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Home , Chris Martin, Shohreh Aghdashloo

lifestyle MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2014

Winona Ryder Sarah Silverman (From left) , Larry Mullen Jr, and of are seen after their performance on stage at the 3rd Annual Sean Penn & Friends HELP HAITI HOME Gala on Saturday, Jan 11, 2014 at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. — AP photos Celebs show philanthropic side at Haiti benefit

hile many stars are awash in the gifts and parties of Golden Globes weekend, a few used their privilege Wto benefit the people of Haiti - and they were rewarded with an intimate performance by U2. , Michael Douglas, , Charlize Theron, Piers Morgan, Chelsea Handler, Sarah Silverman, Idris Elba and Kathryn Bigelow were among the guests Saturday at Sean Penn’s third annual Help Haiti Home benefit, which raised nearly $6 million for the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. The dinner party at the Montage Hotel included a surprise per- formance by U2- the band’s first in four years. The J/P Haitian Relief Organization has been working since the 2010 earthquake to provide emergency care and sustain- able shelter and education to the people of Haiti. But Penn (From left) Paris Hilton, Piers Morgan, and Celia Walden are seen. says he hopes his organization is obsolete within 10 years. He said progress in the Caribbean nation has been miraculous despite corruption and “inaccurate, bad Journalism.” “I’m not satisfied. I want more,” he said. “But this couldn’t have happened in the United States: This amount of clean up, this amount of resilience.” He expects all of the people dis- placed by the earthquake to find permanent housing within the next two years. Nearly two million have already moved out of the emergency camps and into homes. Besides lending his time and his fame to the cause, Penn also gave his vintage El Camino to benefit his organization. It sold for $100,000 at auction Saturday. The earth is such a tiny speck in the universe that the only thing that makes sense is to take care of those on the planet with us, he said. He prom- ised to reward those who participated in the auction. Midler, Paltrow and Kevin Bacon cast bids. Paltrow’s hus- band, front man Chris Martin, won an exclusive art piece from Banksy for $650,000. Anderson Cooper, the evening’s host, gave the biggest donation: His auction bid of $1.4 million won a sculpture to be made from Penn’s 65 dis- carded firearms. U2’s three-song performance - stunning in a hotel ball- room - followed a tender, acoustic performance earlier in the evening with Bono, guitarist The Edge and Haitian Anaelle Jean-Pierre. Emma Thompson noted the contrast between the Help Haiti event and other pre-awards-show par- ties. “I’m here for awards season,” she said, “and this is the first Asaf Avidan performs onstage. Gary Philoctete (left) is seen onstage with Anaelle Jean-Pierre. night I’ve been having a good time.” — AP Elsa Pataky (left) and Chris Hemsworth Hanks, Blanchett, Scorsese among BAFTA guests

om Hanks, Martin Scorsese, , Chiwetel Cumberbatch, Christoph Waltz, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Ejiofor and Aaron Paul celebrated their Golden Globe “Captain Phillips” supporting actor Barkhad Abdi were also TAward nominations over cucumber sandwiches and among the celebrants. Some tea-party guests, including TV scones with cream. The nominees were among the guests of mogul Nigel Lythgoe, also popped by the HBO Luxury Lounge honor at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ annu- held at the hotel, where brands such as Pandora and Sophia al awards-season tea party, held Saturday at the Four Seasons Fiori Diamonds were hoping for last-minute placement on the Hotel in . With no agenda other than to eat, drink Globes red carpet. — AP and socialize, the stars enjoyed a relaxing respite amid a whirl- wind weekend leading into Sunday’s Golden Globes. Benedict

Cate Blanchett Actress Sandra Bullock attends the BAFTA LA 2014 awards Tom Hanks Brit Marling season tea party at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, January 11, 2014. — AFP photos