Image Credit: Craig Sjodin/NBC Stand Up To Cancer aired on all the major channels and streamed on the Web last night, but the view at Stage 30 of Sony Studios was all the more dramatic in person. Patrick Swayze’s widow, Lisa Niemi, prefacing a tape of her late husband’s address to Stand Up To Cancer with an in-person speech, took the air out of the place, as did a few seconds of Michael Douglas’ opening taped message – the latest A-lister to battle the illness.
“This is my 10-year cancer free [anniversary], so for me, I look at other people with survivor shirts, and it’s like we all can talk, like therapy,” actress Marissa Jaret Winokur told EW on the red carpet of Stand Up To Cancer. “The fact that the networks are getting together is showing this isn’t about ratings, this is about the epidemic.”
Indeed, as ABC news head David Westin announced earlier in the week that he was packing his bags and leaving a fragmented news-entertainment TV climate, the networks united for an hour to all broadcast this event. “We’re flanked by our competitors, and we’re going to pause during the broadcast and point them out doing their newscasts, and just say that obviously people can only watch one channel at a time,” NBC news anchor Brian Wiliams said before the event of co-hosting with CBS’ Katie Couric and ABC’s Diane Sawyer. “We’re fierce competitors by day, but tonight we are called together by this.”
During the 90-minute show — an hourlong presentation followed by 30 minutes of music performances like “Barracuda” from Heart and an all-star jam of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — stars manned telephones on both sides of the stage. The show’s brisk pace didn’t bog down, as another celebrity was usually ready to go. When recent cancer survivors Michael C. Hall and Christina Applegate (above) emerged onstage hand in hand, the full drama didn’t have time to linger before Gwyneth Paltrow came on.
The full scope of celebrities directly or indirectly affected by cancer – from Seth Rogen to Neil Diamond to Cindy Crawford to Jennifer Grey to Emily Deschanel – was impressive and illustrated the disease’s widespread impact. Survivor’s Ethan Zohn joked with Alison Sweeney, Cat Deeley, and Renee Zellweger off-camera, and Winokur took pictures from onstage (against announced instructions) with her phone. Ken Jeong, whose wife, Tran Ho, is two years removed from cancer, clapped along to the music. Denzel Washington told the lulled crowd to “wake up!” before cameras panned to him, getting some laughs.
And there was the fashion statement of the night: shaved heads, or slowly growing back hair. “I really had no choice,” Zohn told EW about his recovering coif. “It’s coming back. I used to have a big afro. Now, I have a really short afro.”
Does anyone ever ask where the money goes and who doles it out? I don’t give to telethons anymore. Especially one for cancer research.
As stated on their website, 100% goes to collaborative research in cancer. That is what makes this telethons different. To get money for research you are required to collaborate with other researchers.
Cheryl, wait until it strikes someone in your family. You will change your attitude.
Thanks for wishing that on me bit*h.
You are a moron. They aren’t wishing it on you, it happens to EVERYONE
This comment was not posted by me. I posted the comment below. Do your research before you make comments, please.
So EVERYONE gets cancer, huh. Nobody has ever died for any other reason. I take it you have brain cancer, because that post was idiotic.
Ronna, please educate yourself about the standard of care being offered now for cancer. It’s barbaric and painful and compromises the immune system even more. Check out the alternative approaches that are experiencing much success but won’t be given any of this telethon money. And doesn’t it strike you as odd that after all these years of cancer and boatloads of money donated already, we have made next to NO headway in the reduction and cure rates of cancer? DO YOUR RESEARCH!!
In fact, my church has made a lot of headway into praying away cancer. More research is also needed into wishing away cancer and laughter therapy. Until these options are explored, hollywood will not be getting a dime from me!
Cheryl stop attacking people before you know that the real reason why we have telethons is not for your benefit but everyone else who might have cancer.
Actually there is a new breakthrough that drasticly reduses the side effects as well as inhibits the tumor from growing. We have been trying to raise awareness for this company but no one seems to really want to do anything about making this available.
