Look To The Stars News: Dustin Hoffman

Celebrity Endorsement Pulls Young Voters

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

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.

Look To The Stars News: Dustin Hoffman

Celebrity Endorsement Pulls Young Voters

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Hollywood Urges US To Vote

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