Look To The Stars News: Make It Right

Brad Pitt Makes It More Right

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Brad Pitt has announced that his Make It Right Foundation has raised enough money to build 90 new homes in New Orleans.

The star only expected to raise enough to build 84 homes by this stage in the project, but due to unprecedented support from the public, there is enough to create 6 more houses in the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged area of the Lower Ninth Ward.

Pitt followed the announcement by visiting the area with his wife, Angelina Jolie, and children Maddox, 7, and Pax, 5, to view his housing project on Tuesday.

The actor hopes to raise enough cash to build 150 homes in the Lower Ninth Ward, with an emphasis on affordability and eco-awareness.

Brad Pitt And George Clooney Hold Fundraising Dinner

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Hollywood hunks Brad Pitt and George Clooney will kick off this year’s Venice film festival on Wednesday, August 27, with the world premiere of their latest film and a fundraising dinner for charity.

The dinner will benefit Not On Our Watch, the organization the pair founded to raise awareness of the crisis in Darfur and emphasize global humanitarian issues. It is expected to attract a number of high profile guests, and will take place on August 26, the day before the festival opens. Clooney and Pitt will also appear at the premiere of their new crime comedy Burn After Reading, directed by 2008 Oscar-winning duo Joel and Ethan Coen and co-starring John Malkovitch and Tilda Swinton.

Brad Pitt is also happy to announce that a New Orleans company has been contracted to provide the solar panels for the first wave of new homes being constructed in his Make It Right campaign in the Hurricane Katrina-devastated Lower 9th Ward of the city.

“We are excited to have been selected by Make It Right New Orleans for this important residential project in New Orleans,” said Troy Von Otnott, president of South Coast Solar (SCS), the company who will provide the panels. “The utilization of solar power for these homes will enable these returning homeowners to live in more environmentally responsible homes that use less energy, which for the homeowners will translate into significantly lower energy bills.”

SCS was chosen following a nationwide call for interested companies to submit proposals. The company will also be the solar power consultant for the first Make It Right homes, and the first wave of installations is expected to be finished on August 29 – the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Brad Pitt Partners With Kiehl’s For The Environment

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Jennifer Beckmann

If you are one of the many women who claim Brad Pitt and luxury beauty brand Kiehl’s as two of your favorite things, you are in luck!

Mega movie star, philanthropist, and father of six Brad Pitt has teamed up with Kiehl’s to create the brand’s first 100% eco-friendly product. Kiehl’s Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser will hit stores at $16.50 a bottle in October and be a permanent addition to the brand’s renowned line of products. One hundred percent of the proceeds from sales of the body wash will go towards JPF Eco Systems, a new non-profit launched by Pitt and Kiehl’s. The mission of the new charity is to “minimize impact on the environment through thoughtful design.”

The body cleanser will be packaged in recycled plastic and consist of all-natural ingredients like aloe vera, coconut, and glycerin. The formula is free of environmental foes like parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, and dyes. The bottle’s label will include a reproduced hand-written note from Pitt himself, though Pitt will not be appearing in any advertisements for the product. The cleanser will be available at Kiehl’s stores, department store counters, and online.

Commenting on the lack of print advertisements bearing Pitt’s famous face, Kiehl’s senior VP of Global Marketing, Roberta Weiss, told WWD, “Brad is not a face, he’s a partner. We shared a vision, to support this new way of thinking – being more eco-intelligent.”

WWD estimates that the product will raise $1 million for JPF Eco Systems and its initiatives, which include supporting Make It Right, Pitt’s New Orleans-based charity that builds green homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

George Clooney Helps Out Brad Pitt's Foundation

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

George Clooney has revealed his admiration for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s charitable efforts.

The 47-year-old heartthrob has confessed that he would like to be more like his Ocean’s 11 co-star, adding: “There is a tendency to make fun of people who get involved in these sorts of things. Brad went there [New Orleans], builds houses… he can do a lot of other things with his time. He and Angie really put their money where their mouth is. I’m always very impressed by them.”

Clooney is also planning to invest more money in pal Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation after sponsoring the building of two homes earlier this year, and is keen to add to the $300,000 he has already donated.

“I’ve bought a couple of those houses already that he’s building,” said Clooney. “You can build a house for $150,000, which is amazing. So I bought two of them and plan on buying more as they’re doing an amazing thing there.”

