Look To The Stars News: Danny Boyle

Charitable Celebrities To Receive 21st Century Leaders Awards

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Celebrities will be out in abundance in Doha, Qatar, next week for the Whatever It Takes Experience presented by 21st Century Leaders and Whatever It Takes.

As well as a private art experience and gala dinner, several stars will be honored with 21st Century Leaders Awards at this massive charity event.

The Doha 21st Century Leaders’ Awards are granted to individuals who, whilst being leaders in their own fields, have also made a serious commitment and significant impact on their chosen cause.

The award is given to individuals who have used their influence to raise awareness, their celebrated status to raise funds, and the respect and notoriety which they have gained from successes in their chosen profession, to make positive policy changes to progress either environmental or humanitarian concerns.

Friday, October 30, will see Sir Ben Kingsley CBE, Venus and Serena Williams, Josh Hartnett, Danny Boyle and Christian Colson honored for their outstanding charity and humanitarian work. A surprise guest will open the event, and an art exhibition will also take place featuring original artworks by George Clooney, Stella McCartney, Sir Roger Moore KBE, Sir Michael Caine CBE, and Lady Shakira Caine, Sir Ian McKellen, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Laurence Fishburne, John Travolta, Pierce Brosnan OBE, Morgan Freeman, Charlize Theron, Minnie Driver, Lucy Liu, Susan Sarandon, Courteney Cox & David Arquette, Whoopi Goldberg, Penelope Cruz, Benicio del Toro, Joseph Fiennes, Anjelica Huston, Christian Slater, Harvey Keitel, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Gillian Anderson, Hilary Duff, Adrien Brody, Mickey Rourke, Robin Wright Penn, Patrick Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Stephanie Powers, Toni Collette, Daniel Craig and many more.

An active supporter and patron of charities such as the Prince’s Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust and First Star, English actor Sir Ben Kingsley CBE is very much devoted to helping disadvantaged young people and children. In 2008, Kingsley was awarded the “Cinema for Peace Honorary Award”, for the portrayal of the humanitarian role-models Simon Wiesenthal, Itzhak Stern and Gandhi.

In April 2009, following the success of Slumdog Millionaire, filmmakers Danny Boyle and Christian Colson announced a commitment of £500,000 to Plan, an international children’s development organization. The money will be spent on a five-year program focusing on education and sanitation, designed to improve the lives of children in Mumbai’s slum communities. In consultation with Plan, the filmmakers have also founded the Jai Ho Trust, an independent trust which aims to ensure that Rubina Ali (who played the youngest Latika in the film) and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (youngest Salim) receive an education, housing and social support. The trust will also hold a sum of money for the two children until they reach adulthood.

American actor and film producer Josh Hartnett supports a number of worthy causes and has backed Global Cool, a charity focused on climate change since its inception. Launching with a reception at No.10 Downing Street in London in 2007, Josh Hartnett met with former Prime Minister Tony Blair on behalf of the group and has since taken the message of greenhouse gas reduction far and wide, to let people know that they really can make a difference to the environmental health of our planet.

Professional women’s tennis players whom have won a combined 12 Grand Slam titles. The Williams sisters have demonstrated an immense amount of charitable work off the court. The “Williams Sister’s Tour” set out to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities which provides housing for families of seriously ill children. In addition, Serena started The Serena Williams Foundation which focuses on education, and helping underprivileged children in Africa who cannot afford to go to school or college to do so.

WhateverItTakes.org is a unique charity artwork project which inspires hope by gathering artworks from leaders in all fields; royalty, film, music, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, sports, literature etc. The artworks are used to ethically produce Whatever It Takes products which are then sold to raise funds for charitable causes chosen by each contributing leader. 21st Century Leaders Foundation’s mission is to assist and encourage a generation of influencers – royalty, Nobel peace prize laureates and well-known leaders in the fields of film, music, fashion, art and literature – to raise awareness and funds for international development causes, thereby leading the way in promoting positive environmental sustainable development. 21st Century Leaders was founded in May 2003 when Charlotte di Vita was made a Goodwill Ambassador to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. 21st Century Leaders was also the 10th Anniversary celebration of Trade plus Aid, the foundation for which Charlotte had received an MBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

To find out more about this event – to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Doha on October 30/31 – click here.

Danny Boyle Supports Early Break Drugs Project

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Melanie Mitchell

Oscar winning director Danny Boyle has become a Patron for the Early Break Drugs Project, which is based close to Boyle’s home town. Boyle is probably best known for his award winning films which include The Beach and more recently Slumdog Millionaire.

