As previously reported, Bono and Jay-Z have collaborated to produce a charity song for Haiti and now Simon Cowell is doing his part to help the devastated Caribbean nation. Cowell plans on producing a Band-Aid style celebrity recording to benefit the Haiti relief effort.

“I wanted to do something for Haiti, and we had a request from the prime minister to put a record together,” the American Idol judge said while speaking at last night’s National Television Awards in London.

“We haven’t got an awful lot of time, but we are going to do something and attempt to raise as much money as possible,” Cowell declared. “I’ve got to try and get it all together in about 48 hours.”

While Simon Cowell is busy producing his charity single with stars such as Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle, record producer Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie are planning to re-record the 1985 song We Are the World.

The 2010 We Are the World project, like its predecessor, will have big star power behind it with celebrities like Usher, Natalie Cole, John Legend, Wyclef Jean, Sting, Fergie, Alicia Keys, and Justin Timberlake. The single will be recorded on Feb. 1 in Los Angeles.

Michael Jackson, who died in June 2009, was the song’s co-author and, according to Showbiz 411, is expected to be invoked into the new recording.

With the Haitian earthquake tragedy still fresh in our minds, the list of celebrity participants lining up to add their personal mark to Friday’s two hour, internationally-broadcast fundraising telethon, “Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief” continues to become even more impressive by the moment.

The latest announcement of musical superstars Madonna and Beyonce lending their voices only adds further weight to the already outstanding roster of talent, including a collaboration between Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock as well as Jay-Z, The Edge, Bono and Rihanna. Individual sets by Sting, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Wyclef Jean, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Dave Matthews, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Coldplay round out the live entertainment feature.

Emerging from a collaboration between perennial philanthropist George Clooney and MTV Networks, the globally televised and multi-media streamed event is expected to go down in history as reaching the widest number of viewers (and hopefully charitable contributions) due to the fact that all major/cable networks have broadcasting rights as well as highly trafficked online sources such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, MSN.com, CNN.com, AOL, Hulu, MySpace, Rhapsody and Yahoo among others.

The Oscar-winning actor told MTV News, “”This is about compassion. There are times in our lives when people are really without help and in real danger, and this is one of those times. So whatever they can do — give money to one of the organizations that they like the best.”

Other notable Hollywood powerhouses who have contributed significant financial donations meant to fund Haitian relief efforts include Giselle Bundchen ($1.5 million to the Red Cross), Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt ($1 million), Sandra Bullock ($1 million) and Madonna ($250,000).  Ultimately, the money raised will directly benefit Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation, Partners In Health, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, UNICEF, Red Cross and Oxfam America.

The US broadcast of the event — on traditional networks as well as on cable forums such as MTV, CNN, HBO and TNT– is slated to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and will be hosted by George Clooney, CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Wyclef Jean. In addition to making a financial contribution the day of the event, viewers who want to make a positive charitable impact can also purchase individual telethon songs from iTunes for just 99 cents the day after the broadcast.

via The New York Times Arts Beat

George Clooney has found a co-host for the upcoming “Hope for Haiti” telethon scheduled for next week, and it’s none other than Haitian-born musician/activist Wyclef Jean.

The 37-year-old has been at the forefront of seeking support for the devastated people of Haiti ever since a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the country earlier this past week. It’s reported that Clooney will host from LA, Wyclef from New York City, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper from Haiti. The two-hour special will air commercial-free at 8 p.m. on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, BET, the CW, HBO, MTV, VH1 and CMT.

Wyclef’s charitable foundation, Yéle Haiti, came under fire earlier this week after watch groups raised questions about expenses paid to businesses owned by Jean and another member of the board. The singer fired back in a Youtube video saying, “I gotta tell you, coming back in here after digging kids up . . . and finding cemeteries for them . . . this is what I come back to: an attack on my integrity and my foundation, Yele Haiti. . . . you can donate to whatever charity you want to.”

Check out the full video here.

After hearing news of the awful earthquake in Haiti yesterday, I knew Wyclef Jean would immediately be one of the first people to start rallying support for aid. The rap star is one of the most active voices in campaigning for assistance in Haiti — especially in the wake of natural disasters.

After the country was rocked by hurricanes and tropical storms in 2008, Jean recruited Matt Damon to assist in lending a hand in delivering food and supplies. His foundation Yéle Haiti is constantly providing assistance to families — and he last year announced the building of a sustainable school to help children receive an education and achieve their dreams. He also recently partnered with Timberland on a new line of eco-boots benefiting Yéle Haiti, with an aim to help reforest the country.

So it’s no surprise that as soon as tragedy hit yesterday, Wyclef took to Twitter to rally the troops. “Your money will help with relief efforts,” he wrote. “They need our help – please help if you can.”  The former Fugees star has since said he is now on his way to the Caribbean state, via the Dominican Republic.

“Pray for the people of Haiti [and] me please,” he posted.