Make It Right is building 150 environmentally friendly, self sustaining homes in the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the hardest areas hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Having spent time with community leaders and displaced residents determined to return home after the disaster, Pitt realized that an opportunity existed to build houses that were not only stronger and healthier, but that had less impact on the environment. He established the Foundation in 2006 to prove that safe homes could and should be rebuilt. He hopes that this project will be a catalyst for recovery and redevelopment throughout the Lower 9th Ward and across the city of New Orleans.

Pitt and Jolie Among Time's Most Influential People

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:30:24 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

TIME magazine placed Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie together in 21st place in its latest annual list of the world’s most influential people, and George Clooney stepped up to write a glowing tribute.

Jolie and Pitt were among the “Heroes and Pioneers” of the list, and the couple’s friend summarises the reasons for their selection:

“There are hundreds of people who could be honored for their good works, but I’ve seen Brad and Angelina firsthand, and their commitment together is truly impressive.”

Clooney praised the pair’s concrete and personal actions, saying, “They brought help to Pakistan in 2005, after a catastrophic earthquake killed tens of thousands of people and left millions homeless. They have tended to the poor and sick in Africa. And they’ve raised global awareness—and contributed $1 million of their own money—for the victims of atrocities in Darfur.”

Pitt and Clooney co-founded Not On Our Watch to address the Darfur crisis, and Clooney was obviously impressed by the charitable integrity his friends demonstrated in helping with the Hurricane Katrina aftermath: “They actually moved to New Orleans and have set about trying to make right what so many have made wrong. Brad established a project [Make It Right] to finance and build 150 new homes in the Ninth Ward.”

Similarly proud of charity poster child Jolie, Clooney writes, “Angelina has worked tirelessly through the United Nations on behalf of refugees around the world, touring border camps in Africa, Asia and Latin America and lobbying on Capitol Hill.”

Other celebrities noted in the TIME 100 list for their philanthropy include Oprah (with a tribute written by Michelle Obama), Mia Farrow (for her work with UNICEF and more), Andre Agassi (with a tribute by Andy Roddick), and Lance Armstrong (at position 26).

Idol Gives Back On Wednesday

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:11:53 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It will be raining philanthropic celebrities on Wednesday night when American Idol Gives Back airs on the Fox Network. The “star clouds” are set to burst with a gala of music, fun, appearances, and surprises – all in the name of charity.

Idol host Ryan Seacrest will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which was taped in front of a lively audience at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night, and producers expect this year’s event to raise over $100 million for charity.

“Tonight isn’t just about raising money,” said Brad Pitt, one of the many guests to attend the gala. “Sometimes, to help people, we’ve got to travel outside of our comfort zone to really understand another situation.”

Pitt’s Make It Right campaign, which he launched to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, is one of many good causes to benefit from the event, which last year netted over $76 million for charity. Other organizations to benefit this year include the Global Fund, Malaria No More, the Children’s Health Fund, Save the Children, and the Children’s Defense Fund.

“It’s not about self-promoting,” said former Idol winner Carrie Underwood, who will perform on the show. “It’s not about singing your latest single. It’s not about trying to be the most downloaded whatever on iTunes. It’s all about getting people to call in and do something.”

Viewers of the show on Wednesday can expect performances by Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Miley Ray Cyrus, Annie Lennox, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, and Sheila E., as well as a surprise duet between Fergie and Heart. The show will also be sprinkled with appearances from Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Reese Witherspoon, and pre-taped messages from David and Victoria Beckham, Kiefer Sutherland, Ellen DeGeneres, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama will also be shown.

Ellen DeGeneres Makes It Right For Brad Pitt

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 09:49:50 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Comedienne, actress, and New Orleans native Ellen DeGeneres has raised over $10 million for the city since it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina over two years ago.

Besides her own financial donations, awareness raising, and gifts – like a new car to a single mother who lost her home to the hurricane – DeGeneres has raised over $800,000 so far for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right campaign from viewer donations through her talk show.

Make It Right is building 150 environmentally friendly, self sustaining homes in the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the hardest hit areas by the hurricane. People whose homes were flattened by the storm are quite happy about the project.

“I lost everything,” said one owner, walking around his now vacant lot. “[This] makes me feel good. It makes me feel good.”

