Look To The Stars News: Lollipop Theater Network

LTTS Exclusive - The 2009 Noble Awards

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:30:00 -0000

I had the honor of attending “The Noble Awards” on their first annual show honoring charities and their celebrity supporters.

On Sunday, October 18th at The Beverly Hilton, “Access Hollywood’s” Billy Bush hosted the premiere of this special event honoring Morgan Freeman with a Lifetime Achievement Award and a list of celebrity honorees from Brett Ratner to Teri Hatcher.

Guests were treated to live performances from names like Brian McKnight and Benji Madden and the famed 8-year-old piano prodigy, Emily Bear. The night was supported with a star-studded cast of performers, honorees and guests that all believe in using the power of their voice in the name of philanthropy and charity. No detail was too small for this event. The award sculpture itself was the vision of Antonio Banderas and came to life at The Art of Elysium workshop with personal touches from the children at the Shriners Hospitals for Children with the guidance of The Art of Elysium volunteer/actor/sculptor David Grieco.

The Noble Awards was an inaugural awards show that launched the beginning of a perennial movement that will encourage each and every person to give back and take action in the world today.

Each year they will recognize and honor philanthropic organizations and the celebrities that make considerable contributions to them. Some of this year honorees included Nancy O’Dell for Best Buddies International, AnnaLynne McCord for The Blind Project, Teri Hatcher for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Brett Ratner for DoSomething.org, Billy Bush for Lollipop Theater Network, Whitney Burditt for Playing for Change, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds for Stand Up To Cancer, Laila Ali for Women’s Sport Foundation and a charity very close to my heart, The Art of Elysium honoring Joel Madden.

Jennifer Howell, Founder of The Art of Elysium, presented this award to Joel Madden with Lionel Richie, Allison Beck and Stacey Price: “As both an artist and a father, Joel truly embodies a sincere passion for both music and children. It was evident in his beautiful and humble acceptance speech where he expressed his heartbreak at the thought of a child spending one second inside of a hospital. A moment that was also extremely moving was when his twin brother [”Benji":http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/1901-benji-madden] (who has spent many days with The Art of Elysium teaching guitar and participating in music workshops) shared his love for his brother with a music dedication. Nicole Richie (who has also dedicated her talents to the charity) looked on lovingly while her Father introduced Joel and thanked him for loving his daughter so much. The love, support and generosity that was shown by all members of Joel’s family are the true roots that can help take The Art of Elysium’s mission to every child that spends that terrifying one second in a hospital."

I was lucky enough to experience the vision of the Founder/Executive Producer, Janeen Mansour, prior to the event and watch it develop from an idea to a reality.

“The goal of the Noble Awards was to highlight the charities there that night and celebrities that champion them,” she said. “Our goal reached far beyond my expectations. The purpose of the Noble Awards is to create awareness and send out a call to action. I feel everyone in the room was inspired and moved and understood the message we were trying to convey. That message is to be a Noble.”

The Noble Awards are a testament to what Hollywood can achieve when it uses its voice to celebrate positive change. This event showcased just a few of the many celebrities and individuals dedicated to making a difference in the world today. It is my hope that it will serve as an inspiration to others to get involved in their charity, community or cause that has meaning to them. Being a volunteer takes less time than your yoga class and can cost you less money than your Latte. But the experience will stay with you a lifetime.

To the children, the volunteers, the unnamed angels, the celebrities, the founders, the team behind this event and to all of the people that donate their time and passion to making a difference on a daily basis, this celebrates you.

Inaugural Noble Awards Celebrate Hollywood Philanthropy

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Look To The Stars was proud to be part of the inaugural Noble Awards on Sunday, October 18 – an event that honored a host of charities and the celebrities that support them, elevating awareness of the significant impact of their work.

Held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the event honored Morgan Freeman with a lifetime achievement award, as well as Laila Ali (Women’s Sports Foundation), Billy Bush (Lollipop Theater Network), Kenny Edmonds (Stand Up To Cancer), Teri Hatcher (Children’s Hospital Los Angeles), Norman Lear (Playing for Change), Joel Madden (The Art of Elysium), AnnaLynne McCord (The Blind Project), Nancy O’Dell (Best Buddies International), Eva Longoria Parker (Padres Contra El Cancer) and Brett Ratner (DoSomething.org).

Lionel Richie was on hand during the ceremony to present an award to Joel Madden, who attended the event with Nicole Richie and his brother Benji.

“I want to welcome him to our family and present this Noble award to a guy I love very much – Joel Madden!” said Lionel as he introduced Joel to the crowd.

“They are just as much a part of it,” said Madden, paying tribute to Nicole and Benji. “Nicole does just as much as I do with Art of Elysium and all the charities we work with. And so does Benj – Benj actually does more then I do, and he plays the guitar better then I do, so he is a little more entertaining for the kids.”

