Cancer affects all of us, and we've had enough. Tonight, for the third year in a row, more than 100 of your favorites celebs, including George Clooney, Will Smith, Seth MacFarlane, Martina McBride and Lady Antebellum will join together and Stand Up To Cancer.
Survivors Sharon Osbourne, Lance Armstrong, and Christina Applegate will make appearances, as will Michael Douglas as he faces his own battle with stage IV throat cancer.
“Plain and simple, cancer takes too much from us,” said Laura Ziskin, co-founder and producer of SU2C.
”Loved ones lost to it, pain and suffering endured by those in treatment, even the recent report that cancer has the most devastating economic impact of any cause of death…this disease exacts a very high price. We want people all over the country to rise up and say, ‘ENOUGH!’”
Stand Up to Cancer goes beyond raising money for vital research. They bring teams of scientists together, providing them with the resources they need, and work to make sure that treatments they discover are made available to patients as fast as possible.
The first SU2C telethon in 2008, raised more than $100 million to accelerate research and find treatments and cures.
We’ve all been touched in some way by this devastating disease. Share your story in the comments.
You can earn donations for Stand Up To Cancer year-round by supporting them on SocialVibe.
This cool mini-movie compresses 35 famous films down to their most iconic images and represents them all in just two minutes. See how many you can recognize!
It starts off with Singing in the Rain, Titanic, Jaws, and Psycho. After that, we caught Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Terminator, Toy Story, Fight Club, A Clockwork Orange, and Rear Window. Which ones did you catch?
There are an estimated 23,000 nuclear weapons in the world. Those that are launch-ready right now can kill 100 million people in about 30 minutes. Here’s the kicker: we don’t know where they all are. The new film, Countdown to Zero, lays out the facts about our global situation and presents a convincing argument to get that 23,000 down to zero.
Got chills? Good. It’s a terrifying thought, but there are things that all of us can do to change it, and sometimes that chill gives us the push we need to take action.
One of the most important things you can do is educate yourself. Grab a friend and head over to a free (yes, FREE!) showing near you. Go here or visit takepart.com/zero to find a showing in your area and reserve tickets. Better snag ‘em while you can – the film has already made the rounds at festivals like Sundance and Cannes and the first showing near our SocialVibe offices sold out!
Once you’ve reserved your tix, make sure you sign the petition to demand a world without nuclear weapons at takepart.com/zero. The US and Russia recently signed a treaty to lessen the number of nukes we’re both storing, but it can’t be enforced until the Senate passes it. It's up to all of us to sign it, share it and post it everywhere we can. Join the movement to create a safer world for all of us. Demand zero!
Classic literature that’s now public domain is becoming relevant in a whole new way. The mashup trend has spread from music to books and spawned reads like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Little Vampire Women, Jane Slayer, and Mansfield Park and Mummies all in the past year.
The latest classic lit mashup comes in the form of a movie trailer and combines Pride and Prejudice with the psychological thriller, Fight Club. Though it’s not a real movie, it’s been watched by 65,000 people since it was uploaded to YouTube just two days ago.
[poll id="214"]
[poll id="215"]
Want to help make sure that everyone grows up able to read, regardless of whether or not they prefer classics with a gory twist? Support an education cause like DonorChoose.org on SocialVibe!
Just a few more hours until the 2010 do Something Awards on VH1, where pop culture meets activism. Matt Damon v. Leonardo DiCaprio, American Idol v. Glee, and Christina Aguilera v. Lady Gaga? Count us in!
Here are Do Something’s top five reasons to watch. They had us at “piece of A-list.”
1. Jane Lynch. Yes, this hot piece of A-list serves it up hot and sassy all night long!
2. Kellan Lutz + Annalynne McCord + Matt Bomer + Surprise Foxy-Queen-of-the-Foxies = smokin' HOT
3. Snoop Dogg and some dogs w/ a Dawg
4. "I wanna be a Billionaire....so f'in bad....." (y'know its stuck in your head now)
5. Do it for the kids! 5 to be exact, and one will win $100K to keep changing the world!!
The Do Something Awards honor those that give back, whether they’re movie stars or high school kids. At the end of the night, one young world-changing social activist will receive $100K to continue their work.
The newest category, Do Something on Twitter, pins Ashton Kutcher and Hugh Jackman against the satirical “BPGlobalPR.” No matter who wins in any category, it’s going to be a good show. Comedy + music + a reminder that there are lots of good people in the world = something we’re sure to watch.
No, not for herself. She's asking fans to help her find a donor for 11 year-old Shannon Tavarez.
A few years ago, Shannon was living her dream, playing Nala in The Lion King on Broadway. Then she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia and was told she needed a bone marrow transplant but would first have to find a donor.
When songstress Rihanna heard about Shannon, she vowed to help her find a donor that will allow her to live her new dream, which is “just to grow up.”
"When I listened to Shannon's voice, I got really sad. Her voice is so beautiful. She should be performing on Broadway, but she is confined to her bed, fighting for her life. Shannon needs to find a bone marrow donor to survive. I urge all my fans to register with DKMS”
Currently, for each 10 people desperately searching for a donor to save their life or the life of their child or loved one, only 4 will find successful matches. The search is exponentially more difficult for African Americans like Shannon, as people of African decent make up less than 7% of donors.
The marrow taken from your body regenerates in just a few weeks and can be taken through a syringe in your hip or through your blood. While we can’t say the process is fun, you’ll spend the rest of your life knowing that you’ve changed the world for someone like Shannon.
Learn more about becoming a life-saving donor and register at dkmsamericas.org.
They were the opening act for the Glee live tour, and have performed at The Academy Awards and on So You Think You Can Dance. Now this talented group is featured in a new, web-only series about two teams of dancers (good vs. evil, of course) that will change the world.
There are mysteries that you have to uncover as you watch each installment. Vanity Fair compared the series to a video game where secrets are unlocked as you explore the LXD world through their website, thelxd.com.
According to Harry Shum Jr., LXD choreographer and Glee cast member,
"The first season simply introduces all the characters, one at a time, showing their origins. It’s not until Season Two that the plot starts and you find out why they’re all there, what they’re being recruited for. It’s all pieces to a large puzzle that you put together."
We can’t wait for the “changing the world” part of the show to start but, in the mean time, world-changing or not, the dancing alone makes it worth a watch!
Speaking of changing the world, LXD has partnered with Invisible Children to help support the incredible work they’re doing in Uganda. Each LXD tee sold will support Invisible Children’s work.
The t-shirts are made of 100% organic cotton from Uganda, look cool AND help change the world. Sounds like a deal to us! Buy one here.
Never mind that worldwide Internet use continues to skyrocket. The 52-year-old Purple Rain singer who’s known for trying to turn his name into a symbol had this to say:
"The Internet is completely over. I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can’t get it. The Internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. All these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you."
His distaste for all things online became evident in 2007 when he personally had his record company contact YouTube to remove a clip of a baby dancing to one of his songs (below).
He then took down his official site, threatened to sue major sites like YouTube, and eBay for the misuse of his music and sent his legal team after his biggest fan sites, ordering them to remove all music, images, lyrics album covers or anything associated with his likeness.
His refusal to work with even legal pay-sites like iTunes makes it difficult for fans to do what fans do. His latest album, 20Ten, will be distributed as a free gift with the purchase of the UK newspaper, The Daily Mirror and will not be available anywhere as a download; at least until someone uploads it.
