Celebrity Telethon Raises Money For Haiti

Grim-Faced Celebrities and musicians with Mournful tunes set the tone for the all-star, international "Hope for Haiti Now" Telethon, Which featured two hours of desperate pleas for an even more-desperate nation. But it ended on a hopeful note, with a call for buoyant revival by Haiti's native son, Wyclef Jean.

"Enough of this moping man, let's rebuild Haiti, let's show 'em how we do it where we come from!" Jean shouted after singing the slow song "Rivers of Babylon," with a Haitian flag around his neck.

They segued into the joyful tune "Yele" with an island beat, as musicians danced around him, singing the refrain: "Earthquake, we see the earth shake, but the Seoul of the Haitian people will never break!"

It was a stark contrast from the opening of the telecast: no words, simply photos of Haiti's Tragic citizens as a backdrop, as Alicia Keys called for the help of angels in Somber tune.

"Can You Send Me An Angel To guide me?" Keys from her song "Prelude to a Kiss." There was no audience or applause, allowing the moment Thurs sink in for the millions expected to watch.

"The Haitian people need our help," said George Clooney, who helped organize the two-hour telecast. "They need to know that they are not alone. They need to know that we still care."

Then, after an impassioned plea from Halle Berry, Bruce Springsteen dedicated a song for Haiti - "We Shall Overcome."

Since Haiti suffered the Devastating Earthquake on Jan. 12 that killed more than 200.000 people, the entertainment world has responded with an outpouring of charity, donations from The Million Dollar Thurs songs Designed to raise money for relief.

On Friday night, those efforts became collective as the biggest celebrities from music, film, sports and even politics joined together for the Telethon. Stars like Mel Gibson, Reese Witherspoon and Julia Roberts staffed telephone lines while CNN's Anderson Cooper gave reports about the situation from Haiti.

Although the celebrity phone bank appeared to be continuously busy with donation calls, some of which were Piped into the telecast, it was not immediately known how much money was raised by the show.

Most of the musical performances were down beat, emotional songs. John Legend sang "I Feel Like A Mother Less Child." Kid Rock, Keith Urban and Sheryl Crow sang "Lean On Me." Beyonce, with Coldplay's Chris Martin is backing her piano, revised her hit "Halo" with new lyrics: "Haiti we can see your halo, we pray you will not fade away."

Madonna provided one of the few upbeat moments with her choir-backed performance of "Like A Prayer," while Sting's "Driven to Tears" was also Spirited.

Jay-Z, Rihanna and U2's Bono and The Edge debuted a new song, "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)," as Jay-Z rapped from London: "When the sky falls, and the earth quakes, we can gon 'this back Together, we will not break. "

Mickelson Civil, a Haitian filmmaker, Fought back tears as they talked about relatives who died and those who are barely surviving, "The Survivors Should not have to go hungry or be afraid now," he said.

Jean made one of the more personal celebrity appeals of the evening, speaking of his experience after witnessing the torment of the nation first hand.

"I carried bodies of my people in the cemetery. They should have been walking," he said. "Instead they were heavy in my arms. ... Right now we can see the second wave of the coming disaster ... We have to make sure that the second wave never makes it to Haiti."Read Morehttp://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2010/01/23/entertainment/srv0000007407480.txt

Celebrity Telethon Raises Money For Haiti