Look To The Stars News: Heidi Klum

Famous Faces Flock To Family Festival

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:30:00 -0000

A host of celebrities will gather at the annual Kids for Kids Family Carnival in New York in September to raise money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

For 15 years, Kids for Kids has brought families together to rally in support of the Foundation’s fight against pediatric AIDS. In celebration of the Foundation’s lifesaving work, plans are under way to make this year’s carnival unforgettable!

Kids for Kids has moved to a new time and place, and will feature new and exciting components, but you can still expect your favorite attractions from years past — samplings from New York’s greatest restaurants, world-class artists and photographers, celebrities, and both old-fashioned and cutting-edge games and activities. Stars already confirmed to attend include Natalie Portman, Whoopi Goldberg, Helena Christensen, James Gandolfini, Heidi Klum, Rachael Ray, Julianne Moore, Petra Nemcova, Susan Sarandon, Meredith Vieira, and many more.

And that’s not all! The evening before the carnival, the Foundation will host a very special art auction featuring pieces by acclaimed artists Cecily Brown, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, and Tom Friedman.

The event takes place on Saturday, September 20, from 1pm to 5pm at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. More information and tickets can be obtained from www.pedaids.org.

Stars Line Up For Women's Conference

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

California First Lady Maria Shriver has announced the lineup of celebrity speakers confirmed for this year’s annual Women’s Conference in Long Beach.

The event – to be held on October 21 and 22 at the Long Beach Convention Center – sold out in record time, and it is no surprise considering the plethora of newsmakers and world opinion leaders that will appear at the conference to empower and motivate women to pursue a lifelong journey of self discovery. Lance Armstrong, Bono, Warren Buffett, Sally Field, Michael J. Fox, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, Jenny McCarthy, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Russell Simmons are just some of the 50 speakers set to take the stage, and there will also be a special performance by Bonnie Raitt.

“I am honored to again be hosting what has become the nation’s premier forum for women, where the world’s greatest hearts and minds convene every year to empower women to find a common purpose, be united by a shared conversation, and see themselves as a collective WE,” said Shriver. “This year, I am urging women to take time to explore their deepest hopes and aspirations, and I hope they leave the conference with a better sense of just who they want to be—and the knowledge of how to get there.”

The first Women’s Conference – formerly known as the California Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women – was held over twenty years ago, but it has been under the leadership of First Lady Shriver and Governor Schwarzenegger that the event has become the premier event in empowering and inspiring women.

This year’s conference will include a new event – the Night at The Village – which will consist of exhibitor booths, stage presentations, book signings, shopping, food, musical entertainment, and a conversation with Rachael Ray.

“We envision ‘Night at The Village’ as the place for celebrating women, launching products for women, and having fun,” said Shriver. “The Village is our answer to a call from women for more time to just be—whether it is to mingle casually, network for work, or shop around for items and experiences that will enrich their mind, body and soul. All of this can now happen only at The Village.”

More information about the conference can be found at First Lady Shriver’s official website.

Red Cross Announces The 2008 Celebrity Cabinet

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:36:18 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The American Red Cross unveiled their 7th annual National Celebrity Cabinet yesterday, February 28, with 15 new members from movies, sports, and television.

Skateboard legend Tony Hawk will join former Beverly Hills 90210 and Dancing With The Stars alum Jennie Garth, Heroes’ Masi Oka, Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley, House M.D.’s Lisa Edelstein and Kal Penn, Ugly Betty’s Ana Ortiz, Grey’s Anatomy’s Sara Ramirez, Scrubs’ Judy Reyes, Everyone Loves Raymond’s Patricia Heaton, Hairspray’s Brittany Snow, two-time NASCAR champion Greg Biffle, New York Yankee Robinson Cano, NFL star Matt Leinart, and Life Coach Iyanla Vazant in the 2008 Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet, part of a mobilizing force to urge people to perform extraordinary life-saving acts in dire circumstances through the assistance of the Red Cross.

