Look To The Stars News: Tony Blair

Sting To Be Honored At Clinton Global Initiative

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Bill Clinton has announced the program and featured attendees for the seventh Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to be held September 20-22 in New York City.

This year’s gathering will bring together an estimated 1,200 diverse stakeholders, including current and former heads of state, Fortune 500 CEOs, national and local government officials, and leaders from the nonprofit sector to devise and implement workable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

“Since we began in 2005, CGI members have made great progress in addressing critical global issues by making more than 2,000 commitments through CGI that have and will improve the lives of more than 300 million people in more than 180 countries,” President Clinton said. “As many of these commitments come to fruition, I am proud that we will be showcasing the tangible impact they have made.”

Stars Give Land Mines The Boot With Celebrity Charity Auction

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0000

The Mines Advisory Group is launching a very special celebrity charity auction this week to raise money for people affected by landmines.

Stars such as Katy Perry, Pink, Shirley Bassey, Twiggy, Joanna Lumley, Nelly Furtado, Alan Shearer and Tony Blair’s wife, Cherie, have donated their shoes to the auction, which launches on July 22 and runs till August 1.

“We’ve been totally overwhelmed by the support we’ve had from celebrities who’ve given up their shoes to help those affected by conflict every day,” said MAG’s Give Landmines The Boot auction organizer Zoe Corden. "MAG chose to run a celebrity shoe auction because often its peoples’ feet that are the most at risk from landmine blasts, and the stars that donated did so to help us stamp a link between shoes and the dangers that lurk beneath them for millions worldwide.

Jet Li And Natalie Portman Show Faith In Charity Short Film Competition

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:30:00 +0000

A stellar line-up of celebrities and world leaders are to judge a short film competition for a special foundation that aims to promote respect and understanding about the world’s major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the world.

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation has announced a judging panel that consists of Tony Blair, Jet Li, Natalie Portman, Nik Powell, Queen Rania of Jordan, Jonathan Caplan, Amr Khaled, Wendi Murdoch, June Sarpong and Deepak Verma for the the competition.

The competition asks entrants “How does your faith inspire you?”, and the winning entries will be premiered at the BAFTAs. There are separate categories depending on whether you are a filmmaker with access to film making equipment or you just have a great story and want to send a pitch in for the chance to win a portable video camera to make your film.

Charitable Celebrities To Receive 21st Century Leaders Awards

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Celebrities will be out in abundance in Doha, Qatar, next week for the Whatever It Takes Experience presented by 21st Century Leaders and Whatever It Takes.

As well as a private art experience and gala dinner, several stars will be honored with 21st Century Leaders Awards at this massive charity event.

The Doha 21st Century Leaders’ Awards are granted to individuals who, whilst being leaders in their own fields, have also made a serious commitment and significant impact on their chosen cause.

Hugh Jackman Turns Eco-Hero For Climate Week NYC

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Actor Hugh Jackman helped launch Climate Week NYC 2009 on Monday, September 21, at the New York Public Library.

Jackman – an ambassador for World Vision – joined former British prime minister Tony Blair and others to launch the event.

“I hope to be a voice for the billion people in developing countries who will be the hardest hit by changing weather patterns, by the droughts and floods that destroy their crops and threaten their food security,” said Jackman. “Climate Week NYC provides an ideal forum to help underscore the urgency for world leaders to secure and fund an ambitious global climate change deal in Copenhagen that is effective, fair and binding.”

Jet Li Launches Thousand Villages Project

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:30:00 +0000

Action star Jet Li has blogged about an exciting new initiative he is involved in with former British prime minister Tony Blair.

“Yesterday, I visited Guiyang, China with Former Prime Minister Tony Blair to announce our “Thousand Villages Project” that focuses on changing the way electricity is consumed in China and the world by taking people off the electrical grid and switching them to solar power," wrote Li. "In addition to using renewal power, switching lighting not only in the household but also in buildings and streetlamps to LED takes less power to use longer. That’s like doing three simple things at once to make sure the next generation can see blue skies more often.