The Early Break Drugs Project offers advice and counselling to young people who are affected by drugs and alcohol aged 21 and under across Lancashire. At Early Break, young people who enter the service can discuss their issues in a safe, healthy and where necessary therapeutic environment, by making use of alternative therapies which include aromatherapy, auricular acupuncture, and Indian head massage.

Boyle grew up in Radcliffe, Lancashire and has always held the area close to his heart. Boyle made his directorial debut in 1995 with Shallow Grave, this was quickly followed by the cult classic Trainspotting in 1996. Trainspotting highlighted the issues surrounding drug addiction for young people in a non-patronising manner, and Boyle has stated that Early Break works in a similar way and it was this that impressed him the most about the Project.

Following his new appointment as Patron, Boyle has stated that he “thinks it’s more an honour for me that they want me on board.”

Barbara Jack, managing director of Early Break, said about Danny’s appointment “It shows that no matter how big you are, you can still remember your roots and care about the community you came from.”

Slumdog Makers Donate To Children's Charity

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The makers of Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire have announced they will donate US$750,000 to a charity that will help children living in the slums of Mumbai.

The money will go to Plan to start a program aimed at providing healthcare and education to children in India. The organization, an international children’s aid charity, wishes to create a five-year program which will change the lives of children living in poverty.

“Having benefited so much from the hospitality of the people of Mumbai it is only right that some of the success of the movie be ploughed back into the city in areas where it is needed most and where it can make a real difference to some lives,” said director Danny Boyle, who has contributed to the well-being of the young actors in the film before. “Despite intimidating odds, extraordinary work is going on to help people break the cycle of poverty through education. We’re delighted that this initiative will add to that ongoing work.”

Plan works at a grassroots level to give children the means and the knowledge to grow up healthy, the basic learning and life skills so as to contribute to the development of their communities, safe and healthy homes and neighborhoods and improved financial position of families, while promoting the rights and interests of the world’s children.

“Around one billion of the world’s population live in slums and there are 100,000 new slum dwellers every day,” said Plan’s Marie Staunton. “Slumdog Millionaire has shown audiences around the world a snapshot of what life is like for one in six people on the planet. Education really is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty so we will focus the funds on getting children into school, keeping them there and ensuring they are healthy.”

Life Imitates Art: Slumdog’s Dev Patel To Appear On Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Isra Shah

The award-winning blockbuster Slumdog Millionaire brought worldwide attention to the living conditions of the poorest children in India.

Now actor Dev Patel, along with Slumdog director Danny Boyle, plans to appear on a real episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire to raise money for UK charity, Railway Children, an organization that seeks to aid runaway children and street children around the world.

The Chief Executive of Railway Children, Terina Keene, noted that the charity has been flooded with phone calls regarding Patel’s appearance on the television show after the movie became a worldwide success. She confirmed that the actor and director were in talks to pair up with Railway Children as part of a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire appearance.

Celador, the British producer of Millionaire told the Sun that, “We were approached by Railway Children about doing the special — and we think it would be fantastic.”

“Danny and Dev would play together, as with all our celebrity specials, but filming depends on their availability.”

Further paralleling the movie’s plotline, co-star Freida Pinto has been mentioned as a possible “Phone a Friend” option during the show.

To learn more about Railway Children and their campaign for early intervention to get to street kids “before the streets get to them,” visit their official website.

LTTS Exclusive: Inside A Night To Make A Difference with Host Michelle Vink

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Michelle Vink

Look To The Stars’ lead host, Michelle Vink was on hand as a host of Leeza Gibbons’ A Night To Make A Difference Fundraiser on Oscar night. Read her story below:

“Without hope, life is just not worth living”…

Those were the words from Harvey Milk from the Oscar-winning movie, Milk. Despite the uncertain state of the economy and the lack of faith we keep hearing about on the news, there was an overwhelming resurgence of hopeful optimism at the Oscars this year. Winning storylines like Slumdog Millionaire and Milk captured that very essence.

A new type of Oscar party

I recall reading that Slumdog director Danny Boyle placed the money to be paid to the 3 lead child actors in a trust until they complete grade school, and that the production company set up a driver to take the kids to school every day until they are 16 years old. When the movie was nominated for an Oscar alongside all the Milk nominations, I knew it would be a good year.

