Look To The Stars News: Stand Up To Cancer

Signed W Film Posters Up For Auction

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Lionsgate Films are auctioning signed film posters of their latest movie, W, to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer.

W tells the story of George W Bush – one of the most controversial public figures in recent memory. Lionsgate describes the film as an: “unprecedented undertaking, [with] acclaimed director Oliver Stone bringing the life of our 43rd President to the big screen as only he can. W takes viewers through Bush’s eventful life – his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith, and of course the critical days leading up to his decision to invade Iraq.“

The auction – which runs until October 20 – features five W posters signed by the film’s director, Oliver Stone, and leading actors – Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks, and Ellen Burstyn.

The auction can be accessed through eBay.

Hollywood Philanthropy: The Change The World Humanitarian Awards

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Rachel Zeskind

Look To The Stars’ Celebrity Ambassador, Rachel Zeskind, recently attended the Hollywood Note Foundation’s Change The World Humanitarian Award Honoree Announcement and Launch Party in Los Angeles and shares her thoughts about the event in her latest report:

Hollywood has used its power to promote philanthropy around the world, and the Hollywood Note Foundation aspires to maximize and recognize that power and to change the world as it exists now. Through it’s premiere fundraising effort – the Change the World Humanitarian Awards Gala, set for May of next year – the Hollywood Note Foundation bestows honors upon those Hollywood entities that do the most to improve our world.

I attended the Hollywood Note Foundation’s Change the World Humanitarian Award Honoree Announcement and Launch Party at the Beverly Hilton on September 9th. It is my opinion that – out of the plethora of different events, award shows, and premieres that Hollywood hosts – the very best ones are the events where celebrities, philanthropists and a myriad of people within the entertainment industry unite for one evening for a cause. It creates a strong feeling of unity.

The Hollywood Note was such an event. However it was completely unique in it’s collection of supporters, drawing many other philanthropic groups. From the start the room was abuzz with the energy of inspirational people as they mingled, shared their causes and passions and a powerful ‘can do’ sense of unity.

It was an evening to honor the works of individuals – such as Nancy Cartwright (AKA Bart Simpson) – as well as films, companies and organizations such as Stand Up To Cancer, Save The Ta-Tas, and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children). It also wed these causes together to breed a stronger, more united vision of what Hollywood can and will accomplish for the world we all share.

Also in attendance were Corey Feldman and three time Emmy award-winning composer John Wineglass, with performances by Jessica Sokolove and the winner of Last Comic Standing, Alonzo Bodden.

I think that everyone was truly touched by Shelly Preston’s opening speech – I myself got a sudden rush of goosebumps in knowing that people like Shelly and John Preston of the Hollywood Note Foundation, along with their board members, have thrown themselves fully into this powerful venture and are moving mountains for those who are so desperately in need while honoring and supporting others who are doing the same.

We can be sure to be hearing much more about their work in the future and see a permanent powerful effect resonate throughout Hollywood and the world we all share.

To find out more information about these dedicated people and their works, visit www.hollywoodnotefoundation.org and view the full list of honorees.

_Look To The Stars is proud to list the Hollywood Note Foundation as one of our official partners

_(Photos copyright Gates Photography

Justin Timberlake Proves That Fashion Rocks

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus and Charlize Theron were some of the stars who appeared at the fifth annual Fashion Rocks concert celebrating the relationship between music and fashion last Friday.

Proceeds from the show – which was televised on CBS on Tuesday night – went to Stand Up To Cancer, which held its own star-studded telethon on the same evening. The Fashion Rocks show included a performance of more than a dozen divas — including Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Natasha Bedingfield, Fergie, Rihanna and Cyrus — who sung their new charity song Just Stand Up, which was beamed live to the Stand Up To Cancer television extravaganza.

“This is the first time we’re all together singing the song,” said Bedingfield. “It was really special. It was really like a sisterhood, like a bond… We’re all used to being the stars — the only star in the room — and it was really nice I think that everyone could just come together and really support each other.”

