Look To The Stars News: Billy Crystal

Stars To Dream For Kids At Celebrity Charity Gala

Fri, 06 May 2011 12:00:00 +0000

1,500 supporters, including celebrities, prominent philanthropists, business leaders and elected officials will gather at the L.A. Live Events Deck for “Dream for Kids: The Grand Opening Gala” on Saturday, May 7.

The exclusive black-tie event celebrates the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ 110th anniversary and the completion of its new $636 million hospital building, which opens July 10. Three-time GRAMMY Award winning jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall will provide the night’s headline entertainment and two-time Emmy award-winner Eric Stonestreet will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Grammy-winner Patti Austin will perform the grand finale with the “Dream for Kids” Ensemble.

Muhammad Ali Shines At Celebrity Charity Fight Night

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

On Saturday, March 19, stars and athletes from around the country converged on the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona for Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night XVII.

GRAMMY Award-winning leading lady of country music, Reba McEntire returned for her sixth year as emcee, and Lee Greenwood opened the evening with a touching rendition of “God Bless the U.S.A.” in which a rare Bald Eagle was released into the room to the surprise of the audience. Billy Crystal, longtime friend of Muhammad Ali, made a special introduction of The Champ who walked on stage to a standing ovation.

With Muhammad Ali on stage, Academy-Award winning actress Halle Berry was presented with the Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night Entertainer Award, No. 1 ranked LPGA Champion Cristie Kerr received the Sports Achievement Award, Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons received the Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night Entrepreneur Award, and former NBA and NFL owner Red McCombs received the Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night Humanitarian Award.

Kelly Clarkson And Bret Michaels To Perform At Muhammad Ali Celebrity Charity Event

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Muhammad Ali’s annual celebrity charity Fight Night is to return to Arizona this month.

Celebrity Fight Night XVII will be hosted by Grammy Award-winning superstar of country music Reba McEntire, who is returning for her sixth time as emcee. The black tie event will begin with cocktails and a silent auction with dinner, an exciting live auction and entertainment to follow. Billy Crystal will make a special introduction of Muhammad Ali and multi-platinum recording artist Matchbox Twenty will open the musical portion of the evening, followed by a performance from Grammy Award-winning vocalist Kelly Clarkson. Additional performers will include the Top 12 American Idol 2011 finalists, Bret Michaels, Jackie Evancho and Lee Greenwood, under the direction of David Foster – who is returning for his 12th consecutive year as the evening’s Musical Director.

This year, Muhammad Ali will honor Halle Berry, Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons, former NBA and NFL owner Red McCombs and No. 1 ranked LPGA Champion Cristie Kerr with the 2011 Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night Awards. Kevin Costner & Modern West will perform at the official after-party immediately following the event.

Halle Berry to be Honored at Celebrity Fight Night

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:37:00 +0000

One of the nation’s premier charity events, Celebrity Fight Night, has announced that this year Halle Berry will be honored while multi-platinum recording artist Matchbox Twenty will open the musical portion of the evening.

This annual star-studded gala presented in honor of featured guest, Muhammad Ali, will be held on Saturday, March 19th at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Ariz.

In addition to Matchbox Twenty, there will be performances from Grammy Award-winning vocalist Kelly Clarkson, Legendary country singer, Lee Greenwood, the Top 12 American Idol 2011 finalists as well as Bret Michaels.

Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night Hits Phoenix For Charity

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Reba McEntire resumed her hosting duties at this year’s Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night in Phoenix on Saturday night.

American Idol judge Randy Jackson had the honor of introducing the boxing legend on stage at the event, while Glenn Frey, David Foster, Sam Moore and Charice provided entertainment.

Among those to receive awards at the event included NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and film producer Jerry Weintraub. The evening also featured a live auction that included lots such as dinner with Muhammad Ali, Steve Nash, Kevin Costner, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Douglas, Billy Crystal or Robin Williams, a day out with Reba McEntire, a meet-and-greet with Michael Buble and much more.

Eagles Founder Glenn Frey Busy With Charity Work

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Eagles singer Glenn Frey acted as honorary chairman for the 2010 grand auction to benefit the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Coachella Valley on Saturday, March 13, at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells, California.

“I’ve been helping kids — at-risk kids — for a long time,” he told The Desert Sun last week. “Thirty years. It seems like now times are even more troubled for young people.”

The rock legend first became active in children’s charities in the 1990s, when he started hosting inner-city kids in Colorado each summer.

Glenn Frey To Headline Celebrity Charity Fight Night

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

Glenn Frey of the Eagles, one of the world’s most successful rock bands having sold more than 120 million albums, will headline the entertainment at Celebrity Fight Night XVI on Saturday, March 20th at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ.

Celebrating his 50th year on the world stage, Muhammad Ali will receive a special introduction from Grammy Award-winning producer and American Idol judge, Randy Jackson during the event.

Stars Sign Balls For Little League

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Fans will soon be able to catch a series of baseballs signed by their favorite stars for charity.

On Friday, August 21, Little League Baseball will launch a very special online auction featuring over 40 balls signed by stars such as Zac Efron, Drew Barrymore, Billy Crystal, James Earl Jones, Charlie Sheen, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Larry King, the Kardashian family (Kim, Khloe & Kourtney), James Denton and Milo Ventimiglia. Additional balls have been signed by athletes including Michael Phelps, Jeff Gordon, Michael Strahan, Ryan Howard, Barry Sanders, Dave Winfield, Blake Griffin, Albert Pujols and others.

The auction will kick off on Friday on eBay.com, and fans will be able to access it by searching for “Baseball Design Across America.” The auction will last 10 days (concludes Aug. 30) and all the proceeds benefit Little League. Little League Baseball involves more than 2.8 million children and 1 million volunteers, and over 30 million people have played in Little League programs.

