Look To The Stars News: Joan Rivers

British Stars Get Really Naked For Charity Calendar

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:00:00 -0000

The National Osteoporosis Society in Britain is giving you the chance to see some of the nation’s favorite stars as you have never seen them before – completely and truly naked.

Joanna Lumley, Michael Parkinson, Joan Rivers, and Bruce Forsyth are among the celebrities that have shed their clothes – and their skin and organs – for the new calendar, which features x-ray photos taken by Nick Veasey of the stars’ bones.

The Really Naked Calendar is part of Love Your Bones, a campaign to raise awareness of the steps people can take in younger years to increase their chances of bone health as they age.

“Before I got involved in this project I had believed osteoporosis to be a frail old woman’s disease – which I’m pretty sure is what the population seem to think, too,“ said Veasey. “Well it’s not – it’s hugely common in men and women of all ages and is a painful and debilitating disease. This is why I’m pleased to work on this project. The inspiration for the collection of images was to peer beyond the sometimes superficial celebrity image, highlighting that beauty is more than skin deep, and that essentially, what we all share is the need to care for our bones inside.”

Other stars baring all for the calendar include Strictly Come Dancing star Craig Revel Horwood, Lorraine Kelly, James Martin, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson and Steve Williams.

The calendar is available from the National Osteoporosis Society website.

Bid 2 Beat AIDS Auction Jam-Packed With Stars

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

December 1st marked World AIDS Day. It was also the first day of BID 2 BEAT AIDS’s 4th annual charity auction.

Fans of celebrities in film, music, television, sports and Broadway have 10 days to bid on eBay for autographed items, VIP seats, original art, costumes and props, memorabilia, exclusive events and meet-and-greets from a legion of stars.

Autographs range from CDs by stars like Bon Jovi and Amy Winehouse, books signed by Madonna and Kevin Bacon, posters signed by Jake Gyllenhaal, Owen Wilson, and Matthew McConaughey, DVDs signed by Will Ferrell and Steven Spielberg, and toys, clothes, instruments and other memorabilia.

For those who crave concerts, VIP seats and backstage meet-and-greets with stars such as the Jonas Brothers, Tony Bennett, Jewel, Bernadette Peters, Harry Connick Jr. and Joan Rivers are up for auction. Olympic champion Michael Phelps and skateboarder Tony Hawk are also available for meet-and-greets, as is Paul Shaffer at The Late Show with David Letterman.

Previous Bid 2 Beat AIDS auctions have raised nearly $250,000, and this year’s proceeds are hoped to reach at least that. The proceeds will benefit LIFEbeat, dedicated to AIDs prevention, awareness and support.

Bid2Beat AIDS For Special Christmas Gifts

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

One of the biggest celebrity charity auction events of the year is currently gearing up for its launch on December 1.

Bid2Beat AIDS is an annual event that will feature over 1000 items from top stars such as 50 Cent, Adam Sandler, Adrian Grenier, Aerosmith, Alec Baldwin, Amy Winehouse, Antonio Banderas, Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz, Common , Death Cab for Cutie, Denzel Washington, P. Diddy, Donny Osmond, Elton John, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, Good Charlotte, Green Day, Hanson, Hilary Duff, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Blunt, James Earl Jones, James Morrison, Jamie Foxx, Jay-Z , Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jeremy Piven, Jessica Alba, John Legend, Johnny Depp, Kanye West, Kirsten Dunst, Ludacris , M.I.A., Madonna, Mariah Carey, Neil Patrick Harris, Ozzy Osbourne, Phil Collins, Raven Symone, Razorlight, Rihanna , Sacha Baron Cohen, Sharon Osbourne, Victoria Beckham, Whoopi Goldberg, Will Ferrell, Wyclef Jean, and many, many more. Also up for grabs will be VIP tickets to concerts and backstage visits with stars like Bernadette Peters, Jewel, Aimee Mann, Joan Rivers, and Michael Feinstein.

The annual auction will raise money for LIFEbeat, the music industry’s AIDS fundraising and service charity. The first three BID 2 BEAT AIDS auctions raised nearly $250,000, and this year’s looks set to be the biggest yet.

