Look To The Stars News: Nicole Kidman

Keith Urban Thinks You Would Look Good In His Old Shirt

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Kiwi-born country singer Keith Urban has launched a special new charity auction inspired by his latest hit, You Look Good in my Old T-Shirt.

The country star – who recently became a father for the first time with his wife, Nicole Kidman – has convinced a wide cross-section of his musical friends to join him in donating previously worn T-Shirts to the internet sale to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Stars to take up his cause include Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Josh Turner, Keith Anderson, Ronnie Milsap, Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, Trace Adkins, Faith Hill, Darryl Worley and members of Little Big Town.

“St. Jude is a charity that is very near and dear to my heart,” said Urban. “Our fans have always graciously offered their support in past fund-raisers we have done for St. Jude, so I think this auction will be a great success.”

The auction, which runs for 2 weeks, can be accessed through www.keithurbanauction.com.

Stars Beat Bullying With New Auction

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A hot new charity auction has been launched on eBay, featuring items from Nicole Kidman, Avril Lavigne, and Girls Aloud.

The stars have joined with the UK’s leading bullying prevention charity – BeatBullying – for its annual celebrity auction, with all cash raised going towards its peer mentoring work in schools throughout Britain.

Bidders have the chance to pick up items such as a Golden Compass movie poster signed by Kidman and Daniel Craig; the outfits Girls Aloud wore when performing their number one hit Sexy No! No! No! live on BBC1; sheet music, photos, a t-shirt, and a CD signed by Avril Lavigne; a vest worn by Cheryl Cole; a DVD signed by Jimmy Carr; a photo signed by Simon Cowell; a program signed by Judi Dench; and a chance to meet the Sugababes and 2 tickets to see them in concert in Dagenham on August 9.

Beatbullying believes that the introduction of progressive bullying prevention programs in the UK will reduce bullying, reduce truancy levels, and reduce racist and homophobic violence and abuse in schools. The auction runs until July 20, and can be accessed via eBay.

Nicole Kidman Pushes The Anti-Violence Point

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:23:30 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Actress Nicole Kidman spoke out against violence towards women at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, and urged people to add their names to a website that calls on world leaders to end impunity for perpetrators, provide services for survivors and, most importantly, invest in prevention.

The 40-year-old, who is seven months pregnant, attended the news conference to encourage world leaders and the general public to join the global fight to end violence against women, what she calls the “most widespread human rights violation of our time.”

“One in three women will encounter violence in some way, shape or form against them in their lifetime,” said the heavily-pregnant Kidman. “That’s an extraordinary statistic. Yet do we ever hear it?”

The Australian star became a UNIFEM goodwill ambassador in January 2006, and used Tuesday’s meeting to urge people of all nations to add their names to the www.saynotoviolence.org website and demand “that ending violence against women be made a top priority for governments everywhere.” She also encouraged the private sector to contribute to the U.N. Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which provides grants for programs in the developing world to help fight the scourge.

The website was established in November 2007, and has so far gathered over 211,000 names in its mission to raise awareness of the issue. In January, the U.N. Foundation said it would donate $1 to the fund for each of the first 100,000 signatures – a milestone that has been and gone, and still the number of people showing their support has shown no sign of slowing down.

And Joanne Sandler, Acting Executive Director of UNIFEM, said progress has been made: 89 countries have laws on domestic violence, more than 100 have made rape a crime, 90 have provisions against sexual harassment, and 93 on human trafficking.

Hilary Swank Honored For Charity Work

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:08:35 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Oscar winning actress Hilary Swank was honored at a special function in Los Angeles last week for her work with cancer charities.

The 33-year-old was presented with the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s 2008 Courage Award, in recognition of her efforts on behalf of the EIF’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund. Past recipients of the award have included Melissa Etheridge, Lance Armstrong, and Nicole Kidman.

Among the stars to pay tribute to Swank at last week’s ceremony, held at the Beverly Wiltshire, were Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Christian Slater.

The award was presented by Swank’s Million Dollar Baby co-star Morgan Freeman, who said “she truly has the heart of a champion."

In November 2007, Swank chopped off over 9 inches of her hair on Oprah and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a campaign working with the American Cancer Society to provide free wigs to women who have lost their hair after cancer treatment.

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.

George Clooney - A Messenger Of Peace

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:34:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Academy Award winner George Clooney was made a United Nations Messenger of Peace at a function in New York yesterday, January 31, and has pledged to “shine a light” on UN peacekeeping efforts around the world, particularly in Darfur.

