Canadian Broadcasters Unite and STAND UP TO CANCER by Donating 1-Hour of Primetime Television, Sept. 7 on CHCH, Citytv, CTV and Global

- Live, one-hour fundraising event to air commercial-free simultaneously on CHCH, Citytv, CTV and Global -

- Oscar^® Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow to executive produce fundraising telecast with Emmy^® Award-winner Joel Gallen -

- Canadian viewers can contribute to the cause via toll-free number and/or online -

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/RsyW8U

TORONTO, Aug. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - On September 7^th, 2012, Canadian broadcasters join forces and unite as one to donate airtime for the live fundraising special STAND UP TO CANCER (SU2C), a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). Building on two historic fundraising telecasts in 2008 and 2010, STAND UP TO CANCER returns to primetime television for a one-hour, commercial-free broadcast on CHCH, Citytv, CTV and Global simultaneously on Friday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings). Executive producers Gwyneth Paltrow and Joel Gallen of Tenth Planet Productions will join the STAND UP TO CANCER production team to deliver a one-of-a-kind show featuring performances from top recording artists, and celebrities from film, television and sports, engaging viewers with powerful stories and a moving call-to-action.

"This broadcast has become a global call-to-action for all those touched by cancer," Paltrow said. "Like so many people, I know what it's like to lose a family member to this disease, and I'm honoured to stand up in my father's memory."

This star-studded appeal will continue to build public support for groundbreaking translational research accelerating the delivery of new therapies to patients, getting them from the "bench to the bedside" as quickly as possible. STAND UP TO CANCER brings together scientists from all different disciplines across the various institutions to collaborate on this important cause.

Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Alicia Keys and Tim McGraw will deliver show-stopping performances in 2012's STAND UP TO CANCER broadcast.

Other talent participating in this year's broadcast include: Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Jessica Biel, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Seth Rogen,Emma Stone, SU2C Co-Founder Katie Couric, Simon Baker, Jordana Brewster, Diem Brown, Dana Delany, Chelsea Handler, Marg Helgenberger, Minka Kelly, Joe Manganiello, Jillian Michaels, Masi Oka, Ana Maria Polo, and Alison Sweeney.

CHCH, Citytv, CTV and Global are donating one hour of simultaneous commercial-free primetime television for the nationally televised fundraising special on Sept. 7, to be broadcast live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. U.S. networks ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, along with BIO, E!, ENCORE, HBO, HBO Latino, ION Television, LMN (Lifetime Movie Network), Logo, MLB Network, mun2, Palladia, SHOWTIME, Smithsonian Channel, STARZ, STYLE, TBS and VH1, have also committed to carry the STAND UP TO CANCER telecast. The program will include a celebrity phone/multi-media bank that will allow viewers to interact with participating talent through a toll-free telephone number (Dial 888-90-STAND (888-907-8263) to donate using a credit card) and make online donations at www.standup2cancer.org. One hundred per cent of all public donations will go directly to cancer research.

An estimated two out of five Canadians are expected to develop cancer during their lifetimes, and almost eight million people worldwide die from cancer each year.

Gallen previously produced three extremely successful televised fundraising specials: AMERICA: A TRIBUTE TO HEROES (after 9/11), SHELTER FROM THE STORM: A CONCERT FOR THE GULF COAST, and HOPE FOR HAITI NOW.  Music was a key element of each. He also produced and directed the 25^th ANNIVERSARY ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME CONCERT.

"Music and its ability to heal, unite and motivate will play a central role in this year's show, as will the stories of people affected by cancer and how SU2C is changing their lives," Gallen said. "It's an honour to build on the terrific legacy Laura Ziskin established with the previous two broadcasts."

The legendary film producer Laura Ziskin, who was a member of the SU2C Executive Leadership Council, executive produced the first two telecasts. Ziskin lived with breast cancer for seven years before it took her life in June of 2011.

"STAND UP TO CANCER demonstrates the power of the entertainment community to help unite the public in support of a crucial cause that affects us all," said SU2C Executive Leadership Council Member Sherry Lansing, who also established the Sherry Lansing Foundation and is Board Chair of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. "We're very grateful to Gwyneth and Joel for leading the charge this year, and continuing to foster this important movement."

