Look To The Stars News: Hilary Swank

Stars Help Honor Sean Penn's Work In Haiti

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:30:00 +0000

A host of stars were out in Beverly Hills in the weekend to celebrate Sean Penn and his work with the J/P Haitian Relief Organization.

A swag of celebrities – including Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Kim Kardashian, Mel Gibson, Orlando Bloom, George Clooney, Demi Moore, Diane Lane, Josh Brolin, Petra Nemcova, Emily Watson, Hilary Swank, Harvey Weinstein, James Gandolfini, Rumor Willis and many more – turned out at the Montage Hotel on Saturday to watch Penn be awarded the Cinema For Peace Honorary Award for his work in Haiti.

The event also featured a huge celebrity charity auction that saw one of Angelina Jolie’s rings go under the hammer for $60,000. Damien Rice bought one of Bono’s guitars for $475,000, and Julia Roberts’ husband, Danny Moder, forked out $50,000 for the chance to work with Penn in Haiti.

Smile Train Performs 250,000th Cleft Repair In China

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft charity with over 2,200 partner surgeons operating in over 1,100 partner hospitals in over 80 countries, today announced that it has performed its 250,000th cleft repair surgery in China, since it began operations there in 1999. All 250,000 surgeries have been performed by local Chinese surgeons.

Smile Train was founded in 1999 with the mission of providing every child born with a cleft the same opportunities in life as a child born without. The charity has a large number of celebrity supporters, many of which used their star-status to increase the organization’s profile last year. Among the many efforts during the year, Dean Cain, Tatyana Ali and Erik Estrada appeared on The 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards to help raise awareness for Smile Train by highlighting a recent trip they took to Mexico with the charity. Additionally, Erik Estrada continued his mission to support Smile Train by choosing to dance for the charity on the Univision hit show Mira Quien Baila! raising over $10,000. Lastly, comedian Jimmy Pardo continued the giving trend with his Third Annual PARDCAST-A-THON.

Other celebrity supporters include Robin Williams, the late Walter Cronkite, Hilary Swank, Colin Powell, Jane Kaczmarek, Sammi Hanratty, Kevin Connolly, Stephen Colbert, Christie Brinkley, Helena Bonham Carter and many more.

New Years Eve Stars Stand Up To Cancer

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is proud to announce a new public service announcement (PSA) featuring the stellar ensemble cast of the holiday romantic comedy NEW YEAR’S EVE from director Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman, Valentine’s Day), that will appear in national and regional publications during the month of December.

The new SU2C print PSA campaign asks the public to join the cast of New Year’s Eve—which boasts some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank and Sofia Vergara — to help change the odds and stand up in the fight against cancer.

The PSA’s theme, “It’s Up2 All of Us to Stand Up To Cancer,” underscores SU2C’s core mantra: each and every one of us can make a difference in the fight against cancer. One in two men and one in three women in the U.S. will be diagnosed in their lifetimes, and this campaign calls on everyone to stand together to change those devastating odds.

Hilary Swank To Donate Appearance Fees To Charity

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank has announced she will donate her appearance fees from Ramzan Kadyrov’s birthday celebrations to charity.

The actress caused controversy last week when she attended the event in the Chechen capital of Grozny to honor Kadyrov, who is accused of human rights atrocities. He is accused of torture, killings and running the country with an iron fist.

Swank – who was unaware of political policies in the country – says she “deeply regrets” her participation, and has vowed to donate her personal appearance fees to various charities.

Meat Loaf And Miley Cyrus To Perform So The World May Hear

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Bill Clinton, Marlee Matlin, Doug Pitt and Randy Hogan will be honored at this year’s Starkey Hearing Foundation So The World May Hear Awards Gala.

Each year, the Foundation’s So the World May Hear Awards Gala recognizes those who have made a commitment to helping others and affect positive change in the world. The Starkey Hearing Foundation joins forces with celebrities and athletes alike to raise awareness and deliver the gift of hearing to those in need around the world.

The So the World May Hear gala will feature performances by Reba, Meat Loaf, LIBERA and Miley Cyrus, along with two surprise performances. Additional celebrities currently scheduled to attend include: Patricia Arquette, Hilary Swank, Whoopi Goldberg, Maria Bello, Verne Troyer, Buzz Aldrin, Kevin Sorbo, Gary Busey, Kevin Costner, Phil Hellmuth, Larry Fitzgerald, Santonio Holmes, Roy Williams and many more.