“We lived in this neighborhood all our lives,” said another homeowner in waiting. “I feel great. I feel great because I want to come back home. We love it down here. I want to come back to my property, to my home.”

DeGeneres’ philanthropy doesn’t end in New Orleans. She has been involved in food drives, and has supported animal shelters, AIDs campaigns, children’s charities and more. Last year she partnered with the American Express’ Members Project along with singers Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys, tennis pro Andre Agassi, and others.

The Members Project asked American Express members to register, submit, discuss, and rate ideas to make a positive impact in the world. Amex then donated $1 to the chosen project for every card member who registered. In August, $2 million went to UNICEF to organize the Children’s Safe Drinking Water project for children in the developing world.

2007 - The Year The Stars Gave Back

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 09:11:14 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

2007 was a year of giving, both on grand and not-so-grand scales. Celebrities from all fields, be it movies, music, sport or general entertainment, showed compassion beyond the call of duty, and in most cases had a lot of fun doing it.

Without a doubt, one of the biggest events of the year was Live Earth in July, where stars new and old shone in all of the corners of the Earth to raise awareness of the plight of the planet. The shows were generally well-received, and led to organizer Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

But celebrities also participated in smaller, more personal acts of kindness in 2007. Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Melissa Gilbert, and Michael Douglas all donated their time to feed the hungry at the Los Angeles Mission, Fran Drescher launched the Cancer Schmancer Movement, and Ewan McGregor visited UNICEF projects during his epic motorcycle trip across Africa.

In January, Kevin Bacon launched www.sixdegrees.org, a website designed to marry the concepts of social internet networks and charities. The site aims to help people fundraise for their chosen causes, and features celebrities such as Kyra Sedgwick and Ashley Judd.

Bette Midler, founder of the New York Restoration Project, launched the Million Trees NYC initiative with Mayor Michael Bloomberg in October, to get city dwellers to plant more trees. The project plans to increase New York’s urban forest by 20% in the next ten years.

“To walk under the branches of a tree that you have planted connects you to the roots of our past and the aspirations of our future,” said the 62-year-old singer and actress.

Another singer with a sense of community in 2007 was Jon Bon Jovi who, as well as participating in various benefit concerts, also worked with Project HOME to revitalize a deteriorated lot in Philadelphia and transform it into homes for fifteen families.

And then there was Shakira, co-founder of the Latin America for Solidarity Fund and Pies Descalzos, who donated $40 million to victims of natural disasters in Peru and Nicaragua, and another $5 million to benefit education programs for children across Latin America.

The California wildfires that ravaged much of the state in November also spawned a spate of celebrity donations, with Linkin Park, the Eagles, and Gwen Stefani all making substantial contributions to both victims and firefighters.

American Idol gave back in April, with two shows that raised over $60 million to benefit organizations funding relief programs in America and Africa, featuring performances by Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, and others. Organized by Simon Cowell, American Idol Gives Back also led to a $100,000 donation by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

Another talk show host to shine this year was Oprah Winfrey, who opened a state-of-the-art school in South Africa for disadvantaged girls.

“I am creating everything in this school that I would have wanted for myself—so the girls will have the absolute best that my imagination can offer,“ said the 53-year-old, who poured $40 million of her own money into the project.

Brad Pitt took on the mission of rebuilding New Orleans by donating $5 million towards new houses, and also set up the Make It Right Foundation to assist in his work. Meanwhile, his wife Angelina Jolie set out to do what her character Lara Croft does best – save the world. As well as donating $100,000 to build the Duk Lost Boys Medical Clinic in the Sudan in March, Jolie also traveled to Iraq and Syria to raise support for those displaced by war.

Although literally tonnes of articles were written about Jolie’s efforts during 2007, even more was reported on Don Cheadle’s and George Clooney’s work to publicize the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. The stars of Ocean’s Thirteen established a charity for the Sudanese region called Not On Our Watch, and personally raised over $9 million to help those affected by conflict in the region. The pair were awarded a special peace prize by Nobel laureates for their efforts.

And no round up of the year’s events can be complete without mention of Bono, who continued being Bono by doing what Bono does best – raising awareness for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the needy, and the disadvantaged.

We at Look To The Stars would like to wish all of our readers a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year, and we look forward to continuing to bring you celebrity charity news in 2008.

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,” 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.

Look To The Stars News: Make It Right

Brad Pitt Makes It More Right

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