Celeb Acts of Charity

[Cutielb99 0]

DOING SOME BON-DING

 

Petra Nemcova teams up with Jon Bon Jovi at the R.S.V.P. To HELP fundraiser in New York City on Thursday. The rocker performed an acoustic set for the event, which raised money for Habitat for Humanity and homeless-aid organization HELP USA.

 

[BobbyD 2]

Another hard look at the Big Easy

 

By RICHARD HUFF

DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

 

 

NBC's Brian Williams has gotten E-mails from viewers saying he has spent too much time covering New Orleans and the region ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

He had better get ready for more mail.

 

After tonight's "Nightly News," he'll head back to New Orleans, where he'll anchor Tuesday's broadcast.

 

"New Orleans needs it," he said. "If we, of all people, ever turn our backs on this story, we're worthy of scorn and much blame."

 

Williams - like Fox News' Shepard Smith and CNN's Anderson Cooper, to name two - has been closely linked with the Katrina story and its aftermath. He was in the Superdome when the storm hit. And this trip marks his 12th to the area.

 

"It's everyone's story," Williams said. "It doesn't matter who worked the most hours, or when. As an American, looking at a million displaced Americans, this is our story, it's an American tragedy caused by nature and exacerbated by bad decisions and inaction."

 

Tonight, Lisa Myers report on where the money earmarked for Katrina victims has gone. Tomorrow, Williams will report on how the New Orleans Fire Department is coping.

 

Williams, a former volunteer firefighter in Middletown, N.J., said a recent rule change in New Orleans allowing just three firefighters to respond with a fire engine "is very dicey."

 

He'll concentrate on those firefighters who are now living in FEMA trailers and trying to do their job, too.

 

Williams said the timing was purely due to his schedule, and had nothing to do with the fact that it's also a sweeps period, from which ratings are used to set advertising rates.

 

He's looking at returning again for Mardi Gras. "We need to go regularly," he said. "I'm just going down, and we will keep going and going and going."

 

Williams also will be seen this month in the documentary film "Dale," a look at the life of racing legend Dale Earnhardt, who was killed in a last-lap crash during the 2001 Daytona 500.

 

The film shows Williams talking about his friendship with the seven-time champion. Its screening schedule in theaters around the country will be tied in to local NASCAR events; it will also air on the CMT channel later this year.

 

"Given my day job, it's unusual casting," Williams said. "I was honored, absolutely honored, to be in it as a way to pay tribute to some of the fans who have gotten lost in the shuffle lately."

 

Williams gets emotional in the film when he describes when he and his son met Earnhardt for the first time.

 

"It was unbelievable," Williams said. "I've had a few icons in my life, guys you've looked up to and wished you could be: There was [Walter] Cronkite, there was [Johnny] Carson, there's Neil Armstrong and there's Dale Earnhardt. Was there anyone cooler than Dale Earnhardt? He had the cool of Steve McQueen and the quiet courage of Chuck Yeager.

 

"His death," Williams added, "I have to admit, changed the way I look at the sport."

 

Originally published on February 5, 2007

[Time4me 0]

God Bless him & others like him.

[sanlee 49]

NY DAILY NEWS

 

Constellation of stars turns out for Bono's saintly causes

 

 

Rock-star specs helped Bono and Lou Reed focus at Time Warner headquarters on Columbus Circle Tuesday - though the U2 front man didn't seem to see the constellation that had come to hear him talk till the end.

As Time Inc. managing editor Jim Kelly wrapped up his Q&A on Bono's ONE and Product (RED) campaigns to end AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa, the singer spotted Robert Duvall and Kevin Bacon seated with Elie Wiesel, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Brian Williams, Terry George, Sydney Pollack, Charlie Rose and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters.

[sanlee 49]

NY DAILY NEWS

 

Bono's Red campaign says

it's raised lots of green

 

 

After learning more about Advertising Age's hit on his RED campaign, Bono must be seeing red.

 

The advertising trade magazine claimed in this week's cover story by Mya Frazier that the U2 front man's idea to raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa by selling red products has "raised a meager $18 million ... in a year" despite a "marketing outlay by Gap, Apple and Motorola [which] has been enormous, with some estimates as high as $100 million."

 

 

Wrong on all counts, says a source close to the campaign. "First of all, RED didn't launch its products until mid-October. And they raised $25 million. Before that, the fund had taken in about $5 million over a four-year period. Before that, they had one T-shirt out and a pair of sunglasses."

 

 

Now, Motorola has a red phone, Apple a red Nano IPod, Converse has red All Star sneakers, and Gap has a full line of red clothing. The companies give a full 40% of revenue from the sales - boosted for free by Oprah Winfrey, Chris Rock and Christy Turlington - to the fund. (See www.joinred.com.)

 

 

"And on marketing, Bono's RED campaign didn't spend anything," said the source. "The companies they work with spent a few million each. The Gap spent $7.8 million. The $100 million is a phantom number Ad Age pulled out of thin air. It's off by tens of millions of dollars." The source said the $100 million included the value of Bono's appearances.

 

 

Added Bobby Shriver, director of the RED fund: "These companies are talking about the AIDS emergency in their marketing and in their stores. This can only help us all stay focused on the fact that 5,500 Africans are still dying needlessly of AIDS every day."

 

 

A spokesman for the magazine did not return a request for comment by deadline.

[BobbyD 2]

Fragrant Fumes

 

ARNOLD Schwarzenegger , who single-handedly popularized the Hummer, has seen the light since becoming governor of California - and it's green. The cover boy on Outside magazine's "Green" issue says: "I talked to GM about creating a hydrogen-fueled Hummer, and two years ago they delivered one. I changed one of my military Hummers over from regular diesel to biofuel. When I drive it around, it smells like french fries."

[BobbyD 2]

(Pagesix.com)

 

Lynch: Say 'om'

 

HE spooked you out with "Blue Velvet" and "Twin Peaks" - but now David Lynch wants you to meditate. The quirky director is backing a global initiative to raise $5 billion to help eliminate poverty and promote peace in 40 of the world's poorest countries, which will include teaching more than a million students to practice transcendental meditation. "I've meditated twice a day for almost 34 years," he says. "It's so simple. It's a beautiful experience and life gets better."

[leaivory 2]

Bar Rafaeli's Play Date

Filed under: Bar Rafael

 

 

Model Bar Rafaeli took time out of her busy schedule to have a play day with children at St. Lukes Hospital in NYC. Of course, camera's were present, otherwise her play date at St. Lukes wouldn't have happened. The photos are pretty cute, but it is amazing how celebrities love and loathe photographers.

 

 

More photos from Bar Rafaeli's visit to St. Lukes Hospital in NYC after the jump.

 

 

Posted by: Jessica Marx

http://socialitelife.com/2007/05/15/bar_ra...s_play_date.php

[Freckles 79]

And we know the only reason she's famous is because she's currently schtupping Leo. Pretty girl. Too bad about the fact she's fame-whoring her visit with those children.

[Freckles 79]

I take what the New York Times has to say with a grain/ pillar of salt, but here's an interesting article from Sept. 10/ 07:

 

When a portion of a celebrity’s paycheck or time — say, that of Angelina Jolie or Bono — goes to a pet cause, the effort is inevitably lauded by celebrity news blogs and tabloids worldwide.

 

But to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the sober voice of the philanthropy industry, the yardstick is much higher. As celebrity involvement in charitable causes has reached new levels, the trade paper, which tracks charities, nonprofit organizations and grant seekers, has had to set ground rules for when a star’s altruism rises to the level of news.

 

“I think there needs to be greater skepticism about celebrity involvement than I see in the media right now,” said Stacy Palmer, the editor of The Chronicle, who helped start the publication in 1988.

 

The paper, which is published biweekly, normally concerns itself with high-minded topics, like fluctuations in corporate giving or the lessons that Brooke Astor’s legacy holds for the incoming president of the Ford Foundation. Against that backdrop, how do the editors evaluate the ever-increasing plea for coverage from publicists representing, say, George Clooney and Mia Farrow on Darfur?

 

“What we really look for is whether they have credibility in what they’re doing,” Ms. Palmer said. “The first question we ask is, ‘How much are you personally contributing to a cause?’ ”

 

This question is devised to separate meaningful philanthropic gestures from publicity stunts by stars who want to improve their images. After all, while few people doubt Ms. Jolie’s sincerity in the causes she takes up, she did gamely admit to Forbes magazine last year that her humanitarian works helped divert attention from her colorful personal life.

 

It is unusual to find celebrities who will publicly declare how much they have personally given, since many donors prefer to remain anonymous to maintain their privacy and to deter other outstretched hands.

