Who among us has not been touched by cancer? Not a one, I'd venture to say. That's where Stand Up To Cancer comes in, an awareness- and fundraising telethon coming up September 5, starring tons of superstar celebrities and many of Famecrawler's fave celeb parents. In an unprecedented move, ABC, NBC, and CBS will all simultaneously air the special on their networks. You can see the video promo for the live special at the end of this post.
So far, there are over 60 celebrities scheduled for the telethon. The list includes Diane Keaton, Carrie Underwood, Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Garner, Jack Black, Sheryl Crow, and Rob Lowe.
The celebs will be joined by the major network news anchors Katie Couric, Brian Williams, and Charles Gibson and it's being deemed "edutainment," according to exec producer Laura Ziskin, herself a cancer survivor.
Couric herself lost her husband to colon cancer when he was 42, and several years later her sister was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. All this happened when Couric's daughters were just 6 and 2 years old. I remember it well.
Stand Up To Cancer also features the debut of a sure-to-be hit single called "Just Stand Up" by Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, and Mariah Carey. The song's proceeds will all go to cancer research.
The telethon is all about getting scientists to come together to fight cancer. Ziskin says it'll be "a phone-in, a sit-in, a love in" and "people can call in and talk to their favorite celebrity" when they call in to make a donation.
I love it when the power of celebrity is put to good use. I have a dear friend facing recurrent ovarian cancer for the third time, and I lost my stepfather to lung cancer four years ago. I'm sure you've been touched by cancer, too, and hope you'll tune in to this amazing project.
Source | Stand Up 2 Cancer Site | Photos: Stand Up 2 Cancer & Celebuptopia
Promo Video
