Look To The Stars News: Gabrielle Union

Gabrielle Union Launches Breast Cancer Program In Ghana

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has expanded its mission to Africa thanks to a little bit of help from Gabrielle Union, Malaak Compton-Rock, and Billye Aaron.

Komen for the Cure – a global leader of the breast cancer movement – invited the three women to an international breast cancer symposium in Accra, Ghana, late last month, where they met Ghana President John Kufuor for a dedication ceremony at the new HopeXchange Medical Center, a state-of-the-art breast cancer diagnostic and treatment facility.

“I’m hoping to dispel some very prevalent myths about what causes breast cancer and to break down some barriers for Ghanaian women,” said Union. “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem—so do breast self-exams and go see a doctor. Early diagnosis and treatment will literally save your life.”

Ghana is one of several African countries the charity is focusing on, and the symposium highlighted the issues that block breast cancer care, including economics and politics.

“Once a country has the infrastructure in place to detect, diagnose and treat breast cancer, it opens the door to the successful treatment of many other cancers,” said Komen President and CEO Hala Moddelmog. “Developing health care delivery systems, when done logically and successfully, can be a self-replicating process in other countries.”

P. Diddy Encourages Safe Drinking With New Campaign

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0000

As part of their new “Play-A-Part” initiative, E! Entertainment has teamed up with Sean “Diddy” Combs and CÎROC Vodka to create a multi-platform public action campaign that promotes drinking responsibly and offers a solution for people to find a safe ride home. E!’s Drive Safe campaign includes on-air spots that feature some of today’s hottest celebrities at a popular Hollywood nightclub, as well as easy online and wireless access to taxi services across the country.

“E!’s public action campaigns are designed to provide viewers with the resources they need to make a positive social change,” said Suzanne Kolb, Chief Marketing Officer of E! Entertainment and The Style Network and General Manager of E! Online. “E!’s Drive Safe campaign goes farther than simply saying ‘drunk driving is bad.’ It provides a real solution for viewers to enjoy their social lives but still be safe. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and CÎROC Vodka share our passion for generating awareness and action on this issue and helped bring enormous star power to the campaign.”

“CÎROC Vodka is an ultra-premium luxury vodka which epitomizes the ‘Art of Celebration,’” states CÎROC partner, Sean “Diddy” Combs. “I believe that it is important to promote responsible drinking and generate public awareness on the necessity of designating a driver. With the help of some great celebrity friends and E! Entertainment, we were able to create a campaign that will resonate with viewers and ultimately drive home the message that any designated driver is a star. If you plan to drink, plan a cab or safe ride home.”

Celebrities featured in the campaign include Sean “Diddy” Combs, Eva Longoria, Tommy Lee, Wilmer Valderrama, and Gabrielle Union, as well as Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt from E!’s “The Girls Next Door” and Catt Sadler, Debbie Matenopoulos, Sal Masekela and Ben Lyons from E!’s “The Daily 10.” In the spots, the celebrities surprise club-goers who are about to head home and offer to give them a lift.

The key message of the campaign is to make smart decisions after a night of partying and that “any designated driver is a star.” To ensure that viewers can make that smart decision easily, people are encouraged to log on to E! Online.

Charity Gifts For Valentine's Day

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:18:47 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it is time to think about loving gifts that rise above the standard red roses. And there are a number of products available this month that not only tell that special person how much you care, but also help raise money for those who are less fortunate. Shoes, dresses, T-shirts, and even a second-hand swimsuit are on offer to help Cupid’s arrow hit its mark.

Actress Keira Knightley’s latest movie, Atonement, has recently received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and now fans have the chance to buy a very special part of the production. The dazzling green dress Knightley wore in the emotionally charged romantic scenes opposite James McAvoy is being auctioned by the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation to benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity.

The dress is one of several made for the scene, and was designed by Jacqueline Durran, who has been nominated for a Costume Design Academy Award for her work on the film. The auction runs from February 1 until March 1 at www.clothesoffourback.org, and bids have already reached $3,000.

Clothes Off Our Back is also selling a series of outfits donated by some of Hollywood’s most beautiful woman. The Little Black Dress Auction runs until March 13, and features dresses from the closets of Julianne Moore, Felicity Huffman, Mena Suvari, Gabrielle Union, and Jaime Pressley. Beneficiaries include Second Harvest, The Art of Elysium, World Education, and autism research.

If it is shoes you are after, look no further than the Spirit of Women Health Network’s Celebrity Red Shoe Auction. The auction is being run on eBay from February 5-14, and features footwear autographed by celebrities such as Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Rachael Ray, LeAnn Rimes, Alanis Morissette, and Dancing With The Stars’ Carrie Ann Inaba.

