Look To The Stars News: Hilary Duff

Bid2Beat AIDS For Special Christmas Gifts

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0000

One of the biggest celebrity charity auction events of the year is currently gearing up for its launch on December 1.

Bid2Beat AIDS is an annual event that will feature over 1000 items from top stars such as 50 Cent, Adam Sandler, Adrian Grenier, Aerosmith, Alec Baldwin, Amy Winehouse, Antonio Banderas, Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz, Common , Death Cab for Cutie, Denzel Washington, P. Diddy, Donny Osmond, Elton John, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, Good Charlotte, Green Day, Hanson, Hilary Duff, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Blunt, James Earl Jones, James Morrison, Jamie Foxx, Jay-Z , Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jeremy Piven, Jessica Alba, John Legend, Johnny Depp, Kanye West, Kirsten Dunst, Ludacris , M.I.A., Madonna, Mariah Carey, Neil Patrick Harris, Ozzy Osbourne, Phil Collins, Raven Symone, Razorlight, Rihanna , Sacha Baron Cohen, Sharon Osbourne, Victoria Beckham, Whoopi Goldberg, Will Ferrell, Wyclef Jean, and many, many more. Also up for grabs will be VIP tickets to concerts and backstage visits with stars like Bernadette Peters, Jewel, Aimee Mann, Joan Rivers, and Michael Feinstein.

The annual auction will raise money for LIFEbeat, the music industry’s AIDS fundraising and service charity. The first three Bid2Beat AIDS auctions raised nearly $250,000, and this year’s looks set to be the biggest yet.

More info about the auction can be found at the Bid2Beat AIDS website, and the auction will go live on World AIDS Day here.

Look To The Stars will keep you posted as the items are announced.

Hilary Duff Counts Her Blessings In A Backpack

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Hilary Duff has been busy in the last two weeks visiting schools to raise awareness of the Blessings in a Backpack initiative.

Blessings in a Backpack was launched in 2005 to provide food to children and families in need. Since been established, they have provided over 6 million meals, with food being distributed through a network of volunteers and school officials on Fridays before the children leave school for the weekend. 21-year-old star Hilary Duff first helped with the campaign following Hurricane Katrina when – along with USA Harvest – she donated over 2 million meals throughout the Gulf Coast.

“I feel lucky enough to have a voice or a name that people might pay attention to,“ said Duff. “I think that people might not be aware that a couple neighborhoods away, kids aren’t having food on the weekends, and we just want people to be informed and to know what’s going on in their communities and to help if they can.”

More information about Blessings in a Backpack can be found at their website.

Stars Hit The Catwalk For St. Judes

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A bevy of stars stepped out on the catwalk on Saturday night for the 5th annual Runway For Life benefit in Beverly Hills.

Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ross McCall, Hilary Duff, Selena Gomez, Jonny Lee Miller, Daisy Fuentes, Jason Alexander, Nancy O’Dell, Cybill Shepherd, Natasha Henstridge and Jaime Pressley were among the stars to show their fashionable sides in the fundraiser for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and William Shatner was spotted in the audience.

Over 1,000 guests attended the event – held at the Beverly Hilton – which raised well over $1 million for St. Judes. Runway for Life is one of the biggest fundraising events of the hospital’s calendar, and has netted over $6.5 million since it was first staged.

Past events have included appearances by Cindy Crawford, Anna Kournikova, Alison Sweeney and many more.

Hilary Duff Records PSA To Stop Homophobic Language

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Actress and singer Hilary Duff has created a new PSA to help teens realize that anti-gay and lesbian language is harmful and inappropriate.

The 21-year-old has joined with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network to encourage teens to stop using the term “That’s so gay” in everyday speech. According to the Think B4 You Speak website, there are over 80,000 pages on the internet that contain the phrase, and it is homophobic remarks like that that create an atmosphere where young homosexuals feel disrespected, unwanted and unsafe at school and in the community.

From the website: “The new campaign aims to raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in America’s schools. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce and prevent the use of homophobic language in an effort to create a more positive environment for LGBT teens. The campaign also aims to reach adults, including school personnel and parents; their support of this message is crucial to the success of efforts to change behavior.“

Hilary Duff’s PSA can be found at www.thinkb4youspeak.com.