Also present at Fashion Rocks were Hilary Swank and Hayden Panettiere, with performances from Kid Rock, Keith Urban, Duffy, the Black Eyed Peas, and the Pussycat Dolls. But it was the sizzling duet between Timberlake and Beyonce on “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” that stole the show.

And just to prove that there really is nothing like the real thing, Timberlake has also confirmed he will once again host the Shriners Hospitals for Children Golf Open in October.

Following on from the success of last year’s event, the Open will take place October 13-19 at the TPC Summerlin course in Las Vegas.

The annual event has taken place every year since 1983 and has raised more than $10 million for Las Vegas area charities. Previous champions include Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Paul Azinger, Jim Furyk, Curtis Strange and Fuzzy Zoeller.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of facilities in North America that provides superior medical care at no charge to children under the age of 18, and more information about the event – including how to get tickets – can be found at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Golf Open website.

Stand Up To Cancer A Huge Success

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A multitude of stars came out on Friday night as part of the Stand Up To Cancer television extravaganza to raise money for cancer research.

The hour-long program – simulcast live on NBC, ABC, and CBS – featured celebrities such as Jennifer Garner, Halle Berry, Forest Whitaker and Casey Affleck reading accounts of people battling cancer, as well as musical items, comedy sketches, and the opportunity for people to ring up and pledge donations – with stars such as Ellen DeGeneres, America Ferrera and Kirsten Dunst answering the phones.

“This is an absolutely historic night, thanks to the unbelievable generosity of the three networks,” event organiser, producer and cancer survivor Laura Ziskin told the audience at Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre.

The biggest surprise of the night was the appearance of Patrick Swayze, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year.

“He looks amazing,” former basketball player Charles Barkley told People Magazine. “For me, seeing Patrick Swayze, someone who is actually fighting this disease, was the best part of the show. Seeing him in person was amazing.”

The idea behind the event was that it is the lack of funding – and not just research – that is slowing the advance of cancer prevention and treatment, and over $100 million has been raised since the Stand Up To Cancer initiative was launched earlier this year.

The telethon – which was viewed by over 10.5 million people – also featured performances by Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, and James Taylor, as well as the television premiere of the star-studded charitable single Just Stand Up performed by Mariah Carey, Beyoncé Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Ray Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood. Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett underwent a prostate examination on the show, and cartoon character Homer Simpson had a colonoscopy.

Other stars who were part of the show included Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, David Cook, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Jack Black, Hilary Swank, Jimmy Fallon, and Keanu Reeves, all of whom wanted to do something positive to help the 550,000 Americans and six million people worldwide who die from cancer each year.

As part of Stand Up To Cancer’s efforts, there is also an auction running on eBay that offers the chance to meet the cast of celebrities such as Katie Couric, Stephen Colbert, and Jay Leno. It runs until September 15, and can be accessed through eBay.

Lance Armstrong Stands Up To Cancer Tonight

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Don’t miss Stand Up To Cancer on ABC, CBS and NBC today, Friday, September 5, at 8 p.m. (EST).

A spectacular line up of talent including Jennifer Aniston, James Taylor, Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, David Cook, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Jack Black, Kirsten Dunst, Charles Barkley, America Ferrera, Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, Forest Whitaker, Jimmy Fallon and Keanu Reeves will appear on the one-hour telecast. The celebrities are set to educate you, move you and entertain you, and will even be on hand to answer your calls in the celebrity phone bank.

The premiere TV performance of Just Stand Up – the star studded charitable single in support of Stand Up To Cancer – will be performed by legendary recording artists Mariah Carey, Beyoncé Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Ray Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood.

Doug Ulman, President of the Lance Armstrong Foundation says, “Inspired to act by their own personal experiences with cancer, the Stand Up to Cancer team recognizes that we can no longer rely on the current system alone to give us the breakthroughs we need. They are calling on the public to help take matters into our own hands, investing in a revolution that will change the way scientists and clinicians work to understand and treat cancer. Stand Up To Cancer is more than a rallying cry. It is a galvanizing force created to urgently move cancer research forward.”

Tonight’s program is raising funds to build “Dream Teams” made up of scientists, clinicians, technicians and other experts.

For more information about Stand Up To Cancer, and a complete list of celebrities who will be appearing during the show, visit the Stand Up To Cancer Website.

