Stand Up To Cancer!

Friends,

If you read this in time, please watch the televised cancer awareness telethon on all three major networks this Friday night at 8pm. Stand Up To Cancer is a fund- and awareness-raising organization that is putting on a major TV special for cancer research. Hollywood Producer Laura Ziskin (who has been battling cancer herself since 2004), former Paramount Pictures chief Sherry Lansing (who established a namesake foundation for cancer research and awareness), and Katie Couric (who lost both a husband and sister to cancer) organized this star-studded event. It will feature many celebrities who hope to raise awareness and money for "translational research," as described by Laura Ziskin, "which encourages scientists to collaborate rather than compete, translating basic science into applicable therapies for patients." They hope this project will bring greater awareness to cancer research in much the same way Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" raised awareness of global warming. Their aim is to find faster, better, less toxic treatments for cancer patients. Over half a million Americans die from cancer every year.

Celebrities such as Christina Applegate will share their personal experiences with the disease and will help answer phone calls from donors during the telethon. Other stars set to appear include Halle Berry, Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, Jack Black, Salma Hayek, James Taylor, Carrie Underwood and Rob Lowe among many others. The hourlong show also will include a performance of "Just Stand Up," a charity song featuring Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, Rihanna, Fergie, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, Carrie Underwood and many other musicians. Couric and her fellow network news anchors, Charles Gibson and Brian Williams, are set to host the show.

For more information on the televised event or the organization, please go online:
http://standup2cancer.org