Can You S↑2C?

On September 7th, Hollywood once again decided to Stand Up to Cancer (S↑2C).

The third biennial telethon aired commercial-free simultaneously on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, BIO, E!, ENCORE, HBO, HBO Latino, ION Television, LMN (Lifetime Movie Network), Logo, MLB Network, mun2, Palladia, SHOWTIME, Smithsonian Channel, STARZ, STYLE, TBS and VH1 on, Sept 7th, at 8 pm EST (7 pm CST).

This year show is executive co-produced by Gwyneth Paltrow and Joel Gallen. Gallen is well experienced in this kind of project, having produced the very successful 9/11 telethon “America: A Time for Heroes” and “Hope for Haiti: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief.”

The broadcast will feature Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Jessica Biel, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Seth Rogan, Emma Stone, who will join Paltrow and SU2C Co-Founder Katie Couric. Celebrities recently added to the team include Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Justin Timberlake, Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet, Ray Romano, Felicity Huffman, Stacy Keibler, Maura Tierney, Rocco DiSpirito, Ethan Zohn and Olympic Gold Medalists Gabrielle Douglas and Missy Franklin.

Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Alicia Keys and Tim McGraw will deliver moving, one-of-a-kind performances alongside inspiring patient stories. Swift has written a song, entitled “Ronan”, dedicated to a 4-year-old boy who died last year of neuroblastoma. After it’s debut on the show, the song will be for sale on iTunes, and all the proceeds will go to cancer related charities.

What is SU2C?

SU2C is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) established by media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders who have been affected by cancer. It distinguishes itself from other organizations in its unique funding model, developed with the help of prominent cancer researchers, encourages collaboration and innovation through two new types of scientific grants:

“Dream Team grants are awarded to multi-institutional groups of scientists who work collaboratively, rather than competitively, to develop new treatments quickly in order to save lives now.
Innovative Research Grants support groundbreaking cancer research projects that are high-risk but could also be high-impact, and have the potential to significantly affect patient care. ”

To date, “more than $180 million has been pledged for SU2C’s innovative cancer research. Since 2008, SU2C has made grants to seven multidisciplinary “Dream Teams” of researchers as well as to 26 young innovative scientists who are undertaking high-risk, potentially high-reward projects to end the reign of cancer as a leading cause of death in the world today. Eighty-five institutions are currently involved. ”

If you would like to donate, click here.