Female Stars Unite For New Charity Single

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Fifteen of the hottest female stars on the planet are joining together for a brand new charity single to benefit Stand Up To Cancer.

Just Stand Up will be released on September 2 to coincide with the Stand Up To Cancer television special that will run on NBC, ABC, and CBS on September 5. The new song – which was conceived and produced by Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds – will feature the soaring voices of Mariah Carey, Beyoncé Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood, and all sales of the star-studded single will benefit cancer research.

All 15 singers will perform the song during the primetime television event, which will also feature appearances by Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Katie Couric, Sally Field, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker and Reese Witherspoon.

The single will be available through iTunes, and more information can be found at www.standup2cancer.org.

More Stars Stand Up To Cancer

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Stand Up To Cancer has announced another selection of stars that will take part in their television extravaganza on September 5.

Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, and Scarlett Johansson have been confirmed to join Meryl Streep, David Cook, and Christina Applegate in appearing on the primetime television event that hopes to raise funds for cancer research. Lance Armstrong has already filmed a segment that will be shown during the one hour event which will be broadcast simultaneously on ABC, CBS and NBC.

Organizer Sherry Lansing is pleased with the celebrity support the event is getting, and is grateful for their assistance.

“It hasn’t been hard getting celebrity involvement,” she told Look To The Stars. “Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way and they want to stand up, just like everyone else.”

A star-studded PSA for the event – featuring Christy Turlington, Tobey Maguire, Susan Sarandon, Morgan Freeman, Keanu Reeves, and Casey Affleck – can be viewed here.

Fashion Concert Stands Up To Cancer

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé Knowles and Rihanna have been revealed as some of the acts confirmed to perform at this year’s New York Fashion Rocks concert.

The concert, which will take place on September 5, first took New York Fashion Week by storm in 2004 and still remains one of the hottest events on the celebrity charity calendar. The legendary Radio City Music Hall will once again play host to the star-studded live event, celebrating the powerful relationship between fashion and music. The concert will air the following Tuesday night in a two-hour special on the CBS television network (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

Proceeds from the event will benefit Stand Up To Cancer, whose own television special will go to air on September 5.

“In just five years, Fashion Rocks has become one of the most exciting multi-media events of the year,” said Richard Beckman, president of Conde Nast Media Group. “Whether on stage at the live event, during the show’s broadcast or in the pages of the magazine, Fashion Rocks uniquely celebrates the intersection of two of the most sexy cultural paradigms; fashion and music. This year, we have a spectacular line-up of talent and performances that will take the show to a whole new level.”

Other performers confirmed to appear include Keith Urban, Chris Brown, Kid Rock, Fergie, Lil Wayne, and the Black Eyed Peas.

More info can be found at the Fashion Rocks website.

Lance Armstrong Stands Up To Cancer

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Cancer survivor Lance Armstrong has taped a special segment to be shown during the Stand Up To Cancer television special.

The clip, taped before a Chicago White Sox-Texas Rangers game, will be part of the one-hour fundraising special that airs September 5 on ABC, CBS and NBC.

“Hopefully it raises a lot of money, which is what we need,” said Armstrong. “But more importantly it reminds people that [cancer] is the number-one killer in this country for people under the age of 85. I like a little challenge and a little fight, but we all picked a very big fight, and a tough fight. So we have to remind people that this will not be easy.”

Stars from film, television, sports, journalism and music will come together for the September 5th primetime television event to raise funds for cancer research, and it will feature live performances as well as filmed content giving viewers insight into cancer.

Stand Up To Cancer: Sherry Lansing Tells Us How And Why

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Jennifer Beckmann

Sherry Lansing was the chair of the Motion Picture Group of Paramount Pictures from 1992 to 2005, where she oversaw the release of more than 200 films including Academy Award winners Forrest Gump (1994), Braveheart (1995), and the highest grossing movie of all time, Titanic (1997).

