Regarding celebrities, bad publicity usually trumps the good.
Entertainment news is plastered with articles regarding the bad parenting of the Spears family, Lindsay Lohan’s new girlfriend and the parenthetical and marginal lives of the “characters” from The Hills.
Sometimes, it is hard to take entertainment news seriously.
Magazines and blogs are filled with sleazy secrets about the lives of these so-called humans who entertain us. Few and far between are the commendable efforts given by celebrities; it isn’t puzzling as to why the “good” news hides behind the tragic and trashy.
This week, however, certain celebrities have set a new standard in terms of the coverage they are getting.
Hiding behind all the trashy romance news, there are some interesting and commendable efforts. Director and actor Tyler Perry donated heaps of food to Hosea Feed the Hungry (enough to feed 1,000 families!) and Steven Spielberg (along with his wife, Kate Capshaw) donated $100,000 in support of gay marriage for the state of California. Spielberg isn’t alone in donating against California ballot Proposition 8 (a proposition that will eliminate the right of single sex marriage), Brad Pitt matched Spielbergs generous donation. (Ellen Degeneres, however, has yet to give a penny.)
This past Tuesday, John Mayer performed for the Susan and Tony Bennett’s Exploring the Arts Gala, a fundraiser to build and expand New York City school music programs.
Joining Mayer at this event was actress and Hollywood Squares legend, Whoopi Goldberg, who hosted the event. Jennifer Lopez raised $127,000 for the Pediatric Cancer Research Program at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles by completing the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, an event sponsored by Toyota. Matthew McConaughey, Andy Baldwin (“The Bachelor”), Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”), Scott Foley (“The Unit”) and Monique Coleman (“High School Musical”) as well as several other celebrities, helped out by completing the half-mile swim, 18-mile bike ride and four mile run. Baldwin won the triathlon (for the celebrity division).
So I guess celebrities are doing what they should be doing: giving back.
It is no secret to the American public that they are rich, so thank you for spreading the wealth, we sure as hell need it.
Missie Bender is the Editor-in-Chief of the Voice. She can be reached for comment at SBender09@wooster.edu