Penelope Cruz

Penelope Cruz (timeinc.net)

When stars gathered up, not only they bring festivity and glamor, but sometimes they also joined forces to help those in need.

And as Cannes Film Festival 2010 being crowded by stars and celebs, the annual event also functioned to held a charity. The Cinema Against AIDS benefit, held Thursday at a luxury hotel in the French Riviera town of Cap d’Antibes, hosted by amfAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

Lots of famous faces and names attended the event, such as; actress Naomi Watts, socialite Paris Hilton, Russell Crowe, Italian designer Giorgio Armani, model Naomi Campbell and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger. Famous comedian Chris Tucker and producer Harvey Weinstein were last night event’s hosts, with mission to drive up the bids on about 10 luxury lots, including a gold-plated bottle of champagne and a monkey-shaped pendant in diamonds and gemstones.

Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem ran an auction of red carpet dresses worn at the Oscars and Cannes by actresses; Scarlett Johannson, Naomi Watts, Diane Kruger, Charlize Theron, Marion Cotillard, Demi Moore, Salma Hayek and Gwyneth Paltrow.

“Robin Hood” star Russell Crowe and designer/movie director Tom Ford were among those who took to helped lead the auction. They collected 270,000 euros at the sale to help fight AIDS. High-fetching lots included a day with former President Bill Clinton, which went for $220,000, and a flight in a fighter jet, which reached $170,000. A six-liter bottle of Dom Perignon was also sold for $80,000.

Last night was perfected by performances from punk icon Patti Smith and R&B singer Mary J. Blige, who captivated the crowd with her acapella rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” At the end of the gala, those famous people successfully raised $6.7 million (euro 5.36 million) for AIDS research.

Proceeds from the event go to the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), a nonprofit organization that supports HIV/AIDS research, and the emcees emphasized that the economic crisis has made their bids more crucial than even. Last year, the event brought in just $4.5 million — roughly half the money raised in 2008.

After the dinner, the stars made another charity. Looks like the philanthropy vibe is so strong that night! They dug into their pockets to help Haiti at Cannes. Crowe, Lionel Ritchie and Mutti collected 80,000 euros (100,000 dollars) for Haiti at a party also attended by Benicio Del Toro and Elisabeth Banks.

We at StarsJournal are really proud with the good deed these famous names done. Thumbs up!

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