“When I stood in the hospital next to women who had been raped and set on fire, they looked up to me and said ’please send the UN’ – not the US, not China, not Russia, just the UN,” said the 46-year-old actor who has just returned from visiting the war-torn nation of Sudan. “You are their only hope.”

However, several UN member nations claimed the actor’s trip was “inappropriate”, and blocked him from delivering his full message to the assembly. Instead, Clooney read it to reporters during a press conference that followed.

“The message is that the world is watching, and that at this point we cannot afford to fail,” he said. “Millions are homeless – not from famine or disease or acts of God – but from a well armed militia intent on ridding the land of its people.”

The conflict in the Sudanese region of Darfur began in 2003 when ethnic African rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government. Sudan’s regime is accused of retaliating by organizing a militia of Arab nomads, known as the Janjaweed, to reign terror on the region’s African inhabitants, an allegation the Khartoum denies. It has been estimated that over 200,000 people have been slain since the conflict arose, and the United Nations now states that the humanitarian crisis in Darfur is the worst in the world. However, plans to send 26,000 UN peacekeepers into the region are now in doubt due to restrictions imposed by the Khartoum, as well of the failure of Western countries to offer help.

“We tend to not get to see enough of what we need to see anymore,” said Clooney. “It seems as if at times celebrity can bring that focus. It can’t make the policies, it can’t change people’s minds really, but you can bring a camera where you go because they’ll follow you and you can shine a light on it. That seems to be my job.”

Clooney is the ninth person to be made a United Nations Messenger of Peace since the program was established in 1998 by former Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. Each Messenger of Peace is chosen from the art, music, literature, or sports worlds to focus attention on UN work, with each Messenger holding the post for three years. Former Messengers of Hope include Michael Douglas, Muhammad Ali, and Vijay Amritraj.

Clooney said his new role was to raise awareness about UN peacekeeping efforts generally, and he would “go wherever I have to to bring some attention.”

He also plans to lobby countries to fulfill their UN peacekeeping funding commitments, and specifically mentioned the United States, which he said owed $1.2 billion.

“There are some groups protecting 250 square kilometers of desert with no helicopters and no radios that work,” he said. "These men and women risking their lives for peace are your responsibility. So either give them the basic tools for protecting the population and themselves or have the decency to bring them all home because you can’t do it halfway.”

George Clooney was born in Kentucky in 1961, but spent part of his childhood in Ohio. After attending – but not graduating from – university, Clooney caught the acting bug. His father was a journalist and talk show host who often used to take young George to the set with him, and the experience added to his son’s wish to become an actor.

Clooney spent the 1980s appearing as minor characters in shows such as The Facts Of Life and The Golden Girls, but it wasn’t until he appeared as Dr Doug Ross in ER in 1994 that he achieved stardom. This was followed by his first movie role in Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn, opposite Quentin Tarantino.

There was no looking back for Clooney after that. The rest of the 90s was spent with starring roles in One Fine Day (opposite Michelle Pfeiffer), The Peacemaker (opposite Nicole Kidman), Batman And Robin, The Perfect Storm, and Three Kings.

But it was his appearance in Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 remake of Ocean’s Eleven, alongside Don Cheadle, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon, that really shot his star into orbit. As well as spawning two sequels, the film set up a friendship that would help raise awareness of one of the worst humanitarian crises of the new century, and also raise much needed funds for the charities that are involved.

In 2006, Don Cheadle started to write a book about the crisis in Darfur. His passion for the subject attracted the attention of Clooney, who visited the Sudanese region armed with a video camera. The footage he shot of refugees was shown around the world and became a call to action for the two actors. In September of that year, Clooney spoke in front of the UN Security Council, to raise their awareness of the crisis and plead for their help. In December, Clooney accompanied Cheadle on a tour of Egypt and China, in which the pair met with government officials to convince them to pressure Sudan’s Khartoum to bring a halt to the fighting.

Cheadle’s book, Not On Our Watch, was published early in 2007, and in May, Cheadle and Clooney launched the Not On Our Watch organization at the Cannes Film Festival. Their fundraising was an immediate success, with over $9.2 million raised during the first month, and another $750,000 raised in June. The money was donated to a number of charities that work in Darfur, including the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Save the Children, and the World Food Programme.

In October, Clooney appeared in Cheadle’s Darfur Now film, and talked about his experiences in the region, as well as the atrocities he had witnessed during his visits. And in December, both Clooney and Cheadle received special Peace Medals from Nobel Peace Prize laureates in Rome.

