Look To The Stars News: Fran Drescher

Fran Drescher Eats, Drinks, And Is Merry For Charity

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Fran Drescher attended the first ever Eat, Drink, And Be Merry event on September 20, to raise money for her Cancer Schmancer Foundation.

The day – held at the Trefethen Family Vineyards in the Napa Valley – was an outstanding success, with BMX bike races and a world-class auction that included lots such as: a walk on role in the HBO hit show Entourage; an afternoon of car racing with John and Loren Trefethen; and a Trefethen retrospective tasting and dinner for four at the French Laundry.

Drescher is currently in Europe, where she is acting as a Public Diplomacy Envoy for women’s health issues for the U.S. State Department. During her trip, the actress and cancer survivor will visit Hungary, Poland, Kosovo, and Romania to raise awareness about early cancer detection and patient empowerment.

Fran Drescher launched two charitable organizations in 2007, the Cancer Schmancer Foundation and the Cancer Schmancer Movement, both dedicated to ensuring that all women with cancer are diagnosed in Stage 1, when it is most curable. The Cancer Schmancer Foundation educates women on the risk factors, early warning signs, and tests that are available for early detection of women’s cancers. The Cancer Schmancer Movement advocates for improved women’s cancer healthcare legislation.

(photos copyright Jordan Brown and Francois Brahic)

Fran Drescher To Host Cancer Fundraiser

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Fran Drescher will attend the first ever “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” event at the Trefethen Family Vineyards this weekend, and she wants YOU to be there too.

The event will raise funds for Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer Foundation, a leading healthcare advocate organization aimed to raise national awareness on women’s healthcare and cancer prevention. Well-known Chefs, Vintners and Comedians – including Peggy Fleming-Jenkins, Donna Scala and K.R. Rombauer – will all come together for an afternoon of food, wine and FUNdraising at the Napa Valley vineyard.

2008 marks a special year for Trefethen Family Vineyards: the winery celebrates its 40th anniversary. This is the first event the winery is doing to support cancer – a cause that has personal meaning to the Trefethen family. There is no better time to host an event that could both raise funds for cancer and celebrate an anniversary. The day will be filled with fun, including celebrity PMX bike races and a world-class auction that includes lots such as: a walk on role in the HBO hit show Entourage; an afternoon of car racing with John and Loren Trefethen; and a Trefethen retrospective tasting and dinner for four at the French Laundry.

The day starts at 11:30am on Saturday, September 20. The Trefethen Family Vineyards can be found at 1160 Oak Knoll Avenue, Napa, California. For more information and ticket prices, visit the Trefethen Family Vineyards website.

Lance Armstrong Stands Up To Cancer Tonight

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Don’t miss Stand Up To Cancer on ABC, CBS and NBC today, Friday, September 5, at 8 p.m. (EST).

A spectacular line up of talent including Jennifer Aniston, James Taylor, Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, David Cook, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Jack Black, Kirsten Dunst, Charles Barkley, America Ferrera, Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, Forest Whitaker, Jimmy Fallon and Keanu Reeves will appear on the one-hour telecast. The celebrities are set to educate you, move you and entertain you, and will even be on hand to answer your calls in the celebrity phone bank.

The premiere TV performance of Just Stand Up – the star studded charitable single in support of Stand Up To Cancer – will be performed by legendary recording artists Mariah Carey, Beyoncé Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Ray Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood.

Doug Ulman, President of the Lance Armstrong Foundation says, “Inspired to act by their own personal experiences with cancer, the Stand Up to Cancer team recognizes that we can no longer rely on the current system alone to give us the breakthroughs we need. They are calling on the public to help take matters into our own hands, investing in a revolution that will change the way scientists and clinicians work to understand and treat cancer. Stand Up To Cancer is more than a rallying cry. It is a galvanizing force created to urgently move cancer research forward.”

Tonight’s program is raising funds to build “Dream Teams” made up of scientists, clinicians, technicians and other experts.

For more information about Stand Up To Cancer, and a complete list of celebrities who will be appearing during the show, visit the Stand Up To Cancer Website.

Affleck Tops Charity Stars in Denver

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Denver saw an outpouring of celebrity love during last week’s DNC, with Ben Affleck leading the philanthropic pack.

On the Tuesday night, Affleck took part in a poker tournament, along with Richard Dreyfuss and Montel Williams, which ultimately raised over $60,000 for the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

“A lot of important organizations use this environment and the people who are here, celebrities, members of Congress, to try and raise money. This is not a Democratic or Republican group, this is a group serving our veterans,” Affleck said of the charity.

Wednesday morning, the Pearl Harbor star was down at a local food bank, the Food Bank of the Rockies, to participate in a repack event for America’s Second Harvest. Also on hand for the event were members of the Senate Hunger Caucus and members of the House – all there to see who could pack the most boxes of food in five minutes. Affleck, incidentally, won both the poker and the packing events.

He was joined by wife Jennifer Garner for a book reading at the Starz Green Room. Also set to attend were Charlize Theron, Daryl Hannah, Rosario Dawson, Kerry Washington, Josh Brolin, Kal Penn, Stuart Townsend and Hill Harper.