More info about the auction can be found at the Bid2Beat AIDS website, and the auction will go live on World AIDS Day here.

Look To The Stars will keep you posted as the items are announced.

There'll Be Feuding And Fighting Between Celebrities... All For Charity

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:32:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Celebrity Family Feud is set to invade primetime next week, when it premieres on Tuesday, June 24, on NBC.

Hosted by Al Roker, the familiar show will get a star twist when 24 celebrity “families” front up to do battle on behalf of their favorite charities. First up in next week’s maiden broadcast are Law & Order: SVU star Ice-T and family – playing for Unity 2 – going up against Team Rivers, led by the queens of the red carpet, Joan and Melissa Rivers, playing for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

During each episode of the new series, four celebrity families will be pitted against each other in tournament-style fun and games, with the winners from each round moving on to the final round—where they’ll compete to win up to $50,000 for their designated charity.

Other stars to compete on the show will include Vivica Fox, Raven Symone, Kim Kardashian, and teams from The Office and My Name Is Earl, and charities such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the USO, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation will benefit.

Olivia's Million Steps To Cure Cancer

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:44:54 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Only four days into the 3-week, 228-km walk along the Great Wall of China and Olivia Newton-John’s team of fund-raisers is already suffering sore knees, pulled muscles and twisted ankles, and realizing that this will be far more challenging than expected. No one is giving up yet, though, on a goal to raise $5 million towards the building of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre in Melbourne.

The centre will provide in- and outpatient treatment and wellness therapies as well as integrated research into new and better cancer treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

Olivia – a cancer survivor – was diagnosed with the disease only two weeks after her father died from it. Fifteen years later, she has learned a lot on her road to recovery and is eager to give back. She says, “The whole experience has given me so much understanding and compassion I now want to help others going through the same journey.”

Olivia is joined in this gruelling challenge by Sir Cliff Richard, Dannii Minogue, Didi Conn, Gemma Atkinson, Joan Rivers, Leeza Gibbons, Marcus Patrick, Martina Laird, Scott Wolf, Amy Sky, and other celebrities whose lives have somehow been touched by cancer, as well as other cancer survivors.

Television host Leeza Gibbons, who joined the walk to support the hospital and her friend Olivia, was surprised at the physical effort required. “It was really exhausting and very challenging in certain spots. But whenever you would think, ‘Oh my gosh this is getting to be a lot,’ you’d look around behind you and there would be a cancer survivor.”

Over $1 million has been raised already. To meet the teams and sponsor a walker, go to The Great Walk To Beijing 2008.

Olivia Newton-John Steps Out For Cancer Treatment

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:06:42 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Olivia Newton-John is to lead a team of stars from sports and showbiz, as well as cancer survivors, on a 21-day extreme challenge to trek the entire length of the Great Wall of China.

The 59-year-old star and breast cancer survivor will be joined on the trip by stars such as Sir Cliff Richard, Leeza Gibbons, Jimmy Barnes, Joan Rivers, Dannii Minogue, members of rockband INXS, and many more as they trek along the landmark to raise money for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre being built in Australia.

“They say the longest journey starts with the first step,” said the singer. “Since I was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago I have taken many steps on my cancer journey. In recent times, the journey has been working with wonderful people to build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre. Now, I’m taking one more step on that journey – all in the fight against cancer!”

The journey of “a million steps” will symbolize the physical and emotional journey of cancer patients. The event aims to gather $1 for each step taken along the Wall.

“People are asking me why do you want to walk 200 kilometers along the Great Wall of China, up 40 degree gradients, across mountain ranges and through dust storms of the Gobi Desert,” the singer said on her website. “The answer is that this journey – this million steps towards the cure for cancer – started for me 15 years ago, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. That life-changing experience has given me some true understanding and compassion for others walking that path – and I want to help. That’s why I am so excited to be leading this walk on the Great Wall to raise money and awareness for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre – these 21 days on the Wall will be another part of my own journey.”

Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England, in 1948, but moved to Australia when she was five. A talented singer from a young age and passionate about music, she released her first solo album in 1971, and in 1974 represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest. A long list of hits, including I Honestly Love You and Let Me Be There, led to her being cast as Sandy in the film version of Grease in 1978.

