Look To The Stars News: Martin Sheen

World March For Peace Starts In New Zealand

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:30:00 -0000

The World March for Peace and Non-Violence kicked off in Wellington, New Zealand, today, beginning a trek that will visit 90 countries on 6 continents, ending in Argentina on January 2 of next year.

Marchers braved chilling winds in the country’s capital to start the march, which has been endorsed by world leaders and celebrities such as Penelope Cruz, Viggo Mortensen, Desmond Tutu, Martin Sheen, Jane Fonda, Jimmy Carter, Lou Reed, Yoko Ono, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Bryan Adams and many more.

The 160,000-kilometre (99,419 mile) march has been organized by World Without Wars. A core group of 25 marchers will complete the entire journey, carrying with them a “nuclear abolition torch” taken from the Hiroshima Flame which was lit from embers following the 1945 nuclear explosion in Japan. The primary goals of the World March include:

nuclear disarmament at a global level
immediate withdrawal of invading troops from occupied territories
progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons
signing of non-aggression treaties between countries
renunciation by governments of the use of war as a means to resolve conflicts

A rehearsal march was held in New Zealand earlier this week, led by Xena Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless, who walked beneath a Chinese-style dragon made from the sails of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, sunk by French agents in Auckland in 1985.

Earlier this year – as a lead up to the march – organizers created roving billboards and also recreated the famous Bed-In held by Yoko Ono and John Lennon.

Look To The Stars is proud to support the March For Peace and Non-Violence, and wish all those taking part a great and successful journey.

More info can be found here.

Stars To Host Eco-Film Screening

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Last month, Look To The Stars brought you news about a new eco-film featuring Trudie Styler that chronicles the effects that Chevron’s oil production facilities are having on locals in Ecuador. Now Amazon Watch – which works to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin – invites you to a special benefit party and premiere screening of “Crude” in Los Angeles.

The special screening of Crude will be co-hosted by Benjamin Bratt, Daryl Hannah, Esai Morales, Martin Sheen and many other big names, and will take place on September 17 at Harmony Gold Theater on Sunset Blvd.

Crude is a high-stakes David vs. Goliath legal drama with 30,000 Ecuadorian rainforest dwellers facing down Chevron – the fifth largest corporation on the planet. This special event will benefit Amazon Watch’s Clean Up Ecuador campaign to hold Chevron accountable and bring justice to affected communities, and is being held in association with the Rainforest Action Network.

Seating is limited. Tickets are available for a donation of $100-$1,000. Purchase tickets online at chevrontoxico.com/crude/la or reserve tickets by September 14 via email: lacrude@amazonwatch.org or phone: 415-487-9600 ext. 356.

To find out more about the movie, visit the official Crude website.

Usher Urges Youth To Be Great

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:00 -0000

As part of Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America’s (BGCA) new advocacy campaign — BE GREAT — five-time Grammy award winner, philanthropist and Boys & Girls Club alumnus Usher has unveiled a new billboard featuring his childhood picture and a call-to-action — BE ICONIC. Usher joins 25 prominent alumni in the new advocacy campaign to help increase public awareness and understanding about the positive impact of Clubs.

From academic failure and gang violence to poverty, drugs and obesity, America’s youth face a daunting array of problems — with serious consequences and fewer safety nets at home and in the community. According to a 2007 BGCA alumni survey conducted by Harris Interactive, 57 percent of alumni reported, “The Club saved my life,” while another 28 percent credited Boys & Girls Clubs with keeping them in school.

“Growing up in the Club, I had the chance to experience a lot of positive things; it helped reinforce the values I learned at home including good character, leadership and giving back to my community, my country and my world,” said Usher. “It’s where I developed my love of singing and performing, received help with my homework, and it’s where I found a safe place to go after school.”

In addition to unveiling the billboard, Usher recently visited the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta where he was greeted by screams from more than 200 young members. He addressed the crowd with a simple message: “work hard to achieve your goals and you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.” During his visit he taped a short film about the positive impact the Club played in his life, which will be the first of several films of prominent alumni for BGCA. The film will debut on BGCA’s Web site www.BeGreatAmerica.org in May, and will also appear on BGCA’s social networking pages including Facebook and YouTube.

Other Club alumni joining Usher in the BE GREAT advocacy campaign include: Academy award-winning actor and national spokesperson for BGCA – Denzel Washington, Muhammad Ali, Ashanti, Swin Cash, Gen. Wesley Clark, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Queen Latifah, Mario Lopez, John Mellencamp, Edward James Olmos, Shaquille O’Neal, Smokey Robinson, Martin Sheen, John Singleton, Ruben Studdard, Courtney B. Vance, Mark Wahlberg and Kerry Washington.

On May 14, Usher will be inducted into BGCA’s prestigious Alumni Hall of Fame (AHOF) at the organization’s 103rd National Conference in Atlanta.

“We are very excited about Usher joining our BE GREAT campaign and the awareness he will bring to the effectiveness of our generation-changing programs,” said BGCA President and CEO Roxanne Spillett. “He is a shining example of the impact of Clubs, and we are so proud of the great things he has gone on to accomplish.”

