Look To The Stars News: Liam Neeson

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.

The award is given to individuals who have used their influence to raise awareness, their celebrated status to raise funds, and the respect and notoriety which they have gained from successes in their chosen profession, to make positive policy changes to progress either environmental or humanitarian concerns.

Friday, October 30, will see Sir Ben Kingsley CBE, Venus and Serena Williams, Josh Hartnett, Danny Boyle and Christian Colson honored for their outstanding charity and humanitarian work. A surprise guest will open the event, and an art exhibition will also take place featuring original artworks by George Clooney, Stella McCartney, Sir Roger Moore KBE, Sir Michael Caine CBE, and Lady Shakira Caine, Sir Ian McKellen, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Laurence Fishburne, John Travolta, Pierce Brosnan OBE, Morgan Freeman, Charlize Theron, Minnie Driver, Lucy Liu, Susan Sarandon, Courteney Cox & David Arquette, Whoopi Goldberg, Penelope Cruz, Benicio del Toro, Joseph Fiennes, Anjelica Huston, Christian Slater, Harvey Keitel, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Gillian Anderson, Hilary Duff, Adrien Brody, Mickey Rourke, Robin Wright Penn, Patrick Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Stephanie Powers, Toni Collette, Daniel Craig and many more.

An active supporter and patron of charities such as the Prince’s Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust and First Star, English actor Sir Ben Kingsley CBE is very much devoted to helping disadvantaged young people and children. In 2008, Kingsley was awarded the “Cinema for Peace Honorary Award”, for the portrayal of the humanitarian role-models Simon Wiesenthal, Itzhak Stern and Gandhi.

In April 2009, following the success of Slumdog Millionaire, filmmakers Danny Boyle and Christian Colson announced a commitment of £500,000 to Plan, an international children’s development organization. The money will be spent on a five-year program focusing on education and sanitation, designed to improve the lives of children in Mumbai’s slum communities. In consultation with Plan, the filmmakers have also founded the Jai Ho Trust, an independent trust which aims to ensure that Rubina Ali (who played the youngest Latika in the film) and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (youngest Salim) receive an education, housing and social support. The trust will also hold a sum of money for the two children until they reach adulthood.

American actor and film producer Josh Hartnett supports a number of worthy causes and has backed Global Cool, a charity focused on climate change since its inception. Launching with a reception at No.10 Downing Street in London in 2007, Josh Hartnett met with former Prime Minister Tony Blair on behalf of the group and has since taken the message of greenhouse gas reduction far and wide, to let people know that they really can make a difference to the environmental health of our planet.

Professional women’s tennis players whom have won a combined 12 Grand Slam titles. The Williams sisters have demonstrated an immense amount of charitable work off the court. The “Williams Sister’s Tour” set out to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities which provides housing for families of seriously ill children. In addition, Serena started The Serena Williams Foundation which focuses on education, and helping underprivileged children in Africa who cannot afford to go to school or college to do so.

WhateverItTakes.org is a unique charity artwork project which inspires hope by gathering artworks from leaders in all fields; royalty, film, music, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, sports, literature etc. The artworks are used to ethically produce Whatever It Takes products which are then sold to raise funds for charitable causes chosen by each contributing leader. 21st Century Leaders Foundation’s mission is to assist and encourage a generation of influencers – royalty, Nobel peace prize laureates and well-known leaders in the fields of film, music, fashion, art and literature – to raise awareness and funds for international development causes, thereby leading the way in promoting positive environmental sustainable development. 21st Century Leaders was founded in May 2003 when Charlotte di Vita was made a Goodwill Ambassador to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. 21st Century Leaders was also the 10th Anniversary celebration of Trade plus Aid, the foundation for which Charlotte had received an MBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

To find out more about this event – to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Doha on October 30/31 – click here.

Giorgio Armani Donates To New York Schools

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Wendy Williams

Fashion designer Giorgio Armani donated $1 million to New York City public schools this week. The money will fund the Armani Arts Institute, supporting art education in the city’s disadvantaged neighborhoods.

The donation is a new initiative under the Fund for Public Schools, an organization that has raised more than $240 million since 2003. Armani’s gift is the single largest retail donation to the fund.

Armani announced the gift during the opening of his new flagship Armani/5th Avenue store, coinciding with New York City’s Fashion Week. Speaking in Italian, he described his donation as “an investment in the future generations of New York City. . . we are giving young kids a chance to dream.”

Caroline Kennedy, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Joel I. Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, lauded Armani’s investment in the city during challenging economic times. The fashion designer said, “An entrepreneur shows his true colors in a period of crisis, not in a period when everybody is having success.” Kennedy, vice-chair of the Fund, commented that Armani’s gift was one of the “largest personal donations” to the fund.

