Look To The Stars News: Music for Relief

Stars Raise Cash In Celebrity Charity Smackdown

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:30:00 -0000

South by Southwest (SXSW, Inc.) is a private company based in Austin, Texas, dedicated to building and delivering conference and festival events for entertainment and related media industry professionals. Since 1987, SXSW has produced the internationally recognized Music and Media Conference & Festival and this year they’ve added a new twist.

SXSW, in conjunction with PayPay, have kicked off the first ever social-media smackdown and charity fundraiser at Mashable and Blurb’s SXSW Bash at Six Lounge in Austin.

Here’s how it works: PayPal has challenged nine celebrity teams to raise the most money for their chosen charities via social media sites and blogs. Fans can help by copying their favorite celebrity’s PayPal fundraising widget to their MySpace pages, Facebook page, or personal Web sites to encourage friends to donate.

The ‘Smackdown’ runs March 16-26, when PayPal will announce the winner and make an additional donation to the winning celebrity’s charity of choice.

Participating celebrities include Alec Baldwin, who is raising money for the Actors Fund of America.

“The Actors Fund is the pre-eminent organization for assisting all of my friends and colleagues in performing arts and entertainment around the country,” said Alec Baldwin, star of NBC television program “30 Rock.” “Most of those who work in this business are not stars – they’re working professionals who have no place else to turn when times are difficult. Please help them continue their vital work with your generous support.”

Also taking part are:

Corbin Bleu, benefiting Stand Up To Cancer.

“I am proudly supporting Stand Up to Cancer, because this organization is determined to bring an end to a disease that affects one out of every two men and one out of every three women,” said actor and recording artist, Corbin Bleu. “There are amazing causes in this Smackdown, but I hope I can put a spotlight on SU2C and its pledge to end cancer’s reign as a leading cause of death.”

Ernie Johnson, benefiting Samaritan’s Feet .

“I am honored to be the spokesperson for Samaritan’s Feet,” said Ernie Johnson, famous NBA reporter. “This organization demonstrates compassion to the poorest of the poor through servant leadership by washing their feet and telling them that they are loved. We are no different from them. We just happen to be born in the US and not a Third World country. I feel blessed and privileged to be the voice of these children who don’t have one.”

Kyle Petty, benefiting the Victory Junction Gang.

“Victory Junction is excited to participate in this charity challenge, which will raise awareness and funds for children with chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses,” said NASCAR driver Kyle Petty. “In these economic times, raising money is more important than ever, and we appreciate the fundraising opportunity PayPal, in partnership with Mashable, has given us to continue to deliver life-changing camping experiences.”

Other participating celebrities include Brea Grant for Girls Rock Camp Austin, Elevenmoms for Share Our Strength, Hayden Panettiere for The Whaleman Foundation, Linkin Park for Music for Relief, and Pete Cashmore for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

Donations can also be made directly on the Charity Smackdown homepage, where details about the celebrity teams and their causes will be showcased.

Stars Sign Hardhats For Charity Auction

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles has launched an online auction at Clothes Off Our Back featuring hardhats signed by celebrity volunteers and supporters of Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity.

The hardhats are signed and decorated by music, television and film stars including: Green Day, Ricky Martin, Linkin Park, U2, Justin Timberlake, The Jonas Brothers, Carrie Underwood, Stevie Wonder and many more. The auction will run through March 6 with 100% of the proceeds helping to build more affordable homes in Greater Los Angeles.

“Through our non-profit organization, [”Music for Relief":http://www.looktothestars.org/charity/551-music-for-relief], and our ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity we have had the opportunity to not only sponsor homes, but also to go and build the houses ourselves, and to meet the families that were moving into them," said Dave “Phoenix” Farrell of Linkin Park. “We hope this hardhat auction will raise awareness for Habitat’s mission and help raise funds for families in need.”

In 2007 Habitat for Humanity kicked off its “Building a Greater Los Angeles” campaign to build and renovate 250 more homes. In conjunction with the “Building a Greater Los Angeles” Gala held last fall, Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity held a successful online auction with VIP experiences and signed memorabilia donated by celebrity supporters, which raised over $75,000. Following the success of the first online auction, Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity began outreach to high profile supporters, as well as new supporters, who wanted to support Habitat’s mission which resulted in more than 70 signed hardhats. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver were among those who autographed hardhats to help kick off this auction.

“I have had the chance to personally give the keys to several families moving into homes sponsored by the Ricky Martin Foundation in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, an organization I’ve been involved with for many years. I’ve been fortunate enough to see with my own eyes the difference a home makes in the life of a child,” said Ricky Martin. “Now, by simply bidding on an item in an auction, you have the chance to change lives and build hope.”

