Look To The Stars News: Dustin Hoffman

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Leads Diabetes Campaign

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Dwayne Johnson has joined with Novo Nordisk, a world-leader in diabetes care, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry, to encourage families to get active together as a means to help prevent diabetes.

As an ambassador for the Diabetes Aware campaign, Johnson will appear in a public service announcement (PSA) to educate families about the prevalence of diabetes and the importance of an active, healthy lifestyle.

The PSA is part of the ongoing Diabetes Aware educational campaign sponsored by Novo Nordisk and the EIF. The campaign aims to reach the 24 million Americans who are living with diabetes, as well as the estimated 6.2 million Americans who are unaware that they have the disease, to underline the importance of detection, monitoring and proper management of diabetes.

A lifelong athlete and known for starring in family-friendly movies, Johnson recognizes the value of a healthy lifestyle in helping to prevent and manage diabetes for both children and adults.

“I’m honored to serve as an ambassador to the Diabetes Aware campaign, and I want to encourage families to be active and eat right,” said Johnson. “Small steps can go a long way in managing diabetes, its complications, and raising healthy, active children.”

With the launch of this new PSA, Johnson becomes the latest celebrity ambassador to join the Diabetes Aware program since its inception in 2004. Past ambassadors include Halle Berry, Cuba Gooding Jr., Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline and Jon Lovitz among others.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation and believe Dwayne Johnson is a great ambassador for the Diabetes Aware program based on his dedication to reaching families, both on-screen and off-screen,” said Andrew Purcell, Vice-President of Strategic Business Development at Novo Nordisk. “This partnership truly exemplifies Novo Nordisk’s dedication to prevention and ultimately changing diabetes.”

For additional free patient education resources, visit www.ChangingDiabetes-us.com.

Kid Rock To Headline Charity Concert In New York

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:30:00 -0000

The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF), a leader in innovative music therapy treatments and research, is pleased to announce a special Music Has Power Benefit Concert on September 2 at New York City’s Terminal 5. Kid Rock will headline the event.

The Bronx-based Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, a member of the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, is a nonprofit agency founded on the idea that music has unique powers to heal, rehabilitate, and inspire — and that music therapy can be used to restore and improve physical, emotional, and neurological health. The Institute is dedicated to advancing scientific inquiry on music and the brain and to developing clinical treatments to benefit people of all ages and was founded with the help of renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks.

Past Music Has Power events have featured appearances and performances by Beastie Boys, Chris Martin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Dustin Hoffman, Moby, Rob Thomas, the B-52’s, Kris Kristofferson, Rufus Wainright, Bruce Hornsby, Vanessa Carlton and many others.

Tickets available to the general public on Saturday, August 8th at 12PM via Ticketmaster. All tickets for this event will be $100. More info can be found here.

Terminal 5 is located at 610 West 56th Street, NYC 10019.

Stars For A Cause To Raise Charity Funds Tonight

Thu, 28 May 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A selection of items designed and decorated by some of Entertainment’s biggest stars will go under the hammer at Bonhams and Butterfields Auction House in Los Angeles tonight, May 28.

The Stars For A Cause Auction features a wide range of rare and collectable items, such as posters signed by Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Glenn Close, Susan Sarandon, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anna Paquin, David Duchovny, Rumer Willis, Jonas Brothers, P. Diddy, America Ferrera, Hayden Panettiere, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Anne Hathaway, Steve Carell, Emma Thompson, Marisa Tomei, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Tina Fey, Steven Spielberg and many more.

There are also shoes from William Shatner and Ludacris, and bags adorned with kisses from Al Roker, Nancy O’Dell, Nicollette Sheridan, Marcia Cross, Hugh Laurie, Phillip Seymore Hoffman, Geena Davis, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Teri Hatcher, Reese Witherspoon, Kelly Clarkson, Green Day, Keira Knightley, Paula Abdul, John Legend and many more.

And if that is not all, there are also cufflinks from Miley Cyrus and Trace Adkins, and jewelry from many others.

A public preview of the lots will take place between 12pm and 5pm today, at the Bonhams and Butterfields Auction House at 7601 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles. The auction will begin at 8pm.

Half of the proceeds of the auction will go to charities chosen by the participating stars, such as the The Art of Elysium, Keep A Child Alive, Red Cross, Elton John AIDS Foundation, UNICEF and many many more. The other half will go to the Prince’s Trust, which helps young people develop confidence, motivation and skills to find work.

More information can be found here.

