August 27, 2008 – The Hollywood community continues to embrace Stand Up To Cancer www.standup2cancer.org as more notable personalities from film, TV, music and sports enlist to be a part of the groundbreaking initiative aimed at raising funds to accelerate cancer research. Propelled by the historic, nationally-televised September 5th event simultaneously broadcast live and commercial free on ABC, CBS and NBC at 8pm EST and PST, a massive campaign is underway to unite the American people, raise funds, and build awareness for the significant advances in cancer treatment now within reach. This will be the first simultaneous cross-network broadcast ever to raise funds for the fight against a disease.
“Both in the entertainment community and with the American people, the momentum continues to build for this cause,” said award-winning film producer Laura Ziskin, who is the executive producer of the September 5th broadcast. “We’re setting out to give the public a show that is entertaining and inspiring, and we’re starting a movement that can revolutionize the way we approach this disease.”
Jessica Alba, Charles Barkley, Halle Berry, Jack Black, Abigail Breslin, Kate Bosworth, Sheryl Crow, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa Etheridge, Jimmy Fallon, Jennifer Garner, Brad Garrett, Angie Harmon, Tony Hawk, Marg Helgenberger, Diane Keaton, Rob Lowe, Mandy Moore, Don Newcombe, Sharon Osbourne, Josh Peck, Mekhi Phifer, Keanu Reeves, Jimmy Smits, David Spade and Carrie Underwood are scheduled to appear on the September 5th Stand Up To Cancer broadcast.
They join the previously announced line-up including: Casey Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Josh Brolin, David Cook, Dana Delany, Fran Drescher, Kirsten Dunst, Elizabeth Edwards, Jon Favreau, America Ferrera, Neil Patrick Harris, Salma Hayek, Scarlett Johansson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Masi Oka, Danica Patrick, Christina Ricci, Robin Roberts, Commissioner Allan H. Bud Selig, Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Goran Visnjic, and Forest Whitaker. Network news anchors Charles Gibson, Katie Couric and Brian Williams will report on potentially life-saving research, speaking with both patients and scientists.
The September 5th broadcast will feature the premiere of “Just Stand Up,” the all-star charity single benefiting Stand Up To Cancer and produced by L.A. Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds in their first creative reunion on record in nearly two decades. The performance features more than a dozen of the world’s most accomplished female recording artists including Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood. Beginning September 2nd, “Just Stand Up” will be available to purchase at iTunes and mobile carriers worldwide.
Beyond the television event, celebrities have participated in a series of PSAs (public service announcements) and original web content— all in support of the cause. At this summer’s All-Star Game, Major League Baseball, SU2C’s first donor, unveiled its innovative text-to-donate initiative (outlined in a PSA featuring Jessica Biel) which is running in baseball stadiums across the country throughout the summer. Commissioner Selig unveiled the program alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Sheryl Crow.
Everyone whose life has been touched by cancer can join the Stand Up To Cancer community through its multiplatform presence on the web. Highlights include: SUTV: with video segments featuring the cast of The Daily Show as well as Larry David and the moving SU2C PSA directed by David Fincher; The Constellation: where for a dollar donation or more, users can launch a star in honor of anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis; The Stand: an interactive Facebook application illustrating how we are all connected by this disease.
The following celebrities have appeared in Stand Up To Cancer PSAs, or videos appearing on standup2cancer.org’s SUTV channel:
The cast of The Daily Show (SUTV)
Morgan Freeman (PSA)
Keanu Reeves (PSA)
FunnyOrDie.com (SUTV)
Balthazar Getty (Print)
Paul Rudd (SUTV)
Topher Grace (Manifesto)
Susan Sarandon (PSA)
Every day, cancer kills 1,500 Americans— one person every minute. This year, more than 550,000 Americans and six million people worldwide will succumb to this vicious disease. One out of three women and one in every two men will be diagnosed in their lifetimes. With advances in technology and research, scientists are close to pushing cancer from a disease that all too often takes lives to one people largely triumph over. This is where the end of cancer begins.
Stand Up To Cancer has announced an innovative approach to research designed to bring together the best and brightest investigators from leading institutions around the world. This unique initiative, which will foster scientific collaboration and accelerate the discovery of new therapies, will be administered by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) under the direction of a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT.
Many leading philanthropists, organizations and corporations support the Stand Up To Cancer mission, including the Sidney Kimmel Foundation as well as Major League Baseball, Amgen, AARP, Bloomberg Philanthropies, GlaxoSmithKline, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Revlon, Wallis Annenberg & The Annenberg Foundation, Alliance for Global Good, Lee Jeans, New York Giants, Philips, Saks Fifth Avenue, Steve Tisch, Stonyfield Farm, The Island Def Jam Music Group and many others. In addition to ABC, CBS and NBC, SU2C major media partners include AOL, Condé Nast Media Group, eBay Inc., Facebook, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Hearst Corporation, Los Angeles Times, Meredith Corporation, Paypal, The New York Times Company, Time Inc., and WebMD.
Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and was established by a group of media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders, whose lives have all been affected by cancer in significant ways.
Stand Up To Cancer’s leadership team includes Laura Ziskin; Katie Couric; the Entertainment Industry Foundation, represented by Board of Directors Chairperson Sherry Lansing (who is also Founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation), CEO Lisa Paulsen, and Vice President Kathleen Lobb; the Noreen Fraser Foundation and its executives Noreen Fraser (who is also a cancer survivor) and Woody Fraser, and Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz also of the Robertson Schwartz Agency; and nonprofit executive Ellen Ziffren, whose husband, noted L.A. attorney Ken Ziffren, played a pivotal role in bringing together the three networks for the broadcast special.
About AACR
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the oldest and largest scientific organization in the world focusing on every aspect of high-quality, innovative cancer research. Its reputation for scientific breadth and excellence attracts the premier researchers in the field. By accelerating the growth and spread of new knowledge about cancer, the AACR is on the front lines in the quest for the prevention and cure of cancer.
About the Entertainment Industry Foundation
The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), the collective philanthropic organization for the television and film businesses, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support programs addressing critical health, education and social issues.
About the Noreen Fraser Foundation
The Noreen Fraser Foundation utilizes film, television and web technologies to raise money for research as well as to educate and raise awareness about women’s cancers. The funds raised will be used to provide large grants to uniquely qualified cancer researchers.
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