Clooney hopes his Messenger of Peace status will help him raise awareness of the horrors he has seen in Darfur, and he will continue to work towards the goal of sending peacekeepers to the Sudan to protect the innocent people being butchered, raped, and tortured every day.

“There’s a lot more responsibility with this one than with an Oscar, which all you really have to do is, you know, drink after the party.”

Nicole Kidman Supports UNIFEM

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 10:04:49 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

After winning substantial libel damages from a British tabloid, Nicole Kidman plans to donate her compensation to the United Nations Development Fund For Women (UNIFEM). UNIFEM consider Kidman – a goodwill ambassador for them since January 2006 – a gift thanks to her visibility, voice and connections.

“Violence against women is an appalling human rights violation,” said Kidman during their Say NO to Violence Against Women campaign, launched last month in response to the ever-slow progress against abuses such as rape, household violence, trafficking and traditional practices. According to statistics, one in three women will experience violence in her lifetime.

The campaign invites people to add their names to www.saynotoviolence.org with the goal of getting enough signatures to put the issue on the global agenda. Although there are more and more legislative provisions addressing domestic violence today, implementation of laws and lack of resources is insufficient.

“As long as violence is pervasive and women do not dare to accuse their abusers, the issue needs to be much more prominent in public debate,” said Joanne Sandler, acting UNIFEM Executive Director.

Over the past decade, 120 countries have received much-needed support for hundreds of projects through UNIFEM’s Trust Fund. This year alone, $5 million has been awarded to various initiatives, which include a community-based referral system supporting survivors of domestic violence in Albania, implementation of criminal code provisions prohibiting female genital mutilation in Egypt, awareness programs on HIV/AIDS and violence against women in Peru, and implementation of national laws on violence against women in Rwanda.

“As an integral part of our Internet campaign, the UN Trust Fund shows that violence against women is a problem with a solution,” said Sandler.

Kidman hopes to be a lifelong part of UNIFEM: “When you’ve been blessed with a fortunate life, it is very much your duty to find the places where you can give back.”

The Say NO to Violence against Women campaign will run until March 8, 2008, International Women’s Day.

Celebrity Auctions For Christmas

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:34:25 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

As the clock counts down to Christmas, celebrities have been keeping busy and warm by signing as many different items as humanly possible and donating them to a plethora of auctions. The holiday season may be at fever pitch now, but there is certainly a wide range of gift ideas to ease the stress of last minute shopping.

The VH1 Holiday Auction is currently being held at www.vh1auctions.com, and includes a long list of memorabilia from the music industry. All proceeds from the auction will go to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, an initiative dedicated to restoring music programs in schools across the US.

Items up for grabs include a harmonica signed by Alice Cooper (which has already attracted bids of $250), signed photos of Aerosmith and Chris Cornell ($300), and a guitar personally autographed by Ryan Adams ($1500). Signed clothing is also big on the agenda, with a jacket from Snoop Dogg, a vest from Iggy Pop, and sneakers from Amy Winehouse.

Signed guitars are also available as part of the Private Sessions Charity Auction, with all proceeds to benefit the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation. Avril Lavigne, the Goo Goo Dolls, Meat Loaf, the Barenaked Ladies, and Toby Keith are among the stars to sign both an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar for the auction, which also includes movie clapper boards autographed by Queen Latifah, Michael Douglas, and Anthony Hopkins.

But if these items whet your appetite, you have to be quick. The auction ends on December 12.

For those people celebrating Christmas in Australia this year, the Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia is auctioning Christmas decorations signed by various celebrities. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, The Rock, Delta Goodrem, Missy Higgins, and rugby league stars Matthew Johns and Benji Marshall have all put their names on baubles to raise money for sick children in the country.

An auction is also being held by Russell Simmons’ Diamond Empowerment Fund, to raise money for education programs in African countries where diamonds are a natural resource. A variety of fine diamond pieces are up for sale at www.ebay.com/diamondsgive, including an exquisite diamond-encrusted Ohm watch from the Simmons Jewelry Company. The opportunity to take part in exclusive photo shoots with celebrities such as Petra Nemcova, Naomi Campbell, LL Cool J, and Cedric The Entertainer are also up for grabs in the auction.

Actress and environmental activist Daryl Hannah is also doing her bit to ease the shopping blues this year, and has launched a brand new online store. www.dhlovelife.com offers goods picked with serious consideration of their environmental, social, and animal welfare impact. And if special holiday items such as an organic peace wreath and 100% recycled cards do not excite you, the store also offers compost buckets, surfboards and guitars made from hemp, bamboo snowboards, organic dog treats, and even a solar powered boat. The actress will also sell her personal bio diesel car and home fueling system on the site on December 20.