Adrian Grenier Hosts Charity:Water Ball

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Adrian Grenier hosted the annual Charity:Water Ball in New York last night to raise money for the organization’s work bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

The evening featured an auction that included lots such as a private acting lesson with Dustin Hoffman and the opportunity to pay for wells being built in Africa. Over $500,000 was raised at the event – held at the Metropolitan Pavilion – with guests such as Matthew Modine, Jessica Stam, Jennay Elfman, Gnarls Barkley, and many more.

Charity:Water was established by Scott Harrison, a Manhattan party promoter, in 2006. While on a freelance photography trip in Africa, Harrison was shocked to see victims of contaminated water suffering long and painful deaths.

“I had been selling $350 bottles of Grey Goose vodka at clubs, and here were 5,000 people, some who had come from neighboring countries to see a doctor,” Harrison told Bloomberg. “I was devastated.“

Over 1,500 people attended the event, with proceeds going to build wells in developing nations. Since its founding, the charity has helped fund more than 1,000 projects.

“I used to live a very selfish and very arrogant lifestyle,” Harrison said. “This has been a humbling experience.”

More information about Charity:Water can be found at their website.

Celebrity Endorsement Pulls Young Voters

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A new study has revealed how celebrity endorsement can encourage young people to vote.

“Celebrities have the power to motivate civic engagement regardless of their own grasp of the issues at hand,” reported a study by Washington State University published in the Mass Communication and Society journal. “Celebrity endorsed campaigns successfully lowered complacency and helped young people believe in their own impact on the political system. Young people got involved at higher levels and became increasingly aware of societal issues.”

According to the study, initiatives from stars such as Jessica Alba – who recently featured in several ad campaigns for Declare Yourself – as well as Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé Knowles have influenced the youth vote in America. 44% of newly registered voters in 2004 were between 18 and 25.

This year’s voters have been encouraged by a host of celebrity campaigns, such as Death Cab for Cutie’s free concert offer and the recent 5 Friends video that featured will.i.am, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Maria Bello, Halle Berry, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Connolly, Courteney Cox, Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Jonah Hill, Djimon Hounsou, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Kiedis, Ashton Kutcher, Adam Levine, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Tobey Maguire, Demi Moore, Esai Morales, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Ethan Suplee, Kyra Sedgwick, Michelle Trachtenberg, Usher, and Forest Whitaker.

About 44 million people aged 18 to 29 are eligible to vote in the November 4 presidential election. If young voter turnout exceeds 50%, it will be only the third time since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972.

Hollywood Urges US To Vote

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A host of the brightest stars in Hollywood have joined forces in a new video encouraging people to vote in the upcoming US elections.

The 5-minute film, which is called 5 Friends and can be viewed here, features appearances from Amy Adams, Tatyana Ali, will.i.am, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Maria Bello, Halle Berry, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Connolly, Courteney Cox, Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Jonah Hill, Djimon Hounsou, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Kiedis, Ashton Kutcher, Adam Levine, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Tobey Maguire, Demi Moore, Esai Morales, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Ethan Suplee, Kyra Sedgwick, Michelle Trachtenberg, Usher, and Forest Whitaker.

The video, which uses a little bit of reverse psychology to get people to the polls, was organized by Declare Yourself, a national nonprofit campaign initiated in 2004 to energize and empower a new movement of young voters.

“If you’re not going to vote I don’t even know what to say to you anymore,“ says DiCaprio in the video, which was shot in his home in LA. “You know you have to vote.”

Declare Yourself has also launched a new print and internet advertisement featuring Jessica Alba.

Last month the star appeared gagged and wrapped in plastic in an ad for the organization. In the new campaign, Alba appears wearing only a Hannibal Lecter-type mask called “The Muzzler.”

The advertisement can be seen at the Declare Yourself website.

Stars Swing For Charity

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Chevy Chase and Alec Baldwin took their chance to swing for charity on Saturday, August 16, when they competed in the annual Artists & Writers Softball Game in East Hampton.

In what started as an evenly matched game, Chase turned the tide in favor of the Artists team when it was down 2-0 to eventually win 4-2, their second win in two years. Baldwin acted as umpire for the game. This year marked the 60th anniversary of the annual game, a tradition started by artists including Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

The event raised $60,000 for three charities – the East End Hospice, the East Hampton Day Care Centre, and Phoenix House – a facility that specializes in drug rehabilitation.

Chase and Baldwin were joined by celebrities such as Kim Stolz, Lori Singer, Mort Zuckerman, Jeffrey Lyons, and Mark Green. They join a long list of stars who have taken part in the game over the last 60 years, including Paul Simon, Christie Brinkley, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Alda, Pelé, and Bill Clinton. This year’s game was played in memory of actor Roy Scheider, a veteran of the Artists team, who died in February at age 75.

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