Look To The Stars News: Jamie Cullum

Hayley Westenra To Headline Festival Of Remembrance

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:30:00 -0000

New Zealand-born songbird Hayley Westenra will headline the 2009 Festival of Remembrance in a tribute to the original Armed Forces sweetheart, Dame Vera Lynn.

Miss Westenra will take the spotlight on 7 November at the Royal Albert Hall with a rendition of “We’ll Meet Again” before an audience including Her Majesty the Queen, members of the Royal Family, and Dame Vera Lynn herself.

Narrated by broadcaster Huw Edwards, the Festival of Remembrance is the annual tribute to the sacrifices of British Armed Forces, conducted this year against the backdrop of losses in Afghanistan.

“I decided to pay homage to Dame Vera because once again, there’s a need to offer comfort and support to our brave Armed Forces through music,” said Miss Westenra, 22. “It’s important to remember that when Dame Vera recorded these songs, she was the same age that I am now – and now I’m singing for my generation.”

The New Zealand-born soprano will be joined by a stellar line-up that includes contemporary jazz artist Jamie Cullum, mezzo-soprano Faryl, and the Fron Male Voice Choir from Froncysyllte, Vale of Llangollen, Clwyd, in Wales.

Three serving soldiers who have recorded an album in support of Armed Forces charities, The Soldiers, will be singing from their debut release, “Bring Him Home”. A choirboy and choirgirl from St George’s School Windsor Castle and the choir of St Edward’s Oxford will also perform.

Music and pageantry will be provided by a number of military performances including the Massed Band of the Guards Division with the Guards Swing Band, the Band of HM Royal Marines and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force.

This year’s ceremonies will include a tribute to D-Day veterans in the 65th anniversary of the landings which preceded the liberation of Europe and a number of war widows wearing the Elizabeth Cross, the new award bestowed upon the families of those who have fallen while on active service. The Festival citation will be read by Medical Assistant Kate Nesbitt, the first woman from the Royal Navy to be awarded the Military Cross.

The Festival of Remembrance is broadcast on BBC One and BBC Radio 2, drawing a television audience of more than 6 million viewers.

Beds Are Burning For Climate Change

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Kofi Annan, President of the Global Humanitarian Forum, was yesterday joined by Mélanie Laurent (star of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’) and David Jones (Global CEO, Havas Worldwide) for the launch of a specially re-recorded version of Midnight Oil’s Beds are Burning as a global musical petition to demand climate justice at the UN’s Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December.

‘Beds Are Burning’ was produced by The:Hours, and is to be made available on all major music download platforms for free. It will also be available on the campaign’s own website: www.timeforclimatejustice.org.

The song has been supported by over 60 international music stars and celebrities including Duran Duran, Mark Ronson, Jamie Cullum, Melanie Laurent, Marion Cotillard, Milla Jovovich, Fergie, Lily Allen, Manu Katche, Bob Geldof, Youssou N’Dour, Yannick Noah and many more.

“Climate change is the greatest humanitarian challenge facing mankind today,” said Kofi Annan. "And it is a challenge that has a grave injustice at its heart. It is the major developed economies of the world which contribute the overwhelming majority of global greenhouse emissions. But it is the poorer and least developed nations that are hit hardest by its impact.

“By downloading ‘Beds Are Burning’ for free from major music download platforms on the internet, people from around the world will be adding their names to this growing global petition – joining the campaign for climate justice and becoming a climate ally.

“This will be the first time ever that a musical petition has been created to demand decisive action from our world leaders. I believe it can become the Band Aid for the internet generation.”

Founded in 2007, the Global Humanitarian Forum is led by Kofi Annan and brings together stakeholders, including government, business, international organizations, civil society and the general public, to help solve humanitarian challenges. Located in Geneva, the Forum’s current focus is to increase awareness on the human face of climate change and to boost support to vulnerable populations worst affected by global warming.

“The next Kyoto agreement is hugely important to get right because the last one got it so wrong,” said Melanie Laurent. "The single greatest contribution to the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is not the burning of fossil fuels by the transport sector, nor is it industrial pollution, it is deforestation.

“I’m supporting Kofi Annan’s initiative and hope this song will be heard by as many people as possible in the world before Copenhagen. This campaign will help secure a better future for our planet and upcoming generations. The time has come.”

Every download will count as a unique digital petition with people adding their names to demand world leaders reach an ambitious, fair and global deal at the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen. Already, more than 1.3 million people have signed up to the campaign.

Status Quo Rocks The Auction House

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Last week’s special charity auction featuring works from some of Status Quo’s celebrity fans was a huge success.

Over US$158,000 was raised for the Prince’s Trust in the auction, which featured artworks created by Brian Wilson, Rolf Harris, Alice Cooper, Brian May, Chris Tarrant, Jamie Cullum, Katie Melua, Paul Rogers and 50 other stars. Every artwork represented one of Status Quo’s album or single covers from the last 40 years, with one painting by David Shepherd attracting bids in excess of $26,860.

“It’s marvelous because normally these things can go down a damp squib,” said Quo frontman Francis Rossi. “The fact that we reached GBP100,000 is very nice. The Prince’s Trust is for young people that are not articulate or come from a poor background. Nobody gives them a chance. It’s such an unusual charity. It’s not the kind of charity that most people give to. People are not usually concerned about some young kid from a council estate background.”