Cheryl: Yep, nobody was wishing it on you and Caitie is right, it happens to EVERYONE. You could’ve stopped at “I don’t give to telethons”, why did you have to be ugly? Why say “especially one for cancer research”? I believe that’s what set people off. I don’t usually give to telethons either, but the American Cancer Society could sure use your help – that’s where i put my charitable dollars! BTW, for me it’s my husband who is currently fighting, my Dad who fought cancer only to die from other complications in 2008, my Mom who died in hospice care last year, my brother-in-law and 2 of my sisters-in-law who are cancer survivors.
Is it only me or doesn’t everyone know someone who died of cancer?
it’s all around us and needs money for research. They said all the money raised was going for research. Pray they find a cure!
If you are going to pray about it then why raise money? Do you think God hasn’t cured cancer because he hasn’t heard enough prayers about it? Exactly what good do you think praying about it is going to do?
If you are going to blame God, please do your research. God gave man freedom. Ergo there is sinning in the world and along with sinning there are diseases that come along with it. Its not just God who brings these horrible diseases. Praying will do a lot.
Pray away someone’s cancer right now then.
@Ceballos: Blame God all you want. I was diagnosed with Leukemia 14 years ago and within 15 days I went into remission. The doctors told me I probably wouldn’t have made it if I had been diagnosed 2 years earlier as the research had made a major breakthrough for Leukemia mere months before my diagnosis, and also that even with the new technology they had, they never would have expected such a miraculous recovery. I pin that on my community praying for me everyday and my (rather large) family visiting me everyday with prayers. Need more proof? My grandmother had breast cancer around the same time, and it went away only to come back again this year. After a surgery she’s expected to make a full recovery (again)…Her ex husband, my grandpa? He was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Because of the advances in bladder cancer treatment they could use utilized bacteria to eat the cancer away, and he’s on his way to a full recovery as well. Cancer is prevalent in our family, but so is the survival rate: None of my 4-5 immediate family members who have been diagnosed with cancer have died of it. I credit faith and well-spent money from faithful people on that. But, we all have our own beliefs and I respect your stance on this issue as well.
Ceballos, it is very easy to just blame God. Don’t you know that the devil is in this world as well? And like I said before, humans with their own choices? Please have a little respect for those who do believe in the power of prayer.
@Wilson: Your comments are really unfair and make you sound like a jerk. My 33-year-old cousin died from colon cancer two weeks ago, leaving behind his 7-year-old son and 33-year-old widow. Our family prayed. We ran in marathons, donated money, did Relay. My cousin was a Christian and believed devoutly. He was kind and good and was a beloved teacher. So why did he die? We didn’t pray hard enough? We didn’t believe enough? We didn’t donate the right way?
It’s wonderful that your family has had such a great success beating cancer but not everyone does and many of those people have faith. Better cancer treatment, more research, better access, better prevention, better screening – all of that is necessary and will ensure more success for more families like yours has enjoyed; wouldn’t you want that for everyone?
I have done all the “research” work I can. I am celebrating my first year cancervsary next week.
Because of meds and wonderful doctors, I am here. You are a foolish person to even blog. However, it is your first amendment right. Remember, what goes around, comes around.
Cheryl, I mean to insert your name in previous blog.
P.S. I am a first year breast cancer survivor.
What did you think of Stevie Wonders & Natasha Bedingfield’s performance?
I only got to watch the last 1/2 hour, but I thought the singing sounded awful. Was I the only one? Was it the venue, did they not practice before, or just an off night?
Forget Stevie; Somebody needs to raise $ for Natasha to find a new career… Something she was EVER good at.
I told my husband that Stevie must’ve been sick, because he was really off-key. That’s the worst I’ve ever heard him sing. And I think that because he was off, it threw Natasha off, too. Did you see how the back-up singers were looking at each other stange when he was singing? It was bad.
I meant “strange”, not stange.
Only in America can people go after each other for having different views of celebrity telethons. God I love this country!!!
I watched it, knowing many who have fought cancer… However, having Diabetes myself, I have to (& did) wonder where the special for that is.
I’m just thankful that people who have a voice that is heard are doing things like this. Thank you for raising more money for research and to find a cure. Too many people I know have had it. Some have lost their battle some have won. I want them all to win.
I would like to purchase a copy of the Stand Up To Cancer Telethon DVD. Could someone please help me with an address or phone number to do that? Blessing’s~