“Tony told me that in Britain, driving electrical cars and using renewal power has already become the norm.

Stars Come Out For Charity Book Launch In London

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:30:00 +0000

The Prince’s Trust launched Inspired* by music on Thursday, July 9, at Starbucks’ flagship London store.

A-list celebrities from film, TV, music and sport have joined forces for Inspired* by music, a collection of exclusive portraits and personal stories of how one piece of music inspired their lives.

Celebrities Inspired By Music For Charity

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:00:00 +0000

A new book in which celebrities share how music has changed their lives is set to raise money for the Prince’s Trust.

Inspired By Music features photos and stories from Take That, Al Pacino, Mark Ronson, Sharon Osbourne, Kevin Spacey, Bill Nighy, Bear Grylls, Ben Ainslie, Benedict Cumberbatch, Boris Johnson, Cerys Matthews, Gary Lineker, Gerald Scarfe, Jane Asher, Lemar, Michael Sheen, P. Diddy, Paul Gambaccini, Richard E. Grant, Ozzy Osbourne, Sir George Martin, Tony Blair and many more.

The book features a forward by Prince Charles, and award-winning photographer Cambridge Jones took exclusive portraits for it. Proceeds will go to the Prince’s Trust, which offers support by training, mentoring and financial assistance to help disadvantaged young people achieve their potential.

Kate Winslet Draws Butterflies For Leukaemia Research

Fri, 08 May 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Kate Winslet, Tony Blair, Ricky Gervais, Sophie Dahl and Stephen Fry are among the stars who have donated their own drawings of butterflies for a new charity book.

The book aims to raise money for Leukaemia Research, an organization in the UK that is dedicated exclusively to leukaemia, the lymphomas, myeloma, aplastic anaemia, myelodysplasia, the myeloproliferative disorders and the related blood disorders in both children and adults.

The sketches, paintings and poems will be published in the Butterfly Book, in memory of charity fundraiser Claire Wadley, a 25-year-old who died from leukaemia.

English Stars Invade Hollywood For Britweek

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:30:00 +0000

A host of British stars – and former British prime minister Tony Blair – invaded Hollywood last week for an event to raise awareness and money for Malaria No More.

Britweek 2009 kicked off on April 21 with a dinner attended by celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Nigel Lythgoe and Ryan Seacrest, who donated $100,000 to the charity.

The brainchild of Nigel Lythgoe, Britweek encompasses a large number of events designed to highlight the rich connections between Britain and Southern California. This year’s events feature LA Galaxy, UB40, Joss Stone, Michael Deeley, Jeff Beck, Tracey Ullman and many others.

Signed Celebrity Photos On Offer For Good Causes

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:00:00 +0000

A huge selection of celebrity photos signed by the stars themselves is on offer at Buy Once, Give Twice, the UK’s premiere celebrity charity auction website.

Black and white personalised prints of celebrities including Ricky Gervais, Chris Martin, Elbow, Dara O’Briain, Barry Humphries, Jack Dee, Kevin Spacey, Willie John McBride, rugby star Martin Johnson and Rickey Hatton are going under the hammer for Trinity Hospice, a charity that provides care to the terminally ill and their families in central, south east and south west London. The ‘Larger Than Life’ project is a collection of limited edition, signed portraits of well known icons taken by renowned celebrity photographer Rich Hardcastle, and Buy Once Give Twice is exhibiting this collection in support of Trinity Hospice to create awareness of the specialist palliative care that is available to terminally ill people and their loved ones and also to raise money through sales of the prints to continue to provide these services.

The auction website is also selling a selection of signed photos for The Rainbow Centre, a charity based in Hampshire, UK, that offers Conductive Education services to help children with disabilities causing developmental delay such as Cerebral Palsy. Photos up for auction include Johnny Wilkinson, Bob Hoskins, Arsene Wenger, Mick Hucknall, Kirsty Gallagher, Ainsley Harriet, Martin Kemp, Tony Blair, Kate Thronton, Michael Owen and Angus Deaton.

