Look To The Stars News: Doctors Without Borders

Hannah Teter's Underwear for Charity

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:43:00 -0000

The Winter Olympics may be over the charitable work of snowboarder Hannah Teter never ends. Known for her philanthropy, the member of the U.S. Olympic team is selling underwear to support Doctors Without Borders.

The ‘Make Love, Not War’ shortie style underwear can be purchased at SweetCheeksPanties.com, where each pair sold results in a $5 donation to Doctors Without Borders with a goal to raise $100,000 by May.

Sweet Cheeks Panties was born from a “What if?” moment courtesy of Olympic Gold Medal Snowboarder Hannah Teter. Teter dedicates much of her time and interest to transformative gifting. Clean Water, Food, Shelter, Hope, Grace, Mercy for those in need. It is her wish to share this experience of gifting with women everywhere in a fun and fashionable way.

Each pair of underwear is designed in response to a particular cause to create the perfect pair and each month they release a new pair of undies dedicated to helping the less fortunate.

Doctors Without Borders:
Founded in 1971, Doctors Without Borders is a global network of doctors who provide aid in areas of crisis. This 27,000 member team operates independent of any political, military, or religious agendas – their only concern is helping those who need it most. The group often operates in the harshest conditions, sending brave doctors into war zones where the resident doctors have since evacuated.

Paul Weller And KT Tunstall To Headline Haiti Charity Concert

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Paul Weller and KT Tunstall will headline a special gig in London to benefit Haiti earthquake victims later this month.

The singers will join Reverend and the Makers, The Magic Numbers, The Futureheads and others at the show, to take place at the Camden Roundhouse on February 25. Hosts will include Harry Shearer, Philip Schofield and others, and all proceeds from the show will go to ActionAid and Doctors Without Borders.

For tickets and more information, visit the official site.

Gandalf And Pearl Jam Raise Cash For Charity

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellen conjured up a little bit of magic for Haiti this week when he collected donations for earthquake victims.

The actor – who played the wizard Gandalf in the films – is currently starring in the stage play Waiting For Godot on the West End in London, and took the time to collect donations from the audience during a recent performance.

Also this week, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder released a version of Bruce Springsteen's My City Of Ruins as a digital download to benefit earthquake relief. Proceeds from the release – available through iTunes and the band’s official internet store – will go to Artists for Peace and Justice

Pearl Jam’s charity, the Vitalogy Foundation, has also donated $200,000 to benefit Partners in Health, Doctors Without Borders, the Lambi Fund of Haiti and other groups.

Jennifer Aniston Donates To Charity In Haiti

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Ashley Parker

Jennifer Aniston has donated $500,000 to Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health and AmeriCares. Each organization is currently involved in relief efforts in Haiti.

She also joined a number of other celebrities last Friday night and took part in the Hope for Haiti Now telethon. Organized by George Clooney, the telethon drew over 83 million viewers and has raised more than $58 million.

Other celebrities have also donated large sums of money to aid in earthquake relief. Gisele Bundchen gave $1.5 million. Sandra Bullock, Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt and George Clooney have each donated $1 million, and Madonna donated $250,000.

To make a donation, visit www.HopeForHaitiNow.org or call 877-99-HAITI.

Simon Cowell Brings Stars Together For Charity Single

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Susan Fredricks

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and The Sun newspaper have asked Simon Cowell, the brains behind “American Idol” and “X Factor,” to orchestrate a single that will benefit the earthquake victims of Haiti.

Cowell immediately got busy, and he has so far assembled an all-star cast that includes Leona Lewis, Rod Stewart, Michael Buble, Susan Boyle, JLS and Cheryl Cole to record a remake of REM’s “Everybody Hurts.” Cowell has also approached Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John, both of whom are very close to signing on.

Cowell reveals, “We haven’t got an awful lot of time, but we are going to do something and attempt to raise as much money as possible”.

JLS band member, Ortise Williams, is especially emotional about performing on the single because he has family members in Haiti.

