Monday, 25 January 2010

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George Clooney's Haiti telethon raises £35m

Viewers are generous with their donations

George Clooney donated $1million during the Haiti telethon

George Clooney's telethon to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake was a huge success.

The Hope For Haiti Now event, which aired worldwide on Friday, racked up donations of £35million.

The figure is a new record for disaster relief telethons, according to Entertainment Industry Foundation head Lisa Paulsen.

During the show, George, 48, dug into his own pocket to add $1million to the fund. 

Celebs including Leonardo DiCaprio, 35, Madonna, 51, Beyonce Knowles, 28, Jay-Z and Twilight star Robert Pattinson, 23, took part.

Meanwhile, Mariah Carey, 39, Miley Cyrus, 17, and Cheryl Cole, 26, have become the latest acts to be confirmed for Simon Cowell's charity cover of REM's Everybody Hurts. 

'We're getting there,' The X Factor judge, 50, tells The Sun. 'We have had an incredible amount of support.

'It's amazing these great singers are clearing their schedules to make this happen.

'I just found out Mariah has changed her schedule to be able to do this too.'