CNN Heroes: An All Star Celebration

"And each of us can change the world."~Anderson Cooper

From The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Anderson Cooper opened the evening with the introduction of some special guests.

First this video was played~

And then all 33 Chilean Miners took the stage.



Anderson took the stage to give an overview of what the evening held in store and explained a very strange "photo" of him rocking a white mullet!


VIDEO:



Gerard Butler introduced a background video on Magnus MacFarlane - Barrow, Feeding The Needy, Nourishing The Soul.

MAGNUS MACFARLANE - BARROW

ARGYLL, SCOTLAND: Since 1992, Magnus MacFarlane - Barrow has dedicated his life to helping people in need. Today, his program, Mary’s Meals - run from a tin shed in the Scottish highlands - provides free daily meals to more than 40,000 children around the world.

Magnus took the stage to accept his award and offer a few brief remarks.

Marissa Tomei introduced a background video on Susan Burton, A New Way Of Life Re-entry Project.

SUSAN BURTON

LOS ANGELES, CA: Susan Burton was once caught in a cycle of addiction and incarceration, but she now provides sober housing and support to formerly incarcerated women in California. To date, her non-profit, A New Way of Life Reentry Project, has helped more than 400 women get back on their feet.

Marisa presented Susan with her Top 10 Heroes Award and Susan gave a few brief remarks.



Aaron Eckhardt introduced Harmon Parker's background video, A Bridge To A Better World.

HARMON PARKER

LEXINGTON, KY: Harmon Parker is using his masonry skills to save lives. Since 1997, he’s built 45 footbridges over Kenya’s perilous rivers, protecting people from flash floods and predatory animals. The bridges built by his organization, Bridging the Gap, also connect isolated communities with valuable resources.

Aaron presented Harmon with his award and Harmon gave a few brief remarks.



Jessica Alba introduced a background video on Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega, A Place To Heal In A Wounded City.

GUADALUPE ARIZPE DE LA VEGA

EL PASO, TX: Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega founded a hospital in Juarez, Mexico that cares for about 900 people daily, regardless of their ability to pay. Despite the escalating violence in the city, the 74 year-old travels there several times a week to make sure residents get the care they need.

Guadalupe took the stage to accept her award and offer a few brief remarks.



Bon Jovi was the first musical act to take the stage and they preformed "What Do You Got"




Kiefer Sutherland introduced the background video on Narayanan Krishnan, A Companion To The Forgotten.

NARAYANAN KRISHNAN

MADURAI, INDIA: Narayanan Krishnan brings hot meals and dignity to India’s homeless and destitute – 365 days a year - through his nonprofit Akshaya Trust. Since 2002, he has served more than 1.2 million meals.

Narayanan took the stage to accept his award and give a few brief remarks.



Renee Zellweger introduced the background video on Aki Ra, Clearing The Pat To A Safer Land.

AKI RA
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: Aki Ra is helping to make his native Cambodia safer by clearing land mines, many of which he planted years ago as a child soldier. Since 1993, he and his Cambodian Self Help Demining organization have cleared about 50,000 mines and unexpected weapons.

Renee presented Aki Ra with his award and he gave a few brief remarks.



Anderson announced how individuals could donate to the Heroes' causes on Facebook.com and stated that after the program he would be changing his Facebook status later from "Hosting CNN Heroes to In my jammies, eating pudding, watching Glee."


LL Cool Jay was on hand to introduce the background video on Linda Fondren, A Moving Force For Better Health.

LINDA FONDREN
VICKSBURG, MS: With her weight-loss challenge, Shape Up Vicksburg, Linda Fondren is helping her Mississippi hometown banish the bulge. Through the group’s free fitness activities and nutrition classes, residents have lost nearly 15,000 pounds to date.

Linda took the stage to accept her award and give a few brief remarks.



The second musical act of the evening was John Legend, who was joined by Common and Melanie Fiona to preform, "Wake Up Everybody"




Anderson,in introducing the next Hero/presenter combination said "Most of us think of coming home as a pleasant end of the day, unless of course you're Bruce Jenner and you're coming home to the Kardashians. - It's said out of love, it's said out of love."


Kid Rock was on hand to introduce the background video on Dan Wallrath, Building Homes To Rebuild Lives.

DAN WALLRATH
HOUSTON, TX: Since 2005, Texas home builder Dan Wallrath has given injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans homes of their own – mortgage free. He and his Operation Finally Home team have built nine new custom homes and currently have ten more planned or under construction.

Dan took the stage to accept his award and offer a few brief remarks.


Halle Barry introduced Evans Wadongo's background video, Lighting The Way To A Brighter Future.

EVANS WADONGO
NAIROBI, KENYA: Evans Wadongo invented a way for rural families in Kenya to replace smoky kerosene and fire light with solar power. Through his Use Solar, Save Lives program, he’s distributed an estimated 10,000 solar lanterns, for free.

Halle presented Evans with his award and he gave a few brief remarks.



Demi Moore introduced the background video on Anurahda Koirala, A Hand Out Of The Horror.

