Look To The Stars News: Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Love Ride 2008 Attracts The Big Names

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:30:00 -0000

20,000 motorcyclists from across the U.S. and around the world rode in the 25th Annual Love Ride late last month and raised over US$1 million for Southern California-based charities.

The event – which was hosted by Jay Leno and featured celebrity riders such as Gene Simmons, Peter Fonda, Robert Patrick, Rutger Hauer, Larry Hagman, Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar, Michael Trucco (Battlestar Galactica), and Carmine Giovinazzo (CSI: NY) – culminated in a concert featuring the Foo Fighters, ZZ Top, and members of Velvet Revolver.

The annual Love Ride – held along the West Coast of the US from Glendale to Pomona – has raised over $21 million since it was launched in 1984, and is now one of the biggest one-day motorcycle events in the world. Beneficiaries of this year’s event included the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Autism Speaks, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Reading By 9 Child Literacy Initiative, Providence Saint Joseph Foundation, Catholic Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Special Olympics of Southern California, Frostig Center, Scleroderma Foundation, Glendale Community College, Rett Syndrome Foundation, Optimist Youth Homes & Family Centers, Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation, Friends of Castaic Lake, and the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.

J-Lo Completes Triathlon For Charity

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Jennifer Lopez has competed in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon and raised $127,000 for charity.

The singer and actress – who completed the event in 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 28 seconds – raised the money for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, a facility that provides seriously ill children with medical care from some of the country’s best doctors regardless of their families’ ability to pay.

“I feel really great and so glad I finished and that I made it out of the water – but more amazing than that, I feel really great that we raised $127,000 for the Children’s Hospital and hopefully it’ll go to good use,” said Lopez.

The event – which took place on Sunday – featured a half-mile ocean swim, an 18-mile bike ride, and a 4-mile run, with competitors making their way “through some of the most beautiful scenic roads in Malibu, with spectacular views of both the mountains and the Pacific Ocean“.

Lopez’s husband, Marc Anthony, supported the 39-year-old during the event, and Lopez was joined by Matthew McConaughey, who completed the event in 1 hour. Over $950,000 was raised for charity during the event.

Jennifer Lopez To Compete In Triathlon For Charity

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Jennifer Lopez will compete in her first triathlon to raise money for charity.

The 39-year-old singer and wife of Marc Anthony has just launched her new blog on the SELF magazine website, and will be joined by the magazine’s editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger when she takes part in the September 14 triathlon in Malibu, California.

“You have to start slow and give yourself time,” Lopez told Good Morning America. “I’m always challenging myself and seeing what I can do.”

Lopez was named as one of SELF’s 10 most inspiring women of 2008, and says she is determined to finish the triathlon… even if she “has to crawl across that finish line.”

As well as inspiring people to get out there and enjoy sports, Lopez is also raising money for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Readers of her blog can donate money to the charity as well as follow her progress as she trains for the event.

According to the SELF website, doing it “for the kids” was the main reason Lopez decided to compete in the triathlon , and she’s thrilled to raise money and awareness for one of the top children’s hospitals in the country.

DMC To Perform At Charity Bowling Event

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Darryl McDaniels – also known as DMC from veteran hip hop group Run DMC – is to perform at a charity after-party in Massachusetts next week.

The Beckett Bowl Post-Event Party at Rain Nightlife in Malden will close a night of celebrity charity bowling hosted by All-Star pitcher Josh Beckett on July 10.

The 44-year-old rap star will join a host of celebrities, including David Ortiz, Jon Lester, Mike Lowell, Javier Lopez, Tim Wakefield, David Aardsma and more as they raise money for the Josh Beckett Foundation and the Children’s Hospital Boston. Beckett Bowl is an annual fundraising event which supports community-based programs that strive to improve the health and wellbeing of children, and last year’s event raised over $275,000.

“I’m very excited that DMC is going to be part of the foundation’s second annual charity event,” said Beckett. “This is going to be an incredible night. With a celebrity of DMC’s stature and talent behind us, the rewards for the community and children of Greater Boston are sure to be great.”

The event will begin at 6pm with a Red Carpet event and autograph session. The bowling tournament will kick-off at 8pm. Local companies and individuals are invited to sponsor four-person bowling teams for the event, and each team will be joined by a celebrity teammate to compete for unique prize packages. Tickets to the after-party cost $100 and are available from Ticketmaster.

More information can be found at www.beckettbowl.com.

Paris Hilton Donates To Children's Hospital

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton has made a substantial donation to a children’s hospital in Los Angeles.

The Children’s Hospital Los Angeles announced on Thursday that the 27-year-old socialite had made an “extremely generous” donation towards the construction of a new building at their facility – a 460,000-square-foot Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, expected to open in 2010.

