CBC - Canada

Hollywood, Canadian Haiti benefit shows in works

Last Updated: Friday, January 15, 2010 | 3:26 PM ET


Performer and producer Wyclef Jean and CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper will join Hollywood star George Clooney in hosting a cross-network, all-star telethon being planned in support of Haiti, organizers announced Friday.

Hope for Haiti will raise money for the poor Caribbean nation devastated by Tuesday's earthquake.

On Jan. 22 starting at 8 p.m. ET, the commercial-free telethon will be broadcast by a host of U.S. network and cable TV stations — including MTV, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, HBO, BET, CW, VH1 and CMT — as well as by international partners.

After approaching MTV about organizing a major charitable initiative Wednesday afternoon, Clooney has reportedly already enlisted the participation of about a dozen of his Hollywood friends and offered to recruit others at Sunday's Golden Globe Awards gala, where he is nominated for the film Up In The Air.

According to MTV, Clooney will host the Los Angeles telethon segment of the telethon, while CNN's Cooper will take part live from Haiti.

The Haitian-born Jean, who has been the leading celebrity figure appealing for international assistance for his homeland, will host the segment from New York.

Organizers have yet to release a list of performers or name the other celebrities who will appear, answer phones and otherwise participate, but pledged to do so in the coming days.

Funds raised by the telethon will be earmarked for a number of different charities, including Red Cross, Oxfam America, Partners in Health, UNICEF and Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation.

Canadian performers take action

Meanwhile, Canadian performers have also begun organizing and holding fundraisers in support of Haitian earthquake relief.

Ottawa poet Oni the Haitian Sensation and others with family in Haiti scrambled to put on a benefit concert at the city's Babylon nightclub Thursday night.

About 200 people attended the show, which featured local musicians such as Cuban artist Cesar Ricardo and Staff 613, a band that performs the kompa style of Haitian music. About $8,000 was raised for Humanitarian Coalition, which includes Oxfam, CARE Canada and Save the Children.

The Haitian community in Ottawa is also planning another fundraiser Jan. 22 at Maison du Citoyen in Gatineau.

This weekend, high-profile Montreal bands, musicians and performers will take the stage for a Haiti benefit concert Sunday night at the city's Club Lambi, with participants to include Arcade Fire's Tim Kinsbury and Jeremy Gara, Amy Millan of Stars and indie rockers Plants and Animals.

With files from The Canadian Press