Soon after that I learned of a new type of Oscar party that Leeza Gibbons was coordinating, called A Night to Make A Difference. The timing was impeccable, and before I knew it I was invited to help host the event.

Michelle with Leeza and co-host, Russell.

Celebrity organisers with special causes

Leeza wanted to “take the global stage of Oscar Night and use it to put the focus on advocacy, philanthropy and volunteerism.” With a team of volunteers and a production team fueled with the same passion, Leeza did just that. Helped by Olivia Newton-John, music legend David Foster, and several co-hosts, the team created “A Party with a Purpose.” This monumental event not only benefited Leeza Gibbons’ Memory Foundation and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre, but also raised awareness for philanthropy and inspired a feeling of hope. This inaugural event was streamed live here on LooktotheStars.org, and on other sites including Variety.com , LeezaGibbonsOscarEvent.com, Glam.com and ExtraTV.com.

With the aid of Jessica Biel and her Make The Difference Network, an opportunity was created for viewers to donate to the cause or just open the door for people to get involved in a charity that is close to their own hearts. Check out MTDN.com for more information on Jessica’s charity.

Jessica Biel – photo by Levi Walker

An all-star cast of celebrity givers

Celebrities who came out to support this event and celebrate Hollywood’s big heart included Laila Ali (who uses her celebrity to get kids excited about physical fitness), Mel B., Jessica Biel, Wilson Cruz, Hilary Duff, Teri Hatcher, Tony Hawk, Paris Hilton, Slash & Perla Hudson (who donated a guitar to the auction), Kym Johnson, Mario Lopez, Melissa Gilbert, Jane Seymour & James Keach, Cindy Margolis, Terrell Owens, Holly Robinson-Peete, Suzanne Somers, Dee Wallace, Forest & Keisha Whitaker and many, many others. I was honored to interview Wilson Cruz (He’s Just Not That Into You) immediately following Dustin Lance Black’s win for Milk and I was moved by his passionate desire for change.

Michelle talks to Teri Hatcher during the event.

A responsibility to help

Rex Lee said of using his celebrity status for good, “For whatever reason, people out in the world pay attention to us, and if I say I support Olivia Newton John and building a new cancer center out in Australia, people listen. There is a responsibily in that.”

Michael Buble expressed his feelings on helping others, too, saying, “I think most people hopefully have compassion and empathy. We’ve been blessed, and we should help.”

Michael Buble and Paris Hilton – photo by Levi Walker

Manuela Testolini, founder of In A Perfect World, talked about giving back, saying, “It’s mutually beneficial. The thing that unites us despite our circumstances is the desire to create better world.”

Making a difference with makeovers

Another special touch to the event was the five women that were “hired” as extras from the LA Women’s Shelter. Celebrity hairdresser Ken Paves supervised red carpet makeovers for these women, providing hair, makeup and wardrobe. Shoes were donated by Jessica Simpson. The women were given life coaching lessons and a boost of confidence to help them show others that change is possible, that we can always reinvent ourselves (just like Madonna), and that there is always room for a second chance.

“Help other people”

While on the red carpet, Jane Seymour said, “It’s not just the Oscars, but giving back and helping other people. It’s about what you can do to help other people right now. The more we help other people, the better it will be for all of us. My mum always used to say to me, ‘When life is tough, go out and help other people’ […] Every single person on this planet can make a difference – it’s just an act of kindness.”

David Foster and Jane Seymour – photo by Levi Walker

So despite what we have been hearing on the news, it looks like there are a few of us out there that still believe in hope. Thank you, Leeza — it truly was a party with a purpose.

Look To The Stars Exclusive: Live Stream Of Leeza Gibbons' Night To Make A Difference

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Look To The Stars is proud to be involved in one of Hollywood’s premier charity Oscar parties this weekend. Leeza Gibbons’ A Night To Make A Difference will take place on Sunday, February 22, at the iconic Mr Chow in Beverly Hills, with a host of celebrities expected to attend. And Look To The Stars is streaming the event LIVE.

This unique event will bring together stars from film, TV, music, sports and fashion to celebrate the worlds of celebrity and charity. Special Ambassadors of Change who have used their celebrity to make a tangible difference in the world will be on hand to empower the audience to make a difference in their own lives.