“I am so happy and fortunate to announce my support for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles,” said Hilton. “The children I have met through my involvement with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have truly touched my heart. I am proud to make a donation and lend my name to the fundraising effort to help children who are facing terribly serious illnesses. The fabulous new hospital facilities at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will provide a caring, healing environment for children and their families for many years to come.”

Hilton began her association with the hospital following her release from jail last year, and has also donated the proceeds from the launch of her eponymous clothing line last August to the facility. The size of the latest donation has yet to be made public.

Punk Bands Unite For Charity Auction

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:50:52 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Punk rockers – your attention please. Ready for a bit of anarchy in the name of a good cause? Why not check out the hot new ticket auction on eBay for the chance to attend the premier punk rock event of the year – the Vans Warped Tour. Not only could you get the chance to have the best seats at the venue – you could also join your favorite band ONSTAGE!

The 14th annual Vans Warped Tour will make stops in 46 US and Canadian cities, beginning on June 20 in Pomona, California, and concluding August 17 in Los Angeles, California. Each festival date features over 40 cutting-edge musical artists performing on five stages, as well as other attractions including top athletes in the action sports world, skateboard ramps and demonstrations, informational tents, autograph signings, giveaways, and lifestyle events. The 2008 Tour will feature leading punk and hard rock bands, including Against Me!, Angels & Airwaves, Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, Paramore, Pennywise, Relient K, The Academy Is, and others.

The TJ Martell Foundation has joined the 2008 Vans Warped Tour to bring you the Fifth Annual Charity Ticket Auction for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research. Beginning Monday, April 21, and running for three consecutive weeks, fans can bid on eBay for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to receive two tickets to “America’s most successful festival”. All proceeds from the Vans Warped Tour ticket auctions will benefit the life saving research conducted at The Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and others. The T. J Martell Foundation, founded in 1975 by Columbia/Sony music industry executive Tony Martell in memory of his son – a victim of leukemia – has since raised more than $230 million over 33-years to combat the world’s three most deadliest diseases – leukemia, cancer, and AIDS. The T. J. Martell Foundation’s Vans Warped Tour Ticket Auctions has generated over $40,000 in funding over the last 4 years.

Bidding in the auction, accessed through eBay, started yesterday and could score you one of 15 pairs of tickets and accompanying stage access passes for the first 15 tour dates available. Fifteen additional pairs of tickets with stage passes, for each additional 15 tour dates, will again be posted to eBay on April 28 and May 5.

More information about the Vans Warped Tour can be found at the event’s website.

Look To The Stars Asks Oscar Torre

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:16:45 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Oscar Torre’s face is one you will probably recognize. His role in the recent CBS drama Cane is just one in an impressive list that encompasses theater, television, and independent film, including CSI:Miami, Ladron Que Roba A Ladron, Hunting of Man, and film festival favorite Rent-A-Person.

One of the profession’s true tall, dark, and handsome leading men, Torre first gained attention with the lead role in Libertad, in which he played a Cuban artist unjustly sentenced to 15 years jail. NBC-TV critic Maria Salas predicted Torre would “be the next Latin star”, and her prophecy looks set to come true.

Torre is constantly being sought out by top directors to fill challenging roles, but Look To The Stars was lucky enough to catch up with him and ask a few questions about his charity work, as well as his ideas on how to make the world a better place.

A few weeks ago you attended an AIDS fundraiser for the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science. Tell us a little about the night and what attracted you to it.

I got the invitation from Latin Heat Magazine, who were doing the event in conjunction with Charles Drew Hospital. They said it was a fundraiser for AIDS, and that obviously caught my attention right away – because it’s an important cause and you’ve gotta be blind not to be affected by it.

Do you know anyone who has been affected by AIDS?

Oh yeah, definitely, over the years, in the theater and the entertainment industry. And years ago… I was a therapist for people who had alcohol and drug problems. I was a substance abuse counselor, and I worked in that field for eight years when I first started acting. I worked in a mental health hospital… we had many people who were HIV positive or had AIDS, and also we had an HIV testing program… so I ended up meeting a lot of people who ended up testing HIV positive.

What can people do about the AIDS problem?

There are many organizations that are out there helping; they can go online; you can donate money; you can donate time, you can volunteer to the hospitals – you should inform yourself, I think that’s the key. Some people are afraid of it, and they think that by not knowing about it then they are safe – [but] ignorance is dangerous.

In November you attended the 15th annual Diversity Awards, which celebrated cultural diversity in the fields of film and television. That’s obviously another issue that you are interested in. What is its importance to you?

We have people from all over the world come over here [to America], and I think that films should represent that. I think it’s getting a little better. My parents are Cuban. When I was growing up… there weren’t too many Cubans on TV… Steven Bauer on Scarface was a Cuban, and later Andy Garcia, but that was about it. I didn’t see many Cubans on the TV.

