Look To The Stars News: Billy Connolly

Stars Line Up For The Return Of The Secret Policeman's Ball

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:50:00 +0000

The Secret Policeman’s Ball is back – and its heading for America!

Amnesty International’s legendary charity show – featuring a plethora of music and comedy talent – will hit the Radio City Music Hall on March 4. Organizers have confirmed Coldplay, Russell Brand, Mumford & Sons, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart and Reggie Watts as part of the lineup, with more to come.

“We are so happy to be involved with the 2012 Secret Policeman’s Ball,” said Chris Martin of Coldplay. “We have followed and supported Amnesty International – and the amazing work they do around the world in the field of human rights – for years, and it is a pleasure to be asked to contribute to such an inspiring event.”

Gerard Butler To Play Celebrity Charity Football For Celtic

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Gerard Butler will be taking part in tonight’s “The Legends” Celtic vs Manchester United charity match in Glasgow.

Butler – a lifelong Celtic fan – will join stars such as Kyle Falconer, Gordon Strachan, Billy Connolly, Wayne Rooney, Rod Stewart, Eddie Jordan, Sharleen Spiteri, Dougray Scott and Paolo Nutini in giving his support to the match.

The Celtic Charity Fund has taken the decision to make Oxfam’s East Africa Famine Appeal the event’s main charitable beneficiary. With ITV broadcasting the match live from Celtic Park, stars from football and entertainment will be out in force at Celtic Park to back the campaign.

Celebrities Support Celtic Vs Manchester United For Charity

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Oxfam’s East Africa famine appeal has been announced as the main beneficiary of The Legends Celtic vs Manchester United charity match on August 9.

The drought in this area has already caused devastation and was officially declared a famine in two regions of Somalia by the United Nations on Wednesday 20th July 2011.

Annie Lennox To Attend Celebrity Charity Gala Tonight

Thu, 05 May 2011 11:30:00 +0000

A number of stars will be present to help Women for Women International celebrate five years in the UK at a special gala event in London tonight, May 5.

Annie Lennox will be honored with a Making A Difference Award, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor will perform. MC for the night will be Pamela Stephenson (wife of Billy Connolly), and guests will include fashion designer Alice Temperley from Temperley London, supermodel Natalia Vodianova, musician and designer Pamela Hogg, Film Director Hugh Hudson, architect Zaha Hadid, Jewellery Designer, Pippa Small, Joan and Simon Burstein, actress Rosamund Pike, Sophie Turner-Laing, MD Entertainment and News, Sky, maker of Bond films Barbara Broccoli, actress Cherie Lunghi, TV presenter and singer Claire Richards, Swarovski Creative Director Nadja Swarovski, artist Jenny Saville and Women for Women’s founder; award-winning human-rights activist Zainab Salbi.

The Live auction and pledges will be conducted by Lord Dalmeny, Sotheby’s UK Deputy Chairman, and Karak Mayik – Women for Women International Country Director for Sudan – will attend to talk about the impact of the charities work.

Celebrities Reveal What Is Under Their Kilts For Charity

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:00:00 +0000

A host of celebrities took to the catwalk for charity and Scotland in New York on Tuesday for the annual Dressed To Kilt celebrity charity fashion event.

Although host Sean Connery pulled out of the event at the last minute, some massive stars wore their tartan on the catwalk for the benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Erskine Hospital in Scotland at the Friends of Scotland event.

Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Noth, Brian Cox, Jason Patric and Jim Gaffigan wowed the crowd when they revealed exactly what one wears under his kilt by flashing their rear-ends. Other models included Billy Connolly, Amy Grant, Matthew Modine and Kellie Pickler, with Donald Trump among the audience.

Sean Connery To Host Celebrity Charity Fashion Show

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Sean Connery and Friends of Scotland will once again host the Dressed To Kilt charity fashion event in New York tonight, as some famous faces hit the catwalk for several good causes.

Some of the models strutting their stuff for Scotland at the event will be Billy Connolly, Amy Grant, Matthew Modine, Kellie Pickler and many more.

The 2011 Theme of the show draws its inspiration from the world of country music, particularly its roots and origins. Country music began with the ballads, songs and instruments from the Scots and the Scots-Irish. For much of the 18th and 19th centuries the Scottish immigrants came to the Appalachian mountains of North America and they brought with them their music and their instruments. These people did not have an easy life and their music gave them an outlet to express their hardships. This music was preserved primarily in the southern USA, from Tennessee to Texas. In the 20th century the personality of the this music changed and many sub-genres emerged. Now at the beginning of the 21st century country music is one of the most popular music forms and in fact is one of the best selling music genres after pop/rock. Remarkably a very large percentage of country music artists have a Scots or Scots-Irish background. To name but a few, this group includes Amy Grant, Brad Paisley, Reba McIntyre, Martina McBride, and Tim McGraw. This year’s show will have more live artists and music than previous years. There will be Scottish artists that represent the roots of country music, world renown Scottish performers that represent the best of the current Scottish music scene and there will be several major country music stars present.

Pamela Stephenson Runs For Congo Women

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:30:00 +0000

On Mother’s Day in the UK on Sunday, a hundred runners, including psychologist and TV personality Dr Pamela Stephenson-Connolly, wife of Billy Connolly and who has recently returned from the Congo, took part in Women for Women International’s Run for Congo, to support mothers in the eastern provinces of the Congo who have been brutalised by war.

