Look To The Stars News: Mel Gibson

Oksana Grigorieva Hosts Charity Party For Chernobyl Children

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:30:00 -0000

Mel Gibson's girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva brought together a circle of friends on Thursday evening at a benefit to support Chernobyl Children's Project International's cardiac surgery program.

At the February 11 event at Romanov Restaurant & Lounge in Studio City, Grigorieva performed her charity single, Angel, available on iTunes and through her website at Oksana.fm.

Joined at the benefit by Mel Gibson, Grigorieva asked her friends to support the efforts of the charity to bring hope to children in Chernobyl affected regions of Ukraine and Belarus.

Adi Roche, founder of CCPI and in from Ireland, vividly described the situation in Chernobyl regions today, where families and communities still suffer medical, social and economic consequences of the 1986 nuclear accident. She told the guests, “The images from Chernobyl are different from the deeply disturbing images of war that we see on our TV screens every night, where one can see the immediacy of bullets and bombs. But the war of Chernobyl is none the less deadly – it just happens to be invisible, slowly permeating everything, affecting the very cycle of life itself.”

Today in Ukraine, 6000 children are born every year with genetic heart defects. More than half of these children will not get the surgery they need to survive and will die. Funds raised at the benefit will allow Chernobyl Children’s Project International to send volunteer surgery teams to Ukraine and Belarus to operate on children for free and train local physicians. Grigorieva invited her guests to see their donations put into action by visiting her blog, Twitter, and Facebook pages over the next few weeks to see photos of children who receive life saving surgeries in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Oksana Grigorieva is a classically trained pianist and singer who recently wrote and produced her own album, Beautiful Heartache.

Chernobyl Children’s Project International is a 501c3 non profit based in the USA and Ireland that helps children and families in Belarus and Ukraine who suffer socially, medically and economically from the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. Find out more here.

Oksana Grigorieva Films PSA For Chernobyl Victims

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Oksana Grigorieva, the Russian/Ukrainian singer who just gave birth to a baby with Mel Gibson, has filmed a video designed to raise awareness about the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, and is asking viewers to join her in supporting the Chernobyl Children's Project International.

Today in Ukraine, 6000 children are born with genetic cardiac disease, and only half will get the surgery they need to survive. The others will die. Chernobyl Children’s Project International is sending volunteer cardiac surgery teams to Ukraine and Belarus to perform free operations. Oksana is from that part of the world and she is very passionate about finding a way to help.

“Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI) helps children and families in communities that suffer the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986,” says Oksana. "As a mother myself, I really believe that it is important for people — especially children — to look forward to the future with hope, not with fear and dread. Chernobyl Children’s Project International’s calling card is one of hope. They work to interrupt the domino effect of poverty, poor health, and social upheaval that continues to plague so many in the region. They offer solutions and partnerships, not mere charity.

“I always dreamed that if I were so fortunate as to have my music heard, I would want to use that opportunity to do something good. With the release of my charity single, Angel,, I’ve decided to focus my fundraising efforts on CCPI’s children’s cardiac program.

“One of the things that really attracted me to CCPI is their focus on volunteerism. It’s truly in their DNA, with volunteers from the United States and Ireland regularly traveling to Ukraine and Belarus to work side by side with their professional peers. If you are a nurse, doctor, dentist, physical or occupational therapist, or speech/language pathologist I urge you to contact CCPI and see if there is some way for you to get involved. You can reach them at info@chernobyl-international.org. Likewise, if you would like to help with fundraising or spreading the word, please get in touch — we need you, too! Working together we can make a difference in the lives of these children.”

Oksana’s video is about a minute and a half long and is moving and inspirational. Oksana appears in it and narrates it, but it really focuses on children and volunteers.

To view the video, click here.

Giving Back Fund Releases 2009's Top Celebrity Givers

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Look To The Stars is proud to announce that our partners at the Giving Back Fund have announced their third annual Giving Back 30, a list of celebrities who have made the largest donations to charity according to public records.

Readers may have been surprised to learn that Paul Newman replaced Oprah Winfrey as the most generous celebrity of 2008. Oprah had occupied the number one spot by a wide margin for the first two years of the list.

Before his death, Newman made a donation of nearly $21 million to his self-named Newman’s Own Foundation. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were second with a $13.5 million donation to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which distributed $6.4 million to charity, including a $2 million grant to The Global Health Committee for an Ethiopian clinic project, a $1 million grant to the Make it Right Foundation founded by Pitt, and $500,000 to the Armed Services YMCA USA.