SU2C was founded on the belief that this is a pivotal juncture with the potential for transformative progress in cancer research because of two trends: breakthroughs made in our understanding of the basic science of cancer, and technological advances that enable us to translate them into new treatments. Today's cancer researchers need additional funding to fulfill the promise of life-saving discoveries, and STAND UP TO CANCER engages the public to support their work.

"We set out to convince the public that this is a moment of great promise in cancer research, and that each and every person can play a role in helping the scientists who are working so hard to end this terrible disease," said STAND UP TO CANCER Executive Leadership Council Member Katie Couric. "Only four years into our work, we are delighted with the results. Our SU2C Dream Teams of scientists have made important strides, all for the benefit of patients, and we are excited to share that progress through the show." 

Past participants in the SU2C broadcasts include: Jennifer Aniston, Christina Applegate, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Lance Armstrong, Halle Berry, Beyoncé, Jack Black, Mary J. Blige, Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Katie Couric, Sheryl Crow, Ellen DeGeneres, Michael Douglas, Kirsten Dunst, Melissa Etheridge, Jimmy Fallon, Fergie, Jennifer Garner, Charlie Gibson, Salma Hayek, Ken Jeong, Scarlett Johansson, Jaime King, Lady Antebellum, Jay Leno, Laura Linney, Tobey Maguire, Martina McBride, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jim Parsons, Keanu Reeves, Rihanna, Robin Roberts, Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler, Diane Sawyer, Ryan Seacrest, Will Smith, Eric Stonestreet, Meryl Streep, James Taylor, Carrie Underwood, Sofia Vergara, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Brian Williams, Reese Witherspoon, Stevie Wonder, Renée Zellweger, the late Patrick Swayze and others.

The first two SU2C telecasts took place on September 5, 2008 and September 10, 2010, and have been viewed in more than 190 countries. The 2010 STAND UP TO CANCER show generated over $80 million in pledges to support research, including over $2 million dollars from Canada during the SU2C telethon. To date, more than $180 million has been pledged for SU2C's innovative cancer research. Since 2008, SU2C has made grants to seven multi-disciplinary "Dream Teams" of researchers as well as to 26 young innovative scientists who are undertaking high-risk, potentially high-reward projects to end the reign of cancer as a leading cause of death in the world today.  Eighty-five institutions are currently involved.

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the world's largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer, is the scientific partner of STAND UP TO CANCER. The AACR is responsible for the scientific review, grants administration, and scientific oversight of SU2C research projects in conjunction with the SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., institute professor at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The SU2C funding model has fostered collaboration and innovation, and the unprecedented sharing of ideas and pooling of resources across institutions. Dr. Sharp calls SU2C's revolutionary approach "the best dollar spent on cancer research in the country."

Collectively, the research underway through the SU2C Dream Team projects has the potential to impact the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of cancers in adults and children across ethnicities including pancreatic, breast, ovarian, skin, cervical, uterine, brain, lung, prostate, rectal and colon, leukemia and lymphoma, all of which collectively represent approximately two-thirds of all U.S. cancer deaths.

For more detailed information about the Dream Teams, individual Innovative Research Grants and other STAND UP TO CANCER activities, www.standup2cancer.org fosters an online community for everyone affected by cancer, with various ways for people to share opinions and support, view video updates, contribute, and learn of ongoing initiatives and progress in the fight against the disease. Features of the website include The Constellation: for a dollar donation or more, users can launch a star in honour of anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis; The SU2C Blog: diverse content describing cutting-edge research, offering unique perspectives of cancer survivors, researchers, and patient advocates; and The Grassroots Toolkit: providing tools for community members to fundraise through SU2C Teams, Races, Clubs, or Events. SU2C social media also provides a variety of opportunities to interact with SU2C, support those in the fight, and contribute to SU2C's efforts.  Social channels include a thriving SU2C Facebook community of 850,000 fans, SU2C's YouTube channel with 400 videos, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Crowdrise, and many more. Viewers can begin standing up to cancer now by becoming a fan of SU2C on Facebook, by following SU2C on Twitter at @SU2C, subscribing to SU2C's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/su2c or by following SU2C on Google+.  To view our online tune-in video, please visit http://youtu.be/7O_P_Fr4S1E, which is also available for embed within your blog or site.

