By Carlos de Abreu

Hollywoodnews.com: We want to thank all of our friends and supporters for their continuous support. Without you we could not pursue our quest of discovering emerging filmmakers, honoring excellence in the art of filmmaking, and helping others through our “Hollywood Gives Back(r)” initiative.

“We greatly appreciate all you have done for us through the Hollywood Awards and our “Everybody Can Save a Life!” video contest. Your efforts have saved many lives.” – Paul Dooley, CEO- MatchingDonors.com

“Because of the generosity of The Hollywood Awards, we have just opened our new building at the Academy for Peace and Justice, the first free secondary school serving the very poor in Port-au-Prince… It is because of YOU that we are able to help change the lives of the poorest children of Haiti — children whose names I would love you to get to know, and whose faces I would love you to see.” – Director Paul Haggis for Artists for Peace and Justice.

For a 15th consecutive year, the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards continue their mandate of bridging the gap between emerging filmmakers and the film industry, as well as recognizing excellence in established Hollywood, both in front and behind the camera.

In addition to celebrating accomplishments on screen, the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards established the “Hollywood Gives Back(r)” initiative to expand and continue highlighting and assisting important local and national causes. Over the years, the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards have contributed to such organizations as: The Art of Elysium, Artists For Human Rights; Artists for Peace and Justice; Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; the Enough Project; and the children’s charity Variety SoCal among others.

Further, the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards selects individuals to be recipients of their “Hollywood Humanitarian Awards (TM)” in recognition of their contribution to the betterment of their communities or society at large. Prior recipients include Nobel Peace Prize winner and President of East Timor, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, Father Rick Frechette and actor and activist Sean Penn.

Called the “first mandatory stop in the awards season” by the “New York Times,” the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony, held respectively at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, and at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, honor the brightest talents from some of the year’s best films.

The “Los Angeles Times” recognized the Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony as a “pre-Oscar showcase,” while the laid-back atmosphere in the Beverly Hilton has helped the gala earn the description of “the Oscars without the angst.” (Also from the L.A. Times.). The Gala is a celebration of Hollywood and the art of filmmaking. In the past eight years a total of 73 Oscar nominations and 27 Oscars were given to the honorees of the Hollywood Film Awards.

Founder Carlos de Abreu at the 2011 Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony

This year should be no different. Special honors went to Glenn Close for career achievement; George Clooney, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Carey Mulligan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Felicity Jones, Berenice Bejo, Jean Dujardin, Elle Fanning, Amber Heard, Andrea Riseborough, Shailene Woodley, Anton Yelchin, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janey, Ahna O’Reilly, Octavia Spencer, Mary Steenburgen, Emma Stone, and Cicely Tyson for acting; Bennett Miller for directing; Michel Hazanavicius for directing; Letty Aronson for producing; Diablo Cody for screenwriting; “Rango,” directed by Gore Verbinski, for animation; Alberto Iglesias for film composing; Emmanuel Lubezki for cinematography; Stephen Mirrione for editing; Scott Farrar (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”) for visual effects; and James J. Murakami for production design.

Celebrities and Hollywood notables who attended the Hollywood Awards included Chris Albrecht – President and Chief Executive Officer of Starz LLC, Stephan Shelanski – Executive Vice President of Starz Entertainment, Timothy Sean Phillips – head of Yahoo!Movies, Ben Affleck, Craig Brewer, Beau Bridges, Michael Barker, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ted Danson, Drake Doremus, Tom Felton, Paul Haggis, Anne Hathaway, Jonah Hill, Julianne Hough, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Ray Liotta, Ewan McGregor, Penelope Ann Miller, Don Murray, Christoph Waltz, Harvey Weinstein and Owen Wilson, to name a few. The gala awards presentation last October 24 was hosted by Nancy O’Dell of “Entertainment Tonight” and attendees were treated to the music of Johnny Crawford and his Orchestra.

Michelle Williams received the “Hollywood Actress Award” at the Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony

The winners of the festival’s film competition were announced Sunday night, Oct 23, at the “Hollywood Discovery Awards®” Presentation Ceremony at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. This year’s winners are: “Dorfman” by Brad Leong – Best Feature Film; “The World of Z” by Brad Besser and Vince Clemente – Best Documentary; and “Clear Blue” by Lindsay MacKay – Best Short Subject.

