Look To The Stars News: David Tennant

Red Nose Day TV Special Breaks Records

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:00:00 -0000

BBC’s Red Nose Day television extravaganza, Funny For Money, raised over £57 million (US$80 million) on Friday night, breaking the previous record of £40 million set in 2007.

Presented by David Tennant, Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross and others, Funny For Money aired on March 13 on BBC One and Two and featured comedy items performed by Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Robbie Williams, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Ricky Gervais, Harry Enfield, Peter Crouch, David Beckham, Ronnie Corbett, Sadie Frost, and Kate Moss.

A special version of Top Of The Pops featuring performances by U2, James Morrison and Oasis – as well as Tom Jones and Rob Brydon singing the official Comic Relief single, Islands In The Stream – also aired as part of the extravaganza. The Islands In The Stream single has just topped the UK charts, which will bring in more cash for the cause.

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s – which sold the official Comic Relief merchandise – handed over a cheque for over £9 million to the show’s presenters during the evening, the single largest donation ever made in the event’s 11 year history. Another £20 million as donations keep coming in.

Celebrity Kilimanjaro climbers Alesha Dixon, Ben Shephard, Cheryl Cole, Chris Moyles, Denise Van Outen, Fearne Cotton, Gary Barlow, Kimberley Walsh and Ronan Keating also made an appearance, and it was revealed that their efforts had raised £3,326,142 for Comic Relief.

‘It is just incredible to see such a huge amount of money given by the public again on Red Nose Day," said Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis. "Red Nose Day is 21 years old this year and its success is down to the unrelenting support and ingenuity of our supporters – it belongs not to the comedians, but to the people who give. It’s wonderful that, in more difficult times, people seem to understand that the need increases for people whose lives were impossibly tough in the first place. The work this money funds helps change and save lives all over Africa and the United Kingdom. A huge heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped to make this year’s Red Nose Day such a memorable and brilliant campaign."

The evening also featured appearances from Annie Lennox and Take That.

Red Nose Day TV Special To Tickle BBC Funny Bones

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Today, March 13, is Red Nose Day in Britain – the major fundraising event of the year for Comic Relief. And to celebrate, celebrities young and old will appear in a TV extravaganza being screened tonight on BBC One and Two.

Presented by David Tennant, Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross and others, Funny For Money will feature the last ever French & Saunders film parody – a version of Mamma Mia! performed by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders – plus comedy items performed by Robbie Williams, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Ricky Gervais, Harry Enfield, Peter Crouch, David Beckham, Sadie Frost, and Kate Moss. There will also be an appearance from Annie Lennox.

As part of the show, Comic Relief will also present a special version of Top Of The Pops that will feature performances by U2, James Morrison and Oasis, as well as Tom Jones and Rob Brydon singing the official Comic Relief single, (Barry) Islands In The Stream.

The show will also a special appearance by the celebrity climbers who scaled Mount Kilimanjaro last week. The group – including Take That’s Gary Barlow, Ronan Keating, Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl Cole, singer Alesha Dixon, television presenters Fearne Cotton and Ben Shephard, West-End star Denise Van Outen and radio DJ Chris Moyles – reached the summit of the 19,300ft (5,900m) peak as dawn broke on Saturday, March 7. They featured in their own BBC One documentary last night, and also met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has pledged £2 million to the charity.

“It has been a privilege for the whole team to meet the Prime Minister … and under such special circumstances,” said Barlow. “To think that our efforts on the mountain and the incredible generosity of the public have inspired school children and have now been supported by the Government is unbelievable. If the money raised can help control malaria and also help poor and vulnerable people in the UK, it will all have been worthwhile. What an unforgettable day.”

The Funny For Money TV special runs from 7pm to 1:30am. Viewers will have the chance to pledge money to go towards helping people in the UK overcome poverty, mental health issues, domestic violence and other issues, and people in Africa affected by AIDS, malaria, conflict and more.

Big Stars Support Cancer Research UK’s ‘Little Stars’

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Celebrities and athletes are lining up to support cancer research via a remarkable program which urges relatives and friends of young cancer patients or survivors to nominate their young heroes for recognition as a ‘Little Star.’

Lewis Hamilton, Leona Lewis, Dr Who actor David Tennant, Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas and Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson are all supporting the campaign to find “Little Stars” from across the region who have courageously battled against cancer.

The Little Star Awards are given out by Cancer Research UK and partner TK Maxx. There in no panel of judges awarding Little Star’s because they believe each and every child who confronts cancer is extra special. This means that everyone nominated will receive a £100 TK Maxx voucher, a chrome trophy and a certificate signed by celebrities from TV, music and sport.

Jane Redman, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for the West Midlands, said: “The Little Star Awards are now in their sixth year and allow us to recognize the unique challenges faced by youngsters diagnosed with cancer and salute their courage. We are delighted that recipients will this year have £100 to spend on toys, books or fashion as part of TK Maxx’s wider commitment to supporting children with cancer.”

Jo Murphy, TK Maxx’s head of corporate social responsibility, said: “The Little Star Awards are a fantastic way of recognizing the courage of children who face a diagnosis of cancer and the support they receive from families and friends. We’ve supported Cancer Research UK since 2004 and are very pleased to be involved this year.”

The awards are open to children under-17 who have cancer or have been treated for the disease in the last five years. To nominate email littlestar@cancer.org.uk or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org/littlestar.

All Saints Singer Sports Superb Spectacles

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

All Saints singer Melanie Blatt has been crowned Celebrity Spectacle Wearer of 2008 at an awards ceremony in London.

The Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards – held at the Waldorf Hilton – saw some of Britain’s biggest spectacle wearing celebrities gather to raise funds for Kidscape, the first charity in the UK established specifically to prevent bullying and child sexual abuse.

“It’s… really important to demonstrate to children that glasses are cool as so many children are still bullied about wearing glasses,” said Blatt, who had to start wearing glasses when her eyesight deteriorated after the birth of her daughter in 1998. “I love to wear my specs to make a style statement, daytime and evening, and have a wardrobe of frames for different outfits and looks. I just pop my glasses on and I feel transformed. There are many iconic male specs wearers out there, like [”David Tennant":http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/980-david-tennant] and Alan Carr, but you don’t see many females who wear their glasses in such an obvious and public way."

The event was hosted by Ben Shepherd and Jenni Falconer, and was judged by British fashion guru Gok Wan. Amongst the audience were Mark Foster, Jenni Eclair and Penny Lancaster-Stewart, and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here winner Christopher Biggins was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Specs.

Pick Up Celebrity Hand-Me-Downs For Charity

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It’s time to start thinking about Christmas shopping again, and this might just be the answer you’ve been searching for.

Celeb2nds.com has a whole swag of exciting items donated by your favorite stars – including Jamie Oliver’s apron, Donny Osmond’s dressing gown, Duran Duran’s drum kit, Kelly Osbourne’s dress, a card signed by David Tennant, Beverley Knight’s gold disc, and much more.

“Celeb2nds.com is an exciting new concept that allows users to get their hands on money can’t buy items from their celebrity idols, whilst raising money for some very worthy charities,” said site founder Steve Howell, who established the initiative in 2006.

80% of the proceeds from the site go to charity, with organizations such as Children with AIDS, Plan, Dial a Dream, Rainbow Trust, Elephant Family, Richard House, Kids Company, and Whizz-Kidz all benefiting.

Absolutely everything the site auctions is 100% authenticated, obtained through the correct channels and backed up by a certificate of authenticity signed by the celebrity or by one of the celebrities representatives.

Amnesty International Publish Children's Book

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Doctor Who star David Tennant has written the foreword for a book celebrating the 60th birthday of the Declaration of Human Rights.

We Are All Born Free is a picture book published by Amnesty International celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Artists and illustrators from all over the world have offered their personal interpretation of the Articles included in the Declaration, making them easy to understand for young readers. Children aged 6 and over will take great pleasure in discovering the lavish illustrations that accompany each Article.

“There are so many of us humans squeezing on to this wee planet and there’s no Tardis coming to spirit us away,” wrote the Scottish actor. “We need to look after each other. The declaration inspired the founding of Amnesty. It represented such a simple idea: that everyone everywhere deserved to be treated fairly. The UDHR reads like a list of common sense – maybe everyone should have a copy pinned up in their bedroom.”

Other contributors include Polly Dunbar, Chris Riddell, and Debi Gliori.

‘Amnesty International’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," said Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK. “An attempt to learn from the horrors of the Second World War, the UDHR set out for the first time the fundamental rights to which everyone, everywhere is entitled. It inspired the founding of Amnesty International, which now has more than a quarter of a million members and supporters in the UK and over two million worldwide, and campaigns to abolish the death penalty and end torture, for the release of all prisoners of conscience, to control the arms trade and to stop violence against women. The world of 2008 needs the UDHR just as much as the world of 1948 and this book puts the UDHR’s importance into sharp focus with a series of stunning drawings from some of the world’s most famous illustrators.”

The book is available in 30 languages from the Amnesty International website.

Celebrities Send Signitures For Charity Auction

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:19:30 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Sometimes, if you really believe in a cause and you want some celebrity help, you’ve just got to ask. That’s exactly what Simon McGuinness, a British teenager who recently got a whole lot of star-power behind his mission to raise money for CAFOD, did.

“The response was overwhelming,” said Simon, who contacted over 50 celebrities and asked for signitures and items to sell in an internet auction.“I had replies and donations from Dr Who’s [”David Tennant":http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/980-david-tennant], Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Rowan Atkinson, and even Prime Minister Gordon Brown."

CAFOD – the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development – is a charity that supports communities abroad by helping provide food, water, education and health care, and McGuinness will stop at nothing in his quest to enlist celebrity help for the cause.

“It was just an idea and I didn’t know what sort of response I would receive so I am delighted and surprised to have made such an impact and to find that celebrities do care enough to respond to a boy’s requests,” said the thirteen-year-old. “My next step is to go for the big one, I mean the Queen, but I don’t know whether she is able to do this sort of thing.”

For more information about the auction, visit the CAFOD website.

Doctor Who's Mission For Cancer Research

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:31:00 -0000

Written by Theresa Mills

On screen, David Tennant plays Doctor Who, the eccentric Time Lord who travels through space battling injustice and righting wrongs in the long-running BBC television series of the same name. But off screen, Tennant has a more personal mission: to raise funds for cancer research. The actor recently took time off from his busy filming schedule to star in a promotional video for the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR).

“Cancer claims the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the globe every year,” said Norman Barrett, AICR’s Chief Executive, who believes that the popular actor’s appearance in the video will help raise awareness for the charity. “Yet work undertaken by AICR and others is making a difference in identifying the causes and the new treatments that will make a difference. As The Doctor, David is an expert at fighting threats to mankind: we hope his support will help us in the biggest medical fight we face – the fight against cancer.”

Tennant, who is a patron for the organization, lost his mother to cancer last year.

“I know only too well that cancer strikes without regard to age or race, country or creed, fame or fortune,” he said. “I believe AICR’s approach to funding research, wherever in the world it is taking place, is at the forefront of the battle to bring cancer under control.”

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