Also on the list: Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Mel Gibson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Laurie and Larry David and Drew Barrymore. Several authors made the list this year, along with representatives from the NBA, NFL and NASCAR. To see the complete list visit The Giving Back Fund’s web site at www.givingback.org.

HOW IT WAS COMPILED
 To compile the most accurate rankings, The Giving Back Fund culled media reports of charitable giving by sports and entertainment professionals; reviewed PF-990 tax-forms; contacted more than 250 publicists, attorneys, agents, agencies, and managers for information about their clients; polled more than 150 charities known for their celebrity associations; and contacted all of the major sports leagues.

The Giving Back Fund did not include grants made by foundations in the list so as to avoid counting the same funds twice - once when the donor gave money to a foundation and again when the donor decided on a beneficiary for that money. The Giving Back Fund did not calculate giving as a percentage of the celebrities’ income because there are no public records documenting income. Re-directed income from sponsorship and merchandising deals to charity made by a celebrity was also not reported as it is not available to the public.

 Donations to private foundations are disclosed in public documents. However, donations to public charities are not publicly disclosed and therefore may not be reported in the Giving Back 30.

UPCOMING: CELEBRITY CHARITIES’ DISTRIBUTION TO CHARITY
 The Giving Back Fund will be releasing a second list in early 2010 reporting on the dollar amount distributed to charities by public and private celebrity foundations, respectively. Charities may submit their 2008 990 reports for review to The Giving Back Fund at GivingBack30@givingback.org.

New Film Addresses Iran's Human Rights Violations

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Melissa Charbonneau

On the heels of Iran’s controversial presidential election, the Iranian-born star and the Iranian-American director of the docu-drama “The Stoning of Soraya M.” will highlight human rights issues in Iran at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on June 17.

In a panel discussion, Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (“House of Sand and Fog,” “24”) and director Cyrus Nowrasteh (“The Path to 9/11”) will discuss the brutal practice of execution by stoning, injustices against women, international human rights violations, and their film “The Stoning of Soraya M.”

Adapted from French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam’s 1994 book “The Stoning of Soraya M.,” (Amazon) the film tells the true story of an incident that took place Iran in the 1980’s after the Islamic Revolution – the stoning execution of a young woman named Soraya, convicted on false charges of adultery. Journalist Sahebjam, played by Jim Caviezel (“Déjà vu,” “The Passion of the Christ,” “The Thin Red Line”) relays the tale told by Soraya’s aunt, played by Aghdashloo. The film’s graphic stoning scene has been called powerful, haunting, and difficult to watch, but one Aghdashloo says she had to do.

“I’ve been waiting to do this for 20 years,” says Aghdashloo, who fled her native Iran in the 1970’s, and filmed the feature not in her homeland but on location in the Middle East. “This one goes beyond an ordinary film for me. Despite all the negative voices around me when I started it, I did it. Some worried. Members of the family opposed it. My mother asked why I did this.”

Despite a nationwide tour to promote the film and raise awareness about global violations of women’s rights, the movie’s defenders dismiss suggestions that the film’s violent scenes linked to Islamic fundamentalism could unfairly spark new waves of anti-Muslim sentiment. A familiar charge for “Stoning” producer Steve McEveety (MPower Pictures), who faced similar criticism for the graphic scenes in Mel Gibson's “The Passion of the Christ.”

Veteran film promoter Dennis Rice says the film is not anti-Muslim or anti-Iran, but instead a metaphor for a lot of issues that are relevant today and are occurring in many parts of the world. “An actual stoning is far more barbaric and difficult to watch,” says Rice. He says there was a fine line between watering down the stoning scene while still maintaining its visceral impact. “As the director told me, it is an artistic representation. It’s hard to portray something as barbaric as this so people will have the right response. To be any more watered down than it already is would be a gross disservice to any victim who’s endured this treatment.”

For the film’s star, speaking out on injustice against women is one reason she’s been unable to travel to her homeland for the last 30 years, but it’s an issue close to her heart. “I’ve never kept quiet and never gone back,” she says. “I’ve always been in danger. I felt like that many years now. It doesn’t matter. My life is not as important as the girls who’s been, who are at this very moment… on death row waiting to be stoned.”

Aghdashloo has also appeared in the BBC/HBO miniseries “House of Sadaam,” The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," "The Lake House, “American Dreamz,” “X-Men: The Last Stand,” "The Nativity Story, and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.” The film will be released nationwide in limited theaters on June 26. More information about the film can be found here.

