It’s been a while since we’ve done a “Good Celebrity” article. No I don’t blame myself, I blame the celebrities as a whole for doing nothing good or worthwhile for a few weeks. And there’s a chance I forgot about the “Good Celebrity” thing. But it’s mostly their faults, nonetheless.

Richard Gere has gotten our Good Celebrity nomination a couple of times. He was one of those celebrities that was an activist long before it was the trendy thing to do. In fact he used to get teased for it a good deal. Look at how everyone’s following his lead? Yesterday Gere was given the prestigious Marian Anderson Award by the city of Philadelphia in recognition of his charitable, political, and philanthropic work.

Richard Gere, who has donated time and money to the causes for Tibetan independence and HIV/AIDS care, on Monday accepted a prestigious humanitarian award given by the city of Philadelphia. The actor was given the Marian Anderson Award, named after the black American opera singer who achieved international acclaim by the mid-1930s but faced racial segregation at home. Gere, 58, accepted the honor and its $100,000 honorarium at a gala at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

“I’m not worthy of this award in any way whatsoever,” Gere said. “I can’t tell you how this makes me feel. My heart is so wide open.” Gere, a Buddhist, has advocated Tibetan independence from Chinese rule since 1978. He co-founded the Tibet House and is board chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet. He established Healing the Divide, a public charity for improving care for HIV/AIDS patients, and a philanthropic foundation bearing his name helps humanitarian organizations.

[From the Associated Press]

I’m assuming the $100,000 will be donated to one of his charities. Gere has stayed pretty much under the radar lately and been focusing most of his time and attention on various charities, especially Tibet and AIDS. You’ll remember that he got in trouble after kissing actress Shilpa Shetty at an HIV/AIDS awareness summit. It was unfortunate because that debacle completely took the attention away from the organization they were there to promote. Gere eventually apologized, and has continued focusing more on charity than acting lately. Good celebrity! I feel like I should start giving out cookies or something.

Former talk show host Ricki Lake produced a fabulous documentary called “The Business of Being Born,” which was about the maternity care system in America. You actually see Lake give birth in the film. It premiered at the Tribecca Film Festival last year, and though I didn’t see it, one of my friends did and said it was phenomenal – though kind of scary for those of us freaked out by the thought of childbirth. Lake has screened the film across the country to rave reviews, and has taken her activism up a notch: she recently spoke at the United Nations about birth-related death rates.

I spoke at the UN. It was a new initiative, Deliver Now, looking at the maternal and infant death rates around the world and I led a rally in Bryant Park on this new initiative and then I moderated a panel with the heads of UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UNFTA, the Prime Minister of Norway announced he was giving a billion dollars to take on this issue because—it’s amazing I’m now this advocate for women and children and midwives, in particular but then they asked me, I feel like I can’t be articulate, I’m so—but I got to kind of do something that takes me further, like dealing with world issues, globally looking at why, in Somalia, one woman in six dies during childbirth and it’s so easily preventable so this guy, this hot Prime Minister, he’s hot! I was like, “I’ll have your baby, I’ll move to Norway and have your baby.” He was amazing so he’s pledged this amount of money until 2015 and hope that other countries come on board as well. It will hopefully change the numbers.

[From OK!]

I kind of wish she was able to talk about such an important issue without talking about hot guys in the same sentence, but c’est la vie. I really love stories of people that are struggling and turn their lives around. Ricki wasn’t struggling financially, but most people would agree that her old talk show really ushered in the wave of Ricki Lake/Jerry Springer crap. But she’s really turned things around and made a great film and become an advocate for women’s health, and that’s fabulous.

In terms of her own health, Ricki’s weight loss really is inspirational. Unlike a lot of famous people who shed massive amounts of weight through surgery, Lake took it off the old fashioned way: diet and lots of exercise. She lost over 140 pounds and looks phenomenal – and you can tell she’s gained a lot of muscle. She’s a great example of the way people can completely turn around every aspect of their lives.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Ricki with Marissa Jaret Winokur and John Waters at Line Cinema’s 40th Anniversary Gala at Lincoln Center on October 5th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

It’s a “Good Celebrity” bonanza lately! Maybe as it’s fall and people are starting to get in a more holiday-esq mood, we’ll get more reports of famous people doing famous things. Cindy Crawford has always been one of those people that you can tell has her act together. She was valedictorian of her high school class with a 4.0 GPA, and won a scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern. She’s always donated her time and energy to charity, as she lost a brother to leukemia when she was young.