About CHCH:
CHCH started broadcasting in 1954 and is proud to be the news leader for Hamilton and the surrounding Halton and Niagara regions. CHCH produces more original news programming than any other local television station in North America. With a primetime line-up anchored by movies, news magazine shows, and hit dramas, CHCH is available to over 92% of Ontario households and is viewed by millions nationally each week.  CHCH is owned and operated by Channel Zero Inc., an independent Canadian broadcaster with two specialty channels, Silver Screen Classics and Movieola - The Short Film Channel. In 2006 Channel Zero started Ouat Media - a Toronto-based company that specializes in the worldwide distribution of award-winning short and feature films. In 2011, Channel Zero entered the American television landscape with the launch of Fight Now! TV, the first 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week combat sports channel to air in the U.S..

About Citytv:
Citytv™ television stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Saskatchewan offer viewers intensely-local, urban-oriented, culturally-diverse television programming. A distinct alternative to other conventional television stations, Citytv engages its viewers with dynamic on-air personalities and delivers an entertaining mix of news, local-interactive formats such as: Breakfast Television and Cityline; as well as local Canadian and US acquired prime time entertainment programming. Citytv is a part of Rogers Broadcasting Limited, a division of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI and NYSE: RCI) which is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. For more information on Citytv stations and programming, visit Citytv.com.

About CTV:
CTV, Canada's Olympic Network, is also Canada's largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada's most-watched television network and lead broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at ctv.ca. 

About Global Television:
Global Television is a Shaw Communications broadcasting network.

About Shaw Communications:
Shaw is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.4 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 19 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX - SJR.B, NYSE - SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.

About the STAND UP TO CANCER Initiative:
STAND UP TO CANCER (SU2C)—a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)3 charitable organization—raises funds to hasten the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. In the fall of 2007, a group of women whose lives have all been affected by cancer in profound ways began working together to marshal the resources of the media and entertainment industries in the fight against this disease.

Members of the SU2C Executive Leadership Council (ELC) include Cancer Advocate and Television Journalist Katie Couric; Sherry Lansing, Chairperson of the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Board of Directors and founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation; EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen; EIF Senior Vice President Kathleen Lobb; Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz of the Robertson Schwartz Agency; Pamela Oas Williams, President of Laura Ziskin Productions and Executive Producer of STAND UP TO CANCER's In-House Production Team, and Nonprofit Executive Ellen Ziffren. All of the ELC members are co-producers of the 2012 televised special. The late Laura Ziskin, executive producer of both the Sept. 5, 2008 and Sept. 10, 2010 broadcasts, was also a member of the ELC. SU2C was formally launched on May 27, 2008. Sung Poblete, Ph.D, R.N., has served as SU2C's president and CEO since 2011.

Founding donor Major League Baseball has provided both financial support and countless opportunities to build the STAND UP TO CANCER grassroots movement by encouraging fans all over the country to get involved.

About the Entertainment Industry Foundation:
STAND UP TO CANCER is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that serves as the collective philanthropy for the television and film businesses. EIF has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support programs addressing critical health, education and social issues. For more information, visit www.eifoundation.org.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

CHCH:
Twitter:
@CHCHTV
Facebook:
Facebook.com/CHCHSuperstation

Citytv:
Twitter:
@City_tv
@Citytv_PR
Facebook:
Facebook.com/Citytv

CTV:
Twitter:
@CTV_Television
@CTV_PR
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ctv

Global:
Twitter:
@Global_TV
@GlobalTV_PR
Facebook:
facebook.com/globaltelevision

STAND UP TO CANCER:
Twitter:
@SU2C
Facebook:
facebook.com/su2c
Youtube:
http://youtu.be/7O_P_Fr4S1E

SOURCE: CTV

Allie Page, CTV, 416.384.4596 or [email protected]
Matthew Almeida, CTV, 416.384.2629 or [email protected]
Rhonda Messieh, CHCH, 416.492.1595 x 2071 or [email protected]
Michelle Lomack, Citytv, 416.764.3190 or [email protected]
Chris McDowall, Global/Shaw Media [phone] or [email protected]