Every penny raised goes to helping women in the war ravaged eastern provinces to rebuild their lives and support themselves and their families. Since Run for Congo launched in the UK last summer over £71,325 has already been raised by runners around the country who have joined an existing run, or put on a dedicated Run for Congo. £150 is enough provide skills training for one woman in Congo, enabling her to earn an income and provide for her family, which means that the £71,325 raised so far is enough to support 475 and their families.

Billy Connolly To Perform Charity Show For Australian Flood Victims

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly has announced that he will perform a special charity show in Brisbane in February to raise money for victims of Queensland’s devastating floods.

The show will take place at the Brisbane Convention Centre on February 13, with all proceeds going to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Fund. Special commemorative T-shirts will also be sold to raise funds, and free tickets to the show will be given to “the valuable workers from the SES and defense force” in thanks for the hard work they have endured during the floods.

“I wanted to do what I do. Perform on stage. Offer support that way, you know,” Billy told Australia’s The Courier-Mail. “One thing that really touched me was the little boy and his mother who were swept away and how the other boy was saved. How does he deal with that? How do you? It’s incomprehensible. What do you say to that boy? How does that little boy go on to lead his life knowing that about his mother… without her…”

Stars Sign Letter Against Iranian Death Sentence

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Stars such as Sting, Colin Firth, Robert Redford and Robert De Niro are among the famous names who have signed a letter calling for the release of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for alleged adultery.

“Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has suffered enough,” reads the letter, published in the UK’s The Times newspaper. "Forced by international pressure to suspend her execution by stoning for alleged adultery, the Iranian government is now attempting to resurrect the charge that she murdered her husband – a charge for which she has already been tried.

“She has already spent five years in prison, and suffered 99 lashes, while the man who was convicted of her husband’s murder, and with whom she allegedly had an affair, is now free, having been pardoned by Ms Ashtiani’s children. We, the undersigned, call on the government of Iran to release immediately Ms Ashtiani, her son Sajad Ghaderzade, and her lawyer, Javid Houtan Kian, from incarceration.”

Aid Agencies Seek Donations For Samoan Tsunami Vistims

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:30:00 +0000

New Zealand-born comedy actress Pamela Stephenson has given a harrowing first-hand account of the devastating Tsunami that hit Samoa last week.

The wife of Scottish comedian Billy Connolly was staying in Samoa and is urging the world to come to the aid of the island nation after the massive wave killed over 180 people – including villagers and tourists – and left many more homeless.

“Huge piles of debris lay everywhere; it was clear the wave had whacked every structure with incredible might,” she told the Guardian newspaper in the UK. “Cars teetered where they had been thrown, on top of rubble from collapsed dwellings. Fridges and air conditioners floated in the sea. I looked along the bay and saw that a well-known jetty was missing. So were villages that once lined the shore. I saw a thatched fale [house] surrounded by three policemen and some villagers. A woman was lying inside and someone was trying to revive her.”

Billy Connolly To Donate To Celtic Fund

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly is to donate cash from one of his sellout shows to the Celtic football club’s charity fund.

The 66-year-old is patron of the Celtic Foundation, an organization that runs community projects in Scotland and around the world. Its initiatives include: Football in the Community and community coaching programs; Social Inclusion Programs; Anti-bigotry initiatives, including anti-racism and anti-sectarianism; and anti-drugs programs.

Connolly has announced that proceeds from one of 10 sold-out shows at Glasgow’s SECC in October will be donated to the charity.

Gillian Anderson Auctions X Files Memorabilia For Charity

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:30:00 +0000

Actress Gillian Anderson is auctioning off tickets to the premiere of the new X Files movie and some other very special items from the popular TV series, with all proceeds to go to great causes.

The X Files: I Want To Believe – starring Anderson, David Duchovny and Billy Connolly – opens in the US on July 25, and eBay has eight opportunities to attend the premiere in either London or LA up for grabs. And as if that is not exciting enough, the highest bidders will also meet Gillian Anderson in person.

“Starting this July, you’ll be able to bid on hundreds of items I have saved from the series – from signed magazine covers and stills to scripts to clothing to specialty items like FBI badges and even a Scully cross,” said Anderson. “Also… there are premiere tickets and a talk show or two where we can meet and take pictures backstage.”

UK Comic Relief Raises £40.2m

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 14:52:42 +0000

An eight-hour TV comedy marathon featuring cameos by Tony Blair and Kate Moss has brought this year’s Comic Relief appeal to a close, and the total funds raised to over £40m (78m USD).

Mr Blair played himself in a sketch set at Number 10 opposite comic Catherine Tate’s schoolgirl character Lauren, resorting to her catchphrase “Am I bovvered?”

The “Red Nose Day” TV gala featured other big names not normally known as comedians, including Daniel Craig, Elle Macpherson and Sting, while established comedy stars such as Ricky Gervais and Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen provided laughs aplenty.

Return of the Secret Policeman's Ball

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 18:56:11 +0000

In 1979, John Cleese headlined the first of a series of performances entitled ‘The Secret Policeman’s Ball’. The show was to raise awareness of Amnesty International UK, which it certainly achieved. Amnesty International UK stated that after the first 3 shows, public awareness of AIUK increased by 700%.

The first show starred other members of Monty Python, Billy Connolly, and it also gave Rowan Atkinson his big break. The Secret Policeman’s Ball was then made into a feature-length film.

In 1987, musical acts were added to the line-up, starring such artists as Kate Bush, Bob Geldof and Duran Duran.