NBC Hastily Gathers Stars for Tsunami Aid

AP, Jan 15, 2005 6:41 pm PST
Madonna , Elton John , Nelly, Kenny Chesney and other musicians converged on an NBC Universal studio Saturday for a hastily arranged TV benefit concert for tsunami victims.

The musicians were joined by actors George Clooney , Robert De Niro , Renee Zellweger and Brad Pitt in trying to help victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami, which killed more than 150,000 in Asia and Africa.

The two-hour program was to air live at 8 p.m. EST Saturday on NBC and affiliated cable stations CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, Pax TV, Trio and Sci-Fi Channel.

Viewers were urged to call 1-800-HELPNOW. All donations will go to the American Red Cross International Response Fund.

Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban and Mary J. Blige were among the other scheduled performers.

The concert was reminiscent of a similar benefit that ran on more than 30 television stations less than two weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. That benefit raised nearly $130 million for that cause.

Sony's Connect music store will offer downloads of live performances from the concert, with proceeds going to the American Red Cross. SBC Communications is underwriting the commercial-free program.

On the Net:

NBC: http://www.nbc.com

Sony's Connect: http://www.connect.com

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