Give Nashville a Hand

As many of you know Alphie (Lori) is from the Nashville area. Nashville was hit with a rainstorm that brought two feet and more of water in under 48 hours. It created massive flooding that no one had anytime or warning to prepare for. Famous locations like Civil War historical sites and The Grand Ole Opry were flooded. Alphie’s family was fortunate enough to live on high ground and only had to worry about the relatively minor inconveniences of temporary loss of power and Internet and driving a very round about way to get out of her subdivision.

Others however were not as fortunate. One of our local Nashville friends and budding YA author, Myra McEntire, has organized an auction with proceeds going to Nashville relief. If any of you have ever attended our Nashville movie events, Myra has been the person behind the scenes helping us tote giveaways and stuff bags. Items from various authors such as signed copies or offers to critique your own writing are up for big. Check out Myra’s auction site for details. You can also find Myra on Twitter here and get links to her other sites from there.  Co-organizers for Do the Write Thing for Nashville are  Victoria Schwab and Amanda Morgan, also authors from the Nashville area.

Kristen Stewart Signed Bella Doll Up For Charity Bids

kstewsigThe West Hollywood Elementary School has a signed Bella action figure by Kristen Stewart.  Proceeds are going to the school whose mission is to support and enhance the enrichment of learning at West Hollywood Elementary School by promoting each child’s growth in areas of academics, physical fitness and well being, as well as through the visual and performing arts.

Check out the auction here.

Stephenie Meyer Talks About Bree Tanner on Her Website

jodelleBreeBurnAside from today’s press release ( see the entry below) announcing that there would be a novella covering the story of Bree (now Bree Tanner, she has a last name…who knew!) the newborn from Eclipse, Stephenie has provided a TON of extra details not covered in the press release on her website. Highlights below, but get over to StephenieMeyer.com to read the whole thing.

  • The novella started as a writing exercise back when Eclipse was being edited
  • Originally it was intended for the Official Guide, but it ended up as 200 pages and that just wasn’t going to work size-wise
  • There will be further word on the Official Guide by the end of the year
  • Melissa Rosenberg, David Slade, and Jodelle Ferland got to peek at Bree’s story so aspects of it could be included in the Eclipse movie.
  • Jodelle had to burn her copy after reading it for security (see picture).
  • The novel will be available in both a free form online at the website BreeTanner.com and as a hard cover book with$1.00 of the proceeds from each book going to the American Red Cross to assist aiding the earthquake victims of Chile and Haiti.

And speaking as fan who operate this fansite, Alphie and Pel think they can safely speak for the fandom when we say

WOO HOO!

THANK YOU STEPHENIE!

Robert Pattinson Signed Guitar on Ebay

rob guitarRobert Pattinson signed a brand new Fender Telecaster guitar for the charity The Midnight Mission.  For some reason it has no bids. Now granted we are in a tough economy, but the guitar alone is worth at least $800.  So if you want something signed and played by Rob, now is your chance.

The charity that is being helped support the homeless. According to their website  “We provide an array of life changing services for homeless men, women and children. They include education, job training and placement, drug and alcohol treatment and referral services. Additionally, we provide basic subsistence services and transitional housing for families.”

So, get the word out. There are only three days left to make this yours and we know, someone out there wants this guitar!

TY to Jessica for bringing that fact that this had no bids on it to our attention!

Shift the Power to the People: Twilight Artists Raise Awareness of Reservation in Need

Gil Birmingham, Chaske Spencer, Julia Jones, Boo Stewart, and Justin Chon all appear in this PSA that is trying to raise awareness of the devastating plight of those on the Lakota Sioux, South Dakota Reservation. Theirs is an interesting approach as you’ll see in the video. They don’t need your money; what they need is for you to pick up the phone and call your congressperson or write to them.

According to the Shift the Power to the People website:

South Dakota’s Lakota Sioux- Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe 2010 Crisis

  • February 1st, 2010 Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has declared state of emergency after severe ice storm devastates reservation
  • Storm topples more than 3000 power poles
  • 13,000 people without power, heat and water”

You can find full details on how this situation came to be here, and there is an easy contact your congressperson connection here.

Peter Facinelli to Sign Autographs for UNICEF, Haiti

Folks in SoCal are in for a treat. Peter Facinelli will be hosting a charity even for UNICEF and Haiti on February 21st in Rancho Cucamonga.  CHeck out the LA TIMES for all the details.

Pics with Facinelli, who also stars in “Nurse Jackie” on Showtime, will be $40 a pop and autographs are $25; a portion of proceeds will go to UNICEF. Lifestream will conduct a blood drive, and there will be a live radio remote by KGGI-99.1/FM. (Psst: 20 winners of a KGGI contest will get a VIP meet-and-greet with Peter in advance of the noon-to-6 p.m. event, held at Victoria Gardens’ AMC Courtyard.)