Armani and Kennedy traveled to the Bronx visit one of the recipient schools.

Armani explained that because of the economic climate, he toned down the opening of his store, substituting the school donation in place of a fashion show or dinner. But his new 43,000-square-feet glass-cube emporium is hardly drab. Four stories of luxury Armani items, from shoes to chocolate, are connected by a curved staircase lined in white plastic.

Everybody in NYC at Store Opening

During the opening party, editors for top fashion magazines such as Vogue, Town& Country, InStyle Group and Elle jockeyed to get a word with the 74-year-old fashion billionaire. As described by Joanna Coles, editor of Marie Claire, “Clearly, everyone in New York is here.”

Customers of Mr. Armani also turned out for the event, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Liam Neeson, Josh Hartnett, Solange Knowles, Chase Crawford, John Mayer and Natalia Vodianova.

Victoria Beckham, a sometimes model for Armani underwear, was in town for NYC’s Fashion Week to introduce her Victoria Beckham Dress Collection. About her former boss she said, “I have so much respect for Mr. Armani—you know, I can dream.”

Stars Heal Patients With A Kiss

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Marie Gorrettie

Medicinema is a registered charity that has partnered with the Health Sector and the Film Industry, installing state-of-the-art cinemas on site in hospitals around the United Kingdom.

By creating purpose built cinemas in hospitals, Medicinema provides a much needed escape for the patients – it’s a welcome break from the hospital ward. Each cinema is specially designed to cater for beds and wheel chairs and nursing staff on duty throughout every Medicinema screening.

With nurses instead of usherettes, Medicinema harnesses the magic of the Silver Screen to help enrich the quality of life for patients. By screening the latest releases for patients young and old – including those in beds and on wheelchairs – patients and their families are able to escape the reality of hospital life.

As the lights dim and the film starts, with the big screen filled and Dolby Surround sound bursting into life, patients can be forgiven for thinking they are spending a night in the West End – apart from the occasional bleep of a patient’s monitor, you could be in a cinema!

Everyone needs a little escapism in their lives, especially if they’re in hospital. There is often not very much to look forward to so a visit to the cinema can give a much-needed boost to the spirits, providing the sort of family outing that is otherwise difficult in hospital. With the help and active support of the leading film distributors, Medicinema screens a wide variety of feature films from action and adventure to romantic comedies. Some films are even screened to Medicinema audiences before they go on general release.

As part of a new initiative, stars of the Silver Screen have donated kisses to celebrate ten years of Medicinema to help enhance therapeutic care for patients in hospitals around UK. To mark their 10th Anniversary, MediCinema is auctioning the HEALED WITH A KISS COLLECTION. The collection contains over 50 original signed lip prints from some of the biggest names in the Film Industry. The following are the stars who have donated Healed With A Kiss Lip Prints to help bring magic of the Silver Screen to hospital patients across UK: Madonna, Catherine Zeta Jones, Dame Helen Mirren, Sigourney Weaver, Ewan McGregor, Kate Winslet, John Hurt, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Helena Bonham Carter, Dame Judi Dench, Joan Collins, Glenn Close, Shirley MacLaine, Dame Diana Rigg, Kate Beckinsale, Thandie Newton, Nickolas Grace, Tim Roth, Jeremy Irons, Ben Stiller, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Broadbent, Honor Blackman, John Travolta, Claire Bloom, Martine McCutcheon, Greta Scacchi, Saffron Burrows, Geraldine Chaplin, Mariella Frostrup, Juliet Stevenson, Robbie Coltrane, Zoë Wanamaker, Cathy Tyson, Jason Isaacs, Anthony Andrews, Tommy Steele, Mark Addy, Kenneth Branagh, Alice Eve, and Dwayne Johnson.

The Auction party will be held in April 2009 and the complete Healed With A Kiss collection will be auctioned at the Medicinema Private Auction Party at The Movieunm, London’s biggest Film Memorabilia Museum.

The Healed With A Kiss Auction party will offer you the opportunity to own these highly collectable pieces of film memorabilia and the chance to rub shoulders with Movers and Shakers of the film industry. Hugh Edmeades, Christie’s International Auctioneer, will chair the auction in support of MediCinema. An exclusive drinks reception, live entertainment and a private tour will be followed by the auction of the healed with a kiss collection in support of MediCinema.

Here are some of the quotes from patients and their families whom MediCinema has touched:

“Really happy at the thought that I was not going to have to spend an evening on the ward, staring at a blank wall with no neighbours and chewing my lips to avoid being in pain”. Niamh.

“I completely forgot that I was in hospital, and that I had loads of needles in my arm, and when the film ended I thought “right, time to go home; and it was only when the lights came back on and I saw all the other beds and steelchairs that I remembered that I was in hospital”. Jesica, St Thomas patient.

