Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Oprah Winfrey, Jamie Foxx and more stars took the time to honor essential workers amid the coronavirus pandemic in Harry Connick Jr.’s CBS special, United We Sing: A GRAMMY Tribute to the Unsung Heroes, on Sunday.
Connick began the show by acknowledging that it was filmed prior to the movement for racial justice across America and around the world in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd.
“Just so you know, this special was filmed a few weeks ago and since that time our world has changed,” Connick said during the special. “Our focus has broadened from the coronavirus to include a painful dialogue about racism in America.”
The special, which was filmed in part with the help of Connick’s 24-year-old daughter, Georgia, featured the New Orleans native traveling around his hometown to thank essential workers with the help of some celebrity pals.
One such A-lister was Pitt, who spoke with a shocked sanitation worker named Darnell Rudolph.
“Man, I love the work you’ve done after Katrina,” Rudolph told Pitt of the 2005 hurricane that destroyed much of New Orleans.
“That’s so appreciated, I’ve got such a love for that city, and we so appreciate what you’re doing,” Pitt told him before asking about his family.
ET’s Rachel Smith spoke with Connick last week prior to the special airing, where he talked about the exchange between Pitt and Rudolph.
“There was this one guy who’s a sanitation worker in New Orleans. We talked to him and he said, ‘Why are you talking to me?’ Georgia and I are like, ‘Because our lives, they would suck without you,'” Connick told ET of Rudolph. “Brad Pitt was on a Zoom on the iPad, we flipped the iPad around and Brad Pitt says, ‘Hey man, I just want to thank you,’ and the guy goes, ‘Oh wow!'”
Category: Charity/Philanthropy
Oprah, John Fogerty, Brad Pitt Tapped for Grammys’ Tribute to Essential Workers
Oprah, Brad Pitt, John Fogerty, Jamie Foxx, and Cyndi Lauper will appear on a Grammys tribute to essential workers, United We Sing. Harry Connick Jr. will host the show, which airs June 21st at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
Per a press release, the show will feature Connick and his filmmaker daughter, Georgia Connick, taking “a road trip in an RV to thank and celebrate essential workers who risk their own lives on a daily basis to keep us safe.” The trip will start in Connecticut and end in New Orleans, and at each stop along the way, the Connicks will listen “to the stories of essential workers in health care, food preparation, sanitation, law enforcement, trucking, and more to honor their dedication and public service during this unique moment in history.” (A note in the press release adds that United We Sing was “filmed with a minimal crew practicing social distancing and with extensive safety precautions in place.”)
During the trip, celebrities like Oprah, Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Renée Zellweger, Queen Latifah, and Drew Brees will “deliver surprise messages to America’s unsung heroes.” There will also be plenty of musical performances: The lineup boasts Connick, Fogerty, Foxx, and Lauper, as well as Herbie Hancock, Little Big Town, Dave Matthews, Tim McGraw, Andra Day, Jon Batiste, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Rockin Dopsie, Irma Thomas, and Trombone Shorty.
During United We Sing, viewers will be encouraged to donate to charities that support underserved children, such as No Kid Hungry and the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in New Orleans. The special will also raise money for the COVID-19 relief fund set up by the Recording Academy’s charitable wing, MusiCares, which is providing aid to people in the music industry who have been hit hardest by COVID-19.
BP Gallery Update
• x002 February 10, 2012 – Berlinale Film Festival – Berlin, Germany
• x013 February 26, 2012 Academy Awards – Hollywood, CA
• x007 January 09, 2015 – AFI Awards – Los Angeles, CA
• x016 April 25, 2015 – Light Up the Blues concert – Hollywood, CA
• x015 August 30, 2015 – MotoGP British Grandprix – Northampton, England
• x002 September 17, 2015 – Hope for Children Gala – New York City, NY
• x005 November 05, 2015 – New York City, NY
• x011 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – DVD Additional Scenes
Chris Cornell Tribute Concert to Feature Foo Fighters, Metallica, Soundgarden
On Wednesday, January 16, 2019, Chris Cornell’s legacy will be honored with a star-studded concert event, “I Am the Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell,” taking place at The Forum in Los Angeles. Performers will include members of Cornell’s bands Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog, plus special performances by Foo Fighters, Metallica and Ryan Adams and more.
Jimmy Kimmel will host the concert, which is “presented by Cornell’s family and closest friends,” according to the announcement.
“We are honored to have all these amazing artists and friends come together to pay tribute to and show their love and appreciation for Chris, his music and the mark he’s left on the world. We look forward to sharing this night with all the fans,” said Vicky Cornell.
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, November 16 at 10AM PST at Ticketmaster.com. Each ticket purchased online for the “I Am The Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell” at The Forum will include a copy of Cornell’s self-titled career retrospective album.
Cornell died in May of 2017 of an apparent suicide.
The host committee includes Vicky Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Cameron, Brad Pitt, Josh and Kathryn Brolin, Jimmy Kimmel, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Courteney Cox, Kaley Cuoco, David Spade, John Carter Cash, Linda Ramone, Andrea & Paul Joseph, Cynthia Pett, Peter Berg, Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Marc Gurvitz & Julianne Phillips, Ron Laffitte, Michael Rapino, Brent Smith and Lisa Engel, Michele Bernstein, Patrick Whitesell, Scott Sartiano, Michael Cooper, Nicholas Karayiannis, Eric Esrailian, and Paul and Renee Haas.
Family of Actor Brad Pitt, Visits Erie, Raising Money & Awareness for Clean Drinking Water Project
On warm days like we are now experiencing now, in the Erie region, water is something we all need. We have access to clean drinking water, but that’s not the case in other parts of the world, like in Africa. In Erie, the mother of Hollywood Actor Brad Pit
Wednesday, May 9th 2018, 6:36 pm EDT by Eva Mastromatteo
Updated: Wednesday, May 9th 2018, 6:47 pm EDTOn warm days like we are now experiencing now, in the Erie region, water is something we all need. We have access to clean drinking water, but that’s not the case in other parts of the world, like in Africa.
In Erie, the mother of Hollywood Actor Brad Pitt, teamed up with her daughter, to help raise money and awareness for clean drinking water.
The two travel across the world, and on Wednesday, they were at the Kahkwa Club for a luncheon called “Let It Pour.” Julie Pitt Neal is a mother of five. Two of her children are adopted from Ethiopia. Her brother, Doug Pitt, works with the organization Africa 6000 International.
The Erie event helped raise funds for Africa 6000 so that a deep, clean water well can be drilled in Ethiopia.