ANURADHA KOIRALA
KATHMANDU, NEPAL: Anuradha Koirala is fighting to prevent the trafficking and sexual exploitation of Nepal’s women and girls. Since 1993, she and her group, Maiti Nepal, have helped rescue and rehabilitate more than 12,000 victims.

Anuradha took the stage to accept her award and offer a few brief remarks.


The last musical act of the night was Sugarland who took the stage to perform "Stand Up"




Anderson Cooper took the stage to announce the CNN Hero of the Year 2010.


And the winner is ..... Anuradha Koirala.

VIDEO:

And after the program, Anderson sat down with the winner and interviewed Anuradha Koirala.


Here's the video of the interview ~





All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

CNN Heroes Update

Halle Berry, LL COOL J, Bon Jovi, Demi Moore, Eva Longoria Parker and Sugarland to Participate at “CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute”

Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2010 to be Honored in CNN Tribute Broadcast on Thanksgiving, November 25th. CNN announced performers and presenters who are slated to appear at the fourth annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, which honors everyday people changing the world. CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, will air on Thanksgiving, November 25th at 8pmET/5pm PT from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Celebrity presenters include: Halle Berry, Demi Moore, Eva Longoria Parker, LL COOL J, Renee Zellweger among others who have yet to be announced. Bon Jovi and Sugarland will perform at the gala.
Preceding the tribute broadcast will be a red carpet special Showbiz Tonight @ CNN Heroes, which will be simulcast on CNN and HLN at 7pm ET/4pm PT. Hosted by Showbiz Tonight's A.J. Hammer and Brooke Anderson, the special will feature exclusive coverage of celebrity arrivals and interviews, as well as a celebrity-hosted social media suite tapping into the worldwide, online passion and interest in the Heroes event.
The tribute show will honor all of the Top 10 CNN Heroes, currently listed at www.CNNHeroes.com, as well as the “CNN Hero of the Year.” Online voting for the “CNN Hero of the Year” is currently underway and concludes at 6am ET on November 18th. The Top 10 CNN Heroes will receive $25,000, and the CNN Hero of the Year will receive an additional $100,000.
This year’s Blue Ribbon Panel judges include: Muhammad Ali, Ela Bhatt, Sir Richard Branson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jack Dorsey, Hill Harper, Patricia Heaton, Yo Yo Ma, Ricky Martin, Apolo Anton Ohno, Holly Robinson Peete, Alek Wek and Rainn Wilson. Now in its fourth year, CNN Heroes is a multiplatform campaign that shines a spotlight on everyday people changing the world; in 2010, the campaign received over 10,000 submissions from more than 100 countries.
Award-winning producer/director Joel Gallen returns to executive produce the program. Kelly Flynn is senior executive producer for the CNN Heroes initiative.

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

CNN Heroes ~ Something To Be Thankful For

I don't know about anyone else but I can not think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving then watching a celebration that truly honors those who do things that so many people around the world are truly thankful for.

CNN aired it's second CNN Heroes event Thursday night. Anderson Cooper hosted this year's event from Los Angeles.

So tonight I want to share some photos from the CNN Heroes event.

Tad Agoglia, Houston, Texas: Agoglia's First Response Team provides immediate help to areas hit by natural disasters. In a little more than a year, he and his crew have helped thousands of victims at more than 15 sites across the United States, free of charge.

Yohannes Gebregeorgis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Moved by the lack of children's books and literacy in his native Ethiopia, Gebregeorgis established Ethiopia Reads, bringing free public libraries and literacy programs to thousands of Ethiopian children.

Carolyn LeCroy, Norfolk, Virginia: After serving time in prison, LeCroy started the Messages Project to help children stay connected with their incarcerated parents. She and volunteer camera crews have taped roughly 3,000 messages from inmates to their children.

Anne Mahlum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: On her daily morning jogs, Mahlum used to run past homeless men. Today, she's helping to transform lives by running with them, and others as part of her Back On My Feet program.

Liz McCartney, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana: McCartney moved to New Orleans to dedicate herself to helping Hurricane Katrina survivors move back into their homes. Her nonprofit, St. Bernard Project, has rebuilt the homes of more than 120 families for free. Liz was voted as the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year.

Phymean Noun, Toronto, Ontario: Growing up in Cambodia, Noun struggled to complete high school. Today, she offers hundreds of Cambodian children who work in Phnom Penh's trash dump a way out through free schooling and job training.

David Puckett, Savannah, Georgia: Puckett started PIPO Missions to bring ongoing prosthetic and orthotic care to those in need. Since November 2000, he has helped more than 420 people in southeastern Mexico, free of charge.

Maria Ruiz, El Paso, Texas: Several times a week, Ruiz crosses the border into Juarez, Mexico, bringing food, clothing and toys to hundreds of impoverished children and their families.

Marie Da Silva, Los Angeles, California: Having lost 14 family members to AIDS, the nanny funds a school in her native Malawi, where half a million children have been orphaned by the disease.

Viola Vaughn, Kaolack, Senegal: The Detroit, Michigan, native moved to Senegal to retire. Instead, a group of failing schoolchildren asked her to help them pass their classes. Today, her 10,000 Girls program is helping hundreds of girls succeed in school and run their own businesses

Congratulations to all of the CNN Heroes!!!!

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.