Madonna performs "Imagine" to help raise money for disaster relief
The concert was reminiscent of a similar benefit that ran on more than 30 television networks less than two weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. That benefit raised nearly $130 million for that cause.
The commercial-free benefit is airing live on NBC and affiliated cable stations CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, Pax TV, Trio and Sci-Fi Channel. You can also watch it online at MSNBC.com. MSNBC is a joint venture between NBC and Microsoft.
The phones were manned by many of Hollywood's A-list, including Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, Ray Romano, supermodel Cindy Crawford and George Clooney, one of the telethon's main organizers. Women had their choice of heartthrobs answering phones and taking pledges in the NBC Universal studios in Los Angeles: Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage, Tom Selleck and James Caan.
Other stars such as Robert De Niro, Kevin Spacey, Clint Eastwood, Renee Zellweger, Goldie Hawn, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and Halle Berry appeared, some from locations such as New York and London, to issue appeals for donations or introduce segments recapping the calamity that hit South Asia on Boxing Day. Many also worked the phones during the show.
A number of other stars, including George Clooney, Usher, Halle Berry and Uma Thurman, also appeared. One of the shows hosts, Jay Leno, encouraged viewers to pledge hefty amounts ($1,000 to $3,000) by offering them items such as a mug, a telephone, and a script, all signed by various big-name celebrities who were answering the phones at the event. A Red Cross executive assured contributors that 94% of the money would go directly to disaster victims.
The concert, aired at 8 p.m. ET Saturday (Jan. 15, 2005) and was broadcast on NBC and all its cable networks. Besides NBC, the program was carried on CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, Pax TV, Trio and the Sci-Fi Channel.
During the benefit, viewers were directed to a phone number
(1-800-HELP-NOW / 1-800-435-7669) and website (http://www.redcross.org)
for the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which
is working to provide victims of the Dec. 26 disaster with food
and water and to prevent disease in the areas hit by the tsunamis.
The Red Cross is at work on long-term aid efforts that include
mental health counseling and disaster preparedness initiatives.
PLEASE HELP OUT IF YOU CAN! The Madonna Catalog has donated generously to tsunami relief charities, and I hope you will do the same!
One way you can help is by purchasing downloads of the music performed at the "Tsunami Aid" benefit concert - Sony's connect.com music store is offering music downloads to Windows users with Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher (sorry, does not work with any Macintosh browsers) with proceeds going to the American Red Cross.
NOTE: For some unknown reason, the following 2 performances are NOT available for download: Stevie Wonder/India.Arie's performance of "Now's Our Time To Fly", and Sheryl Crow's performance of "Free To Fly".