The Hiltons Help Out For Christmas

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Paris Hilton's mother, Kathy, held her annual Christmas auction to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation on Saturday, December 20.

The auction was broadcast live on the internet and featured over 200 items, such as a meet-and-greet with the Jonas Brothers, shoes and a necklace donated by Elizabeth Taylor, autographed guitars from Melissa Etheridge and Avril Lavigne, a tambourine signed by Brian Wilson and designer clothes taken from the closets of Paris and Nicky Hilton.

Kathy Hilton held her first celebrity auction last year, and raised over $27,000 with items such as Mel Gibson's jeans, Tom Cruise's sunglasses, and an Ocean’s Thirteen script signed by the movie’s stars, including George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

The auction isn’t the only good thing Paris and Nicky are doing this Holiday Season. Last week they were spotted distributing toys to disadvantaged children at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles.

Giving Back Fund Announces Top 30 Celebrity Givers

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:30:00 -0000

The Giving Back Fund has released its second annual Giving Back 30 survey, a ranking of the celebrities who have made the largest donations to charity in 2007 according to public records.

Heading the list was Oprah Winfrey, who donated $50.2 million to the Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Oprah's Angel Network to “support the
inspiration, empowerment and education of women, children, and families around the world and to encourage people around the world to make a difference in the lives of others”. Coming in second was Herb Alpert, who donated a total of $13 million to the Herb Alpert Foundation, followed by Barbra Streisand, who gave over $11 million to the Streisand Foundation.

To compile the most accurate rankings, The Giving Back Fund culled media reports of charitable giving by sports and entertainment professionals; reviewed PF-990 tax-forms; contacted more than 250 publicists, attorneys, agents, agencies, and managers for information about their clients; sent inquiries to more than 150 charities known for their celebrity associations; and contacted the major sports leagues.

“Our hope is that celebrities will begin to become more comfortable sharing information about their charitable giving - perhaps not disclosing everything they give, but sharing enough that they will serve as role-models to their peers and fans,” said Marc Pollick, President and Founder of The Giving Back Fund. “We know that many celebrities re-direct income from sponsorship and merchandising deals to charity, or help to raise funds in other ways. We are researching reliable means to report this information in a separate list.”

The Giving Back Fund did not include grants made by foundations in the list so as to avoid counting the same funds twice - once when the donor gave money to a foundation and again when the donor decided on a beneficiary for that money. The Giving Back did not calculate giving as a percentage of the celebrities income because there is no consistent way to calculate income when taking into account income from sponsorship and merchandise sales.

Donations to private foundations are disclosed in public documents. However, donations to public charities are not publicly disclosed and therefore may not be reported in the Giving Back 30.

The rest of the list included Paul Newman, who gave away over $10 million; Mel Gibson, who gave $9.9 million to the AP Reilly Foundation, the tax-exempt entity named for his late mother, which supports Holy Family Catholic Church in Malibu, California; Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who collectively donated over $8 million to good causes; and Lance Armstrong, who pledged $5 million to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Other celebrities listed included Michael Jordan, Rosie O'Donnell, Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Hefner, and Tiger Woods.

To see the full list of celebrities and their donations, see the Giving Back Fund website.

Celebrities' Festive Gifts

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:21:24 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A pledge to walk one of the biggest man-made structures in the world, a successful celebrity auction, a tour of far away places, and a donation of time and energy were just some of the ways celebrities gave to the poor, the sick, and those unable to spend time with their families this Christmas.

Singer Olivia Newton-John met with the founders of Welsh breast cancer charity In The Pink over Christmas to discuss fund raising opportunities, and revealed her plans to walk the length of the Great Wall of China in April. Proceeds from the walk will go to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre in Australia, and the 59-year-old breast cancer survivor will also donate items to In The Pink to auction later in the year.

Meanwhile, socialite Kathy Hilton organized a charity auction over Christmas, featuring a selection of items donated by some of her famous friends. Mel Gibson's jeans, Tom Cruise's sunglasses, and an Ocean’s Thirteen script signed by the movie’s stars, including George Clooney and Brad Pitt, raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“Christmas is my favorite time of the year,” said Hilton, mother of Paris Hilton. “I have worked with Make-A-Wish before, and I wanted to do something really special. Hopefully… I’ll make it an annual event.”

Robin Williams, Lance Armstrong, Kid Rock, and Lewis Black were also busy over the festive season, and joined current Miss USA Rachel Smith on a 14 show tour with the USO in Afghanistan.