 

But Ms. Palmer said she was surprised that, given the exceptional wealth that so many celebrities have amassed, only one well-known member of the entertainment industry — Oprah Winfrey — actually gave enough to make The Chronicle’s list of “America’s Most Generous Donors” in 2006. On the list for the fourth year, Ms. Winfrey was No. 36, pledging and paying out $58.3 million last year. Warren E. Buffett, the investor, topped the list, pledging $43.5 billion.

 

The Chronicle recently ran an article on its Web site about a survey conducted by the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company that named Jerry Lewis the most effective celebrity for charitable causes; Ms. Winfrey came in second.

 

It was a rare nod by The Chronicle to the power of celebrity in charity circles, and Ms. Palmer pointed out that the article was driven by a poll. [The Nationwide survey was taken before Mr. Lewis’s gaffe on last weekend’s Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, in which he used a gay slur to address a cameraman. He has since apologized.]

 

But such attention from The Chronicle is growing more common. Last week, when former President Bill Clinton appeared on Ms. Winfrey’s show to promote his new book on philanthropy, The Chronicle ran a blog item about it.

 

For more extensive coverage, the bar is set fairly high, Ms. Palmer said. Last November, the newspaper profiled Elton John and his AIDS foundation. Elton John gave a 90-minute interview for the article, the newspaper noted.

 

“He was one of those people we covered because we were persuaded that he truly was making a difference,” Ms. Palmer said.

 

Bruce S. Trachtenberg, the executive director of The Communications Network, a nonprofit organization in Naperville, Ill., that works on communication strategies for the philanthropic world, said that the charity establishment has been growing more sophisticated in its dealings with stars.

 

“As long as people understand that once you want to promote yourself in a way that brings attention to the work you’re doing, you have to be willing to tell the whole story,” he said. “They’re giving some of their time and energy, and that could be part of the bargain.”

 

Mr. Trachtenberg said that even if celebrities do not donate their own money, their efforts often warrant recognition and scrutiny. “A celebrity endorsement that could bring in x number of dollars — that might be a valuable return to the organization,” he said.

 

Not all stars are eager for this limelight. Bob Mackle, the spokesman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, said that Mr. Lewis and the organization appreciated the coverage, but do not usually try to promote his fund-raising work in the philanthropy press.

 

“Jerry pretty much sticks to working for M.D.A.,” Mr. Mackle said. “We have no interest in getting other charities getting him on board.”

[BobbyD 2]

Sharon Stone Juggles Fundraising, Motherhood

SATURDAY OCTOBER 27, 2007 01:00 PM EDT

 

By Silvia Sansoni

 

Although actress Sharon Stone was in Rome raising money for AIDS research on Friday, she was never far from her three sons Roan, 7, Laird, 2, and 17-month-old Quinn.

 

"They're with my sister in L.A. and I've been getting regular texts and updates all day,” Stone told PEOPLE at a benefit for amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. "My two year-old just had his first shaving experience with the back of a toothbrush!"

 

Clad in Fendi fur shawl and dress, Stone was in town to host the benefit. She personally conducted an auction of, among other items, De Grisogono jewelry and contemporary art, charming and cajoling the VIP crowd.

 

"We're in for 35, back to you for 45… Don't flirt with me and not mean it, you know I hate that … I love that quiet talk but I can't quite hear you," said Stone.

 

Among the items sold were a series of nine sultry photos of the actress taken by photographer Mark Liddell, which went for $25,000.

 

"We usually sell a piece of something and it's usually a piece of me," joked Stone.

 

Stone admitted she had the pre-auction jitters: "Every time I come here I think nobody will come and it will be a disaster and I will cry at the end."

 

But she had no need to worry: The benefit had a happy ending, raising $1.25 million.

[QTPIE 0]

Jolie and Haven To Mark Mom's Death with Donation

 

 

Angelina Jolie and her brother James Haven will mark the first anniversary of their mother's death by making a sizable donation to the Los Angeles hospital where she lost her battle with ovarian cancer.

 

Marcheline Bertrand passed away at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on January 27 at age 56.

 

Jolie and Haven plan to pay their respects to their beloved mother with a day-long vigil on Sunday to commemorate her life.