A pioneering studio executive, Lansing is the first woman in the film industry to oversee all aspects of a studio’s motion picture production. She is currently involved with Stand Up To Cancer, a non-profit organization/website/TV special that hopes to enable cutting-edge research aimed at finding a cure to all types of cancer. Stars from film, television, sports, journalism and music will come together for the September 5th primetime television event to raise funds for cancer research, and it will feature live performances as well as filmed content giving viewers insight into cancer.

Look To The Stars recently caught up with Sherry Lansing to find out more about Stand Up To Cancer and its goals.

Tell us how Stand Up To Cancer started.

SU2C got started when a group of us wanted to do something big for cancer research, so we dreamed… and, as in Hollywood, we dreamed BIG. We dreamed of the networks giving us a simultaneous commercial free telecast in an attempt to educate people about prevention, create awareness, and raise funds for cancer research.

All of us were involved in working in various ways to help scientists stop cancer, focusing on different areas of the disease, but we put our competitive interests aside to create Stand Up To Cancer, just like how the Big 3 networks [NBC, ABC, and CBS] will come together under the same tent to air our September 5th show.

We are patient advocates, we have all been touched personally by cancer, and we want it to end. I lost my mother to cancer, but since then I see it’s become an epidemic, everyday I pick up the telephone and hear of someone else who has been struck by this disease. I just want to help. I hate cancer. I just don’t want it to exist.

What sets SU2C apart from other cancer research fundraisers?

We are raising money for dream teams of researchers and scientists. Regretfully, cancer foundations, scientists, and researchers have all competed with each other for funding due to lack of money and didn’t share research because of intellectual property, which in essence held back breakthroughs. Instead, we are bringing together scientists from all the around the world to form dream teams that will be funded and who will work together in a collaborative way. We’re identifying the most promising opportunities for success and leveraging our resources and knowledge to drive breakthroughs and find cures.

Our show is just the beginning. This is a movement, much like what Al Gore did with An Inconvenient Truth, we hope to be the tipping point for cancer, and we hope cancer will be on the front page much like the economy and the War in Iraq.

There is quite a celebrity-studded Public Service Announcement up on your site. How did you get so many celebrities on board with this cause? Why do you think so many celebrities choose to become advocates for cancer research?

Luckily it hasn’t been hard getting celebrity involvement. Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way and they want to stand up, just like everyone else.

What else are celebrities doing to help this cause?

They are helping in many ways by creating PSAs, donating their time, providing website content, participating in our show – answering phones, performing on air, honoring people with cancer.

The MLB was our first major donor, they gave 10 million dollars and we just launched with them a PSA that Jessica Biel did for us about how to txt to donate, which will be shown throughout the baseball season at stadiums.

I’m very grateful that it hasn’t been hard getting talent, the only thing limiting is that we only have an hour show.

Can you tell us who any of the show’s performers or phone operators will be?

We are still finalizing this, but the names will be big. We already have advocates like Lance Armstrong and Katie Couric... and that’s just the beginning.

How can people get involved with SU2C?

Everyone can be involved, from a company to a third grade kid. People can stand up now by joining teams to fundraise online, email congress to request funding for cancer research, or for just a $1 donation launch a star in memory or dedication to someone with cancer in The Constellation on our site.

In your estimation, how will SU2C contribute to the overall progress of cancer research?

In many ways I think we can make an incredible change. This is the beginning of a movement, and when people start to create a movement – civil rights, women’s rights, the green movement – it’s going to be impactful. This show is unprecedented – except for 9/11, the networks have not banded together like this over a cause, never for a disease. If this constituency is mad as hell and not going to take it anymore that one out of two men and one out of three women will get cancer in their lifetimes – and as a result people become aware of ways to prevent cancer – then that alone will change things tremendously by just getting people to talk about it and wanting the government to fund research.

We’ve never been so close to a cure thanks to technology and science, and we want to create a people’s movement to change their lifestyles, to go out and get the tests needed to catch the disease in time and to also raise money to give scientists what they need to continue the cause. All the tumblers are in place… it all starts with the people.

Tune into Stand Up To Cancer on September 5th, 8:00 pm ET/PT on ABC, CBS and NBC.

Look To The Stars would like to thank Sherry Lansing for taking the time to talk to us about this fabulous initiative.

Look To The Stars News: Stand Up To Cancer

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