Byline: James Tapper
USUALLY call centre workers are told not to deviate from the script. But when you've got the cream of Hollywood manning the phones, you can afford a little ad-libbing.
More than 100 A-list stars including Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts, Colin Farrell, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and Jack Nicholson took calls during a major fundraising telethon organised by George Clooney on Friday night.
The celebrities helped raise more than [pounds sterling]23m in the two-hour Hope For Haiti Now appeal, broadcast on all the major American TV networks and on the internet. But some of those who called were so overawed that they forgot to make donations.'I just rang up and Julia Roberts answered! Then I screamed and put the phone down,' one overexcited viewer admitted online.
The evening featured performances by rock and pop stars, while actors told stories of survival, courage and tragedy surrounding the January 12 earthquake which killed more than 100,000 people.
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, made a rare public appearance, while actor Brad Pitt made his appeal sporting a long, pointy beard, as his exgirlfriend Jennifer Aniston fielded enquiries behind him. U2 frontman Bono joined Rihanna, Coldplay's Chris Martin, rapper Jay-Z and his partner Beyonce in London, while Sting sang in New York, where Madonna also performed.
Clooney, who is renowned for having the best contact book in Hollywood, said the event featured 'the biggest bank of faces that you recognise answering the phones'.
The celebrity call centre also featured Sigourney Weaver, Ringo Starr, Mel Gibson, Cindy Crawford and Robin Williams.
Clooney told viewers: 'The Haitian people need our help. They need to know that they are not alone. They need to know that we still care.' The event ended with a song from the Haitian-born musician and former frontman with hip-hop act The Fugees, Wyclef Jean.
With a Haitian flag wrapped around his neck, he shouted: 'Enough of this moping man, let's rebuild Haiti, let's show 'em how we do it where we come from!'
Aid piles up at UN base: Pages 16-17
CAPTION(S):
Steven Spielberg and A-listers Sigourney Weaver and Jack Nicholson man the phones
PRESS 007 TO DONATE: Bond actor Daniel Craig, Friends star Jennifer Aniston, director
FROM REESE TO PEACE: Reese Witherspoon, Ringo Starr and Cindy Crawford join the telethon
LOOK WHO'S TALKING: Calls being answered by Colin Farrell, Julia Roberts and Robert De Niro
TITANIC EFFORT: DiCaprio and Mel Gibson
DIAL DIAZ: Cameron Diaz and Ellen DeGeneres
CALLS TO THE STARS: Rihanna and, far left, Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor, Daniel Day-Lewis, Bono, George Clooney and Stevie Wonder
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