Look To The Stars News: Barry Manilow

What Book Got The Stars Hooked?

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Before they were famous, they were reading under the covers with flashlights like the rest of us, and now, stars are sharing their love of reading with us through the What Got You Hooked? campaign.

What Book Got You Hooked is an initiative of First Book, a charity whose mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. The online campaign highlights the importance of books in the lives of children – especially for those in need.

From now through September 15, visitors to the First Book Web site are asked to share their memory of the first book that made reading fun, then help get more children hooked by voting for the state to receive a special donation of 50,000 new books for children in need. Oklahoma was last year’s campaign winner with over 34,000 votes in its favor. Visitors are also invited to make a $10 donation, to help provide four brand new books for a child in need.

So far, the campaign has generated celebrity support from an eclectic mix of stars including Stephen Colbert, Emma Thompson, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, David Duchovny, Neil Patrick Harris, John Krasinski, Rebecca Romijn, Barry Manilow, Ira Glass, John Hodgman, Bow Wow, Patti LaBelle, and many more. Each celebrity has given the charity information on what their favorite books were when they were younger, and their choices can be found at the organization’s website.

The choice was clear for John Hodgman, the author and humorist best known for his personification of PC in the popular “Get a Mac” advertising campaign: Tintin. “I don’t remember the moment I learned to read, but I do remember the moment Tintin’s captions – always in cursive, which might as well have been hieroglyphics to me – suddenly became clear to me,” Mr. Hodgman explains. “It’s the first time I remember a book actually, physically altering my brain. Though, I am glad to say, not the last.”

First Book was founded in 1992. The First Book model was developed to leverage the work of local heroes who reach children through existing literacy programs in a variety of settings, such as Head Start centers, libraries, soup kitchens, churches, housing projects, and afterschool initiatives. Working through this vast network of organizations, First Book plays a critical role in transforming the quality of preschool and after-school programs nationwide.

To find out more about First Book, or to donate books, visit www.firstbook.org.

Julia Roberts Stands Up For A Cure

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Stand Up For A Cure – a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating lung cancer – is busy with its year-long quest to raise money by organizing concerts, and has just released details of their latest fundraising gig this Fall.

Julia Roberts has been confirmed to introduce the Dave Matthews Band when they play Madison Square Garden on September 10.

“The charity is honored that she will be introducing the band at the concert.,” said a rep for the event. “Her support will make a huge difference.”

Stand Up For A Cure has previously organized concerts with Bon Jovi and the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, as well as a night of stand-up comedy with Jerry Seinfeld. Shows by Andrea Bocelli and Barry Manilow are still in the pipeline. The charity believes the use of celebrities on TV, radio, in print and on the Internet helps to bolster awareness of issues such as lung cancer, and hopes their concert series will both raise funds for research into the disease and increase education about the effects of smoking.

Children's Hospital Benefits From Formula One Party

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It was a case of life in the fast lane for a host of celebrities earlier this week when they turned up at the annual British Grand Prix Party in aid of the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Hosted by Vernon Kay and Tess Daly, the event raised over £700,000 (US$1.4 million) to build the hospital’s new Heart and Lung Center. Held at London’s famous Bloomsbury Ballroom at Victoria House, the event attracted a host of stars, including producer and hip-hop star Pharrell Williams, Simon Webb, Jamelia, and Formula One’s Jenson Button and Damon Hill.

“I stand fully behind the F1 efforts to make a better life for GOSH’s young patients,” said Button, who was one of the first to arrive on the red carpet – perhaps because of his fast driving skills.

Mark Webber was another driver in attendance to show his support.

“An Australian friend’s little boy was treated at GOSH,” he said. “Unfortunately he did not make it, but in his time at the hospital he was cared for so well that giving my support is a matter of the heart.”

Dinner was followed by an auction, which included the chance to bid on items such as an opportunity to complete two laps in Santander’s two-seater Grand Prix car, driven by ‘The Stig’ from BBC television’s Top Gear on race day of the British Grand Prix, a meet-and-greet with Barry Manilow, and the Steinmetz diamond-encrusted steering wheel used by Kimi Raikkonen.

The evening ended with dancing to the grooves of Basement Jaxx.

Great Ormond Street Hospital in London treats more than 100,000 ill children each year, and specializes in the most complex, life-threatening and life-limiting conditions. It relies on public donations to boost the Government funding it receives.

Barry Manilow - I Write The Songs... And Provide The Instruments

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:06:25 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The Copacabana King is committing a considerable contribution to the Coachella Valley.

64-year-old Barry Manilow has pledged over $250,000 worth of musical instruments to the public middle and high schools surrounding Palm Springs in a bid to give students the same opportunities he received in his high school music class.

“I would have been a loser had I not had that music class,” said Manilow. “When I got into high school, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. Then I hit the music class and I felt like I was on solid ground. I made friends… I learned how to work with other students and my grades went up in all the other classes because I had more confidence. It was the music class that did it for me.”

The donation follows Manilow’s gift of more than $10,000 worth of musical instruments to Palm Desert Middle School in January, and is a result of a young girl who approached the singer with a plea.

“It started with this one girl, Emma Reinhart, who said the whole school she goes to ‘needs some instruments and would you consider giving them a hand?’” said Manilow. “I had never thought about that. I knew schools around the country are suffering. Music classes keep being cut, and if they do have a class [then] they’re in terrible shape.”

After making the initial donation, Manilow attended a concert by the Palm Desert Middle School band.

“It was probably the most moving concert I’d ever been to,” he said. “And the fact that I had something to do with it was very moving to me.”

Manilow intends to continue his quest to keep music alive in schools in the near future.

Look To The Stars News: Barry Manilow

What Book Got The Stars Hooked?

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Julia Roberts Stands Up For A Cure

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