Cindy donated her time and cosmetics from her Meaningful Beauty line to Children’s Hospital’s Mom’s Day of Beauty event, which gave mothers of sick kids a day off to rest and relax at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. How great is that?

“As the mothers arrived at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel’s peaceful penthouse suite, beauty volunteers including Cindy were there to welcome them with relaxing treatments, beauty goodies and camaraderie. ‘I lost a brother to leukemia when we were young so being involved in children’s hospitals has always been important to me. If, God forbid, something ever happened to my children, Childrens Hospital is absolutely where I would take them,’ Cindy tells OK!

“The nonprofit Childrens Hospital Los Angeles admits more than 11,000 sick children from various social and financial backgrounds each year, 50% of whom are under the age of four. It is not only recognized as the preeminent children’s hospital in the country but in the entire world. ‘I want to do anything I can to help this facility,’ Cindy says. In addition to her support for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Cindy generously donated her Meaningful Beauty skincare line to each of the mothers at the event. ‘I’m happy to give what I can give, but no beauty product comes remotely close to the real work people at Childrens Hospital do every day,’ she mentions.

“Though she acknowledges that the diagnoses the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles patients and their families face are devastating, she finds hope in the effort to bring attention to the hospital’s mission. ‘This is what I can do today,’ this beauty adds! ‘We can all do a little something each day just by being aware.’”

[From OK Magazine]

Cindy Crawford is not only gorgeous, but she seems to be a really great person too. A lot of models seems like these empty vessels, but Cindy’s always shown she has smarts. My mom relayed this joke she heard Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld) tell on the “Tonight Show” once. He said, “On their very best day, all men believe that they could get Cindy Crawford.” Although she seems very nice, something tells me that’s not actually the case. But I do believe most guys believe it.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Cindy Crawford is shown in the header with her two children, Presley, 8, and Kaya, 6, in NY on Madison Ave. Monday. The kid with long hair hanging down is her son, Presley. She is also shown at the 6/5/07 premiere of Oceans 13 with her husband, Rande Gerber. Thanks to Splash News and PR Photos for these pictures.

I like when random celebrities do random good things. It’s great when you have someone famous who’s always helping out – ie the Angelina Jolie and Richard Geres of the world – but it’s great when someone who isn’t always getting a lot of press for their good deeds randomly does something nice. It’s kid of the whole “random acts of kindness” thing, but on a celebrity-paycheck scale. David Spade recently donated $25,000 to the family of an Arizona police officer who was shot in the line of duty. Officer Nick Erfle had managed to beat cancer, only to be shot during a routine arrest in September. Spade, who’s from Arizona, heard about the crime and found it particularly cruel. He managed to get a hold of a bank, and was able to make a donation to cover funeral and other expenses for the Erfle.

“David Spade was so moved by the shooting death of an Arizona police officer that he donated $25,000 to the man’s family. The comedian and Scottsdale, Ariz., native, 43, said he was ‘hit out of the blue’ by the tragedy – and the fact that Officer Nick Erfle had overcome cancer. ‘It just struck me as such a rough situation just because cops in general get kind of a bad rap lately and people forget it is the scariest job out there,’ Spade told the Associated Press Monday. ‘I’m from Arizona so I’m always a little aware of things that are going on there.’

“Spade’s generosity has benefited his hometown before. He recently gave $15,000 to his alma mater, Saguaro High School. This time, it took some persistence. ‘It was hard to get through. It took me a while. I finally got somebody at the bank’s voicemail and left a message,’ Spade said. ‘I just thought I would throw something in the pile.’ Erfle, 33, was fatally shot Sept. 18 on a busy Phoenix street after attempting to arrest a man with an outstanding warrant. He leaves behind a wife and two sons, ages 5 and 3. Spade has not spoken with family or friends of Erfle, but said he hopes Erfle’s wife is able to use the money for the funeral or any other expenses.”

[From People]

I think we’ve all made fun of David Spade on more than one occasion (he’s sorta asking for it with the way he insists on that haircut) but he’s done something really nice for total strangers, so I vow not to make fun of Spade for at least one week. Unless he gets back together with Heather Locklear. Then all bets are off.

I don’t exactly consider Sylvester Stallone to be the epitome of tact and grace, but he actually has some interesting and thoughtful things to say about the atrocities in Myanmar right now – where he’s spent several months filming the latest installment in the “Rambo” series.

“Sylvester Stallone says he and his Rambo sequel movie crew recently witnessed the human toll of unspeakable atrocities while filming along the Myanmar border. ‘I witnessed the aftermath — survivors with legs cut off and all kinds of land-mine injuries, maggot-infested wounds and ears cut off,’ Stallone told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday. ‘We hear about Vietnam and Cambodia and this was more horrific.’