Cane obviously had a lot of ethnic diversity in it.

Yes, it was incredible, it was the first time ever that I found myself going to work and most people there were Spanish. And all these faces that you never see in the same place together… it was very diverse.

On your website you have a link to a children’s cancer charity called Padres Contra el Cancer. That’s obviously a cause close to your heart, tell me a little about that.

One of my jobs here when I moved to LA was as a Spanish interpreter at the Children’s Hospital of LA. So having worked there, I saw firsthand the jobs the doctors, nurses, and everybody in children’s hospitals do. It’s their profession, but the passion that they have for these kids is amazing. And I saw true courage from these children I never imagined, and that courage from the kids and the parents and the professionals was something that really moved me.

As a kid I was an asthmatic, although I’m no longer, thank God. Up to the age of 12 I was very sick, so I spent a lot of time at the Children’s Hospital in Miami. So in a way, I owe them a lot.

What sort of work do you do for children’s hospitals now?

Whenever I’m on a talk show or something like that, I always mention them as one of the causes that people should support. It’s one of the advantages of being on TV, you have that vehicle that reaches thousands or even millions of people.

What would you tell someone who wants to help a cause?

I would tell people to find what you are passionate about, what has touched your life, and give. To give is very rewarding…you will be helping yourself.

In what way do you think you help yourself by giving to others?

It’s very rewarding to know that by doing a little on your part, just taking a few minutes or writing a check for a few dollars, it goes a long way for all these causes that are really fighting to be able to get money. And if you don’t have money, then give time. Do your part.

What would attract you to a charity? How could they gain your attention?

I try to look for the things that move me, something I’m passionate about.

I can only say for myself, I don’t know about other actors, but [charities] can always reach me, and if they are who they say they are and they’re a good cause, I’m usually more than happy to lend my name or even my presence. By giving them my presence, by mentioning them, I know I’m helping them… that’s one of the great things about being in the public eye, that you’re really able to help people in need, sometimes just by mentioning them. Because if you put that into money value of having to get PR or something, its worth a lot.

How can 1 person make a difference?

I think that by doing the little things… sometimes we think of a problem and we look at the big picture, [and we think] there’s nothing we can do about that. But if you think in your place, in your home, in your person, what you can do, what small things you can do to make them better, then you’re doing your part. At home, you can decide to be environmentally aware, what you throw in the garbage, how you dispose of things. If you deal with respect towards your neighbor, your neighbor will hopefully deal the same way with you. If everybody does all these little things, then I think it affects the world you live in, globally I think it translates into countries getting along – if you take one person at a time. If you do your part, if you are responsible, and are respectful, then I think it goes a long way. I think that’s what sometimes we’re lacking.

It starts at home. It starts as parents. Those people who are out there who are parents of little kids, they should teach them self respect and teach them to respect others, to care for the environment, to be respectful towards your neighbor. Then I think these little kids will grow up to be adults who grow up to act in the same way.

Do you think the way your parents brought you up has affected the way you live your life today?

Totally, I owe everything to them. I have a younger brother, and he and I have this conversation all the time. We are very clear that we are a product of the way we were brought up and the values we were taught. He’s a school teacher, and he [finds] the same problems he sees in the students when he meets the parents – he sees the same problems in the adults. The student’s problems are just a symptom of what’s going on at home. Unfortunately the students soon become adults, and the cycle will go on and on and on.

What made you become an actor?

I fell into acting by accident. For my last credit in college, I needed an elective, and the only class that was available at the time I could attend was an acting class. The girlfriend I had at the time signed me up for the class because I couldn’t sign up myself, I was very shy. She thought it would be very funny for me to be stuck in an acting class.

What’s your next project?

I’m going to Miami in two weeks to shoot a film that’s meaningful to me. It’s about school violence. I play a hostage negotiator who talks this kid out of killing everybody in the classroom. The story is the kid has been bullied, and finally the kid snaps, and kind of goes crazy and goes into school with a weapon, and takes a class hostage. So they call in a hostage negotiator. The film has a lot of heart, and it has a good message. And that’s one of the reasons why I took the project when it was offered to me, because I thought it was a good message.

Do you always try to pick roles that have a good message?

I try to do that whenever possible. Sometimes it’s not possible, but if the message is something I cannot get behind, then I will not do the project.

In one or two sentences, can you give our readers one final message on how they can make the world a better place?

Love yourself and love your neighbor.

Thanks very much for your time, Oscar, and all the best.

Celebrity Soccer Match Scores For Charities

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:24:53 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Former US soccer player/World Cup champion Mia Hamm and her husband, Major League Baseball player Nomar Garciaparra, have rallied some of their closest celebrity friends for a charity soccer match benefiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Mia Hamm Foundation.