Usher will collaborate with BGCA and other alumni to urge the country’s political and business leaders to make the young people of America a priority and encourage every citizen to make a difference by supporting organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs — ensuring that every child has a safe, supervised and structured environment during the critical after-school hours.

Stars Design Plates For Parkinson's

Tue, 05 May 2009 15:00:00 -0000

More than 40 celebrities from around the world are doing their part to help the Parkinson Society Maritime Region (PSMR) fight a disease that affects over a million people in North America.

Plates for Parkinson’s is a collection of celebrity signed and designed plates that are auctioned on eBay to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s. Celebrities are asked to draw a tulip – the Society’s symbol of hope on a plate – and this year over 40 plates will be auctioned – including designs by Chris Daughtry, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dennis Rodman, Martin Sheen, Jeff Bridges, Rachael Ray, Eartha Kitt, Sidney Crosby, Muhammad Ali, Alan Alda, Robert Downey Jr., Peter Facinelli, The Cast of CSI and many more!

Canadian favourites Paul Gross, David Suzuki, Paul Brandt, Alanis Morissette, George Stroumboulopoulos, Jully Black, Serena Ryder, The Cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation and Nickelback are also joining the 2009 honor roll.

The plates will be launched on eBay in three batches beginning April 30th and will end in intervals until May 24th . Please visit eBay to bid or www.parkinsonmaritimes.ca to view all plates!

Funds raised through Plates for Parkinson’s help The Parkinson Society Maritime Region ease the burden and find a cure for Parkinson’s through support services, education, research and advocacy.

Stars Donate Items To Charity Auction

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club’s first annual Reach for the Stars Celebrity Auction and Dinner was held last week and raised $7,800.

Fon du Lac is a city of 43,460 people located at the foot of Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin.

“We were very pleased with the results,” said Dan Hebel, director of operations for the Boys and Girls Club of Fond du Lac. “This was our first year, and with the economy, a very difficult year to be raising money.”

Items up for grabs at the auction included personalized drawings and photos from stars such as James Earl Jones, Jeff Bridges, Barbra Streisand, Roy Clark, Martin Sheen, Bo Ryan, Ruvell Martin, Mario Andretti, Michael Waltrip and Barry Alvarez.

Over 130 people attended the event.

Denzel Washington Urges Kids To Be Great

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Denzel Washington, Martin Sheen, and Shaquille O’Neal have lent their childhood photos to the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America for a new advertising campaign.

The “BE GREAT” campaign launched last week, and aims to encourage volunteers to work at the clubs.

“What’s going on with children doesn’t worry me,” said the Oscar-winning actor. “What’s going on with adults worries me. If we are not more committed to these young people … they will go as far as we take them, so the onus is on us, not on the children. We’ve created this world for them, we are the ones that fall and we are the ones that can rectify it.”

All of the stars involved in the new campaign attended Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs as children, and include Bill Cosby, Muhammad Ali, Swin Cash, Bill Clinton, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michael Jordan, Queen Latifah, Mario Lopez, John Mellencamp, Edward James Olmos, Smokey Robinson, John Singleton, Ruben Studdard, Usher, Courtney Vance, Mark Wahlberg, and Kerry Washington.

“As someone whose life was changed dramatically by the Boys & Girls Club, I can think of no better organization to lead the country in addressing the pressing needs of today’s young people,” said Washington. “I also believe that as adults, we must assume responsibility for many of the conditions that are preventing our young people from achieving their full potential.”

The full advertising campaign can be seen at the BE GREAT website.

Sir Paul McCartney Busy With Charity Campaigns

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Sir Paul McCartney will appear in an advertising campaign in Britain this month to encourage people to support the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

The campaign, organized by ParalympicsGB, will ask people to donate cash to help disabled athletes who want to compete in the games, and McCartney hopes his input will help the future of disability sport.

“I met leading Paralympic dressage rider Sophie Christiansen and was completely blown away by her skill, dedication and the fact that she had won a gold medal for Britain, so I felt I had to do something,” said the 66-year-old ex-Beatle. “My suggestion was simple. Why not create an ad that would highlight the work of ParalympicsGB and call on the British public to donate much needed money.”

McCartney has also been on the campaign trail for Canadian Harp seals in the last few days. He appeared in a special video shown during an anti-seal hunting video played at a rally in Brussels on Tuesday, urging demonstrators fight for a European seal products import ban.

“Stopping the import of seal fur into the European Union could really put an end to this brutality once and for all,” he said. “Please ask the EU to ban this terrible trade today.”

It is not the first time the singer has campaigned for an end to the slaughter of thousands of Harp seals that takes place in Canada every year. He visited the country with ex-wife Heather Mills in 2006 to ask Prime Minister Stephen Harper to end the “heartbreaking” hunt that has left a “stain” on the Canadian character.

Other celebrities to support the end to the slaughter include Slash, Martin Sheen, Mick Jagger, and Brigitte Bardot.

Martin Sheen To Receive Two Humanitarian Awards

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:58:45 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Veteran actor and former President of the United States (at least on TV’s The West Wing) Martin Sheen is to be honored for his humanitarian work – not just once, but twice!