“The 61-year-old actor-director returned to the U.S. eight days ago from shooting John Rambo, the fourth movie in the action series, on the Salween River separating Thailand and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Stallone said he was in Thailand for six months, most of it along or on the river. ‘This is a hellhole beyond your wildest dreams,’ Stallone said. ‘All the trails are mined. The only way into Burma is up the river.’”

[From USA Today]

I wonder why they chose to film in Myanmar given that it’s such a hotbed of danger right now? I know the guy is an action and adrenaline junkie, but it seems like he has a decent appreciation for how dangerous the place is right now. I don’t know the Rambo movies at all, so maybe it’s integral to the script – though my general impression is that they’re not exactly super plot-based. Even if he wanted to set the movie in Myanmar, he could still have chosen to film it somewhere else.

“Stallone also claimed watching refuges fleeing from Myanmar to Thailand during his stay at the location. Actor-director Sylvester Stallone has revealed that he received a series of death threats while filming upcoming sequel John Rambo along the troubled Thailand-Myanmar border. The 61-year-old star said that his crew was filming on the Salween River when they were warned that they would be shot if they did not leave the place immediately.

“‘We were on the Salween River and we were told to get out because we were going to be shot,’ Contactmusic quoted him as telling American TV show Entertainment Tonight . Stallone also claimed watching refuges fleeing from Myanmar to Thailand during his stay at the location. ‘It’s the most brutal regime in the world and the most secretive. It has an oppressive regime that (keeps all riches) for themselves. Everyone is forced into drugs or prostitution or slavery,’ he said.”

[From the Times of India]

Why I don’t quite understand why he’d chose to film there and endanger his life and the lives of his cast and crew, I’ve got to give the guy props for speaking out about what’s going on in Myanmar. Some decent celebrities have shown that they can bring a lot of much-needed attention, even political attention, to otherwise ignored causes. Had most of us heard about Darfur, until a bunch of big names threw their weight behind the “Save Darfur” campaign? Hopefully the situation will change on it’s own, but I appreciate a celebrity (if you still want to call Sly Stallone a celebrity… hey we’re bitchy here, I had to get that in) throwing their weight behind something good.

I’ve only been doing this “Good Celebrity” thing for a week or two now, and there were a few days I forgot about it and all, but Shakira is already being nominated for the “Good Celebrity” hall of fame. I freaking love her now. Why? Because she started charitable foundation, Latin America in Solidarity Action, that has donated $40 million to aid victims of a hurricane in Nicaragua and an earthquake in Peru. And she created the foundation with the amazing writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

“A charitable foundation set up by Colombian pop star Shakira has donated $40 million (£19.6 million) to help victims of natural disasters. The money will go towards repairing damage caused by an earthquake in Peru and a hurricane in Nicaragua.

“A further $5 million (£2.46 million) will be spent on health and education in four Latin American countries. The singer made the announcement at a New York summit on climate change organised by ex-President Bill Clinton.

“Shakira, who has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, will also host a discussion on youth activism at the Clinton Global Initiative on Saturday. Her foundation, Latin America in Solidarity Action, was set up with fellow Colombian and Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in a bid to combat the deaths of children.

“Shakira also fronts a charity to help children who are victims of violence.”

[From the BBC]

Um, what doesn’t Shakira do that’s not awesome? I can’t think of anything. I used to be kind of so-so on her music, but now I’ve decided that everything she touches turns to gold, and thus her music is perfection too. Plus she’s smart, spunky, and takes college courses in her spare time. And the other day, I was walking by this cliff, and there was a bus full of school children teetering precariously, about to fall off, and Shakira came along with her magic lasso of awesomeness, tied it around the bus, and whisked them off to safety. Then she delivered three babies and planted some trees in the just-demolished forest. This is all completely true; I saw it with my own, non-exaggerating eyes. Shakira = Wonder Woman.

Simon Cowell’s acid tongue may actually have saved a person’s life. Cowell is also a judge on “X Factor,” which is the UK version of “American Idol.” Contestant Jacqui Gray auditioned in front of Cowell and Sharon Osbourne. Both seemed to sense something was amiss in the singer’s voice, though it’s hard to tell without actually seeing the episode if they were just being very specifically mean, or were actually concerned for the singer.