“Los Angeles continues to rank last in housing affordability and this kind of support helps us raise awareness, as well as much needed funding, to help low income families live in safe, decent homes,” said Erin Rank, president/CEO Habitat for Humanity of Greater L.A. “These hardhats are very special as most were signed the day of an actual build and we are thrilled to receive these fun and generous donations.”

Other stars to sign the hard hats include: Chris Pine, David Archuleta, Enrique Iglesias, Gavin Rossdale, Kate Beckinsale, Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Josh Groban, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Neil Diamond, Ne-Yo, the Pussycat Dolls, Taylor Swift, Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron. A complete list of celebrity supporters of this auction can be found at the auction site.

Linkin Park Need Your Help To Rescue Haiti

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Rockers Linkin Park have joined up with SocialVibe.com to help raise $25,000 by the end of April to help in Haitian recovery initiatives.

Bass player David “Phoenix” Farrell has recorded a special PSA detailing the disastrous effects of Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hannah and Ike on the country.

“Music for Relief is partnering with communities in Haiti as they recover from these storms,” he said. "We’re helping to ensure that they’re better prepared to deal with future hurricanes and floods. In addition to collecting funds, we’re using a site called SocialVibe for the first time to earn money for the food and clean drinking water that the people of Haiti so desperately need.

“Here’s what we’re asking you to do: visit SocialVibe.com/musicforrelief and add SocialVibe to your MySpace, Facebook, blog or whatever online profiles you use. This will enable you to earn donations for Music For Relief’s work in Haiti, without even opening your own wallet. The member who invites the most friends to join SocialVibe will win a trip to Los Angeles to hang out with me and the rest of the guys and come see us in the studio working on our newest album.”

SocialVibe.com is a new social media platform revolutionizing the way people use social networks for the common good by allowing members to earn donations rather than giving from their own wallets. This past August, four hurricanes hit Haiti leaving hundreds of thousands homeless and without food and clean drinking water. Currently 5.1 million people do not have enough food. Music for Relief is participating in the long term recovery effort in Haiti and summoning the help of SocialVibe.com and their members to help accomplish its goal.

To watch the PSA and learn more about how you can help Music for Relief, click here.

Linkin Park To Play Charity Concerts In China

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Rockers Linkin Park are set to play two charity concerts in China in October.

The shows will take place on October 12 at the 80,000-seat Shanghai Stadium and on October 19 at the 72,000-seat Beijing Workers’ Stadium, and will feature top Taiwanese rock group Mayday. Each band will perform for about 90 minutes to – according to organizers – make it the “first ever East meets West rock concert” in China.

Proceeds from the concerts will be donated to Linkin Park’s Music for Relief – a charity they established in 2005 to provide aid to victims of natural disasters around the world – to help with reconstruction of China’s quake-devastated Sichuan Province. Lead vocalist Chester Bennington said the band hopes the concerts will call more attention to the ongoing efforts in the quake-affected areas and that they are proud to be helping the people in need.

Tickets, from 100 yuan (US$14) to 1,600 yuan (US$230), are available from www.ticketmaster.cn.

Linkin Park To Accept Donation

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Rockers Linkin Park will be in New York today, July 24, to accept a $25,000 check for their Music for Relief organization.

Singer Mike Shinoda and bassist David “Phoenix” Farrell will be on hand at the Champs Sports store on Times Square at 11:30am to receive the donation, which will be used to benefit victims of natural disasters. The donation has been made by Major League Baseball’s Authentic Collection and Champs Sports, both of which are sponsors of the band’s current Projekt Revolution tour.

The occasion is being used to highlight the issues Music For Relief and Linkin Park are working to alleviate, including their work to respond to natural disasters as they occur to help victims recover and rebuild, with an emphasis on housing, education programs and resources. The organization, which the band established in 2005, also aims to prevent and decrease future natural disasters by reducing greenhouse gasses, seeking renewable forms of energy, and educating the public about climate change.

In the past, Linkin Park has helped raise money to benefit victims of Hurricane Charley in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They also helped relief efforts for the 2004 Tsunami victims by staging several charity concerts, and organized an auction last year to help victims of the California wildfires.

Stars Keep On Giving

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:28:26 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The giving just keeps on going this holiday season, with a whole bunch of celebrities donating items to charity auctions, and others taking the time to attend events and fork out massive amounts of money for good causes.

Such was the case on December 11, when the husband and wife team of Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith paid $50,000 for a pair of artworks by Joan Miro and Salvador Dali at an auction in Chile.

