Look To The Stars News: Matt Lucas

Little Britain Stars Grant Wish For Sick Boy

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Matt Lucas and David Walliams – the duo behind hit British comedy Little Britian – made a young boy’s wish come true last week.

Make-A-Wish UK helped organize an experience of a lifetime for a 6-year-old boy named Reece, who suffers from Neuroblastoma, a form of cancer. Reece and his family got to travel to London by limousine and was able to meet his favorite TV stars and share afternoon tea with them. Make-A-Wish reports: “he was delighted to have the opportunity to talk about his favorite characters and sketches – and to impress Matt and David with his imitations of their characters’ voices!”

Walliams and Lucas provided presents for Reece during the meeting, and were happy to pose for pictures and sign autographs for the family albums.

The Who To Play At Charity Ball

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Legendary rockers The Who are to perform an acoustic set at the Teenage Cancer Trust Legends & Youth Ball on May 21.

Hosted by British comedian Matt Lucas, the event will be attended by high profile supporters including the Arsenal First Team.

The evening will kick off in the Woolwich Suite at Emirates Stadium. The Legends & Youth bars will mix delicious cocktails before a menu designed by celebrity chef James Martin is served.

The event will feature live performances by one of Britain’s brightest young stars, soul sensation V V Brown, and iconic music legends, The Who – featuring Pete Townshend.

To start the evening’s fundraising, there will be the chance to test your football knowledge with sporting heads and tails, take part in an exclusive auction, and dance the night away to music brought to you by international DJ Judge Jules.

“We’re honored to be playing at the Legends And Youth Ball to celebrate Arsenal’s fantastic support of Teenage Cancer Trust throughout this season,” said The Who’s Roger Daltrey, a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust. “I have been fighting for this cause for many years and I’m thrilled that this partnership has made and will continue to make a huge difference to young people with cancer.”

Funds raised from the Legends & Youth Ball will be split 80% to Teenage Cancer Trust and 20% to The Arsenal Charitable Trust. A limited number of tickets to the ball, priced at £1,200 per pair, are available. For more information, click here.

Red Nose Day TV Special Breaks Records

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

Written by Tim Saunders

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.

All Saints Get Naked For Charity Auction

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British girl band the All Saints have donated a drawing of themselves naked to a new charity auction.

The drawing – signed by all the members of the group – is one of 200 celebrity drawings and self-portraits about to go up for auction to benefit ex-footballer Bob Wilson’s Willow Foundation, a charity set up after the death of Wilson’s daughter from cancer. The organization provides days out for people with serious illnesses.

Joining the All Saints in donating drawings to the auction are Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gordon Ramsay, James Morrison, Bob Geldof, Matt Lucas, Beverley Knight, Martin Johnson, Wendy Richard, Vernon Kay, and many others.

A public exhibition of all the canvases is being held at London’s SW1 Gallery from December 2 to 6. There will be a champagne reception and auction of the top 20 canvases on December 3. The drawings will also be auctioned online at the Willow Foundation website from Wednesday, November 26.

Matt Lucas Applauds Arsenal's Charity Efforts

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British comedian Matt Lucas has paid tribute to English football club Arsenal’s efforts to raise money for autism research.

The TreeHouse Trust – a British charity that aims to transform the lives of families affected by autism – was the club’s chosen charity in 2007 and 2008, with over £519,541 (around US$1 million) being raised through a number of initiatives. A large portion of the money will go towards a new school for children with autism.

“Im so proud that Arsenal has been able to raise this amount of money for TreeHouse,” said Lucas, who is best known for his work in British comedy series Little Britain with David Walliams. “Its been a pleasure to see the partnership from beginning to end, being so closely involved and seeing first hand the wonderful work the charity does for autism education. I wish the charity good luck for the opening of its new school.”