“I am extremely honored to participate in the Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet, especially at a time when we have the ability to do so much for people around the world who have endured such tragedies,” said new member Jennie Garth. “The Red Cross brings help and hope to those in need and has done tremendous good for so many different people on a global level. I believe this is a time when we can educate others and the Red Cross allows for the opportunity for each individual to contribute to the effort. I am grateful that I am able be part of this amazing organization.”

The 47 members of the 2008 National Celebrity Cabinet will be “on-call” to donate their time, skills, passion, and energy to help the Red Cross highlight their important initiatives and response efforts. It will be chaired once again by Sherry Lansing, former CEO of Paramount Pictures and member of the Red Cross Board of Govenors.

“This is my sixth year serving as chair for the Celebrity Cabinet,” she said. “It’s an honor to be a part of such a meaningful cause with such talented people.”

The Red Cross has benefited from the involvement of public figures and celebrities since World War I, and over the years actors and artists have played an important role in raising public awareness of Red Cross services nationwide. Cabinet members pledge their support for a one year term, although many members of the current National Celebrity Cabinet, including Heidi Klum and Leeza Gibbons, have been involved for over five years.

“The Red Cross is a volunteer driven organization that provides humanitarian help to those in need,” said Klum. “It is an honor for me to participate in their celebrity cabinet and encourage all individuals to become involved with their local Red Cross.”

Members of the 2008 National Celebrity Cabinet will be involved in one of the country’s largest volunteer networks and will promote awareness of Red Cross services by participating in public service advertisements, as well as donating their time, money and blood, aiding in disaster relief, and lending a helping hand to those in need. Returning members include Jackie Chan, Sara Evans (who recently organized an auction as part of her involvement), Jamie Lee Curtis, Patti LaBelle, Jimmy Smits, Marlee Matlin, Nancy O’Dell, Jane Seymour, Peyton Manning, Jimmie Johnson, Rascal Flatts, Julianne Moore, George Foreman, Marcia Gay Harden, Elisabeth Rohm, Eli Manning, Daddy Yankee, Chayanne, Aisha Tyler, Pierce Brosnan, Amy Grant, Miley Ray Cyrus, Kristen Bell, Pat Green, Dwayne Johnson (AKA The Rock), Dr. Phil McGraw, Raven Symone, Niki Taylor, Burney Lamar, and Bradley Whitford.

The American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet was developed in 2002 as part of the Entertainment Outreach Program.

Elton's Oscar Party Raises $5.1m

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:50:42 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Sunday night saw the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 16th annual Academy Awards viewing party, which this year raised $5.1 million thanks to its spectacular guest list.

The Pacific Design Center venue saw even more of Hollywood’s glitterati than anticipated, boasting the attendance of “Best Actress” award winner Marion Cotillard and “Best Supporting Actor” nominee Tom Wilkinson. Further top names present included Amy Adams, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi, Sean Penn, Patricia Clarkson, Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford, Josh Groban, Faye Dunaway, Sean Combs, Seal and Heidi Klum, Prince, Kate Beckinsale, Billy Joel, Courtney Love, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Petra Nemcova, Jeremy Piven, Roberto Cavalli, Minnie Driver, Simon Cowell and Herbie Hancock.

The gala was co-hosted by Elton’s partner David Furnish, and included dinner, a musical performance by Elton himself and a live auction.

Sharon Stone acted as auctioneer, and Elton offered to remove his trousers if it would raise more money. Stone added that she wouldn’t follow suit.

Yet more stars seen at the event included Natasha Henstridge, Larry King, Eric McCormack, Jason Lewis, Jonny Lee Miller, Brett Ratner, Jason Reitman, Rupert Murdoch, Jennifer Coolidge, Russell Simmons, Cheryl Tiegs, John Waters and Ziyi Zhang.

Since its inception in 1992, Elton’s foundation has raised more than $125 million to support HIV/AIDS prevention and service programs in 55 countries.

Celebrities Clean Out Their Closets For Charity

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:09:39 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Is your closet looking a little empty? Or maybe a little boring? Have the moths eaten holes in your favorite frock? Well, never fear, help is here – in the form of a couple of celebrity auctions for great causes.