“‘You have a very odd-sounding voice,’ Cowell, 47, told the nightclub singer after she finished her rendition of Labi Siffri’s ‘Something Inside So Strong.’ ‘Something happens to your throat when you sing. It is quite raspy. It sounds as if you have someone else in there, like you were choking on something.’

“Fellow co-judge Sharon Osbourne, 54, advised the 46-year-old mother of two ‘get it checked out,’ and then cut her from the competition. Luckily, Gray took their advice. ‘I thought I was suffering from a chest infection or swollen glands,’ she said. She went to an ear, nose and throat specialist who found a shadow on her lungs during a chest scan and diagnosed a potentially fatal lung disease.

“‘I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis and told if I had not got it seen to, it could have killed me.’ Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for Cowell, said, ‘Simon was genuinely concerned about her voice and is glad she sought the proper medical attention and received the necessary care. He was happy to help.’”

[From Us Weekly]

Simon Cowell, brilliant diagnostician. I don’t know that I really buy the whole “Simon Cowell really cares/ Simon was really worried for her line” – I mean it is Simon Cowell, I doubt he could have resisted passing up an opportunity to make fun of something so specific. Either way, Jacqui Gray certainly doesn’t hold a grudge after being eliminated.

“Gray, meanwhile, may be the first contestant to be rejected by the judges and thank them afterwards. ‘I want to thank them both,” she said. ‘I may not have got through X Factor but they gave me something much more important than that…they really did save my life.’”

[From Us Weekly]

Now if only Simon could leave all the contestants a little better off than they were before they met him. A brain for one, a heart for another, courage for the one that ran out of the room crying. He seems to have this very unique ability to spot ailments that go undetected by less-evolved naked human eyes. So though I never thought I’d say it, today Simon Cowell is a Good Celebrity.

Picture Note by Jaybird: Here’s Simon at various “American Idol” promotional appearances. Does his haircut make anyone else angry? It makes me angry. What man has a part down the middle and a flat top? Images thanks to PR Photos.

Paris Hilton is such a do-gooder. Remember that time she saved the litter of puppies from the fire? And that other time she grabbed the starving nuns and orphans from a bus careening out of control? And that other time she drove drunk on a suspended license when she wasn’t wearing any underpants? Talk about a heart who’s love knows no bounds. Well Paris figures she’s done all the good she can in Los Angeles, so she’s moving on to the next most logical place… Rwanda. Talk about baby steps. Yep, instead of giving any of her money or actually being helpful, Paris is going to just be there, and by her being there it’ll bring attention to the problems and somehow solve them. Just because she’s there.

“It’s not the typical sort of hot spot she’s used to, but Paris Hilton says that she’s planning to hit the road to Rwanda. Apparently making good on her post-jail promise to help others, the socialite, 26, tells E! Online about her African ambitions, ‘I’ll be going in November, after I get back from filming my movie. There’s so much need in that area, and I feel like if I go, it will bring more attention to what people can do to help.’

“Though a trouble spot of notorious proportions – an infamous 1994 genocide in Rwanda claimed about a million lives (in a nation of 9 million) – the country’s multitude of problems doesn’t seem to worry Hilton, who vows to pay calls upon a variety of beleaguered regions. ‘I want to visit more countries where poverty and children’s issues are a big concern,’ she says. ‘I know there’s a lot of good I can do just by getting involved and bringing attention to these issues.’

“Hilton reportedly will visit Rwanda at the invitation of Scott Lazerson, whose year-old Playing for Good charity assists celebrities and high-profile business personalities in getting involved with organizations that benefit those in need. Hilton’s Rwanda trip will also cap a busy September, during which she’s been in Toronto filming her upcoming movie Repo! The Genetic Opera, partying at the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas and hitting a slew of Emmy parties in Los Angeles.”

[From People]

Well to be fair, I once did the same thing. I went to a Denny’s, and just by my being there at 3:30 in the morning near a major college campus, it just magically filled up with people holding checkbooks And I kept telling them to chill, and not to pay so much attention to me but to focus on the issues here… a very questionable Moons of My Hammy… and they were all so star struck that I completely overshadowed the real issue. That’s what I’m afraid is going to happen with Paris. I’m afraid it’ll be more photo-op than actually providing food for the starving and legs for the… legless. I just don’t even want to imagine the potential faux pas that we Americans will forever be held accountable for. Though I would enjoy it if she forgot to wear her underpants again, and somehow came back with a uniquely Rwandan strain of herpes to add to her collection.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Paris is shown at the amfAR Rocks Benefit on 9/24/07 thanks to PRPhotos.