“They bought the two works for a price much higher than their commercial value, because the proceeds of the auction went to [”UNICEF":http://www.looktothestars.org/charity/1-unicef]," said Denise Ratinoff, head of the auction house that ran the event. “It was virtually a donation to UNICEF, and it helped a lot. Their presence in the auction made many other people also pay steeply for what they purchased.”

The previous day, on the other side of the world, another auction also saw generous donations for a good cause. A classic car belonging to actress Sharon Stone was sold for $400,000 at a charity auction during Dubai’s fourth international film festival, with the money going to the American Foundation for AIDS Research, of which Stone is the Global Fundraising Chairperson.

The 1961 Lincoln Continental was valued at only a fraction of the price it attracted, and went to a mystery bidder. It was the biggest item to be sold at the event, which drew other celebrity guests such as Michelle Yeoh and Hayden Christenson, and raised a total of $3 million for the charity.

Rockers Linkin Park launched their third charity auction through their non-profit organization, Music for Relief, last week, and raised thousands of dollars for survivors of the November 15 cyclone in Bangladesh.

The band donated items such as VIP concert tickets and a customized Xbox to the eBay auction, and were joined by donations from Avril Lavigne, the Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna, Avenged Sevenfold, Slayer, and the Deftones, with all proceeds going to the humanitarian organization, CARE.

Over 3,500 people were killed during the cyclone, and many more were left homeless, with the government seeking $2.2 billion in foreign aid to assist with helping survivors. The auction followed Linkin Park’s auction in November to raise money for victims of the California wildfires.

That auction may have finished, but one still running right now offers bidders a vehicle with a difference – a BugE. If you don’t know what a BugE is (or even how to pronounce it – the advertising information says it is pronounced “Bugeeeeeeeee”), then you are not the only one. However, to enlighten you a little bit, a BugE is a clean, green cross between a motorcycle and a three-wheeled car that draws its power from electricity stored in batteries, instead of from harmful liquid fuels. And this particular BugE up for sale has been signed by nearly 100 different celebrities, such as John Legend, Rodney Peete, Ne-Yo, and Chris Daughtry.

The eBay auction runs until December 20, and 30% of the proceeds will go to Autism Speaks to help people who struggle with this debilitating condition.

Another celebrity stepping into the world of internet auctions this month is Brad Pitt, who is going to part with his favorite gray hat. Pitt and his gray cap have seemed inseparable since he moved to New Orleans, and he has worn it for photos, at the Beowulf movie premier, and even during his recent Larry King Live interview. But now he is going to throw his hat into the ring, so to speak, for charity, with all proceeds going to his Make It Right organization. There will be more information when the auction dates are finalized.

And finally today, Paris Hilton is set to make a splash with her new champagne in a can, Rich Prosecco.

The hotel heiress was in Berlin, Germany, last week to launch her new “bubbly blonde” drink – which comes in original, passion fruit, and strawberry flavors – and to announce that 20% of all sales will go to a charity that provides fresh drinking water to those in need.

“It is the perfect ‘starter drink’ for your night out,” said the 26-year-old. “Or a special pleasure as a reward for the end of your day.”

The drink will be released in the US early next year.

Stars Line Up For Wildfire Auction

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:19:45 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

An exciting new auction, featuring memorabilia from rock bands young and old, has been launched on eBay to raise funds and awareness for victims of the recent Californian wildfires.

Rockers Linkin Park, and their charitable foundation Music for Relief, have teamed up with the non-profit organization Unite The United to stage the auction, which runs on eBay Giving Works until November 15. Proceeds from the auction are to be donated to the California Community Foundation’s Southern California Relief Fund, which is working hard in the aftermath of the wildfires to support victims and firefighters. A portion of the money raised will also go to American Forests, an organization that will help with the reforestation of 800 square miles of greenery destroyed in the fires that raged for over two weeks from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border.

Over 60 items, including signed instruments and concert tickets, are up for sale in the auction, which follows an earlier donation of $50,000 made by Linkin Park to wildfire victims. This was followed by a donation from classic rockers the Eagles, also of $50,000, made to the firefighters involved in stopping the fires, and $160,000 donated to the cause by Gwen Stefani.

Some of the items in the auction have already raised bids of $1000, including an Xbox 360 game console featuring artwork and signatures from Linkin Park. The Eagles have donated signed CDs, as have stadium favorites Chicago. Aerosmith has donated a drum kit signed by singer Steven Tyler, and other merchandise from artists as diverse as Madonna, Tori Amos, Green Day, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, Rob Zombie, and Less Than Jake is available to the highest bidder.

