Hollywood stands up to cancer in a big way.
It doesn’t get more star-filled than the Stand Up to Cancer television special – especially when it’s produced by Gwyneth Paltrow.
From George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Richard Branson to Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and Ellen DeGeneres and everyone in between (including Beyonce), practically all of Hollywood has jumped on board to rally the public around ending cancer’s reign as a leading cause of death via the initiative.
And now so will Hollywood North. The celeb favourite fundraiser hits Canada this year, and the stars will rally for the cause from Toronto as well (conveniently during TIFF). Canadian viewers can donate through a Canadian-specific toll-free number.
Dan Aykroyd, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (ABC’s Modern Family), and Kyle MacLachlan (Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives), as well as members of the cancer research community, joined EIF Canada (affiliated with the US-based Entertainment Industry Foundation) at the MaRS Centre in Toronto yesterday for the announcement.
The Canadian Stand Up to Cancer special will broadcast on all four of Canada’s English language network broadcasters – CBC, City, CTV and Global – who will simultaneously air the live, one-hour fundraising event from Toronto. They join dozens of major US networks airing a star-studded special from Hollywood. Both will air on Friday, September 5 at 8:00 pm ET/PT.
Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada) is a program of EIF Canada that raises funds to support collaborative research teams, and education and awareness programs conducted in Canada. They create what they call “dream teams” of collaborating researchers, cancer scientists and clinicians.
Here are some of yesterday’s highlights from the SU2C Canada Celebrity Ambassadors:
Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Furguson’s husband is a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with the disease at 13 and has been 15 years cancer-free.
“Good Morning, Canada! I always wanted to say that. I am not Canadian, but I like to think I’m nice and kind, so that makes me an honorary Canadian, right?” said Furguson. “My part-time lovers, Ryan Gosling and Pamela Anderson, are also Canadian.”
“The entertainment industry is a competitive world when it comes to ratings,” he said. “You don’t see networks coming together with the heads of programming uniting the way they have with EIF.”
He then introduced the heads of programming, most of them in a slightly ridiculous accent (that was actually quite funny) before turning it over to Ottawa native Dan Aykroyd, who he called “an over-achiever, here to make us look bad.”
Aykroyd, the only one in the packed press conference wearing sunglasses, reminded us that 1 in 5 Canadians will develop cancer and that it’s the leading cause of death. “Behind these numbers are our parents, friends, nieces, nephews, grandparents, friends…” said Aykroyd. “In my own life, cancer has taken my neighbour, my great friend Barbara Orbinson, Gilda Radner, my writing partner Tom Davis and, just two days ago, my business manager of 30 years, Barbara Bryson.”
“This is huge for networks to donate prime air time to the cause,” said Aykroyd. “So we’re going to put on a show and it is going to be big!” He raised his voice throughout for emphasis.
“It’s human beings against cancer cells,” he said. “These researchers and medical professionals, they are your soldiers, they just need the weapons to fight.”
In his introduction, he praised fellow actor Kyle MacLachlan for always “nailing it to the wall” in his work.
Kyle MacLaughlin called the researchers and doctors “the real rock stars” and revealed that he lost both his parents to the disease. Returning the compliment, he also called Aykroyd his hero, referencing his role as Fred Garvin on Saturday Night Live.
Catch the show (and your favourite stars) on Friday, September 5th.
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