Teen Power At Charity Gala

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A host of Hollywood’s most exciting and energetic teenage stars attended the ‘Target Presents Variety’s Power of Youth’ event held at the Nokia Theatre in L.A. on Saturday night.

The event celebrated the activism of the young Hollywood community with an afternoon full of performances and activities for patients and families of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and “produced an opportunity to harness the enthusiasm and activism of the young Hollywood community in a focused effort to encourage their peers and audiences to get involved in philanthropic and humanitarian causes.” Making an appearance at the gathering were the Jonas Brothers, Hilary Duff, Miranda Cosgrove, Miley Ray Cyrus, Dakota Fanning, Selena Gomez, Angus T. Jones, Demi Lovato, Corbin Bleu, Elle Fanning, Eliza Dushku, Olivia Thirlby, Ashley Tisdale and Emma Roberts.

“Target Presents Variety’s Power of Youth campaign is a powerful one; one that harnesses the energy of more than 150 young performers who are in a position to influence their peers and fans,” said Brian Gott, associate publisher of Variety. “With the support of Target and our other sponsors, the Power of Youth effort has the opportunity to generate millions of dollars to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and create a bedrock of social awareness within the next generation of entertainment.”

As part of the celebration, a public online auction is running to raise funds for St. Jude, the nation’s leading children’s cancer research and treatment hospital, and the only one that covers all of the costs for medicine, treatment, food, travel and lodging. It features items and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities such as a guitar signed by the Jonas Brothers, the chance to interview Coldplay, a walk-on role on Weeds, and many more awesome lots.

The auction runs until October 23 and can be accessed through eBay.

Who Wants To Be A Roadie For The Who?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Following last week’s announcement that they are to donate the proceeds from an upcoming concert to charity, classic British rockers The Who are offering one lucky fan the chance to roadie for them on their new tour in a special online auction to raise money for a charity that inspires at-risk youth with the assistance of homeless shelter dogs.

Fans are already bidding over $20,000 for the opportunity to join the band on the road and hang out with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend on their US tour. But that’s not all that’s on offer: bidders also have the chance to pick up signed memorabilia from Bob Dylan, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Harrison Ford, David Gray, Robert Plant, Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks, Hilary Duff, Justin Long, Tori Spelling, and Hayden Panettiere.

The auction, which runs until August 24 and can be accessed through Ebay Giving Works, is raising money for K9 Connection, a charity that allows at-risk 12- to 18-year-old children train homeless shelter dogs in basic obedience, assisting the dogs to develop the skills to become adoptable. The organization aims to empower high-risk youth to apply the lessons they teach the dogs to their own lives: to develop an awareness of the risks of uncontrolled and impulsive behavior, and to believe in the power of positive reinforcement as an alternative to force and violence.

“Be a Who roadie for a day,” said Roger Daltrey, lead singer for The Who, known for their habit of destroying their equipment onstage. “And if you get the job – good luck… you’re gonna need it!”

2008 Cartier Love Charity Braclets Launched In LA

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It wasn’t just about the bling when a major jeweler hosted a star-studded event to launch a line of exquisite bracelets to benefit a worthwhile charity last night.

Stars such as Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, Eva Mendes, Fergie, Hilary Duff, and Janet Jackson attended the official launch of the Love Charity Bracelet in Los Angeles, and pledged their support of the initiative.

This year’s bracelets are made of silk cord with different colors corresponding to a selected charity, and feature two links – one white and one rose gold. They retail for $995, with $200 of that price going towards one of the charities selected by each celebrity. The list of celebrities, colors, and charities include:

Janet Jackson – grey; the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.
Fergie – orange; The Black Eyed Peas Foundation.
Good Charlotte – deep green; the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation.
Hilary Duff – purple; Blessings in a Backpack, a program run by USA Harvest.
Ashanti – royal blue; Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America.

This is the third year the campaign has been run, and it has so far raised over $2.24 million for sixteen different charities.

“Cartier is about selling joy and emotion,” said Frédéric de Narp, president and chief executive officer of Cartier North America. “You can’t pretend to sell emotion if you don’t care for people.”