 

The event will see Jolie take her four children -- Maddox, 6, Pax, 4, Zahara, 3, and Shiloh, 19 months -- to the L.A. hospital with her brother to hand over the money to the hospital's women's cancer research fund.

 

But Haven is said to be concerned about how the star will cope with the emotional day.

 

A close family friend says, "James and Angelina adored their mother. They want this day to be solely dedicated to her memory.

 

"(But) Angie still weeps for her a lot and James has been saying how he's worried she will fall apart on Sunday."

 

Both siblings were close to Bertrand, but Jolie in particular struggled to come to terms with her mom's death and recently praised her boyfriend Brad Pitt for helping her through the trying time.

[BobbyD 2]

Bono, Hirst raise over $40M for Africa

Friday, February 15th 2008, 4:46 AM

 

Rocker Bono and artist Damien Hirst sent the mother of all Valentines to Africa Thursday night - raising more than $40 million for AIDS relief.

 

Queen Noor, Michael Stipe, Dennis Hopper, Martha Stewart, Christy Turlington, Ed Burns, Q-Tip, Helena Christensen, Brian Williams and Anna Wintour were among the celebs who turned out at Sotheby’s auction house to bid on the work of some of the world’s top artists.

 

Organizer Hirst’s piece, “Where There’s a Will There’s a Way,” fetched the top price of $7.15 million.

 

Jasper Johns, Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Matthew Barney, Banksy, Richard Prince and Antony Gormley were among the 100 artists who donated masterpieces. The Gagosian Gallery-curated auction established new sales records for 17 artists.

 

The evening benefited (RED), the charity Bono and Bobby Shriver founded 18 months ago that has now generated more than $100 million for the UN-created Global Fund, according to (RED) organizers.

 

The puckish U2 frontman kicked off the night by saluting “the wonderful St. Valentine, patron saint of saccharine, bestower of the chocolate box, giver of the greeting card. It was on this day ... that St. Valentine was martyred in the Roman province of Africa, in the second century.”

 

Bono vowed that unlike St. Valentine, the evening’s bidders wouldn’t be famous for “selfless acts known only to God.”

 

The Irishman also suggested that St. Patrick could have used St. Valentine’s publicist because “he got to be patron saint of a bunch of mad bastards, most of whom seem to be here tonight.”

 

Having come with Ali Hewson, aka “the Missus,” the mischievous musician promised to put “the sex appeal back into Valentine’s Day,” and fired a few affectionate arrows at Hirst, famous, Bono said, for the size of his, er, “brain.” He joked that Hirst had once “been sued” for doing “party tricks” in the tearoom of a fine hotel “with his enormous...brain.”

 

Turning serious, Bono admitted, “It’s been a bizarre day for me,” noting that he’d also attended a memorial in D.C. for Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), “a great champion of our work.” As he had at the service, Bono performed an a cappella version of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.”

 

Walking away from the mike, he left his supporters to finish singing, “Love is all you need....”

[BobbyD 2]

(IMDB.COM)

 

Winslet Sells Dress for $40,000

 

 

A dress designed for Hollywood actress Kate Winslet has been sold at an auction for $40,000. The Little Children star sold the Vivienne Westwood creation to raise funds for Cardboard Citizens, a homeless people's theater company. The 32-year-old - who is ambassador for the charity - wore the red dress at a benefit, before auctioning the outfit at the end of the night. She says, "Vivienne Westwood created the dress especially for me for this occasion and it is a really beautiful piece. I hope the winning bidder enjoys wearing it as much as I did."

[ElleDriver 0]

Drew Barrymore Makes $1 Million Charitable Donation

PEOPLE

 

Talk about a "big give": Drew Barrymore announced on Monday's Oprah Winfrey Show that she is donating $1 million to the World Food Programme to help feed children in Africa.

 

"I have seen with my own eyes what a difference a simple cup of nutritious porridge can make in a child's life," the actress said. "It helps them learn, stay healthy and sets them on track for a bright future."

 

Barrymore, 33, has worked with the charity since 2005 and became an Ambassador Against Hunger last year. She's taken two trips to Kenya to see the organization's work first hand.

 

"We have a dream ... to feed another 10 million hungry school children in Africa by Thanksgiving Day," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran, who also appeared on Oprah.

 

For more information, visit wfp.org.