Julie Benz To Host US Campaign For Burma Dinner

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Fans of Dexter may like to get down to Beso on Hollywood Blvd later tonight, December 30, as one of the show’s stars is hosting a special charity gala.

Julie Benz, who plays Rita on Dexter, is hosting the Celebrity Foundation Dinner to benefit the US Campaign for Burma and the Human Rights Action Center. The evening will also include a performance by Jose Cortes from the Gipsy Kings, and stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Jason Biggs, Jenny Mollen Biggs, Stacy Dash, Maria Conchita Alonso, and Valerie Cruz are expected to attend.

The US Campaign for Burma aims to help the people of Burma achieve their dreams of freedom, peace, democracy, and human rights. The organization is dedicated to empowering grassroots activists around the world to bring about an end to the military dictatorship in Burma.

World Leaders Ask For UN Help In Burma

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:30:00 +0000

A massive group of former world leaders, presidents, and prime ministers – including Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Tony Blair, and George Bush Sr – have written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to ask him to secure the release of all political prisoners in Burma by the end of this year.

“We write this letter to applaud your public consideration of traveling to Burma, also known as Myanmar, before the end of the year,” the leaders wrote in the letter. “We encourage this trip because it would illustrate for the world whether or not the Burmese military regime is serious about making changes called for by the United Nations Security Council and your good offices.”

The Burmese military regime is currently trying to silence the people of Burma through a major crackdown on human rights activists, but the leaders from 50 countries have joined the effort to set them free and make their voices heard.

Jennifer Lopez Announces New Foundation Plans At Women's Conference

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:00:00 +0000

This year’s annual Women’s Conference, hosted by Maria Shriver, drew record crowds in Long Beach this week.

The conference – which aims to empower and motivate women to pursue a lifelong journey of self discovery – kicked off with a “once in a lifetime conversation” between Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger and billionaire Warren Buffett, and went on to feature passionate speeches from Jennifer Lopez, Sally Field, Bono (see video here), Bonnie Raitt, Condoleezza Rice, Heidi Klum, Tony Blair’s wife Cherie, and many more.

“I stand before you as someone who loves being a woman,” said Lopez. "I love that when life hands us our greatest challenges, we look up and realize that capacity. I love the fellowship we’re sharing here today…

Hugh Jackman’s Plans To Eradicate Extreme Poverty

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:30:00 +0000

Hugh Jackman has narrated a video on the Global Poverty Project’s plan to help the poorer nations of the world.

Dissatisfied with the G8’s progress, Jackman and the Global Poverty Project are attempting to re-energize a movement against extreme poverty.

A few years ago in a bolstering speech, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said, “If we actually put the money we say we’re going to put through aid and give primary education to young people in Africa, think of the change that will be.”

Tony Blair Explains How Charity Work Helps

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is no stranger to charity work. He launched the Tony Blair Sports Foundation to encourage children to be more active, and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation to promote understanding between different races and religions. He has stood up for climate change in the face of an unrelenting American Congress, and has been working on issues in Africa since his resignation from politics in 2007.

In this month’s issue of Philanthropy UK’s newsletter, Blair explains exactly how his work with voluntary organizations has given him a better insight into helping others and making the world a better place:

“Few things are more important to a just society, and the flourishing of its members, than a strong and feisty charitable sector,” writes Blair. "As prime minister I saw the sector’s huge power for good and we, the government, tried our best to support volunteering and the third sector and, at the least, not to get too much in its way. Without the efforts of charities, faith groups, social entrepreneurs and voluntary bodies great and small, British life would be poorer, less cohesive and less free. For as well as helping those who need help, the very existence of a strong voluntary sector is a crucial check on a potentially overweening state.

Celebrities Raid The ARK In Charity Auction

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:38:00 +0000

A role in the next film made by Uma Thurman, a Damien Hirst painting, a Fiat 500 decorated by the artist Tracey Emin, and a private jet tour of the Château Cheval Blanc and Château d’Yquem wineries were all up for auction on Wednesday night to raise money for ARK.