Hosted by Leeza Gibbons, Olivia Newton-John and David Foster, the Night To Make A Difference will attract stars such as Paris Hilton, Jessica Biel, Forest Whitaker, Slash, Alan Thicke, Ashley Tisdale, Brooke Burns, Cheryl Burke, Cheryl Ladd, Chevy Chase, Danny Boyle, Darryl McDaniels, Dee Wallace, Hilary Duff, Holly Robinson-Peete, Jaclyn Smith, Jane Seymour, Joey Fatone, Jordin Sparks, Ken Paves, Mario Lopez, Mel B., Melissa Gilbert, Rick Schroder, Suzanne Somers, Taraji P. Henson, Teri Hatcher, Tony Hawk and many more.

“The Night To Make a Difference party is to benefit the [”Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation":http://www.looktothestars.org/charity/402-leezas-place] and my own Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center," Olivia Newton-John told Look To The Stars. “But now it has morphed into a bigger night than just our two charities – it’s about everybody’s philanthropy and giving back. It’s a new era in America with the new Obama presidency, and it’s all about giving back, so we decided to make the night an evening about celebrity giving – like the theme of Look To The Stars.”

Other charities to be involved with the event are Jessica Biel’s Make The Difference Network, the Felix Organization, the Children’s Hospice & Palliative Care Coalition, Cancer Schmancer Movement, Blessings in a Backpack, the Red Cross, TreePeople, the Tony Hawk Foundation, the David Foster Foundation, Smiles For Life, The HollyRod Foundation and many more.

“This event is truly different from the others and one of the aspects I am most excited about is the ability for viewers at home to be a part of the experience via the live webcast,” said Leeza Gibbons. “With Arquiva and Highwinds handling the technical wizardry, we are able to focus on our message of advocacy and philanthropy. Our hope is to inspire people at home and around the world to take action and knowing that we are able to reach a broad audience on the web means we truly have a chance to help create the change presented by our on-camera Hollywood celebrities. I think it’s what happens when Hollywood stars converge with technical stars like Arquiva and Highwinds. Our combination of being behind the scenes of movie’s most glamorous night along wtih it’s most passionate and purposeful stars takes the gold for best new web idea!”

The event kicks off at 4pm in Beverly Hills with Red Carpet arrivals. For more information and tickets, visit the official Night To Make A Difference website. And be sure to visit Look To The Stars’ special live stream of the event on Oscars night.

Be A Character In Trainspotting Prequel For Charity

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:32:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Author Irvine Welsh is offering a unique opportunity to appear in the prequel to one of his most popular novels.

The Scottish author is revisiting the early lives of the characters from Trainspotting – the book that became a major film directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor – and he is auctioning a part in the book to the highest bidder.

The 50-year-old writer is auctioning the unique prize to benefit Scottish Love in Action, a charity based in Scotland that cares for and supports destitute children in India by funding two projects in the South-East Indian state of Andhra Pradesh; a Home-cum-School in Tuni and a Home-cum-School in Hyderabad.

“I’ve been a frequent visitor to India and have visited several projects in Calcutta on behalf of [”UNICEF":http://www.looktothestars.org/charity/1-unicef]," he said. “Poverty is obviously a huge issue, but lack of opportunities go beyond essentials like food, shelter and employment. With access to a cultural life, people’s experiences are enriched beyond measure. I feel proud that people from my homeland are involved in this exciting and worthwhile project, and I’m happy to assist in any way I can.”

The auction will be part of a fundraising night that will take place at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on May 7. For tickets and more information contact Scottish Love in Action on 0131-558 7395 or visit their website.

Danny Boyle Gives Back To Young Actors In India

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British film director Danny Boyle is helping the children who featured in his new movie Slumdog Millionaire work their way out of poverty.

The movie – about a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on a game show and exceeds people’s expectations, raising the suspicions of the game show host and law enforcement – was filmed in India, with many of the young actors cast locally.

However, Boyle was horrified to learn about the terrible living conditions of the actors, and has set up trust funds for them for when they finish school to encourage them to continue their studies.

“Rabina [Ali, who plays a young Latika] and Azza [Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, who plays a young Salim] were from very poor backgrounds,” said Boyle, who also directed 28 Days Later and Trainspotting. “One night we heard a rumor that Azza’s house had been demolished. Their house had been cleared; he lives in a slum and occasionally the council just bulldozes them. We sent people to try to find him, and they found him asleep on a car rooftop.”

Boyle is also setting up funds to help the youngsters finish their schooling.

“They’re learning English, and they sent me birthday cards. I started weeping when I opened them.”

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“Without hope, life is just not worth living”…

A new type of Oscar party

Celebrity organisers with special causes

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Making a difference with makeovers

“Help other people”

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