The early 1980s were phenomenal years for the young star, and she had a string of hits including Xanadu, Let’s Get Physical, and Suddenly (with Cliff Richard). But in 1992, on the eve of a world tour, Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was the start of a long battle for the Grammy Award winning artist, but she eventually overcame the disease and returned to music. She also devoted herself to helping other cancer sufferers, and plans to build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre, which will provide complementary therapies to support patients on their cancer journey, treating mind and spirit as well as the body. The Wellness Centre is Olivia’s special passion, with a focus on the whole person and not just the disease. Cancer patients worldwide will benefit from the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre’s dedicated research facilities and clinical trials, with the development of future cancer vaccines and therapies through the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, headquartered in New York.

Newton-John is also an ambassador to the United Nations Environmental Program, and served as a spokesperson for the Children’s Health Environ-Mental Coalition (CHEC) for 10 years. She spends large amounts of time supporting organizations such as the Red Cross, the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Rainforest Alliance, and Concept Cure. She also became well-known for promoting the Olivia Breast Self-Exam Kit.

More information about the Great Walk To Beijing can be found at www.greatwalktobeijing.com.

“The walk will be difficult and confronting – like life, there will be many ups and downs and unforseen challenges,” said the singer. “Every step we take will offer hope and strength to individuals facing cancer. It will be wonderful to have so many of my friends from the worlds of show business and sport walking with me. What might surprise you is how they too have been personally touched by cancer, and how each have their own story to tell. I will be walking for the friends I have lost and for all the many others still stepping.”

Rosie O'Donnell Holds Benefit Show For Broadway Kids

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:41:19 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Rosie O’Donnell has done it again, raising over $1 million for her “kids” in one evening of music and dance entertainment late last year.

Joan Rivers, Caroline Rhea, Jo Anne Worley, and Linda Dano were among the guests who enjoyed Rosie’s Broadway Kids benefit show, in which students from her theatre schools performed Broadway classics, and Paul Simon sang “Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes”, with students joining in song and dance. The evening also included a boisterous live auction that raised over $110,000.

O’Donnell’s dedication to helping kids born into poverty through the support and development of programs and activities that would otherwise be inaccessible to them is persistent. Her Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation has awarded over $30 million in grants to child-related organizations since its inception in 1997. She also created Rosie’s Broadway Kids, which provides free music and dance instruction to over 5100 students, family members, and teachers through 22 New York public schools, and last year the institution built the Maravel Center, a state-of-the-art school for performing arts.

“We started with one school in the theatre district in 2003,” explained Rosie. “And it was right in the heart of Broadway. To me there was something very poetic about the fact that all these kids walk past these theatres everyday and never ever have a chance to go inside. It’s like living in Hawaii and not having access to the beach.

“Over 80% of the children we serve with this program live below the poverty level. When the families came to see the kids it was pretty overwhelming. So many of the parents were crying. They had never seen their kids perform.”

Tracey and Joan Clean House

Sun, 13 May 2007 12:15:00 -0000

Written by Chris Tarttelin

Falling behind with your housework? Do you need a cleaner? One bidder at the charity auction at Christies bid £13,000 (approx $25,500 US) to have Tracey Emin and Joan Rivers come and do some ‘light cleaning’.

The annual Lighthouse Gala Auction raised over £320,000 for the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT). THT is the leading HIV / AIDS and sexual health charity in the UK. It was one of the first charities to be set up in response to the HIV epidemic and has been at the forefront of the fight against HIV and AIDS ever since.

Tracey Emin auctioned a neon sign which says ‘Keep Me Safe’, bought by George Michael’s partner Kenny Goss for £50,000, and a second bespoke neon sold to an anonymous bidder for a further £60,000. Other auctions included having your dog walked by Geri Halliwell, which raised £5,500, and a tour round the set of Coronation Street with Antony Cotton, raising a further £5,000.

Over the last 10 years, the annual Lighthouse Gala auction has seen some fabulous and unique lots and provided outrageous entertainment for the attendees. To date it has raised nearly £2 million towards services for people living with, and affected by HIV and AIDS.

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