Hilary Swank Creates Short Film For Charity

Fri, 20 May 2011 15:00:00 +0000

The American Cancer Society has teamed up with Hilary Swank on a new short film to inspire women nationwide to make their own health a priority and take everyday steps to help prevent cancer.

Swank is executive producer of the film alongside Molly Mickler Smith of 2S Films and Go Go Luckey Entertainment, and the film is directed by Tina Gazzerro of Go Go Luckey Entertainment. The film helps mark the first anniversary of Choose You, a nationwide movement created by the American Cancer Society to raise awareness that 1 in 3 women will get cancer in her lifetime and the actions women can take today to help change that statistic. More than half of cancer deaths could be prevented if people maintained a healthy weight through diet and regular exercise, avoided tobacco products and got recommended cancer screening tests.

“Choose You” the documentary tells the powerful and emotional stories of three women on their journey to put their personal health first despite many challenges such as family situations, busy schedules, and other roadblocks that often get in the way of a woman’s personal health priorities. The three women featured in the documentary include:

Hilary Swank To Host Big Game Big Give Charity Event

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:00:00 +0000

LookToTheStars.org is proud to announce that The Giving Back Fund – one of our philanthropic partners – will be joined by two-time Academy Award winning actress Hilary Swank as the host of their 3rd annual Big Game Big Give celebrity charity celebration.

Swank, The Giving Back Fund, and title sponsor, Starkey Hearing Foundation, are rolling out the red carpet for the VIP charity event during Super Bowl XLV in Dallas Saturday, Feb. 5. The exclusive affair, now famous for being ranked by ESPN as the No.1 Super Bowl party in 2010, promises to be one of the weekend’s most coveted tickets.

Celebrity Charity Party Follows Screen Actors Guild Awards

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:30:00 +0000

The Screen Actors Guild presented its coveted “Actor” statuette for the outstanding motion picture and primetime television performances of 2010 at the “17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards” in ceremonies attended by film and television’s leading actors last night at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. The event was followed by an exclusive charity party.

Voting procedures to choose the recipients were sent to the nearly 100,000 active members of Screen Actors Guild nationwide. Morgan Freeman presented Ernest Borgnine with Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, the 47th Annual Life Achievement Award, following a filmed tribute introduced by Tim Conway.

Honored with individual awards were Christian Bale, Colin Firth, Melissa Leo and Natalie Portman for performances in motion pictures and Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Claire Danes, Julianna Margulies, Al Pacino, and Betty White for performances in television. Screen Actors Guild originated awards for the outstanding performances by a motion picture cast and by television drama and comedy ensembles. The Actor for a motion picture cast performance went this year to “The King’s Speech”, while the Actors for television drama and comedy ensemble performances went this year to “Boardwalk Empire” and “Modern Family.” Screen Actors Guild’s honors for outstanding performances by a stunt ensemble in film and television were awarded to “Inception” and “True Blood.”

Hilary Swank Becomes Animal Adoption Ambassador

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Hilary Swank is the new ambassador of one of the most successful animal adoption programs in the world.

The actress is the new face of Iams Home 4 The Holidays program, an initiative established in 1999 that has helped more than 3,278,143 families experience the joy of pet adoption, including 1.2 million pet adoptions this past year alone.

“I’m so proud to be working with Iams Home 4 the Holidays to help raise awareness about the importance of pet adoption,” said Hilary Swank, pet parent and 2009 Iams Home 4 the Holidays Ambassador. “Last year, the program’s adoption goal was to get 1 million pets adopted in just three months, but this year the goal is even bigger – we’re on a mission to find loving homes for 1.5 million orphaned pets between Oct. 1 and Jan. 4.”

Madonna And Friends Launch Handbag Auction For Earthquake Relief

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:30:00 +0000

A host of celebrities have donated handbags to an auction to raise money for victims of April’s devastating earthquake in Italy.

Madonna, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Hilary Swank, Eva Longoria, Dita von Teese, Lucy Liu, Marisa Tomei and Lily Tomlin have autographed and donated a selection of Salvatore Ferragamo handbags to the auction. 100% of the proceeds from the online auction will be donated to GlobalGiving’s Italy Earthquake Recovery and Relief Fund.

On April 6, 2009, the deadliest Italian earthquake in over 15 years struck the Abruzzo mountain region of Italy, with the town of L’Aquila at its epicenter. The toll was grim with nearly 300 people killed, more than 1,000 injured, and as many as 65,000 residents displaced. Many of those who lost their homes are still living in tent cities.

