Look To The Stars News: Variety Club

LTTS Exclusive - The Variety Club 57th Annual Showbiz Awards

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Look To The Stars’ UK Correspondent Richard Barker was lucky enough to attend the Variety Club’s 57th Annual Showbiz Awards and filed this exclusive report and photos.

I was delighted to spend some time with A-list celebrities from music, film, theatre and television on the Red Carpet. The event was in aid of one of UK’s longest running children’s charities, The Variety Club, as it celebrated its Diamond Jubilee.

London saw some of the brightest stars from the showbiz world light up London’s West End as they congregated on the Red Carpet at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London W1 to show their support for one of UK’s longest running charities dedicated to sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people – The Variety Club – and to honour the most talented individuals from the world of entertainment at The Variety Club’s 57th Annual Showbiz Awards 2009. Don’t worry readers if you are based in England but weren’t there on the night – you’ll get a chance to watch the glitz, the glamour and hear the gossip on FIVE on Sunday 22nd November 2009 at 3.35pm.

The evening’s star-studded event commenced with an array of international A-list celebrities, industry stalwarts and leading luminaries from the worlds of film, television, comedy, theatre, popular music and classical music gracing the Red Carpet. The guest list welcomed names such as Kevin Spacey, Ben Kingsley, Patrick Stewart, Kelly Brook, Alesha Dixon, Dame Kelly Holmes (Ambassador for The Variety Club), David Suchet, Jon Culshaw, Alan Carr, Justin Lee Collins, Pixie Lott, Spandau Ballet, The Saturdays, Daniela Lavender, Faryl Smith and Joe Calzaghe. The stars shined for cameras as they made their way to an exclusive reception where champagne flutes were overflowing, as a prelude to a gourmet banquet and the coveted awards ceremony, which took place against a theatrical backdrop of exclusive world-class entertainment, including dazzling performances by Spandau Ballet, Pixie Lott and Faryl Smith.

The only event of its kind to honour the entire showbiz industry, this year’s winners included: Kevin Spacey, who was presented with the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre by fellow actor David Suchet; Justin Lee Collins, who was presented with the Television Presenter of the Year Award by Alan Carr; and Spandau Ballet, who were presented with the award for Outstanding Contribution to Popular Music by The Saturdays.

On receiving his award, Sir Ian McKellen said, "This is an over-generous recognition of a career which, in truth, has been its own reward. Acting is working with friends and entertaining people and that’s quite enough for me. The Variety Club is having its 60th birthday, which means I was ten years old at the time in 1949, living in the north of England in Wigan, Lancashire. I was, without knowing it, preparing for a life in show business.

The Variety Club is the essence of life for kids who desperately need the help to get healthy. I am full of admiration for the work you have done for the past 60 years and hope you carry on with the work you do. I am extremely honoured to be associated with this charity and this award."

The Variety Club Showbiz Awards is one of the most eagerly anticipated entries on the British entertainment calendar and has become an international celebrity institution in itself. Nearly every showbiz personality of note from the past 60 years has been honoured by The Variety Club, renowned for its strong links with the showbiz world, including Tommy Trinder, Dame Vera Lynn, Lord Laurence Olivier, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Sir Alec Guiness, Sir Michael Caine, Dame Helen Mirren, Dame Judy Dench, Ben Kingsley, Diana Dors, Daniel Craig, Keira Knightley, Jude Law, James McAvoy, Al Pacino, Peter Sellers, Tommy Cooper, Ricky Gervais, Alan Carr, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Katherine Jenkins and Hayley Westenra.

The Variety Club Showbiz Awards raises significant funds for and awareness of the work The Variety Club undertakes to help sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people. Celebrating its Diamond Jubilee this year, the charity has raised over £200 million and improved the lives of more than a million children and young people since its inception. Among its tireless work, the charity provides Sunshine Coaches, Easy Riders electric wheelchairs, exciting and educational trips, equipment for children’s hospitals and life enhancing equipment.

Also at this year’s Showbiz Awards, The Variety Club, in partnership with The Co-operative, revealed the face of its 2010 Gold Heart campaign – Alesha Dixon. The Gold Heart badges will be sold in Co-operative food, bank, travel and pharmacy stores from 28th January 2010. Owned by its members, The Co-operative has a long and proud history of supporting charities, community groups and other good causes. Every £1 donated in-store to the fund will help The Variety Club to provide vital, life-changing equipment to those children that need it most.

John Sachs, Chairman, The Variety Club Showbiz Awards comments, "Once again, the Showbiz Awards has honoured the UK’s top entertainment personalities embracing television, film, comedy, theatre, classical and popular music. As The Variety Club also celebrates its Diamond Jubilee this year, there was even more glamour, showbiz magic and star appeal than ever before.

