Haiti Charity Singles

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REM's 'Everybody Hurts' chosen by Simon Cowell for Haiti charity single

REM's 1993 single 'Everybody Hurts' has been chosen by Simon Cowell as his charity single to raise money for the Haiti earthquake appeal.

Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Take That and Robbie Williams are rumoured to feature on the single, which has received the backing of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has said that VAT on the record will be waived to maximise revenues.

REM's manager Bertis Downs told The Sun that the band are waiving all royalties for the song, which is raising money for the Helping Haiti fund and the Disasters Emergency Committee.

"We are deeply touched the song has been chosen for this Haiti campaign," Downs said. "It means a lot that the song the guys wrote all those years ago will be used for such an important appeal."

Other acts expected to appear on the single, which being organised jointly by Cowell and The Sun, include N-Dubz, Leona Lewis, Will Young and Rod Stewart. The single will be released later this month, though no date has been confirmed yet.

Meanwhile, Florence And The Machine have also promised to donate proceedings from their gig at Sydney's Metro next Tuesday (January 26) to Helping Haiti.

U2's Bono and Jay-Z have recorded a Haiti earthquake appeal single too – although they have not announced its release details yet.

 

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Lionel Richie to remake We Are the World for Haiti

Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones will record a new version of We Are the World to benefit Haiti. The veteran stars are honouring the song's 25th anniversary, releasing their tribute alongside new charity tracks by Simon Cowell, and Jay-Z and Bono – who have revealed that they are bringing along Rihanna.

Like the original 1985 recording, which raised money for famine relief in Africa, the new We Are the World will consist of both a song and a video. Organisers are asking artists to stay in Los Angeles for an extra night after the Grammy awards. According to Billboard, Richie and Jones hope to include Usher, Natalie Cole and John Legend, as well as many Grammy nominees.

The late Michael Jackson, one of the song's co-authors, is also expected to be integrated into the project.

Meanwhile, television networks have released more details of tonight's Hope for Haiti Now telethon, co-hosted by George Clooney, Wyclef Jean and CNN's Anderson Cooper. One of the programme's highlights, a team-up between Bono and Jay-Z, is now going to be a trio. "I knew that Jay would be able to tell a story, and that Bono would be able to sing and bring it home," producer Swizz Beatz told Rolling Stone. "The last component that I added was Rihanna, and she's kinda like the angel that's on the track, softening it up and giving it that caring feeling, because this hook is so powerful."

The track is called Stranded. "The idea of the song is, 'We're not gonna leave you stranded,'" Swizz Beatz said. The project launched when Swizz Beatz sent text messages to Jay-Z and the U2 frontman. The producer accidentally hung up on Jay-Z when the rapper called him back and it took three hours of telephone tag before they all managed to speak. Recording took place separately, with extra production work by the Edge.

Other acts scheduled to perform tonight include Beyoncé, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Madonna, Mary J Blige, Shakira, Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder. Kid Rock, Keith Urban and Sheryl Crow will also perform together. The entire concert will be available as a paid download from iTunes and other digital services, with proceeds going to Haiti relief funds such as the Red Cross and Yele Haiti Foundation.

 

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U2, Jay-Z, Rihanna to Perform at Haiti Benefit

An impromptu supergroup featuring rapper Jay-Z, U2's Bono and the Edge, and Rihanna will take the stage at the MTV-produced Hope for Haiti benefit telethon, which airs Friday, Jan. 22, at 8 P.M. on all the major TV networks.

Jay-Z and the two U2 members have also recorded a song with producer Swizz Beatz that will be sold via iTunes, with proceeds going towards relief efforts surrounding Haiti's recent earthquake.

"Bono came up with the phrase on the phone, and last night we were here, we wrote a song -- finished, recorded, and sent it back to [Swizz Beatz]," the Edge said on Irish radio (via MTV. "So that might be the next thing you hear from us."

Wyclef Jean, George Clooney, and Anderson Cooper are set to host the Hope for Haiti broadcast. Justin Timberlake, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Alicia Keys, and Taylor Swift are just a few of more than 100 celebrities scheduled to appear.

All musical performances from the telethon will be available starting Saturday on iTunes for 99 cents each, with proceeds also going to the event's partner relief charities: Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, Wyclef's Yele Haiti Foundation, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, and United Nations World Food Programme.

 

[deception]

hey 123- u really seem compelled to action by this tragedy? is that a fair assessment?

 

[¹²³]

hey 123- u really seem compelled to action by this tragedy? is that a fair assessment?

Not really. I wouldn't call it "compelled to action", unfortunally. I know I should do more to help, but I als know I won't do it anyway.

 

[Colonel Ronan]

Fair enough. The only thing I did was round up my change at H&M -- And that was only because it was a hot chick at the counter.

 

[¹²³]

Fair enough. The only thing I did was round up my change at H&M -- And that was only because it was a hot chick at the counter.

I am single now. Maybe I should help more.