attempts to return it failed, and it was donated to a cancer charity, where it raised $4,700 at auction. It was later donated to the Salvation Army, where it was auctioned for a further $865.

A new auction will raise funds for Erikshjalpen, a charity that aims to buy cows in India with money raised.

The swimsuit is framed and is expected to raise $1,500.

Celebrities Lend Their Hands To Charity

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:58:29 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Over 40 celebrities from around the world are featured in a special new book to be released in time for Christmas.

“Celebrity Handprints", set to be published on December 1, is the culmination of two years work for author James Preston. Since November 2005, Preston has scoured the globe in search of famous names who were willing to dip their hands in ink and leave a lasting mark on paper. And his peculiar pursuit opened doors to some of entertainment’s biggest stars, including Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Matt Damon, and Keira Knightley.

Over the course of his travels, Preston collected more than 100 handprints and accompanying photos of some of the brightest stars in film, television, music and sports, 42 of which are to be included in the new book. All of the proceeds from the publication will go to benefit two British children’s charities – Children in Need and the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Also available is a series of limited edition prints of the handprints, suitable for framing. The cost for each print, which also includes a photograph of the star involved, is $100. 30% of the total will go to both charities.

Other stars involved in the project include David Beckham, Robbie Williams, Will Smith, Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Sir Richard Branson, Sir Tom Jones, Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Snoop Dogg, Samuel L. Jackson, Wyclef Jean, the Kaiser Chiefs, the Smashing Pumpkins, Snow Patrol, Star Wars creator George Lucas, and many more.

The book will be available for $40 from bookstores and Amazon, and both the book and the prints will be able to be purchased from www.celebrityhandprints.org.

Idols To Give Back On TV Special

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 09:21:10 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, and Forest Whitaker will be appearing on the two-night special, Idol Gives Back on April 24th and 25th. The stars hope to raise awareness and funds for relief programs helping children living in extreme poverty in America and Africa.

Other celebrities who plan to appear include the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Radcliffe, Teri Hatcher, and Rowan Atkinson.

The show on the 25th will include entertainment by Gwen Stefani, Josh Groban, Pink, Michael Buble, Annie Lennox, Il Divo and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Viewers will be encouraged to make donations on toll-free lines and the Internet, with the funds being distributed via the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund to Save the Children, UNICEF, and other organizations dealing with poverty, health and education in the U.S. and Africa.

The event is inspired by Red Nose Day, part of the UK’s Comic Relief, which has raised over $800 million in its history of entertainment fundraisers.

Knightley Donates Gown to Oxfam

Sat, 08 Apr 2006 09:56:56 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Keira Knightley has donated the claret-colored gown that she wore for this year’s Oscars to Oxfam. The gown, created by Vera Wang, will be up for auction on Ebay beginning April 21 and ending on April 30. Proceeds raised by the auction will go towards the East African food crisis appeal.

Knightley says she is pleased to be able to donate the dress to Oxfam, and adds, “I have seen the TV reports on the horrendous drought in East Africa and I know how desperate things have become, so I am happy to be able to do something to help.”

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