The prestigious event also helped raise awareness and funds for The Variety Club’s praiseworthy work and as one of the UK’s longest serving charities dedicated to helping sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people, our sole and primary focus is to make sure every child and young person is given the chance to reach their fullest potential."

Here are some facts about The Variety Club:
The Variety Club provides practical solutions to allow sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people across the UK to reach their full potential. This year sees The Variety Club celebrate its 60th year of bringing hope, independence and freedom to children and young people. In the past 60 years The Variety Club has raised over £200 million and helped more than a million children and young people. The Variety Club has donated more than 3,300 Easy Riders electric wheelchairs and mobility aids since 1981, put 4,890 Sunshine Coaches on the road and given around £20 million to children’s hospitals. To find out more information or donate go to www.varietyclub.org.uk. Follow the Variety Club on twitter here.

Barry Manilow To Play Concerts For 25 Charities

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Barry Manilow fans listen up: the man himself will be performing in a series of charity concerts in California at the end of the year!

Manilow will perform 5 concerts at McCallum Theatre in Palm Springs in December, with each show benefiting five different charities.

“Being able to give back to my hometown, both in song and charitable support, makes this concert series a very personal and special event for me,” said Manilow. “The 25 recipient charities are invaluable to the Palm Springs community, so extending the holiday spirit of giving to these nonprofit organizations is really a special treat.”

Charities bebefiting from the shows include ACT for MS, Angel View Crippled Children’s Foundation, Animal Samaritans, Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS of the Desert), Boys & Girls Club of the Coachella Valley, Desert AIDS Project, Desert Arc, Desert Samaritans for the Elderly, Desert Paws, FIND Food Bank, Inc., Gilda’s Club Desert Cities California, Guide Dogs of the Desert, Healthy Family Foundation: The Ophelia Project, Joslyn Senior Center, Mourning Star Center, Olive Crest, One Heartland, Pegasus Riding Academy for the Handicapped, Shelter From The Storm, Stroke Recovery Center, Temple Isaiah Fund, The Living Desert, United Cerebral Palsy – Inland Empire, and Variety Club of the Desert.

Tickets will be available by clicking here from October 26. More information can be found here.

Lisa Snowdon Completes Charity Parachute Jump

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Model and TV and radio presenter Lisa Snowdon has completed her first parachute jump for charity – with the support of former boyfriend George Clooney.

Snowdon jumped from 13,000 feet to raise money for the Help A London Child scheme and the Shooting Star Hospice earlier this week. Last week, Look To The Stars revealed that George Clooney had donated $19,000 to the initiative.

“What a feeling,” said Snowdon. "When I got to the skydiving centre I was really nervous, it looked so high up. I don’t think I realized how high it was. My nerves were building when we went up in the plane and I felt really sick – it seemed to take forever to get up there. When we got up to 13,000ft the red light went on, then the yellow light which means it’s time to go and I freaked out.

“I had my legs dangling out of the plane and it felt so unnatural then suddenly we were out. We did this crazy back double somersault and I could see the bottom of the plane, it was the most surreal thing I’ve ever done. It happened so quickly I didn’t worry about the parachute. The freefalling was wild, it was just brilliant.”

Snowdon also took part in last week’s BGC Charity Day, which raised money for charities such as Barnardo’s, Breast Cancer Care, Help for Heroes and The Variety Club.

Bees Gees To Be Honored At Variety Club Dinner

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The two remaining members of the Bee Gees – Robin and Barry Gibb – are to recieve a special award from the Variety Club later this year.

The brothers Gibb will be honored with the charity’s highest accolade, the Silver Heart Tribute Award, in recognition of their outstanding services to the music industry and charity over the last half century.

“This event will be the highest profile Variety Club event of 2009,” said Lyn Staunton, Development Director for the Variety Club North West. “The Bee Gees are loved and respected worldwide and the Variety Club are honored and delighted that they are accepting this prestigious award in their home city of Manchester. Because we knew they were celebrating 50 years in showbusiness this year, we were especially keen to get everybody together for this event and it’s set to be a fantastic night.”

Joining Barry and Robin at the event – to be held at the Palace Hotel in Manchester on July 24 – will be their 88-year-old mother Barbara, as well as Yvonne Gibb, the widow of Maurice Gibb.

For 60 years Variety Club Children’s Charity has been helping sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people. They offer services such as “Sunshine Coaches” (minibuses for educational and fun outings) and also fund major hospital appeals. Each year the Variety Club donates electric wheelchairs, specialist beds, car seats, sensory equipment, standing frames and many other items that can change the life of a child in need.

Only 500 tickets are available to the event and can be obtained from Judi Davies at the Variety Club on 0161 236 0500 or via email through varietyclubnw@ btconnect.com. Prices range from £125-£500 and includes a three course meal.