[Freckles 79]

Sir Elton, Cruise, Travolta and Robin Williams among attendees at Clinton-Giustra fundraiser

Mar 03, 2008 04:30 AM

toronto Star Newspaper

 

It's not every day that Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Elton John breeze into Toronto in the dead of winter, or that you're serenaded by Norah Jones over a dinner of Arctic char, Lac Brome duck and organic beef tenderloin, followed by a hilarious stand-up routine by funny man Robin Williams.

 

And all in the name of the grubby mining game.

 

The wine was flowing while a convoy of stretch limos arrived at the Harbour Castle Westin Saturday night as Hollywood's A-list and a select crowd of 1,200 mining industry types and Bay St. bigwigs attended a splashy fundraising gala at the invitation of former U.S. president Bill Clinton and his pal, Vancouver mining mogul Frank Giustra.

 

The duo is raising big bucks for the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative, whose mission is to provide foreign aid to developing countries, particularly in Latin America, affected by mining.

 

"I don't know the mining business so I did my own research and rented Coal Miner's Daughter," quipped Canadian comedian Eugene Levy, the evening's emcee.

 

"There's a lot of money in this room. I'm thinking of getting into the mining business," hip hop recording artist Wyclef Jean told the audience after singing "Wyclef for President."

 

Amazingly the raft of entertainers donated their time for the schmooze fest, which also featured Elton John singing "Rocket Man," "Tiny Dancer" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," and Colombian pop star Shakira shaking her assets to her hit "Hips Don't Lie" as the business crowd cheered and waved their hands in the air to the music.

 

At one point, the navel-baring Latina songstress shared the stage with Clinton as he announced $5 million in aid toward impoverished regions of her country.

 

The former president also shook hands with Greg Wilkins, chief executive of Toronto miner Barrick Gold Corp. and Newmont Mining Corp. vice president Carlos Santa Cruz as he announced joint spending of $6 million toward child nutrition programs in Peru, where both gold giants have operations.

 

Burton Cummings added some Canadian content to the proceedings, singing the old Guess Who pop anthems "Undun" and "Share the Land" while Robin Williams poked fun at U.S. President George Bush and referred fondly to Canada as "the apartment over a crazy tenant."

 

Among those in attendance were Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, MP Belinda Stronach, former Newfoundland premier Brian Tobin, David Letterman's Canadian musical sidekick Paul Shaffer and Argos QB Damon Allen. Actor Mark Wahlberg was seen chilling at the bar during the cocktail reception before dinner with retired Toronto Maple Leaf tough guy Tie Domi.

 

Cruise and scientologist pal Travolta, who brought wife Kelly Preston, implored the audience to dig deep into their hearts and wallets for the Clinton Giustra initiative.

 

"Simply put, this is not your father's charity. Instead of helping one person, this helps millions," said Travolta, reading off the teleprompter, mispronouncing Giustra's name a couple times.

 

Clinton took time away from wife Hillary's campaign in order to rub shoulders with the mining finance crowd, who, after being well fed and thoroughly entertained, were coaxed into donating another $16 million in total that night on top of the $2,500 to $30,000-a plate dinner.

 

"I want to thank Canada, and all of you people from Canada who help me do the work I like to do around the world," Clinton told the audience.

 

He said a special thanks to Sudbury-born billionaire Giustra, who donated $100 million of his fortune and half his future earnings toward the cause, and who loans Clinton his private jet for philanthropic work around the globe.

 

"I love this guy. You should too," said the ex-president, who also pointed out that Giustra has had to have "rhinoceros skin" lately after stories in the U.S. press that have suggested he has benefited in his business dealings through his friendship with Clinton.

 

Tiffany gift bags awaited guests at their dinner tables and security surrounded the ballroom, although the invited attendees – mostly decked out in tuxedos and gowns – weren't searched on the way in.

 

The event was eco-friendly on every level, from the menu – which boasted that it was organic, locally grown and traditional Canadian produce when possible – to the "green" electricity provided by Bullfrog Power using wind power and low-impact hydroelectricity generated in Ontario. Guests were urged to take home the table's floral centrepiece "and plant it."

 

"Having just come back from a mine in the Amazon, this is all very surreal," said attendee Rex Berthelsen, a geologist for Vancouver miner Peak Gold Ltd.