Madden later Twittered about the emotions he felt as he accepted his award: “Just left the NOBLE awards. Got an award that was really for the people at the Art of Elysium. Awesome folks and I’m humbled to know them. By the way got totally choked up when I got my award. I hate thinking about kids in the hospital, they should be getting the awards not us.”

The award itself was designed by Antonio Banderas, with personal touches added by children who participated in The Art of Elysium workshop at the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Morgan Freeman received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his tireless work and dedication to over a dozen non-profits. Freeman’s diverse charitable efforts include working with American Red Cross, Artists for a New South Africa, the Campaign for Female Education, Earth Biofuels, Grenada Relief Fund, Mississippi Animal Rescue League and Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine. Freeman has also done PSAs for Sierra Club, and a number of Entertainment Industry Foundation campaigns, covering issues like colon cancer prevention, health care reform and volunteerism.

“I think so often we don’t know that our gestures matter,” said Teri Hatcher, who was also honored. “I think when you get involved in your local community charity you really do see you make a difference and it’s empowering for you.”

Look To The Stars was at the awards, and we will bring you more about the fantastic event over the coming days.

Look To The Stars Helps Promote Hollywood Philanthropy At Noble Awards

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Look to the Stars is pleased to announce that we will work year-round with The Noble Awards to promote philanthropy in Hollywood.

The inaugural Noble Awards, taking place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, October 18, has announced five new award honorees. The Blind Project, The Lollipop Theater Network, Padres Contra el Cancer and Playing for Change will be honored along with six previously announced charities. In addition, Morgan Freeman will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. The two-hour event, hosted by “Access Hollywood’s” Billy Bush, seeks to annually honor up to a dozen charities and celebrities who actively support them, elevating awareness of these organizations and the significant impact of their work.

Celebrities who will accept awards on behalf of the charities being honored include Laila Ali (Women’s Sports Foundation), Billy Bush (Lollipop Theater Network), Kenny Edmonds (Stand Up To Cancer), Teri Hatcher (Children’s Hospital Los Angeles), Norman Lear (Playing for Change), Joel Madden (The Art of Elysium), AnnaLynne McCord (The Blind Project), Nancy O’Dell (Best Buddies International), Eva Longoria Parker (Padres Contra El Cancer) and Brett Ratner (DoSomething.org). During the ceremony, each will be presented with an award sculpture, designed by Antonio Banderas, with personal touches added by children who participated in The Art of Elysium workshop at the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Brian McKnight and Julio Iglesias, Jr., along with Emily Bear and Timothy Mitchum will provide live musical performances throughout the evening.

“We are delighted to present these eleven distinguished charities and their celebrity supporters with the inaugural Noble Award,” stated Janeen Mansour, creator and executive producer of The Noble Awards. “With the presentation of The Noble Awards, our goal is to turn the spotlight back onto these celebrities and charities to provide recognition, to educate, to inspire, and to encourage even more support from the Hollywood community and the public at large.”

Morgan Freeman will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his tireless work and dedication to over a dozen non-profits. Freeman’s diverse charitable efforts include working with American Red Cross, Artists for a New South Africa, the Campaign for Female Education, Earth Biofuels, Grenada Relief Fund, Mississippi Animal Rescue League and Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine. Freeman has also done PSAs for Sierra Club, and a number of Entertainment Industry Foundation campaigns, covering issues like colon cancer prevention, health care reform and volunteerism.

“The Entertainment Industry Foundation is pleased to be a part of the inaugural Noble Awards,” said Lisa Paulsen, President and CEO of Entertainment Industry Foundation. “We are honored and so proud to present our dear friend and exceptional actor Morgan Freeman with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding charitable work and ongoing contributions to so many important social causes.”

The Noble Awards will kick off the “Be A Noble” Movement, a perennial effort to encourage each and every person to “Be A Noble,” and inspire them to give back and take action with a purpose on a global scale. Some of these initiatives include:

Look to the Stars will work year-round with The Noble Awards to promote philanthropy in Hollywood.

As part of next year’s Cup with a Cause program, 7-Eleven, in collaboration with The Noble Awards, will produce a series of celebrity-designed coffee cups featured in stores nationwide. A minimum of $250,000 will go towards each participating celebrity’s charity of choice. During The Noble Awards’ cocktail hour, guests will be asked to design cups as part of the program.

Participant Media and Takepart.com, the official “action” platform for the Awards, have partnered with the “Be A Noble” Movement to provide the Foundation with a web platform to showcase the work of all the organizations they are honoring throughout the year.

ONEHOPE Wine has bottled an award-winning varietal of wine to be labeled “NOBLE.” 100% of all proceeds from each bottle will go towards the “Be A Noble” Movement, to be distributed among the honored charities.

