Clooney plans fundraiser for Haiti victims

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood superstar George Clooney is organising a marathon for Haitian earthquake relied and is calling on his A-list colleagues to join him, MTV Networks said Thursday.

MTV gave no date for the celebrity fundraiser, but unconfirmed reports said it would air Friday Jan 22. No stars have officially signed on to the initiative yet, but reports said that stars such as Sting and many others are expected to appear.

The move came a day after celebrity couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt donated $1 million to the relief effort and as Hollywood figures reach out to fans to urge them to donate to the cause.

Former Fugees star Wyclef Jean, who was born in Haiti, has urged the public to donate money to help the rescue efforts in his native country, by texting a number to his Haitian charity the Yele Foundation.

A statement from Pitt and Jolie read: “We are devastated by the news from Haiti. We will work closely with our good friend Wyclef Jean to support the humanitarian efforts on the island and help those who have been injured and left without homes and shelter.”

Jean, who travelled to Haiti as soon as the news of the earthquake broke, added: “I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince face catastrophe alone. We must act now.”

Hip-hop star Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs also urged his fans to donate funds. Taking to his Twitter.com page, he writes: “God Bless Haiti!!!! God please!!! STATE OF EMERGENCY!!!” He then requested fans donate cash to Jean’s Yele Haiti charity organization.

Others who urged donations included Alyssa Milano, MC Hammer, Rainn Wilson, Adam Lambert and Lindsay Lohan.

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also pledged the assistance of his state to the earthquake hit island, sending California’s specially-trained Urban Search and Rescue Team to aid the victims.

“Maria (his wife) and I send our thoughts and prayers to the people of Haiti as they continue to respond to this tragedy, and on behalf of all Californians, we send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims,” he said.