Look To The Stars News: Meg Ryan

Happy Military Mothers' Day From The Stars

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:43:57 -0000

A group of celebrities are marking Mothers’ Day with a new initiative from Hallmark Greeting Cards for military moms deployed overseas.

Stars such as Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Billy Joel, Ben Harper, and Christy Turlington were amongst a group of celebrities who have recorded messages for mothers in the US military currently away on active duty.

“It is an absolute honor and privilege to be able to support the mothers who serve both overseas and on the home front,” said Andre du Broc, editorial director at Hallmark. “At the heart of Hallmark’s brand is a legacy of connecting people. Our cards have been sent with messages of love and support to troops serving around the world for decades, and we treasure our role in helping keep these families connected.”

The messages were recorded using Hallmark’s new Recordable Cards With Music, which allow the sender to record a personal voice message into a card, followed by a pre-recorded song. Hallmark, who are partners with Bono’s (RED) campaign, are also sending the cards with personalized voice messages from the children of the military moms, many of whom have been away from their families for over 15 months.

“With service members away for second, third, and even fourth deployments, it is incredibly important for companies such as Hallmark to continue to send the message to our troops that America Supports You,” said Allison Barber, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense. “I can’t think of a more wonderful gift for a deployed mother than hearing her child’s voice on Mother’s Day.”

More information about the cards can be found at Hallmark’s website.

Look To The Stars Asks The Neelys

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:04:14 -0000

Written by Crystal A. Johnson

Besides serving up delicious ribs, Get Yo’ Man Chicken, and strawberry shortcut cake, the Food Network’s latest stars Pat and Gina Neely have a long-standing tradition of serving the community.

Down Home with the Neely’s drew an audience of two million viewers at its launch in February, and the dynamic husband and wife team of Pat and Gina Neely has broken all sorts of Food Network records since then. Yet they still manage to find the time to run their three restaurants, where their famous diners have included Robert Plant, Robert Clay, Steve Miller, Jay Leno, Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, John Legend, Stacy Spencer, and Alicia Keys.

Despite the soaring ratings, the pair have remained grounded and interested in making a difference.

Look To The Stars recently had a chance to catch up with the Neelys and share recipes on how to make the world a better place.

How important is it to give back to the community?

GINA: I’m not sure people understand the importance of giving back. It is important for us to give back. When you give, your blessings are unbelievable. You can’t put a price tag on it. Pat and I have always given. I remember how instrumental it was when I was growing up and people stepped up and helped us, so it is so important for us to give that back.

PAT: What people have to understand is that Gina and I come from very humble beginnings. We didn’t have a whole lot. My mother’s home was in foreclosure when I was a senior in high school. I lost my father when I was eleven… there was never enough money. Gina and I have pretty similar backgrounds. When I opened my first restaurant, I had twenty thousand dollars that was borrowed from my grandmother’s home, that she put up for collateral – and she was 90 years of age. That was all I had first day I opened the doors. I was dead broke… One of the things I remembered early was when I start making some money and when things start turning around for me that I am going help somebody. One of the best feelings in the world is to be able to give… Gina and I give away 30 home tickets away every single home ball game for years now. Since we’ve been involved with the Memphis Grizzlies NBA team, nothing is more rewarding than when my mail comes in and there is a big brown envelope with 30 letters from 30 kids’ middle and elementary schools thanking us for being able to go to the game. Letters say, “Mr. Neely, without you I would not have been able to go to an NBA game.”

Do you find yourselves feeding people such as the homeless?

PAT: I know several years ago, along with some other good people who decided to participate, we opened up on Christmas Day or Thanksgiving Day.

GINA: Thanksgiving.

PAT: And then we invited everyone off the streets to come in and eat free. I don’t know how many… [maybe] 1500. These were people off the street that were homeless. But there are so many other things; what you try to do is really spread it around. I give what I can give. One of our proudest moments is that there is a huge plaque on the wall at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. A couple of years ago Gina and I were approached to give to a substantial donation to the museum while at a dinner. I told Gina we can’t afford it… I get back to the restaurant – I have some high school kids working for me so I am all in the civil rights mood – and I ask the kids, “Who is Rosa Parks?” You know they did not know.

GINA: They said, “Is that a rapper?” Can you believe that?

PAT: Gina and I get back in the car, and I am like, “What the hell is going on?” It was only a generation or so a go that these people fought us… If it was not for Rosa Parks, or Dr King, I may not be running my own business. So I looked over at Gina and said that we have to make this contribution. Fortunately, the Civil Rights Museum put us on a payment plan… To make a long story short, it was I along with twenty other African-American businesses that made that contribution. The money was matched by corporate Memphis. Together we were able to raise 9 million dollars, and that is where the expansion took place at the National Civil Rights Museum… I feel very proud that our grandchildren will one day see their grandmother and grandaddy’s plaque on the wall.

Thanks so much for taking the time out to talk with us.

More information about Down Home With The Neelys can be found at their Food Network website.

Diaz Joins Pangea Day

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:58:22 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Actress Cameron Diaz, besides working on environmental awareness activities, joins Goldie Hawn, Meg Ryan and other artists, directors and activists on the Pangea Day advisory board, an organisation set on creating a worldwide network of concerned citizens who are making a difference and believe that film can change the world.

The brainchild of Arab-American, award winning documentary film-maker Jehane Noujaim, the group’s first action is to create a global film day where short films will be screened simultaneously across the world, and subsequently be available from the Internet. Submitted by any person from anywhere in the world, the films, which “should provide a powerful glimpse into various aspects of our lives,” will be judged and four hours of the best shorts, visionary speakers and live music will be broadcast May 10, 2008, on Pangea Day.

Towards her wish for world peace and in her effort to heal the world’s conflicts, Ms Noujaim believes that by showing meaningful clips of people of different countries and cultures to the whole world at the same time, she can make conflicts more personal to individuals than perhaps a newspaper report might, humanize the issues, and begin a healing process. After the world wide screening next year, Pangea Day organisers will connect inspired people with appropriate organisations to “facilitate community-building activities.”

Ms Noujaim was last year’s recipient of the TED award at the Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference where “the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers come together to give the talk of their lives. You can hear Ms Noujaim’s wish speech, the wish that she is granted by TED along with $100,000 prize money, at www.pangeaday.org

Pangea is the word given to the earth’s complete land mass before the continents split off. Pangea Cinema Day for Ms Noujaim is “the day the world comes together by reaching out to people’s hearts and souls through film.”

Look To The Stars News: Meg Ryan

Happy Military Mothers' Day From The Stars

Related past articles

Look To The Stars Asks The Neelys

Related past articles

Diaz Joins Pangea Day

Related past articles