Jennifer Lopez spoke at a reception sponsored by the Jennifer Lopez Foundation in honor of Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund. Fran Drescher, Ashley Judd and Joy Bryant joined Lopez in honoring Edelman.

The Black Eyed Peas performed at the Fillmore Auditorium for the Creative Coalition, and Kanye West performed at a party benefitting the ONE Campaign. Forest Whitaker, Kal Penn and Jamie Foxx were in attendance at the latter.

Moby performed at a private party for DoSomething.org, and Willie Nelson sang out for the people of Darfur at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

2008 Golden Globes Roundup

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:54:19 -0000

Written by Crystal A. Johnson

There may have been no red carpet, acceptance speeches, or flash of cameras for the winners of the 2008 Golden Globe Awards, but Look To The Stars takes this golden opportunity to recognize some of those who were honored and nominated.

Johnny Depp won his first Golden Globe after being nominated seven times since his career began, picking up the Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical award for Sweeney Todd. Despite his dark performance, there really is a lighter side to the actor. In the past, Depp’s charitable work garnered him the Courage to Care Award for his contributions to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

The Best Actress Award went to veteran Julie Christie, who was up against heavyweights such as Angelina Jolie, an outstanding supporter and contributor to charitable causes. Some of the charities she has supported include the Afghanistan Relief Organization, the Alliance For The Lost Boys, Fran Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer Movement, Doctors Without Borders, and the Daniel Pearl Foundation.

Daniel Day Lewis won Best Actor for his performance in “There Will Be Blood”, beating out celebrity humanitarians George Clooney and Denzel Washington. Like Jolie, Clooney is a major force in trying to make the world a better place, and he is a noted supporter of Cinema For Peace, Make Poverty History, Rock For Darfur, United Way, and the World Food Programme. Washington has spent time visiting wounded soldiers at Fisher Houses, hospitals which provide housing for injured soldiers’ families at little or no cost, and once made a large donation to the Fisher House Foundation. He is also the spokesperson for the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America, honorary chairperson for Save Africa’s Children, and a founding member of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

Australian-born Cate Blanchett took home the gold in the category for Best Supporting Actress. Charities Blanchett supports include the Australian Conservation Foundation, Kids Help Line, and SolarAid. In the past, Blanchett filmed a special appeal for SolarAid that was screened at the Hay Festival. The video is available to view on YouTube.

Queen Latifah took home the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a TV Movie/Miniseries, for her role in “Life Support”. A supporter of several charities, Queen Latifah once helped design a pair of shoes for the Stuart Weitzman charity shoe auction benefiting ovarian cancer awareness and research, and has been involved with Citymeals On Wheels and the Harry Holmberg Memorial Foundation.

Jeremy Piven beat his “Entourage” co-star Kevin Dillon to win his second award for Best Supporting TV Actor. Piven once hosted the fourth annual Fashion Rocks event, which benefited Alicia Keys’ Keep A Child Alive Foundation.

Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees for all the work that you do in front of the camera and behind the scenes to inspire a better world.

2007 - The Year The Stars Gave Back

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 09:11:14 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

2007 was a year of giving, both on grand and not-so-grand scales. Celebrities from all fields, be it movies, music, sport or general entertainment, showed compassion beyond the call of duty, and in most cases had a lot of fun doing it.

Without a doubt, one of the biggest events of the year was Live Earth in July, where stars new and old shone in all of the corners of the Earth to raise awareness of the plight of the planet. The shows were generally well-received, and led to organizer Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

But celebrities also participated in smaller, more personal acts of kindness in 2007. Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Melissa Gilbert, and Michael Douglas all donated their time to feed the hungry at the Los Angeles Mission, Fran Drescher launched the Cancer Schmancer Movement, and Ewan McGregor visited UNICEF projects during his epic motorcycle trip across Africa.

In January, Kevin Bacon launched www.sixdegrees.org, a website designed to marry the concepts of social internet networks and charities. The site aims to help people fundraise for their chosen causes, and features celebrities such as Kyra Sedgwick and Ashley Judd.

Bette Midler, founder of the New York Restoration Project, launched the Million Trees NYC initiative with Mayor Michael Bloomberg in October, to get city dwellers to plant more trees. The project plans to increase New York’s urban forest by 20% in the next ten years.

“To walk under the branches of a tree that you have planted connects you to the roots of our past and the aspirations of our future,” said the 62-year-old singer and actress.

Another singer with a sense of community in 2007 was Jon Bon Jovi who, as well as participating in various benefit concerts, also worked with Project HOME to revitalize a deteriorated lot in Philadelphia and transform it into homes for fifteen families.

And then there was Shakira, co-founder of the Latin America for Solidarity Fund and Pies Descalzos, who donated $40 million to victims of natural disasters in Peru and Nicaragua, and another $5 million to benefit education programs for children across Latin America.

The California wildfires that ravaged much of the state in November also spawned a spate of celebrity donations, with Linkin Park, the Eagles, and Gwen Stefani all making substantial contributions to both victims and firefighters.