Rumblefish Jewelry will design a jewelry line based on The Noble Awards and “Be A Noble” Movement, where a percentage of sales will be donated to Noble charities.

Additional partners include EIF/iParticipate, The Hollywood Reporter, Audi, Beverly Hilton, Mobile Cause, Rosenthal and GoodSearch.

As the film industry has the Oscars, television the Emmys and the music industry the Grammy Awards, the charity community and its most dedicated Hollywood supporters will gain global recognition with the staging of The Noble Awards. Produced on behalf of the Celebrity Charity Awards Corporation, a non-profit organization, the first annual awards will take place on October 18, 2009. The Celebrity Charity Awards Corporation will launch a year-round movement to BE A NOBLE to better unify the efforts of charities with celebrities, influencers, media and everyday citizens in order to create an effective forum for change and service. For more information, please visit www.thenobleawards.org.

The Hollywood Cookbook Launch Party

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:32:59 -0000

Written by Charles Harder

Stars and food converged at Kitchen Academy in Hollywood last night for a party launching The Hollywood Cookbook — a beautiful 271-page hardcover collection of sumptuous recipes, each accompanied by a large photo, from the personal kitchens of 20 celebrities and 6 world-class chefs. Five dollars from each purchase benefits 20 important charities dear to the hearts of the celebrity contributors.

The cookbook covers the spectrum of food and beverage, from appetizers, soups and salads, to main courses, desserts, and even cocktails. Michael J. Fox’s Barn Dance Chicken, and Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford’s Savory Fall Stew are just two of the 107 creative and simple dishes that can be duplicated in any kitchen regardless of culinary skill level. Chefs Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Joachim Splichal, Nick Stellino, Michael Cimarusti and Rocco DiSpirito also contributed recipes to the book.

At the event, the students of Kitchen Academy prepared and served 20 recipes featured in the cookbook, each one tastier than the last. This reporter’s favorite: Door Knob Sweet Potato Balls (an appetizer) from designer Paige Hemmis of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Yum!

Chef Jamie Gwen’s movie-star looks and talk-show host’s presence kept attendees laughing and entertained as the event’s emcee. The evening included a cooking demonstration by actor Greg Grunberg, and an informal awards ceremony. Eric Close of TV’s Without a Trace gave a heartfelt tribute to his charity, Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, which pairs abused children with rescued horses and adult leaders at 24 wilderness ranches around the U.S. and Canada, to help restore the heart, soul, mind and strength of the kids.

Written by screenwriter Jackie Zabel and actress Morgan Most, and published by Silverback Books, The Hollywood Cookbook is a perfect holiday gift (retails for $35, but presently is featured at Amazon.com for only $23). The event was co-sponsored by Maurice Le Croix Swiss Watches and The Kitchen Academy.

Celebrities & Charities: Thora Birch (Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation), Michael Chiklis (The Children’s Lifesaving Foundation), Eric Close (Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch), Mark Dacascos (Reel Angels), James Denton (Cure Autism Now), Michael J. Fox & Tracy Pollan (The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research), Afton Fraser & Brendan Fraser (P.S. ARTS), Greg Grunberg (Pediatric Epilepsy Project), Anne Hathaway (Lollipop Theater Network), Paige Hemmis (Habitat For Humanity), Ron Howard (Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of America), Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford (Clothes Off Our Back), Esai Morales (TreePeople), Don Most (City of Hope), Bob Saget (Scleroderma Research Foundation), Marlo Thomas (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital), Kerry Washington (Step Up), Treat Williams (Save the Children), Alicia Witt (The Art of Elysium), and Kelly Wolf & Scott Wolf (Camp Heartland).

Arts And Entertainment For Hospitalized Children

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 11:59:37 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Lollipop Theater Network and Discovery Arts have teamed up to offer hospitalized children around California creative days filled with art projects and a film.

The ongoing program began on February 16th at Miller Children’s Hospital, and will begin at Children’s Hospital of Orange County on February 21st. Mattel Children’s Hospital will join the program in March.

The first film and art adventure is a screening of “Nanny McPhee”, for which the children will make magic walking sticks and animal hats. The patients are then encouraged to join in and tap their sticks at appropriate times during the film.

Both Lollipop and Discovery Arts are able to offer their services free of charge to the hospitals and families thanks to the generosity of the public, corporations, and foundations.

Look To The Stars News: Lollipop Theater Network

LTTS Exclusive - The 2009 Noble Awards

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Inaugural Noble Awards Celebrate Hollywood Philanthropy

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Look To The Stars Helps Promote Hollywood Philanthropy At Noble Awards

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The Hollywood Cookbook Launch Party

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Arts And Entertainment For Hospitalized Children

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