Celebrities and Commencement Season

It’s graduation time, and there’s no better way to draw attention to your school’s commencement ceremony than to invite a big name celebrity to address students. This year is no different with Oprah heading to Duke University to inspire the graduating class of 2009 to never give up on their dreams. Easy for her to say. In addition, President Barack Obama made it through his commencement address to students at The University of Notre Dame, despite protestors who disagree with his stance on abortion. Meanwhile, in New England, basketball star, Larry Bird and legendary movie director Steven Spielberg were the … Continue reading →

Celebs Donate to End Malaria

April 24th was World Malaria Day. Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease, kills approximately one million people each year. While the disease is not a problem anymore in many areas of the world, other areas are still very vulnerable to this disease. Most of the cases (9 out of 10) occur in Africa, with 90 percent of the population being at risk. Most of those that die from malaria in Africa are children and women. Malaria can be controlled with quick and effective treatment for patients as well as the use of insecticide and mosquito nets. World Malaria Day was created in … Continue reading →

Mia Farrow Fasts for Darfur

Actress/activist Mia Farrow has long been a supporter of children’s rights and has especially been concerned about the welfare of those in Africa. She works as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has traveled to war torn Darfur three times since 2004. To help spread the word of the crisis going on there, Farrow has had photographs published in PEOPLE magazine and she has written editorials for the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. She feels so passionately about this cause that in August 2007, she offered to give up her freedom in exchange for that of Suleiman Jamous, a … Continue reading →

Matt Damon Visits Zimbabwe Refugees

Actor Matt Damon is in South Africa to film a movie about Nelson Mandela, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela. While there, he decided to visit the Zimbabwe border town of Musina to help raise awareness of the suffering going on in that country and of those that have fled it. (This image is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the United States Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook.) Damon visited a Zimbabwean refugee camp and talked to some of the people there. He heard stories of the sexual violence occurring … Continue reading →

Rainn Wilson Speaks Out about Baha’i

It seems to be celebrity week to speak out about a cause or in this case, a persecuted religion. No, no, Tom Cruise is not defending Scientology again; I am talking about The Office’s Rainn Wilson and Baha’i. Rainn recently wrote a commentary for CNN about Baha’i. At first, I thought “Is this a joke?” because 99.9% of what Rainn does is (and he’s very good at it!), but no, this seems for real. (This file, by StaceyD, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License) Rainn, who was raised in the Baha’i faith, decided to write the … Continue reading →

Ben Affleck Calls for Hope in the Congo

Ben Affleck is a celebrity with a cause – the eastern Congo. Ben has been traveling to the Congo since 2007 to see the devastating effects on the war-torn country. He also filmed a documentary of his time in the country. It is believed that about three million civilians have been displaced since the fighting between the government and rebel troops started. (This image is a work of a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy, taken or made during the course of the person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the … Continue reading →

Super Stars, Super Givers

The twins were born and photographed. The cash was handed over and we’re now learning where all that dough is going. According to a statement issued by the Global Health Committee earlier this week, roughly $2 million of the $14 million Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made from selling snaps of their newborn twins will go to help fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in Ethiopia. As you might recall Ethiopia is the country where their 3-year-old daughter Zahara was born. Now children there will have a second chance at life thanks to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation. Execs with the Global Health Committee … Continue reading →

Celebrities and Hurricane Gustav

While the major networks were watching Hurricane Gustav unleash its fury on Louisiana entertainment publications were keeping a close eye on celebrities watching what New Orleans mayor described as “the mother of all storms.” (Today Mayor Ray Nagin amended his description calling Gustav “the mother-in-law or the ugly sister of all storms.”) Which just goes to show that the media can spin practically any current events story into one that involves Hollywood’s biggest names. Yesterday I saw video of men working to board up Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s New Orleans home. The couple, which bought a home and lived … Continue reading →

Celebrity REAL or RUMOR: Jen and Ben Expecting and Hawke Weds

If you believe the supermarket tabloids then 2-year-old Violet Affleck will soon be forced to share her toys with a new baby sister or brother. According to the National Enquirer, Hollywood hottie Ben Affleck and his superstar wife Jennifer Garner are expecting their second child. The tabloid claims Garner is set to give birth to the couple’s second child early next year. A source close to the couple reportedly told the birdcage liner: “A few days before the Fourth of July, Jen began calling close pals with the news that she was pregnant again. Jen said she’s three months along … Continue reading →

Celebrity Do-Gooders: Pizza and Progress

Okay, he’s not exactly saving the world, or feeding starving children, but Drew Carey is still using his millions (okay, it only cost him a few hundred dollars) to make people happy. The actor turned game show host is celebrating Saturday’s season finale of “The Price as Right” by having his favorite pizzas shipped to Los Angeles from his hometown pizzeria in Ohio. Carey, who claims the best pizza in the world is made at Antonio’s restaurant near his boyhood home in Cleveland, wanted to do something special for the cast and crew of the popular game show he hosts … Continue reading →