Win a Red Cloak From Volterra

You can help the victims of the Haitian earthquake and win a New Moon costume at the same time.  Eric Moro, the Editor in Chief of IGN Movies, writes:

” I wanted to let you know that we are hosting a very special eBay auction – all proceeds from the auction are going to Habitat for Humanity to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. The reason why I’m writing is because we have a cool piece of costuming used in NEW MOON that’s being auctioned off. It’s one of the eye-popping red robes worn during the shooting of the San Marco’s Day Festival in Volterra, Italy.”

Check out the Ebay auction here.

Teens For Jeans: Revamping Campaign For Haiti Relief

TY to Twilight Examiner for letting us know about this.

The charity drive currently supported by Ashley Greene called Teens for Jeans has just broadened it’s outreach. According to CNN:

“In support of its third annual “Teens for Jeans” initiative with teen not-for-profit DoSomething.org, NYC-based teen retailer Aeropostale, Inc. (NYSE: ARO) announced it will be matching the first 100,000 pairs donated with brand new jeans to be delivered to the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

“Teens for Jeans” raises awareness about the youth homelessness epidemic by inspiring teens across the U.S. and Canada to collect gently worn jeans and donate them to homeless youth in their own communities. In response to the earthquake in Haiti, Aeropostale, Inc. and DoSomething.org are extending the campaign’s reach beyond the U.S. and Canada to help teens affected by the disaster.”

Twilighters Mobilizing For Hatian Disaster Relief

Actors such as Chaske Spencer have tweeted about donating money is as simple as sending a text message.

The Thinking of Rob Blog is currently leading the charge. They have an excellent detailing of what is needed and how you can help. From our experience in the Harry Potter Fandom, it’s a great thing when sites can come together and raise money for a humanitarian cause. The Harry Potter fandom did this for both the Boxing Day Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.  Tens of thousands of dollars were raised.

Please vistit that Thinking of Rob blog and help anyway you can. The images coming out of Haiti are gruesome to say the least.

What’s even more crucial is that the need is going to be there months from now.   We are going to be putting together a Twilight themed basket to auction off for this cause, proceeds to the Red Cross. Details will follow next week.

EDITED: One of our regular readers works with Doctors Without Borders. This organization is already onsite and providing aid.

Ashley Greene: Helping Others With Teens For Jeans

This just in from the people at Teens For Jeans (a great charity if you have never heard of them). Prior to this, Ashley has also been involved in a similar cause called “Donate My Dress“.

“The campaign, spearheaded by NYC-based teen retailer Aéropostale and teen not-for-profit DoSomething.org, raises awareness about youth homelessness by inspiring teens across the US and Canada to collect gently-used jeans and donate them to homeless youth right in their own communities. Last year, the campaign collected over 200,000 pairs of jeans and this year teens are already gearing up to top that effort. Drop-offs are located at all Aéropostale stores from January 19th through February 14th, 2010.

“When I heard the statistics, it was hard to ignore,” explains Ashley Green. “Traveling the country for Twilight and New Moon has given me the opportunity to meet teens from a wide variety of economic backgrounds. I want to do everything I can to help young people take action about this important issue.”

“Teens for Jeans is special because it engages everyone; our customers, store associates and the community,” says Aéropostale Senior Vice President of Marketing, Scott Birnbaum. “A simple act like donating a pair of jeans can truly have a direct and meaningful impact on someone’s life.”

Starting Tuesday, January 19th until Sunday, February 14th, people are encouraged to bring in any brand of their gently worn jeans to any Aéropostale store in the U.S. and Canada. Aéropostale and DoSomething.org will make sure the jeans are donated to one of the 600 local youth shelters that have been selected as partners. As an extra incentive for those who donate, Aéropostale will give an additional 25% off a new pair of jeans, though no purchase is necessary. Donors will also have the chance to win signed jeans from Shia Lebeouf, Chris Pine, Penn Badgley, Dakota Fanning, Taylor Swift and many more of today’s young stars.

“We love that teens will be racing to the mall this January, and they won’t be going in empty-handed,” says DoSomething.org Chief Marketing Officer Aria Finger. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Aéropostale on the third annual Teens for Jeans and engaging hundreds of thousands of teens to take action across the US and Canada.”

In addition to getting customers involved in stores, Aéropostale and DoSomething.org are encouraging teenagers in their local high schools and colleges to coordinate Teens for Jeans school drives. Students who collect more than 500 pairs of jeans will receive a banner for their school, recognition on the DoSomething.org and Aéropostale websites and the chance to win a pizza party for their entire class.

To learn how to get involved or for more information about teen homelessness and what you can do, visit teensforjeans.com