The Daily Tell

Los Angeles Lakers basketball games are often star-studded events. Jack Nicholson famously attends nearly every game, while Justin Bieber, Ashton Kutcher, the Kardashians, Nicole Ritchie and dozens of other celebrities have been known to show up courtside every once in a while. Now another famous face will be joining theirs – but this time, it'll be for charity.

One lucky bidder will get to take actress Charlize Theron to a Lakers game – for the steep price of $20,000. The auction was held to raise money for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Program, founded by the actress in 2007 to create a safer, healthier environment for at-risk youth in South Africa, especially those affected by HIV/AIDS.

The cause is an especially heartfelt one for Theron, who was born and raised in South Africa, a country where 5.7 million people were living with HIV and AIDS in 2009 – a number higher than any other country in the world.

Theron, 35, has been single since she split from long-term boyfriend Stuart Townsend earlier this year. Now, she's getting a date for herself and some serious cash for her charity through a creative auction that will see the highest bidder sitting courtside with the 'Monster' actress at the next Lakers home game.

The identity of the winning bidder has not been released, but other celebrities in attendance included Mad Men actor Jon Hamm and wife Jennifer Westfeldt, models Petra Nemcova and Irina Shayk, and Jackass star Johnny Knoxville, who brought his new wife Naomi Nelson.

Angelina Jolie is no stranger to charity. The actress, who originally got famous for her good looks and odd behavior, is now better known as a UN ambassador, advocate for social change and the mother of six children, three of whom are adopted. Now, Jolie is making yet another foray into the charitable world: She's designing jewelry.

In an effort to raise money for the Educational Partnership for Children of Conflict, a charity that helps children raised in war-torn regions gain access to basic and advanced education, Jolie is designing an exclusive line of jewelry for Robert Procop.

"Angelina has very classic style," Procop told Nina Jones of WWD Markets. "These are pieces she wears herself."

But don't get in line for one of her pieces just yet – these extremely expensive designs will be made of rare stones and precious metals and will be made available only to a few select clients.

This is Jolie's second experiencing designing jewelry for charity. She and husband Brad Pitt, also a noted philanthropist, have previously designed a line of gold and silver pieces for the company Asprey – then headed by Procop – the proceeds from which also went to benefit the Educational Partnership for Children of Conflict.

"These are the children who most need a safe place to learn, a place to heal, a place to learn reconciliation, a place to build a better future and a place to just be children," explained Jolie, who is a co-founder of the partnership. "Yet the education for these children is often forgotten. Tens of millions of children and adolescents in conflict are not in school." 

Last week, dozens of celebrities, including Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and Swizz Beats, agreed to die "digital deaths" for AIDS charity Keep a Child Alive. The famous faces signed off of Twitter and Facebook until the charity raised $1 million for HIV/AIDS treatment and research, a goal it achieved early this week. World AIDS Day may have been last Monday and these stars may be back online, but that doesn't mean that the giving has stopped.

In fact, technology company Hewlett-Packard has recently announced an alliance with the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the Kenya Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation to provide technological support that will help improve testing and treatment methods for Kenyan infants who are exposed to HIV.

HP will help update four existing laboratories by providing five data centers that will include $1 million in servers, storage, computers, networking equipment, SMS-enabled printers and and local IT training to support the program. The centers will provide local Kenyan clinics with real-time medical information that they can use to make informed, timely decisions about the patients in their care, thanks to the efforts of students at the Nairobi-based Strathmore University, who developed applications that HP will incorporate into the new centers.

"Technology and innovation are key to solving many of the most pressing challenges of our world, none of which are more urgent than a disease which takes the lives of 31 children every minute," said former President Bill Clinton. "I'm pleased HP's technology and expertise will enable the partnership with CHAI to save the lives of more than 100,000 infants in Kenya each year, and in the process, demonstrate how the private sector can and should operate in the developing world."

Within their first year of operation, the centers are expected to process approximately 70,000 early infant diagnosis test results, each in as little as two days – a drastic improvement over the two to three months it currently takes to diagnose young children with HIV. Early detection is critical in treating infants with the disease, because babies that begin anti-retroviral treatment more quickly have a much greater chance at survival than those whose medicinal therapy is delayed.

Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day – an event dedicated to raising awareness about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS around the globe and reminding the world's citizens that they can change the future for millions of people affected by the disease. In honor of the campaign, sponsored by AIDS charity (RED), cities around the world lit up famous landmarks with bright red lights.