Status Quo's Celebrity Friends Help Out

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British rockers Status Quo have asked some of their celebrity fans to create works of art to be auctioned off for charity.

Brian Wilson, Rolf Harris, Alice Cooper, Brian May, Chris Tarrant, Jamie Cullum, Katie Melua, Paul Rogers and 50 other stars have stepped up to the challenge to benefit the Prince’s Trust as part of the launch of the band’s new CD box set and double album being released to mark their 40th anniversary.

Eight of the paintings will go under the hammer at London auction house Bonhams on November 5 at a special album launch party, with the rest of the collection being sold via a silent auction accessed through the Prince’s Trust website. Entrance to the auction is invitation only.

A Recipe For Organic Living - Stars Feast For A Cause

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:01:58 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It was a delectable night of weird and wonderful gastronomic delights when a group of celebrities were served a meal made from ingredients totally grown, plucked, picked, fished, harvested, collected, reaped, and gathered from in and around London late last week.

Over 400 guests, including Annie Lennox, Mick Jagger, Colin Firth, Jemima Khan, Richard E. Grant, Jamie Cullum, Sophie Dahl, and Sting’s wife Trudie Styler, gathered in Guildhall for the “Feast Of Albion”, an event masterminded by TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Money raised from the $2000-a-head evening, which included a performance from Lennox, went to the Soil Association, the UK’s leading environmental charity promoting sustainable, organic farming, and championing human health.

Guests were served a selection of unique dishes, including nettles picked from Hyde Park, wild fennel from the banks of Regent’s Canal in Hackney, organic beetroot from Romney Marsh, oysters from the Blackwater river in Essex, and venison from the Windsor Estate, with many of the ingredients being transported by bicycle up to 50 miles to the venue to reduce the event’s carbon footprint. The aim was to encourage supermarkets to stop flying out-of-season produce across the world and to promote locally grown foods.

“Organic farming enables poor farmers in developing countries to get into growing food for their families and communities in a way that’s genuinely sustainable,” said Lennox. “Eat organic, save the planet – it’s that simple.”

A live auction – which included items such as an environmentally friendly holiday at a Himalayan retreat – raised more than $600,000 for the Soil Association.

Thompson And Newton Help Raise Funds For Breast Cancer Charity

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 15:56:06 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Film stars Emma Thompson and Thandie Newton were among the stars at the Lavender Trust Speakeasy event in London on Wednesday night.

The Lavender Trust is an initiative of the UK charity Breast Cancer Care which raises money for young breast cancer sufferers. Its lively 1920s-inspired Speakeasy event spurred Thompson, Newton and others to take to the stage and sing. Model Sophie Dahl performed two songs with jazz singer Jamie Cullum, while Sting was among other celebrity attendees.

The event raised £200,000, a quarter of which came from a fundraising auction.

'Rock For Darfur' Myspace campaign

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:53:16 -0000

Written by Hannah Coone

MySpace.com has led a campaign entitled Rock For Darfur — a series of concerts across North America in which the participating big-name bands donate portions of their ticket sales to Oxfam’s relief efforts in Sudan and neighboring Chad. October 21st saw more than 20 concerts unite rock, pop, reggae and country artists for a common cause.

The concerts featured the likes of Ziggy Marley, Alice In Chains, Insane Clown Posse, Jamie Cullum, +44 and Atreyu. “I’ve been watching the news reports and it brings tears to my eyes and anger to my heart when I see what is happening in Darfur right now,” says Ziggy Marley. “How can we sit by and not find a way to help? Together every little bit will add up.”

Many music artists have MySpace profiles, and site members can add bands to their friend lists. Using this feature, ‘Rock For Darfur’ awareness could be maximized throughout the website, using blogs and bulletins. MySpace partnered with bands and the leading international relief and development organization Oxfam to make the campaign the company’s largest philanthropic effort to date

“The crisis in Darfur is a global concern and as a global community we have a responsibility to take action,” said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace. “MySpace’s reach gives us an extraordinary opportunity to spread the word and empower individuals to help address the horrors in Darfur.”

The campaign has extended beyond the concerts to include a public-service-announcement (PSA) featuring Samuel L. Jackson, and further videos and interactive features which can be found on the MySpace ‘Rock For Darfur’ profile. The PSA was played throughout October in theatres, and was also shown on broadcast and cable companies and high-profile websites including MySpace.

Further videos on the profile page include an excerpt from George Clooney’s visit to Darfur as part of a forthcoming documentary focused on the crisis, ‘The Devil Came on Horseback’. MySpace members can donate to Oxfam’s relief efforts via the profile page.

“More than three years of violence in Darfur has left half the region’s population dependent on international aid for survival, and there are untold thousands more who can’t even be reached,” said President of Oxfam America, Raymond C. Offenheiser.

“Such a catastrophic humanitarian situation will not improve without an end to this brutal conflict. The people of Darfur urgently need – and deserve – our help. It’s incredibly heartening that MySpace, which can rally millions of people to this cause, is working so hard to educate the world about this crisis.”

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