March will see the opening of Katherine Heigl’s new film 27 Dresses, and to mark the occasion, 20th Century Fox is auctioning 27 celebrity dresses on eBay. Fabulous frocks from Heidi Klum, Thandie Newton, Mariah Carey, Geri Halliwell, Naomi Campbell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Alesha Dixon will be up for sale in the special event, with all proceeds going to the Lavender Trust, an initiative of the UK charity Breast Cancer Care to raise money for young breast cancer sufferers.

The auction also features a stunning white John Galliano dress worn by Kylie Minogue to Cannes 2007, and a full length silver halter top belonging to her sister, Danni Minogue. The auction starts on eBay at 7pm on March 4, and a different dress will be auctioned every day.

If accessories are more your thing, then an exciting auction being held in Britain may be of interest. The Grace House North East Children’s Appeal Celebrity Bag Auction features a range of bags donated by some of England’s top stars, including members of Girls Aloud, as well as Dame Judi Dench, Twiggy, Sarah Ferguson, celebrity chef Ainsley Hariott, and newsreader Kirsty Young.

The event, to be held at the Apartment Bar in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on March 6, is sponsored by Makoosh, an online jewelry store, and will raise money to build the region’s first hospice for terminally ill children. The auction follows a similar event held last year, which raised $19,500, and featured items donated by Annie Lennox and Graham Norton.

“It is fabulous to see so many household names come out in force to support Grace House by donating their favourite handbags and manbags to be auctioned,” said Grace House Fundraising Assistant Sumera Bashir. “I would like to thank them all for making this event possible.”

More information about the auction can be found at www.gracehouse.co.uk.

Charity Gifts For Valentine's Day

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:18:47 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it is time to think about loving gifts that rise above the standard red roses. And there are a number of products available this month that not only tell that special person how much you care, but also help raise money for those who are less fortunate. Shoes, dresses, T-shirts, and even a second-hand swimsuit are on offer to help Cupid’s arrow hit its mark.

Actress Keira Knightley’s latest movie, Atonement, has recently received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and now fans have the chance to buy a very special part of the production. The dazzling green dress Knightley wore in the emotionally charged romantic scenes opposite James McAvoy is being auctioned by the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation to benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity.

The dress is one of several made for the scene, and was designed by Jacqueline Durran, who has been nominated for a Costume Design Academy Award for her work on the film. The auction runs from February 1 until March 1 at www.clothesoffourback.org, and bids have already reached $3,000.

Clothes Off Our Back is also selling a series of outfits donated by some of Hollywood’s most beautiful woman. The Little Black Dress Auction runs until March 13, and features dresses from the closets of Julianne Moore, Felicity Huffman, Mena Suvari, Gabrielle Union, and Jaime Pressley. Beneficiaries include Second Harvest, The Art of Elysium, World Education, and autism research.

If it is shoes you are after, look no further than the Spirit of Women Health Network’s Celebrity Red Shoe Auction. The auction is being run on eBay from February 5-14, and features footwear autographed by celebrities such as Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Rachael Ray, LeAnn Rimes, Alanis Morissette, and Dancing With The Stars’ Carrie Ann Inaba.

“This February, we hope to encourage women to take action for their heart health by dancing and exercising, discussing their health with their physicians, and helping to support women’s heart health research and education,” said Josh Davis, President of the Spirit of Women Health Network.

The auction is part of the Red Shoe Initiative, a national health education and action campaign that aims to encourage women to be aware of their heart health. As with past shoe auctions, proceeds will benefit several charities, including the National Stroke Association and the Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition.

The auction will also precede Spirit of Women’s Day of Dance, an event that will involve dance and health screenings around the US on February 23.

Another gift idea this Valentine’s Day is the new charity T-shirt from designer Marc Jacobs – featuring a naked Victoria Beckham.

The T-shirt has been designed to raise awareness of the Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group, an initiative with aspirations almost as big as their name. The program was established by Jacobs’ business partner, Robert Duffy, to raise consciousness of one of the most common types of cancer in the world – over 160,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every year, with around 48,000 deaths.

