Chandler, U.S.A. — A USA Today article has reported a telethon put on to raise funds for Hurricane Sandy victims brought in $23 million. The telethon, presented by the American Red Cross, aired on NBC earlier this month. Christian Weems, an active participant in community service efforts, made note of the generosity of her fellow Americans.

According to the news piece, New Jersey natives Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi were featured performers during the telethon. Popular recording artist and star of the hit NBC television program The Voice Christina Aguilera was also featured. Matt Lauer of the station’s wildly successful morning show Today, hosted the event. Nightly News anchor Brian Williams also stopped by.

In addition to its featured performers, the article noted the telethon provided viewers the opportunity to take in a variety of musical acts. New Yorker Billy Joel, along with rock band Aerosmith and R&B artist Mary J. Blige entertained the crowd. Saturday Night Live alum and current television stars Tiny Fey and Jimmy Fallon provided comedic relief.

Christian Weems was heartened to hear of the telethon’s overwhelming success. She has a good deal of community service experience under her belt, including the organization of a relief effort following Hurricane Katrina. After that storm devastated much of New Orleans and its surrounding areas, she spearheaded a drive to make hygiene kits for citizens. The people of her hometown Chandler, Arizona, donated supplies that resulted in the delivery of 2,500 kits.

In statement about the most recent relief efforts, Christian commented: “What an amazing testimony of the goodwill of people and the positive impact we can have when we pull together during a time of crisis. Let us not forget that more help is still needed in many of the areas that were damaged most by Sandy and that these communities will need help for years to come.”

The article also highlighted appearances were made by actors Kevin Bacon, Whoopi Goldberg and Danny DeVito as well as comedian Jon Stewart.

In 2005, the broadcast company held a similar telethon to solicit donations for Hurricane Katrina victims. The article noted that show brought in $40 million worth of support.

Image Courtesy : Anton Oparin / Shutterstock.com

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Universal City, U.S.A. – The colorful and captivating world of Dr. Seuss bursts onto the screen as never before on August 7, 2012 in the hilarious and captivating adventure, ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Available on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack — both featuring DVD, Digital Copy and UltraViolet so you can watch it anytime, anywhere — ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ is non-stop family fun that includes three delightfully entertaining mini movies not shown in theaters, available only on the Blu-ray Combo Packs. The film will also be available on DVD and Digital Download.

The imaginative world of Dr. Seuss comes to life like never before in this visually spectacular adventure from the creators of ‘Despicable Me’. Twelve-year-old Ted will do anything to find a real live Truffula Tree in order to impress the girl of his dreams. As he embarks on his journey, Ted discovers the incredible story of the Lorax, a grumpy but charming creature who speaks for the trees. Featuring the voice talents of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate and Betty White, ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ is filled with hilarious fun for everyone.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is the third feature created by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment (‘Despicable Me’, ‘Hop’). For more information, please visit www.theloraxmovie.com.

‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ transports viewers into a fantastical landscape imagined by Dr. Seuss and vividly brought to life by Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team at Illumination Entertainment. Directed by Chris Renaud from a screenplay adapted by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul (‘Despicable Me’, ‘HOP’, ‘Horton Hears a Who’) from the 1971 children’s classic, the film is an imaginative journey that begins in the town of Thneedville, where a boy searches for the one thing he knows will win the heart of his dream girl. But in order find it, he must discover the story of the Lorax, the often grumpy but loveable protector of Truffula Valley, in an exciting adventure filled with comedy and heart that USA Today’s Claudia Puig calls, “The right blend of funny, silly, and sweet.”

Danny DeVito (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” ‘Twins’, ‘L.A. Confidential’) lends his unmistakable voice to the Lorax, the remarkable creature who “speaks for the trees,” with Ed Helms (‘The Hangover’, ‘The Hangover Part II’, “The Office”) as his enigmatic nemesis, the Once-ler.

One of the best-selling children’s book authors of all time, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel created more than 40 cherished books that have been published in 95 countries and 17 different languages, selling more than half a billion books worldwide. The Lorax, which Geisel named his favorite work, is included on the “Educator’s All Time Top 20 List of Children’s Books.”

Blu-ray Combo Pack bonus features:

• Mini Movies
  • Serenade — Two Bar-ba-loots — one love shy and the other suave and confident — battle for the heart of their would-be sweetheart with the help of a colorful cast of characters, including the Humming-Fish and Swomme-Swans.
  • Wagon-Ho — Two Bar-ba-loots take The Once-ler’s wagon on a ride they won’t soon forget.
  • Forces of Nature — Determined to scare The Once-ler out of Truffula Valley, The Lorax decides to create the illusion of ominous forces of nature.

• Making of the mini movies — Go behind the scenes at Illumination Mac Guff to see the joys and challenges of continuing the characters’ stories in the dynamic format of the mini movie.
• Deleted scenes
• Seuss to screen — A fascinating look into the translation of Seuss’ iconic style from book into the big feature film canvas.
• Seuss it up! — A great tutorial on how to draw the Lorax, a Humming-Fish and a Bar-ba-loot in the unique Seuss style.
• Trufulla run — The player moves left and right to avoid obstacles while attempting to pick up berries with modes for easy, medium and hard. As difficulty increases, the player will have more obstacles to avoid.
• “Let it Grow” Sing Along — Karaoke-style sing along to the end credit version of Let It Grow.
• Feature commentary with co-directoris Chris Renaud & Kyle Balda
• Once-Ler’s wagon — While the Once-ler is away peddling his wares, the curious forest creatures have fun with his belongings. Users can select an item for the creatures to mimic or play with and then watch the adorable antics of all the forest friends.

Image Courtesy of  The Lorax

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Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment and The Nature Conservancy announced on February 17, 2012 the launch of their environmental action campaign “The Lorax Speaks.”

The project aims to start a movement that generates support and awareness to save one of the planet’s most endangered tropical forests.  The Atlantic Forest in Brazil once spanned 330 million acres and has been reduced to a mere 7 percent of its original size.  The Forest is home to more than 2,000 animal species and approximately 20,000 species of plants, many of which can only survive in this Forest.  The Nature Conservancy’s “Plant a Billion Trees” (www.plantabillion.org) is a campaign to restore Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.

People are invited to customize their Facebook profile pictures to help raise awareness for “The Lorax Speaks” project.  In addition to spreading awareness, there is an opportunity for people and groups to make direct contributions to The Nature Conservancy to help plant trees in this threatened Forest.  The app is available on the official Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax Facebook page (www.facebook.com/theloraxmovie).

The movement was started by a generous donation from Universal Pictures, as well as support from the Audrey S. Geisel Dr. Seuss Foundation, Seventh Generation, HP, Mazda and IHOP, to The Nature Conservancy’s “Plant a Billion Trees” campaign.

“As we bring Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax to filmgoers, it remains crucial to honor the spirit in and the message of Dr. Seuss’ timeless book,” said Josh Goldstine, President of Marketing, Universal.  “Through this donation to The Nature Conservancy, we hope to further a conversation among the audience about serving as stewards of our environment.”

Illumination Entertainment Founder and CEO Chris Meledandri said: “Since 1971, Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Lorax’ has brought awareness to the precarious state of the environment.  His message is more important today than ever.  The Atlantic Forest in Brazil represents a microcosm of the Lorax’s story, and there is not a lot of time left before it disappears forever.  It has always been a goal of mine to utilize the massive reach we achieve through marketing a film to inspire social action.”

“This exciting partnership goes to show that bringing back the splendor of one of the world’s great forests is not an idea confined to the imagination of Dr. Seuss, but something that people everywhere can do now—by helping plant a billion trees in Brazil—to ensure a future in which the lungs of the Earth are healthy and thriving,” added Sarene Marshall, Managing Director of the Global Climate Change Team, The Nature Conservancy.

Facebook fans will be encouraged to “speak for the trees” by personalizing their profile pictures with custom Truffula Trees from the film.  They will join the cast of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax—Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Rob Riggle and Betty White—in pledging their support.  The reforestation efforts will be helmed by The Nature Conservancy in a way that is ecologically sound and economically advantageous to the local population through its “Plant a Billion Trees” campaign.

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