“We are deeply touched the song has been chosen for this Haiti campaign,” said REM Manager Bertis Downs. “It means a lot that the song the guys wrote all those years ago will be used for such an important appeal.”

Cowell is quickly trying to wrap-up the star-studded line up and has praised the “response” from the music community.

“We have a short time to do this and the people in Haiti need as much help as we can give them as soon as possible,” affirms Cowell. “I’d like to make this record with as many different types of singer as we can and I hope everyone in the industry comes together to get involved. The initial response has been fantastic.”

Cowell’s goal is to release the song on Sunday, January, 31, 2010, and all proceeds will be donated to charities Disasters Emergency Committee and Helping Haiti/Medicins Sans Frontiers.

A Weekend Of Celebrity Giving To Haiti

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Actress Sandra Bullock is the latest star to give big to Haitian earthquake relief over a weekend defined by donations of time and money.

The star has matched last week’s donation of $1 million from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

“I wanted to ensure that my donation would be used immediately to meet the needs of the Haitian people affected by this catastrophic event,” she said. Her donation went to Doctors Without Borders.

She has been joined over the weekend by Madonna, who gave $250,000 to Partners in Health.

“My prayers are with the people of Haiti,” she said. “I can’t imagine the terrible pain and suffering they are experiencing. Sadly the depths of the tragedy are just becoming known and the need for our support grows more urgent with every passing moment. I have given a donation of $250,000 to assist Haiti’s earthquake victims through Partners in Health, one of Haiti’s leading healthcare providers. I urge all of my friends and fans around the world to join me collectively to match my contribution or give in any way you can. We must act now.”

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen also dipped into deep pockets for the cause, handing over $1.5 million to the Red Cross.

“I am heartbroken by the catastrophic events of the past six days in Haiti. It is important in times like these that we come together and find ways to help in any way we can,” she said.

Meanwhile, Wyclef Jean and Anderson Cooper will co-host George Clooney's MTV telethon this Friday – Clooney will be in LA, Jean in New York, and Cooper will be live in Haiti. Donations will go to Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF and Wyclef’s Yéle Haiti Foundation.

“I’m going to be doing the thing that George [Clooney] is organizing; the telethon,” said British actress Emily Blunt. “But I think, really, it’s just about everyone — everyone — needs to jump in. Everyone needs to get involved in whatever way they can. So, I think I’m just going to research the best way to help.”

Joe Jonas from the Jonas Brothers is taking his giving one step further – he plans to visit the country and help out.

“[I can get there] either this Tuesday or, like, two or three weeks from now,” he said. “I can’t promise I’m going to go, but I’m going to try,” he insisted. “I really want to be able to support in any way I can; I was going to go to Haiti before, to do similar work there. But now it’s obviously a completely different thing and my heart goes out to those people there and the families and everything. I just pray that everybody’s all right, and I’m going to try and do my best by getting there. And I would definitely say, if anyone can give money or support, it’s the perfect way to do it.”

John Travolta has also dug deep to help the relief efforts: “I have arranged for a plane to take down some volunteer ministers and some supplies and some medics. I hope that inspires others as well. It’s needed.”

Actress Kerry Washington has put her efforts into helping struggling mothers in Haiti through V-Day: “We have a safe house in Haiti for women who are survivors of domestic violence. Our president just asked [George] Bush and [Bill] Clinton to come together for a fund.”

Sports stars are also lining up to lend a hand – tennis star Roger Federer has organized a massive tennis event featuring stars such as Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur to take place at the Australian Open.

“The entry fee is a minimum donation of $10,” he said. "This should be fun and it’s for a great cause.

“I think it’s something as a tennis family we’re very happy to do. I know it’s on the eve of the first Grand Slam of the season, so for some it’s not so easy maybe mentally to separate a few things — but I think it’s a great initiative.

“The devastating earthquake which hit Haiti on Tuesday measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale and has left tens of thousands of people dead. The United Nations has launched an appeal for hundreds of millions of dollars to try to help around three million people in need.”

90210 star AnnaLynne McCord was volunteering in Haiti in December, and has opened a Twitter page to appeal to fans to give.

