Look To The Stars News: Jonathan Ross

Hugh Grant Attends Celebrity Charity Pub Quiz

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Hugh Grant, Jonathan Ross and former Doctor Who David Tennant put their grey-matter to the test at Centrepoint’s annual Ultimate Pub Quiz on Tuesday.

The light-hearted contest, now in its third year, was held at the Paramount Club in Soho’s Centre Point Tower for the first time. The 23 teams, comprised of staff from London businesses and celebrities such as Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, Rav Wilding and Sara Cox, pitted their wits against one another under the watchful eye of Quiz Master Fern Britton and her sidekick Peter Dixon, voice of the X Factor.

As well as the three rounds of questions, Fern presided over a celebrity auction – offering teams the chance to buy the assistance of Grant, Ross, Tennant or Hollyoaks actress and Dancing on Ice star, Jorgie Porter, for the Showbiz Round. Grant and Ross proved particularly popular, attracting a flurry of bids with the respective self deprecating humour and bravado that have become their trademarks. Ross alone went for £4,500!

Starlights For Starlight Celebrity Charity Lampshade Auction

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Starlight Children’s Foundation has teamed up with Alexander Miles, eBay and The Langham, London to organize a Celebrity Lampshade Auction to raise funds for the charity.

A number of high profile names took part in the design project, including Ricky Gervais, Jonathan Ross, Bill Nighy, Stereophonics, William Tempest, Daisy de Villeneuve, Sam-Taylor Wood and Linford Christie.

The Auction will go live at the Champagne Launch Party on the 7th February 2012 at The Langham, London. The Lampshades and stunning floor lamps designed by Alexander Miles will be on display in the Palm Court (re-named Lamp Court) for a period of two weeks. The Auction will be featured globally on eBay from 7th February 2012 to 21st February 2012 with all monies raised going directly to Starlight Children’s Foundation in the UK.

Dame Shirley Bassey Makes Celebrity Donation To Charity Shop

Mon, 23 May 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Barnardo’s flagship charity shop in Marylebone, UK, has received top-quality donations from star singer Dame Shirley Bassey.

The Welsh diva has dropped off bags of top designer clothes and shoes at the George Street Barnardo’s charity shop in Marylebone. Donations include a Ralph Lauren cardigan, Sonia Rykiel skirt and Davos Gomma and Paul Mayer Shoes.

Shop Manager, Russell Lewendon, said: ‘We are over the moon with this generous donation. There has already been a lot of interest in the items so people need to get down here fast if they want to snap up a celebrity bargain! It’s great that Dame Shirley thought of us, as although we welcome all donations, it’s a special treat to be able to sell the clothes of such a star".

Celebrity Red Noses Raise Record Amount For Charity

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Comic Relief delivered another spectacular evening of top TV treats in the UK on Friday, as Red Nose Day 2011 entertained the nation while raising an incredible sum of money to help poor and vulnerable people in the UK and Africa. The TV event raised £74,360,207 (US$118 million) – the highest total reached on the night in Red Nose Day’s 23 year history.

“This is more than we ever believed we would raise,” said organizer Richard Curtis. “The generosity of the British public is staggering.”

The TV extravaganza featured appearances by Justin Bieber, Paul McCartney, David Tennant and Susan Boyle.

Stars Donate Artworks To Celebrity Charity Auction For Willow Foundation

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:30:00 +0000

A whole bunch of stars – including Ricky Gervais, Roger Daltrey, Joanna Lumley and Wayne Rooney – have donated signed canvases to a special celebrity charity auction in the UK.

The Willow Foundation and British artist, Julie-Anne Gilburt, have teamed up to create an exhibition of 20×20 cm canvases, each created by a different star. Well known faces from the worlds of sport, art, design, fashion, music and entertainment have drawn on their artistic skills in aid of the charity.

BGC Charity Day 2010 Attracts Celebrity Brokers

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Stars around the world raised charity cash yesterday, September 13, as part of the BGC Charity Day.

Celebrity brokers’ helped raise money by conducting real trades with BGC’s clients (the major banks and investment banks) over the phone from the trading floor (alongside a licensed broker). From these trades, worth millions of dollars in bonds, foreign exchange, derivatives and other products, BGC aimed to surpass last year’s total of $10 million globally, which brought the five-year total raised on BGC’s Charity Day to $33 million.