The sponsors of the Hollywood Film Festival include presenter sponsor Starz Entertainment, and American Cinema Editors, American Society of Cinematographers, ArcLight Cinemas, Art Director’s Guild, The Casting Society of America, Celebrity Services, Columbia Pictures, Creative Artists Agency, DreamWorks SKG, Entertainment Tonight, Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, Gerry Turnbull, The Hollywood Network, HollywoodNews.com, ICM, ILM, Johnny Crawford Orchestra, Los Angeles Times, Motion Picture Editors Guild, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, Sony Pictures, Summit Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Variety, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., The Weinstein Company and YAHOO! Movies, Inc., among others.

For complete Oscar and Film Festival coverage, visit our Awards Alley for the latest news items, reviews and interviews all season long.

Photos by Hollywood Film Festival® and Hollywood Film Awards®

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BY STAFF

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) announced today that Ben’s Stiller’s Haitian school initiative (HSI) will merge with APJ effective immediately.

The two organizations, both of whom were committed to improving living conditions in
impoverished Haiti prior to the devastating earthquake, will combine their shared passion in
helping build essential schools for the children of Haiti. Together they have engaged Global
Philanthropy Group (GPG) to help develop and manage their philanthropic efforts. In
partnership with an interim Country Director in Port-au-Prince, GPG will coordinate the day-to-
day efforts of APJ.

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

“Ben Stiller understands the important role of schools in the lives of Haitian children. Together
we share a mutual passion and determination to be as effective as quickly as possible,” says
Paul Haggis, founder of Artists for Peace and Justice. “For the children of Haiti, schools provide
so much more than education. They provide their only hot meals, their only clean drinking water
and medical attention. These are critical elements for children, especially in a time of crisis.”

Established in early 2009, Artists for Peace and Justice (www.artistsforpeaceandjustice.com) is
a fundraising effort founded by Paul Haggis and friends that encourages peace and social
justice and addresses issues of poverty and enfranchisement in communities around the world.
Over the past year, APJ has focused on raising funds to support essential street schools in
Haiti. Following the devastating earthquake APJ has expanded its efforts to include emergency
aid. To date, APJ has raised nearly $6.3 million including an impressive $3.5 million in
long-term commitments through 2014.

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

Ben Stiller’s Haitian school initiative
Ben Stiller funded a community school in the rural village of Cérévrine, Haiti in 2009 and
launched the Haitian school initiative in January, 2010 in an effort to help provide temporary
schools for Haitians displaced by the earthquake.

Ben’s humourous “Stillerstrong” campaign (www.stillerstrong.org), which was launched prior to
the earthquake, included viral videos with high-profile participants such as Robert DeNiro and
President Clinton. As a result of this campaign, Ben generated the $300,000 in fundraising
needed to complete the school and achieved an increased awareness of the needs of the
impoverished Haitian people.

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

“If there is one way we can help Haiti emerge from this crisis, putting our efforts into building
temporary and permanent schools is a step in the right direction,” says Ben Stiller. “When I
heard about APJ’s initiatives and the difference they’re making in the country and spoke with
Paul Haggis about their fundraising efforts, I knew we could accomplish more together.”

Given the shared goals and interests of Artists for Peace and Justice and the Ben Stiller Haitian
school initiative, a merging of forces seemed a natural progression. As part of the merge, the
Haitian school initiative will become a core program of Artists for Peace and Justice with Ben
Stiller continuing to provide funding. Ben Stiller will join the APJ Board of Directors that includes
Paul Haggis, Dr. Reza Nabavian and Dr. Bob Arnot. The Board of Directors is supported by an
Advisory Board that includes a number of influential voices: Simon Baker and Rebecca Rigg,
Javier Bardem, David Belle, Maria Bello, Josh Brolin, Jackson Browne, Gerard Butler, Jim
Clark, Daniel Craig, Russell Crowe and Diane Spencer, Penelope Cruz, Dina and Clint
Eastwood, Frances Fisher, Dr. Henri Ford, James Franco, Gale-Anne Hurd, Jimmy Jean-Louis,
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Natasha Koifman, Diane Lane, Michael Stahl-David, Lekha
Singh, Madeleine Stowe, Charlize Theron, Olivia Wilde.

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

The Artists for Peace and Justice Haitian school Initiative

The mission of the APJ Haitian school initiative is to build and maintain schools that will provide
education, nutrition and other critical services to the children of Haiti. The key objectives of the
Haitian school initiative are to:

• Create safe learning environments for children
• Provide access to food, clean water and sanitation
• Provide essential medical services  
• Create a haven for orphaned and unprotected youth
• Help reduce effects of trauma
• Allow parents to rebuild homes and livelihoods

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

APJ has already identified sites in which to build these essential schools for the children of Port-
au-Prince and will work closely with its strategic partners on the ground to manage and oversee
the design, building and operation of these schools. Partners engaged to-date include:

• Father Rick Frechette, an American doctor and community organizer who has spent
the past 22 years in the country working to improve the lives and conditions of the
people living in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
• Architecture for Humanity (A4H), a not-for-profit association that brings design,
development, and construction expertise in building temporary and transitional to
permanent schools.

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

BY STAFF

Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) will partner with popular online auction site charitybuzz.com for a special celebrity awards-themed auction that will begin on February 24th. The auction will feature exclusive one-of-a kind items donated by internationally known artists. One hundred percent of the funds raised will be directed to the initiatives of APJ, a charitable organization founded by award winning writer/director Paul Haggis and friends that is committed to improving the lives of children in the impoverished and devastated nation of Haiti. APJ’s immediate goal is to build schools to serve the poorest areas of Haiti, providing an education, hot meals, clean drinking water and regular medical treatments to the children living in the slums.

To read more go to charitybuzz.com.

FANS URGED TO ‘DOWNLOAD TO DONATE’ Downloads and exclusive content will be available on the iTunes Store, YouTube & AEG Live, FremantleMedia Enterprises and GroupM Entertainment partner to secure International distribution for ‘roadblock simulcast’ of full video on Saturday.

The entire seven minute “We Are The World 25 For Haiti” music video will be broadcast for the first time tomorrow, Saturday, February 13 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on NBC as part of NBC’s Winter Olympic coverage and part of an unprecedented international “roadblock simulcast” on broadcast and cable networks. Saturday’s “roadblock simulcast” follows this evening’s world premiere broadcast of a specially created three minute video of “We Are The World 25 For Haiti” which debuted during NBC’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

“We Are The World 25 For Haiti” is the re-recording of the iconic 1985 philanthropic anthem produced by Quincy Jones and co-written by Lionel Richie. This contemporary version, in which Jones and Richie serve as executive producers and producers, was created in collaboration with executive producers Paul Haggis, Wyclef Jean, Randy Phillips and Peter Tortorici; producers Humberto Gattica and RedOne; and co-producers Rickey Minor, Mervyn Warren and Patti Austin to benefit the Haitian earthquake relief efforts and the rebuilding of Haiti. This production was made possible through financial support from Visa Inc.

An unprecedented 53 United States broadcast and cable networks and over one hundred international networks were assembled by NBC Universal, FremantleMedia Enterprises, AEG Live and GroupM Entertainment to create the network for Saturday’s “roadblock simulcast.” Equally unprecedented was the coming together of more than 85 superstar performers (including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, Fergie, Jamie Foxx, Josh Groban, Jennifer Hudson, Janet Jackson, Wyclef Jean, P!nk, Lil Wayne, Will.I.Am, Barbra Streisand and Kanye West ) on February 1st in the same studio as the original 25 years earlier (Henson Recording Studios, formerly A&M Recording Studios) to record this new version.

Paul Haggis, an Academy Award-winning writer-director (Crash, Million Dollar Baby), whose own personal efforts as well as those of Artists for Peace and Justice have already saved countless lives in Haiti, filmed the private recording session to create the accompanying video and “behind-the-scenes” production.

Fans can now immediately download the song and view exclusive footage from the recording session on the official website: WORLD25.org. Downloads are also available on the iTunes Store. Additionally, through a partnership with YouTube, the video is viewable on the “We Are the World 25″ YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/wearetheworld) with immediate donations made possible by clicking on the “Donate Now” button on YouTube or at WWW. WORLD25.org.

Commented Jones, “It warmed my heart to see that the experience during the recording of We Are The World 25 For Haiti embodied the same enthusiasm, sense of purpose and generosity as the original recording 25 years ago. Every one of the artists who participated, regardless of genre or generation, walked into the room with their hearts and souls completely open to coming together to help the people of Haiti. Through the contributions of their voices to this new rendition of ‘We Are The World,’ and with the help of our partners, the We Are The World Foundation will be the most transparent not-for-profit foundation ever created.”

“When I was first approached about recording a new version of We Are The World, I was lukewarm because the first effort was so iconic, then Haiti happened and I realized that this was the kind of crisis for which the song was originally written,” said Richie. “The new version takes the copyright to a different place while staying true to the iconic nature of the original. What a better way to help rescue our Haitian brothers and sisters in distress, bring a heightened awareness to that country’s plight and needs, and bring some of the world’s greatest talent together. The result speaks for itself so DOWNLOAD TO DONATE!”

All proceeds will go to the We Are The World Foundation, a newly created not-for-profit organization founded by Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie who have invited Wyclef Jean, Paul Haggis, Randy Phillips, Peter Tortorici and Ambassador Luis Moreno of the Inter-American Development Bank to join them on the board. The Foundation is dedicated to raising money and making grants to charitable organizations with meaningful and efficient relief and development programs that are responding to the continuing crisis in Haiti. Charities are currently being identified whose relief programs best fit the Foundation’s vision of marshalling the support of the community for the benefit of the victims of disaster and poverty. Grants will soon be made and the funds put to work towards charitable and relief efforts. Until then, The Foundation will hold and guard the funds dedicated to this important work.

“I am touched by the enthusiasm and support we are seeing from the entertainment community,” said Wyclef Jean. “With the continued efforts of the global community, we increase our chances of successfully bringing Haiti much needed relief; and taking the next step in reconstructing a 21st century Haiti.”

“Careers are often measured by the positive effect of one’s actions on the human condition, not just by the accumulation of wealth,” said Randy Phillips, President & CEO, AEG Live. “When AEG Live and I were asked to help squire this effort by Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones, we knew this would leave an indelible mark on our souls and on the rebirth of the island nation of Haiti. Our mantra throughout the entire process was simply: FOR HAITI!”

Upon its original release, We Are the World quickly became the fastest selling single in history and in the years that have followed, USA for Africa has raised and distributed more than $63 million in revenue from the sales of more than 7 million units of the album, single and cassettes, plus nearly 2 million digital sales and related merchandise. Just over half the total was spent on emergency relief (food, medicine, and refugee services) and the balance was used to support more than 500 different relief, rehabilitation and development projects in 18 different countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

“We at GroupM are honored to provide our support to make We Are the World a vibrant global platform that shows what the power of creativity, community and media can do to help the people of Haiti in their valiant recovery from this tragedy,” said Peter Tortorici, CEO GroupM Entertainment Worldwide. “We also want to extend our gratitude to Sean Cunningham and the Cable Advertising Bureau for all of their efforts to make this unprecedented Cable Network Partnership a reality.”

FremantleMedia, the company behind the Idol, Got Talent and The X Factor TV brands, has generously offered to work with WATW25 on the international distribution of the full music video to the secure the maximum impact globally and will coordinate its efforts with GroupM, the world’s leading media investment agency group in distributing the video content Worldwide.

The 25th Anniversary recording will help further the spirit of activism around the 25th Anniversary of We Are the World that was at the heart of the original song and movement.

BY ROBERT W. WELKOS

Clint Eastwood, Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn and Daniel Craig are just some of the Hollywood A-listers who have pledged their long-term support to Haiti through annual donations of $50,000 for the next five years, the nonprofit group Artists for Peace and Justice announced today.

Also pledging long-term support for the cause are Jackson Browne, Gerard Butler, Russell Crowe with his wife and muscian Danielle Spencer, Penelope Cruz, Keith Urban and more.

APJ said it remains committed to long term sustainability in the earthquake ravaged country, including providing clean water, meals,medical supplies and educational material to the children.

?Emergency relief is still very important ? with the help of Operation USA, last week we trucked in another $150,000 in food and supplies to sustain the St. Luke?s program and the children and families of the slums that rely upon its outreach programs,? says Paul Haggis, founder of APJ. “Schools right now might not seem like the most important thing to reestablish but it just isn?t true. The children may not be in urgent need of an education, but they desperately need physical and psychological support. They need a daily meal and water and medical care that comes with our schools. These thousands of children need a safe place to gather, where they can find hope, and even joy and beauty. The issues on the rise right now are gangs, violent crime, prostitution and child slavery. Schools are more important now than ever.”

When built, the street schools will assist thousands of children living in the slums of Port-au-Prince. Prior to the earthquake, APJ had been committed to sponsoring a number of these schools in Haiti and supporting the work of Father Rick Frechette, a doctor and community organizer who works out of St. Damiens Pediatric Hospital in Port-au-Prince, the only free pediatric hospital in the country.