And finally a little news from the recent Lightspeed Fine Art Celebrity Charity Auction, held in Lake Forest, California, on the weekend of December 1 and 2. Lightspeed specializes in artworks relating to science fiction, and their eighth annual auction attracted guests from shows such as Stargate, Voyager, and Battlestar Galactica.

A surprise guest at the auction was Leonard Nimoy, better known as Mr Spock from Star Trek. Nimoy, who is reputed to have a huge personal collection of Star Trek memorabilia, donated several items to the auction signed by himself and William Shatner, including a plaque awarded from NASA for “inspiring a generation of scientists and explorers”.

Nimoy’s contributions made over $14,000 of the total $40,000 raised during the auction, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society and the Nimoy Foundation, an initiative that gives grants to artists-in-residence programs in museums and galleries around the US.

In the words of Mr Spock – “live long and prosper”.

Celebrity Designed Corsets On Auction

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:06:55 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Some of Hollywood’s hottest celebrities have teamed up to design a series of corsets to be auctioned off in October.

Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria, Teri Hatcher, and Jessica Biel are just some of the stars who have submitted designs for the 4th annual Frederick’s Of Hollywood Celebrity Corset Auction. The event, which is being run in conjunction with the internet charity auction site Clothes Off Our Back, will raise money for a variety of children’s charities, including Second Harvest, a non-profit organization that benefits the hungry, The Art of Elysium, which uses art to help the sick, and World Education, a charity that provides training to underprivileged children around the world. Some of the proceeds will also go towards research into autism.

“In previous years, we got $18,000 for Charlize Theron’s corset and $10,000 for Nicole Kidman’s," said Frederick’s of Hollywood’s Erin Dominguez. “Each year we set the bar higher and hope to get more.”

To create the pieces, the celebrities were each given a special design kit to make a sketch of their creation. It was then up to costume designer Linda Stokes, best known for dressing Gwen Stefani on tour, to produce the garments.

“You get to draw and sketch,” said Eva Longoria about her design. “And I sketched some tulle at the top and it has all of this beading.”

Andy Garcia, star of the Ocean’s 11 movies, was inspired in his design by the flag of his native Cuba. Others took a more fanciful approach, with Ashley Olsen’s design dripping black feathers, and Kyra Sedgwick’s creation appearing to have garbage trailing off the hem. Other celebrities involved in the campaign include Christina Aguilera, actress and Clothes Off Our Back founder Jane Kaczmarek, Maria Menounos, Gabrielle Union, Ashlee Simpson, Mandy Moore, Debra Messing, Fergie, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette.

The event kicked off on October 25, with a live auction hosted at Frederick’s flagship store on Hollywood Boulevard, and the online auction runs until November 5 on www.clothesoffourback.org.

“I think you should bid on any and all of them,” said Oscar nominee Julianne Moore, whose peacock inspired design is featured in the auction. “I love them, and it’s a great cause.”

Stars Design Plates For Charity

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:51:22 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

For those who want to have dinner with the stars, this could be the next best thing. A selection of dinner plates designed by celebrities are for sale, with proceeds going to charity.

The plates feature designs by David Bowie, George Clooney, Giorgio Armani, Coldplay, Minnie Driver, and Sir Michael Caine, and are part of a fundraising initiative from 21st Century Leaders, a non-profit organization that plans to raise $3 million over three years through its “Whatever It Takes” celebrity-designed merchandise. So far, the organization has raised almost $1.5 million to fund “charitable projects in developing countries, and contribute to the protection of the environment and other causes”.

21st Century Leaders was founded by Charlotte di Vita, MBE, a goodwill ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. The 39 year old founded her first charity, Trade plus Aid, in 1992, which has raised over $5 million and helped communities in 21 developing countries to become self-supporting. A desire to do more led di Vita to start Whatever It Takes, a unique charity art project where celebrities donate their own artwork, which is then transferred onto “merchandise with a meaning”.

“It’s 15 minutes of their time to do an artwork,” said di Vita. “And it’s not just for a one-off sale or auction – I can use it to create employment and royalties that will help the charities for years to come.”