 

"This is a long way from the villages of Indonesia, a place where some of the money raised here could end up," said Peak's chief executive Bob Gallagher. "It just shows the mining industry is going places and it's raising awareness that we're not the bad guys anymore,"

 

The event was timed for the weekend leading into the major annual convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, which officially kicks off today at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

[BobbyD 2]

Justin Long Opens Up About Drew Barrymore

By Stephen M. Silverman

 

Drew Barrymore has a way of making the expression "best friends" sound like something a lot more than that – especially when she and boyfriend Justin Long showed up on Oprah Winfrey's show Monday fresh out of the shower.

 

"We used the hotel shampoo," a giggling Barrymore, 33, told Winfrey, explaining why she smelled so good.

 

The talk host already deciphered why the actress-producer emanated a special glow: it was because of Long, who sat in the audience.

 

His hair was wet, too.

 

"She smells good," Long, 29, told Winfrey when she asked what he liked about Barrymore. "She's beautiful," he said, "and funny. The most compassionate person I've ever met."

 

In reciprocation, Barrymore, explaining that "when you grow up … you decide what you want to be," said her relationship with Long was "healthy, productive, supportive and full of humor."

 

In all, she said, they're having an "excellent time."

 

Maturity Leads to Giving

Barrymore's epiphany of growing up and deciding what she wanted to be led her toward philanthropy, the current Vogue cover girl said, as she also announced her $1 million charitable donation to the World Food Programme, to help feed children in Africa.

 

"We have a dream," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran, who accepted the check from Barrymore on the show, "to feed another 10 million hungry school children in Africa by Thanksgiving Day."

 

Also making an appearance – over the phone – was Barrymore's best friend, whom she calls "Poo": Cameron Diaz.

 

"I'm choked up," said the actress, "and so proud of this information [Drew]'s giving the world."

[BobbyD 2]

(Pagesix.com)

 

Hello, Soldiers!

 

WE hope Jessica Simpson doesn't mind shacking up in bunk beds. When the primped and heeled Simpson leaves for Kuwait today with the Pussycat Dolls, we're told the whole crew will be ditching their usual hotel rooms and limos for sleeping bags and bunks. "Jessica will be roughing it," said a source. "They're receiving no special treatment." Simpson, along with the Dolls, the band Disturbed and comic Carlos Mencia, will perform for troops Monday. The show will air live on MySpace.com.

[BobbyD 2]

Jessica's 'Scaled Back' Visit to U.S. Troops

By David Caplan

 

Jessica Simpson may be a high-wattage celebrity used to the finer things in life – private jets, first-class accommodations, and large entourages – but her rep is slamming reports that the singer-actress is enjoying such amenities while visiting U.S. troops in Kuwait.

 

Reports claim Simpson, 27, flew to Kuwait – where she's performing for troops as part of Operation MySpace – via a private jet with hairstylist-to-the-stars Ken Paves and a large entourage, and had no intentions of spending the night in the army barracks.

 

Not so, says Simpson rep Cindi Berger. "She flew commercially, she is staying in the barracks," Berger tells PEOPLE. “She's been with the troops all day. She's had her meals with them."

 

Paves is not with Simpson either, Berger says, adding that a hair stylist and make-up artist are with Simpson, but no assistant. "She's not with Ken Paves. She has significantly scaled back her entourage."

 

Berger adds that performing for the troops is something near and dear to Texas-born star. "This was done purely to support the troops and entertain them."

[BobbyD 2]

Kid Rock Returning to Georgia Waffle House for Benefit

By Brian Orloff

 

Talk about a special warm-up gig.

 

Kid Rock may be playing at Atlanta's Gwinnett Arena on March 11 – but before his performance, the rocker is returning to the Duluth, Ga., Waffle House where he was arrested for battery after a fight last October to greet fans and sign autographs for charity, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting.

 

While the rocker (real name Robert James Ritchie) has pleaded not guilty to the charges, organizers say that Kid Rock's fight is the farthest thing from their mind.

 

"For a while now, we've been working with Kid Rock's management to try and turn a negative into a positive," Pat Warner, a Waffle House rep, told the newspaper. "We're hoping to raise some money for a worthwhile charity." All proceeds from the event, which begins at 2 p.m., will benefit Nicholas House, a homeless shelter for families in DeKalb County.

 

Organizers expect a heavy fan turnout – and local radio stations have been promoting Kid Rock's appearance. One rock station has auctioned off passes to the Waffle House event, as well as tickets to the concert that night and a backstage meet-and-greet.

