Hope for Haiti Now Brings in Huge Stars, Huge Relief

Following the devastating earthquake on the small, poor nation of Haiti on January 12, 2009, celebrities have been using their fame for good; getting the word out for people to donate money for the many people in Haiti who need it most. For two hours, celebrities from Los Angeles, New York City, London, and even Haiti itself, all pleaded with the nation to donate money. George Clooney, Wyclef Jean, and Anderson Cooper hosted the event, which was called "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief." Anderson Cooper gave live feeds from Haiti, and had such guests as a young girl who was pulled from the rubble days earlier. "The Haitian people need our help," Clooney said. "They need to know they are not alone. They need to know that we still care." The show was broadcast on over 25 networks (cnn.com). The event raised over $57 million dollars, and the numbers are still growing.

Celebrities such as Jenna Elfman, Tobey Maguire, Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Julia Roberts, Mel Gibson, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Eric Dane, Kate Beckinsale, Steven Spielberg, Reese Witherspoon, Cindy Crawford, Ben Affleck, Sigourney Weaver, Noah Wyle, Ringo Starr, Jack Nicholson, Ellen DeGeneres, Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Robin Williams, Tim Allen, Billy Crystal, Colin Farrell, Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler, Neil Patrick Harris, LL Cool J, and Selena Gomez, and more manned the rows of telephones, taking peoples calls (eonline.com).

Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and more sang special songs to commemorate the event. Bono, the Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna together wrote a song this week called "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour), which they sang together live from London. All of the songs sung during the event can be purchased on iTunes, with all of the proceeds going to Haiti.

Several more celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Pattinson gave testimonials about both the sadness and the triumphant rescues going on in Haiti in the ten days since the earthquake.

The biggest moment of the night, however, came when Wyclef Jean, a Haitian native, sang "Rivers of Babylon" wearing a Haitian flag around his neck. Afterwards, he shouted"Enough of this moping man, let's rebuild Haiti, let's show 'em how we do it where we come from!" This showed that in spite of all of the heartbreak, there is reason to be hopeful.

The phone lines remained open after the two hours, and you can still donate online at www.hopeforhaitinow.org. iTunes proceeds are also going to be factored into the final numbers.

Sources:

"'Hope for Haiti' dominates the airwaves." Cnn.com

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/22/haiti.telethon/index.html?hpt=C1

"Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief." www.msn.com

http://tv.msn.com/hope-for-haiti/series/?gt1=42007

"George, Julia, Denzel, Brad, Leo & So Many More Make it an All-Star Effort for Haiti Relief" www.eonline.com

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b163627_george_julia_denzel_brad_leo_many_more.html