“Since we moved to California, I have realized how important it is to practice safe sun for myself, and to keep my three boys skin well protected as well,” said Beckham. “Skin cancer is a huge problem, and I really wanted to help raise awareness by taking part in Marc’s initiative.”

The T-shirts are available at Marc Jacobs’ stores in America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia for $35, and even Victoria’s husband David has been seen sporting one recently, at the opening of the David Beckham World of Sport in Brazil.

The Victoria Beckham line of T-shirts follows a similar series designed by Marc Jacobs last year, featuring Heidi Klum, Julianne Moore, and Naomi Campbell, which raised $60,000.

Finally this month, if you are looking for something really special to give your loved one this Valentine’s Day, why not buy Nicole Kidman’s old swimsuit – it is to be auctioned in Sweden to raise funds for poor families in India.

The story behind the swimsuit is long and twisty. Kidman visited Sweden six years ago to film Dogville, and hired a private pool while there. However, she left her black one-piece swimming costume in the changing rooms when she went home. Attempts to return it failed, and it was donated to a cancer charity, where it raised $4,700 at auction. It was later donated to the Salvation Army, where it was auctioned for a further $865.

A new auction will raise funds for Erikshjalpen, a charity that aims to buy cows in India with money raised.

The swimsuit is framed and is expected to raise $1,500.

Celebrities Kept Busy With Charity Initiatives

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:34:57 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

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.

“Heidi Klum’s participation helps make this program even bigger, and gives consumers a great way to become involved and learn more about a crucial women’s health issue,” said Caren Pasquale Seckler, Group Director for Coca-Cola North America. “Through the Diet Coke Red Dress Program, we’re asking consumers to help us support women’s heart health and giving them the chance to win a one-of-a-kind red dress worn to the Oscars by Heidi Klum.”

The dress will be made available as part of a contest at www.mycokerewards.com, and for every sweepstakes entry, Diet Coke will donate $1 (up to a total of $250,000) in support of women’s heart health research and awareness.

Klum will also hit the catwalk on February 1 during The Red Dress Collection Fashion Show at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. The show will feature a range of dresses created by top fashion designers to show their support of the Heart Truth campaign.

Comedian Stephen Colbert has also recently made a donation to charity, with $171,525 being gifted to the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a charity that assists injured service members and their families.

The mock talk show host raised the money through the sale of his “WristStrong” bracelets, which were made available as part of his “Wrist Awareness” campaign started when he broke his wrist last June.

The tongue-in-cheek campaign saw celebrities such as Katie Couric, Brian Williams, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wearing the bracelets. It followed the sale of the cast from Colbert’s broken wrist, which raised $17,000 for the Yellow Ribbon Fund.

Another well-known figure to make a donation to charity lately was Hip Hop mogul Russell Simmons, who gifted $300,000 to the Diamond Empowerment Fund last week.

Simmons established the Fund in 2007 to provide resources for education programs designed to motivate Africans in countries where diamonds are mined. The donation comes from money raised from the Simmons Jewelry Green Initiative, a collection of bracelets made from green malachite and rough diamonds. Beyoncé Knowles, Vanessa Hudgens, and Mischa Barton are all reported to be owners of the bracelets.

In a completely different sort of initiative, singer KT Tunstall and Blur bassist Alex James are among celebrities teaming up to write an upcoming children’s book for charity.

The musicians will join a host of stars recruited by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for the initiative. Each celebrity will write ten lines of the story before passing it on to the next person to continue.

The final product will be revealed in a one-off reading session before being auctioned off later in the year.

And finally, British television personality Jonathan Ross has challenged comedian Jimmy Carr to a celebrity doubles tennis match that will see the entertainers paired up with 1997 US Open finalist Greg Rusedski and 1987 Wimbledon winner Pat Cash.

The match – which will take place at London’s Albert Hall on March 14 – is part of Sport Relief 2008, a fundraising initiative from Comic Relief. Money raised will go towards helping vulnerable people living in the UK and the world’s poorest countries.

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