Celebrities helped raise more than $80K for Mekhi Phifer’s youth charity, The Vine Group, by participating in the 7th Annual World Poker Tour Invitational last weekend. Stars throwing down dollars included Jon Hamm, Brad Garrett, Don Cheadle, Shanna Moaklar, Nicky Hilton, Rikki Lake, Shannon Elizabeth, and Benji Madden.

One of the shirt/suit/tie ensembles worn by Sean Penn in his Academy Award-winning portrayal of real-life hero Harvey Milk has been auctioned off for $12,500. The money is to benefit benefit both Variety – The Children’s Charity of Southern California and the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, in New York City. The gentleman that won the auction, activist Tom Gregory, had also previously successfully won two of the shirts famously shown in Brokeback Mountain. I detect a theme here…[Read more...]

Finally, Tony Bennett is auctioning off a one-hour painting lesson for two at his private studio in NYC. How cool would that be? Current bids are just north of $10K with less than 24 hours to go. Estimated value is $25K — for that cash, let’s hope he sings a few too! [Read more...]

Photo credit: PR Photos

Two of the most notable awards were ‘Ultimate Eco Queen’ and ‘Ultimate Save the Planet Pioneer’, which went to Harriet Lamb and Emily Cummins, respectively. Harriet Lamb is director of the Fairtrade Foundation in the UK, and has helped raise awareness of the need for fair trade across the world.

Emily Cummins is the designer of a sustainable fridge which is now being used by some of the world’s poorest people to store medicine and food. She has also taught people in Africa how to make eco-friendly products.

Congratulations to Harriet and Emily, and also to the celebrity winners of other awards given at the celebration including ‘Ultimate Film Actress’ Kate Hudson, ‘Ultimate TV Actress’ America Ferrera and ‘Ultimate Icon’ Kim Cattrall.

via OK!

Photo Credit: Cosmopolitan.co.uk

Zazzle.com is partnering with The Humane Society of the United States to release a line of custom made postage stamps, called Sealed with a Kiss. The Sealed With A Kiss line will feature stamps with the lip prints of celebrities like Melanie Brown, Jeri Ryan, Jenna Elfman, Joe Hahn, Josh Henderson, and a special paw print from Benji, the movie-star dog.

Each sheet will include 20 “kiss” stamps from the celebrity of your choice. Or, if you want a lip-locking orgy, you can purchase a special edition sheet with a collage of kisses from each of the participating celebrities.  Since the Humane Society is part of Zazzle’s Community Giving program, 20 percent of the purchase price for all featured products sold will help the HSUS!

So head on over to Zazzle.com and grab some lip stamps before Valentines Day. Because if you’re like me this year, those famous glossy lips might be the only ones you have on that wretched holiday. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a pillow to go cry into.

Natalie Portman has announced a new line of shoes in conjunction with Te Casan. The shoes, which are available for pre-order on January 15, are vegan and 5% of profits will be going to charity. Additional details are not available (such as price), but it comes as no surprise that Portman would consider entering this arena. The actress, though herself not a vegan in the food sense, has long made it a rule to purchase fashion that does not come from animals. [natalieportman.com via justjared]

Jennifer Love Hewitt, Spencer Pratt, and Ross McCall spent Christmas Eve volunteering at the Los Angeles Mission in downtown LA. “I have made it a point to come to the Los Angeles Mission at Christmas,” said the 28-year-old Hewitt. “There are so many hurting people on the streets of our city, but when I’m here I get to see the smiles of the children and the great food for everyone. I think they are getting real help from the staff and volunteers. I come to give something back, but invariably I get more blessing than I give.” [via tmz]

Finally, Spice Girl Melanie Brown avoided a potential PR bah humbug by agreeing to donate to charity a $20,000 fee she received as part of her participation in a Make-A-Wish foundation fundraiser. The singer had originally planned on taking the money for personal gain, but smartly did an about-face once she was critcized for the move. Said one source, “All Mel B did was sing a couple of Christmas songs, sign autographs and mingle in with the crowd collecting donations in a plastic bucket. Many people felt she should have waived her fee. It’s the least she could have done to help the needy kids.” [via starpulse]

It’s amazing to me that people like this need to be told “this is the right thing to do”. Alas. All’s well that ends well.

On that note, enjoy the rest of the holiday season — and don’t forget to give when you have the chance, love those around you, and get some good rest and relaxation. 2008 is going to be a busy year!