In continuation of my vow to write a “Good Celebrity” article every day, we have a wonderful story about the always endearing Will Ferrell. He’s not one of those starlets that’s always snorting coke with a needle still hanging out of his vein and his man bits hanging out like some starlets we know (ahem, Britney). Yes I realize what I just said. Anyway, Will is a pretty decent, low-key guy who’s always up for self-mockery. He also has an odd compulsion to show his hairy belly whenever he gets the chance, and that makes him loveable. What else makes him loveable, you ask? He’s auctioning off a cameo role in his new movie “Step Brothers” to benefit his college fraternity brother’s charity foundation, Cancer for College.

“Will Ferrell is auctioning a cameo spot in his new movie to raise money for a fraternity brother’s cancer foundation. Ferrell came up with the idea to help Craig Pollard’s Cancer for College foundation. The two were fraternity brothers at the University of Southern California. Online bidding will begin Monday and close Sept. 26. Ferrell will announce the winner on Sept. 27, and that person will meet the actor the next day at the 14th annual Cancer for College golf tournament dinner at Temecula Creek Inn. The opening bid for the movie appearance is $5,000.

“In October, the winner will join Ferrell on set of his new movie, ‘Step Brothers,’ and appear in a scene. ‘What a perfect Christmas present for your son or daughter,’ Ferrell said. ‘It is the surefire way to win the parent of the year award. Support this amazing cause, by buying them me.’ Pollard, a two-time survivor of Hodgkin’s disease, started Cancer for College to provide college scholarships to current and former cancer patients. The charity has awarded $200,000 to 50 cancer survivors since 1993.”

[From USA Today]

Props to Will Ferrell. I know it’s not quite as fascinating to read about someone doing something good as it is to read about Lindsay Lohan possibly selling her body for crack and/or crack money, but I think it’s important that we don’t encourage the notion that only bad behavior deserves recognition. So to make this post a tad more entertaining, I leave you with some Will Ferrell PSAs from “Talladega Nights.”

Picture note by JayBird: Header image of Will at the “Blades of Glory” L.A. premiere. Right image with wife Viveca Paulin. Images thanks to PR Photos.

I have publicly admitted that I really prefer to write about celebrities being bad to being good. I try to cover all the stories equally, but the bad stories get sooooo many more comments. So, in an attempt to point out the positive, I’m going to start posting a “Good Celebrity” article a day. Unless I get yelled at a lot for doing it, in which case I’m going to slink away and go back to posting 18 Lohan articles alone. So be nice. Our first celebrity is…. hold your breath… Shakira!

Shakira has been secretly (and by secretly, I mean not bringing X 17 along) taking classes at UCLA this summer. While the rest of us have been sweltering at our offices – or if we’re lucky, sweltering at the beach – Shakira has been studying the history of Western civilization. Just because.

“Shakira has been using her free time to study at UCLA. For the past month, the Colombian pop star has been attending a class at the University of California, Los Angeles, titled “Introduction to Western Civilization: Ancient Civilizations from Prehistory to Circa 843.”

Shakira’s manager Fifi Kurzman told the Associated Press the 30-year-old singer started attending classes August 6 following the conclusion of her latest tour. Classes ended September 13, although instructor Robert Cleve said Shakira didn’t attend the last few sessions. He said he hadn’t known she was a celebrity and was astonished to find out her identity.

“‘She told me she was visiting from Colombia and that she was just doing this for her own enlightenment and enjoyment,’ Cleve said. ‘She looked just like an ordinary student. She wasn’t flamboyant…she didn’t act like a big celebrity or anything.’

“Cleve said Shakira, who sat in the third row in the lecture hall, would often discuss material with him after class. ‘I was really impressed with how intelligent she was,’ he said. Kurzman said Shakira has for years studied on her own, also taking tutorials on the history and languages of the countries she visits.”

[From Voice of America]

Um, I love Shakira now. That is so cool. I only took Western civilization because it was required and all I remember about it was that the professor looked like a pedophile. Yes you can look like a pedophile… and if I wouldn’t get sued, I’d put his picture up so you all could understand. Unfortunately I mentioned that to a few classmates who all agreed, and I found out years later that students still call him that. That’s why you shouldn’t call people names, kids. Anyhoo, let’s give Shakira some points for doing something good. In the wake of all the other pop-tarts’ drinking, boozing, sleezing, and DUI-ing, Shakira is taking college classes just for fun. While I’m sure Paris got quite an interesting education in jail, I doubt she could tell you all about Gilgamesh. She’d probably tell you that it was some new kind of undergarment.