To view the bracelet and find out where to buy one, visit the Cartier website.

Buffy In The Buff For Charity

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:47:10 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A group of celebrities have bared their skin in a new campaign to increase awareness of skin diseases.

As reported in an earlier article, former Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress Sarah Michelle Gellar has agreed to auction naked photos of herself on eBay, to raise money for the Coalition of Skin Diseases. It can now be revealed that she will be joined in the campaign by Hilary Duff, Minnie Driver, Dave Navarro, Amanda Bynes, Jacqueline Bisset, Regina King, and John Leguizamo, and the autographed photos will be available until February 22 at eBay.

The auction is part of Vaseline’s “Skin Is Amazing” campaign, and the special skin portraits demonstrate what each celebrity finds amazing about their skin.

“My versatility comes from facial expressions and how I hold my body,” said John Leguizamo. “My skin has to be able to take some punishment, whether I’m making faces or doing stunts in movies. It’s how I make my living.”

Each photo was shot by renowned photographer Walter Chin, and features a personal quote from the featured celebrity.

The Coalition of Skin Diseases is an organization that advocates on behalf of individuals who suffer from diseases of the skin by supporting clinical research, fostering physician and patient education, and generating general awareness on skin safety. They also strive to improve the quality of life for those affected.

More information and behind-the-scenes footage of the photo shoot can be found at the Vaseline website.

Another actress famous for baring her skin was the late Anna Nicole Smith, and a new charity has just been launched in her name.

Smith’s former partner, Howard K. Stern, announced the new charity on the first anniversary of the former Playmate’s death on Friday. The Anna Nicole Smith & Daniel Wayne Smith Charitable Foundation – also named in honor of her son, who died in 2006 – is expected to generate funds for a number of causes that Smith supported, including those relating to children, the elderly, and AIDS.

“Hopefully it will grow, help more people each year, and eventually be headed by her daughter Dannielynn,” said Stern. “All donations through February 2008 will benefit a charity in the Bahamas for underprivileged and at risk youths that Anna Nicole wanted to help.”

Celebrity Auctions Kick Off The New Year

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:24:10 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The new year has kicked off with a flurry of celebrity charity auctions, with items for sale to benefit a plethora of worthwhile causes and issues.

The American Civil Liberties Union is a national organization that advocates individual rights by litigating, legislating, and educating the public on a broad range of issues, including free speech, AIDS, human rights, racism, and more. The Southern California branch of ACLU has launched an auction on www.charityfolks.com to raise much-needed funds.

Items up for auction until January 3 include lunch with Jake Gyllenhaal on the set of his new film, a framed and autographed art print by Viggo Mortensen, the chance to dine with Harry Belafonte or Mike Farrell, a signed T shirt and photo from Danny Glover, and original artwork from singer Maria McKee, and an autographed copy of Corinne Bailey Rae’s single, “I’d Like To”.

Also up for auction on the Charity Folks website are 12 twelve very special packages to see Hilary Duff in concert. VIP tickets and the chance to go backstage to meet the young diva are included, and the concerts are being held across the US, Mexico, and Australia.

Proceeds from the auction will go to Blessings in a Backpack, a program run by USA Harvest to generate public awareness of child hunger. The organization will use the money to assist in providing weekend meals to needy children and ensure that their nutritional requirements are met. The auction runs until January 25.

Virgin Unite has put several items up for auction, including a leather jacket designed and signed by Jon Bon Jovi, a guitar autographed by Jewel, and a cymbal signed by members of the Beastie Boys.

Virgin Unite is the non-profit entrepreneurial foundation of the Virgin Group, established by Richard Branson as a catalyst for business based solutions to social and environmental problems. The auction ends on January 3.

Artists for a New South Africa is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 to advance human rights in Africa, and now encompasses a whole raft of issues, including the fight against AIDS, assisting children orphaned by AIDS, and educating and empowering youth. They are offering some incredible items for auction until January 18, including original Star Wars comics signed by Samuel L. Jackson, a signed photo of ex-X Files star Gillian Anderson, and signed CDs from Mandy Moore.