BGC Partners was created as Cantor Fitzgerald re-built following the World Trade Center attacks. Cantor was the worst hit company on 9/11, losing 658 of its employees – two thirds of its workforce at the time. To commemorate those who were lost on the day, every year on September 11, BGC’s revenues are distributed to dozens of charities around the world.

Comedy Gala’s Success Helps London Hospital

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Comedians Alan Carr, Jack Fee, Michael McIntyre, Kevin Bishop, Lee Evans and Shappi Khorsandi all had the honor of presenting staff members and medical personnel of London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital with a generous cheque donation of £869,492 this week.

A host of comedic faces took center stage at the O2 Arena in London on April 5 to entertain some 15,000 guests and raise money for the Great Ormond Street Hospital. The successful participation of more than 35 comedians and TV personalities during the Channel 4 Comedy Gala raised an unprecedented sum through charitable donation and sales.

“Wow! What a night! And what an amazing amount of money for Great Ormond Street – bring on next year!” said Alan Carr who opened up the show. Rob Brydon, Jonathan Ross, Katie Price and Alex Reid – to name a few – also took part in the comedic event.

Johnny Depp Sends Video To British Comedy's Charity Night Out

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

A huge number of British stars turned out at the O2 Arena in London last night for the Channel 4 Comedy Gala to benefit the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Hosted by Jonathan Ross – who led with a controversial performance – the night featured a special video message from longtime GOSH supporter Johnny Depp, and appearances by Jo Brand, Alan Carr, Rob Brydon, Jack Dee, Lee Evans, Katie Price, Michael McIntyre, Sean Lock, Christine Bleakley and many more.

The event raised funds for two new anesthetic rooms that will allow parents to stay with their children right up until they enter the operating theaters.

Stars Write Letters To Themselves For Charity Book

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:30:00 +0000

If you were to write a letter to your 16-year-old self, what would it say?

In the new book Dear Me, some of the world’s best loved personalities have written just such a letter. Their letters range from the compassionate, to the shocking via hilarity and heartbreak – but they all have one thing in common: they offer a unique glimpse at the teenager who grew up to be a house-hold name.

£1 from each copy sold will be given to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The Stars Come Out For Tilly

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:30:00 +0000

A host of stars were out in the weekend to support a young British girl who contracted Meningococcal Septicaemia as a baby and lost her hands as a result.

Last year, Look To The Stars brought you the story of Tilly Lockey, who contracted a deadly form of flesh-eating meningitis for which there is no vaccination. It was every mother’s nightmare, and for four weeks Tilly fought back in intensive care. After ten blood transfusions later she was finally pronounced out of danger. Unfortunately her hands and toes were already dead, and had to be removed.

Tilly recently received her first set of prosthetic hands. According to her parents, “these need to be replaced as she grows, consultants have told us that they will need to be changed a minimum of once every year if not twice up until she is 18 years old! We received the invoice for the hands and they are costing £23,464.00 a pair. Therefore if we need to have a target of raising approx £800,000.00 to cover the costs up until Tilly is 18 years old.”

Celebrity Handprints To Be Auctioned For Tilly

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Last year, Look To The Stars brought you the story of Tilly Lockey, a young girl who contracted Meningococcal Septicaemia as a baby and lost her hands as a result.

A number of stars, such as JK Rowling, Linford Christie, David Jason, Cliff Richard, David Prowse and Alan Shearer showed their support for Tilly’s cause by donating handprints and casts for a charity auction to give her new hands. Look To The Stars is now happy to announce that the 2009 Celebrity Handprint Auction will take place on September 5 at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead Hotel in the UK.

The gala evening will feature entertainment from Paul Lytton, Michael Donoghue and Richard Fleeshman, as well as a Champagne Reception and 3 course dinner.

Eric Clapton Signs Guitar For Leukaemia Children

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:30:00 +0000

A guitar signed by Eric Clapton was just one of the items that were featured in a charity auction held in the UK last weekend that raised over £6,000 (US$8,500) for Children With Leukaemia.

The guitar – which was also signed by Mike Rutherford from Genesis and Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker – went under the hammer for £500 at the event, held in Norwich. Also up for auction was a guitar signed by Green Day, which sold for £840, and a Clapton-signed DVD of a Cream reunion at the Albert Hall that sold for £200.