Footballer's Wife Steps Up For Variety Club

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

The Variety Club’s Have A Heart program has received a little help from Coleen Rooney – wife of England football star Wayne Rooney – who’s urging the public to buy a Gold Heart pin badge for Valentine’s Day to help raise money for sick and disadvantaged youth.

Rooney, whose younger sister suffers from Rett Syndrome, purchased a badge she designed herself.

“The Variety Club is now in its 60th year, and amazingly in that time, the charity has helped almost a million children and young people who are sick, disabled or disadvantaged – and the work goes on!” she said. “That’s why I’m really happy to support the Variety Club and be a part of Gold Hearts this year…Every penny raised from Gold Hearts gives vital help and support to so many children and their families.”

The £1 badge is on sale from Thursday at retailers WH Smith, Wallis, H Samuel, Ernest Jones, Village Hotels, and Odeon Cinemas or directly from the Variety Club.

Frank Bruno's Night Out With Charitable Gentlemen

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Former world champion boxer Frank Bruno joined boxer John H Stracey and ITV World of Sport wrestler Tony ‘Banger’ Walsh at a charity black tie dinner in the UK last week.

47-year-old Bruno – who won the WBC Heavyweight Championship in 1995 – was one of 200 guests to attend the dinner, held at the Nailcote Hall Hotel near Berkswell, to raise money for Gentlemen’s Night Out, a charity helps sick or disabled children or their parents. Established over 40 years ago, Gentleman’s Night Out distributes funds to those that do not have the ability to raise funds themselves. Beneficiaries they have helped include Marie Curie Cancer Care, the Special Olympics, the Variety Club, and many more.

Last week’s dinner raised £2,500 through ticket sales and an auction that included boxing memorabilia.

More information about Gentleman’s Night Out can be found here.

Michael Caine Honored In Charity Showbiz Awards

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The 56th annual Variety Club Showbiz Awards were held in London on Sunday, November 16, to raise money for sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people in the UK.

Among the stars to be honored at the ceremony were Sir Michael Caine, who picked up the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Showbusiness, as well as Hayley Westenra, Alan Carr, Noel Edmonds, the cast of the Hairspray musical, Kenneth Branagh and James McAvoy.

“The Variety Club Showbiz Awards are the oldest and most established awards in the UK that recognize the outstanding talent in the field of entertainment,” said Variety Club’s Showbiz Chairman John Sachs. “Due to the generous donations of all our guests and supporters, the vital funds raised tonight will enable Variety Club to continue to support children and young people throughout the UK.”

The ceremony will be broadcast on Sky1 in the UK on November 30.

Stars Become Brokers For BGC Charity Day

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

BGC will hold its 4th Annual Global Charity Day on Thursday 11th September.

Consistent with its theme, “Working Globally – Giving Locally”, BGC’s offices around the world will raise money for charity as they commemorate September 11 by reaching out to help others.

In New York, London, Paris, Sydney and Hong Kong, celebrities from the worlds of music, stage, screen and sport will join the company’s brokers to help raise money for a number of selected charities. All of BGC’s global revenues generated from the day’s trading will be donated to charity.

Events will take place around the globe, with celebrities becoming stock brokers for a day. In New York, stars such as Tony Sirico, Donald Trump, Steve Buscemi, Regis Philbin, Matthew Modine, Leighton Meester, and Scott Gomez will become traders on Wall Street, while in London, Prince Charles will join Kevin Spacey and Jerry Hall in the City to trade on the markets.

Charities that will benefit from this year’s Charity Day will include: Barnardo’s, Breast Cancer Care, Scope, the Jodie Kidd Foundation, the Prince’s Trust, Baby Buggy, the Rainbow Trust, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Variety Club, the National Down Syndrome Society, the Valerie Fund, the Wounded Warrior Project, Nordoff-Robbins, and many more.

The annual Charity Day has raised over $15 million for charities around the world. For more information about this year’s events, visit the BGC website.

Stars Read Stories for Charity

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 12:41:12 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Joanna Lumley and Tony Robinson have lent their voice talents to a series of downloadable stories for children. Recordings of the Mr Men and Little Miss books from Roger Hargreaves’ best-selling series benefit the Variety Club, a charity which works with underprivileged children.

Lumley reads Little Miss Sunshine, Robinson reads Mr Tickle, and Wendy Richard tells the story of Little Miss Splendid.

Ben Shephard, Neil Fox and John Simm also tell stories from the beloved series.

Wendy Richard OBE said at her podcast recording: “I was delighted to be asked to read a Little Miss story for the celebrity podcast. It is a great way to raise money for the invaluable work Variety Club does to help underprivileged children have a better quality of life.”

There are seven recordings in all, costing £1.50 ($3) each, or £5 ($10) for the entire set. All of the proceeds go to the charity.

Look To The Stars News: Variety Club

LTTS Exclusive - The Variety Club 57th Annual Showbiz Awards

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