“Okay everybody!” she wrote. "Time to get busy! Haiti needs our help, desperately! I was there 3 weeks ago volunteering with Artists for Peace and Justice. Please donate to them!"

Lady Gaga has also made use of Twitter to encourage fans to give to the cause – she announced that she will use her January 24 concert as a fundraiser.

“Jan 24th is GAGA FOR HELPING HAITI day,” she wrote. “Go to www.ladygaga.com on the 24th + 100% of all merchandise purchased goes to earthquake relief. Monies will be donated immediately, spread the word around the world so we can raise as much money as possible.  ”Little monsters attending the Monsterball on the 24th: all ticket + and merch/cd profit will be donated. Save your money. Help save a life."

The concert is at the Radio City Music Hall in New York.

LookToTheStars.org will keep you updated with all celebrity charity news relating to the Haitian earthquake as it comes to hand.

Lance Armstrong, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Donate To Earthquake Victims

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 04:15:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Cycling legend Lance Armstrong is the latest star to donate to victims of the Haitian earthquake.

The star’s LiveStrong Foundation, has pledged $250,000 to relief charities to help in the rebuilding of the country.

“I think what’s on top of everybody’s mind is the earthquake in Haiti and the devastation we all have seen on television or the newspaper or the internet,” he said in a video message. "Some say more than a 100,000 lives lost.
 
“On behalf of Livestrong and everybody at our organization we’d like to pledge $250,000 for the relief efforts down there for two primary organizations: Partners In Health – great friends of ours doing great work in that country – and also Doctors Without Borders.
 
“If you’d like to help support these organizations as well go to LiveStrongBlog.org and check it out. In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone down there, from the President all the way down to the citizens to people that were either ill before or suffering now, best of luck to you. We’ll be thinking about you and live strong.”

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have also donated a massive $1 million to relief in the country through the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

“It is incredibly horrible to see a catastrophe of this size hit a people who have been suffering from extreme poverty, violence and unrest for so many decades,” said Jolie.

“We understand the first response is critical to serve the immediate needs of countless people who are now displaced from their homes, are suffering trauma, and most require urgent care,” added Pitt.

The money will also go to Doctors Without Borders.

Eddie Izzard also donated to the relief efforts: ‘Just made a donation to the Haiti earthquake fund,’ he said via Twitter. ‘You can do so easily by clicking here.’

Other star’s to show their support for victims include Wyclef Jean, Oprah, Ben Stiller, Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Adam Lambert, Tyra Banks, P. Diddy and many more.

Beatlemania Returns For Charity

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Beatlemania has hit the headlines once again this week, with the release of the Fab Four’s remastered CD collection, their Rock Band video game, and a popular British presenter’s efforts to re-record their hits for charity.

A whole new generation of fans are currently being exposed to the music of John, Paul, George and Ringo through the release of Rock Star, and a number of limited edition Xbox 360 consoles are available to benefit Doctors Without Borders. The consoles are available at eBay.

Doctors Without Borders is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971 working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe. Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, personally selected the charity as the beneficiary of these proceeds.

According to eBay: "Starting Sept. 9, Xbox 360 will also give its more than 20 million Xbox LIVE members the opportunity to give to charity and support the Beatles’ eternal message of peace and love. “All You Need Is Love,” the Beatle’s iconic anthem of peace, will be released exclusively on Xbox 360 as a downloadable song for the game through Xbox LIVE with Apple Corps Ltd, MTV Games, Harmonix and Microsoft, with proceeds benefiting Doctors Without Borders. Good deeds never go unnoticed: purchasing and downloading the “All You Need Is Love” track for 160 Microsoft Points for charity will also register you for the “The Beatles: Rock Band” Download & Win* for a chance to win one of the limited edition “The Beatles: Rock Band” Xbox 360 consoles and a Rickenbacker 325 replica guitar controller."

In other Beatles news this week, British TV and radio presenter Sir Terry Wogan has been busy in a recording studio with Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and the Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman laying down tracks of classic Fab Four songs for the upcoming Bandaged Together album to benefit Children in Need.

