Stars Show How They Can Help Haiti On Tv Special

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SUSAN SARANDON, CHRISTIAN SLATER, ASHLEY JUDD, SEAL and RUSSELL SIMMONS were among the stars manning phones as news channel CNN staged a two-hour special to raise funds for the Haiti earthquake relief effort on Monday evening (18Jan10).

Newsman Larry King’s Haiti: How You Can Help star-studded special was hastily arranged to raise awareness about the situation in the devastated nation, which was hammered by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake last week (12Jan10).

King and his celebrity guests were hoping to raise vital cash for the American Red Cross and UNICEF - the charities leading the relief effor.

Seal was also scheduled to perform The Impressions’ People Get Ready during the news show.

Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am told King he was “sad” seeing “all the people suffering with no place to go,” but admitted the situation was similar to the last time he visited Haiti years ago - because the country is riddled with “corruption”.

The determined pop star added, “Those people that are out there that can help, help; it’s important for humanity, for love, life… You have to help for America because we don’t have help.”

Actress Tea Leoni also appeared on the special, representing UNICEF. The celebrity ambassador said, “What’s the difference between this crisis and maybe the tsunami (in Asia)? After the tsunami we were able to prevent the death of any child in the second wave of the disaster… We’re looking at a much more desperate situation, here.

“The children of Haiti before this crisis were already in sort of a dire situation and kids who are malnourished are much more susceptible to suffer from disease, they’re more apt to contract cholera, dysentery.”

The actress urged viewers around the globe to give generously to UNICEF, so thousands of oral re-hydration packets and instant meals could be sent to the young victims of the earthquake.”

Model-turned-actress Molly Sims fought back tears as she recalled visiting Haiti in October (09) on behalf of Population Services International: “Words can’t even describe what I saw and I consider myself a very well-travelled person. It was absolute devastation.

“They had no safe drinking water then, imagine now.”