Look To The Stars News: Pediatric Epilepsy Project

Win An Autographed Band From TV CD/DVD

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:00:00 -0000

Fans of great music and television’s hottest stars should aim to stay home in front of the TV this Friday, as Band From TV make an appearance on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. And Look To The Stars is giving you the chance to win an autographed copy of the group’s brand new CD/DVD, Hoggin All The Covers.

The all-star cover band donates all of its proceeds to charities – including Save the Children, The Art of Elysium, the Child Abuse Prevention Program and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence – through the Band From TV Global Charity Trust.

House star Hugh Laurie – who plays keyboards in the band – will take on vocal duties during their performance on The Tonight Show this Friday, January 16.

Greg Grunberg of Heroes fame will also be on the show. Grunberg started the band after being getting a few celebrities to play together at the House Of Blues for charity. The success of that event has led to a number of gigs in the US which have, according to Hugh Laurie, “raised a gargantuan sum of money for charity.”

Grunberg’s excitement about the project is clear in our recent exclusive interview with him.

“My oldest son has epilepsy,” said Grunberg. "And I saw this band as a wonderful vehicle to help raise money for the Pediatric Epilepsy Project. Having band mates who also happen to be in some of the most popular shows on television creates an amazing opportunity to really reach out to our fans to help support these wonderful causes."

Hoggin’ All The Covers

The Hoggin’ All The Covers DVD/CD set features 13 tracks – including “Piece of My Heart,” “Mustang Sally” and “The Letter” – recorded at a gig in LA, and the DVD includes footage of rehearsals, exclusive interviews and information on the charities that will benefit from sales. It is currently available on Amazon.com and Amazon.de, and will soon be available on Amazon.co.uk.

Even better, we have a signed copy to give away in a free prize draw.

How to enter

To enter our draw, just guess what song Hugh is going to sing on the show. We’ve included a hint below in case you’re not feeling lucky today!

Drop us a line at contests@looktothestars.org before the show airs on NBC on Friday at 11:35pm telling us your name, address, and the answer to the question. All correct answers will go into the random draw.

Hint: the song was originally recorded by Billy Preston for his 1973 album, Music Is My Life_. It then spent a week at #1 on the Billboard Charts during July of that year. Still too hard? It’s also Track 3 on the Hoggin’ All The Covers CDcode=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B001IDZGCU.

Band From TV Are Hoggin' All The Covers

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Band From TV is set to release its first CD/DVD for charity.

Hoggin’ All The Covers will be released on Amazon on October 28, and will feature a fine selection of the songs the celebrity funksters have been rocking audiences with since being formed in 2006.

Band From TV is a 9 piece musical ensemble set up by Heroes’ star Greg Grunberg, who plays drums, and features the talents of Desperate Housewives’ James Denton on guitar, House’s Hugh Laurie on keyboards, and Desperate Housewives’ Teri Hatcher on vocals. The full length album follows earlier releases on the House soundtrack and the top-selling version of Minnie The Moocher on iTunes.

The live CD features 13 tracks – including “Piece of My Heart,” “Mustang Sally” and “The Letter” – recorded at a gig in LA, and the DVD includes footage of rehearsals, exclusive interviews and information on the charities that will benefit from sales, such as Save the Children, The Art of Elysium, the Child Abuse Prevention Program and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The Band From TV Global Charity Trust was created to provide funding for several worthwhile charities, and to raise money through music to help those in need. Grunberg started the band after being asked to get a few celebrities to play together at the House Of Blues for charity. The event sparked a great amount of interest, and has led to a number of gigs in the US which have, according to Hugh Laurie, “raised a gargantuan sum of money for charity.”

The CD/DVD package will also be available from the Band From TV website.

Hugh Laurie - Band From TV For Charity

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 16:13:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A rock group comprising of some of television’s biggest stars has scored a hit on iTunes with their new version of the Cab Calloway classic, Minnie The Moocher.

Band From TV is a 9 piece musical ensemble set up by Heroes’ star Greg Grunberg, who plays drums, and features the talents of Desperate Housewives’ James Denton on guitar and House’s Hugh Laurie on keyboards.

“There’s about 50 versions of Minnie The Moocher on iTunes, and I’m afraid ours is the most popular,” joked Laurie about the song’s current success. “It’s a funky version of it… it was a real thrill.”

Money from the gigs is split between the members of the group to go to the cause they feel most passionately about, including The Art of Elysium and The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Laurie’s charity of choice is Save the Children, an organization he has close family ties to – his sister, Susan Lassen, helped found the Save The Children Long Island Volunteer Chapter and was a member of the Board of Trustees.

Greg Grunberg also has close personal ties to his chosen beneficiary. “My oldest son has epilepsy,” he said. "And I saw this band as a wonderful vehicle to help raise money for the Pediatric Epilepsy Project. Having band mates who also happen to be in some of the most popular shows on television creates an amazing opportunity to really reach out to our fans to help support these wonderful causes."

The band, which also includes Bonnie Somerville, Brad Savage and The Bachelor’s Bob Guiney, is currently preparing the final touches to their first album, due to be released this Fall in the US. The CD/DVD package, to be called “Hoggin’ All The Covers”, features reworked versions of classic songs such as Mustang Sally, Lean On Me, and Pink Cadillac. They have also had their take on the old Rolling Stones song, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, included on the recently released House soundtrack.

Band From TV’s versions of Minnie The Moocher and You Can’t Always Get What You Want can be heard on www.myspace.com/bandfromtv, and more information about concert dates and the new album can be found at www.bandfromtv.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).

Look To The Stars News: Pediatric Epilepsy Project

Win An Autographed Band From TV CD/DVD

Hoggin’ All The Covers

How to enter

Related past articles

Band From TV Are Hoggin' All The Covers

Related past articles

Hugh Laurie - Band From TV For Charity

Related past articles

The Hollywood Cookbook Launch Party

Related past articles