The project has been organised by a group of Terry Wogan fans known as The TOGs (Terry’s Old Geezers and Gals).

“Last year, thanks to the TOGs, we raised about £3 million for Children In Need,” said Sir Terry. “We had Bandaged One which sold an awful lot and made hundreds of thousands of pounds for the charity. The idea this year is Bandaged Two and we are hoping to raise even more money.”

The album – which will feature Sir Terry’s take on All You Need Is Love – will be released next month.

Beatles Launch Game With Charity Download

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were in California earlier this week to launch the new Xbox The Beatles:Rock Band game. During the event, the musicians announced that one of the songs from the game, All You Need Is Love, will be released exclusively as a download through Xbox Live, with proceeds to benefit Doctors Without Borders.

McCartney and Starr joined Yoko Ono – widow of John Lennon – and Olivia Harrison, widow of George Harrison, in unveiling the game at Microsoft’s 2009 E3 Media and Business Summit.

All You Need Is Love will be released exclusively as a downloadable song on September 9, with all proceeds benefiting Doctors Without Borders. Also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, this international humanitarian aid organisation provides emergency medical aid in more than 80 countries. Established in 1971, Doctors Without Borders provides aid “to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need and reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, to challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols.” The organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

Find out more about the work of the organization at its official website.

George Clooney Supports Mia Farrow's Hunger Strike For Darfur

Tue, 05 May 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Actress Mia Farrow began a 21-day hunger strike on 27 April to force the spotlight on the dire situation in Dafur.

Frustrated at the continued inattention to the plight of millions, she stated that she began her fast of water “in solidarity with the people of Darfur and as a personal expression of outrage at a world that is somehow able to stand by and watch innocent men, women and children needlessly die of starvation, thirst and disease.”

Actor George Clooney, who has also campaigned for a political solution to the Dafur situation, supports Farrow’s attempt to bring some serious attention to it. So far, Farrow is feeling hungry but good, and is still able to post daily reports on her website

“I have a doctor coming to see me on Monday,” she says on her Day Four video blog. "The people [in Darfur refugee camps] have no doctors because Doctors Without Borders has been expelled. I have clean water that I can drink, and people there don’t have clean water because Oxfam isn’t there to repair the well pumps and the well pumps are breaking."

She is concerned that camp food stores are dwindling, that aid workers are unable to deliver what there is from Port Sudan to some camps and that latrines are overflowing, which could lead to disease.

However, she is grateful for the support she has been getting: “Some people are interested in how I am doing, but we need to be thinking of Darfur’s people. If my hunger brings focus to where it belongs, if more people know what is happening in Darfur and will raise their voices, then what I am going through now is well worth it.”

James Blunt To Act As Guest Editor For Metro

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:00:00 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

On November 17th, Grammy Award nominee James Blunt will put down his guitar and become be the first ever guest editor for the global edition of the Metro newspaper for a day.

Blunt will be working from the Metro Rome office where he will collaborate with Sakari Pitkanen, Global Editor-in-Chief. The Metro, published in 20 countries and more than 150 cities, has a worldwide readership of over 20,000,000.

Aside from his role as editor, Blunt will be commenting on news affecting readers around the world. Specifically, he will be involved in a feature on Médecins Sans Frontières, an international medical humanitarian organization that Blunt has supported for years and which Metro Newspapers have worked closely with for a number of years.

James Blunt said, “I have long been fascinated by the media and am excited to have the chance to go behind the scenes at Metro and experience things from the other side. With so much going on in the world right now, I am looking forward to editing a newspaper, raising the profile of subjects close to my heart and hopefully have a little fun along the way. I might even give myself a good review!”

Prior to taking the music world by storm, Blunt was an officer in a reconnaissance regiment of the British Army. He served under NATO in Kosovo during the conflict in 1999. Its while stationed there that Blunt was introduced to the work of Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) (Doctors Without Borders), a humanitarian aid group best known for its emergency medical care in conflict-torn regions. Since then, Blunt has supported MSF by holding meet-and-greet auctions at many of his concerts.

