On January 22, 2010, several major networks will air the Hope For Haiti telethon. This marks the third celebrity telethon that George Clooney has organized following a major disaster.
"We do [celebrity telethons] when there's an immediate need," Clooney told Ryan Seacrest of E! News. "It's happened a few times: 9/11 we did it, and [after the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia] we did it[...]This is a very difficult time for people to be giving, so it just shows how compassionate people are." (Source: MTV News)
Hope For Haiti Airs January 22, 2010
On January 14, 2010, George Clooney and MTV announced a joint effort to create a telethon in support of Haitian earthquake relief. Wyclef Jean and Anderson Cooper will co-host the Hope For Haiti telethon with Clooney. Sting, Bono, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake are confirmed participants, with additional celebrities and performances to be announced as the airdate approaches.
Producer Joel Gallen (Not Another Teen Movie, Comedy Central Roasts, MTV Movie Awards) teams up with Clooney for the second time to bring a celebrity-driven disaster relief telethon to a global audience.
America: A Tribute to Heroes - September 11th Telethon
George Clooney and producer Joel Gallen also spearheaded America: A Tribute to Heroes in support of the victims and families of 9/11. The September 21, 2001, telecast raised millions for the United Way of New York City's September 11th Telethon Fund.
The two-hour telethon was planned in seven days (a timeline similar to Hope For Haiti), and aired commercial-free on over 30 networks. Producer Gallen credits Clooney with the idea of having celebrities man the phone bank. (People.com)
Subsequent proceeds from the telethon's CD and DVD also went to the victims and families of 9/11. In total, the September 11th Telethon Fund raised and distributed over $100 million in cash assistance to 9/11 victims and families (The Chronicle of Philanthropy, December 21, 2001).
Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope
George Clooney was also among the organizers of NBC’s Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope, broadcast on January 15, 2005. Dozens of celebrities participated in Tsunami Aid in support of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The 2-hour telethon aired commercial-free on NBC and all of its then-sister networks.
Tsunami Aid raised $18.3 million for the American Red Cross International Response Fund and its efforts to aid the victims of the devastating December 2004 tsunami.
Read more about Hope For Haiti, airing on January 22, 2010.
Christine E. Taylor - Christine E. Taylor is a freelance writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Christine is currently writing a series of articles ...
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