Look To The Stars News: Andrea Bocelli

Robert F Kennedy Center Launches Charity Auction For Human Rights

Wed, 13 May 2009 11:30:00 -0000

An exciting new charity auction has been launched featuring an unbelievable number of celebrity experiences.

Ever want to meet Oprah Winfrey? Hop in the pool for a swim lesson from Michael Phelps. Get fashion advice from Project Runway’s Tim Gunn over lunch at Bryant Park Grill? Learn the arts of comedy and paper sales from Steve Carell on the set of the Office. How about talking politics with the most powerful woman in Washington, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, during a tour of the U.S. Capitol or crossing the aisle to discuss backyard BBQ recipes and foreign policy with Senator John McCain? See Iron Chef Bobby Flay in action at Kitchen Stadium? Make your Hollywood debut in Ridley Scott’s new “Robinhood” film, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. Seek enlightenment and meet Richard Gere with VIP tickets during His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 2010 trip to NYC. Or ride in a pace car at the Indy 500 and party with track chairman, Mari George.

Supporters of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights have put together these experiences and much more for their Annual Online Auction. With the help of CharityBuzz, the online auction will raise funds supporting the RFK Center’s human rights work. The auction is open now and runs until December May 28th with new lots continuing to be added each and every day.

Other Auction Highlights include: Visit Ben Stiller or Robert DeNiro on the set of the next installment of the “Fockers” movies. A one hour singing lesson with the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Spend a “Day of Fashion” at NY Fashion Week with Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley. Grab lunch at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills with Warren Beatty. Prepared to be mystified during a private magic show from David Blaine. Watch a taping of The Rachael Ray Show and go backstage. Launch your fashion career interning at Diane Von Furstenberg’s NY studio. Hone your blogging skills with an internship at the Huffington Post. Attend the “Dancing With the Stars” finale or catch a dance lesson with former contestant and NFL linebacker, Jason Taylor. Visit the set of “HOUSE” and meet the cast including star Hugh Laurie. Have dinner with Bill Cosby at “Bouley” in NYC and take home signed copies of his recent book and 4 bottles of wine from his private collection. Score tickets to the World Series, Final Four and U.S. Open. VIP tickets to watch the Washington Capitols or Boston Bruins and a catch a ride on the zamboni. Watch the New England Patriots take on the Jacksonville Jaguars from the Owner’s Box. Meet Jennifer Hudson and watch her concert in Nashville. Catch lunch with Regis Philbin, Charles Grodin and Alan Alda. Visit the set of your favorite news shows and meet the hosts including ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and Larry King Live (and bring home a signed pair of Larry’s trademark suspenders), CNBC’s “Mad Money with Jim Cramer”, NBC’s “Meet the Press”, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and “The Rachel Maddow Show”, Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor” and HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. Or hang out with David Foster and friends such as Andrea Bocelli, Katherine Jenkins and Michael Buble in his recording studio.

To access the auction, click here.

A Big Concert For A Big Man With A Big Heart

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A charity concert honoring Luciano Pavarotti took place at the site of the ancient Jordanian city of Petra on Sunday night.

The show – which featured many of Pavarotti’s friends from across the music industry, including Sting, Jose Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Jovanotti, Laura Pausini, Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Griminelli, Cynthia Lawrence, and Roberto Alagna – raised money for projects in Afghanistan run by the UN Refugee Relief Agency and the World Food Program, as well as for the Petra archaeological site 180km south of Amman where the concert took place.

Organized by Nicoletta Mantovani – Pavarotti’s widow – with the support of HRH Princess Haya of Jordan, a UN Messenger of Peace, the concert was attended by 500 guests, including Jordan’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah.

Pavarotti actively supported UNHCR projects in Kosovo, Pakistan, Zambia, and Iraq before his death. For his continuous commitment to refugee causes, he received UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award and was named a UN Messenger of Peace.

Pavarotti To Be Honored With Charity Concert

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti is to be honored at a tribute charity concert in Petra, Jordan, a year after his death.

Proceeds from the concert – to be held on October 12 – will go towards projects in Afghanistan by the UN Refugee Relief Agency and the World Food Program, as well as to the Petra archaeological site 180km south of Amman where the concert will take place.

The audience – limited to about 500 people – will be entertained by many of Pavarotti’s friends from across the music industry, including Sting, Jose Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Jovanotti, Laura Pausini, Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Griminelli, Cynthia Lawrence, and Roberto Alagna. The event is being organised by Nicoletta Mantovani – Pavarotti’s widow – with the support of HRH Princess Haya of Jordan, a UN Messenger of Peace.

“This is an event born of the desire of everybody to remember Luciano, with songs dedicated to him or ones that he had sung,” said Mantovani.