The 34-year-old took part in Fantastic Feet earlier this year, an event which involved him creating artwork – with the help of TreeHouse pupils – with his feet. Some of the artworks will be used within the new state-of-the-art school, while others were auctioned at TreeHouse’s charity ball in May and raised over £5,000.

Author Nick Hornby, who was also part of fabulous feet, is also pleased with Arsenal’s fundraising.

“I never thought I would see my son Danny, who is a pupil at TreeHouse, up on the big screens at Emirates Stadium,” he said. “I certainly never thought I would get used to seeing him up there. TreeHouse has changed the lives of all of the children lucky enough to attend the school this year. Arsenal has been a huge part of that.”

Arsenal’s chosen charity for next season will be the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Stars Gather For Cystic Fibrosis Benefit

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:15:01 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A cold London night was made a little warmer on Thursday, when a host of stars came out to raise money for sufferers of a chronic genetic disease.

The “Liv” Gala and Auction was held on January 31, with 420 guests paying up to $2,500 to attend the black tie event. The evening, which included performances by British comedians David Walliams, Matt Lucas, and Jimmy Carr, rasied over $4 million, with proceeds to be split between the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in England and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in America.

Last minute schedule changes by soccer club Barcelona FC meant that host Thierry Henry was unable to attend, but he thrilled the audience by appearing via live video when his match finished. However, English International players Peter Crouch and John Terry did attend, and they were joined by singer Natalie Imbruglia, photographer Sam Taylor-Wood, and British television hosts Trinny Woodall and Davina McCall. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose youngest son suffers from cystic fibrosis, also attended the gala.

But the evening’s biggest applause was reserved for Sir Elton John, who received a standing ovation for his performance.

Cystic Fibrosis is one of the world’s most common life-threatening diseases that can be inherited from parents, with over 70,000 sufferers around the globe. It is a debilitating condition that affects internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, by clogging them with thick and sticky mucus. Sufferers experience difficulties in breathing and digesting food, and the average life expectancy is only 31 years. Money raised from the gala will be used to provide care for sufferers and provide life saving medicines.

Crikey! Irwin Featured On Stamp For Charity

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:01:44 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The life of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin is to be commemorated with a new postage stamp in his homeland of Australia, a year after his tragic death.

The new stamp, produced in association with New Idea magazine, features Irwin alongside his daughter, Bindi, his son, Bob, and a very large snake, in an image that was used as the magazine’s commemorative cover shortly after Irwin was killed by a stingray on the Great Barrier Reef in 2006.

The stamp is the result of a survey held by New Idea, in which readers were asked to name the Australian celebrity they would most like to see honored in a postage stamp – the public voted unanimously for Irwin.

“We were overwhelmed with the response to the public poll, and are happy to support New Idea in this initiative,” said Australia Post’s Michael Zsolt. “This is the first time that an Australian magazine cover has been made available to the general public on an Australia Post product.”

Proceeds from the 46 cent stamp will go to Irwin’s charity, Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation set up by Irwin and his wife, Terri, in 2002. It will also be released in time for the inaugural Steve Irwin Day on November 14, a day set aside by the state of Queensland to honor him. Steve Irwin Day hopes to celebrate the three things Irwin was passionate about – wildlife, family, and fun – and Irwin’s Australia Zoo is backing the event with several fundraising initiatives to benefit Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. These include Khaki Day, in which people in workplaces are encouraged to wear shirts of the color made famous by Irwin, and Backyard Campout, in which people are encouraged to gain sponsorship to camp out in their garden – and anywhere else they choose.

The charity will also be holding several auctions on the day and in the following months. Items for sale include a Harley Davidson motorcycle that features a special Wildlife Warriors design, and a khaki shirt signed by celebrities such as Jesse McCartney, Johnny Knoxville, surfing legend Kelly Slater, Aussie rocker Jimmy Barnes, and Little Britain’s Matt Lucas and David Walliams.

More information on Steve Irwin Day can be found at www.wildlifewarriors.org.au.

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