If you would like to Bid for Original Signed Lip prints from the Stars of the Silver Screen and attend the Auction Party and bid in person please contact MediCinema: Tel:+44(0) 20 7188 3697 or email medicinema@gstt.nhs.uk.

If a celebrity lip print has caught your eye, you can make an advance bid before attending the Auction event in writing, on line or by telephone.

If you are unable to attend the Auction Party in person, you can secure an original signed lip print by placing “ABSENTEE” Bid, in writing, on line or by telephone. Please register your bid/s in the Healed with a Kiss Auction by contacting medicinema@gsst.nhs.uk or telephoning +44 (0) 20 7188 3697.

Once you have registered interest in placing an “Absentee” or advance bid, you will be contacted to confirm your bid and contact details.

For more information about the Auction Party please contact MediCinema on +44 (0) 20 7188 3697 or email medicinema@gstt.nhs.uk.

Liam Neeson Wants To Fight Child Sex Trade

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Irish actor Liam Neeson is considering resuming his work as a UNICEF Ambassador to aid in the struggle against the child sex trade.

The 56-year-old actor resigned as an ambassador for the organization last year, citing the fact that his image had been overused in charity campaigns and he was no longer serving the cause. But he now says he is ready to step back into his old shoes to fight the sex slave epidemic – a cause highlighted in his latest film, Taken.

“I had access to facts and figures and numbers of children that do disappear from Eastern Europe and Asia that would make the hair on the back of your neck curl,“ Neeson told WENN. “It has been going on for many years and it still goes on. There is a big sex slave trade happening. I may have to go back to UNICEF. I got out of it because I had spent 10 years there and I thought they needed fresh blood instead of people looking at my face all the time. But it’s a wonderful organisation and every now and again I’d like to do something for them.”

Neeson’s charity endeavors of a different kind will soon see the light of day. In April, his lip prints will join a host of other celebrities taking part in the Healed With A Kiss charity auction to benefit Medicinema. More information can be found here.

Celebrity Lip Prints To Be Auctioned For Charity

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:00:00 -0000

A collection of over 50 original signed lip prints from some of the biggest names in film will be auctioned in April in support of the charity Medicinema.

Amongst the stars who have donated a Healed With A Kiss lip print are Keira Knightley, Ewan McGregor, Kate Winslet, John Travolta, Shirley MacLaine, Jeff Goldblum, Madonna, Jeremy Irons, Sigourney Weaver, Dame Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson and Glenn Close.

A window display, featuring copies of a selection of the kisses, will be unveiled in Fenwick Bond Street, London and Newcastle during the lead up to Valentine’s Day 2009. The entire collection of over 50 original Healed With A Kiss signed prints will be exhibited at The Movieum, County Hall, London in March 2009. The Exhibition will culminate with a Party on 2nd April at the Movieum, as the first in a series of events to help celebrate MediCinema’s 10th Anniversary year. The lip prints will be auctioned during the Party at the Movieum to help MediCinema bring the magic that is cinema to patients, including those in beds and wheelchairs, in hospitals around the UK.

Ewan McGregor, an active and longstanding Patron of the charity, said “I am delighted to participate in the Healed With a Kiss initiative, having seen at first hand how much patients and their families look forward to an all-encompassing cinema experience and welcome break from the daily routine of life on the hospital wards.”

For further information on the entire Healed With A Kiss collection of celebrity lip prints and details on how to bid for your own signed kiss from a star of the silver screen visit www.medicinema.org.uk.

Family Fun Days For Everyone This Weekend

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Two charity events are taking place on opposite sides of the Atlantic this weekend.

New Yorkers who want to get on their bikes can join Full Metal Jacket star Matthew Modine on his Bicycle For A Day campaign. The 49-year-old will be among cyclists pedaling off from lower Manhattan’s South Street Seaport on Saturday, September 20, to raise awareness of the need to reduce carbon emissions and to demonstrate the many simple things that each of us can do everyday to accomplish a cleaner world.

“The idea behind my project Bicycle for a Day is to help people understand that there is something they can do,“ he said. “In fact, just one simple thing they can do every day to become part of the solution. If everybody does this one thing, the cumulative effect could be tremendous. The environmental situation is a great opportunity for us all to work together to find solutions. Bicycle for a Day is just that – citizens of the world joining together globally and acting locally.”

Celebrity supporters of the campaign include Heather Graham, John McEnroe, Lara Flynn Boyle, Liev Schreiber and Liam Neeson, and anybody interested in joining the fun can visit www.bicycleforaday.org for more information.

A day of fun of a different kind is set to take place in the UK on September 21. The Day for Heroes Family Fun Day will go off with a bang in the Detling Show Ground near Maidstone on Sunday, and will feature British boyband McFly.

