Look To The Stars News: Djimon Hounsou

Ellen DeGeneres And Brad Pitt To Make It Right In New Orleans

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Make It Right has announced that Ellen DeGeneres will join Brad Pitt as host of “A Night to Make It Right”, a charity gala to raise vital funds to complete Make It Right’s goal to build 150 environmentally friendly homes in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward.

The gala will be held at Hyatt Regency New Orleans on Saturday, March 10, 2012 and also celebrates the hotel’s grand re-opening. Performers will include Rihanna, Sheryl Crow, Seal and The Neville Brothers, and the host committee includes Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Spike Lee, Blake Lively, Djimon Hounsou, Josh Brolin, Bennett Miller and Chris Paul.

“I’m so happy I can be a part of this incredible foundation,” said Ellen DeGeneres, a long-time supporter of Make It Right. “I’m from New Orleans, I love New Orleans and I love that Make It Right continues to help the people there rebuild their beautiful city. Brad Pitt is amazing – not only for what he started, but also because, who else can make a hard hat look like a jaunty fall fashion accessory?”

Stars Unite In Support Of The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Celebrities including Annie Lennox, Deepak Chopra and Morgan Freeman are championing international health organization the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and are appealing to the public to support its work.

The stars are backing the work of the Global Fund, which provides two-thirds of global funding for tuberculosis and malaria as well as treatment for over half of the world’s AIDS patients, and is saving over a million lives a year. They say that with continued support, the Global Fund and its partners will be able to save millions more lives.

Russell Simmons' Celebrity Charity Gala Hits East Hampton

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

On Saturday, July 30, 2011, Russell Simmons’ Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation will celebrate the Twelfth Annual ART FOR LIFE East Hampton benefit event!

For over a decade, hundreds of friends and supporters have joined Russell Simmons, Danny Simmons, Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation to celebrate the creative energy of New York City youth and honor exemplary individuals for success in their respective fields and good works to better the community.

The evening will honor recording artist Mary J. Blige, actor/filmmaker Edward Norton, President of JPMorgan Chase Foundation Kimberly B. Davis and world renown nutritionist and author Oz Garcia. The star-studded fundraising event will be hosted by CNN’s Soledad O’Brien and The View and Rush Kids Auctioneer Star Jones and feature a special performance by Grammy award-winning artist Jennifer Hudson. This year’s Featured Artist is Kara Walker. Gwyneth Paltrow, Djimon Hounsou and Kimora Lee Simmons are serving as Honorary Chairs.

William Fichtner Wins Celebrity Charity Race

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0000

William Fichtner was the winner of Saturday’s 35th annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Charity Race through the streets of Long Beach, California.

The race wasn’t without its high speed dramas, with Stephen Moyer flipping his car on Friday, and last year’s winner – Brian Austin Green – only managing to cross the line in eighth place. Other participants included Kevin Jonas and Djimon Hounsou.

On behalf of each celebrity racer, Toyota donates $5,000 to Racing for Kids every year and another $5,000 to the winning racer’s charity of choice. Racing for Kids, a national nonprofit program benefiting children’s hospitals throughout the country, (in this case, Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach and Children’s Hospital in Orange County, Calif.), was created as a way to connect sick children with their favorite celebrities and race-car drivers. Toyota has donated more than $1.9 million to various children’s hospitals since 1991, on behalf of this race and its participants.

Brian Austin Green To Return For Toyota Celebrity Charity Race

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:30:00 +0000

For the 35th year, the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race will bring together a star-studded field of Hollywood’s elite to race for charity.

On Saturday, April 16, stars from film, television, music, sports and fashion will showcase their newly earned racing chops in identically prepared, race-ready Scion tCs on the historic 10-lap, 1.97-mile street circuit through the downtown streets of Long Beach in Southern California.

This year’s anticipated field of 20 drivers, competing in what has become the world’s longest-running, most prestigious celebrity racing event, includes the following assortment of beloved entertainment and media personalities:

Stars Pen Open Letter To United Nations Climate Change Conference

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Oxfam Global Ambassadors Scarlett Johansson, Gael Garcia Bernal and Djimon Hounsou are among eight major artists and celebrities from across the globe joining Oxfam today to call on international negotiators to protect the world’s poor from climate catastrophe at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico starting next week.

The open letter to climate negotiators will be formally launched by one of the signatories: ambassador and campaign photographer Helena Christensen at a press conference in Kathmandu yesterday, after seeing steps Oxfam is taking to help people survive the changing weather in Nepalese communities. The letter calls on negotiators to put people at the heart of their discussions in Cancun to ensure a safer future for future generations.

Bono Faces The Real Deal In Elle Magazine

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:00:00 +0000

As a rock and roll star, Bono has written some of the most important music of our time, and now, the U2 front man has been asked by ELLE Magazine to turn a page (RED) and address “the greatest health crisis in 600 years: HIV/AIDS.”

In his one page letter, which appears in this month’s edition, Bono shares startling statistics on HIV/AIDS, including the fact that 90% of new cases occur in females aged 15-24. “I can’t get my head around that fact, let alone get it out of my head” he writes. Bono also shares details of his journey to Africa six years ago, where he witnessed the devastating effect the disease has had on the communities, including “orphans raising orphans.”

Bono also writes about the importance of (RED), its products and the pure power of consumer activism. “They have power in their pockets,” he writes, “(RED) raises money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS—$120 million so far. That is enough to buy drugs for more than 750,000 people for a year. (RED) funds prevention and counseling programs as well as treatment, and is now the thirteenth biggest contributor to the Global Fund; it’s giving more than many countries.”

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.

Hollywood Urges US To Vote

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

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.

Kristin Beats Scarlett For Charity

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:57:57 +0000

Who would be the better date: Scarlett or Kristin? Last week Look To The Stars reported that a charity auction featuring the chance to date Scarlett Johansson had raised a massive $42,000 for Oxfam America. This week we are happy to announce that another lucky bidder – known only as superiorlotus912 – has forked out a staggering $52,100 for the chance to accompany Kristin Davis to the world premiere of Sex And The City:The Movie in May.

As reported earlier by Look To The Stars, the auctions are part of a series of online sales hosted by eBay to raise money for Oxfam’s development programs and emergency relief services. Other celebrities to have already auctioned meet-and-greet packages for the international poverty relief agency include Colin Firth and Charlize Theron, and Djimon Hounsou is currently offering one lucky fan the chance to accompany him to the premiere of his new film, Push.

Oxfam Auctions Celebrity Experiences

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:57:21 +0000

“If you are the kind of person that always wanted to see middle aged men in tight spandex trying to sing, then this is the film for you…”

These are not the kind of words you would expect to come from one of Britain’s leading actors, but Colin Firth is talking about Mamma Mia, his upcoming movie based on the hit stage musical. And two lucky people have the chance to see the spandex clad actors stretch their vocal cords at the world premiere in July.

International relief and development agency Oxfam America has launched a series of exciting celebrity auctions to benefit their poverty relief and advocacy efforts around the world. Six of the hottest celebrities on the planet have put a wave of once-in-a-lifetime experiences up for bid on eBay, with 100% of the proceeds going to Oxfam. But eager fans had better be quick – each celebrity will only list their items for 10 days.

Madonna And Friends Shine A Light On Malawi

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:23:58 +0000

If you were to look on a map, you could be excused for missing Malawi completely. Bordered by Tanzania, Zambia, and Mozambique in South East Africa, the nation of Malawi is shaped like a lightning bolt, with much of its land area covered by a massive lake. But it a country that is in dire need of help, and a host of celebrities turned out to a dazzling evening of fun on Wednesday, February 6, to raise awareness for what is one of the poorest countries in the world.

The gala event was hosted by Madonna on the lawns of the United Nations Headquarters in New York, with the $3.7 million raised going to UNICEF and her own Raising Malawi organization. A long list of stars, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez, Tea Leoni, Lucy Liu, Billy Joel, Gwen Stefani, and Djimon Hounsou, attended the event, with tickets ranging from $2,500 to $10,000. The evening also featured performances by Alicia Keys, Timbaland, and Rihanna.

“I want to put Raising Malawi on the map,” said Madonna. “I want credibility as a philanthropic organisation. I want to inspire people. I don’t want them to just write me a cheque: I want them to give me a piece of their heart.”

Johansson, Mirren, Firth and Hounsou Join Oxfam's Global Ambassador Team

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:44:22 +0000

Oxfam launched their Global Ambassador programme this week, and Scarlett Johansson was the latest celebrity to join. Oxfam International, founded in 1995, is a league of 13 organizations working with thousands of partners in over one hundred countries, aiming to find long-term solutions to economic and social injustice.

Ms Johansson recently accompanied Oxfam on a trip to India and Sri Lanka to meet young Dalit girls in a rural school, women campaigning against domestic violence and humanitarian workers. She said, “Once you’ve met amazing people like the Dalit girls I met on my trip you just can’t turn your back. I was shocked by a lot of what I saw, but seeing the fantastic work Oxfam was doing I also felt that there was hope.”

Other Ambassadors in Oxfam’s programme include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Colin Firth, Dame Helen Mirren, Minnie Driver, Gael Garcia Bernal and Annie Lennox.

Vanity Fair Charity Issue Edited By Bono

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:35:00 +0000

Bono is putting his philanthropic energy into Vanity Fair’s July 2007 special issue about Africa. The issue has 20 different cover photos of high-profile individuals, all taken by renowned photographer Annie Liebowitz.

The magazine includes information about the issues and charities supported by actors, athletes, models, politicians, musicians, activists, and billionaire philanthropists, all of whom are using their celebrity status and the publicity they receive to bring attention to the complex set of problems faced by the inhabitants of Africa.

Africa is a continent with great need, and has been given a disproportionately low amount of attention and aid from wealthy nations. It is the first Vanity Fair issue to have a guest editor, and Bono’s highly publicized commitment to aiding Africa makes him an obvious choice for editor of this issue. In recent years, celebrities have used their status to bring a great deal of attention to Africa.

Hill, McGraw and More Become Cartier LOVECHARITY Ambassadors

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 11:29:26 +0000

Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Djimon Hounsou, and Eva Mendes are among the list of 2007 Cartier LOVECHARITY Bracelet Ambassadors.

The Cartier LOVE bracelet was introduced more than 30 years ago, and has risen to be one of the most coveted jewelry designs in the world. In 2006 alone, more than $1.2 million was donated to eight global charities from the sales of its LOVECHARITY bracelet, spurring the company to create a new LOVECHARITY bracelet for 2007. The goal is to exceed last year’s donations as a number of new celebrities join the endeavor.

The 2007 LOVECHARITY bracelet features an 18K white gold miniature LOVE bracelet graced with the word LOVE and accented with two signature screw motifs. It is set into a knotted silk cord available in various colors, with each cord designating support of a unique cause. The bracelet costs $475 with $100 per bracelet benefiting its corresponding charity.