Hollywood Beauties Give Signatures For Good

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Friday, February 20, saw a flock of Hollywood beauties turn out at the Montblanc Signature for Good event in Los Angeles.

The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of 12 unique portraits featuring twelve world-famous Hollywood actresses. Each actress is part of a new campaign and is featured in posters for UNICEF’s childhood reading project on behalf of MontBlanc, the jewelry and pen manufacturer that is an important international partner of the organization.

Present at the event were Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria, Sienna Miller, Lucy Liu, Emily Blunt, Susan Sarandon, Marcia Cross, Andie MacDowell, Hilary Swank and many others.

Celebrities Get Their Bling Out For UNICEF

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Eva Longoria, Hilary Swank and Sienna Miller are among a host of stars to be photographed with their jewelry for charity.

The celebrities will appear in posters for UNICEF’s childhood reading project on behalf of MontBlanc, the jewelry and pen manufacturer that is an important international partner of the organization.

UNICEF and Montblanc have shared an important goal over the years – working together to fight illiteracy around the world by giving the “power to write” to children without proper access to education.

Nicole Kidman Delivers Anti-Violence Petition To UN

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Nicole Kidman has presented U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with a petition that calls on world leaders to end impunity for perpetrators of violence against women, provide services for survivors and, most importantly, invest in prevention.

The petition was run online throughout this year and contained 5,066,549 names. UNIFEM Executive Director Ines Alberdi said the campaign’s supporters included 29 world leaders, 188 ministers and over 600 parliamentarians, and celebrities such as Hilary Swank and Bob Geldof.

“I think in some ways I’ve always been heading towards wanting to put some meaning into my life and this is probably how I see myself doing it,” said Kidman, who has been a UNIFEM Ambassador since 2006. “The reason I chose the subject of women is because I was raised by a mother who was very passionate about … having her daughters educated, and wanted her daughters to have an equal opportunity. I was the product of that, and now I’m out there hoping to pass on to the next generation and work in a greater capacity then just as an actress.”

Hilary Swank’s Locks For Looks

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Actress Hilary Swank is once again promoting the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Campaign, which donates real-hair wigs to women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.

This isn’t the first time she’s gone under the scissors for Beautiful Lengths – she grew her hair to have it cut on Oprah last year for a wig. Now, since she had her hair cut for a role in a new movie, she has just donated again.

The statistic of one in three women being diagnosed with cancer has hit Swank’s family hard. She said, “I have lost multiple family members to cancer and witnessed their struggle first hand.”

Sharon Stone Turned Philanthtastic Fifty

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Sharon Stone has revealed that she emptied her closets of unwanted clothes for charity prior to turning 50 earlier this year.

The star explained to More magazine that she had been in the process of getting rid of her unwanted items when she received a surprise in the mail.

“I got a letter from Hilary Swank and Mariska Hargitay about a charity for abused women, and here was a gigantic, refrigerator-size bag, and could I fill it with clothing,” said Stone. “So I called them and said, ‘Can you send me 20 of these?’”

Justin Timberlake Proves That Fashion Rocks

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:30:00 +0000

Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus and Charlize Theron were some of the stars who appeared at the fifth annual Fashion Rocks concert celebrating the relationship between music and fashion last Friday.

Proceeds from the show – which was televised on CBS on Tuesday night – went to Stand Up To Cancer, which held its own star-studded telethon on the same evening. The Fashion Rocks show included a performance of more than a dozen divas — including Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Natasha Bedingfield, Fergie, Rihanna and Cyrus — who sung their new charity song Just Stand Up, which was beamed live to the Stand Up To Cancer television extravaganza.

“This is the first time we’re all together singing the song,” said Bedingfield. “It was really special. It was really like a sisterhood, like a bond… We’re all used to being the stars — the only star in the room — and it was really nice I think that everyone could just come together and really support each other.”

Stand Up To Cancer A Huge Success

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:30:00 +0000

A multitude of stars came out on Friday night as part of the Stand Up To Cancer television extravaganza to raise money for cancer research.

The hour-long program – simulcast live on NBC, ABC, and CBS – featured celebrities such as Jennifer Garner, Halle Berry, Forest Whitaker and Casey Affleck reading accounts of people battling cancer, as well as musical items, comedy sketches, and the opportunity for people to ring up and pledge donations – with stars such as Ellen DeGeneres, America Ferrera and Kirsten Dunst answering the phones.

