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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, January 16, 2010

Celebrities donate big to Haiti relief


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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Sandra Bullock

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Lady Gaga

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Larry Platt

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LOS ANGELES — Sandra Bullock said yesterday she donated $1 million to Haitian earthquake relief, and Madonna announced that she gave $250,000 to the effort as celebrity aid continued to pour into the devastated country.

Bullock's contribution went to Doctors Without Borders' emergency operations in Port-au-Prince, where three of the organization's facilities were damaged by the magnitude 7.0 quake.

Madonna's gift was to Partners In Health, a longtime medical provider in Haiti.

Also yesterday, Not On Our Watch, an advocacy and grantmaking group founded by George Clooney, Brad Pitt and others, donated $1 million to Partners In Health.

'HURT LOCKER' BEST FILM AT CRITICS' CHOICE

LOS ANGELES — James Cameron's "Avatar" and Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" won the most awards at yesterday's Critics' Choice Awards, but the top honor went to Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker" (best picture) and its director-producer Kathryn Bigelow (best director).

"Avatar," named best action movie, also collected a heap of technical awards, including for cinematography, editing, art direction, sound and visual effects.

The "Basterds" cast was the critics' pick for best ensemble. The film's villain, Christoph Waltz, was named best supporting actor and Tarantino won for his original screenplay.

'AILING' LADY GAGA RECOVERS QUICKLY

CHICAGO — Pop star Lady Gaga performed on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" a day after calling off a concert at Purdue University because of an undisclosed illness.

The singer showed no apparent signs of illness as she performed a medley of her hits on the live show yesterday. She wore a black outfit studded with spikes and, at one point, swung a spiked golden ball on a chain into the windshield of a taxi on the stage.

The concert cancellation was announced from the stage Thursday night after opening acts Jason Derulo and Semi Precious Weapons had already performed.

The concert was rescheduled for Jan. 26.

REJECTED 'IDOL' WANNABE AN ONLINE HIT

ATLANTA — He won't be the next American Idol, but the show's hardly over for "General" Larry Platt.

The 63-year-old civil rights veteran is an Internet sensation after performing his original song "Pants On The Ground" at an audition for the ninth season of "American Idol." It wasn't really singing or rapping but was performed with some gusto and even included a little break dancing for good measure.

After his Wednesday night debut, his audition hit YouTube and Twitter. Within hours, he had been clicked and tweeted into one of the Internet's most popular topics. Jimmy Fallon reprised a version of the song on his show Thursday night, and Platt is scheduled to appear on ABC's daytime talk show "The View" next week.