Angelina Jolie - Helping Her Heroes

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:34:29 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

She may be known for her various roles on the silver screen that have earned her Golden Globes and an Academy Award, but perhaps Angelina Jolie's greatest role is that which she plays in real life – Global Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. And it is exceedingly clear that the dedication that she shows in her acting is reflected in her work for humanitarian causes around the world.

The 32-year-old actor has just returned from a visit to Iraq, in which she met with top political officials to discuss people displaced by the war.

“There are over two million displaced people and there never seems to be a real coherent plan to help them,” she told CNN on her return. “There’s lots of goodwill and lots of discussion, but there seems to be a lot of talk at the moment and a lot of pieces that need to be put together.”

The trip was a follow-up to her visit to the country six months ago, and marks Jolie’s commitment to displaced persons and refugees in war-ravaged nations, and confirms her dedication to implement solutions wherever possible.

“Of the two million internally displaced, it’s estimated 58 percent are under 12 years old. It’s a very high number of people in a very, very vulnerable situation and a lot of young kids,” said Jolie. “So far, the different US officials I met with and different local people I’ve met with all have shared concerns, very, very strongly. They have spoken out about the humanitarian crisis, but there seems to be a block in.”

Jolie traveled to Baghdad with Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, and Refugees Minister Abdel Samad Rahman Sultan. As a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Jolie is well known for using her status as a superstar to generate media coverage about the plight of refugees and the conditions under which they live, and this trip to Iraq proved no different.

“This trip is to get a better picture of the internally displaced people and to discuss [the situation] with the local government, with our government, with the NGOs and with local people,” said Jolie. “I’m not good at policy and fixing all this and saying what’s wrong, but I do know that, for example, U.N.H.C.R. needs to be more active inside Iraq… I know that this is one thing that needs to be addressed and solved because there does need to be a real presence here to help count the people and register the people. Also, the prime minister here needs to empower the government that deals with migration and displacement to be able to address the concerns for these people, and that hasn’t happened in a significant way yet.”

Born in Los Angeles in 1975, Jolie’s acting career has already spanned two decades. Her first feature role was in Lookin’ to Get Out in 1982, a film co-written and co-produced by her father, the acclaimed actor Jon Voight. Since then, she has received Golden Globe Awards for the television movies George Wallace (1997) and Gia (1998), and her film credits include Hackers (1995), The Bone Collector (1999), Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003), and Mr and Mrs Smith (alongside her partner, Brad Pitt, in 2005).

It was while filming the first Tomb Raider movie in Cambodia, a country stricken by poverty, that Jolie began to become aware of humanitarian issues around her. She approached the UNHCR for more information, and was sent to Sierra Leone, a small African country that – like the Democratic Republic of the Congo – had been devastated by years of brutal civil war. Seeing firsthand the enormous challenges that refugees face was a life-altering experience for the actress, and she was named a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in August 2001.

Over the next few years, Jolie witnessed some of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. She visited refugee camps in Tanzania, Pakistan, Thailand, Ecuador, Kosovo, Kenya, and Namibia, covering all of her own costs and insisting on sharing the same living and working conditions as field workers.

In 2003 Jolie published Notes From My Travels, a compelling collection of journal entries from her early field missions. She now publishes her latest journal entries on the UNHCR website.

Since 2003, Jolie has traveled to refugee camps in Sri Lanka, Russia, Jordan, Beirut, and Egypt, and has also visited detained asylum seekers in Arizona. In 2005 she filmed an MTV special entitled "The Diary of Angelina Jolie and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in Africa", portraying her trip to a remote group of villages in Kenya, and has visited Chad and Darfur several times since fighting erupted there in 2004.

In recent years, Jolie has been joined by Brad Pitt on many of her trips. In 2005 the pair witnessed the devastation of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in Pakistan, and in 2006 they visited a school in Haiti supported by Wyclef Jean's Yéle Haiti Foundation.

