Look To The Stars News: Idris Elba

Bono And Celebrity Friends Lead PSA Against Famine

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:29:00 +0000

Bono has recruited some of his celebrity friends – including George Clooney, Jessica Alba and Joe Jonas for a new charity PSA aimed at raising awareness about the famine in East Africa.

“Drought, violence and political instability have invited in the grim reaper on a scale we have not seen in 20 years… more than 30,000 children have died in just three months,” he writes in The Huffington Post. "The pictures from Dadaab look like a nightmare from centuries past. Yet, this is the 21st century and these pictures are real and, on the whole, unseen. The food crisis in the Horn of Africa is nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe, but it is getting less attention than the latest Hollywood break-ups and make-ups.

“ONE’s new film The F Word: Famine is the Real Obscenity isn’t a typical emotional emergency appeal. It’s about focusing the media spotlight on the tragedy unfolding. It’s about building political support in the US and around the world for interventions that will stop the suffering today and break the cycle of famine in the future. Most of all, it’s about taking action — because famine is man-made.

Stars To Celebrate World Peace Day At Bullets4Peace Event

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:30:00 +0000

A number of celebrities will come together on Wednesday for a very special World Peace Day celebration in Hollywood with Bullets4Peace.

The third annual Reloading Life event will feature a very special live performance by peace activist and international vocal sensation Liel Kolet, with a guest list that includes host Chris Noth, Bullets 4 Peace founder Rafi Anteby, LOVA Tea co-founders Stephanie Cence and Tara Wilson, Akon, America Ferrera, Bill Maher, Bobby Brown, Boris Kodjoe, Brandon T. Jackson, Brandy, Brian McKnight, Cedric the Entertainer, Chris Pine, Cynthia Nixon, Dennis Haysbert, Donald Faison, Eric Dane, Esai Morales, Eva Marcille, Forest Whitaker, George Lopez, Hill Harper, Idris Elba, Jill Hennessy, John Corbett, John Slattery, Jordin Sparks, Julie Benz, Kathy Griffin, Kiefer Sutherland, Keke Palmer, Kristin Davis, Kyle Maclachlan, Lance Gross, Lenny Kravitz, Paul Johansson, Regina King, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sean Penn, Shannon Elizabeth, Taraji P. Henson, Tatyana Ali, Travis Barker, Vivica Fox, Zoe Kravitz, Wayne Brady and many others.

Bullets4Peace is a jewelry line made of recycled bullet casings taken from reload centers, streets, and war zones. When a bullet is fired the tip flies towards the target and the casing falls to the ground. Manufacturers reload these casings with live ammunition. Bullets4Peace intercepts this vicious cycle by transforming the casings into unique and stylish pendants insuring that these bullets will never find their way back to war zones, thus promoting harmony and peace. Bullets4Peace transforms war bullets into beautiful and unique jewelry as a way of spreading consciousness of peace.

Idris Elba Goes To The Wire For Prince's Trust

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Before Idris Elba became a household name for his role as drug dealer Russell “Stringer” Bell in hit TV series The Wire, his acting career received a kick start from a UK-based charity – and now Elba is giving back to the British charity by filming a motivational documentary for the organization.

 "I grew up around people who have gone through hardship and crime and I knew people who were criminals," said Elba, “My character in The Wire harvests kids who have come out of school and into crime. But there are a lot of talented kids out there who just need a foot in the door.”  

The London-born actor is an anti-crime ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a UK charity set up by British royal Charles, Prince of Wales. The company gave him a $2,400 (£1,500) grant as a teenager, which paid for his place at the National Youth Music Theatre.  

Idris Elba Becomes Anit-Crime Ambassador

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Actor Idris Elba is giving back to the British charity that helped kick start his acting career by becoming an anti-crime ambassador for the organisation.

The star of The Wire has agreed to become an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, the youth-focused organization that he credits for launching his career after he won a $2,175 grant as a teenager, which paid for his place at the National Youth Music Theatre.

“The underlying issues of The Wire are not a million miles from what British kids are dealing with today,” he said. “The show is recognised for its realistic portrayal of urban life where kids hang around on corners with nothing to do. They are hand-picked by gangsters that offer them quick money for dirty jobs – this is very similar to the gang and drug culture emerging in some of the U.K.’s biggest cities.”

Stars Support New MTV Video Competition

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:30:00 +0000

MTV and MySpace have launched an exciting new competition that puts YOU in the creative driving seat. And if you win, you could be making your directorial debut on MTV… and helping the Staying Alive Foundation in their aim to reach at-risk youth and protect them from the multiple threats posed by HIV and AIDS.

Untold Stories is looking for budding scriptwriters to finish off three videos posted on the competition website, and the person whose ending really packs a punch will be chosen as the winner. If you’re that lucky person, you’ll get to make the script into a short film – with the help of MTV producers! According to the Staying Alive Foundation, not only will your finished masterpiece be shown on MTV channels, but you’ll also be whisked off to watch your film played at a World AIDS Day event in India.

The competition is being supported by Selma Blair, Ludacris, T-Pain, Idris Elba, and Ashley Judd – all of whom appear in the videos on the competition’s MySpace page.

Supporting A Colorful Vision Of Hollywood

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:23:33 +0000

The 15th annual Diversity Awards, a night when Hollywood celebrates diversity in the fields of film and television, took place at Universal Studios on November 17. The event is a benefit for the Multicultural Motion Picture Association’s (MMPA) Educational and Development Scholarship Fund, which helps talented and dedicated students seeking entry into the film and television professions.

The black tie event was open to the public at a ticket price of $300.00, and included a live auction conducted during the dinner in an effort to raise funds for the scholarship fund. A signed guitar by the members of R&B group Outkast was among the items for bid. A basketball signed by the original members of the Olympic Dream Team, including Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson, was also up for sale, and from the newer regime of basketball fame, there was a sneaker autographed by Kobe Bryant.

Celebrities of varied cultural backgrounds, including those of British, Haitian, Indian, Latino, Italian, and American descent, came to present awards and support the event. Antonio Sabato Jr, Tatayana Ali, Sharon Leal, Kel Mitchell, Kal Penn, Sally Richardson, Michael DeLorenzo, and Romeo were just a few of the stars of the film, television and music worlds to attend.