The event was the annual ARK Charity Dinner, and was held at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London. A host of celebrities attended the function, including Sarah Ferguson, Jemima Khan, Elizabeth Hurley, and Simon Cowell, each paying up to $98,000 for a table of 10.

The 1,000 attendees were entertained by a special performance by Stevie Wonder and a speech from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Over £25.5 million ($50.23 million) was raised this year, coming close to meeting the success of last year’s £26.6 million ($53 million) event. A downwards trend is currently being seen across the board – the Robin Hood Foundation in New York raised $56.5 million for charity in an evening last week, $15 million less than a year earlier.

Time's 100 - Tony Blair By Bill Clinton

Mon, 19 May 2008 10:54:57 +0000

President Bill Clinton wrote a tribute to Tony Blair’s philanthropic achievements for this year’s Time 100 list.

“When my friend Tony Blair stepped down as U.K. Prime Minister last year, I advised him to take some time off with his family and make a list of the issues he felt passionately about and that he could continue to pursue. It was the least he had earned after a decade of modernizing his country’s economy, making the U.K. one of the few nations to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions more than required to meet their Kyoto target and leading the G-8 to historic commitments to support Africa and fight global poverty.

Tony listened to my advice graciously but ignored it completely by immediately accepting a new job as Middle East envoy for the Quartet. I have always admired Tony’s willingness to wade into troubled waters. Ten years ago, he did a masterly job in helping to end 30 years of sectarian violence and broker a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Now he is demonstrating the dedication and intensity to promoting economic opportunity in the Middle East, learning from his Irish experience that showing the concrete benefits of peace can play a crucial role in making a just and lasting peace possible.

KT Tunstall - Globally Cool

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:25:00 +0000

She is Scottish, she is a rock star, she has sold millions of albums all around the world, and yet she does not own a car or even a television. Her new recording studio has been built using 100% reclaimed wood, sheep’s wool insulation, and solar panels, and her house is the same. When it comes to being environmentally friendly, singer/songwriter KT Tunstall is almost as revolutionary as her music.

September saw the release of Tunstall’s third album, Drastic Fantastic, which quickly climbed to the top of the charts in many countries. It has already outsold her 2006 release, “Acoustic Extravaganza”, and is set to reach the lofty levels of 2005’s “Eye To The Telescope”.

But music is only one of Tunstall’s passions, the other being the state of the environment. When not performing or recording, Tunstall is usually found hard at work supporting ecological causes. In 2005, she planted 6000 trees in Scotland to offset the environmental cost of her first CD. And July 2007 saw her perform an extremely energetic set at the Live Earth concert held at Giant’s Stadium in New Jersey.

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.

Beckham backs Blue Peter Appeal

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 20:50:00 +0000

On November 8, superstar footballer David Beckham appeared on the UK children’s TV programme Blue
Peter to back its latest charity campaign ‘Shoebiz’. The appeal’s goal is to gather and recycle 500,000 pairs of shoes to raise £500,000 — enough to set up 22 Children’s Corners across Malawi.

Children’s Corners provide food, support and schooling for some of the world’s poorest children, and a chance for them to simply play. With the explosion of AIDS across Africa, many of the children are orphans with the job of caring for their younger siblings.

Tony Blair Calls Celebrity Radio Competition for Charity

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 08:06:24 +0000

Listeners of UK’s Virgin Radio programme “Who’s Calling Christian?” were amazed when Prime Minister Tony Blair phoned to enter the show’s celebrity call-in competition.

At the end of the three-week-long competition, the audience will vote for its favourite celebrity caller, and the listener who convinced the celebrity to call in will receive £10,000 for himself and £10,000 for his favourite charity.

Graham Marsh, who received a heart transplant in 1999, asked the Prime Minister to make the call, hoping to win the money for the Freeman Heart and Lung Transplant Association and the Tyne Youth and Community Center in northeast England.