Celebrities, artists and the military are joining forces to give families a day out to remember, whilst raising essential funds for Help for Heroes. Compered by Cheryl Baker and Shaun Williamson, the day will be packed with entertainment and thrills. A parachute display team of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment will open the show with a spectacular entrance. There will also be 20 free funfair rides – including the ultimate experience reverse bungee power shot – and entertainment including military-based attractions such as aircraft simulators, parachute display teams and a challenging inflatable army assault course.

Help for Heroes was launched in October 2007 in response to the desire of ordinary people to do something practical to help our wounded servicemen and women. Celebrity supporters of the charity include TV show hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May (Top Gear), Prince Harry and Prince William, Simon Cowell, and Sharon Osbourne. David Beckham is also a supporter, saying: “I am incredibly proud and grateful for the commitment and work that our armed forces do for our country. I support the campaign fully.“

For ticket information and more information, visit www.dayforheroes.com.

Big Audience, Big Screen, Big Movie

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:26:50 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Liam Neeson will attend London’s première charity showing of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian at The O2 arena on June 19, the latest film Neeson has loaned his voice to.

The big deal about this première, the sequel to the 2005 film of C. S. Lewis’ book “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, is the size of the screen and audience: a giant cinema screen will be installed into the arena for 10,000 viewers.

Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media will donate proceeds of ticket sales to the Great Ormond Street Hospital, a world-leading children’s hospital that hosts a wide range of specialists for research and treatment of children’s rare, complex and life-threatening conditions.

Besides the millions the Hospital is trying to raise for refurbishment of the 150-year-old facilities, it is partnering with Disney to raise £10 million for the construction of a new restaurant, café and Disney Interactive Zone. The Zone, which will be created by Disney ‘imagineers’ together with hospital design teams, will be a meeting area for patients and families.

If Disney’s Prince Caspian special effects are any indication, the Zone should be the perfect place for children to forget about their health troubles, at least for a while.

Liam Neeson Honored by American Ireland Fund

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:49:50 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

More than 1,300 guests gathered last week at the American Ireland Fund’s 33rd Annual New York Gala to honor acclaimed Irish actor Liam Neeson and renowned Wall Street leader and philanthropist, Lewis L. Glucksman, who passed away in 2006.

Neeson, a native of Northern Ireland received the 2008 Performing Arts Award, and was honored for his contribution to film and theatre over the past 30 years, and for the friendship and support he has shown the American Ireland Fund by donating his time and efforts to help promote its mission.

“Enormous strides have been made in my native Northern Ireland in the past decade, demonstrated by political, social and economic changes that came about through a combination of courage, generosity and persistence.” Neeson said during his acceptance speech, “The American Ireland Fund has been instrumental in investing in some of the deeper social changes that are needed and has tirelessly supported peace, education, the arts and reconciliation projects on the island of Ireland. I am proud to have been able to play a part in the American Ireland Fund’s efforts and am honored to be part of the continuing transition underway in Ireland.”

The event raised over $3.5 million for important projects in Ireland, including a $1 million gift to PeacePlayers International, an organization that brings Catholic and Protestant children in Northern Ireland together through the neutral sport of basketball.

Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Chairman of the American Ireland Funds, accepted the 2008 Humanitarian Award on behalf of her husband, the late Lewis L. Glucksman, who dedicated much of his time to raise funds for many of the peace and educational initiatives of the AIF.

AIF CEO, Kieran McLoughlin commented on this year’s event, “It is a credit to both the philanthropists and the wider patronage of the Gala that this year’s event is among the most successful in our 33-year history. It is also noteworthy that over a third of a million dollars came from Ireland itself this year, an indication that the roots of philanthropy that the Ireland Funds has been sowing in Ireland are starting to yield fruit. Home-grown Irish philanthropy is ready for take off.”

About The Ireland Funds: The mission of The American Ireland Fund is to be the largest worldwide network of people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland dedicated to raising funds to support programs of Peace and Reconciliation, Arts and Culture, Education and Community Development throughout the island of Ireland. The Ireland Funds host more than 100 events in 40 cities attended by over 40,000 people. Since 1976, The Ireland Funds have raised over $300 million. For additional information please go to http://www.irlfunds.org.

PeacePlayers uses the game of basketball to foster mutual respect and tolerance by enabling Catholic and Protestant children to play the game together. By competing together on mixed teams on a regular basis, children from historically divided groups are discovering common ground and forging new friendships. Prejudices are being overcome by the desires to play, have fun and win. PeacePlayers International can be found fostering mutual respect among kids in Northern Ireland, South Africa, the Middle East, Cyprus, and New Orleans. Visit PeacePlayers online to learn more.

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