Linkin Park, known for their nu metal albums Hybrid Theory and Meteora, founded Music For Relief in 2005 to provide aid to victims of natural disasters, and have in the past donated over $2 million to causes such as Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami in South East Asia. Singer Chester Bennington decided to join together with the Unite The United Foundation, whose mission is to encourage music fans, artists, and industry leaders to work towards positive changes in the community, after being moved by images of the wildfires that left 90 people injured, 12 dead, and destroyed over 2000 homes and buildings. Over 900,000 people were evacuated during the fires, and the band hopes the proceeds from the auction will be used to aid the victims in their intermediate and long-term recovery, especially in terms of the provision of affordable housing.

The auction can be viewed at www.ebay.com/cawildfires.

Linkin Park VIP Packages Available on eBay

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:20:44 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Linkin Park fans have just one day left to bid on VIP packages for the Project Revolution Tour. The band is auctioning off VIP packages, inviting fans to help them raise funds for their Music for Relief Foundation.

The winner of each auction will receive two premium tickets to the concert, an autographed poster and a meet-and-greet with the band. All proceeds go to the foundation, which helps those affected by natural disasters, and strives to prevent and decrease future natural disasters by raising environmental awareness together with American Forests.

The concert cities included in the auction are Hartford, CT;
Syracuse, NY; Holmdel, NJ; Noblesville, IN; Tinley Park, IL; Raleigh, NC and Englewood, CO.

Bidding on the packages ranges from $200 to $770 so far, depending on the concert’s city. To place a bid or see what the lot is going for in your area, go to the Project Revolution page on eBay.

eBay Busy With Charity Auctions

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:27:49 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Ebay Giving Works, the program set up by the internet giant dedicated to charity auctions, is busy this month with an influx of musicians selling items for good causes.

Country singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw lead the charge by offering a brand new 2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon on the eBay site. All proceeds from the auction will go towards their Neighbor’s Keeper Foundation, the non-profit organization they founded in 2005 to provide funding for community based charities.

The winner of the auction will also receive a trip for two to Las Vegas, two tickets to Hill and McGraw’s Soul2Soul concert on August 4, backstage passes with an opportunity to meet the singers, and autographed photos.

The Neighbor’s Keeper Foundation has already raised over $1 million for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and the jeep is expected to raise at least another $35,000. The auction runs from July 4 to July 14, and can be found at www.ebay.com/jeepsoul2soul.

Other musicians with items for sale this month include rock group Incubus, who have made 25 VIP packages available for their up-coming sell-out tour in America. Proceeds from the online auction will go towards the band’s Make Yourself Foundation, which funds various causes and charities around the world.

Some fans are already bidding over $400 for the packages, which include tickets to their shows, the chance to meet the band backstage, and autographed photos.The auction runs from June 11 to July 16, and is found at www.ebay.com/incubus.

Rockers Linkin Park are offering 1 VIP package to each show in their upcoming Projekt Revolution tour – 28 dates in all. Each package includes two premium tickets to the venue of your choice, a backstage meet and greet with the band, and an autographed poster.

The auction will support Music for Relief, an organization set up by the band to help victims recover and rebuild after natural disasters. It was established in 2005 to provide aid for those affected by the tragic tsunami in South Asia, and has also raised over $2 million for Hurricane Katrina and Rita victims. The auction runs from July 5 to August 9, and can be viewed at www.ebay.com/musicforrelief.

VIP packages continue to be the theme with Beyoncé Knowles’ auction at www.ebay.com/beyonce.tour. Two winning bidders will have the opportunity to watch her up-coming New York and Los Angeles shows from front row seats, meet Beyonce backstage, and receive autographed photos. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Survivor Foundation, an organization the singer started with her family in 2005 to assist Hurricane Katrina victims. The auction runs from June 8 to July 24.

Not to be outdone by the younger generation, several classic rock acts are also running online auctions at eBay this month.
Sting and The Police are offering a series of ticket packages, which include meet and greets and autographed memorabilia. All proceeds from the auction benefit MusiCares, the charitable arm of the Recording Academy.

MusiCares focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues, especially those that have a direct impact on the health and welfare of the music community.
One of the VIP packages to meet the band has already sold for over $1500, and bidding for the others closes on July 6. The auction can be viewed at www.ebay.com/grammys.

Finally this month, former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is auctioning the double neck Gibson guitar he used on the 1971 Led Zeppelin IV tour. This is the guitar he played “Stairway To Heaven” on for every night of the tour, and 10% of the proceeds will go to MusiCares. The auction runs from July 23 to August 2 on eBay.

Ebay also expects to offer a large selection of signed Live Earth products after the Live Earth concerts on July 7.

Look To The Stars News: Music for Relief

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