HOLLYWOOD FOR HAITI:George Clooney to Host MTV Telethon for Haiti

George Clooney to Host MTV Telethon for Haiti

MTV Networks on Friday revealed details about the Haiti relief telethon it is mounting with actor George Clooney.

The two-hour telethon to support the victims of this week's devastating earthquake will be called "Hope for Haiti."

It will air Friday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m. commercial-free across ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, the CW, CNN, BET, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT.

Internationally, it will be made available to MTV Networks International, CNN International and National Geographic channels worldwide.

Hollywood is extending a helping hand to Haiti.

Disney on Wednesday announced a $100,000 contribution for humanitarian aid to the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean island. The donation will be provided to the Red Cross International Fund to support relief efforts.

"We at the Walt Disney Co. are deeply saddened by this tragedy and send our thoughts and prayers to the people of Haiti and their loved ones, which include our cast members and employees," Disney topper Bob Iger said.

Viacom announced a $500,000 matching-gift program, with donations going to the Red Cross' disaster efforts.

Elsewhere, film and television celebrities urged support for Haiti earthquake systems.
Oprah Winfrey began her talk show Wednesday by asking viewers to donate to the Red Cross.

"This is a time where we, as a global nation, should come together and support those who are in need," she said.

In a Twitter post, Ben Stiller said, "People in Haiti need our help and attention right now." Others offering similar tweets included Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Adam Lambert.

Singer Wyclef Jean arrived Wednesday in his native Haiti.

"I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse," he said. "The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now."

Blink-182 bassist-vocalist Mark Hoppus said a "wide spectrum of artists and people in the music industry ... are kind of joining together to help in whatever manner that they can."

"Precious" director Lee Daniels said the earthquake makes Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony seem less important.

"Ultimately, what we do is so un-newsworthy in comparison and so unimportant when you have things like this at hand," he said. " 'Precious' seems so unimportant when casualties like that happen."

"Precious" is up for three Globes.

Celebrities were invited to aid in Haitian relief by attending Platinum Publicity's Hollywood Helping Haiti Golden Globes Lounge. Organizers promised that donations would be made in honor of every celebrity who visited, and stars could contribute by autographing items to be auctioned to support Haitian relief.

Coldplay singer Chris Martin urged people to donate to a Haiti appeal set up by the charity Oxfam.

"I visited Haiti with Oxfam a few years ago; it's a country of extreme poverty and brutal living conditions," he said. "Most people in Port-au-Prince live in tin shacks. The earthquake that has struck Haiti will have turned the city into an unimaginable hell."





"Hope for Haiti" will be hosted by the event's main driving force, Clooney, in Los Angeles, Wyclef Jean in New York City and CNN's Anderson Cooper in Haiti.

The telethon will be broadcast from New York City and Los Angeles, and will feature musical performances and celebrity appearances, which will be announced later, as well as live news reports from CNN.

"Hope for Haiti" will be produced by Joel Gallen, who also produced the "Tribute to Heroes" 9/11 telethon; Tenth Planet Prods., in collaboration with MTV Networks; and George Clooney.

All proceeds will be split evenly among five relief organizations currently operating in Haiti: Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF and Yele Haiti Foundation.


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