Awhile back I wrote about a three network telethon entitled “Stand Up to Cancer.” Today September 5th, 2008 the telethon will air on ABC, CBS, and NBC at 8 p.m. EST. The telethon will include musical performances and appearances from actors, athletes, and journalists. The telethon will feature such celebrities as Meryl Streep, Lance Armstrong, Forest Whitaker, Charlize Theron, Hilary Swank, America Ferrera, Danica Patrick, Salma Hayek, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Masi Oka and news anchors Charles Gibson, Brian Williams and Katie Couric. Katie Couric, CBS Evening News anchor said, “"Every time I hear the statistics, I don't know about you all, one person a minute, 1,500 a day, all I can think about is those families whose lives have been shattered by these losses. And clearly, we all felt -- we've all personally experienced loss through cancer. We felt like we had to do something about it, and that's why we've joined forces."

Viewers will be invited to donate by calling the celebrity-staffed phone bank or by texting. However the most unique way to contribute is by purchasing a star in honor of a loved one that will be placed in the “Stand Up to Cancer” constellation. Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News Anchor has purchased two stars for his mother and sister, who both lost their life to cancer.

Although there will be an entertaining component to the telecast, the hope is to entertain the idea of new approaches in the fight against cancer. "Well, there's going to be entertainment. But I hope, more than anything else, there's going to be information because there are a lot of misconceptions about cancer," Charlie Gibson, ABC World News anchor said. "Everybody thinks of it as sort of a monolithic disease. There are hundreds and hundreds of cancers. This is really, A, to raise money, but most importantly to get it in the forefront of the public consciousness."

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It was announced today that in a monumental move, ABC, CBS, and NBC will collaborate to air a telethon on September 5 featuring a collection of celebrities.  The hour-long special is a fundraiser for cancer research and has been termed "Stand Up to Cancer."

The telethon will include musical performances and appearances from actors, athletes, and journalists.  Viewers will be invited to donate by calling the celebrity-staffed phone bank or by texting.  This sort of collaborative event is rare but not unprecedented.  In recent years, similar fundraisers have been hosted for victims of Hurricane Katrina and September 11th.

Stand Up to Cancer will feature such celebrities as Meryl Streep, Lance Armstrong, Forest Whitaker, Charlize Theron, Hilary Swank, America Ferrera, Danica Patrick, Salma Hayek, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Masi Oka and news anchors Charles Gibson, Brian Williams and Katie Couric.  The list is expected to grow as the event nears.

FOX was invited to join the telethon, but declined so as to focus on their own global outreach project, "Idol Gives Back," centered around American Idol stars.  FOX will promote Stand Up to Cancer by airing public service announcements for the event.

According to the Associated Press, "The telethon is part of a broader initiative aimed at raising money to quicken the pace of research leading to development of new treatments.  The effort is to be administered by the American Association for Cancer Research under the direction of a committee led by Phillip A. Sharp of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT."