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Story by: Jack Foley
HOLLYWOOD celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Sandra
Bullock have donated large sums of money to survivors of the tsunami
disaster, via some of the big relief agencies that are currently
working in South Asia.
NBC is also planning a celebrity-packed TV benefit show, much
like the two-hour telethon organised by all four major US networks
10 days after the September 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and
New York (which raised over $150 million in pledges to assist
victims).
The gestures of goodwill followed a plea from American President,
George W Bush, for US citizens to give generously to those suffering
in South Asia and East Africa, where the official death toll has
now climbed to almost 150,000 in the aftermath of the December
26, 2004, disaster.
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Of the individual celebrities known
to have contributed so far, the American Red Cross said it had
received $1 million (£530,000) from Sandra Bullock for tsunami
relief work.
The amount matches that which the Speed and Two Weeks Notice
star donated to the Red Cross in the aftermath of the September
11 attacks.
DiCaprio, meanwhile, has pledged a 'sizable' contribution to
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, which is believed
to be targeted for aid to devastated areas of Thailand, where
his film, The Beach, was filmed in 2000.
According to Reuters, NBC and its sister cable networks - USA,
Bravo, Trio, Sci-Fi, MSNBC and CNBC - are apparently planning
to simulcast a benefit special on January 15 featuring celebrities
and musical performances.
In the music world, American nu-metallers, Linkin
Park, have created a relief organisation for the tsunami appeal,
which they have generously donated to, while artists including
Sir Cliff Richard and Boy George are planning a relief record
in the UK.
There are also plans afoot for a special Live Aid style concert
at Wales' Millennium Stadium as soon as possible.
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