Stand Up To Cancer was a model for the way television can be used to raise funds for a cause. The hour was filled with celebrities both soliciting donations for cancer research as well as performing. Interwoven throughout were taped pieces featuring doctors, scientists, and cancer patients that provided a lot of information about the states of research for many different forms of cancer.
Cameras panned across phone banks at which a slew of familiar faces were seen fielding calls, including Michael C. Hall, Seth MacFarlane, Sally Field, Christina Applegate, Marcia Cross, David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Rob Lowe, and Thomas Jane.
Stars such as Will Smith, Michael Douglas, and George Clooney appeared in taped messages.
The telethon was not without humor, as performers including Eric Stonestreet, Jim Parsons, Seth Rogan, Elizabeth Banks, and Ken Jeong managed to wring laughs from the subject with brisk amusement.
Performers included Lady Antebellum, Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, and Billie Joe Armstrong. Wonder, Martina McBride, Aaron Neville, Leona Lewis, and Natasha Bedingfield sang a particularly striking version of “Unchained Melody.”
Taking over all of the major networks (news anchors Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, and Brian Williams were the informal hosts) as well as numerous cable outlets, Stand Up To Cancer did exactly what it intended to do: It was simultaneously entertaining (to draw an audience), moving (to acknowledge the agony of the disease), and educative.
Donations can be made to standup2cancer.org or by calling 1-888-90-STAND
Not to be the grammar police, but isn’t it “Educational”, not “Educative”?
Pretty sure you meant to write “To be the grammar police…” I mean, just while corrections are being doled out and all.
But on topic… I agree with the reviewer – it was a terrific example of an effective and entertaining telethon.
I really wish that the network producers would actually take the TV viewer into consideration when planning the wide pan of each camera. I lost count of the number of times that there were wide angle shots of the stage (not focusing on any particular artist) that prevented anyone at home from seeing what was being projected on the screen.
Note for future productions: some of us actually WANT to see the facts that are on the slideshow or the “In Memoriam” photos and names.
They did the same thing a couple of years ago at the Oscars and there was a big deal made about it too.
With the bases loaedd you struck us out with that answer!
Another grammar correction:
Seth Rogen. Not Seth Rogan.
“Educative” is a word, and it is synonymous with the more common “educational”.
Lisa is correct. Which police academy did you go to, Adam?
I love Stevie Wonder, but man, his rendition of “Unchained Melody” was horrendous. He sounded like a cat getting stabbed in the butt with a mechanical pencil.
I know, I was like, is this suppose to be a GREAT singer?
a particularly striking version of “Unchained Love”… strikingly BAD.
Right – the name is wrong, and the song was terrible. Ken, what were you DOING tonight?
Stevie Wonder was a brilliant singer. Even though his voice is now clearly gone, let’s respect the fact that he remains a musical god based on the overall body of his work.
Sorry, I was unclear. I was directing my comment to Chantal. Also, I wasn’t being mean. I was just standing up for Stevie.
I agree, but it sounded like he was crying while he was singing. Actually they all sounded like they were crying, so their voices were off. Pretty emotional show.
He sounded like he was crying. I remember him being on Oprah awhile back and while he was singing one of the songs he worked with Syreeta, he cried out her name, and that was while she was still alive. I was wondering then what was up then soon afterward, she had passed away. I just think he was really emotional because he really hasn’t talked about her in public. So he had an off song thinking about a loved one that passed.
How about instead of taking 20 million for your next film, you take 10 and donate the other 10 to this cause. Put your money where you mouth is.
Agreed. I always think about the people pulling in these millions – actors, athletes, what have you – who live in multi-million dollar mansions with tennis courts and sh*t, and I think about how that money could have gone to so much more important causes. I’m sure many of the highly paid entertainers actually do donate a good portion of their income, they just do it without fanfare. So I’m not trying to make nasty generalizations. But I’m SURE there are plenty of these people who really do not need to own their own private island or a $5 million piece of art.
Doesn’t anyone else wonder where this money goes? And who is the exact recipient? I never give money to telethons. They work on your emotions too much.
Anybody who think this isn’t a form of self promotion for the actor is very naive.
I’m sure they care about the cause but I agree with that. I wonder if they would contribute $ to it if their wasn’t a primetime TV special involved.
And how do you know they didn’t already give money?
This argument always makes me furious. There are plenty of celebrities who both publicly and privately give a good amount of time and money to charity. The idea that just because they have a lot of money they should give it away is ridiculous. I’d be fairly sure that the last time you came into a little windfall you didn’t think first off – how can I give some of this extra away.
Yes, but he probably didn’t appear on a telethon asking other people to donate money either.
There’s quite a big difference between a “windfall” and earning eight figure paychecks on a yearly basis. Not saying celebrities DON’T donate, but I’d be surprised if every celebrity on that show, together, couldn’t EASILY match whatever money was raised without affecting their lifestyles in the least…
Again, most of us have said some celebrities do give generously, and privately, and kudos to them. And I can’t speak for most posters, but we give to our favorite charities always, even when things are tight, because if things are tight for us, it’s worse for those charities.
The other point is that there is a certain amount of money people need to live safely and comfortably, and rich people have that thousands of times over, and it sits in their accounts doing nothing. I agree they should keep what they earned, whether they deserve it or not, but having bank accounts to be the most rich in Forbes is sad, and hurtful to the rest of the world. And in the end, what does it matter who has the most money? It matters how we all take care of each other right now, on this planet, in this life. That’s it. I’m out.
That’s right, these celebrities think they are doing so much by answering phones and talking to us “commoners”, just donate privately and stay off these shows. And is it just me, or is the celebrity, all-network telethon being overused now? Cancer is so overwhelmingly important, and should have been the first telethon, or whatever the show is called, but it seems like with every disaster they do them, and it loses punch, sadly. Most people I knew didn’t know it was on at all, since most people don’t really watch network tv on a Friday. And yes, there certainly are celebrities that donate privately of course, so kudos to them.
Your comments are eloquent and lovely. Thank you.
Thank you too Anna, for your nice response.
Completely agree. It’s nice to see I’m not the only one irked by these masquerades.
Thanks Anna and JR. and one other thought…it does seem like being a celebrity you get more access to experimental drugs and things, and of course have money to try things overseas. While I am glad for them, again, it’s really not fair for people who work as hard as they, or harder to not have the same options of treatment. I realize I’m off topic at this point Mr. Tucker, I apologize. I just feel like giving props to this show and how it was done is that same as giving an Emmy to the guy that did the Oscar awards, etc. I get so sick of that, it’s bad enough they reward themselves publicly on a regular basis, but when they get an Emmy for an Oscar broadcast, ok, enough, get over yourselves. And they wonder why the ratings for award shows continue to go down? Perhaps because some of us are tired of the industry selecting a chosen few and rewarding them, when so many people work on a show, and so many people don’t work in the industry, and so many people are regular people who work hard for the almighty dollar and don’t get trophy’s. How about giving a trophy to the hardest working nurse who never sees the light of day? Or the cancer patient that never gives up? Not these people and their ridiculous clothes that don’t matter one bit. Again Mr. Tucker, sorry, just fed up with award shows, and this “telethon” seemed like a desperate one.
I think you brang up a good point. I saw the show called CNN Heroes and the teen version of the show on vh1. The real people that they honor do really amazing thing but the celebrities get rewards for “tweeting the most for charity” and “posing for a picture with animal”. The programming feels so self absorbed it is unforgivable. What is with the countless award shows? It is amazing to me that people take these awards seriously. I am not watching the VMAs by the way.
Wow. Cynical bunch here. I really don’t care about the circumstances other than the cause. Hopefully tons of money was raised.
Can anyone tell me how to find out more about that beautiful little boy who died. I believe his name was Armstrong. That is when I sent my donation in. You people talk about actors, you know what I thought when I saw that sweet face and heard how his parents couldnt stop holding him after he died: how many children could we have save if we had not wasted TRILLIONS in Iraq. Thank you Bush and Co. How crazy are our priorities. If that money had gone to medical research, there might not be any cancer today and perhaps Armstrong might be with us. It makes me very sad and very angry.
I did not see the program so I am a little confused by Ken’s mention of Kim Jeong on the program. Who is Kim Jeong? Was it really Ken Jeong from Community and The Hangover? If that is who it was then it is very funny that Ken Tucker got the name wrong when they share the same first name.
I’m sure it was Ken Jeong as his wife is a Breast Cancer survivor. She was going through chemo while Ken was filming the hangover.
I believe he was confusing Ken Jeong with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il…
Kim Jong-Il is a Spanish teacher!
One more thing, I did notice that a few stars that currently have cancer, or have recently fought and won against it were there, and I thank them for that, and didn’t mean to take away from them and their service. Although I didn’t watch the whole show, I didn’t see them much on camera, which meant more to me, seeing them in the background, living the fight, and living the life. They rock. I thank them for being real people.
I LOVE Christine Applegate and thought she looked beautiful.
Oops! Christina Applegate…btw I am surprised my comment went through. I haven’t been able to post for some time now.
Thanks alot – your aswnre solved all my problems after several days struggling
It was for an excellent cause. It was a terrible show.
I’m sorry, but I have a major problem with rich, prominent people using diseases to throw a great big party, and in the process, dole out copious amounts of cash so they can have high zeroes to claim against their taxes. Celebrities are being used to promote a lucrative medical industry we all know is cancer. I don’t doubt that some were sincere, but the most sincere individuals write a cheque and stfu.
dole out copious amounts of cash JUST so they can have high zeroes to claim against their taxes.
Brisk humor by the way? The Jim Parson and Eric Stonestreet was really borderline offensive. I love Modern Family and was thrilled when Eric won, but this thing tonight has put me off the show. I’ll go back, but it will be a few months at best. Singing a songs about lungs and ebony and ivory and cancer, etc? It was awful and stupid.
yeah, i didn’t find that funny at all.
I thought their exchange, as well as the one with Seth Rogen, was horribly offensive and inappropriate. Seth just came across like some smarmy adolescent. I thought that was counterproductive to raising funds for cancer.
Also, why did some celebrities feel compelled to stare into the camera rather than talk to the donors on the phone. This was not the Oscars or the Emmys’ they should have given their attention to fundraising, rather than endless mugging for the camera. Eva LaRue did a lot of that and it was a total turnoff, IMO.
J, sorry you feel that way.
Do you think it was Eric who wrote that bit?? If your Mother was a cancer survivor and this show asked you to help, would you say “yes, but I want full control over what I do.”
He was just doing what the producer, directors and writers asked him to do for a Great cause!!
Thanks for covering this Ken – I wish I hadn’t missed it! Can we get an editor to clean up some of the typos though? It should be Ken Jeong, not Kim, and I’m guessing you mean “Unchained Melody”, not “Unchained Love”. And while educative is an acceptable word in some circles, informative or educational would have been a better bet.
While I’m all for raising money for a good cause. I’m kinda over all the TV telethons of lately. I think The Haiti telethon left a bitter taste in my mouth. Last nights event seem last minute and thrown together. And the Parsons/Stonestreet bit was in poor taste. I did appreciatate the personal stories, medical community, and even the celebraties who have battled or are battling cancer for being apart of the show, but it honestly was a hot mess of an hour.
Most of these celebrities already give their time and money to many causes. Having worked with many charities, I can tell you that these telethons aren’t so much about raising money as they are about raising awareness and trying to get people involved. Raising awareness doesn’t really mean making people aware of the problem, most people know about cancer, MD, MS, etc, it’s about making people THINK about these things more often so that they DO something about them. MDA wants people thinking about MD more than just every Labor Day while watching Jerry Lewis. What charities REALLY want is people to give of themselves and their time. Help out at a homeless shelter. Visit children in hospitals. Visit elderly in retirement communities. Train helper animals. THAT is what these events REALLY are about. Raising money is really just secondary at best.
I know, good thing they are raising awareness about cancer. Never heard of it before, thank God for these celebrities.
@The Jackal: Your sarcasm is flaccid considering the actual content of darclyte’s post. “…most people know about cancer … it’s about making people THINK about these things more often so that they DO something about them.” Now go back to your Hate-Cave and try to come up with something funnier (which shouldn’t be too hard).
good cause, REALLY bad show. The people behind directing this did a horrible job and it seemed they never worked out the issues with musicians on the stage.
I hate when people with money ask the average working man to give theirs. It’s like “idol gives back”, no, no you don’t. You want ME to give. Like her or not, Rosie O’Donnell had a good point whe she said all these celebs should have to ante 100k to even particiapte in these telethons. They get good PR for free.