Nearly 6,000 fans attended the event at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, on January 26 to witness celebrities play the “beautiful game” while raising awareness about bone marrow disease. Fittingly enough, it was Mia Hamm who scored the first goal for her team, while Garciaparra coached his team from the sidelines, unable to play due to Major League Baseball restrictions.

“No one else has an event like this, where they get to go out and play soccer,” said Garciaparra.

The Celebrity Soccer Challenge, which aims to be an annual event, was inspired by the loss of Hamm’s brother.

“I understand the pain of bone marrow disease first hand,” explains Hamm on her website. “In 1997, my brother Garrett passed away from complications related to aplastic anemia. Through an all-star exhibition soccer match, we are able to raise awareness and funds for bone marrow disease research, and to support families through the marrow transplant process. It was clearly my most satisfying moment away from the field.”

Through her foundation, Mia Hamm has brought her competitive spirit to the field and beyond in support of raising funds and awareness for bone marrow transplant patients.

“You change a family’s life—not just the recipient’s, but the entire family’s life – forever,” she said. “You change that despair and struggle they’ve had, and give them an opportunity for hope.”

During halftime, Hamm appealed to the audience to get tested for the National Marrow Donor Program Registry, while recipients of transplants were also on hand to tell their stories.

“If I got just one more person signed up, that’s one more opportunity that someone out there has,” she said.

Hamm inspired at least one participant to take action – Paul Caliguri, who was playing on team Nomar United. “During halftime, I heard the stories and I was so moved,” said Caliguri. “I’m registered now. It’s fantastic. I ran up the stairs and came back before the end of the game.”

Team Mia FC’s roster included such celebrities as retired Baseball pro Mike Lieberthal, New England Revolution players Taylor Twellman & Pat Noonan, Chris Albright of the U.S. Men’s Soccer team, actor Milo Ventimiglia, comedians Andy Samberg and Seth Myers of Saturday Night Live fame, soccer hero Eric Wynalda, actor Eric Braeden, actress Elizabeth Shue, and Ty Pennington.

“I’m friends with Mia, because she was on the show with us one time,” said Pennington, host of ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’. “Shining a light on the bone marrow thing is really cool. I lost a cousin to it, but another friend of mine fought it and won. There really is hope out there. A cotton swab [the testing method for the registry often is a cheek cell sample] goes a long way.”

Team Nomar United included skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, musician Rivers Cuomo, US soccer player Landon Donovan, actress Bianca Kajlich, Ted Colleti, actor/comedian Carlos Mencia, Dodgers VP Kim Ng, Peter Vagenas of the LA Galaxy, and actor/activist Anthony LaPaglia.

The light-hearted game, which was played with lax rules, even gave some celebrities a chance to play against their own heros: “I was pretty stoked to play with Tony Hawk,” said Paul Caliguri, a member of Team Normar United. “I was trying to feed him the ball so he could score, but maybe he needed a skateboard to do that.”

More praise came from Rivers Cuomo of the band Weezer, who knocked in Nomar United’s first goal: “It was a dream come true,” Cuomo said. “Passing with Landon Donovan and going against Mia Hamm—it’s just unreal. I was terrified, but I was so excited that the excitement overcame the terror.”

And perhaps the highest praise came from Los Angeles Galaxy’s general manager Alexi Lalas: “As far as I’m concerned, Mia Hamm in the soccer community is royalty – so when the queen calls, you go.”

Donations from the Celebrity Soccer Challenge will benefit bone marrow transplant patients and their families. All proceeds from the event will benefit funds set up at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

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.

Johnny's Angels Party For Charity

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:18:34 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Celebrity father of two Johnny Depp is so moved by parenthood that he now takes time to care about all children.

The actor says becoming a parent has given him a “real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything.”

At his induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame he wore a bracelet in memory of Dustin, a child from the Children’s Hospice Coalition, and in 2006, he received the Courage to Care award in recognition of his contributions to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

“Johnny Depp embodies the very spirit of the `Courage to Care’ Award because he puts smiles on the faces of thousands of children through his great work on film, and his longtime private advocacy of children and children’s charities is nothing short of inspirational,” says Ms. Fernandez-Farrand, a member of the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Board of Trustees.

His fans certainly find him inspirational, and on November 10th, his philanthropic fan club, Johnny’s Angels, are holding a fundraising party for the Children’s Hospice Coalition in New York. For more information, go to Johnny’s Angels on MySpace.

Lopez Auctions Clothing for Children's Hospital

Wed, 17 May 2006 21:23:00 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

The Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is set to benefit from an upcoming online auction of clothing owned and worn by Jennifer Lopez.

Seven items will be sold to the highest bidder at overstock.com in the week of May 16th-23rd, including a brown poncho, a blue satin gown and jeans with Lopez’s signature.

J Lo organised a similar auction last year for the hospital.

Look To The Stars News: Children's Hospital Los Angeles

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