Stars Team Up To Fight Alzheimer's

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:30:00 +0000

In an amazing display of dedication and support, hundreds of celebrities, businesspersons, sports figures, and entertainment-industry leaders came together for “A Night at Sardi’s,” the annual star-studded benefit for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Held at the Beverly Hilton, the much-anticipated March 4 event raised nearly $1 million for Alzheimer’s care and research. In 17 years, A Night at Sardi’s has raised nearly $18 million for the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

Comedian and author Chelsea Handler hosted the evening, which, in addition to cocktails and dinner, included red carpet arrivals, awards presentations and a research update. It culminated in a concert version of the musical “Damn Yankees” performed by some of the industry’s most recognizable talents, including Kristen Bell, Sean Hayes, Melina Kanakaredes, Katey Sagal, Victor Garber, Peter Gallagher, Kathryn Gallagher, Ken Howard, Sharon Lawrence, Vicki Lewis, Ron Fassler and Larry Raben.

Have Your Favorite Star Record Your Voicemail Message

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Now is your chance to bid on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a celebrity record your outgoing voicemail message – with proceeds going to charity.

A range of stars have put their voicemail recording talents under the hammer for this very special charity auction, including Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Cindy Crawford, Billy Crystal, Joe Mantegna, Isla Fisher, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Sacha Baron Cohen, Felicity Huffman, Jennifer Garner and many more.

Proceeds from the auction will go to the International Medical Corps and their work in supporting the women and children victimized by war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered 20 years of continuous fighting which has led to an estimated 5.4 million deaths.

Chris Evert Charity Tennis Event Attracts Celebrities

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:30:00 +0000

The 2008 Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic was held at the Delray Beach Tennis Center, November 1-2nd, and once again proved to be a raging success – so much so, that tennis legend Chris Evert has now raised close to $20 million for charities!

The event kicked off with a Pro-Am at the Boca Raton Resort & Club tennis courts and attracted some new faces this year. Comedian Billy Crystal and 12-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres joined regulars such as Chevy Chase, Stone Phillips, Maeve Quinlan, Bud Collins, Vince Spadea, Alan Thicke, Jana Novotna, Gavin Rossdale, and Jon Lovitz.

Evert created the fundraising event to fight drug abuse and assist neglected and abused children in South Florida.

American Idol Gives Back $67 Million

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:30:00 +0000

David Beckham, Bono, Annie Lennox and Carrie Underwood have all accepted cheques from April’s Idol Gives Back event on behalf of the charities they support.

The show raised over US$67 million for charities such as the Global Fund, Malaria No More, the Children’s Health Fund, Save the Children, and the Children’s Defense Fund.

“I saw first hand with my visit to Sierra Leone with UNICEF last year how devastating malaria can be to a country,” said Beckham, who was presented with US$12 million by Idol winner David Cook on behalf of Malaria No More. “This money will help buy millions of bed nets and also protect many people, particularly the young children who are most vulnerable.”

Stars Pay Tribute To Paul Newman

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:30:00 +0000

An awe-inspiring array of stars paid tribute to Paul Newman at a benefit gala for one of the actor’s summer camps for sick children in California last night.

Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis, Danny Glover, Danny DeVito, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and Billy Crystal were just some of the stars who performed a reading of The World of Nick Adams, an adaptation of a number of Ernest Hemingway’s autobiographical stories at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco.

“We expected Paul to be with us and so this kind of turned into kind of a tribute,” said Danny Glover. “This is the first time we are doing this without Paul — there is a void there, without a doubt.”

Celebrities To Pay Tribute To Paul Newman

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

An awe-inspiring array of stars will pay tribute to Paul Newman at a benefit gala for one of the actor’s summer camps for sick children in California next month.

Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis, Danny Glover, Danny DeVito, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and Billy Crystal will perform a stage reading of The World of Nick Adams, an adaptation of a number of Ernest Hemingway’s autobiographical stories, written by Newman’s longtime friend A.E. Hotchner at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco on October 27. Proceeds from the evening will go to the The Painted Turtle, one of Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang camps for ill children.

Founded by Newman and Herb Alpert in 1999, The Painted Turtle provides the 17,000 chronically ill children in California who would otherwise be unable to attend summer camps with an empowering, renewing experience completely free of charge.

Idol Gives Back On Wednesday

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:11:00 +0000

It will be raining philanthropic celebrities on Wednesday night when American Idol Gives Back airs on the Fox Network. The “star clouds” are set to burst with a gala of music, fun, appearances, and surprises – all in the name of charity.

Idol host Ryan Seacrest will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which was taped in front of a lively audience at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night, and producers expect this year’s event to raise over $100 million for charity.

“Tonight isn’t just about raising money,” said Brad Pitt, one of the many guests to attend the gala. “Sometimes, to help people, we’ve got to travel outside of our comfort zone to really understand another situation.”

Comic Relief Brings Laughter to New Orleans

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 21:12:33 +0000

Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams are back to host the 20th Anniversary of the US Comic Relief event this Saturday, November 19th. After an eight-year hiatus, the beloved event has returned to raise funds for New Orleans and the people still suffering from the effects of last year’s hurricane. Comedians such as Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Ray Romano and Roseanne Barr have joined the cause.

The show will take place at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas as part of The Comedy Festival, with tickets starting at $95. For those unable to attend in person, the three-hour concert will appear simultaneously on HBO and TBS from 9pm to Midnight EST.

This year a special Comic Relief concert has been scheduled in New Orleans to coincide with the regular Las Vegas show. The event will be held at Harrah’s Fulton Street promenade and is free to the public. Wayne Brady is the host of this show, and he will be joined by entertainers such as Louie Anderson and Tom Arnold.