Tonights Telethon......

[Guest biga]

As i write this it's about 6 and a half hours till the start of the all-star telethon on US TV,just wondering what people are making of it in the USA, it will be transmitted live here in the UK (2-4am UK time)are you going to watch,donate do you think its a good idea,would be interested to find out what you think(those that HAVE tv of course ) Cheers Andy

[+ deej]

I don't know enough about it, but it will be impossible to avoid. All the cable channels, including HBO and Showtime, will be carrying it as well.

 

As for donating, I dunno. I haven't heard yet who their beneficiaries are. If it's the Red Cross, no. (Read HooBoy's comments in the news section.) I'd rather donate directly to the Fireman's relief fund or another local fund where I know the money mostly goes to helping those affected.

 

Will I watch? I don't know. If the TV is turned on, as I said it will be impossible to avoid. I may go out but, of course, every bar in town will also have it on so I'm almost certain to see some parts of it.

[OneFinger]

I believe that most US citizens are looking for some way to be involved and contribute to the relief efforts. Many entertainers cannot (for safety and traffic control reasons) show up on-site and volunteer their time.

 

I view the telethon as a positive way for the entertainment industry to contribute and feel like they are helping. (And I truly feel it will generate much needed money.)

 

Will I watch? Probably not because my interest in music ended with the death of Lawerence Welk. :-)

 

Will I contribute? Probably not because I prefer to send my donation directly and not through an middle-man.

 

I fully agree with HooBoy's suggestions on donations.

[Guest WetDream]

RE: Lawrence Welk

 

"Will I watch? Probably not because my interest in music ended with the death of Lawerence Welk."

 

Oh no! When did he die? And how could you tell?

[Guest DickHo]

RE: Lawrence Welk

 

A one, a two and a three!

[OneFinger]

RE: Lawrence Welk

 

>Oh no! When did he die? And how could you tell?

 

I was watching the show one day when his bubble just burst. I've never been the same. :'(

[EXPAT]

RE: Lawrence Welk

 

What station will it air in London?

 

Jeff

An American Expat in London

(formerly SFJEFF)

[Guest biga]

RE: Lawrence Welk

 

Probably too late now but its on ITV 1 or if you have cable/satelite(sp)MTV are taking a CBS feed hope you caught it anyway .Andy

[OneFinger]

Despite the fact Lawerence Welk-type performers weren't scheduled, I did watch the entire telethon. It was wonderful and inspiring. In fact, I even made a donation. :o

 

However, it did make me feel very, very old. Out of approximately 21 musical numbers, the only performers I recognized were Stevie Wonder, Sting, and Willie Nelson. I even had to turn the captions on the TV so I could understand the words to the unfamiliar songs. :-(

 

But, it was a great experience and I'm glad I participated. Especially liked Tom Cruise honoring the gay Chaplin for the Fire Department that was killed. Considering all the rumors surrounding Cruise, I admire him for not refusing to honor a gay man. Gay or straight, Cruise was a "class act" tonight.

[EXPAT]

I also stayed up and watched it on the BBC from 2AM - 4AM. It was a very moving special. Although I could not figure out who was singing "John Lennon's Imagine" until this morning - on the E News web site, they said it was Neil Young. I didn't recognize him at all. I think my two favorite performances were Celine Dion's version of "God Bless America" and Bon Jovi's very muted "Livin' On A Prayer".

 

Even Mariah Scarey came out of her supposed breakdown (sorry, I think that she is just reacting badly to extremely bad reviews to her movie and soundtrack) to sing one of the best songs of her career, "Hero".

 

I also made a donation. I was hoping to talk directly to Brad Pitt, but got Whoppi Goldberg. She was actually a lot of fun.

 

Jeff

An American Expat in London

(formerly SFJEFF)

[EXPAT]

From Entertainment Weekly (http://www.ew.com/tv)

 

Such A-list stars as Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, and Will Smith have signed on for ''America: A Tribute to Heroes,'' Friday night's unprecedented live fundraising simulcast, which ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC are underwriting. Joining Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, George Clooney, and Bruce Springsteen, who had previously confirmed their participation, will be Bon Jovi, Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, the Dixie Chicks, Robert DeNiro, Clint Eastwood, Faith Hill, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Robin Williams, Stevie Wonder, and Neil Young.

 

Manning the phones at a telethon will be celebrity operators Cindy Crawford, John Cusack, Danny DeVito, Goldie Hawn, Salma Hayek, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, Chris Rock, Meg Ryan, Adam Sandler, Whoppi Goldberg and Sylvester Stallone.

 

 

 

Jeff

An American Expat in London

(formerly SFJEFF)

[EXPAT]

Here is the complete list of singers and songs who performed on the telethon:

 

Bruce Springsteen: My City of Ruins, a song he had performed at only a few New Jersey shows

 

Stevie Wonder (with Take 6): Love's in Need of Love Today, from 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life

 

U2 (with Eric Clapton, Natalie Imbruglia): Peace on Earth intro/Walk On, from 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind

 

Faith Hill: There Will Come a Day, from 1999 album Breathe

 

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers: I Won't Back Down, from 1989 Petty solo album Full Moon Fever

 

Enrique Iglesias: New single Hero

 

Neil Young: John Lennon's Imagine, previously unrecorded by Young

 

Alicia Keys: Donny Hathaway's Someday We'll All Be Free, previously unrecorded by Keys

 

Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst and Wes Borland, plus the Goo Goo Dolls' John Rzeznik: Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, previously unrecorded

 

Billy Joel: New York State of Mind, from 1976 album Turnstiles

 

Dixie Chicks: New song I Believe In Love

 

Dave Matthews: Everyday, from 2001 album Everyday

 

Wyclef Jean: Bob Marley & The Wailers' Redemption Song, previously unrecorded by Jean

 

Mariah Carey: Hero, from 1993 album Music Box

 

Bon Jovi: Livin' on a Prayer, from 1986 album Slippery When Wet

 

Sheryl Crow: New song Safe and Sound

 

Sting: Fragile, from 1987 album Nothing Like the Sun

 

Pearl Jam 's Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready with Neil Young: The Long Road, originally performed with the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on the Dead Man Walking soundtrack

 

Paul Simon: Bridge Over Troubled Water, from the 1970 Simon & Garfunkel album Bridge Over Troubled Water

 

Celine Dion: God Bless America

 

Willie Nelson and various celebrities: America the Beautiful

Celebrities speaking: Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Will Smith, Muhammad Ali, Kelsey Grammer, Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Dennis Franz, Jimmy Smits, Calista Flockhart, Amy Brenneman, Conan O'Brien, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tom Cruise, Ray Romano, Lucy Liu, Sela Ward, Jane Kaczmarek, Julia Roberts, Chris Rock, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood