The “Hand In Hand Benefit for Hurricane Relief” telethon on 17 different networks and outlets from New York City, Los Angeles, Nashville, and San Antonio, Texas; had a phone bank of A-listers. Included were George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Tom Hanks, Robert DeNiro, Jared Leto, Oprah, Lupita Nyong’o, Al Pacino, Sofia Vergara, Kerry Washington, Bruce Willis, and Julia Roberts. Basically – just about every famous person in Hollywood turned up to man the phone. As for musical performances:
- Stevie Wonder opened the show with a stunning rendition of “Lean On Me” in New York,
- In Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry, Usher and Blake Shelton sang “Stand By Me,”
- Luis Fonsi and Tori Kelly offered up “Hallelujah”from New York
- Also in Nashville, Brad Paisley, Demi Lovato, Darius Rucker, Cece Winans rocked a performance of “With a Little Help from My Friends,”
- Also in New York, Dave Matthews sang “Mercy”
- Closing the event with a performance in San Antonio, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovettsang “Texas” and “I Believe”
Still, the telethon was not without some controversy. As Wonder opened the event, he took a swipe at climate change deniers saying that anyone who doesn’t believe in global warming “must be blind or unintelligent.”
Either way, all the appeals worked. The benefit pulled in more than $44-million dollars for those affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma – and that was before it was broadcast on tape delay for the west coast. If you want to make a difference and contribute, you can – visit Hand in Hand’s website.
Story Courtesy of Dr Dave’s Ultimate Prep