Proceeds from the products are distributed to a charity of the designer’s choice, and the dinner plates (which retail for $20) will benefit Oxfam, Save the Children, CARE International, UNHCR, and Anti-Slavery International. Other products available include mugs featuring the designs of Claudia Schiffer, Ewan McGregor, and Nicole Kidman (also retailing for $20), T-shirts designed by the Kaiser Chiefs ($80), shoes designed by Ozzy Osbourne ($80), and wristbands by Joss Stone, Green Day, and Paul McCartney ($6).

All merchandise is available from www.whateverittakes.org.

Kevin Bacon Launches “SixDegrees.org”

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 10:02:12 -0000

Kevin Bacon has launched SixDegrees.org, a new web site that builds on the popularity of the “small world phenomenon” to create a charitable social network and inspire giving to charities online.

Bacon started the network with celebrities who are highlighting their favorite charities – including Kyra Sedgwick (Natural Resources Defense Council), Nicole Kidman (UNIFEM), Ashley Judd (YouthAIDS), Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek (Clothes Off Our Back), Dana Delany (Scleroderma Research Foundation), Robert Duvall (Pro Mujer), Rosie O’Donnell (Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation), and Jessica Simpson (Operation Smile) – and he encouraged everyone to be celebrities for their own causes by joining the Six Degrees movement.

“SixDegrees.org is about using the idea that we are all connected to accomplish something good,” said Bacon. “It is my hope that Six Degrees will soon be something more than a game or a gimmick. It will also be a force for good, by bringing a social conscience to social networking.”

The game, ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,’ made the rounds of college campuses over the past decade and lived on to be a shorthand term for the small world phenomenon.

Bacon created SixDegrees.org in partnership with the nonprofit, Network for Good, AOL, and Entertainment Weekly. Through SixDegrees.org, which builds on Network for Good’s giving system for donating to more than one million charities online and AOL’s AIM Pages social networking service, people can learn about and support the charities of celebrities or fundraise for their own favorite causes with their own friends and families. Bacon will match the charitable dollars raised by the top six non-celebrity fundraisers with grants of up to $10,000 each.

“People give to charity because someone they know or respect asks them. So charities are increasingly looking to their supporters – not just themselves – to raise awareness and money online. That means both celebrities and everyday people can make an enormous difference for people in need,” said Bill Strathmann, CEO of Network for Good.

SixDegrees.org harnesses two important online trends: the exponential growth of social networks and the increasing interest in using the web for raising money for charity among family and friends. Through SixDegrees.org, people can upload their own photos and stories and fundraise for the charity of their choice with their own charity badges and AIM Pages.

To kick off the launch of SixDegrees.org, Bacon will attend opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, where he and other celebrities will be encouraging charitable giving. Entertainment Weekly is celebrating SixDegrees.org and Kevin Bacon at its third annual Sundance Festival Opening Weekend Party on January 20 at Jean Louis in Park City. At the party, guests will be able to learn more about SixDegrees.org and celebrities will be encouraged to donate their “swag” to benefit charity. Items will later be listed on eBay using eBay Giving Works.

There will also be a representative from SixDegrees.org in Entertainment Weekly’s Main Street photo studio throughout the week so that when celebrities come to be photographed for the magazine, they can learn more about the organization and find out how they can get involved. Bacon will also be feted at an AOL reception where he will tape an episode of Moviefone.com’s Unscripted with Bradley Whitford, a SixDegrees.org participant and star of “An American Crime” premiering at Sundance.

“AIM Pages and Six Degrees are the perfect pairing as the immense popularity of social networking and the importance of individual giving converge. We look forward to building an important network of good-deed-doers via AIM Pages to benefit the scores of charities associated with Six Degrees,” according to Marcien Jenckes, VP/GM, Instant Messaging & Social Media, AOL.

Kidman Designs T-Shirt For Breast Cancer Charity

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 20:24:11 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Hollywood beauty Nicole Kidman is continuing her support for the UK charity Breast Cancer Care by designing a T-shirt for their Little Tee Campaign.

Commenting on her design she said, “I first worked with Breast Cancer Care about a year ago and saw what remarkable and effective work they did. To me this image represents the power and importance of support, comfort and care, so crucial to those with breast cancer and their families.”

Shirts and vests designed by a variety of celebrities including Sienna Miller and Sharon Osbourne are on sale at 600 Dorothy Perkins stores as well as at the Dorothy Perkins website. The shirts cost £15 each, with £5 going directly to Breast Cancer Care.

“After raising an incredible £1.3 million for Breast Cancer Care last year, we are delighted that Dorothy Perkins is continuing to support the charity in 2006,” said Murray Lindo, the charity’s director of fundraising.

Kidman’s mother successfully fought off breast cancer when Nicole was young.

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