As the sun rose over Sydney, Australia, the Sydney Opera House was stained a deep shade of crimson. The pylons at Los Angeles International Airport, which usually drift between shades of yellows, blues, purples, pinks and greens, were lit a steady scarlet. In Toronto, Ontario, City Hall glowed red, as did Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa; the London Eye in England; the fountains of Paris; the Empire State Building in New York City; Le Phare des Paquis in Geneva, Switzerland, and landmarks in dozens more cities across the U.S. and throughout the world.

Last year, nearly half a million babies were born infected with HIV. By 2015, that number could be zero, the charity says. Effective antiretroviral medication exists, but millions can't afford it, which means people whose deaths could have been prevented with a few dollars and a handful of pills are being buried every day.

Also in honor of World AIDS Day, (RED) has partnered with Starbucks to donate 5 cents for every beverage purchased on December 1st. In addition, multiplatinum band The Killers have released their 5th Christmas single, called Boots, in partnership with the charity. Proceeds from purchases of the song go to the Global Fund, the recipient of (RED) funds. And, as always, you can buy inspirational and beautiful (RED)-designed products made by your favorite brands – such as Nike, Gap, Hallmark and Apple – with up to 50 percent of the proceeds going to AIDS treatment, prevention and elimination.

Since its launch in 2006, (RED) has generated more than $150 million for the Global Fund. Over 5 million people worldwide have been impacted by the HIV and AIDS programs supported by purchases of (RED) products. 

Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day – an event dedicated to raising awareness about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS around the globe and reminding the world's citizens that they can change the future for millions of people affected by the disease. In honor of the campaign, sponsored by AIDS charity (RED), cities around the world lit up famous landmarks with bright red lights.

As the sun rose over Sydney, Australia, the Sydney Opera House was stained a deep shade of crimson. The pylons at Los Angeles International Airport, which usually drift between shades of yellows, blues, purples, pinks and greens, were lit a steady scarlet. In Toronto, Ontario, City Hall glowed red, as did Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa; the London Eye in England; the fountains of Paris; the Empire State Building in New York City; Le Phare des Paquis in Geneva, Switzerland, and landmarks in dozens more cities across the U.S. and throughout the world.

Last year, nearly half a million babies were born infected with HIV. By 2015, that number could be zero, the charity says. Effective antiretroviral medication exists, but millions can't afford it, which means people whose deaths could have been prevented with a few dollars and a handful of pills are being buried every day.

Also in honor of World AIDS Day, (RED) has partnered with Starbucks to donate 5 cents for every beverage purchased on December 1st. In addition, multiplatinum band The Killers have released their 5th Christmas single, called Boots, in partnership with the charity. Proceeds from purchases of the song go to the Global Fund, the recipient of (RED) funds. And, as always, you can buy inspirational and beautiful (RED)-designed products made by your favorite brands – such as Nike, Gap, Hallmark and Apple – with up to 50 percent of the proceeds going to AIDS treatment, prevention and elimination.

Since its launch in 2006, (RED) has generated more than $150 million for the Global Fund. Over 5 million people worldwide have been impacted by the HIV and AIDS programs supported by purchases of (RED) products. 

Sexual assault is one of the most common crimes committed against women and men in the United States, but survivors of rape and other sexual crimes in Dallas, Texas, will have the opportunity to receive care and counseling at a new center made possible by a generous grant.

The W.W. Caruth Jr. Foundation has donated $2 million to Texas Presbyterian Hospital Dallas to improve services for sexual assault victims in Dallas County.

According to a 2003 FBI Report of Offenses Known to Law Enforcement, the forcible rape rate in Dallas is slightly above the national average – but rape and sexual assault are crimes that consistently go underreported due to shame, victim-blaming and lack of proper resources. The grant, however, will allow the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center and Texas Presbyterian Health to fund a new, 2,900-square-foot treatment facility, to be called the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Center for SAFE Healing.

The center will be the first Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) suite in Dallas County and will be housed in Texas Health Presbyterian's emergency department. It will provide comprehensive treatment services for sexual assault and abuse victims, including rape kits, counseling and medical treatment when necessary. The generous donation will also help fund a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, which will train nurses across the state to conduct forensic exams on sexual assault victims and collect court-admissible forensic evidence.

Since many sex offenders are lifetime criminals, a program that could put more of them behind bars is a major step forward in reducing violent sexual crime, said Brent Christopher, president and CEO of Communities Foundation of Texas, of which the Caruth Foundation is a supporting organization.

"Until now, Dallas has been the largest city in the nation without a certified SANE program or an independent rape crisis center," Christopher continued. "This grant will significantly transform the resources accessible to those who are affected by sexual assault." 

Your Twitter feed might be getting updated a little less frequently these days, as dozens of celebrities sign off the site in support of Alicia Keys' HIV/AIDS awareness campaign with Keep a Child Alive.