BY STAFF

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

Hollywood has been doing their part to help the ravaged country of Haiti in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.

Haiti had been a country already in crisis with little clean drinking water, food, adequate housing or medical help. Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) has been working together with Father Rick Frechette in the slums of Port au Prince since early 2009 to raise funds to create sustainable support. Now that mission is stronger than ever.

Prominent Hollywood celebs have joined award-winning director/writer and APJ founder, Paul Haggis, in a series of PSAs that for many include personal stories of their trips to Haiti. The PSAs can be viewed on the Artists for Peace and Justice website (www.artistsforpeaceandjustice.com) and on the APJ YouTube channel.

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

WHO: Hollywood celebrities Simon Baker, Gerald Butler, Madeleine Stowe, Macy Gray, Chris Ludacris Bridges, Javier Bardem, Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Marcia Cross, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Paul Haggis, Maria Bello for Artists for Peace and Justice

Donations can be made directly to the APJ website with 100 percent of the funds raised going directly to Haiti. Artists for Peace and Justice remains steadfast in its determination to send every penny to those who need it. The organization has already begun the process of re-building 50 street schools in the slums of Port-au-Prince. The schools provide clean drinking water, hot meals and an education to the children of Haiti.

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

View the PSA’s below:

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD AND MAINTAIN 50 SCHOOLS IN HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

Before the tragic earthquake that set off a catastrophic situation in Haiti, Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) had already been working on the ground with doctor and community organizer Father Rick Frechette in the slums of Port-au-Prince. The organization was building vital street schools that would provide an education, a warm meal, clean drinking water and hope. Following the devastating earthquake, many of those schools were destroyed.

Paul Haggis, the founder of Artists for Peace and Justice and its passionate advisory board of some of the world’s most talented actors and singers, have come back fighting and are determined to raise sustainable funding to secure a future for the children of Haiti. The goal is to secure enough funding to re-build and maintain 50 schools. Many generous donors have stepped up with a five year commitment, but there is so much still to do.

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD AND MAINTAIN 50 SCHOOLS IN HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

“The ‘street schools’ that we support for the children of the slums often provide the only meal they will eat in a day,” says Paul Haggis, APJ founder. “Schools literally save lives in a country where one out of three children die before the age of five.”

Currently, clean-up of the rubble and debris has begun in Cité Soleil with Haitian workers being paid to work alongside the architect and builders to clear away the rubble and prepare for the construction of new disaster-resistant schools. Through its generous donations, APJ has contracted Homes from the Heart (homesfromtheheart.org) as a construction partner and is partnering with Operation USA (opusa.org) to truck in building supplies as well as ship medical and humanitarian relief from the Dominican Republic.
Donations to APJ have been used directly to buy food and supplies for Saint Damien?s Hospital in Port-au-Prince, the only free pediatric hospital in the country, while funds have also been used to rent or purchase heavy equipment to clear away the dangerous debris. The exterior walls of the medical compounds have been reinforced to provide safety to the patients inside.

“APJ is different than a lot of charities. We are incredibly selective about who we work with in Haiti,” says Haggis. “We also guarantee that 100 percent of all money raised goes directly to those hospitals, schools, medical facilities and community betterment programs. We’re already making a difference and with the support of our generous donors, we will continue to build a better future for these amazing people.”

ARTISTS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE ADVISORY BOARD: Maria Bello, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Natasha Koifman, Diane Lane, Michael Stahl-David, Oliver Stone, Madeleine Stowe, Charlize Theron, Peter Tunney, Olivia Wilde

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO REBUILD AND MAINTAIN 50 SCHOOLS IN HAITI – DONATE NOW PLEASE

Hollywood’s top celebrities are lining up in numbers to auction off their clothes for Haiti.

Britney Spears is going to be auctioning off one of the Versace dresses she wore to the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. Kate Bosworth is going to be putting her halter dress by Chloe that she wore to the Can-Do awards gala last year. Susan Sarandon is donating her Dolce & Gabbana LBD she wore to the 15th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. Lady Gaga is selling original Haiti Relief T-shirts on her website with 100% of the profit going to the Haiti relief. Also, Artists for Peace and Justice are helping celebrities Meryl Streep, Josh Brolin, Gerard Butler, and Olivia Wilde eBay off their outfits worn at the Golden Globes this year.