Oddly, Wyclef’s foundation site appears to be down right now. Nevertheless, MSNBC has a great list of active charities in Haiti and could use your help. Please take a moment to visit and lend your support to those suffering in the wake of this disaster.

Martha Stewart continues to promote the greener side of life! Last month it was how to have a meatless Thanksgiving, followed by the recent announcement of her new eco-friendly brand of home cleaning products. On Tuesday, Stewart invited singer and philanthropist Wyclef Jean on the show to discuss the inspiration behind his music and the work he’s doing with Timberland to support his Yéle Haiti organization.

Wyclef has partnered with Timberland to create the Yéle Haiti Earthkeepers collection of eco-conscious boots. For every pair sold $2 will go to Yéle Haiti to support reforestation in Haiti. Wyclef wore the Yéle Haiti Earthkeepers 6 Inch Boot in Beige and surprised Martha with a pair of her own! Then, naturally, the pair then cooked a brisket.

Check out a video of the cooking duo below:

Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Wyclef Jean has been honored for his work to strengthen and inspire change in his native country of Haiti through his Yéle Haiti organization. The 37-year-old received the Ripple of Hope Award, along with rocker/activist Bono, at a ceremony thrown by The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

“As champions of justice, Bono and Wyclef have brought the national spotlight to human rights violations, empowered local activists, and transformed the lives of millions of people living in poverty from Port-Au-Prince to Darfur,” said Kerry Kennedy, founder of the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights. “Their efforts evoke the spirit of my father and we are honored to recognize them.”

Those attending the ceremony included Harry Belafonte, Matthew Modine, Ana Ortiz, Aasif Mandvi, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

More pics below:

Wyclef Jean and the Timberland Clothing Company have announced a partnership to fuse product, music, and activism under a banner of “Earthkeeping”. The company, which has stepped up its environmental commitment over the past few years, created its Earthkeepers program to highlight people making a difference for the planet — and inspire others to do the same.

With Wyclef, Timberland is planning a series of urban greening events across the United States — followed by a trip to Haiti, where along with singer’s nonprofit (www.yele.org), they’ll build a tree nursery that will support reforestation efforts, and serve as a sustainable business model that can be replicated throughout the country.

To find out more about Timberland’s eco-friendly Earthkeepers line, hit the jump here.

The Gala is HealthCorp’s annual fundraiser to raise cash and help expand their in-school health educational and mentoring program. 

HealthCorps was founded Dr. Mehmet Oz to “help stem the crisis of child obesity through school-based health education and mentoring, as well as community events and outreach to underserved populations.”

We like the sound of all of that! 

You can expect tons of celebrity faces, including a very special presentation by Quincy Jones as he gives away the First Annual HealthCorps “Music for a Better Life” Award.

The event will take place at the World Financial Center at West Street, NYC, and tickets cost $1,000. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit HealthCorps.org!

Besides being one heck of a musician, Wyclef Jean is also a passionate ambassador for his birth country Haiti.

In 2005 Jean started Yele Haiti — a program dedicated to supporting projects that make a difference in education, health, environment and community development for the impoverished country.

To continue his good work, Wyclef  has announced plans to build a school in his native country with the help of celeb pals like Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. He recently told HollyScoop.com:

“I want to start working on building a school. It’s going to be called the Yele Center. Hopefully I can start the fundraiser in six months, and I have the model.I want something that’s sustainable for kids. One person got me out of Haiti, my parents got me to America. I took the dream back to Haiti. If I could just save one kid with that school, and get the next Wyclef Jean or the next Shakira, I’ll be satisfied.”

To learn more about Jean’s work in Haiti, visit Yele.org and find out how you can get involved! Good luck Wyclef — we know you can make it happen!

photo credit: Ron Haviv / Yéle Haiti

I don’t think I remember as many celebratory inaugural balls as what’s happening down in D.C. this month. Of particular interest to us are the “green balls” being organized — yes, there’s more than one.

The first one to hit the dance floor is the Green Inaugural Ball, an “environmental celebration of the election of President-election Barack Obama and Vice-President-elect Joe Biden on January 17, 2009.” Headlining the performances for the evening is the Grammy winning solo artist, activist and founder of the Fugees, Wyclef Jean. “Environment America is thrilled that Wyclef will be bringing his music and his activism to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden,” said Environment America Political Director Ivan Frishberg, “We decided to join as a host of this event because it represents the kind of environmental commitment and innovation that is going to be essential to protecting the environment and helping the economy recover.”

Of course, a ball about the environment had better be sporting some green cred. According to the release, the event will feature organic food, high-efficiency lighting and entertainment systems, and carbon off-sets.

All this is not to be confused with the 2009 Green Inaugural Ball being thrown by Live Earth on January 19th — once more in celebration of the Obama presidency. This one will be hosted by Al Gore and most likely feature some quality music groups and celebrities. According to the official site, tickets sold out in 15 minutes.

Are you headed to D.C. this week? Let us know! We “might” be able to hook you up with some ball love.