And finally, the Friends and Helpers Foundation, a non-profit organization that assists victims of domestic violence, is auctioning items such as a Red Hot Chili Peppers poster signed by bass player Flea, a signed photo of Donald Trump, a flag autographed by Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan, and a guitar signed by LeAnn Rimes.

2008 looks set to be the year of celebrity giving.

Bid Now For Christmas Gifts

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:21:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The countdown to Christmas has begun, and celebrities are doing their best to make holiday shopping easy this year. Several charity auctions have already kicked off to raise money for good causes, including one that may be eBay’s largest sale of celebrity items… ever!

The Bid 2 Beat AIDS online auction will open on December 1, World AIDS Day, and will feature over 1000 specially signed items, ranging from posters to iPods. The annual auction will raise money for LIFEbeat, the music industry’s AIDS fundraising and service charity, and in the past has raised up to $175,000.

The array of memorabilia up for sale this year is simply colossal, with perhaps the most interesting items being a series of “Lend a Hand to LIFEbeat” cards that feature the handprints of over 100 celebrities. Stars such as Britney Spears, Jack Black, and Kathy Griffin traced around the outlines of their hands and decorated their artworks for the auction, and the finished products will make a unique addition to any Christmas stocking.

Also included in the auction is a selection of signed musical instruments. Rapper 50 Cent has donated the tambourines he used during his performance at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, and Metallica and the Foo Fighters have both donated guitars. There are also over 200 official RIAA gold and platinum record awards up for sale, from artists such as Annie Lennox, Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Green Day. Rare tour crew jackets from Guns N Roses, Cher, George Michael, and Prince are also available.

There are a stack of autographed CDs and DVDs on offer in the auction, from Mariah Carey, Elton John, Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, Amy Winehouse, and Val Kilmer, as well as books signed by Madonna, Bill Clinton, Rosie O’Donnell, Martha Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Ethan Hawke. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Elijah Wood, and Usher have all signed posters for the auction.

For those people after something a little different, the auction also includes an iPod designed by Yoko Ono, a box of cereal signed by Will Ferrell, Borat’s hat signed by Sacha Baron Cohen, and a Spiderman action figure autographed by Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.

And if nothing mentioned so far whets your appetite, there are also signed items from Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Nelly, Joan Collins, John Travolta, Kanye West, The Cure, Jay-Z, Cameron Diaz, Victoria Beckham, Robin Williams, Hilary Duff, Jason Alexander, Jack Nicholson, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adam Sandler, John Legend, Jessica Simpson, Whoopi Goldberg, Aerosmith, Denzel Washington, Good Charlotte, James Blunt, Jeremy Piven, Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Norah Jones, Razorlight, Wyclef Jean, and many more… far too many to list here.

More information and a full list of items can be found at www.bid2beataids.com.

As if this wasn’t enough choice for Christmas shoppers, there are also several other auctions and events on the go at the moment. The biggest of these is the 10th Annual Collaborating For A Cure Benefit Dinner and Auction, a massive black tie gala to be held on November 29. It also happens to be one of the highest grossing charity events held every year in New York, and last year raised over $4 million for the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization that has provided over $55 million in grants to cancer research, and has been instrumental in the development of new cancer drugs.

The gala dinner and live auction will be held at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue, New York City, and over 1200 guests are expected to attend. The host for the evening is Chevy Chase, and attendees will be treated to a very special performance by Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh, members of 70’s rock group, the Eagles.

Selected items up for auction on the night as well as online include dinner with Chevy Chase, the chance to play tennis with Andre Agassi, and a meet and greet with Aerosmith.

More information can be found at www.charitybuzz.com.

Also on the Charitybuzz website is an auction to raise funding for Stand Up For A Cure, an organization dedicated to lung cancer research and awareness.

The auction runs from November 28 until December 12, and features unique items such as the chance to have Andrea Bocelli perform in your own home, the opportunity to have Patti LaBelle host your cocktail party, and VIP tickets to see Céline Dion at Madison Square Gardens.

And if you still can’t find a suitable gift, have a look at the Have A Heart Auction on Charitybuzz. All proceeds from the auction, which features the chance to meet Avril Lavigne, a copy of “An Inconvenient Truth” signed by Al Gore, and a “Godfather II” DVD signed by Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, will benefit HEART, an organization that aims to foster compassion and respect for all living beings.