Also in 2006, the pair founded the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which made initial donations of $1 million to Doctors Without Borders and Global Action for Children. This was followed by a $100,000 donation to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, another to the Duk Lost Boys Medical Clinic in the Sudan, and $1 million to help refugees in Chad and Darfur.

Angelina Jolie’s generosity seems bottomless, and her heart is clearly as big as her stardom. In 2005, she announced the founding of the National Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Children, an organization that provides free legal aid to asylum-seeking children, and personally funded it with $1 million over 2 years. She also co-chairs the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, a program established at the 2006 Clinton Global Initiative that has pledged to help with the education of over 1 million children affected by conflict around the world.

Her missions to the most dangerous troublespots in the far-flung corners of the world look set to continue well into the future.

“It’s always hard to see decent people, families, living in such difficult conditions,” she said. “What is most upsetting is how long it is taking the international community to answer this crisis… You go to these places and you realize what life’s really about and what people are really going through. These people are my heroes.”

2008 Golden Globes Roundup

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:54:19 -0000

Written by Crystal A. Johnson

There may have been no red carpet, acceptance speeches, or flash of cameras for the winners of the 2008 Golden Globe Awards, but Look To The Stars takes this golden opportunity to recognize some of those who were honored and nominated.

Johnny Depp won his first Golden Globe after being nominated seven times since his career began, picking up the Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical award for Sweeney Todd. Despite his dark performance, there really is a lighter side to the actor. In the past, Depp’s charitable work garnered him the Courage to Care Award for his contributions to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

The Best Actress Award went to veteran Julie Christie, who was up against heavyweights such as Angelina Jolie, an outstanding supporter and contributor to charitable causes. Some of the charities she has supported include the Afghanistan Relief Organization, the Alliance For The Lost Boys, Fran Drescher's Cancer Schmancer Movement, Doctors Without Borders, and the Daniel Pearl Foundation.

Daniel Day Lewis won Best Actor for his performance in “There Will Be Blood”, beating out celebrity humanitarians George Clooney and Denzel Washington. Like Jolie, Clooney is a major force in trying to make the world a better place, and he is a noted supporter of Cinema For Peace, Make Poverty History, Rock For Darfur, United Way, and the World Food Programme. Washington has spent time visiting wounded soldiers at Fisher Houses, hospitals which provide housing for injured soldiers’ families at little or no cost, and once made a large donation to the Fisher House Foundation. He is also the spokesperson for the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of America, honorary chairperson for Save Africa's Children, and a founding member of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

Australian-born Cate Blanchett took home the gold in the category for Best Supporting Actress. Charities Blanchett supports include the Australian Conservation Foundation, Kids Help Line, and SolarAid. In the past, Blanchett filmed a special appeal for SolarAid that was screened at the Hay Festival. The video is available to view on YouTube.

Queen Latifah took home the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a TV Movie/Miniseries, for her role in “Life Support”. A supporter of several charities, Queen Latifah once helped design a pair of shoes for the Stuart Weitzman charity shoe auction benefiting ovarian cancer awareness and research, and has been involved with Citymeals On Wheels and the Harry Holmberg Memorial Foundation.

Jeremy Piven beat his “Entourage” co-star Kevin Dillon to win his second award for Best Supporting TV Actor. Piven once hosted the fourth annual Fashion Rocks event, which benefited Alicia Keys' Keep A Child Alive Foundation.

Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees for all the work that you do in front of the camera and behind the scenes to inspire a better world.

Celebrities Offer Support To Darfur

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:29:43 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The Sudanese region of Darfur is benefiting from several new initiatives this month, all designed to raise awareness and money for the war-torn area. And the biggest effort comes from an independent record label that has waded into the music industry to put its money where its mouth is.

Waxploitation, established in 1997 by Jeff Antebi, is a label for innovative artists that has broken with the tradition of managing “producer/engineers” and instead manages artists as record producers – a huge difference in the industry, and one that has led to a huge shift in industry interests.