Frequent tweeters Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Usher and others have joined a new campaign called Digital Life Sacrifice on behalf of the charity. The entertainers plan to sign off of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter this Wednesday, which is World AIDS Day, and stay off until the charity has raised $1 million toward its goal of providing affordable and available treatment and preventative measures to communities affected by the disease around the world.

For the campaign, participants including Jennifer Hudson, Ryan Seacrest, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Elijah Wood, Serena Williams and Keys' husband Swizz Beatz have filmed "last tweet and testament" videos and will appear in advertisements that depict them lying in coffins to represent what the campaign calls their "digital deaths."

"We're trying to sort of make the remark: Why do we care so much about the death of one celebrity as opposed to millions and millions of people dying in the place that we're all from?" explained Leigh Blake, the charity's cofounder and president.

"It's so important to shock you to the point of waking up," Keys added. "It's not that people don't care or it's not that people don't want to do something, it's that they never thought of it quite like that."

Keys has faith that the event will raise the money the charity needs. She herself has 2.6 million followers on Twitter, while Lady Gaga alone has more than 7 million. If each person donates just $1, the charity will have raised more than nine times its goal.

Nearly 26 years ago, Quincy Jones and Michael Omartin gathered a group of dozens of talented singers to record a single called "We Are the World," written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie. Released on March 7, 1985, the song topped the charts and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. Even better, proceeds from purchases of the single and album went toward efforts to eliminate famine in Africa.

In January, the song was famously rerecorded by contemporary artists working to raise money for earthquake-devastated Haiti. And now, a number of comedians including Sarah Silverman, Paul Scheer, Thomas Lennon, Doug Benson and Neil Hamburger have come together to produce a significantly sillier version for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

In the opening to the song's accompaying video, Kurt Russell sits in a chair by a fireplace and warns the viewer, "I want to stress that these are not singers, and this does not sound good at all. In fact, a lot of it is just horrible."

In fact, the singing's not half-bad throughout most of the single. But whether or not you enjoy the musical stylings of more than a dozen comedians, you can feel secure in knowing that 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of the song and album will go to the L.A. Regional Food Bank to help hungry families put food on the table this holiday season.

"Laughter may be the best medicine," says Russell, "but food … is the best food."

Over 400,000 children in the Los Angeles region go hungry every day, but you can make life easier for the homeless and impoverished population of Southern California by purchasing the 25.75 anniversary version of "We Are the World" – plus, you'll get to listen to an auto-tuned Weird Al Yankovic whenever you want. 

Pop trio Hanson – of "MMMBop" fame – has a new venture to focus on: charity.

The three brothers, Zac, Isaac and Taylor, have largely moved on from the spotlight and are now living quiet lives at home with their wives and children. But if it means raising money for a good cause, they're not afraid to hit the stage again and sing a few of their old hits – and maybe a few new tunes, too.

The brothers' charity effort is part of their "Take the Walk" campaign, which will raise money for several nonprofits working to find treatment and a cure for HIV and AIDS. For every person who participates in the walk, which will take place in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Hanson will donate $1 to charity. The effort is just one of dozens of walks the band has conducted over the years, and will coincide with their concert at the Sherman Theater.

The group did a similar walk in Allentown for its May 2008 show at Crocodile Rock Café, which drew hundreds of fans and participants. Typically, the brothers complete the one-mile walk barefoot.

The brothers, who are natives of Tulsa, Oklahoma, first rose to fame more than decade ago. Their 2007 album, The Walk, was partially inspired by a trip Mozambique and South Africa – the same trip which prompted their now-famous charity events.

Los Angeles Laker Ron Artest is better known for his raucous behavior on and off the basketball court, but recently the star athlete has gotten involved in a number of a charitable pursuits.

First, Artest decided to auction off his recently-won NBA Championship ring and donate the proceeds to a mental health charity, following his public battle with his own demons – which ended with him thanking his therapist during his press conference after the Lakers defeated the Celtics to win the title.

Now, at his recent birthday party, Artest – who turned 31 – redoubled his commitment to the cause, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Although the Lakers lost that evening 121-116 to the Phoenix Suns, the mood at the Conga Room in Los Angeles was jovial – and not least of all because Artest donated all the proceeds and gifts he received to his own mental health charity group.

"I love his spirit. That's what I'm all about," the LA Times quotes celebrity guest David Arquette as saying. "I love what he's representing tonight. You can't take it with you … That's all that matters. You share the love. You share with people you care about, people less fortunate than you. He's shown he's committed, that's why we're compadres."

"Everybody came out to support. A lot of fans, a lot of friends," Artest added. "We're going to be able to help out people, so I'm really happy about the turnout."