Look To The Stars News: Idris Elba

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.”

The Prince’s Trust was set up by Prince Charles in 1976 to offer support to disadvantaged young people by training, mentoring and financial assistance to help them achieve their potential.

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.

As well as the competition – which ends on September 2 – the Staying Alive Foundation is also auctioning a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the excitement of the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7, including celebrity meet & greets, red carpet access, after party tickets, and accommodation at The Standard in downtown LA. The auction ends on August 28, and can be accessed through the Charity Folks website.

The Staying Alive Foundation is a charity established by MTV in 2005 to present small grants that support innovative projects in schools, youth centers, and clubs to educate youth about safe sex and HIV/AIDS.

Supporting A Colorful Vision Of Hollywood

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

Written by Crystal A. Johnson

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.

Oscar Torre, of the CBS hit “Cane”, expressed his excitement about presenting an award to “The Bronx is Burning”, a miniseries that represents multiple cultures. In a red carpet interview, Torre shared his sentiments about working on “Cane”: “I grew up watching very few Latinos on TV and when I would see them… they would be playing criminals, delinquents, and maids. It is great to do a show about Latinos, and Latinos doing well.”

Heroes star Jimmy-Jean Louis – commonly known as “The Haitian” – presented an award to his “Phat Girlz” co-star, Monique. Answering the question of how important it was to present drama that is diverse, Louis said “It is a shame that we have to make it a point, nowadays, when it should be normal to see all kinds of people on TV.” He also spoke proudly of the diversity on Heroes, “It has Japanese, Indians, Blacks, Haitians, Latinos and it is doing really well. The whole world is watching. Hopefully, in the next few years, there will be more shows like that which will bring people closer together to being able to accept each other.”

The awards gala opened with a spirited song and dance featuring moments from High School Musical 2, in homage to Kenny Ortega, winner of the award for Best Director of a Comedy or Musical for the blockbuster Disney sequel. Other distinguished award honorees included Leonardo DiCaprio and fellow producers of the eco-crisis documentary The 11th Hour, which received the award for Best Documentary.

Currently starring in American Gangster, Idris Elba took home the award for Best Actor in a Drama for Daddy’s Little Girls. When asked what it meant to him to receive the Diversity Award in this category, he replied “It’s huge! The Diversity Award is a great award to get as a best actor…this is actually my first award ever. It’s also great to show there is diversity in our industry. The fact that a black man in a predominately black film can win this award is a huge step forward.”

Brittany Snow and Elijah Kelly won the Nova award for their artistic performance in the cult-classic turned hit summer film Hairspray. The Nova award is for rising young stars. Other Diversity Award winners included actor Jon Heder, and the casts of House, The Office, Shark, and Passions.

More information on winners can be found at www.thediversityawards.org.

Look To The Stars News: Idris Elba

Idris Elba Becomes Anit-Crime Ambassador

Related past articles

Stars Support New MTV Video Competition

Related past articles

Supporting A Colorful Vision Of Hollywood

Related past articles