[BobbyD 2]

Patrick Dempsey Dedicates Cancer Center in Maine

By Brian Orloff

 

He may be at home on screen at Seattle Grace Hospital, but on Tuesday Patrick Dempsey made a special appearance at the Central Maine Medical Center, to announce plans for a new cancer ward to be named in his honor.

 

Scheduled to open March 31, the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing was inspired by his mother, Amanda Dempsey, who fought ovarian cancer – and who is now cancer free, reports Maine's Kennebec Journal.

 

Born in Lewiston, Maine, the Grey's Anatomy star told assembled media that dealing with his mother's illness – and tracking down information about it – prompted his action.

 

"For a family to get a cancer diagnosis is devastating, and all the information out there can be overwhelming," Dempsey, 42, told reporters. "So I talked to my sister about a place where people could go for all this type of information and help. Knowledge is power."

 

Dempsey says his sister, Mary, who works at the hospital, will run the center.

 

For more information, visit www.dempseycenter.org.

[ElleDriver 0]

Clooney group makes donation for Darfur

 

 

ROME (AP) — George Clooney's humanitarian organization has donated $500,000 to a U.N. food aid agency to help it continue flights in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, the agency said Thursday.

 

The Rome-based World Food Program said that the money came from Not On Our Watch, founded by Clooney and other stars — including Brad Pitt and Matt Damon — to press concerns about Darfur. The group has raised more than $9.3 million for the region.

 

Earlier this week, the World Food Program warned that lack of funds this year would force a halt to the flights ferrying urgently needed supplies in the region at the end of March.

 

"This is a critical time for the program. Without immediate additional funding, humanitarian aid in the region will be crippled," Clooney was quoted as saying in a U.N. statement.

 

Over the past year, the World Food Program has been feeding between 2 and 3.2 million people in Darfur. The number of people in need could double with the May-October rainy season, the agency said.

 

"This contribution will make a difference to the millions of vulnerable women and children trapped there, and we hope it will inspire other donations," WFP's Executive Director Josette Sheeran said.

 

The Associated Press

[ElleDriver 0]

David Lynch to fund TM scholarships

 

David Lynch says his nonprofit foundation will donate $1 million to fund scholarships for students who want to learn a meditation technique taught at the Maharishi University of Management.

 

Lynch, who directed "The Elephant Man," "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Dr." movies and the "Twin Peaks" TV series, is a longtime practitioner of Transcendental Meditation.

 

Students practice TM as part of their course of study at Maharishi University, which was founded in Fairfield in 1971. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in computer science, art, design, business and sustainable living.

 

Lynch, 62, plans to give $1 million in scholarships for students to attend the university and learn TM. The goal is to increase the number of students who meditate on the Fairfield campus to 2,000.

 

He started the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace in 2005.

 

"America urgently needs at least one university to teach the science of peace — and to actually promote peace in the world," the filmmaker said in a statement Thursday.

 

The university will host "David Lynch Weekend" on April 25-28. It will feature performances by Donovan, Moby and Chrysta Bell.

 

___

 

Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press.

[BobbyD 2]

P!nk To the Rescue!

Posted Mar 18th 2008 12:08PM by TMZ Staff

 

Recently singled singer P!nk tried her darndest to save a stray pup yesterday on an L.A. freeway.

 

Unfortunately, the animal was so frightened it ran away from the modern-day hero and down a freeway ramp. Why would the poor canine be so frightened by P!nk? She's so, er, soft and tender.

 

Here's hoping the little doggie scampered off to safety -- and doesn't wind up dead in her pool.

[ElleDriver 0]

Simon Cowell Donates $162,000 to Girl With Cancer

US WEEKLY

Tuesday March 18, 2008

 

 

Simon Cowell may not be so mean after all.

 

The American Idol judge, 48, gave the family of a cancer-stricken 3-year-old $162,000 to pay off their mortgage, he announced on Oprah Winfrey’s Big Give show on Monday.

 

The family drives more than 100 miles from their Minnesota home every day so their daughter, Madelaine, can receive treatments.

 

“It’s a very basic story of a normal family whose daughter got very ill, and they had some financial problems which was relatively easy for me to sort out,” Cowell explained to Extra.

 

On the show, he told Winfrey that he “credits her” for teaching him to be a do-gooder.

 

Said Cowell, “I never knew that doing good could feel so good.”