Stars Step Up Hurricane Relief

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Stars Step Up Hurricane Relief





With the Gulf Coast in a near apocalyptic state Thursday, Hollywood continued to put its charity efforts in overdrive.



Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, who owns a residence in the Mississippi Delta that escaped damage from Hurricane Katrina, is helping organize an online auction to raise money for victims of the disaster.



The auction, on CharityFolks.com, will feature such items as VIP tickets to The Jimmy Kimmel Show, a visit to the set of That '70s Show and a signed script from the cast, and a chance to attend the premiere of Freeman's latest flick, An Unfinished Life, with Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez.



All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which has as of press time collected $21 million, $15 million coming from online donations via its Website.



"Now, charity begins at home, so we call on anybody who has even the thought [of giving] to get beyond the thought and help these people," the 68-year-old actor told the Associated Press in an interview.



Also heeding the call were Jay-Z, Diddy and Celine Dion, each of whom pledged $1 million to the organization. The two rappers jointly announced their donation and called on other African-American stars to lend a hand.



"This is our community," Jay-Z told AP. "When I turn on CNN, I see a lot of black people on the streets. I know it's other people too, but those projects have been hit hard."



Added Combs: "We are all descendants from each other's families. When you hear black people say 'brothers' and 'sisters,' it's really true. These are all people that I know I'm related to somehow, some way--the human race family."



Legendary comedian Jerry Lewis announced Thursday that his annual Labor Day Telethon benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association will also reach out and solicit funds for Katrina relief efforts.



"While the needs of 'my kids' are with us all year round, Hurricane Katrina is a national disaster on a scale that's difficult to comprehend,"Lewis said in a statement. "We simply couldn't ignore the need to help. We already have the infrastructure in place."



Additionally, Lewis confirmed that the MDA has pledged $1 million of its funds to aid those in the stricken states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.



In the wake of the calamity, several media conglomerates announced telethons across the dial.



NBC, MSNBC and CNBC will jointly air an hour-long special Friday at 8 p.m. dubbed A Concert for Hurricane Relief. An updated list of performers include New Orleans natives Harry Connick Jr., Aaron Neville and Wynton Marsalis, along with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Also appearing on the broadcast to solicit donations: Leonardo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank, Lindsay Lohan, John Goodman, Claire Danes, and Mike Myers.



Viacom also confirmed it will simulcast a multi-artist, multi-city concert special on Sept. 10 on MTV, VH1 and CMT that will benefit the American Red Cross and other relief efforts and feature artists such as Ludacris, Green Day, Gretchen Wilson, Usher, Alicia Keys, John Mellencamp and Rob Thomas. Also on the bill is the Dave Matthews Band, which separately announced it was planning a Sept. 12 benefit concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver.



Viacom-owned BET, which announced Wednesday that it would host its own telethon with the National Urban League and the American Red Cross on Sept. 9, offered more details Thursday at a press conference in New York attended by Russell Simmons of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Jay-Z and Chris Rock.



"It's the worst disaster we'll ever see," Rock said. "I'm here to use whatever celebrity I have to help bring attention."



Among the recording artists expected to participate in the two-and-a-half-hour special are Jay-Z, Diddy, New Orleans hip-hopsters Master P and Juvenile, both of whom lost homes, Mississippi rapper David Banner and Wynton Marsalis. Additional performers will be announced in the coming days.



Meanwhile, CBS, ABC and Fox are prepping a one-hour commercial-free telethon similar to the post 9-11 celeb-filled Tribute to Heroes special. Ellen DeGeneres, who was born in New Orleans and whose 82-year-old managed to survive the carnage, is reportedly in talks to host, but there's been no official word. The networks are aiming to have the lineup set and ready to go next Tuesday or Wednesday at 8 p.m. and will offer the telethon to other broadcast and cable outlets, including NBC, UPN and the WB.

However, according to Daily Variety, what should have been simply a charitable endeavor has been marred by some behind-the-scenes bad feelings after NBC jumped the gun and announced its own benefit.

Rival network executives expressed concern that with so many relief drives underway, there wouldn't be enough talent available to attract an audience.

An unnamed NBC source told the trade that the company felt compelled to do its own event after Connick called NBC Universal TV honcho Jeff Zucker and pleaded for a fundraiser.

"This is not about competition. This is about raising money for those in need," a network rep told Variety. "We're interested in helping out the victims of the hurricane. We can't raise enough money." To that end NBC says it will make its Friday broadcast available to other networks.

Here's a look at some of the other hurricane-related news from the entertainment world:

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno announced it will have celebrity guests autograph a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to auction off on eBay later this month to raise relief funds. The John Hancocks will start being collected next week and potentially include Samuel L. Jackson, Denis Leary, Jennifer Garner, Dolly Parton and Bon Jovi. Comedian Eddie Griffin plans to donate his fee from two Friday performances at the Delta Downs Race Track Casino & Hotel in Vinton, Louisiana, to relief efforts. "Performing so close to New Orleans (230 miles away), my first thought was, 'How could I not help these unfortunate people?' " Griffin said. "I ask everyone to reach into their pockets and do the same to help these people." Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford's fourth annual Clothes Off Our Backs Primetime Emmy Auction will donate its proceeds from the sale of celebrity clothing and accessories to the American Red Cross. 3 Doors Down is encouraging concertgoers to bring canned food, clothing and other supplies to donate to the Red Cross. "Everything you can think of having is gone," bassist Todd Harrell, whose family in Biloxi, Mississippi, lost its home and business in the hurricane, told E! Online. "I imagine that there's still a lot going on right now but we'll do quite a few things to help those guys down there that lost so much." Tim Farris of INXS announced on Wednesday night's Rock Star: INXS that the band had made a donation to the Red Cross to aid victims of the hurricane. "New Orleans is one of our favorite cities and the people there have always treated us well," Farris said. On her Website, Britney Spears, who was born in Kentwood, Louisiana, writes, "My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and any other states that might be affected by Hurricane Katrina. All of my family members there are safe and thank you to all my fans for your concern." Patricia Clarkson told reporters at the Venice Film Festival where she's promoting her new film, Good Night, and Good Luck, that her mom, Jackie, a New Orleans city councilwoman, has been by the side of mayor Ray Nagin throughout the ordeal. "She's all right. Otherwise I wouldn't be here," Clarkson said. Boogie-woogie piano maestro Fats Domino, who had been initially listed as missing, was safely pulled from the floodwaters. Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner and Simpsons star Harry Shearer both said they were awaiting news on whether their homes in New Orleans survived the deluge. Finally, the producers of American Idol announced Thursday that the show auditions scheduled for Monday in Memphis have been canceled "due to the extensive relief efforts currently being coordinated in that city." Thousands of displaced persons from the Gulf Coast have fled to the city.