Hollywood Blog

Celebrity Status and Charity

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When Angelina Jolie founded the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict (EPCC) in 2006 together with Gene Sperling, it was expected that her celebrity status will be put to good use in matters pertaining to the creation of widened awareness for the existence and the cause of the charity.  Of course, Jolie knew much better than to brazenly promote her personal causes lest they be interpreted as media hype but her involvement with EPCC has certainly created just the right exposure for the charity.

A case in point is the jewelry collection which Jolie and husband Brad Pitt created in cooperation with renowned London jeweler Asprey.  The couple promoted their artistic and philanthropic venture simply through the reinforcement of the message of the charity they are supporting.  There was no hard-sell, just reliance on the big potential in the creation of a successful project through three factors: the cause as provided by EPCC, excellent craftsmanship by Asprey, and the celebrity signature of approval by Brangelina.

The jewelry line called “The Protector” has for its basic design a coiling serpent.  It was reportedly inspired by a serpent ring given to Jolie during her first pregnancy supposedly for her and her child’s protection.  From then, it has become to symbolize a protector or a family guardian.  This and the Russian culture were combined to  produce the end result as seen through the symbolism and colors.

The Protector Collection is a collection of jewelry for both children and adults that includes bracelets, rings, earrings, pendants, and sterling silver baby gifts.  It also includes the first men’s item- the Protector Black Diamond cufflinks executed in 18k white gold with black diamonds and emeralds.  The designer cufflinks reportedly fetched the handsome price of $ 11,000.  All proceeds from the sale of Protector pieces goes to EPCC to fund the education of child victims of war, conflict, and natural disasters.  There are indeed many benefits of being a celebrity but none can be better than being able to use stardom to help people in need.

Originally posted on May 22, 2012 @ 3:18 am

Radiohead To Play For Haiti

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Many negative things have been said about Hollywood and its inhabitants but one thing is for sure: they have always been ready to lend a helping hand whenever it is needed. The most recent catastrophe to have caught the attention of the international community was the earthquake that hit Haiti. Keeping true to form, Hollywood has not been left behind in the relief efforts.

Tomorrow, a prominent band will be playing to benefit the people of Haiti. Radiohead is scheduled to hold a concert at the Henry Fonda Theatre. It is in fact a last minute show that has been organized to add to the already immense support being poured on the country. An interesting twist to the concert is that tickets are only being sold through bidding. The bidding started on Thursday and will end today at 11 AM – that gives you less than a day to get your hands on some tickets.

Here is the announcement of the band from their web site:

Radiohead for Haiti
We’re doing a show this Sunday (24th January) to raise funds for the relief effort in Haiti. The venue is The Music Box Theatre at The Fonda in Los Angeles, doors at 7pm. All proceeds are going to the Oxfam Haiti relief fund. We’re trying to raise as much money as possible, so tickets will be sold by auction at this site from 8pm tonight until 11am Saturday (PST):

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/09004434FC1C86AC

We’re in the middle of recording at the moment, so you’ll be catching us on the fly…. but if you’re up for it, then we are too.

See you then
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Radiohead fans: here is your chance to spend a night with your favorite band in a relatively small setting. While you’re at it, you will be helping those who need it the most! It’s a win-win situation.

Originally posted on January 23, 2010 @ 4:53 am