Children With Leukaemia is the UK’s leading charity dedicated exclusively to fighting Britain’s biggest childhood cancer. For more than 20 years, they have been helping children affected by leukaemia. They fund research into causes and treatments, support families through welfare programmes and campaign on their behalf. Their current fundraising campaign is being fronted by British celebrity Chris Tarrant, and the charity also enjoys support from Jonathan Ross, Judi Dench, Phil Collins, Joanna Lumley, Paul McCartney and many more.

Red Nose Day TV Special Breaks Records

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:00:00 +0000

BBC’s Red Nose Day television extravaganza, Funny For Money, raised over £57 million (US$80 million) on Friday night, breaking the previous record of £40 million set in 2007.

Presented by David Tennant, Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross and others, Funny For Money aired on March 13 on BBC One and Two and featured comedy items performed by Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Robbie Williams, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Ricky Gervais, Harry Enfield, Peter Crouch, David Beckham, Ronnie Corbett, Sadie Frost, and Kate Moss.

A special version of Top Of The Pops featuring performances by U2, James Morrison and Oasis – as well as Tom Jones and Rob Brydon singing the official Comic Relief single, Islands In The Stream – also aired as part of the extravaganza. The Islands In The Stream single has just topped the UK charts, which will bring in more cash for the cause.

Red Nose Day TV Special To Tickle BBC Funny Bones

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Today, March 13, is Red Nose Day in Britain – the major fundraising event of the year for Comic Relief. And to celebrate, celebrities young and old will appear in a TV extravaganza being screened tonight on BBC One and Two.

Presented by David Tennant, Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross and others, Funny For Money will feature the last ever French & Saunders film parody – a version of Mamma Mia! performed by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders – plus comedy items performed by Robbie Williams, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Ricky Gervais, Harry Enfield, Peter Crouch, David Beckham, Sadie Frost, and Kate Moss. There will also be an appearance from Annie Lennox.

As part of the show, Comic Relief will also present a special version of Top Of The Pops that will feature performances by U2, James Morrison and Oasis, as well as Tom Jones and Rob Brydon singing the official Comic Relief single, Islands In The Stream.

Daniel Craig Donates Watch To Charity Auction

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:30:00 +0000

A wristwatch belonging to Daniel Craig is being auctioned for Children in Need.

The watch – similar to the one Craig wears as James Bond in the latest 007 film Quantum of Solace – was presented to Jonathan Ross when the Bond star appeared on his talk show.

A lap with Top Gear driver The Stig and tickets to the final of Celebrity Scissorhands are also up for sale in the auction that starts later today, November 10, as are lots of signed Pudsey Bears – the Children In Need mascot – and bandanas, signed items from BBC Dramas such as Casualty and Holby City, and some props from the popular BBC series, The Apprentice.

The Spy Who Loved Me For Charity

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Ever fancy a kiss with James Bond? Or a cuddle with Hugh Grant? One lucky bidder did on Tuesday night, when they won the chance to do exactly that at a charity auction in London.

The Great British Movie Event, a dinner and auction to raise cash for the National Film and Television School, attracted a host of famous faces, including Richard Attenborough, Christopher Lee, Rowan Atkinson, Honor Blackman, Bill Nighy, and Richard Curtis. Hosted by Jonathan Ross, the evening raised over $800,000 for the school, which specializes in high-end media training.

The chance to kiss three living legends – Hugh Grant, James Bond actor Daniel Craig, and Harry Potter’s Robbie Coltrane – sold for a whopping $39,000, with the honor going to Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond film franchise.

Celebrities Kept Busy With Charity Initiatives

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:34:00 +0000

Philanthropic celebrities have been more than busy lately, helping charities through a series of unique and exciting initiatives and events.

Although the current Hollywood writers’ strike is keeping the 2008 Academy Awards up in the air, model Heidi Klum has announced she will press ahead with her plans to donate the red dress she intends to wear at the Oscar ceremony to charity.

The donation is part of the “Red Dress Program”, an initiative between Diet Coke and the National Institutes of Health’s The Heart Truth to raise awareness of heart disease in women.

Doctor Who Joins Charity Comic Cast

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:00:00 +0000

A special edition of UK children’s comic the Beano will feature celebrity guests in an effort to raise money for this year’s Comic Relief event on March 16.

Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids will be joined by Doctor Who, chef Jamie Oliver, Rowan Atkinson, Jonathan Ross and others. The reluctant students will be forced to study by the Daleks, and have their school lunch cooked by Oliver.

The unusual cast will make its appearance in the first ever issue of the new monthly BeanoMAX publication, going on sale on February 15.