But not only are they challenging the way record companies operate, Waxploitation is leading the way with programs to fight poverty and hunger, especially in war-affected Sudan. The label has just released a compilation CD, featuring a host of artists who have donated songs to the effort, which has debuted at number 32 on the iTunes chart and almost sold out its first physical CD printing.

“Causes 1:Darfur” includes songs by The Cure, Travis, Death Cab For Cutie, and Spoon, with all proceeds going to three non-profit organizations: Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam America.

“This level of attention is not something we were expecting, given how grassroots our marketing efforts have been,” said Jeff Antebi. “But it shows the strength of the fans and artists who participated and the enormous desire to help Darfur. It’s quite telling that on iTunes people have chosen to buy the album, instead of cherry-picking individual songs. That says people are aware of how important the donation is.”

“Causes 1:Darfur” follows the label’s first charity release, “Genocide In Sudan”, and is available from www.waxploitation.com and iTunes for only 90 days to highlight the urgency of the situation.

The label has also hit the news this week by launching its fourth Darfur Benefit Auction, a massive online event that aims to raise money for the 2 million people forced to flee their homes in the wake of conflict in the region.

The auction, which can be viewed on www.ebay.com/causesauction, features a huge range of unique and collectible items, many of them personally signed by celebrities such as Kanye West, Coldplay, Macy Gray, and Gnarls Barkley. Norah Jones, Avril Lavigne, and Nickleback have all signed guitars for the auction, and other items have been donated by Sony, Xbox, Nintendo, Nokia, and Adidas.

Also joining the fight for Darfur this month is Golden Globe winning actress, Mia Farrow. The 62-year-old has launched Fund4Darfur in association with the Aegis Trust, the UK’s leading genocide prevention organization.

“I have visited Darfur seven times since 2004,” said Farrow on the Fund’s new website. “In these visits, I have seen the suffering that the people of Darfur endure. I believe strongly we should work together to give dignity and hope to survivors and enable Aegis to continue its work against genocide.”

Singer Annie Lennox has also lent her support to the initiative, and has donated a track from her new album to be used to promote the Fund.

Fund4Darfur will directly support survivors of Darfur’s ethnic cleansing, and one third of the money raised will be used to fund campaigning for the protection of Darfur’s threatened African population. Donations can be made at www.fund4darfur.org.

Oprah Tops Celebrity Philanthropy A-List

Sat, 12 May 2007 08:24:00 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

A list of the 30 largest public donations made by celebrities in the past year puts Oprah in the top spot.

The Giving Back Fund, which encourages and advises on celebrity philanthropy, compiles its list each year. President Marc Pollick said, “Encouragement-by-example is the main reason for the Giving Back 30 list.”

Oprah gave $58.3 million to Oprah's Angel Network and her recently-opened Leadership Academy.

Of the other celebrities high on the list, Barbra Streisand was in fourth spot, having given $11.75 million through her Streisand Foundation.

Tiger Woods took fifth place, giving $9.5 million to organisations including the Tiger Woods Learning Center funded by the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Giving Back’s Marc Pollick praised an increasing trend in celebrity donations, saying, “Ten years ago when Slate magazine first published the Slate 60 reporting on the most generous American philanthropists, the last donor on their list gave $5 million. This year the last donor donated $30 million to charity. This is the type of growth we are hoping to inspire within the sports and entertainment community. One cannot help but be influenced by the generosity of his or her peers.”

The full list and information about how it was compiled can be found at givingback.org. This site has previously reported on many of the list’s featured celebrities and their donations; a comprehensively linked version of the list appears below:

Position	Celebrity	Donation	Cause(s)
1	Oprah Winfrey	$58,300,000	Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, Oprah's Angel Network, and other groups
2	Geoffrey Beene	$44,000,000 (bequest)	Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
3	Jack and Marie Lord	$40,000,000 (bequest)	Hawaii Community Foundation
4	Barbra Streisand	$11,750,000	Streisand Foundation, numerous civil liberties, environmental, and civil rights organizations “dedicated to democratic values”
5	Tiger Woods	$9,500,000	Tiger Woods Learning Center, Earl D. Woods Sr. Scholarship Fund, and other Tiger Woods Foundation programs
6	Rosie O'Donnell	$5,700,000	Katrina Relief efforts including Renaissance Village (a temporary shelter for Katrina victims), day care centers, a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, and a Habitat For Humanity sub division in Baton Rouge
7	Martha Stewart	$5,000,000	New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital for a center on healthy aging
8	Carmelo Anthony	$4,282,000	CAF Youth Center in Baltimore, AAU Basketball, Syracuse University Recreational Center, and other charities
9	Pat Boone & Shirley Boone	$3,000,000	Pepperdine University for the Graduate School of Education and Psychology Center for the Family
9	LeRoy Neiman	$3,000,000	The School of the Art Institute of Chicago to support a Master’s class in figure drawing
11	Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt	$2,415,000	School and Community Center in Swakopmund in Namibia, Daniel Pearl Foundation, Namibian hospitals, Doctors Without Borders, Global Action for Children and others
12	Nicolas Cage	$2,000,000	Amnesty International for a fund to help child soldiers
12	Dwayne Johnson (“The Rock”) and Dany Garcia Johnson	$2,000,000	University of Miami to name new Alumni Center living room
12	Paul McCartney	$2,000,000	Adopt-A-Minefield
12	Arnold Palmer	$2,000,000	Pledged to the Arnold Palmer Foundation ultimately to benefit the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
16	David Geffen	$1,600,000	David Geffen Foundation
17	Susan Saint James and Dick Ebersol	$1,300,000	The Gunnery to help pay for a new dormitory in memory of their son Teddy killed in a plane crash
18	Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg	$1,250,000	Boston University to renovate facilities
19	Andre Agassi	$1,070,000	Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation
20	Tiki and Ronde Barber and family	$1,000,000	University of Virginia to support the McIntire School of Commerce, the Virginia Athletics Foundation, Childrens Hospital, a scholarship fund for African-American students, the Young Alumni Council, and to challenge young alumni to participate in the capital campaign
20	Bob Barker	$1,000,000	Georgetown University to endow a fund at its law school that will focus on the study of animal rights
20	Gloria Estefan	$1,000,000	The Miami Project
20	Dr. Phil McGraw & Robin McGraw	$1,000,000	Dr. Phil Foundation
20	George Steinbrenner & family	$1,000,000	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for Boshamer Stadium for baseball
20	Tony Stewart	$1,000,000	Victory Junction Gang Camp
20	Denzel Washington	$1,000,000	Save Africa's Children
27	Mike Sexton	$560,000	Special Olympics, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, Children, Inc., Wounded Warrior Project, Ohio State University, and other charities
28	Lance Armstrong	$500,000	Lance Armstrong Foundation
28	Dolly Parton	$500,000	Fort Sanders Medical Center
28	Elizabeth Taylor	$500,000	New Orleans AIDS Task Force to purchase mobile medical unit for AIDS sufferers in New Orleans

Pitt and Jolie Donate Millions to Charities

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 14:13:39 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are donating $1 million dollars each to Global Action for Children and Doctors Without Borders.

The philanthropic couple keep themselves busy doing what they can to help those in need. Earlier this year, Pitt helped judge the Global Green Sustainable Design Competition; Jolie has travelled to more than 20 countries since 2001 as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations; and they raised $7 million for charity by selling the rights to photos of their newborn daughter, Shiloh Nouvel. With a family such as this, it comes as no surprise that the latest donations were made through the couple’s own charity, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

The humanitarian organisations help to improve living conditions in poverty-stricken areas around the world.

Jennifer Delaney from Global Action for Children said, “Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt not only care, but more important, are taking concrete action to address the fact that there will be 20 million children orphaned by Aids by 2010, and millions more orphaned by tuberculosis, malaria and conflict or whose parents are sick and dying.”

“Their generous gift will enable us to continue assisting people whose plight is often forgotten, such as those displaced by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo or Sudan,” said Nicolas de Torrente, executive director of Doctors Without Borders.

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