But you have to be in quick, as the auction ends on November 29.

Hilary Duff Dishes It Out at Homeless Shelter

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:03:34 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Singer Hilary Duff served up chicken and stew for hundreds of homeless and working poor men last week at Hope Mission’s Herb Jamieson Center, a shelter in downtown Edmonton, Alberta. She stopped by the Center as part of her campaign to raise awareness about poverty and hunger.

“It’s nice when someone who makes a lot of money will look you in the eye and treat you like a real person,” Hope Mission spokeswoman Janelle Aker said, adding that Duff’s efforts could also help raise awareness with a younger demographic.

The pop star was in town as part of the Canadian leg of her North American Dignity tour, which kicked off last weekend. Duff is once again asking concert-goers to bring along non-perishable food donations to be collected at concert gates by The Salvation Army and distributed by food charity Harvest. Harvest chapters “collect surplus food from restaurants, grocery stores, and other food producers and immediately deliver it to missions, shelters, soup kitchens and food banks.” During her previous two Canadian tours, Duff raised over 125,000 pounds for Alberta Harvest. Harvest founder Stan Curtis says each concert can bring in as many as 3,000 cans of food, enough for 6,000 meals.  

Last November Duff bought 200,000 meals through USA Harvest for Hurricane Katrina refugees still in shelters over a year after the disaster. Curtis says, “Hilary has set an extraordinary example with her generous contributions to the Gulf Coast victims of (the) tragic hurricanes. With her current contribution, Hilary will have donated over 2.7 million meals to the victims who still need these generous donations.”

Even so, Duff says, “A big misconception of charity work and celebrities is that it takes a lot of money. It doesn’t take a lot of money. Your time is the best thing you can give.” She feels that with compassion, homelessness and hunger are simple to solve.

Duff plans to meet with fans before her August 25 concert in Louisville, Kentucky, and is asking her fans to help her raise 1,000 cans of food at the event.

Scarlett Johansson, Green Day and Goo Goo Dolls are also contributors to USA Harvest.

Gaining Pounds Never Felt So Good

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 07:21:00 -0000

Written by Nadia Lias

Gaining a few pounds might make most people anxious, but Hilary Duff has gained over 4,000,000 pounds – of food – and brought joy to homeless and hungry people across the United States. The food was collected for USA Harvest during her concert tour, to which she had asked fans to bring canned items.

USA Harvest was founded in 1989 in Louisville, Kentucky with a mission to feed as many hungry people as possible by moving food from people with too much to those with too little.

Hillary asked her fans for a small amount, but the final collection was so big that she has helped save millions of dollars of food money, which now can be re-allocated to other extremely important needs such as clothing, shelter, job training and opportunities, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and counselling programs.

Other celebrities who are helping homeless and hungry people across the United States with USA Harvest are Scarlett Johansson, Green Day and the Goo Goo Dolls.

Hilary Duff Buys 200,000 Meals For Refugees

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:30:54 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Pop star Hilary Duff has donated 200,000 meals through charity USA Harvest to two shelters in Texas which continue to house refugees from the August 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Duff had previously carried out relief work for the charity; on the one year anniversary of the hurricane, she travelled to New Orleans to visit and aid victims, accompanied by USA Harvest chairman Stan Curtis.

Commending Duff’s latest gesture, Curtis said, “Hilary has set an extraordinary example with her generous contributions to the Gulf Coast victims of last year’s tragic hurricanes.

“With her current contribution, Hilary will have donated over 2.7 million meals to the victims who still need these generous donations.”

Celebrity Donations To Katrina Relief Efforts

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:50:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

A list of what some celebrities have done to help Katrina victims:

Steven Spielberg, $750,000 to the American Red Cross and $750,000 to the Bush Clinton Fund
Nicolas Cage, Diddy, George Clooney each donated $1 million.
Oprah donated $1 million through her charity, Oprah’s Angel Network
Hilary Duff donated $250,000.
John Travolta delivered supplies using his private plane.
Sean Penn rescued people using an occasionally leaky boat.
Michael Jackson offered a song, “From the Bottom of My Heart”.
Jamie Foxx raised $600,000 with a celebrity auction.

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