The shows were well received by soldiers from all nations, stationed away from their homes and families this Christmas.

“Afghanistan is sometimes called the forgotten war,” said one soldier who watched the shows. “We don’t get a lot of attention here, and conditions are pretty miserable. So it means a lot.”

The USO organized 52 celebrity tours in 2007 – which included over 300 shows.

And in Los Angeles, Jennifer Love Hewitt joined her new fiancé Ross McCall, as well as Melissa Joan Hart and Melissa Gilbert, to dish out dinners to the needy at the Los Angeles Mission.

“I have made it a point to come to the Los Angeles Mission at Christmas,” said the 28-year-old actress. “There are so many hurting people on the streets of our city, but when I’m here I get to see the smiles of the children and the great food for everyone. I come to give something back, but invariably I get more blessings than I give.”

Mel Gibson Supports The Kidz

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:39:36 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

While in Singapore last week, Mel Gibson made a last minute donation of S$25,000 ($16,000) to Kidz Horizon Appeal, an organization that supports children suffering from cancer, HIV and other chronic and terminal illnesses.

In town for the annual invitation-only Forbes Global CEO Conference, the actor/director’s surprise donation inspired two CEOs to match his pledge; Mr Vinod Sekhar of Petra Group and Mr Patrick Wee of the True Group (Gibson’s guide around town) each increased his initial S$10,000 ($6,500) donation to the charity.

Although they are reluctant to speak about it, Gibson and his wife are no strangers to supporting children’s charities, having made donations which reportedly run into millions of dollars.

“Everyone here has been so warm and wonderful and welcoming, and I’m glad for the opportunity to give something back,” Gibson said.

Gibson Supports Green Rubber

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:02:03 -0000

Written by Nadia Lias

Mel Gibson is going all out to recycle tire rubber by applying his charismatic star appeal to help kick-start a venture by Green Rubber’s in New Mexico. Gibson has been a long-time crusader for practical solutions to environmental problems, so his collaboration with Green Rubber Global was no surprise. He is one of the financial backers for the enterprise — a subsidiary of Petra Group, which has invented the world’s first commercially-viable, waste-free way to recycle tires.

About 1 billion tires worldwide end up as waste each year, nearly 300 million of them in the United States. Most go into landfills or are burned, practices that are coming under more environmental scrutiny. “This is the world’s greatest environmental concern,” said Vinod Sekhar, founder and president of Petra Group. The annual tire waste includes 1.5 billion gallons of fossil fuel, he said.

Realizing the problem, Green Rubber Global, a Malaysia-based global company plans to invest $30 million in its first tire recycling plant in Gallup, employing about 140 workers, and this is only the beginning. At least six more green rubber factories are to be expected in America, where they will use waste-free environmentally friendly technology to produce a rubber compound that can be used to make all kinds of products – including more tires.

Gibson has also recently discussed contributing financially to the creation of a nature conservation zone in Costa Rica.

Mel Gibson Plans Costa Rican Donation

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:19:25 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Mel Gibson has met with the President of Costa Rica to discuss making a donation to help the local indian population.

Gibson was granted an hour-long meeting on July 9 at the home of President Oscar Arias, during which the actor and the Nobel Peace Prize recipient talked at length about ways to assist the 50,000 native people living in the country.

“He wants to help the indigenous population here,” said Arias afterwards. “And he wants to know how to channel the funds.”
The native indians of Costa Rica make up only 1.7% of the total population, yet they suffer greatly from financial and social problems, especially alcoholism and drug use. Safe drinking water and sanitation are also problems in many areas, with 30% of the population not receiving clean water.

Gibson recently bought a 163 hectare property in the Costa Rican district of Guanacaste, an important tourism and agricultural area, part of which he plans to turn into a nature conservation zone.

“If you go into someone else’s country… you don’t just go in there and stomp all over the place,” explained the Academy Award winning actor and director, who in the past has donated $1 million towards aid in Central America. “You bring a gift. It’s like going to somebody’s house.”

Oscar Arias said Gibson would return to Costa Rica in a month to arrange the size of the donation and the organizations it would benefit.

Gibson Helps Provide Housing

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 20:35:09 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Actor-director Mel Gibson is donating money to help build homes in Mexico’s Veracruz state, where he is currently filming.

Mexico’s family welfare agency and the Rotary Club will distribute the money to build houses for the poor in the cities of Veracruz and Andres Tuxtla.

Gibson also donated $1 million last year to help the people of the region recover from Hurricane Stan.

Look To The Stars News: Mel Gibson

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