American Idol gave back in April, with two shows that raised over $60 million to benefit organizations funding relief programs in America and Africa, featuring performances by Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, and others. Organized by Simon Cowell, American Idol Gives Back also led to a $100,000 donation by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

Another talk show host to shine this year was Oprah Winfrey, who opened a state-of-the-art school in South Africa for disadvantaged girls.

“I am creating everything in this school that I would have wanted for myself—so the girls will have the absolute best that my imagination can offer,“ said the 53-year-old, who poured $40 million of her own money into the project.

Brad Pitt took on the mission of rebuilding New Orleans by donating $5 million towards new houses, and also set up the Make It Right Foundation to assist in his work. Meanwhile, his wife Angelina Jolie set out to do what her character Lara Croft does best – save the world. As well as donating $100,000 to build the Duk Lost Boys Medical Clinic in the Sudan in March, Jolie also traveled to Iraq and Syria to raise support for those displaced by war.

Although literally tonnes of articles were written about Jolie’s efforts during 2007, even more was reported on Don Cheadle’s and George Clooney’s work to publicize the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. The stars of Ocean’s Thirteen established a charity for the Sudanese region called Not On Our Watch, and personally raised over $9 million to help those affected by conflict in the region. The pair were awarded a special peace prize by Nobel laureates for their efforts.

And no round up of the year’s events can be complete without mention of Bono, who continued being Bono by doing what Bono does best – raising awareness for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the needy, and the disadvantaged.

We at Look To The Stars would like to wish all of our readers a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year, and we look forward to continuing to bring you celebrity charity news in 2008.

Paris Heads To Rwanda

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 08:51:20 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Paris Hilton is to head to one of the poorest countries on the planet to raise awareness of child poverty.

Plans have been confirmed for the 26 year old socialite and heiress of the Hilton Hotel chain to travel to Rwanda next month, as part of her image makeover following her brief stint in jail in June.

“I’ll be going in November, after I get back from filming my movie,” said the star of “A Simple Life”, who is currently making “Repo! The Genetic Opera” with director Darren Lynn Bousman. “There’s so much need in that area, and I feel like if I go, it will bring more attention to what people can do to help.”

The trip is being undertaken in conjunction with Playing For Good, a charity dedicated to children’s issues set up a year ago by Scott Lazerson. Playing For Good was founded as a way to inspire and help businesses and celebrities to get involved in philanthropic work, and has attracted the support of stars such as Eva Longoria, Fran Drescher, and Goldie Hawn. Events organized by the charity in the past year have raised money for Millennium Promise Alliance, Keep A Child Alive, Spread The Net, and The Hawn Foundation. Lazerson plans to film Hilton’s journey to the war-ravaged nation and sell it as part of a new reality show, “The Philanthropist”, which will feature various celebrities on missions to help the world’s poor.

“She’s using her celebrity status and the cameras that follow her for the good of the world,” he said.

Thirteen years ago, the African nation of Rwanda was the scene of one of the worst massacres witnessed in recent history, when the Hutu-led military slaughtered almost a million Tutsis, in a country with a population of only 9 million people. Today, the political situation remains unstable, although President Paul Kagame is currently restructuring the Government to form a more secure country.

“I’m scared, yeah. I’ve heard its really dangerous,” said Hilton, regarding the trip to a country with an average life expectancy of 39 years, and where only 41% of the population has access to safe drinking water. “I’ve never been on a trip like this before.”

Hilton’s trip will last for five days, and is the first step in the shedding of her old persona, a promise she made to herself and the world in June.

“Before, my life was about parties – it was a fantasy,” she said. “But when I had time to reflect, I felt empty inside. I want to leave a mark on the world. I want to visit more countries where poverty and children’s issues are a big concern. I know there’s a lot of good I can do just by getting involved and bringing attention to these issues.”

Also as part of her new image, Hilton plans to make her new home in Beverly Hills more eco-friendly.

“I just bought the house,” she said. “I haven’t been able to work on it yet. But I intend to.”

Fran Drescher Launches Cancer Schmancer Movement

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:28:49 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

On June 21, Fran Drescher, star of television series The Nanny and author of Cancer Schmancer, announced the national launch of the Cancer Schmancer Movement. This day also marked her own anniversary of seven years of wellness. A survivor of uterine cancer due to early detection, Drescher’s goal is to realize a world where “no woman will die from cancer as a result of late stage diagnosis.” She wants “to ensure that all women’s cancers are diagnosed in Stage 1, when they are most curable.”

To help her get the word out, she has asked Angelina Jolie, whose mother died from cancer, for her support. Drescher said, “Ever since her mom died, she has been a great supporter of the foundation. She really reached out, which is wonderful.”

The non-profit organization will encourage women to take responsibility for their own health by paying attention to their bodies, developing better partnerships with doctors and getting the female voice recognized by legislators through the power of votes.

“I feel I got famous, I got cancer and I lived to talk about it so it’s given me a sense of purpose to my life that I didn’t have before. And I think what I’m doing is important and very necessary.”

Look To The Stars News: Fran Drescher

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