“This is an absolutely historic night, thanks to the unbelievable generosity of the three networks,” event organiser, producer and cancer survivor Laura Ziskin told the audience at Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre.

Lance Armstrong Stands Up To Cancer Tonight

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

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 Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood.

Celebrity Fashion Up For Grabs

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:30:00 +0000

Anybody interested in celebrity fashion should head over to www.clothesoffourback.org in the next few days to bid on some of the fabulous items up for grabs in the name of charity.

The Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance has an exciting range of clothes and memorabilia up for auction on the site, including the Badgley Mischka dress that Comedy For A Cure honoree Teri Hatcher wore to the “American Idol” Season 7 Grand Finale, a green Max Mara wrap dress, smoky quartz & sterling silver earrings, and autographed photo from “Dexter” star Julie Benz, a “Chuck” t-shirt autographed by the show’s star Zachary Levi, a “CSI:NY” white lab coat autographed by Melina Kanakaredes, and the Theory dress that “Access Hollywood” correspondent Shaun Robinson wore to last year’s Comedy for a Cure event when she was the show’s emcee.

Bidders should be quick, as the auction ends on July 8.

Buy George Clooney's Gift Bag For Darfur

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 06:19:08 +0000

If you just can’t resist George Clooney -and let’s face it, who can – then you definitely won’t be able to resist checking out the new charity auction featuring the chance to pick up some of his unwanted bits and pieces.

The actor and UN Messenger of Peace has put his Oscar Nominees Gift Bag up for auction to benefit Not On Our Watch, the charity he set up with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Jerry Weintraub to end genocide in Darfur. The gift bag is filled with a range of elegant items such as a Personal Heineken Beer Tender, Marilyn Monroe ‘Classic Series’ wine goblets, exclusive spa packages including a gift certificate for a two night stay at La Costa Resort and Spa, Oscar Gold Havaianas, a Swarovski Crystal Pet Collar, and more.

The auction, which ends on May 4, is one of several currently being run at www.myqlu.com to raise funds for celebrities’ favorite charities. Also on offer, actress Mariska Hargitay has invited her friends in the field of arts and entertainment to join her in an auction to benefit her Joyful Heart Foundation, a charity she established to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues.

Hilary Swank Honored For Charity Work

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:08:35 +0000

Oscar winning actress Hilary Swank was honored at a special function in Los Angeles last week for her work with cancer charities.

The 33-year-old was presented with the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s 2008 Courage Award, in recognition of her efforts on behalf of the EIF’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund. Past recipients of the award have included Melissa Etheridge, Lance Armstrong, and Nicole Kidman.

Among the stars to pay tribute to Swank at last week’s ceremony, held at the Beverly Wiltshire, were Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Christian Slater.

Swank Takes A Cut For Charity On Oprah

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:45:11 +0000

Oprah Winfrey had a surprise for viewers of The Oprah Winfrey Show on Friday, November 2.

“It’s taken months to get to this moment,” announced the multi Emmy Award winning host. “And it involves a two-time Academy Award winner, a sharp object… and me.”

The surprise featured an appearance by Hilary Swank, who had her long and flowing blonde hair cut off by Winfrey on the show for charity. Over 9 inches of Swank’s golden locks were lopped off and donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a campaign working with the American Cancer Society to provide free wigs to women who have lost their hair after cancer treatment.

Swank on Wigs and Water

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:23:29 +0000

Hilary Swank has launched an around-the-world relay race to raise money to help the over-one-billion people without safe drinking water. Last month, 20 athletes set out to run over 15,000 miles, 10 miles at a time, across 16 countries, 24 hours a day for 95 days. Organized by the Blue Planet Run Foundation, the relay runners should arrive back in New York on September 4 after having run 750 miles each.

Campaigning for the cause, Swank had this to say: “What if it were your job to carry in a rusty metal pail all the water you and your family would use for the day? What if the water made you sick? What if you had no choice? Making safe drinking water available is everyone’s problem, and it’s a problem that will take everyone to solve.”

Blue Planet’s goal is to provide safe drinking water to 200 million people for the rest of their lives by 2027. In the past three years, through Blue Planet funding of 11 NGO’s, 135 sustainable water projects in 13 countries have been implemented. According to Blue Planet’s creator Jin Zidell, $30 can create a lifetime of safe drinking water for one person. The Blue Planet Run will take place every two years.