Julia Roberts Stands Up For A Cure

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Stand Up For A Cure – a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating lung cancer – is busy with its year-long quest to raise money by organizing concerts, and has just released details of their latest fundraising gig this Fall.

Julia Roberts has been confirmed to introduce the Dave Matthews Band when they play Madison Square Garden on September 10.

“The charity is honored that she will be introducing the band at the concert.,” said a rep for the event. “Her support will make a huge difference.”

Stand Up For A Cure has previously organized concerts with Bon Jovi and the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, as well as a night of stand-up comedy with Jerry Seinfeld. Shows by Andrea Bocelli and Barry Manilow are still in the pipeline. The charity believes the use of celebrities on TV, radio, in print and on the Internet helps to bolster awareness of issues such as lung cancer, and hopes their concert series will both raise funds for research into the disease and increase education about the effects of smoking.

Artists are Standing Up For Stand Up

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:27:30 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

As previously reported, Jerry Seinfeld will perform in a benefit concert on June 2 at Madison Square Garden. The highly-anticipated show will be hosted by Alec Baldwin, and accompanied by an online auction to benefit Stand Up For A Cure.

Stand Up For A Cure’s strategy in eradicating lung cancer begins with the development of relationships. By creating meaningful partnerships with people in the entertainment industry, they gain high-profile artists who donate their time and talent. This brings much-needed attention and funding to their cause. By creating meaningful relationships with researchers, this funding is directed to the programs that show the best results and hope for progress in lung cancer research and improved treatments.

The key, Stand Up For A Cure believes, is in public awareness. Lung cancer research is seriously under-funded, in part because public opinion believes that lung cancer is a smoker’s disease, even though 60% of the newly-diagnosed don’t smoke or have never smoked. The use of celebrities on TV, radio, in print and on the Internet helps to bolster awareness, and so do their concerts. Next in line after Seinfeld is Brian Wilson in July, Dave Matthews Band in September, and Andrea Bocelli in the fall.

Seinfeld has performed previously for Stand Up For A Cure, campaigning against the cancer that kills 450 Americans every day. According to the non-profit’s website, a new case of lung cancer is diagnosed every 3 minutes and carries a 5-year survival rate of only 14%.

Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster, with prices ranging from $254.50 to just over $1500 for the Seinfeld VIP Offer. For more information on the Seinfeld VIP Offer, call 212-209-3871, Option #1. To learn more about the upcoming concerts, visit the Stand Up For A Cure website.

Jerry Seinfeld Stands Up For A Cure

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:49:30 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

They say that laughter is the best medicine, and this June Jerry Seinfeld will prove the proverb when he performs a one-night-only charity gig at Madison Square Garden.

The 53-year-old comedian will bring his special brand of stand-up to the Wamu Theatre in New York on June 2 for a show benefiting Stand Up For A Cure, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating lung cancer. Tickets for the concert, which will be hosted by Alec Baldwin, cost $350 for general admission and are available through Ticketmaster.

The show will be accompanied by an online auction at Charity Buzz, which will also raise money for patient care, public awareness, and research into lung cancer. The auction will run from May 20 to June 11, and items will be announced closer to the time.

Stand Up For A Cure has also revealed they are organizing concerts from ex-Beach Boy Brian Wilson, the Dave Matthews Band, and Andrea Bocelli later this year. Tickets are available from their website.

Bon Jovi Headline Charity Concert

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:28:56 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Bon Jovi has headlined the first concert in a charity series to raise funds for lung cancer research.

The show was held at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Tuesday, February 12, to a capacity crowd of 3,500, with proceeds going to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering, a facility that specializes in lung cancer. The Center is also where Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora's father received treatment for the disease before his death last year.

“Cancer is relentless; you can’t stop it,” said Sambora, who opened the concert with a 30 minute set of solo material. “Hopefully this money will help find answers.”

The concert was organized by Stand Up For A Cure, and is expected to be the first of a yearlong series to benefit the cancer center. The organization hopes to pull together at least seven concerts in that time, and have already confirmed a stand-up performance from Jerry Seinfeld on June 2 at Madison Square Garden, a concert with Brian Wilson and special guests at the Hammerstein Ballroom on July 11, and a performance by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli set for a to-be-determined date in December.

Jordan Belkin, Executive Producer for Stand Up For A Cure, hopes the concert series will not only raise money for cancer research but also awareness for what he calls a “severely under-funded” disease.

“It’s the number one cause of cancer-related deaths in the world,” he told Billboard.com. “We need to get the message out and get money into the programs that are offering a potential cure for treatment. By groups like Bon Jovi donating their time and support to this cause, I think we’re getting closer to doing so.”

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.

Look To The Stars News: Andrea Bocelli

Robert F Kennedy Center Launches Charity Auction For Human Rights

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