It has just been announced that the actor is to collect the Marlon Brando Award for his career and humanitarian efforts at the fourth annual Stella By Starlight gala benefit on March 17, and follows hot on the heels of the news that the 67-year-old is to receive the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal at a ceremony on May 18.

“He has used [his] celebrity to draw the attention of his fellow citizens to issues that cry out for redress,” said University President Rev. John Jenkins. “Such as the plight of immigrant workers and homeless people, the waging of unjust war, the killing of the unborn, and capital punishment”.

As well as donating time and money to many charities – such as PETA, Earth First, and Help Darfur Now – Sheen has also been involved in many protests involving causes he is passionate about. In 1995, while protesting the annual slaughter of Canadian seals with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the actor was attacked by angry hunters. Then, in 2007, Sheen was arrested while protesting against nuclear weapons in Nevada.

Former recipients of the Laetare Medal include John F. Kennedy, former Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, and former US House Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neill.

Daytime's Brightest Stars Shine For One Night Only Performance

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:36:55 -0000

Written by Crystal A. Johnson

Young & Restless (Y&R) star Judith Chapman has gathered award-winning daytime television actors to perform a play to benefit micro-loan charity Kiva.

The inspiration to help others in a very unique way came one night when Chapman (who plays Gloria) watched a very special reading of Daniel Berrigan’s play The Trial of the Catonsville 9, which was based on the author’s experience of protesting the Vietnam war in the Catonsville incident.

Performed by the Actor’s Gang in Los Angeles, the performance Chapman saw featured the talent of Martin Sheen, Beau Bridges, Neil Patrick Harris and others. Moved by the story and the caliber of talent, Chapman decided to put together a production of the same play with daytime’s best and brightest for a worthy cause.

The cast features many daytime Emmy award winning actors. Fellow Y&R stars to perform include Christian LeBlanc (Michael), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis), Vincent Irizarry (David), Kristoff St. John (Neil), Greg Rikkaart (Kevin), Daniel Goddard (Cane), Eyal Podell (Adrian), and Emily O’Brien (Jana). Soap veterans John Hale (ex-Mike) of General Hospital and John Callahan (ex-Edmund) of All My Children will also perform. Further soap actors are to be announced later.

Berrigan’s play is a period piece which epitomizes the climate of the times and the common sentiment about the Vietnam War. The story centers around the May 17, 1968 incident when nine men and women entered the Selective Service Offices in Catonsville, Maryland, removed several hundred draft records, and burned them with homemade napalm in protest against the war in Vietnam. The nine were arrested and, in a highly publicized trial, sentenced to jail.

This act of civil disobedience intensified protest against the draft, prompted debate in households in Maryland and across the nation, and stirred angry reaction on the part of many Americans. It also propelled the nine Catholic participants – especially priest brothers Daniel and Philip Berrigan – into the national spotlight.

The proceeds for the one-night-only production of The Trial of the Catonsville 9 will go to Kiva, an organization that enables people in the West make small loans to individuals around the developing world so that they might grow a business and become more self sustaining. The event will take place on January 19, 2008 at the Palm Canyon Theatre in Palm Springs, CA. For more information on the Actors Gang, go to: http://www.theactorsgang.com/main.htm

Natural Heroes' Stories Told By Green Stars

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:14:28 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

“All over the world, ordinary citizens are finding ways to bring clean air and water back to their communities, preserve open spaces, protect endangered species, and ensure that their schools and neighborhoods are healthy.” The show Natural Heroes’ stories is back for its third season, narrated by a host of celebrities, and jointly made by award-winning non-profit organization Green Treks Network and KRCB Public Television.

The show’s stories span all types of environments, across the globe:

Plantations: impoverished coffee farmers gaining little from the increased sale price of coffee, American apple farmers losing their land and others who hold the answers to renewal, and the largest urban garden in the US, the South Central Farm in LA, where Daryl Hannah, Joan Baez, Martin Sheen and Willie Nelson profile the benefits, supporters, evictions, developers and farmers.

Oceans: Papua New Guinea where the Titan people, after 40,000 years, are running out of fish on their coral reefs, the continuing decline of native fish populations all over the world and its impact on the dependant communities, and the threat to Moss Beach, California’s surf and rocky tide pools.

Wilderness: New Zealand looking to the wilderness for answers, and Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula where people, industry and nature seek a way to live in harmony.

Solutions: from pilots in the skies to an outdoor learning centre for urban kids, from the Power Shift, narrated by Cameron Diaz, where homes generate more power than they use, to fourth generation fisherwoman, Diane Wilson, who puts her life at risk to battle the giants of the petro-chemical industry and their toxic waste.

Out to educate people, Green Treks focuses on “the interconnectedness of environmental, societal, economic and individual health,” and KRCB with information and culture in partnership with community.

“People from all walks of life are taking environmental stewardship seriously” — Green Treks and KRCB are bringing those people’s efforts to us.

Look To The Stars News: Martin Sheen

World March For Peace Starts In New Zealand

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