“This February, we hope to encourage women to take action for their heart health by dancing and exercising, discussing their health with their physicians, and helping to support women’s heart health research and education,” said Josh Davis, President of the Spirit of Women Health Network.

The auction is part of the Red Shoe Initiative, a national health education and action campaign that aims to encourage women to be aware of their heart health. As with past shoe auctions, proceeds will benefit several charities, including the National Stroke Association and the Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition.

The auction will also precede Spirit of Women’s Day of Dance, an event that will involve dance and health screenings around the US on February 23.

Another gift idea this Valentine’s Day is the new charity T-shirt from designer Marc Jacobs – featuring a naked Victoria Beckham.

The T-shirt has been designed to raise awareness of the Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group, an initiative with aspirations almost as big as their name. The program was established by Jacobs’ business partner, Robert Duffy, to raise consciousness of one of the most common types of cancer in the world – over 160,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every year, with around 48,000 deaths.

“Since we moved to California, I have realized how important it is to practice safe sun for myself, and to keep my three boys skin well protected as well,” said Beckham. “Skin cancer is a huge problem, and I really wanted to help raise awareness by taking part in Marc’s initiative.”

The T-shirts are available at Marc Jacobs’ stores in America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia for $35, and even Victoria’s husband David has been seen sporting one recently, at the opening of the David Beckham World of Sport in Brazil.

The Victoria Beckham line of T-shirts follows a similar series designed by Marc Jacobs last year, featuring Heidi Klum, Julianne Moore, and Naomi Campbell, which raised $60,000.

Finally this month, if you are looking for something really special to give your loved one this Valentine’s Day, why not buy Nicole Kidman’s old swimsuit – it is to be auctioned in Sweden to raise funds for poor families in India.

The story behind the swimsuit is long and twisty. Kidman visited Sweden six years ago to film Dogville, and hired a private pool while there. However, she left her black one-piece swimming costume in the changing rooms when she went home. Attempts to return it failed, and it was donated to a cancer charity, where it raised $4,700 at auction. It was later donated to the Salvation Army, where it was auctioned for a further $865.

A new auction will raise funds for Erikshjalpen, a charity that aims to buy cows in India with money raised.

The swimsuit is framed and is expected to raise $1,500.

Celebrity Designed Corsets On Auction

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:06:55 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Some of Hollywood’s hottest celebrities have teamed up to design a series of corsets to be auctioned off in October.

Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria, Teri Hatcher, and Jessica Biel are just some of the stars who have submitted designs for the 4th annual Frederick’s Of Hollywood Celebrity Corset Auction. The event, which is being run in conjunction with the internet charity auction site Clothes Off Our Back, will raise money for a variety of children’s charities, including Second Harvest, a non-profit organization that benefits the hungry, The Art of Elysium, which uses art to help the sick, and World Education, a charity that provides training to underprivileged children around the world. Some of the proceeds will also go towards research into autism.

“In previous years, we got $18,000 for Charlize Theron’s corset and $10,000 for Nicole Kidman’s,” said Frederick’s of Hollywood’s Erin Dominguez. “Each year we set the bar higher and hope to get more.”

To create the pieces, the celebrities were each given a special design kit to make a sketch of their creation. It was then up to costume designer Linda Stokes, best known for dressing Gwen Stefani on tour, to produce the garments.

“You get to draw and sketch,” said Eva Longoria about her design. “And I sketched some tulle at the top and it has all of this beading.”

Andy Garcia, star of the Ocean’s 11 movies, was inspired in his design by the flag of his native Cuba. Others took a more fanciful approach, with Ashley Olsen’s design dripping black feathers, and Kyra Sedgwick’s creation appearing to have garbage trailing off the hem. Other celebrities involved in the campaign include Christina Aguilera, actress and Clothes Off Our Back founder Jane Kaczmarek, Maria Menounos, Gabrielle Union, Ashlee Simpson, Mandy Moore, Debra Messing, Fergie, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette.

The event kicked off on October 25, with a live auction hosted at Frederick’s flagship store on Hollywood Boulevard, and the online auction runs until November 5 on www.clothesoffourback.org.

“I think you should bid on any and all of them,” said Oscar nominee Julianne Moore, whose peacock inspired design is featured in the auction. “I love them, and it’s a great cause.”

Look To The Stars News: Gabrielle Union

Gabrielle Union Launches Breast Cancer Program In Ghana

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